Mahler's First and Second Symphonies

Gustav Mahler
(July 7, 1860 – May 18, 1911)

Today is the 100th anniversary of Mahler's death.  In an effort to due credit to the man behind the music, I will be posting his music throughout the month starting with his first and second symphonies.

Performed by the NY Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein:

Symphony No. 1 in D, Titan
Click HERE to download.

Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Resurrection
Click HERE to download.

Seabear's The Ghost That Carried Us Away

one of my favorite albs

here is Seashell off of Seabears album The Ghost That Carried Us Away




download the album:

http://www.mediafire.com/?2ujmhmgdozg

Gluck's Air des Furies

Christoph Willibald Gluck's Air des Furies, from his opera Orphée et Euridice, is one of my favorite selections to listen to. Brilliantly composed with passion, swelling runs, and a thorough bass line, you can't help but feel it. Make it loud and listen proud.

Johann Strauss's Vienna Blood Waltz

Another classic waltz by Strauss. Most of you should've heard this before somewhere.

Eric Whitacre's Sleep

Another piece from the wonderful composer Eric Whitacre.  This time, the second piece he ever composed, Sleep.  Here performed by Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 2.0.  This recording is comprised of 2052 individual performances of Sleep totaling 1752 singers from 58 countries.  All of the performances were individually recorded and uploaded to YouTube between September 2010 and January 2011.  They were all edited together to create one glorious sound.

Popol Vuh's Aguirre

This is the greatest score to any movie that wasn't scored by a soundtrack composer (i.e. Williams, Shore, Elfman, etc.).  This album features six songs, three of which are from the movie Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes.  This film, directed by Werner Herzog, is considered by Roger Ebert to be one of the greatest movies ever made in the history of the world.  The performance given by Klaus Kinski is ... Kinskian.  There's really no other way to describe it.  Popol Vuh is a "krautrock" band.  I have no idea what krautrock is, but what I do know, is that Popol Vuh is awesome.  Morgengruß II and Aguirre II are my favorite tracks on the album.  The linked album has a couple extra files (split versions of Aguirre I into L'Acrime di Rei / Flöte, etc.) so I've put the track listing here so you can reference it and make sure you just pick the right ones and in the right order, etc.

Track Listing:

1. Aguirre I                         7:22
2. Morgengruß II                2:55
3. Aguirre II                        6:15
4. Agnus Dei                       3:03
5. Vergegenwärtigung       16:51
6. Aguirre III                       7:16

http://www.mediafire.com/?w5zdmmmmjtl

Aghaei and Jacobsen's Ascending Bird

This is a pretty cool piece, again performed by the 2011 Youtube Symphony Orchestra. The video also features Kseniya Simonova, a Ukranian sand artist. I'll maybe write a description up of it later.

Mason Bates' Mothership

Mason Bates
alive

Mason Bates is an American composer of symphonic music. Distinguished by his innovations in orchestration and large-scale form, Bates is best known for his expansion of the orchestra to include electronics. One of the most-performed composers of his generation, he has worked closely with the San Francisco Symphony and currently holds the position of composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony.

His piece Mothership, which includes an electric guitar solo, is performed below by the 2011 Youtube Symphony Orchestra.

Galante's Transcendent Journey

Rossano Galante
(still alive)

Rossano Galante, pictured in the cheesy picture to the left, has composed many pieces and even orchestrated a few movies two of which are 3:10 to Yuma and Live Free or Die Hard.

Transcendent Journey was a piece composed and premiered relatively recently. Transcendent Journey was commissioned by and dedicated to the Hofstra University Symphonic Band. It premiered on May 3, 2008 under the direction of Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft. I was fortunate enough to be under the tutelage of a former-student of Dr. Boonshaft at the time and was invited to the concert at which this piece, unbeknownst to me, was premiering. This piece definitely makes up for Kirkpatrick Fanfare.




If you'd like to download this, just right click and save as:
Transcendent Journey
Recorded by the Central Winds under the direction of Andrew Perry

Boysen's Kirkpatrick Fanfare

Andrew Boysen, Jr.

