Calling all followers!

Dear all, I have started a new blog (in addition to this, so don't stop reading!) Please have a look - it's slightly more personal, but still in keeping with my favourite topic: music!

http://musicandmusingss.blogspot.co.uk/

Respighi's 'Pini di Roma'

Ottorino Respighi
1879 - 1936

After writing a review of the work for a university tutorial, I thought I would add my analysis of Respighi's 'Pini di Roma' to the list of posts for my blog.

Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. One of his most famous works was his 'Roman Trilogy' which contains his 'Pini di Roma' - 'The Pines of Rome'. As you can guess from the title, the piece is based on the pine trees of Rome, and each of the four movements represents a different group of trees at a different time of the day. For instance, the first movement - Pines of the Villa Borghese - depicts the trees that are near a school - here, Respighi mimics the sound of children rushing and playing by using trills and runs in woodwind, as well as giving the movement a bright tone and mostly major tonality. In the second movement - Pines Near a Catacomb - the music suddenly becomes more subdued, as this movement was written to represent the catacombs in Rome. For this, Respighi completely changes the mood by arranging for the lower instruments of the orchestra, as well as using an organ for added effect. His use of parallel fifths was intended to represent the monks that would chant near the catacombs. 

The Janiculum Hill that looks over the city of Rome

The third movement - which is my personal favourite - is titled 'Pines of the Janiculum' - which references the Janiculum hill in Rome. Written as a nocturne, the music reflects the hill at night. The most striking aspect of this movement is definitely the fact that Respighi took inspiration from the sound of a nightingale singing in the pine trees. At the end of the movement, there is in fact a live recording (played on a gramaphone) of the bird singing. This was striking, as until then, use of live recordings with orchestral music had not been heard of. Until the entrance of the nightingale recording at the end of the movement, Respighi takes the listener through the entire orchestra as each of the instruments/sections depict the sound of the nightingale. This begins with a solo clarinet, then taken over by celli, then upper strings and so on until the development of the original theme reaches a climax which leaves us with a silence, only to be filled by the original solo voice of the clarinet again. Hearing this movement always makes me think of the typical golden age film music - as its impressionistic style really does paint a picture of the bird singing in the trees of the Janiculum.

The fourth movement 'The Pines of the Appian Way' represents the brilliance of the rising sun after the night. This is reflected in Respighi's use of ancient trumpets which are supposed to create a militaristic tone as if depicting the act of marching. Not only is this work an incredible example of detailed orchestration and innovative use of recording techniques - Respighi uses 'Pini di Roma' to take his audience through a whirlwind tour of some of the most beautiful areas of Rome - in only about twenty minutes!

Appalachian Spring - Aaron Copland

Aaron Copland

After about a month without posting - I'm back! It's been an exciting month for me, as I've started a new life at University. When thinking about possible pieces to write about - I was particularly struck by a piece that the university chamber orchestra are currently learning called 'Appalachian Spring' by Aaron Copland. Having already written about Copland's piano music, this will definitely be a contrast.

The ballet - which was composed in the early 1940s premiered in 1944, and won Copland a Pulitzer Prize for Music. In 1950 however, Copland rearranged the ballet as an orchestral suite. The extract of the piece that I enjoy the most is the introduction merely titled: 'very slowly'. Here in the ballet, we see each of the characters introduced one by one in a suffused light. Copland used these introductions to create a musical metaphor by setting each of the characters a line from various solo instruments, the first being a clarinet; followed by a flute, and so on and so forth, with each of the solo lines accompanied by the soft chords of strings and harp.

Appalachian Mountains

The harmonies in a lot of the suite are made up of stacked fourths, which make a particularly nostalgic and natural sound - mimicking the Appalachian mountains. This is actually completely ironic, as Copland was unaware of the title when composing the work, and is said to have found it amusing that so many critics admired his ability to capture the feeling of being in the Appalachians. As well as having arranged the work beautifully for all kinds of instruments, one of the smaller touches in this movement is that Copland instructed the strings that only half of them should play - giving a less intense and more delicate tone to the music.

The music that then follows the slow movement is much more upbeat, with the addition of the rest of the orchestra - that are given developed and repeated motifs - yet Copland still manages to keep a sense of peace and spring in the tone of the music. 

Edouard Lalo - Symphonie Espagnole

Edouard Lalo
1823 - 1892

Edouard Lalo (full name: Edouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo) was a French composer. My favourite of his works is the Symphonie Espagnole written for violin - and - I'm not the only one. Lalo's Spanish Symphony remains today to be a key work in any serious violinist's repertoire, and is even known simply as 'The Lalo'. His musical style is known for its powerful melodies and equally as powerful orchestrations.

Edouard Lalo's 'Symphonie Espagnole' was written in 1874 for violinist Pablo de Saraste. Although the piece is called a symphony, musicians today consider the work to be more of a violin concerto. I came across this piece when I was taking my grade 8 violin, as the fourth movement - andante - was on the list of recommended pieces. In the opening of the piece, we hear fragments of ideas from the violin melody throughout the orchestra in a much grander style. Similar to the piece, the orchestra in the introduction goes from minor to major, and back to minor again. Despite it's forceful and aggressive opening, the orchestra then diminuendos for the entrance of the violin - which is extremely delicate in comparison. However, from listening to this, one might assume the violin to be a gentle role in the movement. This is completely wrong, as the range of emotions that the instrument travels through in the music is enormous.

