The Line Between Classical and Modern Music

By Chris Billingham 

When thinking about how classical music has influenced modern music one of the first names that enters the conversation is Schubert. Many people consider the Austrian composer to be the inspiration for the modern pop song, his use of verses and choruses in particular. Schubert wanted the chorus to be memorable and resonate with the audience; it’s hard to name a modern rock or pop song that doesn’t share this ambition.

Schubert also established song cycles, a group of songs created to stand individually but be performed in a sequence as a unit. Die schöne Müllerin, Winterreise and Schwanengesang are renowned examples of his song cycle work, the later being his last, posthumous collection of songs. Song cycles still exist today but arguably the most modern use of the genre is in the concept album. Like Schubert’s song cycles these albums are designed by its composers to be played in a specific order, often to tell a story. Whilst these songs can be heard individually, and arguably thanks to the release of singles they are heard on an individual basis more than classical works, this work is best enjoyed as a whole. Albums such as The Wall by Pink Floyd and The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance were even toured as a whole by the bands in questions. When seeing My Chemical Romance on The Black Parade World Tour in 2007 they played two sets, one containing the complete album performed in order and an encore of older songs. In principal the first set was no different to Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin being performed in Viennna in 1856. Except that first public performance from Julius Christian Stockhausen probably didn’t include the marching band uniforms, confetti, cannons and pyrotechnics that My Chemical Romance had.

Even though the theatrics and presentation of music may have changed, most modern music shares its themes with classical. Schubert, Puccini and Ravel all wrote about love and trying to get to grips with life. The biggest selling songs of last year, which came from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Ella Henderson all share this theme. These modern day artists, especially Ed Sheeran, are famous for putting across all their inner thoughts and emotions in songs. Arguably one of the earliest examples of a musician doing this was Beethoven. Whilst Beethoven made this connection using instrumental pieces and the element of Ed Sheeran’s work that most connect with is his lyrics, they have both created music with fervour and a desire to be true to themselves. Beethoven once said that “to play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable”. Ed Sheeran is recently quoted as saying, “I can’t tell you the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone”. Whilst these quotes are about two different subjects, they show that the enthusiasm and honesty that made classical composers popular with audiences are attributes that continue to be seen in many modern artists.

Many classical musicians have written compositions in the form of variations on a theme by another composer. Beethoven, Hahn and Herzogenberg for example all created variations based on work by Mozart. The modern day equivalent of this is arguably sampling, the act of taking a section (or sample) of a piece of music and reusing it in a different song. The modern influence and love of classical music can be seen in the number of songs that sample classical pieces. To use Mozart as an example again, Massive Attack, David Bowie and Clean Bandit have sampled his music in songs. There are countless other examples, including many surprising connections including pop group S Club 7 reworking Fauré's Pavane and hip hop artist Nas sampling Für Elise by Beeethoven.

The line between classical music and modern music is one that has always intrigued me. There are many people that feel they should be separate and you could of course argue that the similarities that Beethoven and Ed Sheeran have in their approach to music isn’t necessarily a result of the later being directly influenced by classical music but more a representation of the passion you need to succeed. However in my opinion music is influenced by a number of factors including culture and history. Classical music has had a big impact on both of these and without it the musical landscape we have today would, in my opinion, be drastically different.

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Clap, Rustle, Cough, Sneeze....and repeat?

By Richard Brewer

Last week, conductor Marin Alsop was on Desert Island Discs on Radio 4. She was fascinating to listen to, and had some really interesting choices of music – not just classical! I urge you to listen to it online if you haven't already.

One point she made really stuck out to me, about the etiquette of audiences at classical concerts. It's a heavily discussed topic, sometimes discussed in the form of a 'tut' and a disapproving look from an audience member, or  discussed in long newspaper articles online. Where the belief that we must sit up straight, arms folded, in complete silence and not make any sort of noise at all during a concert began, I do not know. What is interesting, however, is the difference in audience etiquette between different concerts; it is extremely dependant on many aspects of a concert, for example the venue, the repertoire and also the age of audience members.

I still vividly remember my first ever live classical concert. I was 16, and it was in Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, which really is a lovely venue. The Hallé orchestra were playing, with Sir Mark Elder conducting Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no. 2 and Rachmaninov Symphony no. 2 (what a start to my classical concert career, by the way!). I went with my best friend and his dad, and came away following one of the best concerts of my life with a list of 5 unwritten rules for attending a concert...

