Category Archives: Notes on Music

The philosophy of music: or the music of philosophy ?

Open Day: live from the stand!

It’s 9am, and the doors have just opened to this year’s University Open Day; we’ve been here since 8.15 setting up, and the ‘Making Music at Kent’ stand is bursting with colour in the display of posters and photographs from recent years’ events. (If we can, I’ll get a photo uploaded to show

Cathedral
In-spiring future students...

you!).

The Director of Music arrived with bags of sweets to sustain us throughout the day, and has already had her first cup of coffee; it’s always important to know when the tea-booth has opened. We’re looking forward to a stream of visitors interested in making music and the Music Scholarships.

We’ll keep you posted throughout the day as to how it’s going, thanks to wireless technology here in the Sports Hall.

10am: an hour in, and we’ve seen ten visitors and their families, coming from Norfolk, Surrey and elsewhere: the prize for the visitor who’s travelled the farthest is currently held by someone from Swansea. The Director of Music is celebrating a short lull by cracking open the ‘Revels’ as I type, and I’m going to grab my first cup of tea – I wonder if there’s any Earl Gray ?

11.45am: I’ve only just managed to get the tea (no Earl Gray, alas) as suddenly there was a swathe of visitors from especially far-flung corners of the globe: the number of people arriving at the stand has now risen to thirty three, with a particularly international appeal: the record for Visitor From The Farthest Place has now been smashed by someone from Hong Kong, although there’s competition from people from America and Italy. And I thought Kent was the UK’s European university ?!

1pm: four hours in, and we’ve now seen forty five visitors: that’s roughly ten an hour, one every six minutes: the interest is coming now from Devon, Essex and Oxford, with lots of singers, saxophonists, flautists and brass players. I nabbed a suitably toothsome-looking sandwich from the tea-booth back at 12pm,  and it’s been sitting here ever since waiting to be consumed. There might be a slight lull now it’s lunchtime: let’s see…

1.40pm: good and bad news; we’ve managed to fit in lunch, but have eaten all the ‘Revels.’ Woe indeed…

2.15pm: visitor numbers have now reached over sixty, coming from Bucks, Berks, Harrogate, Leicester and Hampshire. With only forty-five minutes left, the end is in sight; our voices are starting to tire, but morale is boosted by the chocolate biscuits the Director of Music is about to open… There’s a definite sense that music is becoming an increasingly attractive provision for students making their university choices, wanting to continue with making music and taking instrumental or singing lessons alongside their formal degree programmes; with the new music building set to open its doors shortly before these visitors would arrive as first-year students, they’re in for a fantastic time.

3pm: and that’s it. Final count 67 visitors, including several more from Oxford, Windsor, Kent, and one from Sweden competing for the Farthest Distance Travelled. The winner must be the one who came from Hong Kong, surely ? Thanks to everyone who came to the music stand today, we’ve met a great many interesting and talented musicians: safe journeys home to all. We’re signing off: see you all again.

Worried about the future of British jazz ? Then listen to this…

Anyone who might be apprehensive at the future of jazz in Britain need only listen to last night’s broadcast of the ‘BBC Presents’ stage at this year’s Cheltenham Jazz Festival on Radio 3 to be reassured that the future looks bright.

The show presents two hours of live sets from earlier this year, and features the emerging talents Trish Clowes, Rachel Musson’s Skein, Saltwater Samurai, and Edinburgh-based The Discordian Trio.

Music ranges from the dextrous sax-playing of Trish Clowes, with her wonderfully agile group (including a cellist) – special mention to drummer James Maddren for his vibrant yet subtle drumming – to the deft, bright-sounding improvisations of Rachel Musson, the elctro-dance-infused Saltwater Samurai from South London, and the free-ranging explorations of The Discordian Trio.

The programme also includes interviews with some of the young players of today, who may well be the stars of tomorrow, if the quality of their music-making is anything to go by. Trish Clowes talks in particular about the benefits of studying at the Royal Academy, including working with luminary of the British saxophone world, Iain Ballamy, and about the challenge of being a working jazz artist. All the groups demonstrate an assurety and confidence in their playing that bodes well.

Check them out on iPlayer, and see photos from the event on the Jazz on 3 Flickr site here: the future of British jazz, in the hands of these young musicians, is very bright indeed.

A feast of contemporary music: Sounds New festival starts soon!

With just over two weeks until Canterbury is bursting with contemporary music, cast your eye over the events listings for this year if you haven’t already done so. The festival celebrates the music of the Baltic, with compositions and performers from countries including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania alongside a veritable banquet of contemporary works by other composers.

