Listening part 1

Errol Lynwallen (1958-Present) – This Frame is Part of the Painting for mezzo-soprano and orchestra (2019). August 15th 2019, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Albert Hall. Accessed on 20th September 2022 from: http://www.errollynwallen.com/play/orchestral/this_frame_is_part_of_the_painting

In this composition by Errol, the main principle of orchestration seems to be blending the available colours of the orchestra through the instruments and their characteristic roles. However, the composer also applies extended techniques and clusters. I felt the piece was tonal because she preserves the tonic starting point in phrases. However, these phrases are atonal in construction and mainly clusters. These chaotic rhythmic patterns, several of which prompt some moments of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, seemed to be constructed upon gestures and cell-like events rather than melody-harmony structure. It is due to those cells and patterns in different pitches and gestures that the composer presents these varieties of colour palettes unusual in the standard performance technique. Adding the mezzo soprano’s vowels adds another layer of colour and timber to the piece. After that, the mezzo soprano’s role was to sing words, which reminded me of the history telling of musicals and operas. One feature that stands out is the use of silence, which adds to the overload of key changes and instability in the gestures and melodic patterns; it made my mind wonder and felt a little uninteresting towards the end due to the lack of perceptible direction.

Aaron Copland (1900-1990) – Appalachian Spring, full ballet for orchestra (1944). Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Accessed on 25th September 2022 from: https://youtu.be/_RADEhJpTN4

Copland begins his ballet with a dron-like device performed by the strings in what strongly resembles The Ring Cycle by Richard Wagner. The main theme or phrases seems to be distributed to diverse instruments within the brass and woodwind section. There is a bold sense of polyphonic composition. Contrary to many other composers like David Arnold, Copland seems to apply percussion to add brightness, definition and detail to the music. Arnold, on the contrary, applies the brightness of the brass section to this matter. I have also noticed that the brass section, when convergences with the percussion section, music seems to hold additional punch. To add extreme power to the composition, Copland uses the whole orchestra in tutti and fortissimo dynamics. To present cheerful and giocoso moments, the composer seems to use bassoons and clarinets synchronised and in counterpoint. The flutes and the woodwind section, in general terms, seem to be employed to add colour to the harmony. Pizzicato on the strings and staccato in the woodwinds or brass is a suitable combination to add interest in phrases. There is a particular passage in bb.100-104 where the music strongly resembles the movement of Jupiter by Holtz. In terms of time signature, Copland seems to apply plenty of variable meter, mainly due to the composition being commissioned as a ballet.

Shulamit Ran (1949-Present) – Lyre of Orpheus (2008). Performed on August 6 at Perlman Music Program, Shelter Island, New York. Accessed on 01st October 2022 from: https://youtu.be/x71HACsogG0

Ran in this piece presents a composition that seems to be atonal in the structure; however, containing melodic lines in a tonal polyphonic construction. The composition relies mostly on phrases, which are constructed with big leaps between notes, and it appears that the phrases end with all instruments playing in some sort of atonal harmony. It could be that the fewer non-consonant notes are mingled with more consonant notes in a dance to create these unconventional and unusual sensations if we look at music from a tonal perspective. Broadly speaking, all individual instruments seem to have a life to themselves, often in what can be expressed as a sonic counterpoint in a string quartet fashion. The techniques observed are pizzicato, sforzando, con sordino, tremolo, double stops and other extended techniques like harmonics. Ran seems to balance the slow and fast passages between phrases and also the amount of low and high pitches. The composer also balances the use of the instruments chosen, so they almost have the same priority, although the cello takes the primary role at some points of the performance. Although I’m not so inclined to this form of composition, I enjoyed the piece for a while, as it reminded me of Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire. It seems that this work could be suitable for incidental music.

David Arnold (1962) – Independence Day (1996). Prague film orchestra. Congress Centre Prague on 21st of May 2016. Accessed on 07th October 2022 from: https://youtu.be/nfZ3HCGRGeE

David Arnold in this suite for the blockbuster independence day beggings with a strident almost all tutti loud and powerful intro with the melody apply to the brass section in all Marcia style. The composer’s form of composition resembles John Barry’s style, long, sweet and memorable melodies accompanied by a warm and soft harmony. Arnold applies the melody to brasses and strings mainly, creating an imitative counterpoint between sections. The woodwinds, rather than colouring or providing warmth to the piece, are primarily used to add high-pitched runs, which seems to be the composer’s signature as heard on the soundtrack Stargate (1996). Another characteristic of David Arnold seems to be to compose adding extreme textures, not leaving much space for silence at such, as all instruments within the orchestra seem to be active most of the time. The most powerful sections of the suite seem to be achieved by a tutti orchestra and fortissimo hits on the bass drums, kettle drums and snares. Adding military-sounding snare rhythms supported by the piccolo produces the army march needed for such a film. David Arnold also uses celesta, Glocks and triangles to add excitement, accenting and detail to phrases and the choir to build on an extra layer of sensitivity and warmth to the composition. I regard David Arnold highly, so one of my projects is to explore and analyse his in more detail his scores for a better understanding.