1. Do not cough, or sneeze, or blow your nose during the performance
2. Do not whisper to anyone around you
3. Do not hum the tune, however recognisable or lovely it is
4. Sit still at all times
5. Finally, and most importantly, do NOT under ANY circumstances clap between movements

I learnt the hard way, by doing just about all of these 5 things and getting more than 5 surly looks, quiet 'tuts' and a lot of head turns during the concert. As a first timer, it was a very odd experience. To think that I had to literally sit there silent and motionless for nearly two hours was a daunting task, but I went with it and have done ever since – all because of the unwritten rules. This is the case for pretty much all classical music concerts I have been to in the past 5 or 6 years since then, except for a few very special ones...

The BBC proms. Without doubt, in my mind, one of the most special music festivals worldwide. What an amazing 2 months it is; everyone coming together to watch some of the world's best orchestras blow us away with brilliant performances of the best-loved classics, along with some genre-setting world premieres. The audience at the proms are a special breed. Some sit there asleep, some read, some lie down, some cough, some sneeze, they do it all. The most noteworthy thing they all do (and I'm being extremely general here) is clap between movements. If they hear a rousing, loud movement of a symphony, they respond in the way they see fit – they clap. And why shouldn't they?! 

The other day I was chatting to our patron, Sir Roger Norrington (who conducts an evening of Mozart and Beethoven with Southern Sinfonia next Friday) who noted that he absolutely loves the audience to respond in the way they want to after hearing a wonderful movement. It almost feels unnatural to sit there silently after hearing something as rousing as the final moments of the first movement of Tchaikovsky's fourth symphony. Marin Alsop was also a firm believer in clapping after a movement if the situation merits it, stating that in Beethoven's time they would even clap mid-movement if a phrase was good! 

I'm not in anyway suggesting we should begin to clap in the middle of a movement if there is a really special moment (so please don't do that when you come to our concert next week)! I am also not meriting an outbreak of applause at the end of the slow movement of Mahler's fifth symphony, either, because that would just be awful. I also do know how annoying it can be when people make lots of noise, and I'm not suggesting we all hum along to every tune in the piece. What I do think, though, is that we should feel more relaxed during concerts; we are there for pleasure, after all. 

So, next Friday, when you are sat there in the second half listening to the mighty Beethoven's Eighth Symphony, remember this blog. Remember that if you feel like clapping at the end of a rousing movement, by all means, go for it. On the other hand, of course, if you want to stay silent, do it!

There shouldn't be such a set of unwritten rules for behaviour at a classical concert. Live classical music should be what you make of it. You can react in the way you want to, it affects people in numerous different ways, and that is a hugely powerful asset. Let's not go too mad, though; we don't want to see our beloved performers walk off stage like Michael McIntyre did in a recent gig, after a lady consistently talked and made loud noises all the way through - I'm not sure Sir Roger would approve of that! 

Click here to find out more about next Friday's concert in St. Nicolas, Newbury. There are still tickets available and it really is an evening not to be missed! You can also find out more about Southern Sinfonia by visiting our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Inspiration - in the Words of the Greatest Composers

By Chris Billingham 

“The idea of a composer suddenly having a terrific idea and sitting up all night to write it is nonsense. Night time is for sleeping”   - Britten 

An unusual approach to the creative process, Benjamin Britten had a rigid routine of a 9 to 5 working day, much like an office job. Some suggest that this is reflected in his music, and that there are moments which demonstrate a lack of inspiration. As discussed previously I write creatively, and like many I find it difficult to understand Britten’s view on how this process works. Inspirations comes to people in a number of ways, but it is not something than can be “turned off” – awake or asleep. 

Puccini appears to share this opinion: 

“Inspiration is an awakening, a quickening of all man’s faculties”  - Puccini 

Describing inspiration in this way suggests it can appear out of nowhere and take hold of you; a perspective much more widely held than Britten’s approach. History would suggest many composers have found this to be the case. A famous example is Elgar, who is said to have written the main theme for his cello concerto on a napkin after waking up from dental surgery. However, what if inspiration didn’t just appear in an awakening? Can you force creativity? Or even take it from existing works? Stravinsky suggests that: 

“Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal” - Stravinsky 

While most composers would no doubt argue that you should never directly copy another’s work, the concept of taking ideas from one another is one that has, whether you agree with it or not, been present throughout musical history, whether it’s the classical music world discussing Handel and other Baroque composers stealing from each other or rock fans accusing Noel Gallagher of copying The Beatles. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a current composer who has been widely accused of this in many of his best-known works.

