Stravinsky's Firebird Suite

... finally makes sense! It probably always made sense to listen to, but until last night too many bits were just a jumble of notes when I tried to play it. At last night's orchestra it finally came together, which is just as well as we are playing it in a concert on Saturday. Not that I can play every note, but at least I now have a handle on where they are meant to be! And it sounded wonderful with a full orchestra (lower brass and percussion usually come just for the last couple of rehearsals). Very dramatic!

After being slightly resentful that this concert and rehearsals were a time squeeze I could have done without at the moment I'm now glad I didn't decide to drop out as I realised last night how much I like the programme. As well as the Firebird Suite there is a Beethoven piano concerto, a pretty bit of Mozart for wind, and Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis for double string orchestra, which is just beautiful. If you like classical music but don't know it I highly recommend you download it, sit back and relax, and just let it flow over you.

Happy, Happy, Happy!

And this is why ...

 

One big advantage of playing in a brass band is that they will provide instruments for players who don't have their own. Until now I have been playing on a small bore student trombone belonging to the band, but had pretty much outgrown it - able to blow too much air in, which instead of making a bigger, louder sound, made a nasty, raspy one, so I was having to try to remember to hold back.

So ... they bought a brand new, professional standard large bore trombone for me to use! Playing it is like moving from driving an old Mini to a Mercedes. It almost plays itself, and has a beautiful, flexible tone (most of the time, I've only had it three days and I'm still learning!). Easier to play loud, easier to play quiet, and better everywhere in between. I can actually sound good. Miraculous!

Thursday 13: Christmas Music

Thirteen tracks from my Advent and Christmas playlist:

1. Christ is Born a Child on Earth (Patricia Spero, from Celtic Christmas Harp)

2. A Christmas Carol Symphony: Rondo Finale (Patric Standford)

3. Dies Natalis (Grimethorpe Colliery Band)

4. Ding, Dong Merrily on High (Maddy Prior, from An Evening of Carols and Capers - just love her voice, and especially her Christmas carols accompanied by Renaissance instruments)

5. Gaudete (Steeleye Span)

6. Improvisation on Christmas Carols: Allegro (Bryan Kelly)

7. Merry Xmas Everybody (Slade - a bit of 70s. It may be loud, but it's cheerful!)

8. O Wisdom Antiphon and Magnificat (London Fox Players, Advent Promise)

9. The Kingdom Triumphant (Sellers Engineering Band - playing this in our band Christmas concert. I end up half dead after playing all the trombone fanfares and full throttle ending, but it is worth it!)

10. Troika / O Little Town of Bethlehem (London Cello Orchestra, A Cello Christmas)

11. Veni, Veni Emmanuel (Hayley Westenra, Winter Promise - stunningly beautiful, ethereal voice)

12. Walking in the Air (Aled Jones - because The Snowman has been part of so many family Christmasses)

13. While Shepherds Watched (Maddy Prior, An Evening of Carols and Capers - I love the violin on this)

Muppets on the Brain

... because this is what we are playing at band, and once it gets in your head, it won't get out!

Brass Bands

As brass banding is taking over my life a bit at the moment - June and July are busy months for playing at fetes and bandstands, not to mention world cup matches - I thought I would write a brief (or maybe not!) introduction to brass bands.

Brass bands are a peculiarly British musical institution, with links back to the "waits" of the middle ages. While brass bands are found elsewhere, their roots are in the UK and they are most popular here. Early 19th century bands included both brass and woodwind, until in the 1830s the brass band format emerged. Bands were - and are - community based, often linked to works organisations like factories or mines. In the 1880s there were over 40,000 brass bands in the UK. Since the 1850s taking part in competitive leagues - "contesting" - has been a big part of the band movement (the band I play in used to take part in contests, but currently does not). Brass bands are amateur, usually self-funded and typically have training or junior bands to teach new players. They provide instruments and charge nominal fees to members, meaning they are open to anyone, regardless of financial circumstances.