I didn't really feel like looking up stuff about this guy. He's still alive and fairly young.

In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, totes posting this piece. It's pretty all right but ahwell. I'll post something totes rad tomorrow to make up for it.

Huapango de Moncayo

José Pablo Moncayo García
(June 29, 1912 – June 16, 1958)

Huapango is a corruption of the Nahuatl word huapanco that textually means on top of the wood platform according to the dictionary of the Real Academia Española ("huapantli", wood table; "pantli", row; and "co", place, on).

Despite his being an excellent Mexican composer, and even considered vital to the Mexican nationalist composition movement, there was never much scholarly research done by either Mexican or foreign music scholars. Moncayo was thought to have a promising career as a composer and conductor. However, his career was hampered by the difficult cultural environment, difficult political situation and his premature death. His death, at an age just shy of forty-six, practically marked the end of Mexican Nationalism in the musical arts.

Moncayo sought to compose a piece that could encapsulate the national aspirations of the Mexican people. In 1941, Moncayo finished his composition titled Huapango which premiered on the 15th of August performed by the newly formed Orquesta Sinfónica de México under the direction of Carlos Chávez. The bright and colorful piece that is Huapango is a testament to the brilliance and nationalistic ideals of Moncayo. Any Mexican should be proud of this music. If there were ever a reason I would want to be Mexican, it would be so I could claim Moncayo's music as my own.




If you're trying to think of who Moncayo looks like, it's Chazz Palminteri.

Ticheli's Loch Lomond

Frank Ticheli
(January 21, 1958 - Present)

Normal guy. Pretty chill.

Ticheli's arrangement of Loch Lomond is one of my favorite pieces to listen to. Loch Lomond is a Scottish folk song. There isn't really much to say, but this piece is holy goddamn good.

At 5:46 in this recording is one of my favorite notes ever written. The build to it is just fantastic and the way it releases is godly. Of course no recording can ever do it proper justice, but when I performed this piece in my high school wind ensemble, I would get chills running down my spine because it's so awesome.

Anyway, listen, and turn the volume up as loud as you can bear.

Strauss's Die Fledermaus Overture

You know this piece.


Die Fledermaus Overture, by Johann Strauss II

Tsintskaro

I'm not quite sure how to describe Tsintskaro (in Georgian: წინწყარო). Haunting? Beautiful? Calming? Tsintskaro, translating loosely to "By the Spring", is a fairly famous Georgian chant or "folk song". It can be found Herzog's 1979 remake of the classic 1922 silent-film Nosferatu starring the infamous Klaus Kinski as Nosferatu. Tsintskaro can also be found featured in part of Kate Bush's song "Hello Earth" off of her album Hounds of Love.

Alford's Colonel Bogey March

Kenneth J. Alford
(February 21 1881 – May 15 1945)
b. Frederick Joseph Ricketts

Technically, he is Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts. He composed under the name Kenneth J. Alford though, so for all intents and purposes of this blogasaurus, it is Alford's Colonel Bogey March.

What better way to start the month of March than with a march?

The Colonel Bogey March has been famously used in many films ranging from The Bridge Over the River Kwai to such films as Spaceballs.

There isn't much to say about marches as a genre. They typically follow the same style/form. The form is as follows:

1. Quiet Intro
2. Repeat Intro but Loud
3. Trio
4. Dogfight
5. Grandioso

Most of these can easily be picked out. Obviously you can tell when the intro is repeated but louder. The trio is the more flowing part that comes after. It's the not very accenty/staccatoish/marchymarchy bit. The dogfight is pretty much what it sounds. The woodwinds and the brass typically fight or answer each other back and forth loudly and whatnot. And then the grandioso is either the melody from the beginning, but quieter and then is repeated louderly and then it ends.


Anyway, here is Alford's Colonel Bogey March.

Follow Up I

This is the script that Whitacre wrote around which he composed his piece I posted last week Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!

