The Fine Art of Listening

What Spring celebration would be complete without a romp through pagan ritual?

Igor Stravinsky‘s Rite of Spring is one of a few modern pieces that doesn’t require an introduction. (but if you need an short introduction – it’s a ballet piece that depicts ancient Russian equinox rituals of fertility, war, and human sacrifice.) I’d say it has already become the stuff of legend; there are many anecdotal stories about it. Its premiere ended in somewhat of a riot – but the music and the primal dancing were more of a spark that ignited the fuel laid by early 20th-century French social issues and class warfare. I’ve read both that Stravinsky was hurt that people laughed at the introductory bassoon solo, and that he himself laughed at “knock-kneed Lolitas” who were dancing.

And then there’s the dancing dinos of Disney. Copyright law wasn’t strong in 1940, and there’s a story of Walt Disney calling Stravinsky and demanding permission to use The Rite in his film, Fantasia – because Disney was going to use it regardless of Stravinsky’s answer, he had little choice but to agree. Having a film which included this score lead to lawsuits by the Philadelphia Orchestra and a music publisher, who sued Disney for a share of their massive profits.

Nowadays, The Rite continues its crazy influence. My favorite is a new cult of hosting Rite Dance Parties – bring your glow stick and your drugs.

So here it is, with a Ballet performance which attempts to recreate the legendary 1913 Paris premiere.

In the late 19th century, Richard Strauss became the champion composer of tone poems – musical pieces which illustrate non-musical ideas, such as poetry, stories, or even philosophy. Tone poems can be representational (like Berlioz‘s March to the Scaffold, in Symphonie Fantastique) or abstract (most of Also Sprach Zarathustra); you can listen carefully for specific events in the story portrayed, or just sit back and enjoy the music.

Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks is a representational tone poem – Strauss has taken a number of scenes from Till’s life and set them into easily recognizable sections.

Wait … you don’t know who Till Eulenspiegel is? Let me “Till” you …

Till Eulenspiegel is pretty easy to sum up – he’s a wily trickster who loves to play jokes on everybody. I’d also recommend reading his history – especially the origin of his name and his *ahem* crappier tricks (not for children! or maybe, more appropriate for children …). Like many tricksters, he is tolerated for a time, and then despised as people tire of his foolishness.

The work begins with a legendary musical statement by the strings that supposedly says “once upon a time” in German. We then hear the merry prank theme in the horn – easy to recognize, and returns often. Till is represented by the Eb Clarinet – a squeaky little thing that should never have been invented – which represents the goofy character perfectly. We hear a number of his tricks: knocking things over in the market (3:07), dressing up as a priest (7:06), chasing after women (8:43). Eventually he is caught and sentences to death (12:27), pleads for his life a couple of times (12:43 & 13:00). We think he has died (14:15), but in the end, he escapes! (15:31)

Frederick Delius was born in England, and is considered an English composer, though he spent most of his life elsewhere. In his young adult years, he was forced to move to Florida to work in the orange business, but his heart wasn’t in it. He moved to (where else?) Leipzig to study, where he befriended the Norwegian composers we listened to this week: Edvard Grieg and Christian Sinding. He later moved to Paris, and remained on the continent for the rest of his life, only moving back to England during World War I.

The English are known for their love of nature, and this pastorale tone poem by Delius particularly smacks of Vaughan Williams‘ nature-inspired works. Delius writes musical bird calls (it’s fairly easy to recognize the call of the cuckoo), and also quotes a Norwegian folk melody as a way of “tipping his hat” to his Scandinavian friends.