Bands are made up of a specific collection of instruments and parts:

• Solo cornet - plays lots of solo bits
• First cornets - usually 4 or 5, the equivalent of the first violins in an orchestra, they often play the tune
• Second cornets - 2, usually playing a lower harmony under the first cornets
• Third cornets - 2, playing below the second cornets
• Repiano cornet - plays more "frilly", tuneful harmonies
• Soprano cornet - a smaller, higher pitched cornet, that plays (logically enough!) the high bits
• Flugelhorn - slightly larger than a cornet, with a mellow sound. Often gets solos, and sometimes doubles with the repiano cornet
• Tenor horns - 3, playing solo, first and second horn parts. Smallest of the "upright" instruments, it plays a few tones lower than a cornet
• Baritones - 2, playing first and second baritone parts. Larger than the tenor horn, it plays in the same pitch as a euphonium. The first baritone gets some solos, sometimes harmonising with tenor horn and euphonium. Second baritone is a "fill-in" instrument, either playing a lower harmony under the first baritone, or doubling euphonium, trombone or tuba
• Euphoniums - 2, mostly playing the same part, though occasionally it splits into two. An important brass band instrument, with lots of solos and twiddly bits.
• Trombones - 3, playing first, second and bass trombone parts. The first trombone often gets solos, the second sometimes doubles the first trombone and sometimes harmonises with it. The bass trombone sometimes does its own thing, playing along under everyone else, or forms a third with or underneath the other two trombones. 
• Tubas (known in brass bands as "basses") - 2 "E flat" basses and 2 "B flat" basses. These last are the biggest, deepest instruments in the band. The basses play - surprise, surprise - the bass part, often setting the rhythm for the band.
• Percussion - 2 percussionists, playing a drum kit and or any other percussion, and sometimes also timpani.

A band with a full complement should have 28 players. To give an idea of what a top brass band sounds like, here is the Grimethorpe Colliery Band playing MacArthur Park (begins about 40 seconds in):

Musical Interludes

Sunday was a musical day, albeit a rather eccentric one.

Musical Interlude No.1

Instrument: Trombone

Location: Golf course. First tee. Outdoors. In the snow.

A golf club engaged the brass band to add musical accompaniment to the ceremonial drive off of the incoming club captain. I can tell you from personal experience that metal instruments, with metal mouthpieces, are not ideally suited to snowy conditions. On the plus side, you can play a trombone wearing gloves, and they gave us bacon butties and hot coffee to warm us up afterwards.

Musical Interlude No.2

Instrument: Flute
Location: Church

Musically straightforward enough, but ecclesiastically cock-eyed. Our parish priest is on holiday in the Algarve (talk about good timing!), and his substitute couldn't make it through the snow. We ended up with a Communion Service instead of Sunday Mass.

Musical Interlude No.3

Instrument: Violin
Location: Home

I took my violin out to play for the first time in an age, and Cherub was inspired to want to play "her" violin. The smallest violin we have is a quarter-size, which is still far too large for Cherub, so we turned it upside down and pretended it was a cello. After "playing" for quite some time, she thinks she might like to learn cello when she is older ... but then again, maybe she would rather play the trumpet. Choices, choices!

Sans Day Carol

I mentioned that I have been enjoying carols from Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band this Advent, and thought it would be fun to share some of the traditional English carols they sing over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the Sans Day Carol, a nineteenth century folk carol that originated at St. Day in Cornwall. Like many old English carols the words embrace the Crucifixion and Resurrection, as well as the nativity ...

1. Now the holly bears a berry as white as the milk,
And Mary bore Jesus, who was wrapped up in silk.

Chorus: And Mary bore Jesus Christ our Saviour for to be,
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly.
Holly! Holly!
And the first tree in the greenwood, it was the holly!

2. Now the holly bears a berry as green as the grass,
And Mary bore Jesus, who died on the cross.

3. Now the holly bears a berry as black as the coal,
And Mary bore Jesus, who died for us all.

4. Now the holly bears a berry, as blood is it red,
Then trust we our Saviour, who rose from the dead.

It is best known in this arrangement by John Rutter:



I prefer Maddy Prior's more lively folk music version ..

March Round Up

From now onwards I'm planning to do a quick post in this format at the end of each month so I can look back at what I have been reading, watching and listening to ...

Books

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
Sensational Socks by Charlene Schurch
A Street Without a Name: Childhood and Other Misadventures in Bulgaria by Kapka Kassabova
A Vicarage Family: a Biography of Myself by Noel Streatfeild

TV

Lark Rise to Candleford (Series 2) - finished
Grand Designs
The Number One Ladies Detective Agency
The Apprenctice

On My iPod

English folk music - Kate Rusby, Seth Lakeman, Steeleye Span
Holst - St. Paul's Suite
Bach - Brandenburg Concertos and other

Candlemas Eve (Revisited)

How good is this! The Candlemas poem by Robert Herrick I posted the other day, set to music ... Candlemas Eve, sung by English folk singer Kate Rusby. It is a track on her Christmas album, Sweet Bells, and is available from iTunes (in the UK, at least).

