Author Archives: michelle poon

On March 6 I attended the BRAZZ jazz ensemble’s concert during the Wednesday Noon Hours at the UBC School of Music. The program featured a wide range of pieces. However, one piece in particular that interested me was “Fanfare for the Common Man”. It stood out to me as it seemed less like a typical jazz big band piece and more of dramatic, heroic, and almost biblical  piece. The piece started off with a gradual introduction of each brass section, with each playing the same theme.With each repetition of the theme and addition of brass section the piece increases in grandeur.  Furthermore, in between each phrase of the theme there is the dramatic playing of the drums and percussion. This pattern continues until the piece ends with the swelling brass and crescendo in the percussion. What is so interesting about this piece is how effective it is at creating such a grand and dramatic sound while having a simple form and moving at a relatively slow pace. However, all of this is deliberate and perhaps a commentary on the everyday life of the “common man” which may be common or regular, however, no less compelling.

The next piece “Jitterbug Waltz” features, for the most part, the piano softly accompanied by the snare drum. As the piece continues, there is the a slow gentle introduction of other instruments. Overall, the arrangement of the piece builds as more instruments are added. Furthermore, although it seemed as though there was no discernible rhythm as the piano seemed to be playing almost in an improvisational manner as each chord and key was played so nimbly, there actually was a constant triple meter underneath the piano played by the snare drum. So while the drum provided a constant rhythm which served rather discreetly as the backbone of the piece, the piano, played over top of this with a very dreamy and hypnotic melody.

The next piece after was “El Camino Real” by J.J. Johnson. This piece in particular sounded like what one might expect to hear from a large jazz brass ensemble. The opening of this piece featured short punctuated phrases in between a constant theme played by the trombone. After settling from the introduction, much of the piece features a trombone solo. The same minor theme is played here and there throughout the piece and sometimes in the major key as well. Throughout the piece, there were occasions when the trombone and the rest of the brass instruments would play together, with the trombone playing the main melody on top while the rest played a little more quietly in the background, sometimes repeating the same minor key heard at the beginning. Other times, there would sort of be a call and response between the trombone and the rest of the instruments.

The programme also featured jazz arrangements of popular songs such as “A Sleeping Bee”, “Nite Life” by Willie Nelson”, and “Close your Eyes” by Bernice Petkere. Overall, the wide range of music played by this jazz ensemble reached many different genres and therefore, made for a very exciting and varied performance.

Last month, I attended the Beethoven Beethoven Beethoven concert put on by the VSO and featured the French pianist David Kadouch. The first piece played was Mendelssohn’s  Fingal’s Cave. I believe this piece featured a sonata form. There was an Exposition which introduced a theme 1 in tonic (minor), some modulation towards a major key, then the Development, Recapitulation, and Coda. The main theme that was present throughout the piece was first introduced in the first few seconds of the piece in the minor key. After this there are several variations of it and it also continued as a base throughout the piece. The overall feeling in the exposition seemed to be quite dark but calm at the same time. Although, there is a major variation of this theme, eventually there is a return to the minor key of this theme. Later on, there seems to be a movement between major and minor of this recurring theme. Furthermore, the playing of this theme seems to be passed between the wind and string instruments. In addition, near the end the theme is played slower and in the major theme, however this doesn’t last long as the piece seems to gain momentum and is played faster in the minor key again and builds up to a climax. There is then a sense of calm created contrasted with the previous rush. In the final moments of the piece, it starts to slow down and the major variation of the theme is played by the clarinet and it descend with each drop in key playing the theme and the piece is brought to a conclusion with the plucking of strings.

