The Organization of Sound

On Tuesday October 16^th at 8:15 PM, I attended Ithaca College’s Wind Ensemble production of The Organization of Sound at Ford Hall.  Stephen Peterson and Corey Seapy were the conductors for this concert and there was a guest lecturer named Rebecca Jemian who presented on the history of the different composers of the songs in the program.  The performing group consisted of many different wind instruments including the piccolo, flute, trumpet, horn, oboe, trombone, clarinet, bass trombone, euphonium, bass clarinet, tuba, percussion, bassoon, timpani, double bass, alto saxophone, piano, harp, and the baritone saxophone.      

There were five songs performed during the concert The Organization of Sound.  They included La Procession du Rocio which was composed by Joaquín Turina, Edgard Varése’s Intégrales, J.S. Bach’s Fantasia in G Major BWV, Gustav Holst’s Hammersmith, and William Bolcom’s First Symphony for Band.  I particularly enjoyed the song Intégrales. Although Varése lived most of his life during the 20^th Century “Modernism Age”, portions of this song resemble Romantic Ideals.  For example, Beethoven’s symphony No. 3, “Eroica” is performed on an unprecedented large scale and has huge contrasts in terms of dynamics and instrumentation.  Intégrales developed some of the same characteristics as Eroica throughout the course of the song.  The beginning of the song was soft and peaceful.  As it progressed, the song gained a spooky edge from the blocks, drums, and trumpet and the dynamics became very loud.  All twenty-three different groups of wind instruments came together to create an overwhelming sound.  Then suddenly, there is a very gentle oboe solo.  The contrast between the percussion and more menacing wind instruments when compared to the oboe soloist is very drastic.  These types of contrast were commonly found during the Romantic Age.  It is intriguing that Varése decided to travel down this musical path even though he is considered modernist. 

On a side note, Varése was the inventor of the term “organized sound”.  This explains the emphasis he places on rhythm and timbre in his compositions because the definition of organized sound is ability to group certain rhythms and timbres together.  Rebecca Jemian, the guest lecturer, described all of this information in a detailed PowerPoint presentation on a projection screen in the concert hall.  The guest speaker added an interesting twist that I have never seen before at a concert.  It was nice to learn about the history of the composers and their songs before they were performed.     

I found the piece Hammersmith the most memorable out of the bunch.  Prior to reading about this song in the program, my gut reaction to this song was that it reminiscent of some type of conflict or war.  Interestingly enough the program states that Hammersmith was commissioned by a broadcasting corporation for a military band!  The beginning of this piece is slow and unconcerned.  The deep pitch of the tuba and the slow beat brings about the lackadaisical feelings this song emits.  There is a short section where a trumpet enters and the beat speeds up for a bit but then it ceases.  A few measures later we hear a group of flutes, oboes, and clarinets.  The entry of these instruments gives the piece a lighthearted and exuberant feel, while the lower register instruments are off in the distant background.  Halfway through the piece the song noticeably speeds up and the presence of the timpani is made very clear.  I enjoyed the rhythm of the first half of this piece because it kept me on my toes.  The dynamics shifted from soft to loud numerous times and it kept me wondering when the next big “bang” from the percussion section was going to occur. 

Overall, I enjoyed this concert.  I enjoyed this concert because I was able to get a taste of a lot of different types of wind instruments.  I was especially fond of the immense number of different instruments because the various sounds they produced greatly affected my mood.  I noticed that I typically had a more melancholy mood when the bass or tuba was being played.  Additionally, when the performers with a flute, piccolo, oboe, etc. were performing I tended to have a cheerful disposition.  The intensity at which the instruments were being played also affected how my mood altered. 

The first piece of the program, La Procession du Rocio, showed a few commonalities and differences with the song One Voice by the Wailin’ Jennys.  La Procession du Rocio was commonly used for religious ceremonies, and it served as a welcoming tune.  The song itself is about a festival in which many families gather and participate in activities.  Similar to the last few line “This is the sound of all of us” in One Voice; both songs demonstrate that the community is united.  Also, in both songs common musical themes appear one after the other throughout each song.  Each song is predictable and after a few verses you are able to guess what might happen next.  A distinct difference between these two pieces is the complexity of La Procession du Rocio and the simple structure of One Voice.  Turina’s piece was played by an ensemble of wind instruments with varying dynamics, rhythms, and beats.  The Wailin’ Jennys composed their song with the use of only three voices and a guitar.