Part One

FADE UP
It is a Bright and Sunny day as the sequined curtain rises on tinsel town, and the excitement of a new day filled with the possibility of The Big Payoff is practically palpable. The band kicks off the show in high gear and all is well as we suddenly hear:

CUT TO DESERT
A lone shakuhachi flute usher the arrival of something really VERY bad.

CUT BACK TO BAND
A relaxed rhumba. showgirls blissfully jiggle.

CUT TO MILITARY COMMAND CENTER (stock footage)
Morse code signals the confirmation of approaching doom.

CUT BACK TO BAND
The players finish off their third set and head for the bar; outside we hear:

SLOW ZOOM
Oh no, oh no, oh no, it’s:

CLOSE UP
Godzilla! Glorious Godzilla!

VARIOUS QUICK CUTS (stock footage)
Godzilla destroys cars, screaming tourists, ect.

CUT BACK TO BAND
The band, quasi Greek Chorus, calls for Godzilla to Mambo.

GODZILLA, FULL FRAME
Godzilla mambos, casually crushing hysterical Vegans without missing a step.

EXTREME CLOSE UP
A tiny terrier barking bravely, then:

CUT BACK TO GODZILLA
Demolishing everything in his path… not even the doggie escapes!

WIDE PAN
As Godzilla heads down the strip, searching relentlessly for:

CLOSE UP (stock footage)
Frank Sinatra (Stomped!)

CLOSE UP (stock footage)
Wayne Newton (Stamped!)

CLOSE UP (stock footage)
Liberace (Stepped upon!)

VARIOUS CUTS
The Village Gods destroyed, Godzilla continues his carnage until the City of Sin is leveled!

Part Two

FADE UP
A fearless army of Elvises (Elvi) appear in the distance, formation marching through the littered streets

VARIOUS CLOSE UPS
The Elvi attack, using bombers, missiles, ect.

EXTREME CLOSE UP
One wicked laugh from Godzilla and the Elvi scatter like mice!

QUICK CUT (stock footage)
The Sphinx sits outside The Luxor, looking seductive in a Mae West sort of way.

CLOSE UP
Godzilla takes one look and his eyes pop out of his head.

QUICK CUTS
The Sphinx (Sphinxtress?) seduces the Reptile, who instantly falls in love and begins to…

WIDE SHOT
…tango with her.

SPLIT SCREEN
As they dance, the Elvi slowly regroup and head for the:

QUICK CUT (stock footage)
Pirate ships at Treasure Island

ACTION SEQUENCE (MONTAGE)
The Elvi approach the dancing monster and launch a ferocious volley of cannonballs directly at him.

QUICK CLOSE UPS
The cannonballs find their mark, and Godzilla:

WIDE SHOT
Falls to the ground, annihilated. The Elvi are triumphant!

CROSSFADE
The lounge is open again, and the city of Las Vegas toasts the victory. The scene climaxes with:

VARIOUS CUTS (stock footage)
People happy, tearful, ect. Stock footage, stock music.

SLOW FADE OUT AND FADE UP
A dark, ominous, and very familiar sound…

SLOW ZOOM
Godzilla lives! Godzilla lives! Complete terror (possible sequel?).

WIDE SHOT
The Show is over. The End.

FADE TO BLACK

Offenbach's La Belle Helene Oveture

Jacques Offenbach
(June 20 1819 – October 5 1880)
b. Jacob Offenbach

Most famously known for his Can-Can.

This is a quaint little piece I heard on the radio today. It was something I needed to hear after some kind of examination in three of my three classes today. It's a light, waltzy kind of piece. I don't really have anything to say about it. You probably won't listen to it, ahwell.

Chance's Incantation and Dance

John Barnes Chance
(November 20, 1932 – August 16, 1972)

The only really notable thing about Mr. Chance, other than the fact that we were nearly born on the same day (only 58 years apart), is the manner in which he died.