Although it is a bit late for this year, another lovely piece of music for Candlemas is the version of the Nunc Dimittis (the song of Simeon) by Geoffrey Burgon. It was originally written as music for the TV show Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. You can hear samples and download it from Amazon on both sides of the Atlantic. The version I have is sung by the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, which you can find here (UK) and here (US); an alternative is the original TV theme sung by English soprano Lesley Garrett (UK and US). There are also a number of different versions on iTunes.

Advent Music

After another trawl through the iTunes store and my music library here are some suggestions of music for Advent. Christmas music to come later.

Advent (General)

• O Come, O Come Emmanuel - of course! I downloaded the version by the choir of King's College, Cambridge.
• Gabriel's Message, also performed by King's College Choir
• Advent Mass and Vespers from Chant - Music for Paradise by Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz
  
• The Kingdom Triumphant by Eric Ball (Norman Law and Sellers Engineering Band) - rousing brass band setting of three Advent carols. Not sure what the first is, but it segues into O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ends with Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending.
• Christmas is Now Drawing Near at Hand (traditional), from Frost and Fire, The Watersons
  

St. Nicholas

• Canticle to St. Nicholas, performed by St. Eliyah Children's Choir - beautiful Orthodox hymn
• St. Nicolas Cantata by Benjamin Britten
• The Advent Polka / St. Nick's Brawl, The Albion Christmas Band - fiddle music
  
• Santa Claus is Coming to Town
• When Santa Got Stuck Up the Chimney
• Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer

Immaculate Conception

• Immaculate Mary (hymn)
• Gregorian Chant: Graduale Romanum - Missa in Conceptione Immaculata

Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent)

• Gaudete (medieval hymn) - I like the folk version by Steeleye Span

O Antiphons (used duing last week of Advent)

• Seven Magnificat Antiphons by Arvo Part
• Advent Carols from St. John's: Antiphons, performed by choir of St. John's College - plainchant

November Music

I spent some time last night trawling through iTunes looking for seasonal music. Even though we are already half way through November, I'm posting a list for the month. That way I will be able to find it again next year! Some of the music I know or own already, the rest sounds promising from 30 second samples but I haven't downloaded any yet.

• Handel - Music for the Royal Fireworks
  
• Durufle - Requiem: Pie Jesu
  
• Britten - Sinfonia da Requiem
• Karl Jenkins - In Paradisum: Requiem
• De Victoria - Missa pro Defunctis
• Faure - Requiem: In Paradisum
• Mozart - Requiem
• Elgar - Elegy (Opus 58)
• Celtic Requiem (Mary McLaughlin)
• Purcell - Ode for St. Cecilia's Day
• Britten - Hymn to St. Cecilia
• Herbert Howells - A Hymn for St. Cecilia
  

Yellow Music

I promised you trivia, and it doesn't get much more trivial than this. Yellow music to go with yesterday's yellow list ...

• Big Yellow Taxi
  
• Mellow Yellow
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
• Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree
• Yellow Submarine
  
• Yellow River

And to raise the tone a little (and date me less), some classics for spring ...

• Four Seasons: Spring (Vivaldi)
• The Rite of Spring (Stravinsky)
• Appalachian Spring (Copland)
• Spring Symphony (Britten)
• Songs Without Words: Spring Song (Mendelssohn)

Music for Lent

I have been browsing iTunes looking for choral and sacred music to listen to during Lent. Here are my downloads so far (linked to Amazon so that you don't have to have iTunes to hear samples) ...

(1) Allegri's Miserere, sung by the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge. This famous setting of the penitential Psalm 51 ("Have mercy on me, O God, in your kindness, in your compassion blot out my offence ...") has to be the ultimate Lenten music.

(2) Nunc Dimittis by Geoffrey Burgon, from the same album as the Miserere. This was originally written as part of the soundtrack for a TV series (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), but don't let that put you off. The music is utterly haunting. The words are the Canticle of Simeon, part of the Night Prayer of the Divine Office.

