Category Archives: Notes on Music

The philosophy of music: or the music of philosophy ?

In memorian: Jonathan Harvey and Dave Brubeck

The musical world has lost two giants this week; British composer Jonathan Harvey has died at the age of seventy-three, and American jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck, aged ninety-one.

Jonathan HarveyHarvey, who has suffered from motor-neurone disease for some time, will be remembered as the composer of music, often clothing instrumental and orchestral textures in a tapestry of electronics, that maps new worlds of deeply spiritual and sonic, almost mystic, contemplation, nowhere more so than in one of my favourite pieces, one of his very late works, Messages.

From the eletronics-and-bells of Mortuos plango, vivos voco to later works such as The Madonna of Winter and Spring which cracks open like Stravinsky’s Rite, or the meditative breathing ensemble in Tranquil Abiding, Harvey’s music combines a deep religious sense (his outlook embraced both Christianity and, later, Buddhism) with a unique musical language, one with a wonderful ear for ravishing sounds. (There’s a very moving interview with The Guardian‘s Tom Service that appeared in January this year, which you can read here).

Dave Brubeck will forever be remembered for Take Five, a recording graced with the liquid tone of saxophonist Paul Desmond. Classically trained, his music invested jazz in the 50’s and 60’s with classical techniques, including a mischevious delight in unusual time-signatures.

Here’s the band making 7/8 popular in Unsquare Dance:

Both will be much missed.

Head down until the weekend

We’re almost mid-way through the final rehearsals for the two Gala concerts coming up across this weekend; programmes have been signed off to the Print unit, final tests are being run on the acoustic curtains in the concert-hall, and the Christmas tree in the foyer went up at the end of last week, so that’s the key features dealt with.

Concert and Big Bands are about to rehearse in an hour or so for the last time on the James Rae commission, Chamber Choir raised the roof of the concert-hall in exuberant fashion last night, and Chorus and Orchestra will come together tomorrow night in Orff’s epic Carmina Burana.

Hot on the heels of the two concerts, there’s also the University Carol Service on the Monay, for which the Chamber Choir will be providing some of the carols; and then there’s the Estates Team Choir lunchtime debut on Wednesday lunchtime, with the Cecilian Choir and The Canterberries also singing; and then Carols Round The University Christmas Tree on Wednesday evening, together with the University Brass Ensemble.

Thursday: and relax… See you at some point before then…

Making waves at Medway: the Medway Chamber Choir

President of this year’s Medway Music Society, Jack McDonnell, reports in with news of a new musical initiative at Medway this year…

 


Under the management of 2nd year Popular Music Student Rhian Powell with the UMSA Music Society, Universities at Medway Chamber choir are back in full swing of rehearsals for a string of upcoming performances.

On Tuesday 13th of November, the choir took part in an evening of a pilot filming for a TV show called ‘The Venue’ at the Beacon Court Tavern in Gillingham (see picture, below). The Choir performed an arrangement of popular carol “Ding Dong Merrily on High” as well as the national anthem to an audience of film makers and Medway Locals which were well received by Director Lee Philips. The film is due to go online at the beginning of December.

The Medway Chamber Choir

UMCC are currently meeting on Monday evenings at 6pm in the Medway Building Studios, working towards the UMSA Carol Service on December 3rd.

Jack McDonnell

Good luck to our counterparts over in Medway – let us know when the film goes online!

Ring for Children in Need this Thursday

A unique music premiere in support of this year’s BBC ‘Children in Need’ appeal will take place in the  new Colyer-Ferguson Hall this Thursday at 1.10pm.

Pudsey BearCombining the sixtieth anniversary of John Cage’s silent, yet controversial, musical masterpiece, 4’ 33’’, the event encourages audience participants to use their mobile phone ringtone as part of the one-of-a-kind performance. Each of the three movements will see participants ‘playing’ a different ring-tone from their mobile phone.

Three Movements in Ring-Tonality, written by your loyal correspondent, is both homage to Cage’s piece and an unusual opportunity to make music using an instrument normally banned from the concert-hall. It’ll be a terrific opportunity to raise money for a worthy cause, as well as to pay tribute to Cage’s masterwork in a novel manner that will make musicians of everyone who takes part.

The annual fund-raising event for Children in Need is a special part of our calendar and this year is even more exciting as we will be giving a world première in our brand-new concert-hall.

Come along; bring your mobile-phone (and a donation!) and prepare for the unexpected…

Full of Eastern promise: lunchtime concert next Monday

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s inaugural Music Scholars’ lunchtime concert in the new concert-hall (about which more anon), comes the second in this term’s Lunchtime Concert series.

Jonathan Mayer
Jonathan Mayer (sitar)

The Gulbenkian Theatre will host a visit from sitar-player Jonathan Mayer, together with tabla-player Mitel Purohit, in a lunchtime of Indian music.

Son of John Mayer, founder of the Indo-Jazz fusion movement in the 70’s together with British saxophonist Joe Harriott in the great Mayer-Harriott Double Quintet recordings, this is a particularly exciting visit from an eminent international performer.

Jonathan is currently one of the most versatile sitarists in the world, having studied both Indian & western music. From these traditions he has created a unique creativity towards the sitar, seeing it as a instrument and not a genre. He has worked with a diverse range of artists, including Paul Weller, Kathryn Tickell, BBC Concert Orchestra Kumar Bose, Kavita Krishnamutri, Kuljit Bhamra, Erich Gruenburg, Rohan De Saram, Kenny Wheeler, The Orlando Consort, John Wilson, Bombay Dub Orchestra, Future Sounds of London, Sarah Brightman, Noel Gallagher, and Sir Paul McCartney.

The concert starts at 1.10pm; admission is free, with a suggested donation of £3. See also the online diary of events here.

Furley Page logo
Sponsors of the Lunchtime Concert series

Hall-mark of excellence: Music Scholars lunchtime concert next week

Next week, Weds 7 November, sees the first lunchtime concert given by some of this year’s Music Scholars, accompanied by Yours Truly as we try out the new concert-hall.

The new Colyer-Fergusson concert hall

From Mozart to Sonny Rollins, several of the Scholars will be giving an informal lunchtime concert in the brand-new Colyer-Fergusson hall, in a programme that includes Mozart’s sublime aria, ‘L’amerò sarò costante’ from Il Re Pastore, Monti’s string-showpiece, Czardas, music for piano duet (also by Mozart) and for solo marimba, ‘Think of Me’ from Phantom of the Opera, and two tunes, Tenor Madness and Doxy by Sonny Rollins from a jazz trio.

Admission is free, and the concert lasts from 1.10-1.50pm; more details online here or on the event’s Facebook page here.

Come along to hear the new hall in action, and to hear some of the stars of the University music scene.

And to whet your appetites, here’s the aria by Mozart sung with delicate grace by Kathleen Battle.

Make ‘Em Laugh! First showcase with the Music Theatre Society

This year’s Music Theatre Society promise to ‘Make ‘Em Laugh!’ at their first showcase of the year next month.

To be held in Darwin’s Missing Link, the shows will include songs from Spam-a-lot, Hairspray, Shrek: The Musical, Chicago and many more.

Tickets are a mere £5, and can be booked in advance from the Mandela building, and will be available on the door on each of the nights; there are more details on the event’s Facebook page here.

Prepare to be both amused and amazed!

And to whet your appetites, here’s the classic song itself, inimitably performed by Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.