So Mr. John Barnes Chance, like many other Americans, had a dog. And like most dogs, Mr. Chance's dog was a dog, and rather liked to chase passing vehicles and was always seeking new ways to escape the confines of the Chance household/yard. In an effort for both the dog's safety (due to the nearby road) and for the peace-of-mind for the Chance family, our beloved composer decided to install one of those electrical dog-collar shocking fence things. Thus, the dog would learn to remain within the confines of the property owned by the Chances. However, little did he know that this dog would be the death of him.

On the fateful day in August 1972, as Mr. Chance was installing this electrical wiring around his yard, he had gone camping a day or two prior or planned on going camping. Oddly enough, Mr. Chance felt that his experience in setting up the fence could be improved with his dog outside. Either way, it was this combination of tents and dogs that killed him. Catching sight of a passing car, the dog bolted past the tent that was being aired outside. One of the metal poles from the tent fell and made contact with the fence that Mr. Chance was in the process of installing. He was electrocuted and died at 12:40 p.m. at Central Baptist Hospital from cardiac arrest.

What are the... chances of that?

Incantation and Dance, written in 1960, was the first piece composed by John Barnes Chance. It consists of two contrasting sections. The Incantation is a short, mournful melody, full of mystery and is pretty creeps when it comes to the flute part, which gradually builds to a ferocious conclusion. The Dance also begins quietly, moving to a complex rhythmic pattern in the percussion which is totes absolutely bonkers, and culminates in a frenzied dance. Part of me feels that this piece is an excellent forshadowing of the day he died. Starting out with the ominousness it's like"oh man Mr. Chance you're in for it today better watch out". Then as the piece picks up, you kind of get that feeling of the rambunctious dog and then you can almost hear the point at which Mr. Chance gets electrocuted.

The sound on this recording is pretty low, but it's the best recording I've found. Turn your volume up until you can just hear the flutes in the beginning, and that should be good. Don't make it too loud or you'll die.

Reed's Armenian Dances Part I

Alfred Reed
(January 25, 1921 – September 17, 2005)

There isn't much to be said about Alfred Reed. He was a normal guy, native of New York, was just pretty chill all round. Wasn't weird, etc. He composed a buttload of pieces though, over 200 pieces for concert band, wind ensemble, orchestra, chorus, and chamber ensemble.

Featured in this post is Reed's Armenian Dances (Part I) written in 1972 based off of Armenian folk songs collected by Komitas Vardapet (1869 - 1935), who was an Armenian (obviously) who apparently lost his mind after witnessing the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

From Wikipedia, because I'm getting lazy:
Armenian Dances (Part I) was completed in the summer of 1972 and first performed by the University of Illinois Symphonic Band on January 10, 1973. The piece is dedicated to Dr. Harry Begian, the director of that ensemble. The work includes five distinct sections:

1. Tzirani Tzar (The Apricot Tree) (mm. 1–29), which opens the piece, begins with a short brass fanfare and runs in the woodwinds. This sentimental song consists of three related melodies.
2. Gakavi Yerk (The Partridge's Song) (mm. 30–68), an original composition by Vardapet, has a simple melody which is first stated in the woodwinds and then repeated by the brass. Its simple, delicate melody was intended for a children’s choir and is symbolic of that bird’s tiny steps.
3. Hoy, Nazan Eem (Hoy, My Nazan) (mm. 69–185) is a lively dance, mostly in 5/8 time, which naturally imposes an unusual pattern of additive meter. In this song, a young man sings the praises of his beloved, named Nazan.
4. Alagyaz (mm. 186–223), a folk song named for a mountain in Armenia, is a broad and majestic song; it serves as a contrast to the fast, upbeat songs that come both before and after.
5. Gna, Gna (Go, Go) (mm. 224–422) is a delightful and humorous laughing-song in 2/4 time; it builds in volume and speed until the exciting conclusion of the piece.

Unfortunately, the version I found on youtube that I like is broken up into two videos in an odd place in the piece. The rest of the recordings either are bad quality, or I don't like the way that the ensemble handles the end of the piece.

