Symphony No.1

Track Information

From the opening bars to the final note this piece has been influenced by the constant knowledge that I have acquired on the historical background of classical music, that is to say a period starting with the Bach through to Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring'. The opening bar of the movement is a dedication to Mahler for his influence that drove the desire within to take the initial steps towards creating a purely symphonic piece of music (that is to say all of the instruments used are natural).

Les droites de l'homme

In its entirety the composition is 323 bars long with three distinctive sections that together make the first movement. The opening section uses a single string (as described in the introduction) followed by a fugue style (although note a true fugue) as the first three instruments used perform the opening melody; proceeding one bar at a time. The lower end of the hearing register is coloured with a single note played on the double bass. This is left to a single note to allow the sonority qualities of the instrument to be heard in full; overuse at such low regions would invariably cause muffling. If performed live, this part will require the player to use the instruments extension, so as to enable the lowest C note to be reached.

The aesthetical aims of the opening section are to give a sense of depression while at the same time portraying the hope of better things to come. For this to become a reality two distinctive lines of thematic representation are needed from the instruments used, in this case depression and hope. To create the somber feeling needed to portray depression, a slow but steady bass arrangement is used to the scoring of the bassoon and double bass. The single note on the offbeat used by the double bass allows its timbre to shine through the already thickening texture created from the melodic patterns (representation of hope) of the strings and viola, with the bassoon adding a line of harmony to the overall timbral state. As the introduction moves forward the role of the bassoon changes as it makes the final statement of the melodic representation of hope while the strings begin preparation for a crescendo; that will, when finished, isolate the solo string that has been present through the duration so far.

From this point the cello takes on role of harmonizing while the English horn restates the main melodic theme. The reintroduction of the melodic section (taken from the introduction) aims to musically fight against the slow demise of the cello. The inclusion of the melodic parts (although small) has allowed the overall timbre to leave an open unfinished feel (a suggestion that more is to come). A dramatic change in overall dynamics and timbral qualities opens the second section to the first movement adding a dominating metallic timbre with the brass section taking the lead; this includes the trombone entering for the first time. The role therefore in this section for the string parts is to add colour, while increasing the overall dynamic level.

At the finish of this stance like approach from the brass section, a clear marching pattern emerges from the cello and double bass. This is accompanied by the inclusion of another melodic pattern spread across bassoon, English horn and first flute. When introducing the string section the notes used are placed over section one and two of the string players so as to ascertain the widest possible soundscape. The steady pattern played by the strings on introduction is quickly broken down, with semiquaver rest being used on and in between each beat, these rests are also shared evenly between first and second violin, widening the dissonance effect created by a perceived uneven rhythmic motion. With a clear theme from the overall piece portraying a motion that is moving forward, the arrival of the second flute breaks this perception down by adding confliction within the overall timbral and rhythmic flow. With an asynchronous pattern now emerging with the entrance of the flute, the brass section intervenes to re-engage the perception of forward motion making clear statements at the start of each bar it appears in.

The cymbal at the start of this passage was included to drive the unstable rhythm forward; the change from a dissonance rhythm to a more stable approach changes the cymbals thematic position now acting as a sword between the other instruments. As the passage draws to a conclusion first string is reintroduced to add further emphasis to the melodic line of the flute. The section draws to a conclusion with one final statement coming from trumpet and bass elements of the string section. The following section sees a repeat of the previous passage only this time in a more condensed format. As a way of bringing the different elements together quickly, the timpani and crash cymbal are used as a underlining drive to the overall timbral state; the timpani is also the instrument used to signal the ending of the section, omitting the crash cymbal that would be expected had the same rhythmic concept been applied, as is the case in all the previous appearances within this section After the small pause to allow the sonority qualities to diminish, the piece returns to the rhythmic pattern associated with the previous passage.

The intentions of the following passage, is to develop, in an elaborative style, the melodic pattern played by the flute and violin in the previous section; although the two do not play in unison during this section. To achieve a sense of elaborations taking place the flute in this part has been allocated notes that suggest, at times, that parts are missing; this in turn has added a slur feel to its timbral distribution. From the entrance point of the flute until its dismissal the other instruments used in this section begin a gradual removal process until the English horn is isolated alone to perform the main melodic pattern once, before departing itself to allow the following passage to commence.

The next phase of the first movement is incorporated into the movement so as to include a melodic line that was (although removed in the final version) the original driving force at the start of the composition. For this reason I felt it important that although it does not fit with the overall timbral state of the introduction, that it should, and does, play a part somewhere within the movement. To allow the melodic pattern to fit I firstly assessed the overall perception of the piece, and concluded the best way to enforce its inclusion was to lead into the melodic line via a solo passage from first violin. This also explains the reason at this point for the bassoon changing roles as the melodic statement is made by violin, changing the bassoons position to a harmonize role with cello and double bass. The trumpets role in this section is to act as a reference or connecting element to the previous sections of the second part of this movement, adding dissonance whenever used. As an additional way of emphasizing this melodic passage, the flute rejoins the proceedings, in unison, until this section finishes.