The recording of the fourth movement by violinist Maxim Vengerov is by far the best, as his playing sounds absolutely effortless and yet extremely precise - especially considering that all four movements are devilishly difficult. The technical difficulties in the piece are frequent, as the player has to conquer the huge intervals in the melody, endless trills, turns and other decorative techniques - as well as using the solo line to direct the orchestra. For this recording, I am completely in awe of both composer and performer - as both of their styles together create a crucial recording for all classical music lovers' collections. 

Listen here

John Tavener

John Tavener
Born 1944

As a young man, Tavener was described by many as a musical prodigy. Born and educated in London (with John Rutter as one of his peers) he then went on to study at the Royal College of Music - like all true london musicians. John Tavener is now one of the lucky few to be considered by many as one of the best contemporary Classical composers. A profoundly religious man, Tavener's music is heavily influenced by medieval music. Despite the fact his music is often considered to be quite conservative - I actually find the accessibility of his music to be one of the most appealing features of his compositional style. To persuade any critics further, Tavener has been knighted for his services to music, and has also won the Ivor Novello award.

The Lamb
One of his best pieces is perhaps his christmas carol: 'The Lamb'. This piece - although considered difficult to listen to - is one of the best pieces of contemporary classical music to use to educate anybody about the different compositional techniques used by contemporary composers, such as inversion, augmentation, diminution and retrograde. The piece is made up of a single phrase, that is transformed throughout the piece in every way possible, e.g. singing it in unison, in retrograde, in harmony etc. When the phrase is inverted, it creates a sound that is quite unnatural for the ear. However, like a lot of Tavener's music, this technique creates an eerie and beautiful atmosphere that distinguishes his music from other contemporary choral pieces.

Listen here

Song for Athene
Tavener's most well-known piece is his 'Song for Athene'. Composed for the Westminster Cathedral Choir, the piece was sung at the funeral of Princess Diana in 1997 as her cortege departed from Westminster Abbey. This was indeed appropriate, as the piece was intended as an elegy. The inspiration for the music came from Tavener's description of Athene: "Her beauty, both outward and inner was reflected in her love acting, poetry, music and of the Orthodox Church". Similar to The Lamb, the piece is based around a repeated phrase sung by the tenors, as well as using similar techniques such as inversion. Although the piece is a little repetitive, the intentions of the composer bring a new level to the music. Moreover, its use in the funeral of Princess Diana will forever mark this short choral work as tragically beautiful.

Listen here

Hymn to the Mother of God

I first came across this piece on a choral course, and was pleasantly surprised by the religious tone that it created even when we were simply rehearsing it. Not only is the first chord haunting - but Tavener structures this piece by using a double choir effect with one choir singing a few beats after the first. By doing this, the second choir creates a sort of echo that emphasises the religious nature of the work. What I particularly like about this piece, is that Tavener includes unrelated modulations between the ends and the beginnings of phrases. For instance, at 1:25, we can clearly hear some sort of imperfect cadence. This is then followed by a silence, and then jumps straight back into the first chord of the piece. Although - like most of his pieces - Hymn to the Mother of God is very short, the message is simple - and it is the elaborate decoration of clashing harmonies that make it so meaningful. 

Listen here

Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky

Although I've already written a post about one of Tchaikovsky's ballets, (Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker') I love the music of Swan Lake so much that I thought I would make a post about it anyway. A couple of years ago, the public were blown away by Darren Aronofsky's dark ballet film: 'Black Swan'. Having heard endless hype about the film from friends and critics, I went to go and see it. I was confident that I would enjoy the movie, as I love Natalie Portman, and I love the music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky - what could possibly go wrong? Not only did I find that the film was poorly acted and frequently (although unintentionally) comical, but there were numerous plot holes and bonkers scenes throughout. Unfortunately - for me, 'Black Swan' murdered the music of Swan Lake by playing the same music cues again and again - almost as much as we had to watch Natalie Portman attempt her endless pirouettes.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
1840 - 1893

Moving away from the film, Tchaikovsky's music for the ballet 'Swan Lake' is some of the most beautiful and recognised Classical music in the world. The music for the ballet was composed between 1875 and 1876. The story was pieced together from various Russian folk-tales, and tells the story of Odette - a princess turned into a swan by an evil curse. Although there was some controversy over the composer of the original ballet, Tchaikovsky proved that he had written the first, named: 'The Lake of the Swans', that contained various themes found in the ballet. Although Tchaikovsky is usually the first name a person gives when asked to name a composer of ballets, at the time, ballets were only commissioned to composers considered to be ballet writing 'specialists'. Aspiring to be one of them, Tchaikovsky studied the works of other specialists. This enthusiasm stuck with him, and is clear from his eagerness to write the score for 'Swan Lake' (a score that only took him one year). Now, Tchaikovsky is the best of all the ballet composers that ever lived.

My favourite of all the musical extracts from the ballet is the main theme, played by an Oboe, accompanied by the rest of the orchestra. Although Tchaikovsky starts the solo with a rather tender and restrained tone, the opening tremolando in the strings suggests that something much darker is on the horizon, and predicts the theme to be taken over by the brass. When the theme finally reaches the strings, the melody becomes slightly more tragic and romantic, leading up to the climax of the piece at 2:32. This extract really does tell the story of the cursed princess, and - although tragically abused by the makers of 'Black Swan', it is still just as beautiful every time I hear it.

The Blue Bird - Charles Stanford

Charles Villiers Stanford
1852 - 1924

Charles Stanford was an Irish composer, teacher and conductor. Not only did Stanford study at the University of Cambridge, he also studied music abroad in Berlin. As a teacher, he was one of the founding members of London's Royal College of Music - and taught composition there for the rest of his life. Many of his pupils became great composers as well, including Gustav Holst (Planets Blogpost) and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Although he wrote a lot of operatic works, Stanford is known for his choral music, and is often linked with British composer Hubert Parry (Parry Blogpost).