The next piece that greatly interested me was funnily enough, again not Beethoven, nor was it included in the formal set – but a Chopin waltz that was played as an encore by Kadouch. This Waltz in C sharp minor, much like the other Chopin piece we listened to in class was quite lyrical and fluid. It also seemed to feature three slightly different themes throughout. The first seemed like a typical waltz that had a very steady triple meter rhythm. Overall it had a very soft quality and seemed very easy to dance along to. The piece then moved on to the second theme which moved faster. It still featured a constant rhythm in the left hand while the right hand played the lead melody over top. Although the piece did move faster, the soft quality was still retained – it never seemed rushed or aggressive. Each phrase of this section would feature a scale at the end before starting the theme again. The third theme featured in the waltz played much slower. The rhythm also seemed less structured that the previous two. It seemed as though the main melody moved with a bit more liberty. It almost seemed to be used as almost an interlude played before to reintroduce the second, faster theme. Throughout this waltz I feel as though there is a ritornello structure as there are the three different themes that are repeated a few times.

Last month, I had the chance to attend a concert at the UBC School of Music which featured Mark Takeshi McGregor on the flute and Adrian Verdejo on the guitar. I believe an aspect of this show was to use tradition western instruments for pieces that were not at all composed by Western American composers. They started the concert with “Toward the Sea” that featured 3 different parts – “Night”, “Moby Dick” and “Cape Code”. Together, all of these pieces contributed to an overall image of the ebb and flow of sea-waves. They also seem to be written without any sort of strict organization which also evokes the erratic and ambiguous behaviour and movement of the sea. With “Night”, it sets the tone where the overall feeling of the piece was quite nocturnal and dark. The flute in this piece also seemed to be more temperamental with its melody moving around quite bit. The guitar on the other hand seemed to have a more constant rhythm and melody, therefore, perhaps serving as a gentle, soft spine of the piece. The next piece, “Moby Dick”, was quite sparse sounding. However, occasionally there would be sharp abrupt sounds from the flute. Maybe what was trying to be conveyed here is that there maybe something sinister bubbling beneath the surface even though there seems to be a light exchange. This sinister atmosphere and sparse atmosphere created by the flute and guitar gives us the image of seemingly calm waters, however, somewhere, Moby Dick, is lurking beneath the surface of the water. The final piece of this first set “Cape Code” featured a fuller sound and was much lighter in feeling than the previous two. The melody also seemed to more continuous. Overall, unlike many of the pieces that we had studied in class, all these three pieces in “Toward the Sea” did not seem to feature any sort of repetitive theme that they returned to. As a result, there seemed an overall feeling of something that was not quite resolved.

The other piece in the program that greatly interested me, mostly because it was really unlike anything that I had heard before, was Dúo by Mexican composer, Ignacio Baca-Lobera. Throughout the piece, the flute and guitar often played in unison, however, sometimes harmonic. Both also seemed to explore the noisier parts of their instruments and often played in pitches that may be combative, dynamic, and snappy. I would almost describe that these instruments sometimes played at a shrieking register. At times it also seemed like the instruments were almost fighting to express themselves. The flute would seem to express the sound of ‘air’ rather than an actual sound while the guitar seem to strum dead notes -‘chucking’? It was interesting to see both of these instruments expressing sound in this way not just for a single part of the piece but for a great majority of it. And often there would be a large contrast throughout the piece. The instruments would move from playing a melody then would quickly transform into playing just blank sounds. What was therefore created was perhaps an almost uncomfortable atmosphere which was rather sinister and aggressive.

In February I went to see the VSO’s production of La Bohème which presented the drama of everyday life among the common people. My favourite part of the opera occurs early on in Act 1 where the two leads, Mimi and Rodolfo introduce each other. Here, each perform an aria back to back with Rodolfo first singing “Che gelada manina” and then Mimi responding with “Mi chiamano Mimi”. Throughout the piece, I felt that it was often conveying a contrast between reality and dreaming with the lyrics and that the melody often mimicked this contrast as well. Throughout the piece, the melody moves steadily but there are small peaks in the music, however, these are only brief and always come back down to return to its original position. Perhaps this indicates that while Mimi may have higher dreams and aspirations for herself, however, her reality is that she is limited to the small poverty life and she has no way to escape from her ultimate fate of death. The piece begins with the following lyrics:

Yes. They call me Mimi,

but my real name is Lucia.

My story is short

I embroider satin

and silk at home and elsewhere.

I’m peaceful and happy,

and my past time is

making lilies and roses.