(3) Litany to the Holy Spirit by Peter Hurford, sung by Emily Gray, a former choirgirl of the year. Another haunting modern piece, with the solo voice balanced by an organ accompaniment. The words are the first few verses of a by the 17th century poet Robert Herrick ...

IN the hour of my distress,
When temptations me oppress,
And when I my sins confess,
Sweet Spirit, comfort me!

If I had a bigger budget for music I would have downloaded the entire CD, Passiontide by Emily Gray and the Manchester Cathedral Choir.

(4) Totus Tuus by Henryk Gorecki, from Agnus Dei: Music for Inner Harmony by the Choir of New College, Oxford (Track 8). This hymn to Our Lady was written by the Polish Catholic composer for a visit of Pope John Paul II to Poland. From a description I found at Liturgica.com ...

Totus Tuus (Totally Yours) was a phrase used by Pope Jean-Paul to describe his absolute devotion to the Virgin Mary. Totus Tuus, a hymn to the Virgin Mary, was composed in 1987 by Henryk Gorecki in honor of Pope John Paul II's third visit to his homeland of Poland. The choral text is taken from a poem written by Maria Boguslawska. The music is based on chants of the Polish Catholic Church and reflects Gorecki's deep love for the Holy Father; and for his country and its musical traditions.

Enjoy!

Lessons learned by a brass band novice

When playing Christmas carols in the high street in near freezing temperatures remember the following ...

• Wear at least one more layer of clothes than you think will be necessary. Or better still, two.
• Do not wear fingerless gloves. If you do, put another pair of proper gloves over the top.
  
• Two pairs of socks is not enough.
• Three hours is a very long time.
• Try not to think about mulled wine, warm mince pies, log fires and restorative tots of brandy. It only makes you feel colder.

iLove iTunes

I love iTunes!

I love being able to browse through music, listen to samples, and download just those individual items I especially want.

I love being able to feed my eclectic and rather random musical tastes from my own desktop.

I think I have discovered how to link to individual tracks on iTunes so that I can share what I am currently listening to, so here goes ... in Advent and Christmas mood ...

Veni, Veni Emmanuel by The King's Singers (Latin version of O come, O come Emmanuel)

Gaudete by Steeleye Span (medieval English carol)


If you click on the iTunes buttons they should open iTunes (if you have it on your computer) and link to the track in the iTunes store. It seems to be working OK for me, though a bit slowly. I'd love feedback on whether or not it works for you, so I know whether it is worth posting links in future.

If it does work and you want to play, here is the link maker.

Jo Jingles

Notwithstanding what I said about avoiding overstimulation, since the big girls started school I have been taking Little Cherub to various groups and activities. Most of them are more informal, drop-in activities - our Church toddler group, monthly rhyme time at the library, a play session at the community centre, occasionally a pay-as-you-go swimming class. She loves to go places, I enjoy taking her, and having somewhere specific to go makes me more likely to make the effort - late autumn walks are not always appealing and often I need a purpose!

I did, however, sign up for one formal activity with her this term: Jo Jingles music and movement classes. I am very glad that I did, as it is truly the highlight of Little Cherub's week. I used to take Angel to these classes when she was a preschooler and she enjoyed them. I tried them again briefly with Star, and she was determinedly disinterested, but Cherub adores them.

The class I take her to is for one year olds, and is pitched just right for that age. It lasts 45 minutes, but she is totally focused for the entire time and really isn't ready to finish when it ends. While the class is structured - well structured, with a mix of action songs, time playing percussion instruments, simple circle dances, and movement with props - there is also some flexibility. If the little ones want to move around and do their own thing that is OK, so long as they are not disturbing the rest of the group. Cherub often wants to move away from me just to stand a little in front of the teacher watching, totally absorbed in the experience.

Do I think formal classes or activities are necessary for a toddler? Absolutely not! But they can be good if the activity is right for that child, which this very obviously is for Cherub, and if it fits into the week comfortably, without being the cause of too much rushing around and logistical strain.

A Flower Fairy Alphabet

I dithered after reading Elizabeth's recommendation, and finally succumbed thanks to Kristen's comments at Small Treasures (and I'm sure I read another enthusiastic review as well, but can I remember where? No!). Little Cherub and I are now happily listening to Cicely Mary Barker's flower fairy poems set to music in A Flower Fairy Alphabet.