With this a first attempt at creating a piece intended for symphonic play, confusion is inevitable, and at this point, until the preparation for the crescendo, the actions from the violins are intended to act as a section similar to a recapitulation of a sonata allegro form. For this reason the string section takes one of the thematic statements (first made by the violins in this part of the movement) and plays between, dominate and tonic key. In hindsight this section would have been more suited using the melodic pattern of the introduction rather than the strings (although their part still functions adequately) as this, if any, would be nearest to an exposition; something needed to produce a true section of recapitulation. This section would have also been more true to its intention had the key been changed to the tonic rather than staying in its perceived key of C minor. As this piece is effectively in a mode form of writing, a recapitulation would have been impossible as important elements associated with tonal writing are missing.

The ending to this section is effectively in two parts firstly a crescendo (from the part explained in the previous paragraph) and a harmonizing of parts, as the strings perform not a true perfect cadence, but that of a suggestive cadence. The final chord from the violins is held to bring the section to a conclusion. To be concise the two parts when placed together form the triumphant conclusion (crescendo) followed by a release of emotion produced by the action of the strings after the crescendo (diminuendo).

La joie de l'humanisme

The first part of this symphony portrayed a build to changes, with a finale that suggested the change had taken place. The second movement introduces this change with a simple, but elegant string pattern using thirds and fifth harmonic intervals rather than full triads. The bassoon that accompanies this section plays an important role as it is scored firstly to give a perception of articulation only holding back from dominating the forefront by playing three short notes, allowing the strings to hold the main thematic role. They continue this part as they join the cello and double bass in simple harmony, bringing an instant elegance to the overall timbre.
The return to the following passage sees the reintroduction of the harmonic intervals from the string section, with the bassoon holding the same thematic position that is identical to its first inclusion. The relevance of the simple scoring to the bassoon takes place as the timbre is changed with the introduction of the harpsichord. The bassoon now holds a more dominate role as its timbre is brought momentarily to the front before the return of the strings (playing in unison with the harpsichord) pushes it back to a harmonizing role. This is all in preparation for the following passage(s) which will explore the possibilities of melodic elaborations, while avoiding harmony. The following section beings the exploration of the original patterns played by harpsichord and string accompaniment. Within the first few notes a clear break in direction is felt as the introduction of the second string breaks into a solo; that throughout its duration is complemented by the elaborative motions of the string and harpsichord. The alteration in the bassoon accompaniment completes the diversion from the previous passage, with the remainder of the instruments used, playing a part of harmonizing and preparation for the change in key that follows.

After the change in key has taken place, the piece as a whole returns to a more joyous state, as the music portrays the title. All the other instruments used in the following passage are designated a melodic role with harmonizing being avoided. The result has created a passage of music that is open, elegant while at the same time it retains free flowing motion.. This is further increased as a spitsicato string enters, dominating the direction of the music. This domination gives the perception that the other instruments have begun to play a more harmonizing role, however on closer examination (and the evidence of the previous passage) this is not the case. Now in a different key (Db major or Bb minor), a return of the main melodic pattern graced with a slow melodic line from the clarinet using longer notes (minim and crotchets) is used, to allow the reed to stand out as a melodic theme, rather than accompanying part to the string motif. The cello accompanies this duet, harmonizing as it did in the first instance of this passage.

Choosing the instruments used actually proved slightly more problematic than I had first anticipated, this was in some ways due to the symphony's restricted timbre range (these were at least my first thoughts) this was in someways a product of my own workings where in a normal composition I freely have an infinite amount of timbre at my disposal. However as this module has progressed I have become more aware of how the distribution of these pieces in specific ways, can, and do have an affect on the overall timbral state, this practice is most evident within the first part of movement one, where help was given by my mentor.

With this knowledge acquired during the latter half of the course, it was not possible to inject this practice into the second section of movement I. however during the process of writing movement II I was able to concentrate on these issues more, and have, I believe, created a colorful balance between the timbres.

Final Thoughts

When first putting together the opening passage to Les droites de l'homme I was somewhat naive in the approach I take regarding the position the instruments would play in relation to one another, this relationship would also need to develop into the form of a composition that would express a story, or a suggestive nature in timbre towards the title(s). The first attempts lead to misinterpretations of what mentally I was attempting to portray musically and subsequently changed in some ways the style I was aiming for. As the composition developed further I decided to omit the undesirable content as I felt it was restricting the way in which I wanted the arrangement to develop. As I developed a better understanding in positioning of instruments (watching an orchestra helped in establishing the positional relationship an how this projects to the audience) the ideas in the composition opened and developed. This is portrayed best in the string solo/accompaniment towards the end of the first movement. At this point as the composer, the hope is that the focal point of attention, of theaudience, would be centrally towards first string, before being confronted with all used instruments coming together in a crescendo and then finale. Hopefully as an onlooker the piece will have not only a dynamic high but a change from a small soundscape to a larger but wider dynamic image.

The Second movement was started during the concluding stages of the first, however the harmonic intervals that are played by strings was in truth so mentally imprinted into my thoughts, that further development was almost impossible until it removal. When so, a piece has developed that although at times feels like a chamber style approach, is still intended as symphonic, using the instruments that surround the main thematic parts to create a scenic perception rather than that of harmonizing.