MUSIC
AND
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Featured Composer
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Cover Story
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Getting to Know —
MUSIC AND
DANCE
Gabriel Hoe
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Fun Facts
Singing & Movement Ask Us Anything
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Editorial Team Senior Manager, Programmes Kua Li Leng Editors & Coordinators Samantha Lim Vanessa Lee Contributors Lynnette Chng Mimi Syaahira Bte Ruslaine
Recent Happenings
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Upcoming Events
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Featured Composer Johannes Brahms is considered one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era and his works served as an inspiration for generations of composers. His music style is deeply rooted in the structures of the Baroque and Classical periods, but he created new approaches to both melody and harmony.
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NAME: Johannes Brahms BORN: 7 May 1833 DIED: 3 April 1897 BIRTH PLACE: Hamburg, Germany PROFESSION: Composer, Pianist
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Young Brahms and Music Brahms had studied with pianist and composer Eduard Marxsen who taught him the music traditions of J.S Bach, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. This would later influence his compositions.
Brahms’ father was a multi-instrumentalist who started his son’s musical training with the violin and cello. At a young age, he started learning the piano and developed another musical interest — composing! He completed his first piano sonata when he was only 12 years old.
A young Brahms and his father, Johann Jakob Brahms
Brahms’ Style of Music Brahms’ music had strong foundations in the structures of the Baroque and Classical period but he used bold new approaches to both melody and harmony. He preferred writing absolute music, which was music that did not have any scenes or narratives. Ede Reményi
Hungarian Dance no. 5
Brahms also enjoyed writing music that had elements of folk and Gypsy music. He had befriended Hungarian refugee violinist, Ede Reményi when he was 15 and this influenced his compositional style. Some works include his Hungarian Dances, the fourth movement of his Piano Quartet No. 1, Rondo alla Zingarese and the finale of his Violin Concerto.
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Brahms was a Perfectionist Brahms was a perfectionist who was highly critical of his works. He destroyed almost all of his early works as he felt that they were embarrassing and not good enough. Brahms was very self-conscious about works written for the orchestra, as there was high expectations from his friends and the
public that he would continue Beethoven’s legacy to produce an equal or greater symphony. After going through severe edits, Brahms took 22 years before he was completely happy with his first symphony! Conductor Hans von Bulow was so impressed by it he boldly referred to it as “Beethoven’s Tenth” symphony.
War of the Romantics
In the late nineteenth century, there was a division between prominent composers, also known as the ‘War of the Romantics’. The conservative circle, which included Brahms and Clara Schumann, championed traditional forms and absolute music.
The radical progressives on the other hand included Wagner and Liszt who embraced programme music and saw absolute music as old-fashioned. This ‘war’ included followers publicly insulting each other during concerts, and composers poking fun of the opposing party’s works and views, in reviews!
Cover Story
MUSIC
AND
Have you ever moved your body along to the beat of your favourite piece of music without even realising it? Music and dance complement each other really well that it’s hard to imagine watching a dance in silence! Over the years, many composers loved to compose music for dances. Let’s find out more about some orchestral music that were composed for dance!
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One famous ballet composer was Frenchman Adolphe Adam, known for Giselle (1841) and Le Corsaire (1856). Adolphe Adam
Back then, music was seen as background accompaniment to the choreography of the dance. It was even viewed as inferior to symphonic works composed for the orchestra!
Le Corsaire
Early 1800s Giselle
Late 1800s You might have heard of the iconic ballets Swan Lake (1876), The Sleeping Beauty (1889), and The Nutcracker (1892). The composer of the music to these ballets is the prolific Romantic composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky!
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Unlike previous ballet music specialists, Tchaikovsky was known for his expressive symphonic works. With this background, he brought a new dimension into ballet music, writing music that had a musical narrative and complemented the choreography of the dance beautifully. Music soon became as complex and important as the choreography of the dance.