Messager's Solo de Concours

b. André Charles Prosper Messager
(30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929)

André Messager looks like a douche and wrote music like a douche. His Solo de Concours was written specifically for clarinetists who wished to audition for some French symphonie or something of the sort. Thus, Solo de Concours was written with the intent of being hard as balls while encompassing all forms and styles of playing.

Solo de Concours is a short ~5 minute piece that is quite unlike anything I've attempted to learn/play before. Just listen to how fast it is, and you might think "oh man that's pretty fast." If you don't think it's all that fast, I just want you to know that all of those runs are in just about the worst key imaginable. At 1:14, the slow part comes in, which is nice, but take note how Messager decides to end it after all the arpeggiations in annoyingly retarded keys. At 2:41 is when that section ends not on a major chord, but ON A WEIRD OHGOD CREEPY kind of chord. At that point the cadenza begins which I can't even begin to begin to describe. The cadenza is ridiculous, having the highest note I've ever seen/played in my life on a clarinet. At 4:00 Messager brings back the theme from the beginning and then from 4:33 to the end goes absolutely batshit in this piece. It's sometimes the most fun part of the piece to play because it's just as ridiculous as Messager's mustache, but at times it's so insanely frustrating.

Before writing this, I had no idea what Messager looked like, but I have to say, I am not really surprised he looks like he does based off of this piece.


Performed by Narek Arutyunian, a 15 year old Armenian kid.

Holst's The Planets, Op. 32

Gustav Theodore Holst
(September 21, 1874 - May 25, 1934)
born Gustavus Theodor von Holst

The only thing that I could find of note about Holst, was that he fell backward off of a podium once and suffered a concussion. ahwell

Regarding The Planets, Holst wrote the pieces for the (then) seven celestial bodies.  He wrote the pieces not for their Roman Mythology counterparts, bur rather the influence of the celestial bodies on the human psyche.  The piece typically runs about 50 minutes.  The movements aren't in typical planetary order (i.e. MVEMJSUN[P]): 

• I. Mars, the Bringer of War
• II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace
• III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger
• IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
• V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
• VI. Uranus, the Magician
• VII. Neptune, the Mystic

You may be thinking, "Where is Pluto?"  Holst composed The Planets between 1914 and 1916.  Pluto was discovered in 1930, four years before his death.  However, he was suffering from some type of severe stomach problem or something in the four years prior to his death, so I don't think writing something for Pluto was at the top of his To Do list.  Though, in 2000, the eighth movment "Pluto, The Renewer" was commissioned by some recording group to be composed by some guy who was an authority on Holst's work.  However, six years later, the IAU removed Pluto from the ranks of the planetary bodies in our solar system and thus Holst's original work remains complete.  I'm not going to be posting the eighth movement, because this is Holst's The Planets not Holst and some other guy's The Planets.  It must suck to be that guy though. "Oh hey look i just totes completed this work so now it covers all the planets".  Well done, IAU. *shds

Anyway, onto the music.  I could spend 50 minutes typing up all of the awesome that is Holst's The Planets.  I won't, as I've already spent too much time on this post.  "Mars, the Bringer of War" and "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" are by far the two most outstanding movements of this piece.  "Mars" gets you totes ready and pumped for battle.  "Jupiter" reminds me of that theme from Zelda.  Listen and enjoy as we recognize the launch that occurred earlier today of the Space Shuttle Discovery on it's final mission, STS-133.



Okay, so my original intention was to upload the files as a video to this bloggy thing because i actually have the files for these but it was taking forever to process and I don't feel like sifting through all of the youtubes to find an acceptable one, so i've uploaded The Planets to mediafire.  Download and listen.

Gustav Holst's The Planets, Op. 32

Nelhýbel's Trittico

Václav Nelhýbel (September 24, 1919 – March 22, 1996)

Born in the Czech Republic, moved to America in 1957. He mostly wrote pieces for concert band, however he has written three ballets, three operas and a symphony. I pronounce his name "nelly-bell". Probably totally wrong, but ahwell.