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) – The Lark Ascending (1914). Performed by Hilary Hahn in the George Enescu Festival on the 1st of May 2017. Accessed on 15th October 2022 from: https://youtu.be/IOWN5fQnzGk

For this listening, I followed the score, and I had a greater experience rather than if I had just listened or watched the performance. There is no doubt that the violin has the principal role in the piece, which in its characteristics, perhaps reminded me of a concert for violin. The violin seems to have little imitative counterpoint with the flutes, horns, and clarinets. Those instruments are applied, generally speaking, as a harmony layer. These layers prepare an exquisite red velvet carpet, warm in almost all sections with woodwinds in a pianissimo dynamic. The melodies seem to be performed with double stops at times; they are sweet and calm melodies. The music appears to be very English, as per the use of thirds, which evokes the search for national identity in the music of the era when this piece was created. The double bass application seems to be on the low range, so the music adquire this grounding state and powerful enveloping character. The instrumentation is well distributed to balance the use of all instruments and at the same time protait the violin’s primacy. The first few chords have been transcribed for piano in an attempt at first analysis, and the harmony seems to be revolutionary for the time. Could Debussy had any influence on Vaughan Williams’s composition, or perhaps the evolution of music paid a part in Vaughan’s exquisite signature? Maybe this would be a good question for further research.

Jjos (-) Island Memories (2019). Island Memories, Contraseña Records SL. Accessed on 20th October 2022 from: https://youtu.be/hIcgb3ehn4Q

This is a relaxing piece of music in the style of chill-out music. The composition is not complex whatsoever, compromising 2 contrasting melodies against a crescendo steady harmonic slow pace. It seems to have been composed in the key of A minor, and the melodies seem to be in sequence, a stylistic characteristic of the baroque period. This fact is proof of how some methods of composition and characteristics, even so far in history, have endured and the firm implication of old music in our present times. It will also appear that chill-out music is a bifurcation of the minimalistic style of the 20th century due to the simplicity of the design. The form appears to be ABA, a first section where the melody and the counterpoint of it are introduced with no drumming until mid of the A section. The same pattern seems to be present in the B section, the non-drumming half section and repeated device in the second A section. Chill-out music, thanks to the heavy repetition and relatively consonant and straightforward melodic lines and rhythmic devices, appear to have a strong connection with religious, shamanic or tribal music, as all produce what seems to be entering into another dimension using the same methods, however, applied to different instruments. I must admit that I became involved in a similar project a few years ago link here.

John Williams (1932-Present) – Superman (1985). Warner Bros Publishing. Accessed on 25th October 2022 from cd.

John Williams’s soundtrack for the film Superman appears to be in the form of a march with a parade-style mid-section. Similar to David Arnold’s Independence Day, the assignment of melodies and harmonic context relies heavily on flashy, bold brass passages and tutti orchestral power. To balance the colour and sound of the orchestra, Williams also applies the melodies to the cellos, whether the woodwinds and brass are chosen for the harmony. The percussion assists the power of the orchestra with hits and rolls. To add detail and excitement, the composer seems to assign the harps and violins to perform runs. Doing a little mental analysis, it appears that the brass section provides bright sounds, power, and clarity. The string section is warm, employing cello and basses as grounds for the harmony. The woodwinds in this piece appear to sound particularly wooden, except perhaps in high pitches where they almost replicate the metal sounds.

Adam Khachaturian (1903-1978) Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia (1988). The University of North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, Hill Hall Auditorium at UNC-Chapel Hill 27th April 2013. Accessed on 30th October 2022 from: https://youtu.be/f6ETMtbcKrc

In this adagio, Adam Khachaturian evidences the importance of the string section, and its primordial role in the orchestra. The instrumentation is distributed evenly, although the strings and solo instruments from the other sections are given a prime role. Three main devices stand out from the piece, the repetitive cell from the beginning, the arpeggiated cello melody connecting section and the passing of the material from instrument to instrument almost with the same timber and pitch. The first clear transition is from cello to oboe, whiles the flute is colouring with short cells. The flutes passing the melody to violins and then to the oboe are also appreciated in the composition. The brass usage seems to layer colour to the harmony and distribute the colour in counterpoint with woodwinds and strings, except with the occasional roman-like funfair in the midsection. Also, regarding the brass and, in particular, the trumpets, the application was similar to that of David Arnold’s composition and not strangely enough in the masterpiece The Planets by Holtz. One device worth mentioning is the violin’s timber merging in an expressive counterpoint with the clarinets. Also, this adagio reminded me of the use of the strings section in the Adagio for strings by Barber. The percussion section adds intensity, power and excitement to the crescendos. One particular issue noticed was the brass barely emerging from the rest of the orchestra, which could be due to the reverberance of the hall not being taken into consideration when planning the performance. I feel that this suite could be perfect for transposing for piano.