Swan Lake
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In the following years, the Ballets Russes, a ballet company, was formed in 1909. Many innovative productions were born through ground-breaking collaborations between artistes in the music, dance and visual arts fields. One frequent collaborator was 20th Century Composer, Igor Stravinsky. He composed three well-known works for the Ballets Russes – The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911),
and The Rite of Spring (1913). Stravinsky’s music was radically different from any ballet music written before him. Written in 20th Century style and referencing Russian folk songs, his music featured unusual harmonies and syncopated rhythms. In fact, when The Rite of Spring premiered in Paris in 1913, the audience was so disturbed by the music and choreography that a riot erupted! The Firebird performed by the SSO
Early 1900s Igor Stravinsky
Late 1900s Sergei Prokofiev
Another great ballet composer was Sergei Prokofiev, whose compositions include the dramatised ballet Romeo and Juliet (1965). The music of ballets have become so popular that they are sometimes performed in an orchestral concert without dancers. They are played as a suite, an ordered set of musical works. Romeo and Juliet
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Dance Rhythms The waltz is a popular elegant and romantic ballroom dance from the 1700s that features a lot of turns and glides. You can tell if a piece of music is a waltz if it has a graceful melody, with a recognisable rhythmic accompaniment. Let’s take a closer look at the rhythm!
The Waltz
Triple meter (3 beats in a bar)
OOM - pah-pah
Strong 1st beat usually played by a bass instrument
Fast Waltz from Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier Suite
Weaker 2nd and 3rd beats
Did you know that before its more famous cousin, the original version of the waltz is the much faster Viennese Waltz? Instead of three beats, the Viennese Waltz is so quick that it is counted as one beat in a bar!
Hear how a Viennese Waltz can add excitement to a story in ‘Saturday’s Surprisingly Super-Duper Lesson’, premiering on SISTIC Live on 29 May 2021.
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The galop is a fast and lively ballroom dance from the 1800s. It is often the last dance of a ball – what a great way to end the night!
A traditional galop
The rhythm of galops might remind you of skipping or horses galloping. It is even frequently used in movies and television shows to represent horses, such as in the action film set in Wild West, The Lone Ranger. Here’s what the rhythm of a galop is like.
tim
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ka
tim
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Strong 1st and 2nd beat
Want to learn how to dance the galop? Here’s how! 1. Start with your feet together. 2. Slide your right foot to the right. 3. Move your left foot to meet the right foot. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 as you galop around the room!
Final Movement from Rossini’s William Tell Overture
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Getting to Know...
Gabriel Hoe
Apart from being the piano accompanist for the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir (SSCC) since 2012, Gabriel is also a rehearsal pianist with the Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT). We find out more about the synergy of music and dance from him!
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Tell us about what you do at the SSCC!
What else do you play for the dancers?
As an accompanist for the SSCC, I provide live music for the choir warm-ups, rehearsals and concerts. I support the choristers by playing along to the vocal exercises and music that are sung, and sometimes lead the rehearsal by going through parts of the music that require more guidance and practice.
Once a month, SDT has an instudio dance presentation. In ballet performances, an orchestra usually accompanies the dancers. But of course, fitting in dancers, audiences and an entire orchestra in the studio would be impossible! So at one of the showcases, I played the orchestral reduction of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet on the piano. Can you imagine playing an entire orchestral piece with different melodies and accompaniment on the piano?
What about at SDT? At SDT, I provide live music for ballet classes – from full body warm-ups to rehearsals.
How does music and dance come together at SDT? I gather inspiration from the leading instructor, who comes up with sets of warm-up for the dancers. From there, I improvise music that best fits their movements. It doesn’t matter if it’s classical or contemporary music! It is amazing how what I play is able to energise the dancers throughout the classes.
What is the difference between playing for choristers and dancers? Rehearsals are totally different! At a choir rehearsal, music accompaniment is based on interpretations, while music for dancers is more spontaneously created.
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Fun Facts
Singing & Movement 1. The Scientist who wrote music The opera Prince Igor was written in the late 1800s by Alexander Borodin, a successful scientist who spent his leisure hours writing music. The dances from the exhilarating Act 2, including Polovtsian Dances, was adapted into a one-act ballet for the Ballets Russes! The score also includes a choral part which the Singapore Symphony Chorus and Youth Choir performed with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 2018.