Whether a piece is original or inspired by another, it will only become its own piece of art with determination from the composer. Looking across writings from various composers, this determination can come from a number of places. Whether it’s an artist wanting to reach their full potential: 

“A creative artist works on his next composition because he was not satisfied with his previous one” - Shostakovich

A sense of urgency:

“Nothing primes inspiration more than necessity” - Rossini 

Or an artist who understands that you have to keep working on your craft beyond mere repetition:

“Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets" - Beethoven

Beethoven’s words don’t come as a surprise; he is famous for his meticulous personality when it came to both music and his day-to-day activities. He is said to have counted out precisely 60 coffee beans every time he had a cup of coffee. While others probably wouldn’t have let their approach to musicianship affect their drinking habits, many agreed that inspiration can only flourish when it is combined with hard work, with Brahms commenting that: 

“Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind” - Brahms 

Indeed, Tchaikovsky notes that: 

“Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy” - Tchaikovsky

Is it fair to say that Britten was lazy when he suggested that he would only compose during the daytime, in what are essentially office hours? In some people’s opinions perhaps, however the method whereby one finds inspiration is entirely personal. I should probably stop shaking my head whenever I see that quotation; creativity is something individual and it matters less how a composer finds it, but how they utilise it. After all: 

"Imagination creates reality" - Wagner 

To find out more about Southern Sinfonia; click here to visit our website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

A few things you might not know about Beethoven

• Beethoven was said to have been very particular when it came to his coffee, counting out 60 beans for every cup to ensure it was just right every time. 
• He came from a pretty dysfunctional family: 3 of his 6 brothers and sisters died, his father was a violent alcoholic and, later in life, he became embroiled in a bitter custody battle over one of his nephews. 
• In his later years, when he had become profoundly deaf, there are notebooks recording what visitors said to him. However, his comments went unrecorded, leaving a tantalisingly one-sided account of Beethoven's conversations.
• Beethoven was a notoriously messy worker. His sketchbooks and scores were always full to the brim with crossings out, revisions and alterations. 
• As he became more and more absorbed in his work, he began to take less notice of his general appearance. So much so, that on one of his regular afternoon constitutionals he was mistaken for a tramp and arrested. 
• His work wasn't the only thing that was messy, his rooms were incredibly untidy as well; with tall piles of manuscripts and sheafs of paper no-one was allowed to touch and a number of pianos without legs so he was able to feel their vibrations. He was also prone to work in his underwear and, on occasion, even naked, completely ignoring friends and colleagues if they went to visit him while he was composing.
• His foul temper is also well-known; with stories of him throwing food at a waiter, sweeping candles off the top of a piano and perhaps even hitting a choirboy, coming down the centuries.

Despite his terrible temper and other quirks he remains one of the most significant and influential composers of the western art music tradition and we can't wait to hear his 7th Symphony and Violin Concerto in D major this evening!

Southern Sinfonia's concert The Genius that is Beethoven takes place on 18th April 2012, at St. Nicolas Church Newbury at 7.30pm. Tickets: £14, £10 concessions, £5 under 25s from the Corn Exchange.

Beethoven's 7th in Film

In anticipation of our concert 'The Genius that is Beethoven' next week, we've been having a look at the great man's 7th Symphony (our concert programme on 18th April includes the 7th Symphony and Violin Concerto in D major) in film soundtracks over the years and we've come up with some interesting results.

The most recent use of the 7th is in the much-acclaimed heartstring-tugger that is The King's Speech. Colin Firth gives his patriotic address to the nation right at the end of the film, with Beethoven's 7th as a backdrop.

Similarly, KNOW1NG (2009) - don't worry, this one passed us by too - starring Nicholas Cage as a teacher who opens a time capsule that contains some 'chilling predictions', also makes use of the 7th. 

It's also used in Immortal Beloved (1994), a film about Beethoven's life with particular focus on his love interests and the mysterious immortal beloved to whom he addressed various love letters. Perhaps it's just us though, but we reckon Beethoven looks uncannily like Dracula in this one...

Gary Oldman as Beethoven in Immortal Beloved

It also appears in a Looney Tunes short from 1949 called A Ham in a Role, featuring the Goofy Gophers and a dog with aspirations of becoming a Shakespearian actor. (It's about 4.23 mins in, when the dog is addressing a skull and the gopher is getting dressed into his skeleton costume).

However, our absolute favourite use of the 7th in a film has to be The Black Cat (1934) just because it sounds fantastic. It's about an American couple honeymooning in Hungary who become trapped in the home of a Satan-worshiping priest when the bride is taken there for medical help following a road accident.  Couldn't get much more far-fetched than that could you, good old Edgar Alan Poe.

Can you come up with any more?