I first started to get to know the compositional style of Stanford in my secondary school choir, when we started learning his Magnificat in G. The Magnificat is mainly a treble solo (often sung by a very red-faced and out of breath 11 year old boy), accompanied by a full choir beneath. This is a good example of the kind of choral music that Stanford wrote for church. In particular, the harmonies and choral textures (frequently homophonic) demonstrate the kind of writing style that became comfortable for Stanford.

The piece that I wanted to post about is in fact very different to the grand, Parry-esque style of Stanford's Magnificat in G. Like all a capella pieces, Charles Stanford's 'The Blue Bird' is extremely difficult to hold in tune, and to balance the dynamics between each of the parts. However, when sung properly - it is one of the most beautiful yet simple choral pieces I have ever come across. One similarity to the Magnificat is the way the piece is structured with the sopranos carrying a sort of solo line, whilst the rest of the choir moves mostly together and as an accompaniment. I always find that the harmonies in this piece are extremely cathartic, and are a perfect representation of the words. The words are taken from a poem written by British poet: Mary Coleridge.

For me, the most striking thing about the piece is the way Stanford writes the soprano part; with occasional notes after the choral phrases simply to enhance the effect of the chords, then following this with a soprano melody that develops the choral accompaniment into so much more. Although repetitive, the serenity of the music is guaranteed to wash away any stress that I may have, and the ambiguous cadence at the end of the piece always leads me to imagine that the listener has fallen asleep,  and therefore needs no fancy cadence to signify the end of the piece.

The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba...

This week when I was sitting at my desk thinking about possible pieces or composers for a post - my thoughts were interrupted by the inevitable and unstoppable sound of my mother's ringtone - a synthesised version of Handel's 'Arrival of the Queen of Sheba'. When my mother asked me to see if I could figure out how to stop the constant noise of her voicemail service trying to contact her every two minutes, I found that there is no option to turn it off. Although irritating, I suppose it is better than the four of five blackberry and iphone ringtones that everyone has. I then realised that maybe I was being sent a message (no pun intended) to write a blogpost about the piece.

George Frideric Handel
(1685 - 1759)

Although not one of my favourite composers, I admire the works of Handel as I find his music to be precise and delicate - unlike the overwhelming sound of other, later composers. However, I find most of Handel's most popular works to be overplayed. In particular - his Messiah. This is irritating to me, as I absolutely love Handel's Messiah and definitely rate it as one of the greatest classical works of all time.

The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba comes from an oratorio called 'Solomon' - a libretto based on the biblical stories of King Solomon. This movement is by far the most famous, and rightly so - as it is instantly uplifting, joyful and regal - always a crowd pleaser. The most amusing passages are perhaps the miniature conversations between strings and wind that encourage and develop the original theme. Despite constant repetition and trills in a lot of the passages, with little variation in the music in terms of the dynamics and instrumental range - it is instead the melodies and harmonies that drive the piece in several different directions. In conclusion, this piece is playful, delicate and unforgettable. The synthesised ringtone however, could drive anyone bonkers.

The Stars of Classical Music

In terms of Classical music, it is interesting to think about who recieves (and who should recieve) the praise for a performance, CD, arrangement and so on and so on. As a composer, my view is biased - as I believe the composer should be the one to gain the majority of the credit for a piece, even being performed by somebody else. My logic behind this is that there are only a handful of Mozarts, Beethovens, Korngolds and Stravinskys - however, there are millions of very talented professional musicians all over the planet. Despite this, there is extraordinary musical talent out there at the moment - and, I thought it was only fair to make a post about the performers rather than the composers this week.

Representing the pianists of the world is Chinese concert pianist: Lang Lang. Lang Lang - meaning: 'brilliance of the sky' - first came across western music whilst watching an episode of Tom & Jerry which features a rhapsody by Franz Liszt. From then on, he took up piano lessons and quickly made his way through some of the most prestigious music establishments in the world. The first time I saw Lang Lang perform was at The Albert Hall. Performing Beethoven, he had an incredible attention to detail and phrasing, and gave a truly dramatic performance that kept the entire hall silent (until the rupture of applause of course). However, Lang Lang is not only a brilliant pianist. He has received numerous awards for his work with charities and foundations in China, as well as being listed by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influencial People in the World.

I recommend: Piano Concerto No. 1 - Frederic Chopin

For the singers, I chose my favorite male voice: Ian Bostridge. Bostridge is well-known for his performances as both an opera singer and song recitalist. A lot of Bostridge's repertoire is focused on English vocal music. My favorite of all his albums is 'The English Songbook' - a collection of some of the most lovely English vocal pieces such as 'Linden Lea', 'Silent Noon' and 'Cradle Song'. Having alreay mentioned one of his recordings in an earlier post, I refer you to 'Ivor Gurney - Sleep'. Surprisingly, Bostridge originally intended to go into theoretical physics. However, after a few years of experience in the field, he decided to turn to the modern history (which he studied at Oxford and Cambridge). Eventually, Bostridge became a professional singer, and went on to become one of the most famous contemporary male voices.