Perhaps in the future, they would get to perform it with dancers too!
Alexander Borodin
Polovtsian Dances from Borodin's Prince Igor
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2. Choreography in operas One of the most popular Western operas, Carmen was written by George Bizet in 1875. It is as an opéracomique – a genre of French opera with both spoken dialogue and singing – but the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir also captured the audiences with choreography!
Bizet’s Carmen
During the choir scene Avec la garde montante (“With the Rising Guard”) from Act I, choristers played the role of street urchins. With their heads held high, they marched onto the stage, imitating the French soldiers.
SSCC’s performance of Avec la garde montante
3. Moving while singing is an exercise! When you move while singing, it engages the entire body from your muscles to your mind! With regular practice, it will strengthen your breathing, increase your stamina and help you maintain a steady posture.
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Ask us Anything!
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There are a few different ways to transport instruments, depending on their size and material. Musicians will typically hand carry smaller and more fragile instruments such as the violin and flute, while larger instruments such as the harp and double bass have to be transported by movers. It’s important to make sure that nothing gets damaged and no one gets injured – we wouldn’t want any broken instruments or bones right before the concert! This is how we pack an instrument to keep them safe:
1. Store it in a padded case to cushion it against any impact and prevent scratches 2. Put it into a flight case to prevent it from being crushed by other items 3. Straps are secured inside the case so that it won’t move around, and get dented or chipped Sometimes, when the orchestra goes on tour, we use lots of padding, hard foam, and cling wrap to protect the instruments! As percussion instruments are large and heavy, we might also rent them from an orchestra in the other country.
“This is a flight case, a heavy case strengthened with metal that is used to transport fragile equipment. They come in many different shapes and sizes.” -
Rosherna, Assistant Stage Manager
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“The tours are a very memorable experience. I joined the company in 1989, and the first tour I went on was in 1991. 4 staff including myself accompanied the orchestra to London, Turkey and Greece for 5 weeks! However, we faced a lot of problems transporting the instruments as we required a lot of clearances to bring the instruments across borders.” -
Our flight cases arriving in Europe!
Elango, Concert Hall Officer
, lin Philharmonie ming at the Ber The SSO perfor 6. 201 24 May Killig Photo © Oliver
If you have a question about classical music or the workings of an orchestra, send them over to outreach@sso.org.sg, and it might be answered in the next issue of RhapSSOdy!
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Musical Soundbites: Enigma Variations with Jessica Gethin
Conductor Jessica Gethin shared more about the instruments families through Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
Community Concert @ VCH
We were back for our first community concert back at our home, the Victoria Concert Hall, on 19 and 21 Mar 2021!
VCHpresents Chamber: Vivacious Vivaldi Fri, 30 Apr 2021, 7.30pm Sat, 1 May 2021, 7.30pm Victoria Concert Hall
SSO Mother’s Day Concert Sun, 9 May 2021, 6pm Bandstand, Singapore Botanic Gardens
VCHpresents Organ: Pipe Up! Isaac Lee with Red Dot Baroque Wed, 19 May 2021, 7.30pm Victoria Concert Hall
Saturday’s Surprisingly Super-Duper Lesson Sat, 29 May 2021, 3pm SISTIC Live All SSO events are supported by the National Arts Council. Local schools are eligible for up to 50% subsidy from the Totalisator Board Arts Grant.
Mozart in Minor Fri, 7 May 2021, 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall
Mozart in Major Fri, 14 May 2021, 7.30pm Sat, 15 May 2021, 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall
A Gift to the Universe – Celebrating Bach III Fri, 21 May 2021, 8pm SISTIC Live
A 20th Century Fanfare Fri, 4 Jun 2021, 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall
For ticketing information, email us at ticketing@sso.org.sg. For school programmes enquiries, email us at outreach@sso.org.sg. Information is correct at time of print and is subject to change without notice. Do visit sso.org.sg for updates.