I’ve got a lot of music swirling around my head these days. For a few reasons. The most important reason being our choir has three performances coming up in the next few months. Besides our regular concert on April 21, (starts at 7:30 pm at Runnymede United Church. I’ve got tickets with your name on them.) we’ve got a concert on April 14 at Sing! The Vocal Arts Festival and we’re putting on a fundraiser (not for us) on June 2. That’s a lot of performing in a short little while.
One piece that we’re going to be performing for at least two of these concerts (and for our upcoming tour to Manitoba in Summer 2013) is called “Snowforms” by R. Murray Schafer. He’s a Canadian composer whose music is never conventional and always interesting to perform. The score for this particular piece is a work of art:
Turquoise paper with white forms.
I love how the words have been written in fountain pen. I love how the white forms look like snow banks, formed by the wind (hence the name of the piece). I had no idea what to expect when I opened it up. Turns out, the clues are right there on the cover.
How does one go about singing this?
Yep. That’s right. No notes, no staff, no rhythmic indications or even real dynamic markings. But again. It actually looks like snow. And the note names are written there amongst the scoops and hills and valleys. Oh and this pic doesn’t show it well, but there are also timings written throughout, but not in the typical way. I really like this sort of thing because it reimagines everything that most of us learn about music when we study theory and piano and singing (or violin, guitar, etc).
It’s interesting because everything we need to turn this into beautiful and interesting music is right here on the page. We’re just not used to seeing it that way. The presentation is completely unique and makes me a little sad that we’ve memorized this one. Only a little though, as you know how I feel about the memorization business. (I love it!).
Anyway, the effect of this piece is stunning – shimmery and soft but at the same time sharp and cold. And from someone who knows EXACTLY what snow left to it’s own devices looks like, (I thank my life spent on the prairies for this) I know that Mr. Schafer totally got it right.
So let me know if you want to hear this piece…we’re singing it on April 14.
J.
A girl moved to TO...and then she bought a farm 