I recommend: Silent Noon - Ralph Vaughan Williams

To represent the women, I chose Nicola Benedetti - a Scottish Classical violinist. Benedetti was first properly discovered by the public when she won the Young Musician of the Year Award in 2004 at the age of 16. From this, she was offered a recording contract worth £1million, and went on to perform at various prestigious engagements around the world. Now with six albums altogether, Benedetti has just brought out her most recent: 'The Silver Violin', which features many classics from the violin repertoire such as John Williams' 'Schindler's List' and Erich Korngold's violin solo from his opera 'Die Tote Stadt'. Some criticise the album to be a rather unimaginative line-up of music. However, I disagree as I believe her to have already proved her capabilities of playing some of the hardest music in the violin repertoire in her previous albums.

I recommend: Die Tote Stadt : Tanzlied des Pierrot - Erich Korngold

Finally, I chose Gareth Malone to represent the young generation of choirmasters and broadcasters. Malone describes himself as a "presenter and populariser of choral singing". Malone first started to attract attention with his first programme: 'The Choir' which encouraged those who had had no previous musical training to sing together in a choir. However, Malone is most famous for his other tv programme: 'The Choir: Military Wives' in which he brought together a group of military wives to create a song for them to sing about their husbands. The song itself was written by established composer Paul Mealor, however the praise was given to Malone, along with the brave wives who with no musical experience, created a heart-warming performance that was difficult not to like.

I recommend: Wherever You Are - Paul Mealor

Many criticise those who have gone through the Classical music industry and come out famous and successful businessmen and women, as they believe them to have sold themselves out for the commercial spotlight. To me, this is absolutely ridiculous, as making Classical music commercial is a key factor in trying to make Classical music more appealing and more accessible to the rest of the public. Just because they've had a few classy photo-shoots and interviews to promote their work, it doesn't mean we should diminish the fact that these are hard-working musicians who wish to share their talents with the world.

Requiem Mass in D minor - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1756 - 1791

As I haven't yet posted about Mozart, I thought it would be fitting to write about one of his most intense and wonderful works; The Requiem Mass in D minor. When it comes to writing about Mozart, I find it difficult to know where to start, because to me, his music is completely astounding. Composed in Vienna in 1791, the piece was famously left unfinished by the composer when he died in December. However, the real reason that this piece is so famous is because of all the myths and stories that surround it. In particular, the 1797 play and 1984 film 'Amadeus' portrays Antonio Salieri as the mysterious commissioner that drives Mozart to his death-bed, with the intention to claim the piece as his own. This (like much of the rest of the movie) is not the case, as the requiem was commissioned by Count Franz von Walsegg for his late wife. The reason for the ambiguity of who commissioned the mass was because of Walsegg's discretion in commissioning the work secretly through others.

Constanze Mozart
1762 - 1842

Confusion about the work was also caused because of Mozart's wife, Constanze. As Mozart was known for his irresponsible handling of money, he and his wife were desperate to receive the large payment that was in store for them once the requiem was finished. However, because Mozart died before completing the piece, it was crucial to Constanze that nobody knew that not all of it was composed by the man himself, as any doubt would leave her without payment. For me, the most tragic aspect of this work, is that it is often referred to as the cause for Mozart's death. According to Constanze, Mozart had said: "I fear I am writing a requiem for myself", as well as complaining of pain, swelling and strange thoughts whilst writing it. Because of their financial situation, Mozart's funeral was modest, with few mourners and only a handful of admiring musicians. Despite this, Mozart's reputation suddenly rose after his death, with memorial gatherings all over Vienna, as well as a number of books published to celebrate his legacy.

The Requiem itself is split into fourteen movements. Although there are a lot of varied movements, there are various musical footprints of Mozart's that make a number of them memorable. For instance:  the subtle transition from the Introitus to the Kyrie, the trombone solo that opens Tuba Mirum and the famous string ostinato of the Confutatis. I wanted to talk about a couple of the movements (two of my favourites), the Confutatis and Introitus. The Introitus opens the whole work, and is heartbreakingly beautiful. The opening sequences are made up of suspensions between wind and syncopated strings. Each of the parts enter one by one after the basses - and - as the voices stop, the strings lead into a soprano solo that is then mimicked later by the rest of the sopranos and choir, almost sounding like a soprano chorale over the rest of the busy voices. The movement finishes with a recap of the opening ideas, with added semi-quaver phrases for each of the four voice parts. Even within the first movement, Mozart captures the essence and concept of a requiem brilliantly, and leads straight into the Kyrie.

For me, the most striking movement of the whole mass is the Confutatis. Not only does it open with the flurrying sound of the strings' ostinato - here, Mozart seems to create a perfect example of musical juxtaposition with his writing for tenors and basses against the sopranos and altos. The basses open the movement with the words 'confutatis maledictis' which is answered by the tenors. This back-and-forth conversation of aggression carries on between the tenors and basses until the entry of the sopranos and altos, which turns to major, piano and - unlike the leaping, staccato phrases of the lower voices - is written in a very linear fashion, that creates a completely contrasted sound. This idea is then repeated before the choir eventually joins together into a mass of constant modulations until the end of the movement. Mozart's Requiem is - by far - one of my all time favourite works. Not only is it intensely beautiful and undoubtedly musically intelligent, it is most exhilarating work I have ever sung, and I urge anyone who hasn't already to listen to the whole thing - or better yet, hear it in concert!

Steve Reich - Triple Quartet

Steve Reich
Born 1936

I was first taught about the music of Steve Reich four years ago in GCSE music. When it came to the subject of minimalism, our teachers told us that the only four words we needed to know were 'Philip Glass' and 'Steve Reich'. Then, I looked down on minimalism as I thought it was just like copying and pasting different phrases into Sibelius - but I couldn't have been more wrong. Musical innovations of Reich include tape loops, phasing and other typical minimalist techniques such as addition, subtraction and cell displacement. Not only has Reich influenced many classical composers, but also many Pop and Rock musicians such as King Crimson and Michael Hedges.