"Fairy" music for children could easily be cute and cloying. This isn't. It is genuinely sweet and tuneful, with a gentle, folky feel. It would work particularly well as music to play while a little one is settling to sleep, or as calming background music for a quiet playtime.

My one gripe is not with the music, but with the pricing here in the UK. It is cheaper to buy the CD from Amazon in the US and ship it over than to buy from Amazon UK, and downloading from Amazon is half the cost of downloading from iTunes (UK version), but is barred to non-US residents. I gritted my teeth and opted for an iTunes download, while resenting whatever pricing policy causes such a big disparity.

I think the Flower Fairy Alphabet book will also be finding its way into Little Cherub's Christmas stocking.

Thursday Thirteen #16: Classical Music

Thirteen of my classical music favourites:

1. Allegri, Miserere
2. Haydn, Trumpet Concerto in E Flat
3. Vivaldi, Concerto in G for Two Mandolins
4. Bach, Concerto for Two Violins
5. Elgar, Cello Concerto
6. Vaughan-Williams, Fantasia on Greensleeves
7. Rossini, William Tell Overture
8. Handel, Hallelujah Chorus (from Messiah)
9. Mozart, Horn Concerto No.4
10. Beethoven, Symphony No.6 (Pastorale)
11. Vivaldi, Esurientes (from Magnificat)
12. Pachlabel, Canon in D
13. Rodriguez, Concierto de Aranjuez

The euphonium bit me!

Nobody warned me brass instruments could bite. This evening one of the valves on the euphonium stuck as I was playing. I tapped it smartly several times with my finger to try to unjam it ... then caught my finger when it sprang up just as I was tapping (or maybe bashing) it back down. Ouch! I now have a lovely bruise on the tip of my right index finger.

If you are wondering how it is going ... fair to middling, at best. I was getting on quite well - or so I thought - until we went on holiday. Since taking a three week break from playing it is making horrible noises and I keep getting the pitch all wrong.

I don't think it likes me.

Art and music resources

Our local Charlotte Mason mothers' group (how lucky I am!) meets tonight, and we are planning to talk about art and music, CM style and share favourite resources. Here are a few of mine ...

Art
I particularly like books that combine picture study with hands-on activities (that way I get to cover two subjects in one go!).

Artists Workshop: Animals by Penny King and Clare Roundhill is one of a series (other titles are Landscapes, Stories, Portraits, Myths and Legends and Sports and Games). Each book has a double page spread focused on a specific work of art, followed by another with art activities inspired by it. The artwork and activities are both very varied, ranging from stone-age cave paintings to modern art.

Oxford First Book of Art by Gillian Wolfe. Similar to the Artists Workshop series, but each double page spread includes two or three works of art linked to a theme, a "look closer" section, and a suggested activity.

Discovering Great Artists: Hands-on Art for Children in the Style of the Great Masters by MaryAnn Kohl and Kim Solga. An activity based book with numerous art projects, including a useful table showing the difficulty level of each. You would need to find another source to view the original works of art by each artist (easy enough with the internet).

Artistic Pursuits. This is a full scale art curriculum which combines picture study with art instruction. Begins with books for 5 to 8 year olds and goes right up to high school level. We have only dabbled in the two books we have - pregnancy inertia took over - but I like them a lot. You can even buy kits containing all the materials needed for each book.

There are a number of art books for small people I am looking forward to getting out to use again with Little Cherub ...

For picture study I Spy: An Alphabet in Art and other books by Lucy Micklethwait, including Numbers in Art, Animals in Art and A Child's Book of Art (one I missed last time round that looks wonderful). Lots of great art in picture book format.

Usborne's Playtime series was a wonderful source of art and craft ideas for this art-challenged mother ... titles include I Can Cut and Stick, I Can Finger Paint, I Can Crayon and I Can Draw Animals.

Music
iTunes. Or any other source of music downloads. Being able to buy just the music I want to listen to rather than having to buy an entire CD, half of which I didn't really want, is wonderful.

The Best of ... series (like this Best of Haydn CD) produced by Naxos - covers all the major composers and reasonably priced.

Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten - a great way of introducing children to the different instruments of the orchestra.

Having instruments available for children to experiment with. They do not need to be anything fancy - a recorder and some percussion instruments would be plenty to start with.

I have never bothered with books about music or composers - probably because I always think of music as something we do.