Trittico is a three movement piece. The first movement is fast and fanfare-esque. The trumpets, mid-brass, and lower brass all getting into a squabble, switching back and forth. The woodwinds are the guys who are all like "hey guys maybe you should chill with this shit", but thankfully Nelhýbel doesn't put up with that nonsense. The tension created in the first movement between the sections of brass is brought into the second. The second movement is slower and ominous. It's like that part in a movie where, after a some kind of quick fight, the characters are like "oh shit what just happened. is Garibald dead? where did everyone else go" and it turns out Garibald died in the squabble but then once that guy gets to the top of a hill or whatever, he looks out and sees the enemy army marching toward him and he's like "Scheiße!" (because I feel like this is happening to a German person despite the fact that Nelhýbel is from the Czech Republic) and then gets shot by trumpets and falls behind a rock-face and we're left wondering if he survived. The third and final movement melds the fanfare from the first movement with the heaviness from the second into a fantastical explosion of a fanfare with that heavy underlying melody. In this movement, we find out that the random German guy I invented to describe this piece survived and is ready to inspire his army friends or whatever and kick some patootie. I'll let you decide who wins.

Performed by the Buchholz Wind Symphony at the 2009 FBA State Concert MPA at UF on April 23, 2009.

Whitacre's Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!

Eric Whitacre (January 2, 1970 (1970-01-02) - Present)

One of the best composers of the current generation. Known mostly for his work on Youtube with the Virtual Choir and his other choral pieces. Thankfully, Whitacre also has a sense of humor and doesn't take himself or his work too seriously. I'm not too much into the choral scene though, but luckily for the world Whitacre has done some compositions for wind symphony and orchestra. His pieces for wind symphony are absolutely brilliant.

Godzilla Eats Las Vegas is a quite interesting piece. It was commissioned by the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Thomas G. Leslie, conductor, and received its premiere November 28th, 1996. Despite the... unique nature of this piece, it has been performed in serious concert venues. Godzilla Eats Las Vegas was even performed on the steps of the Capitol Building by the United States Marine Corps Band. Whitacre has even said, "The idea that this piece is being played all over the world in such serious concert venues is the single funniest thing I have ever heard." Whitacre explains how the piece came about by saying, "Tom Leslie asked me to write another piece for the group [at University of Nevada, Las Vegas] as I was leaving, and I thought it would be a blast to do something completely ridiculous." This piece is precisely that. Whitacre covers all genres of music in his 13 minute masterpiece.

Whitacre began working on this piece by writing a brief outline of a plot, in which an army of Elvi (that is, an army of Elvises) battle Godzilla. But before the Elvi come to do battle, Godzilla manages to stomp on the likes of Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton, and Liberace. The piece is certainly intended to be humorous and campy, like pretty much all of the Godzilla movies. If you don't like this piece, or if it doesn't at some point put a smile on your face, then your speakers must not be working. And according to Whitacre, he even has a video of a Japanese audience visibly confused and shaken after the piece concluded. Have a listen, and see if you're just as confused and shaken as the Japs.

Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886)
aka: Ferencz Liszt, Ferenc Liszt, Liszt Ferenc

The video has some biographical information as well as pictures, so if you want biographical info on purportedly one of the greatest pianists of all time, watch while you listen.

Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 is probably one of his most famous works. I'm sure many of you have heard it before, especially if you didn't have a shit childhood. I first recently heard this masterpiece on my way to my CompSci final in May of 2010 on the radio. I sat in my car and waited for about 5 minutes so I could catch the name of the piece and its composer because I knew I had heard it before.

This piece, complete with exciting highs and soothing lulls, sends you on a rollercoaster of awesome. It starts off pretty majestically and heavy. The piece lightens up with the higher woodwinds (i.e. flute / piccolo), and the staccato in the strings give the piece that certain airy bounce. Then, Liszt has the piece answer back heavily with the low strings. The piece then begins to merge as the two overlap and begin the part with which most of you will be familiar. I don't know which orchestra performed this recording, but it is probably one of the best you'll find on the youtubes. Anyway, have a listen and enjoy. See if you can recall from which part of your childhood this piece is.

