Britten: "In Freezing Winter Night"
A Ceremony of Carols,
By: Nobody :-)
Due: January 30, prior to class
Score in packet
Naxos Recording: http://ithaca.naxosmusiclibrary.com/mediaplayer/player.asp?br=64&tl=475018&domain=ithaca.naxosmusiclibrary.com&pl_token=364CD033-2B7F-4154-9BC7-CF8790335071
Natalia Goncharova (Russian, 1881-1962), The Nativity, for Liturgy, 1915
I chose this contemporary work because it depicts the Nativity in a style that suggests the Middle Ages. The text Britten sets in this compositions is in older English, so this visual depiction seems appropriate.
Some general information about the piece: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Ceremony_of_Carols
Since we don't have a formal listening guide, in your comments briefly discuss at least one aspect of the composition: SHMRTFO.
The cannoning effect used between the two top treble lines creates a very interesting texture. I feel the harp part is made obsolete by the third treble line. Because of the repetitious long descending line they have, it creates a continuo like effect in their part. It also creates a trance like effect also.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was very interesting to listen to in the sense of how it sounded overall. The harp accompaniment line stayed pretty consistent throughout the entire work in terms of rhythm. It didn't stray to any extremes necessarily. The texture of this work is really what drew me in and held my attention. Granted, the three vocal lines and accompaniment don't seem to be anywhere out of the ordinary, but it's the way that they are used that make the piece crunch and relax at various parts. Similar to what Laura mentioned, the cannoning effect creates a feeling that the first vocal line never stopped what it began. Britten almost seems to emphasize the text at these various sections when the top treble voices have a cannon. This was especially effective in measures 19 through 23 where both top treble voices go up to the high G. At this point in the piece, Britten is talking about how all the animals came around the manger to look at the new born Messiah. I thought the emphasis on the text there was highly effective. I envisioned the importance of that moment in time due to how it sounded. Even though the upper treble voices have what seem to be the more climatic moments in this piece, the lower treble part really ties it all together by keeping a solid foundation. The lower part tends to keep the upper voices from sounded like they would go off into the stratosphere, if that makes sense. They keep a sense of grounded-ness. Being a lower treble voice myself, it's so nice to hear how important that part is. Altogether, this piece is quite beautiful and I have literally been listening to it over and over again.
ReplyDeleteCareful . . . a cannon explodes. :) I believe you guys mean "canon"
ReplyDeleteCaitlin, this is one of my favorites, as well. I sang this in high school and I remember how difficult it was to keep in tune as a treble two. We spent so much time trying to sing the Bb against the treble three Ab. It wasn't until we sung it on solfege: sol-me-ra-do, that the intonation got better.
My favorite part in the piece is in m. 38. The harmony at this point is a C minor chord (the D# is enharmonically the same as an Eb) and it comes from a B major chord in the previous measure. The D# stays constant between the two chords, but both the B and F# move up by half step to the notes of the C minor chord. I think that this striking harmonic motion is the culmination of the increasing chromaticism in verse four. The melodic gesture that begins with this chord reflects the text: it gradually descends from G5 to G4 while the text talks about the prince coming down from heaven.
I will discuss the Sound Portion of SHMRTFO. The forces that are producing sound are three voices(Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto) and a harp. There is more than one register being used in this piece. The three vocal registers are Soprano, Soprano 2, and Alto. The three vocal lines in this piece create a polyphonic texture, which is reminiscent of the polyphonic choral music in the Renaissance Period (like Josquin DesPrez or Palestrina). The harp serves as accompaniment and is consistent throughout. The harp’s part reminds of the basso continuo accompaniment used in the Renaissance Period. In terms of dynamic level, in the beginning of the piece, I thought it was interesting that Britten chose to emphasize the first beat of each measure with an accented half note (voice parts and accompaniment). From measures 3-12, the dynamics developed from a pianissimo to a crescendo and back into a diminuendo. I think the accented half notes really emphasized the growth of the crescendo, which grabbed my attention as I listened to the piece.
DeleteI focused on the sound of the voices and how they fit together with the harp. Overall, the timbre of the singers was light and soft, quoting that of singing styles of Josquin de Prez or Tallis. An important part of the piece is when the singers drop out and there is a soloist. This contrasts the “crunchy” quality of all the voices and the timbre of the single voice
ReplyDeleteWhat makes each movement different is how Britten uses sound to create an image or evoke a different mood. “In the Freezing Winter” does that through the canonic texture. Because of this texture, like Haley, I am also reminded of Renaissance style, particularly Thomas Tallis. As mentioned in the article linked above, this work was written when Britten was returning from the United States back to England. I find this interesting because I know that Britten was heavily influenced by the English choral tradition, so it makes a lot of sense that he would be composing in a Renaissance style as he was returning to England.
ReplyDeleteFrom a purely aural perspective, I’m not sure how much Britten is emphasizing the text. Because of his texture choice, much of the text is unclear, except for the ends of phrases. This lack of overall clarity in the text changes at the pickup to m.44, where the texture thins and there are two alternating treble solos. Another feature I cannot ignore is the harp. I think that most of the “grounding” in this movement comes from the harp, who has been given a repeated rhythmic idea throughout the movement.
I choose to focus mainly on the harmony and the use of different modes within the piece. At the beginning I was immediately drawn to the Bb in treble I vs the Ab in treble II. I noticed that this M2 reappears many times throughout the first section, until the modal change at measure 26. I concluded that the mode used in the section is Locrian because D appears to be the tonal center as the phrases all end on D. This makes the mode minor in tonality with a lowered second scale degree and a lowered fifth scale degree.
ReplyDeleteIn measure 26, the mode changes to major, or Ionian until measure 44. There is a brief inclusion of some addition accidentals not found in the D Ionian scale, from measures 37-39. I decided that these additions did not effect the mode but were rather color enriching passing tones.
The final section, measures 44-end, the mode returns to D Locrian. What I really enjoyed was the final chord. I would have expected a D chord with some sort of minor tonality but instead it was a G major chord. I thought this was such a perfect way to end such a beuatiful piece that was so enlaced with different modes.
The sound of this piece is very indicative of its subject, the birth of Jesus. Firstly, the sounds used are treble voices and harp. Harp, for the most part has a very ethereal sound, while treble voices are, arguably, the range of voices most suited for having an ethereal sound. This ethereal sound is perfect for the subject being that Jesus is considered a very divine being by christianity and the "son" of the abrahamic god should certainly have a ethereal sound in a song relating to his birth.
ReplyDeleteThen, the idea of the piece being a canon. I personally saw this as symbolism for the rebirth of JC. Why have a piece about the birth of Jesus when you can have a piece about both his birth *and* his rebirth?
Then, the last few measures of the piece—being back towards the D locrian mode that the piece had been drawing material from in both the A and A' sections—one would expect a D minor chord or a D diminished chord, but, tying this into the idea of this piece actually being about both the birth and rebirth, instead Britten gives us a G major chord, a far more hopeful ending, possibly hinting at the ascension of JC.
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ReplyDeleteWhat's fascinating about this piece is that its introduction almost sounds like it's part of a simple christmas song. It's tonality and simple structure convey a sense of peace and harmony in a "freezing winter night". Nothing prepares for the decadence and the coldness follows these first measures. No hint harmonically.Same instrumentation, yes, but the melody and the character totally change. When the main section finally begins it's striking how quickly the character of the music can shift from one moment to the next.I think it's this dramatic change of character that most impresses me about this piece.
ReplyDelete