Romantic Entry

Kevin Sweet
Music History
2-19-08


Listening Journal


I chose a number of works from the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor for my third entry. The works include The Hiawatha overture, Petite suite de concert, Four characteristic waltzes, Gipsy suite, Romance of the prairie lilies and Othello suite. The Hiawatha overture begins with a beautifully quiet, legato theme played by the string section, accompanied by harp that, in my mind, produces a surreal image of a lake surrounded by blurred flowers as in paintings by Monet. A great deal of musical momentum and drama is created by thematic introductions and development within the overture. At moments when there is quiet counterpoint between the strings and horns, I associate it with a light hearted character or landscape and then once the brass and percussion are introduced, the peace is disrupted with the rampaging of a darker element like a fumbling drunk thief or a terrible storm. The Hiawatha overture comes to a little over eleven minutes long.

The Petite suite de concert, constructed of four short movements, quickly grabbed my attention with a loud theme seemingly played by every member of the orchestra, with weight added by the brass and percussion. The first movement reminds me of music from the Lawrence of Arabia. The second movement is more subtle, with strings and woodwinds playing soft, legato melodies that would provide the perfect backdrop for a love story. The third movement is more playful, with short melodies being exchanged between the strings and woodwinds. Each melody is like a kid playing outside for the first time since a long winter or me telling a silly joke and looking over to my girl and she has a small smile, shaking her head side to side nonverbally telling me it was not too funny, but she forgives me. What can I say the music is pretty darn romantic. The final movement is fun with bouncy rhythms and loud cymbal crashes announcing that we have come full circle. The Petite suite de concert is petite coming in around fifteen minutes long.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor is definitely impressing me with his ability to create beautiful melodies. The Four characteristic waltzes are no exception. While the rhythm provides a great opportunity to dance, the cinematic qualities of the music would be ideal for many other scenarios. For example the first waltz, Valse Bohemienne, has a light theme played by the strings, woodwinds and triangle, calling to mind the idea of a man and a woman caught up in a forbidden love affair and when the theme is repeated with a loud, heavy, stomping feel from the tympani and horns, that would be the disapproving father or scorned lover chasing after them.

Next on the list is the Gipsy suite. Consisting of four movements, it introduces new instruments from the percussion world. The first movement, “Lament and Tambourine,” uses castanets and tambourines which spices things up in the head nodding department. The third movement, a Gipsy song, has a beautiful trumpet solo amidst a woodwind landscape and it calls to my mind the idea of being homesick because the lonely trumpet is of the only brass instrument around, and the striking of the bells is the sounds of the new town. When I saw the title, the Gipsy suite, I thought the music was going to be more up tempo but the sweet melodies did not let me down. The Gipsy suite comes to about fourteen minutes long.

The Romance of the prairie lilies is a fitting title for the music. The main melody is played with a grand swooping gesture and with each dip, the flutes act like little birds, picking us up with their beaks bringing us back to an upright position. With each repeat of the theme, instruments that once acted as counterpoint to the melody play in unison, creating a grand statement. I enjoyed the Romance of the prairie lilies and at a little over six minutes, left refreshed.

The Othello suite has four movements and the first movement titled Dance, is quite different than the other works because it is less romantic and more chugging and hustling, incorporating pounding tympani and cymbal crashes creating a sense of urgency. The Willow song begins quietly with a somber melody, strings playing pizzicato, but the tonality brightens up along with an increase in dynamic level changing the overall mood. The Military march has galloping melodies played by the brass and strings and is truly heightened by the inclusion of the snare drum and the triangle. The Othello suite weighs in at about ten minutes long.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor epitomizes the concepts utilized within the Romantic period. Thematic material being the main focal point for the compositions was standard practice then and Coleridge-Taylor, has strong melodic skills.