And don't look it up either. I know you kids and your webbernets business.

Lopez's Burritos To Go

I felt this would be a good contrast to Grainger's vegetarian diet. This short jazz piece comes from the lesser-known composer Victor Lopez. I really know absolutely nothing about this piece or the composer. It has a pretty jokes name and sounds pretty jokes. This piece could get a paraplegic groovin'.

Enjoy.

Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy

Percy Grainger (July 8 1882 – February 20 1961) Where do I begin? Vegetarian? Sadomasochist? Racist? Incestuous?

Let's start somewhere a bit more normal, by college student standards. Grainger never ironed his clothes and often wore the same clothes for days on end saying, "concert audiences can't tell the difference." He was arrested twice, here in America, for vagrancy and could be found on some nights dumpster diving in his best clothes for parts out of which to make musical instruments. Though Grainger was a vegetarian, he was not fond of vegetables at all. He ate mostly nuts, boiled rice, wheatcakes, cakes, bread and jam, ice cream, and oranges.

His sleeping habits were a bit ... "off". Most of us probably use more blankets in the winter to retain our warmth while sleeping and conversely in the summer use less blankets or an airconditioner to keep us cool. Grainger did exactly the opposite. Feeling that summer is meant to be hot and winter cold, Grainger would sleep naked in the winter with his windows open and would use heavy wool blankets during the summer. However, this is just the beginning of his sadomasochism.

Grainger was certainly well aware of his sadomasochistic tendencies and his enthusiasm for flagellation, and he was certainly not ashamed of it. This odd man and his wife would document and photograph everything that the two did. The walls of his home were covered in mirrors so that after he whipped himself he could take a picture of himself from all angles. These pictures were documented with the date, time, location, whip and camera settings. From 1934 to 1935, Grainger gave most of his earnings to the University of Melbourne to create and maintain a museum dedicated to himself. Though, he didn't only donate his manuscripts and instruments, he donated all of those photos of himself along with blood-soaked shirts and seventy-three whips. Yes, he owned at least 73 whips. Fucking weirdo.

At this point, I'd like you to stop reading and just look at the picture of Grainger. Notice how similar he looks to Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder version). Now imagine him standing inside his home after a good whipping session with a look of deep satisfaction and pleasure on his face while blood trickles down his back as he snaps a photo of it. You're welcome.

The curious nature of his personality doesn't stop there however. Grainger believed in the racial superiority of blond-haired and blue-eyed northern Europeans. Sound a bit familiar? In letters and musical manuscripts, he would specifically only use "blue-eyed English" to expunge all non-Germanic influences. Grainger hated italian terms. Unforunately for him, musical compositions are rife with them (e.g. pianissimo, andante, largo, forte, crescendo, etc.). To avoid using these musical terms, "poco a poco crescendo molto" would simply be written as "louden lots bit by bit". However, he was completely inconsistent with his attitude of racial superiority, donating to African-American causes and was friends and even admired Duke Ellington and George Gershwin.

When you read something like this, you can't help but think that it all had to start somewhere. Well, guess what. It did. His mother refused to touch him for the first five years after his birth for fear of giving him syphillis. His mother even allotted time out of every day during which she would stare at a statue of a Greek god, as she believed it would pass good qualities to her son. Grainger was fluent in 11 foreign languages, two of which are Icelandic and Russian.

Other oddities of Grainger include:

• running to most performances because he preferred playing when he was exhausted
• he lost the tip of an index finger while working on a bicycle chain
• walked 105km in South Africa to one of his performances
• when travelling by ship, he would spend his free time shoveling coal in the boiler room
• started designing his own clothes in 1910, from togas to skirts to leggings all of which he would wear
• similarly, he designed a crude forerunner to the sports bra for "his Danish sweetheart"
  

In 1914, he moved to upstate New York, where you can actually tour his house. Now, don't be misled by that. You're given a tour by one man who lives nearby. There's no one else around, and he'll probably take you into the basement to view some of the original scores and drafts of Grainger's. You may get a feeling that you'll be killed down there and no one will ever find you.