Here she speaks of her daily tasks and what she enjoys to do. The melody follows a similar repetitive pattern and there are no large variations with the melody indicating maybe her constant routines of her life. However, she allows herself to dream for a little while and expresses herself with the following lyrics:

I love all things

that have gentle sweet smells,

that speak of love, of spring,

of dreams and fanciful things,

those things that have poetic names

Here, her voice rises slowly and becomes slightly stronger, however this is very brief. Mimi seems non-resistant and is immediately pulled back down to reality as the melody experiences a descending motion. Mimi then goes on to talk about her daily life again and the melody is light with flourishes of a flute and is repetitive:

They call me Mimi,

I do not know why.

Alone, I make

lunch by myself.

I do not go to church,

but I pray a lot to the Lord.

I stay all alone

there in a white room

and look upon the roofs and the sky

However, what immediately follows is an incredibly dreamy interlude as her voice rises more and more and it seems unrestrained. It is the most distinct part of the aria as it is almost a complete departure from her reality and a rupture in her description of her daily routines in life. What is created here is an incredibly otherworldly atmosphere, you can almost imagine Mimi soaring over the roofs in the skies of Paris. Perhaps a suggestion that she is waiting for love to come and to be taken away from her poor destitute life.

but when the thaw comes

The first sun, like my

first kiss, is mine!

However, again, this was not meant to last and it is not reality. Once again, her voice moves down and descends back down to the tonic and returns from her dream. The last few lines of the piece ends where she sings a bit faster, almost half singing,  where it is almost as if Mimi is literally being pulled back into reality, out of the dream like trance of the song and back to life.

The film The Favourite, directed by Yorgos Lathimos, is a story that revolves around the competition between two cousins, Abigail and Sarah, who were both vying to be the court favourite of Queen Anne. I felt that the film was a rather different kind of period piece that was definitely in the realm of the absurd and constantly featured strange and manic comedic elements throughout the movie. To elicit the turbulent relationships and feelings of the characters, the film employed the use of a collection of a wide range of musical pieces. Perhaps, poking fun at the ideal vision of what a period piece should be, the soundtrack included a mix of music from Handel, to Bach, Vivaldi, and even Elton John. However, every piece seem to used for a particular purpose whether it was to underline certain emotions of the characters or capture a certain mood of a scene.

I found the use of Henry Purcell’s piece “Musick for a While” very interesting. The music is quite serene, calm and peaceful. Here it seems to mimic the feelings that Abigail must be feeling. In the previous scene, Abigail had drugged Sarah’s tea, causing Sarah to fall from her horse and be dragged into the forest, disappearing for days. Due to Sarah’s disappearance, Abigail falls into favour with Queen Anne, who then permits Abigail to be married to a baron in her court, thereby allowing Abigail to once again acquire her noble standing as a baroness. The resulting scene after all of these events features Abigail enjoying the music of Henry Purcell among other ladies of the court. 

In this scene, we hear the lyrics

Music for a while

Shall all your cares beguile

Wond’ring how your pains were eas’d

These lyrics and the music perfectly describe the mood that Abigail must be feeling in that scene as the music is quite serene and calm. At first there seem to be arpeggiated chords and then a voice starts to come in. The voice rises slowly but powerfully. This is almost a depiction of the rise of Abigail. Now a baroness, her troubles seem to have disappeared, she has won over Queen Anne, and Sarah has vanished. She is victorious and at ease, however, this was not meant to last as we soon see Sarah enter at the back of the room and we know that the complex rivalry will pick up right where it had left off. This is perhaps signified in the music when there seems to be modulation in the middle of the piece and the repetitive pattern that we had in the beginning of the piece changes. This is maybe an allusion to how Abigail’s plans are going astray with Sarah’s return. Furthermore, after we hear the word “drop” repeated in a descending pattern with a small pause between each one. I believe it descends until the music returns to its original tonic position perhaps indicating the situation in the movie  – that with Sarah’s return, they have returned to the original situation at the beginning where Abigail will once again have to compete with Sarah to completely win over Queen Anne. The lyric and title of the piece is after all, “Musick for a While”  – Abigail’s victory was only to last for a while or a short time, and not forever.