When it comes to his own influences, Reich says that Bach, Debussy, Bartok and Stravinsky are the composers that he admires the most. However, Reich was also heavily influenced by Jazz musicians such as singers Ella Fitzgerald and Alfred Deller, as he was interested in the vocal techniques such as vibrato and scat singing that could change the overall sound of their voices. Like Philip Glass, Reich is vague when it comes to a detailed description of his musical style, and finds the term 'minimalist' rather restricting.

An extract from an interview by Rebecca Kim with Steve Reich in 2000:

The point is, if you went to Paris and dug up Debussy and said, 'Excusez-moi Monsieur…are you an impressionist?' he'd probably say 'Merde!' and go back to sleep. That is a legitimate concern of musicologists, music historians, and journalists, and it's a convenient way of referring to me, Riley, Glass, La Monte Young. It's become the dominant style. But, anybody who's interested in French Impressionism is interested in how different Debussy and Ravel and Satie are—and ditto for what's called minimalism. Basically, those kind of words are taken from painting and sculpture, and applied to musicians who composed at the same period as that painting and sculpture was made.

Reich's 'Triple Quartet' was composed on commission by the Kronos Quartet. The music - despite being written for three separate quartets - is played by one, as they pre-record the 2nd and 3rd quartets in the studio, and play along to them as the 1st for the album, and for their own live performances. To me, the movements are
good examples of Reich as a minimalist composer, and contain all minimalist techniques, as well as sounding exotic and cathartic with his use of held pedal notes and chimes on bells. Despite the fact some criticise minimalism for its repetitive nature, I see it as the exact opposite - as it is much more fun trying to identify the subtle changes that go on that - without listening carefully - might just go over the listener's head.

Atonement - Elegy for Dunkirk

Dario Marianelli

Despite my love of film music, it is not often that I come across a modern film score that is truly moving, as they usually consist of the typical phrases made up of endless suspensions and pauses without any melody. However, when I watched 'Atonement' for the first time, I was struck particularly by the music that accompanied the scene that saw the British soldiers waiting at Dunkirk titled 'Elegy for Dunkirk'. The music for the film was composed by Dario Marianelli and performed by the English Chamber Orchestra - as well as Caroline Dale playing the solo cello. Marianelli won three awards for the score including Film Score of the Year, Best Original Score, and Film Music Composition of the Year for 'Elegy for Dunkirk'.

A still from the scene at Dunkirk

In the film, the scene is about five minutes in length, and has no speech - only a sweeping shot of the entire beach and the various soldiers that are there. The music is made up of a string orchestra and solo cello, and halfway through we hear the entry of a group of soldiers singing the hymn: 'Dear Lord and Father of Mankind'. Not only is the music very powerful because of the hymn, which describes the strength of God - but also because of the intensely unexpected and heartbreaking harmonies that run over the top. For anyone who knows the hymn, they will notice that the harmony is completely different. However, I believe this to be an extremely effective piece of film composition because of the irony of the harmony and hymn placed together. The words of the hymn read:

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,Till all our strivings cease;

Take from our souls the strain and stress,And let our ordered lives confess

The beauty of Thy peace, The beauty of Thy peace

Breathe through the heats of our desire, Thy coolness and Thy balm;

Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,

O still, small voice of calm! O still, small voice of calm!

The score for the scene can be heard here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnqx9RvswZs

The actual scene itself is more effective than the music alone because you can see the total destruction and bleak background of the beach itself. As well as this, there are the added shouts and snippets of conversation heard by the soldiers as the main characters pass them by. I consider this to be one of the most poignant and touching war-scenes I have ever seen - and the film is definitely worth watching. Here is the extracted scene from the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXTnRdMdZXA

One of my own perhaps?

I have finally figured out how to work YouTube, and how to create, upload and share videos of some of the compositions that I have written. So, I thought I would share one of my recent videos. Before listening, bare in mind that I am still restricted to the awful and synthesised sounds of the composition software: Sibelius. If only I could play the whole piece at once on all of the instruments...

I wrote this with the inspiration of film composers Mychael Danna (The Time Traveller's Wife) and Aaron Zigman (The Notebook). I love background film music because of the delicacy and serenity of it, as well as the fact it can support drama without taking away attention from the screen. The idea of the piece starts off simply, with the strings and the addition of a solo piano. As the theme develops, the piano communicates with the harp, developing into a melody for solo clarinet, that then transforms the whole piece entirely. I can't really criticise my own work, so I'll leave it up to the judgement of its viewers.

The BBC Proms

Eric Whitacre

People are always very shocked to hear that in my whole life, I have only ever been to see one performance at the proms. (It was Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'). This year, when looking through the catalogue (which I have to say costs more to buy than the actual 'prom' tickets), I noticed that the general programme for the Proms is similar each year, especially with the obligatory ending consisting of the national anthem, and Pomp and Circumstance. This year, I will be going to my second performance at the Proms to see my favourite contemporary choral composer: Eric Whitacre.

The first time I went to see Eric Whitacre live, it was incredible. Not only because I love his music, but because the choir that he brought together called 'The Whitacre Singers' had the most amazing blend that created a seriously magical atmosphere. This was also the first time I had heard one of the works on his latest album 'Water Night' called 'Alleluia' written for a choir in Cambridge that Whitacre worked with personally. When talking about the piece, Whitacre said that despite the fact he isn't a particularly religious man, he found the word 'Alleluia' (praise God) to be a deeply spiritual word that would enhance the music written for it.

