Journeys in Space-Time 5
Sign o' the Times

In case you didn’t know it, classical music was alive and well last century and here’s the evidence.

The classical music of the twentieth century is the auditory equivalent of archive footage. As well as reflecting the all-important trends in music, the currents of good and evil that coloured the century are all there.

Here are some of the auditory highlights of that momentous century.

1902, England: Elgar – Pomp and Circumstance March no. 1 in D major
In this terrific Edwardian march, Elgar caught all the self-importance and fervour of the empire on which the sun never set. With the march’s great central tune rendered into the chorus, “Land of Hope and Glory”, this march has ended up becoming the unofficial second national anthem of England.

1913, Russia: Stravinsky – Le Sacre de printemps (The Rite of Spring) - Part I: L’adoration de la terre (The Adoration of the Earth) – Danses des adolescentes (Dance of the Young Girls) – Jeu de rapt (Ritual of abduction)
In this ballet about pagan ritual sacrifice, Stravinsky went all out to create the aural equivalent of the plot. Using primitive rhythms and nasty, grating sounds, he captured all the rawness and blood-thirstiness he could muster. The Parisian audience of the premiere were so shocked and incensed that they had a good riot, arguably the most famous riot in the pre-rock’n’roll history of music. One year later, they were in the trenches!

1924, USA: Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue
Surely the perfect background music for The Great Gatsby. This is unashamed crossover music full of sophistication and wit – a true product of the swinging-Twenties. Jaunty jazz rhythms and a great central tune have ensured it is always a crowd-pleaser.

1934, France: Messiaen – O Sacrum Convivium!
Intensely religious music and proof that god did not completely desert the twentieth century, even if it was written in a time of restless peace.

1947, Germany: Schoenberg – A Survivor from Warsaw, op.46
Responding to the horror of the Warsaw ghetto, Schoenberg wrote this belated and brutal hymn to the paradoxical evil of man and the power of the human spirit.

1960, Poland: Penderecki – Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima
Scorching! To try to honour the terror of the said event, Penderecki uses a big orchestra of string instruments to play noise. In the place of melodies and harmonies, we get scraping, scratching, whacking and droning sounds that tip their hat at the synthesiser.

1975, Poland: Górecki – Symphony No.3, op.36, “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” – 2. Lento e largo – Tranquillissimo
Much of the progress of music in the Twentieth century was toward the intellectual possibilities of sound, devoid of the subjectivity that had dominated the music of the late 1800s. While these experiments were undoubtedly ’interesting’, audiences got scared and left in droves. Some composers reacted by sticking up their fingers and writing even scarier music. Others decided that if they were going to eat, they would have to write for an audience. This piece broke ground by returning to simplicity. It was denounced by the progressives, but a huge hit with everyone else.

1977, Estonia: Pärt – Fratres for violin, strings and percussion
Pärt, an Estonian, was another popular composer who returned to simplicity. A hypnotic violin plays out against a background of static instruments in this trance–like and evocative music. There are many versions of this music but the violin version is the best-known.

1986, USA: Adams – Short Ride in a Fast Machine (Fanfare for Great Woods)
A famous fanfare for the machine age. Sometimes classed ‘minimalist’, this type of music was a great hit in the Eighties and captures something of dehumanising influence of machines in our lives. In this case, it’s a fast machine on the verge of being out of control.

1993, England: Tavener – Song for Athene
Written to commemorate the death of a close friend, this chant-like, hypnotic music achieved prominence at the funeral for Diana...