Now onto his music. At the turn of the century, Grainger started working on "beatless music". One of his more famous successions of time signatures being 2/4, 2.5/4, 3/4, 2.5/4. Predating John Cage (of 4'33" fame) by 40 years, Grainger began to work with chance music (i.e. composing a piece that has an element of chance in it, and will sound different every time).

During his time in London, Grainger developed an interest in the folk songs of rural England. This interest developed into Lincolnshire Posy, a six movement piece considered to be one of his greatest works. Lincolnshire Posy is a collection of movements which Grainger wanted to be "a kind of musical portrait of the singer who sang its underlying melody". Each movement is a story. The six movements are as follows:

• I: Lisbon (Sailor's Song)
• II: Horkstow Grange (The Miser and his Man -- a local Tragedy)
• III: Rufford Park Poachers (Poaching Song)
• IV: The Brisk Young Sailor (who returned to wed his True Love)
• V: Lord Melbourne (War Song)
• VI: The Lost Lady Found (Dance Song)

Each of these movements is distinct from the other, telling its own tale. To describe all six movements would be an injustice, but you should listen to them all and listen to the story being told. You can hear the plot points in the music. Each movement encapsulates its tale brilliantly, especially the fifth movement (my personal favorite). I'll maybe follow this post up in a while with a brief description of the tales told in Lincolnshire Posy, but for now, just have a listen. Performed by the North Texas Wind Symphony.

de Meij's The Lord of the Rings

As the credits roll for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, a lengthy end to an epic 12+ hour journey through the land of Middle Earth, I feel obligated to post a piece by the fabulous Johan de Meij. A notable part of the three Peter Jackson films is Howard Shore's score, which encapsulates the atmosphere of all areas of Middle Earth and guides us on the journey. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring starts off concerning hobbits. The feel of the movie in this introductory scene to set the stage for what follows is driven by a brief narrative but mainly by Shore's score. It seems absurd to think that Shore was completely uninspired by de Meij.

In 1984, de Meij began writing his first symphony titled "The Lord of the Rings". After four years, he finished his first symphony, having only composed one piece prior. It premiered in 1988 with the Groot Harmonieorkest van de Belgische Gidsen conducted by Norbert Nozy. The symphony features five movements:

• I: Gandalf (The Wizard)
• II: Lothlórien (The Elvenwood)
• III: Gollum (Sméagol)
• IV: Journey in the Dark
  • A: The Mines of Moria
  • B: The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm
• V: Hobbits

Each of these movements is an expert representation by de Meij's of these places or visages from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Personally, I favor the fifth movement. I've also performed the fifth movement in my high school's Wind Ensemble. If you don't get a feeling of hobbitishness, then all is lost.

Adams' On The Dominant Divide

Quite an apropros way to kick off this blog.  On The Dominant Divide is the third movement of John Adams' (not the long-since-deceased President of the United States) Grand Pianola Music.  The first two unnamed movements are definitely good, but On The Dominant Divide certainly stands apart from the rest of the piece.  When listening to this movement, there's a distinct triumphant feeling one has.  The image conjured up in my mind by On The Dominant Divide is that shitty ride in the giant ball at Epcot in Florida.  That's probably long since changed, but the piece is reminiscent of a triumphant past with a focus on the future.  There isn't much complexity in regard to underlying melodies, as John Adams is certainly a minimalist composer.

If you want to know how to tell that it's good?  Grand Pianola Music was booed at its premiere.  Yes, the audience actually booed this piece after its performance.  Grand Pianola Music is by no means a "high art" piece and is definitely something altogether different from the likes of Mozart, Mahler and Mendelssohn, but that doesn't mean it isn't a quality piece that is well worth a listen.