The Whitacre Singers

This piece is going to be performed at his performance at the Proms, and I am thoroughly looking forward to it. The suspense at the beginning of the piece is created by the suspended note sung by upper voices, accompanied by the mimicking of the lower voices, and the emphasis of the text from the solo soprano. The work then builds gradually, until the entire choir sings together. There is even a more haunting section sun by solo baritone. This work is typical of Whitacre in terms of the harmony, cadences and part settings - but I love it all the same, and creates a spiritual relaxation for even those without religious convictions. For anyone who hasn't already got a ticket, I urge you to queue up to prom, as it will be well worth it.

Schubert's Unfinished Symphony

Franz Schubert
1797 - 1828

Franz Schubert is today known as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Despite the fact that Schubert's life was unfortunately very short, he managed to create a musical legacy of lieder, operas, symphonies and a large amount of chamber music, particularly for the piano. As well as this, Schubert had very little appreciation of his work during his lifetime, (as with many composers) and only had his work properly integrated into the ears of society when later composers such as Brahms, Schumann and Liszt discovered his talents, and admitted to being influenced by his music.

In 1822, Schubert began work on his famous 'Unfinished' Symphony (No. 8). The work is often referred to as Schubert's first romantic symphony because of its expressive melody and dramatic harmonies. For any who don't know, the reason it is called the 'Unfinished' Symphony is because the piece is literally not finished - and we are still unsure why, as Schubert stopped writing whilst he still had six years of his life left. This is possibly one of the most striking pieces I have heard because of the extreme contrast between moods created by Schubert with techniques particularly in the strings, but also with other aspects of composition such as dynamic range and pauses (for dramatic effect).

The opening of the first movement is extremely ominous, played only by the lowest of the strings - the cellos and double basses. After this opening, we hear the entrance and the flurry of the upper strings, playing in semi-quavers, accompanying the first melody played by wind. For the next few phrases, I get the feeling of taking one step forward and two steps back, as the melody in the wind is constantly and abruptly interrupted by the sforzandos of the rest of the orchestra. At 1:12, when the orchestra appears to have come to its climax, we are left only with the sound of the horns, that play a pivot note to take the rest of the orchestra into another key for the next subject. The melody is first heard in the cellos, then upper strings. This melody is interesting, because in theory, it could go on forever. However, because Schubert was typically unconventional, he stops it with a general pause for the entire orchestra, and returns with a sudden crash into the development section of the second subject. The introduction is then repeated, as we hear the low, ominous and chromatic sounds of the lower strings for a second time. The rest of the symphony is just as detailed and genius as the opening section. However, seeing as its length is just under half an hour, it might be something to save until you have some free time on your hands!

Thomas Tallis - Spem In Alium

Before reading this post, I challenge you to listen to the recording below, and guess how many vocal parts there are in Thomas Tallis' 'Spem In Alium'. I was also given this challenge when I first heard the piece, and I thought somewhere around twenty. However, I was mistaken, as it is in fact an extraordinary number of fourty separate parts - this is definitely what makes this piece such a remarkable composition.

Thomas Tallis was an English composer in the 16th century, and is still considered today as one of England's greatest early composers. Tallis also worked alongside William Byrd, another great British composer of polyphony. They were both given permission to publish their music under the rule of Queen Mary, and thank God that they did, as they're music is the little that we have left of them, seeing as we know very little about their lives.

The text for 'Spem In Alium' (Latin for 'hope in any other') has been used by several other composers, however is only really recognised as Tallis' incredible fourty part polyphonic masterpiece. The voices are written in eight choirs of five voices each (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone and bass). Interestingly, the combination of the choirs is not always constant, as for the most part of the beginning of the piece, only one choir will sing at a time with the others only entering to imitate. Whilst the opening music travels from the first choir to the eighth, Tallis then repeats this idea backwards, taking the vocal line back again to the first choir. In the second section of the piece, Tallis then pairs the choirs together to make four double choirs, that repeat the same imitation process. Finally, for the ending, all fourty voices come together.

What I find particularly interesting about this work, is the use of vocal combinations, and the varied sounds that a choir could achieve because of Tallis' writing. For instance, there are times at which only solo voices can be heard (e.g. the beginning of the piece that consists only of upper voices) and there are times at which Tallis uses one whole five-part choir, and finally - there are occasional moments where you can hear two or more choirs (sometimes all) each singing separate and lyrical melodies. When I first knew how many parts there were, I was sceptical as I had the view 'surely there are only so many notes that you can use?'. However, I was completely mistaken, and despite the early musical aspects of this piece, various clashes can be heard that actually add to the movement of the music.

This is definitely one piece in which having a conductor is absolutely crucial, as none of the singers can simply rely on each other. Instead, trying to coordinate fourty different voice parts is a job that might be beyond most conductors, and most singers for that matter!

Requiem - Maurice Duruflé

Maurice Duruflé
1902 - 1986

Maurice Duruflé was a pianist, organist and composer in the twentieth century. As one of the brightest musicians of his age, he entered Le Conservatoire de Paris, where he graduated with the skills that would eventually enable him to compose for years to come. As well as this, Duruflé was even awarded the position of assistant organist at Notre Dame in Paris.