The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge will be giving the UK premiere of Arvo Pärt’s Adam’s Lament in a concert in the Cathedral on Friday 27; Pärt is this year’s Guest Composer, and the same concert also features his Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten as well as Britten, Gorecki and Nicholas Maw.

Choral evensong earlier in the afternoon on the same day will include Pärt’s I Am The True Vine and Magnificat, with the Choir of Canterbury Cathedral directed by David Flood. Elsewhere during the festival season, there’s also a conference on Baltic music and musicologies, and papers on the music of Pärt in particular.

The BBC Big Band will be appearing in the Gulbenkian Theatre on Sunday 21 with Duke Ellington’s jazz-wise glance at Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, whilst the New Perspective Ensemble on Friday 27 presents music by Magnus Lindberg and Oliver Knussen. There’s also a premiere by the festival director Paul Max Edlin, and music by Sofia Gubaidulina, Poul Ruders, Ligeti, Sørensen, Nørgård and others. Some of the festival will be broadcast on Radio 3’s ‘Hear and Now’ series, including Glass’s Symphony no.3 for strings and pieces by Terry Riley and Pärt on Thursday 26.

This year marks the launch of Sounds New Poetry, and includes the University’s very own Patricia Debney, Senior Lecture in Creative Writing, in a discussion about the relationship between words and music called ‘Roundtable’ on Tuesday 24 at 6pm.

WIth a host of other events including poetry, workshops, film and talks, there’ll be something for everyone. Full details on the Sounds New website, or click here to download the flyer.

Stimulate your senses…

Theory of analysis: Jeeves and Wooster

I love music analysis. I love understanding how music works: what harmony is being employed, how the tonal scheme is operating across a piece, how a particular effect is created tonally or texturally, or what structural principles are being used.

I am aware, also, though, that analysis isn’t everything: sometimes, an emotional response can’t be reasoned in terms of tonality, of harmony, or of form. Ultimately, perhaps, defining one’s enjoyment of a piece is a question of balance, of perspective: perhaps a true appreciation of music involves some elements of both an analytical understanding as well as a pure visceral reaction.

And when it comes to perspective, P. G. Wodehouse’s marvellous comic creations, Jeeves and Wooster, are the yin and yang: Bertie’s pure enjoyment (unhindered by anything remotely akin to an intellectual understanding – one of his charms), and Jeeves’ clinical knowledge which admits of no emotional response at all  (one of his).

Their exchange about ‘Minnie the Moocher’ epitomises these attitudes, which you can see here.

Priceless.

I suspect there’s a Jeeves and Wooster moment for everything in life…

A busy week ahead…

It’s still a ridiculously busy time for music at the University as the last three weeks of term draw on: Wednesday sees the Concert and Big Bands teaming up with St. Edmund’s School Big Band in a charity event, as they support the Lady Mayoress’ Charities this year, as written about in the previous post: additionally, on Friday, the University Cecilian Choir and Brass Ensemble perform ‘The Grand Tour,’ a sequence of music and readings celebrating the cultural odyssey around Europe, at St. Paul’s Church, Canterbury; the concert is in aid of St. Paul’s organ restoration fund (as blogged about on the choral blog, Cantus Firmus, here).

Further details about both events in the on-line calendar here.

And then there’s four events next week: more details to come… Keep up!

In memoriam: George Shearing

As reported in Jazzwise and elsewhere today, the great British jazz pianist George Shearing has died at the age of 91.

Shear genius: George Shearing

Blind from birth, London-born Shearing moved to American and lived in New York; he worked with a notable array of jazz luminaries including singers Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan, guitarist Joe Pass and vibraphone legend Gary Burton . Shearing had a deft pianistic style, that moved easily from rich clusters of chords to delicate single-finger melodic playing.

Lullaby of Birdland was perhaps his most famous tune, named after the famous jazz club in New York.

Sir George Shearing: 1919-2011.

Prepare to raise the roof: Have A Blast!

Hold onto your hats, as the traditional annual roof-raising concert by the University Concert and Big Bands storms back to the Gulbenkian Theatre.

Click to enlarge

An action-packed programme includes an invitation to spend A Night On Broadway with a medley of popular showtunes including The Lion King and Wicked, and music by John Williams, Jo Zawinul as well as a tribute to Artie Shaw. Featuring staff and student musicians from the University, and led from the front by magic-fingered reeedsman Ian Swatman, this popular event will also feature two of the University’s Music Scholars, Jo Turner and Ruby Mutlow, as guest singers with the Big Band.

There’ll also be some live musical entertainment from student musicians in the Gulbenkian Foyer before the show to get you in the mood. Prepare to be carried away on a night of swing, funk, cinema soundtracks and big band favourites.

You can follow the adventures of the Concert and Big Bands on their  blog, ‘On The Beat;’ further details about the concert on the deparment website here.