What does water sound like?

“Water” is a big word with many meanings. It encompasses everything from a single molecule to vast oceans. We quench our thirst with it, clean ourselves with it (physically and spiritually), cry it when we are overjoyed or sad. If we have too little water, we die of thirst; too much, we drown. Civilization sprung up around sources of water, and was (still is?) the primary method of travel and trade. I could go on and on …

It’s no wonder that composers have put their sweat (water again) into creating music that somehow captures water. Rather than blab on and on, I’ll let the music speak for itself.

This post is a longer listen, so be prepared to sit a while, or feel free to go through in multiple sittings, whatever suits you.

La Mer (The Sea) – Claude Debussy: This impressionist work gives you a sense of rolling waves in an dark, infinite ocean through its gentle rhythms, rich orchestral colors, and expansive harmony.

Overture to Das Rheingold – Richard Wagner: The first notes of Wagner’s magnum opus transports the listener from a chair in an opera house to the bottom of Germany’s most famous river, the Rhine. Unlike many other opera overtures, there’s not much to it – just 4 minutes of Eb major, slowly unfolding; a musical equivalent to the slow rising of a curtain in a theater.

A Sea Symphony – Ralph Vaughan Williams: Longest. Symphony. Ever. And also, RVW’s first symphony, written at the same time as Debussy’s La Mer, and as quintessentially English as La Mer is quintessentially French.

Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes – Benjamin Britten: For Britten, the sea was always a part of his life, having been born, raised, lived, and died in a seaside town. In his operas, the ocean is practically a character unto itself. The Imperial Royal Navy heard in Vaughan-Williams is no longer present – instead, we get an ominous, expansive agent of life and death.

(Another) Sea Symphony – Howard Hanson: Across the pond, us Yankees have crafted our own Sea Symphony with chorus; but unlike Vaughan-Williams endless composition, this one is much shorter, and musically is closer to Britten.

 Obviously this list is far from complete. Any suggestions? (and no, Handel’s Water Music doesn’t count!)

On Christmas Day, 1989, Leonard Bernstein conducted a concert in Berlin – on the program was Ludwig van Beethoven‘s Ninth Symphony. Germany was celebrating its reunification – the Berlin Wall had been torn down only a month earlier. The text of the “Ode to Joy” was altered – “Freude” (joy) was replaced with “Freiheit” (freedom). Some scholars argue that the original text indeed used the word “Freiheit”, and that the poet changed it out of fear of persecution.

Beethoven’s 9th symphony is a marvel. It is a symbol of the strength of the human spirit in the face of evil, always looking towards beauty, always dreaming of a better world. It’s no surprise that it is the Anthem of the European Union. It’s a symbol of the hope for human unity:

[Joy’s / Freedom’s] magic brings together what old traditions has unjustly divided. All men shall be as brothers where your gentle wings hover. Be embraced, you millions; this kiss is for the whole world!

Thirty years after the Berlin Wall was torn down and Germany was celebrating its unity, we Americans are building a new wall and actively dividing ourselves from our fellow humans. It is disgusting. We must do whatever we can to stop this. I am not a warrior, I am a musician; I cannot fight with weapons, so I will fight with Beethoven.

Let’s rewind to the 1930’s. There was a group of American composers who were working to create a “truly American” sound in Art Music composition. This group included Aaron Copland (he was the unofficial leader), Samuel Barber, William Grant Still, Walter Piston, and many others. They were nearly all taught by the greatest 20th century teacher of composition, Nadia Boulanger. They were continuing the work of Charles Ives, Amy Beach, and even William Billings, in the search for an American musical identity.

This non-exhaustive group includes women, men, blacks, whites, Jews, Christians, gays, straights, and the disabled. What could be more American as Chester, Appalachian Spring, or the Afro-American Symphony?

The Un-American Activities Committee was formed in 1938, and ultimately led to the Red Scare of the 50’s. Copland and Bernstein were among those who were under investigation for Communist activities. So … Make America Great Again? If we had eliminated Copland and Bernstein for their leftist leaning, would we have been great? If we suppressed Beach for being a woman, Still for being black, or Barber for being gay, would we have been great? If we deported Schoenberg, Hindemith, Yi, or so many others for being refugees, would we have been great?

So today I present American composer Roy Harris‘ Third Symphony, his most famous work and considered the most “American” (whatever that means). His story is the quintessential “rags to riches” American tale – an Oklahoma farmboy rises to the top of the music world. He wrote a piece for the American bicentennial, which was panned because it mentioned slavery (how Un-American, to mention a major part of American history!)

So, the unsure future we’re facing isn’t new; even so, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stand up against it.