Despite his talents as a performer, he was seriously injured in a car accident in 1975, which left him confined to his own apartment for most of the rest of his life, leaving his musical commitments to his wife Marie-Madeleine. Although he is seen by many as a great composer, Duruflé was one of the most self-critical musicians of his time, and was rarely satisfied with his compositions - even altering them once they had been published, creating several different versions of some of his pieces. His most famous work is his requiem, which - although relatively short compared to other composers - is truly beautiful, and contains particularly heartbreaking and emotional movements such as the mezzo-soprano solo, Pie Jesu.

The reason I love this requiem so much, is because of Duruflé's creative and haunting use of harmony, as well as his wonderful arrangement for organ. Unlike most other large works, I cannot pick a favourite movement, as they can all stand on their own as intricate and inspirational pieces. To pick two contrasting movements, I chose the mezzo-soprano solo Pie Jesu, and the choral wonder: Sanctus. The Pie Jesu, reflecting the translation: Kind Lord Jesus, grant them rest. Kind Lord Jesus, grant them everlasting rest. Starting on a sustained organ chord, the entrance of the voice creates a tender mood for the piece, that later grows into something much more dramatic. Moreover, the voice is in constant conversation with a solo cello, which emphasises the yearning harmonies beneath. As well as playing with different time signatures, the requiem is full of unexpected chord progressions, often switching completely in the middle of the phrase. At 1:38, the piece comes to its climax, and settles down again to 'rest' at the end. The video above is a recording sang by Sarah Connolly, accompanied by Robert Cohen on cello.

Much more up beat than the Pie Jesu, the Sanctus provides a chance for the whole choir to sing their guts out! Similar to the solo, the Sanctus is full of twists and turns in time and harmony. Opening just with sopranos and altos, the piece builds gradually to a very loud exclamation of 'hosana in the highest' from the whole choir at 1:55. This is immensely fun to sing, as I know from singing it with my school choir, as all of the sopranos are desperately trying to reach up to the very high top Bb. Despite being two of the most distinctive movements from the requiem, I urge you to listen to the whole thing as it lasts only just under an hour, and is honestly worth it!

Frederic Chopin - Nocturne Op. 27 No. 2

Frederic Chopin
1810 - 1849

Looking through all of my past posts, I was very surprised to see that I had neglected one of my favourite Romantic composers: Frederic Chopin. Chopin is best known not only as a composer, but as a virtuosic pianist. Because of his talent - and the way he used it to create intricacy in his compositions - it was inevitable that Chopin's piano works would become some of the most loved pieces in the repertoire for the piano. Moreover, he is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music.

Chopin's love of the piano is obvious from the fact that most of his works are for piano, and any additional compositions at least feature the instrument. However, it is not only the current pianists of the world that appreciate his work, but also his contemporaries such as Schumann and Liszt, who described him as a: "gentle, harmonious genius". Some of Chopin's most well-known works include the 'Revolutionary Etude', the 'Minute Waltz' and the third movement of his Funeral March. 

Arthur Rubinstein
1887 - 1982

I came across this piece whilst looking through my collection of piano music, and, after listening to a recording by renowned pianist Arthur Rubinstein, I completely fell in love with it. Typical of most of Chopin's Nocturnes, this work carries a distinctive melody in the right hand, which is one of the most important features of the whole piece. As well as this, Chopin pairs his effortless melody line with an accompaniment of broken chords to sustain rhythm and movement underneath the sometimes confusing and unexpected cross-rhythms of the melody. Finally, Chopin emphasises a need for the sustain pedal, which he believed emphasised the emotional expression of the music. It is clear that Chopin's Nocturnes made a lasting effect on the Romantic period, as they influenced the music of other Romantic composers such as Brahms, Wagner and Mendelssohn. One particularly obvious influence from this Nocturne is the similarity that the beginning has with Liszt's Consolation in Db major - have a listen here and see if you can spot the difference!

This recording is performed by one of the most incredible pianists of all time: Arthur Rubinstein. Not only is he considered to be one of the greatest Classical pianists of the twentieth century, but many regard him as the greatest Chopin interpreter of his time - and, at the time of his death, the New York Times said: "Chopin is his speciality".

Aaron Copland - The Cat and The Mouse

And now for something completely different! Recently I asked my piano teacher if I could try looking at something a bit more unusual and fun, and he immediately suggested Aaron Copland's 'The Cat and the Mouse' for solo piano.

Aaron Copland
1900 - 1990

Copland was an American composer and teacher, often referred to as 'the dean of American composers'. He is best known for his early works written in the 30s and 40s such as 'Billy the kid' and 'Rodeo'. Copland said that his earliest influences were Chopin, Debussy and Verdi. Despite his fascination with the new and exciting styles of the impressionistic composers such as Debussy and Scriabin, because avant-garde sheet music was not only difficult to come by - but also incredibly expensive - it limited the musical influences that he could gain from their works. However, Copland didn't forget the true pioneers of music, as he appreciated and admired the works of Bach, Mozart and Palestrina - even stating that the perfect piece of music would 'combine Mozart's spontaneity and refinement with Palestrina's  purity and Bach's profundity'.

Tom and Jerry

For me, Copland was living at the peak of musical discovery, as he was surrounded by Ravel, Poulenc, Satie and Debussy, as well as Webern, Berg and Bartok. It was these more experimental composers that gave Copland the imagination to create his more unusual pieces such as 'The Cat and the Mouse' - he especially admired Schoenberg and his creation of the twelve tone system, even trying to adapt it to his own style. Despite this, Copland named Stravinsky as his hero, and his favourite 20th century composer. With all of these influences - paired with his love of jazz - Copland was able to create truly fascinating music.

