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Spaceways, v. 3, issue 4, May 1941
Page 12
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12 SP0ACEWAYS FANTASY MUSIC by JAMES B. BLUSH conclusion The American composer is as yet of a curiosity than a recognized phenomenon of the times, but certain of them of have attained some measure of recognization among European critics. One of the best of them, Charles Giffes, is of peculiar interest to fantasy fans because of his tone-poem based upon Coleridge's poem "Kubla Kahn". Griffes died before his style had had sufficient time to mature, so that this work shows markedly the influence of the French Impressionists, particularly Debussy; but for all that it is an effective musical picture, rich in suggestive Oriental coloring. The music pictures of the Pleasure Dome, set amid the caves of ice, and beneath runs the formless flow of the sunless river, flowing "through caverns measureless to man". Debussy's own style was well-suited to works of a fantastic character, and so we find quite a few compositions drawn from such material from his pen. Most famous of these is the langourous "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun", but equally interesting is the movement "Sirens" from the three orchestra pieces labeled collectively "Nocturnes". Here the Frenchman uses not only his usual small orchestra, featured by hazy shimmerings of divided strings and the typical French nasal tones drawn from the woodwinds, but a chorus of woman's voice as well. The chorus does not sing any words, but merely vocalizes, and the whole blends into a unique effect to depict the call of the Sirens through the gentle rolling of the sea-waves. Russia has produced its quota of skillful orchestrators, but few have enjoyed the popularity of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. This composer's symphonic suite, "Scheherezade", based upon four tales drawn from the Thousand and One Nights, is one of his best works, blazing with Oriental color and maintaining throughout the dream-like atmosphere of the Arabian fairy--tales. His opera"The Golden Cockeral" is very similar in style, but its music has a more satirical, whimsical tone to it, despite its brilliancy. Most fantastic of all Russian tone-poems, however, is Modest Moussorgsky's "A Night upon Bare Mountain". It is said that the composer first wrote the score under the influence of drugs, and was forced later to "tone it down" a little. The effect of the toning down is hardly noticable, for from start to finish the composition is hair-raising. It belongs to the Walpurgis-Night-Witches'-Sabbath group of stories, and is based upon a Russian folk-tune, presented with a shrill, rhythmic orchestration and odd harmonies. Eventually the bells of a distant town float up to the crest of Bare Mountain, announcing the morning, and the infernal denizens retire hastily to the nether regions. The work forms the third part of a trilogy of similar compositions, the other two being Prokofieff's "Waltz-Scherzo" and Saint-Saen's "Danse Macabre"..... The infernal theme has had an irresistable attraction to many, particularly those who orchestral technique is expert enough to cope with the demands made upon it by such themes; there have been so many infernal scenes in operas that it would be difficult to do more than catalogue them. Some of the more famous are: Waltz-Scherzo, from "The Love for Three Oranges", by Prokofieff; The Ride to Hell and Walpurgis-Night, both from "The Damnation of Faust" by Berlioz; Walpurgis-Night from "Faust" by Gounod; Walpugis-Night from "Mefistofele" by Boito; Dance of the Furies from "Orpheus and Euridice" by Glock; the overture to "Orpheus in Hades" by Offenbach, and the Descent to Nibelheim from "The Rhinegold" by Wagner. Not all of these are as effective as the fantasy fan might wish; most of the best infernal scenes are in the strictlyorchestral repetoire, such as Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens, a Night on Bare Mountain by Moussorgsky, Francesca d Rimini by Tchaikowsky, The Apocolypse by Liadov, and Dance of King Koschei from "The Firebird" by Stravinsky. Liadov's Apocolypse is a splended example of a work which was designed too large for itself. It largely falls through in its grandiose intentions. Anoth-
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12 SP0ACEWAYS FANTASY MUSIC by JAMES B. BLUSH conclusion The American composer is as yet of a curiosity than a recognized phenomenon of the times, but certain of them of have attained some measure of recognization among European critics. One of the best of them, Charles Giffes, is of peculiar interest to fantasy fans because of his tone-poem based upon Coleridge's poem "Kubla Kahn". Griffes died before his style had had sufficient time to mature, so that this work shows markedly the influence of the French Impressionists, particularly Debussy; but for all that it is an effective musical picture, rich in suggestive Oriental coloring. The music pictures of the Pleasure Dome, set amid the caves of ice, and beneath runs the formless flow of the sunless river, flowing "through caverns measureless to man". Debussy's own style was well-suited to works of a fantastic character, and so we find quite a few compositions drawn from such material from his pen. Most famous of these is the langourous "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun", but equally interesting is the movement "Sirens" from the three orchestra pieces labeled collectively "Nocturnes". Here the Frenchman uses not only his usual small orchestra, featured by hazy shimmerings of divided strings and the typical French nasal tones drawn from the woodwinds, but a chorus of woman's voice as well. The chorus does not sing any words, but merely vocalizes, and the whole blends into a unique effect to depict the call of the Sirens through the gentle rolling of the sea-waves. Russia has produced its quota of skillful orchestrators, but few have enjoyed the popularity of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. This composer's symphonic suite, "Scheherezade", based upon four tales drawn from the Thousand and One Nights, is one of his best works, blazing with Oriental color and maintaining throughout the dream-like atmosphere of the Arabian fairy--tales. His opera"The Golden Cockeral" is very similar in style, but its music has a more satirical, whimsical tone to it, despite its brilliancy. Most fantastic of all Russian tone-poems, however, is Modest Moussorgsky's "A Night upon Bare Mountain". It is said that the composer first wrote the score under the influence of drugs, and was forced later to "tone it down" a little. The effect of the toning down is hardly noticable, for from start to finish the composition is hair-raising. It belongs to the Walpurgis-Night-Witches'-Sabbath group of stories, and is based upon a Russian folk-tune, presented with a shrill, rhythmic orchestration and odd harmonies. Eventually the bells of a distant town float up to the crest of Bare Mountain, announcing the morning, and the infernal denizens retire hastily to the nether regions. The work forms the third part of a trilogy of similar compositions, the other two being Prokofieff's "Waltz-Scherzo" and Saint-Saen's "Danse Macabre"..... The infernal theme has had an irresistable attraction to many, particularly those who orchestral technique is expert enough to cope with the demands made upon it by such themes; there have been so many infernal scenes in operas that it would be difficult to do more than catalogue them. Some of the more famous are: Waltz-Scherzo, from "The Love for Three Oranges", by Prokofieff; The Ride to Hell and Walpurgis-Night, both from "The Damnation of Faust" by Berlioz; Walpurgis-Night from "Faust" by Gounod; Walpugis-Night from "Mefistofele" by Boito; Dance of the Furies from "Orpheus and Euridice" by Glock; the overture to "Orpheus in Hades" by Offenbach, and the Descent to Nibelheim from "The Rhinegold" by Wagner. Not all of these are as effective as the fantasy fan might wish; most of the best infernal scenes are in the strictlyorchestral repetoire, such as Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens, a Night on Bare Mountain by Moussorgsky, Francesca d Rimini by Tchaikowsky, The Apocolypse by Liadov, and Dance of King Koschei from "The Firebird" by Stravinsky. Liadov's Apocolypse is a splended example of a work which was designed too large for itself. It largely falls through in its grandiose intentions. Anoth-
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