'The Cat and the Mouse' was in fact Copland's first published work, and is a piano piece based on the fable by Jean de la Fontaine about the difference between the young and confident mouse, with the old and pitiful cat. When I first heard the piece, I immediately thought of the famous animation 'Tom & Jerry' which is famous for its literal music to mimic the two characters running into things, falling of surfaces and basically terrorising each other. This is obvious immediately as the sounds of piano glissandi and other effects paint a picture of a cat and a mouse running around after each other. As well as this, there is the obvious use of pitch to determine the difference between the lower tones of the cat, and the high-pitched twinkling of the mouse. Moreover, the tonal and rhythmic influences are evident from Copland's use of contrasting colour in pitch, as well as dissonant harmonies and unexpected chordal progressions.

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker

On Tuesday evening, I arrived back from my school Choir Tour to Slovenia and Northern Italy. The tour is an annual event, however this year's was sadly my last as I'm off to university in October! We enjoyed the same activities that we do every year such as singing in incredible buildings like St Mark's in Venice, eating the local food (endless amounts of pasta and pizza) and - of course - spending a considerable amount of time on a coach with the rest of the choir: 45 children and 7 adults (along with our very patient tour guide and coach driver). As anyone who has been on long journeys will know, time goes quicker when you have an activity to pass the time. For us, this meant rattling through everybody's collections of classical music and playing 'name that tune'. During this, I came across the music for a ballet that I have always loved, yet had somehow forgotten about as it isn't part of my own collection of music: The Nutcracker.

   

'The Nutcracker' is a two-act ballet composed by Tchaikovsky, and premiered in 1982. Although the ballet itself was not a roaring success when it first opened, the music definitely was, and is one of Tchaikovsky's most famous works to this day, including the music for 'Sleeping Beauty' which was the reason Tchaikovsky was commissioned to compose for 'The Nutcracker' in the first place. While listening to several different movements of the ballet on a friend's ipod, I remembered where I had first heard the music: Disney's 'Fantasia'. 

For anyone who doesn't know the 1940s film, 'Fantasia' is a production by Disney that incorporates the greatest classical works from various periods and sets them to suitable animations. Unfortunately, the release of the movie put off previous Disney fans who believed the movie to be too 'high-brow' because of its inclusion of classical music. However, in my opinion, I believe it to be one of the most original animations out there, and demonstrates the power of creativity and interpretation. Here is Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, set to the images of what the Disney animators saw when they heard the music:

A Dedication to Vocalicity

Monteverdi's 'Beatus Vir' performed by Vocalicity

For today's post, I wanted to share a video of the close harmony group that I direct along with some of the other members. On Tuesday, I performed at my last ever school concert, and it was unexpectedly quite emotional to think that I wouldn't be doing the same thing next year. We decided to name our group: 'Vocalicity' as we were sick of calling ourselves the: 'Emanuel School Close Harmony Group' which, I'm sure you'll agree, doesn't have much of a ring to it. The reason I love this group so much is because it is created and directed by students. Despite there being varied ages from 15-18, we are all good friends, and being in a group together has in fact pulled us closer together. At so many school concerts these days, the end of the concerts are filled with various speeches thanking the horn teacher, or the piano teacher, or the singing teacher. However, for us, there is a much bigger sense of achievement because we have no teacher to help us, merely a huge interest in all kinds of vocal music, and a willingness to sing to the best of our abilities. Having sung with them for the last two years, I feel a great sense of sadness knowing that next year I will no longer be part of it. However - being the oldest in the group - I also feel so proud of all the members of Vocalicity for sharing my passion for classical music, and for gaining true friendship out of it as well. As well as that, we've sung with internationally renowned group Voces8, as well as singing in prestigious venues around London such as Fortnum & Masons, and St John's, Smith Square. As I'm sure you would have guessed, working with a group of 10 teenagers isn't always easy as there is a lot of gossipping, chatting and texting going on, but it also has advantages such as creativity, energy and most of all: very varied opinions. For instance, some of us have a passion for the Renaissance era, some for Polyphony, and some for more modern styles and composers such as Gershwin and Leighton. But, that's what makes our rehearsals more interesting, and our performances more inventive. Therefore, I dedicate this post to the members of Vocalicity to say well done for all the hard work, thank you for the memories, and goodbye - for now!

Seek Him That Maketh The Seven Stars

Jonathan Dove
Born 1959

Jonathan Dove is one of the great contemporary choral composers. However, he also composes for opera and film. My favourite of Dove's choral works is 'Seek Him That Maketh the Seven Stars'. The thing that is immediately striking about this piece is the opening, where we hear an organ ostinato, followed by the soft sound of a solo soprano singing the main theme. I find this piece to be incredibly effective for a number of reasons. First of all, despite fitting into the category of popular classical music, the piece has quite a deep complexity to it through Dove's use of themes, motifs and conceptual ideas. One of the most obvious is the repetition throughout of the phrase: 'seek him', giving an additional, emotional depth to the piece. As well as this, the piece - once heard - is very memorable, not because it's extremely loud or harsh on the ears, or because it uses a particularly unusual tonal centre, but because of its concept, paired with the subtlety of Dove's interpretation. My favourite touch is the slowest of the sections in which Dove writes in 7/8 (for the seven stars), as well as this, the music slows and fades to the words: 'into the morning'.

I chose this image because it is exactly what I picture as I hear the opening of the piece, especially the organ ostinato which creates a truly magical atmosphere. Not only do I hope to one day be able to write something as powerful as this, but also to be able to play the organ part!

'Seek Him That Maketh The Seven Stars' - performed by Tenebrae