Pulling out all the stops

CGS Organists at Salisbury Cathedral - Pipe Up event

 

On 13^th February two young organists, Greg and Guy, from CGS travelled to Salisbury Cathedral for a chance to play the organ.  This is one of the most impressive instruments in the country built in 1877 by ‘Father’ Willis.  Greg writes of his experience:  

 

‘There were about 22 musicians under 19 year olds.  After registration, we sat in the choir pews and we were given information about the organ and how it works. Then we took it in turns to play our prepared pieces.  As the organ loft is quite small, there was a projector screen which allowed us to watch each other perform. We each played a piece of our choice and the day concluded with a recital by John Challenger – the Assistant Director of Music at the cathedral. Both Guy and I performed well although it was quite nerve-racking. It was a great opportunity and we really enjoyed it.’

 

 

 

 

 

Back in the swing of things

After a half term break the Music Department at CGS has returned with a full programme of individual music lessons, rehearsals every lunchtime, Y7 composing with a Chinese theme, Y8 working on the Blues, GCSE compositions and performances a-plenty, and Y13 getting to grips with Grade 8 Theory.  Mendelssohn has provided our Music as 'Composer of the Week' - including the wonderful Octet for Strings.

As part of our outreach programme Mrs. Lester organised a group of Y11 students to take their instruments and voices to Colyton Caterpillars [a local pre-school group].  This was an excellent occasion - much enjoyed by everyone.

 We move on now towards two of our major events of the year: the Concerto Concert on March 23rd which will feature performances from Y13 students [Vivaldi, Mozart, Larsson, Faure, Bruch, Beethoven and Hopley are among the composers].  Our annual Choral Concert follows hot on the heels of this and will be in Exeter Cathedral on Saturday 16th April.   For both events tickets will be available from the school.

Ferdinand Joseph LeMothe 1890 -1941

aka ‘Jelly Roll Morton’

Music performed by this pioneer of Jazz will be playing all week before and after school and during breaks in the Music Centre foyer.  Morton was born in New Orleans, the home of Jazz, and was a leading figure in the development of Jazz.  In 1902 he was even quoted as saying that he invented the genre himself.  However it was his arranging which won him real fame – proving that the improvisatory nature of Jazz could be notated and maintained.  His 1915 composition Jelly Roll Blues is said to have been the first Jazz piece ever published.  His best known recordings involve him at the piano with his band Jelly Roll Morton and His Red Hot Peppers [nothing new in band names!].

On our playlist this week are  Black Bottom Stomp, Wolverine Blues,  Doctor Jazz, Mint Julip and Michigan Water Blues.

Composer of the week this week is Frederic Chopin [1810-49].  His music is beloved of pianists, and many might have played his A major Prelude Op.28 No.7, or the D flat major Prelude Op.28 No. 15 known as the 'Raindrop'.  Find the scores here.  Another popular piece is the Nocturne in E flat Op.9 No.2.

This link is to a video of the Russian pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy playing the Study Op.10 No.1

Chopin was born in Poland and grew up in Warsaw.  As an excellent pianist he gave many concerts and was a friend of another great Romantic pianist, Liszt.  All of his compositions include the piano, and the majority of them are wonderful solo works for that instrument often being very virtuosic.  His compositional style laid important foundations for later Romantic composers, and developments reaching long after his death.

Our playlist in school this week includes Waltzes, Mazurkas, Berceuse, Ballades, Nocturnes, Studies and a Sonata movement.

Composer of the week Jan. 25th

As the previous post had mentioned, we have a regular '. . . of the week' slot in the Music Department.  Music plays in the foyer, most frequently from a particular composer but sometimes linking to a genre or even of a complete piece.

This week it will be Sergei Prokofiev [1891 - 1953].  Here is a great example of his music, well known from TV now, of The Dance of the Knights - part of his ballet music for Romeo and Juliet.

Prokofiev was a composer who excelled in many musical genres and was an influential figure in the 20^th century.  His music is characterised by a great sense of the dramatic and often includes amazing twists of melody and harmony which deviate from expectations but in a very natural fashion.  Arguably his most famous piece is Peter and the Wolf – written for narrator and orchestra to introduce the sounds of different instruments.

He died at the same time as Stalin and although he did have an obituary in the official Soviet press it only appeared on page 116, after 115 pages of writing about Stalin!

On our playlist are excerpts from Symphony No 1 ‘Classical’, Piano Sonata No.7, ballet music  Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, The Love of Three Oranges and Lieutenant Kije.

. . . of the week

Every week in the Music Department foyer we have music playing before school and during breaks and lunchtimes.  Sometimes this is dedicated to a composer or an artist, with a selection of their music - or perhaps a single piece - we have already featured Glenn Miller,  Vivaldi, Clara Schumann, and JS Bach's Brandenburg Concertos  and next week [in advance of the release of the new Bond movie Spectre] we feature all the Bond movie themes from Dr. No onwards.  Get to the Music Department to hear them all.

More and more MUSIC

The Colyford Goose Fayre was opened a fortnight ago by three of our trumpeters playing a fanfare.  This particular piece had been composed by local composer, and doyen of the Brass Band movement, Gordon Langford.

Then, this week our String Ensemble [led by Mrs. Chapman] performed a lunchtime concert in Axminster as part of their 31st series of such concerts.  The audience really enjoyed this performance commenting on the 'rich tone, rhythmic security, effective contrasts, and some beautiful and expressive playing'.  Once again CGS Musicians have been a credit to the department and the school, real ambassadors.

Much more has been going on too - Y7 playing 'So What' by Miles Davis, Y8 continuing to work on Djembe drumming, Y9 investigating Line Dance with 'Achy Breaky Heart', the Orchestra learning Bizet's 'Carmen Suite No.1' and a great start to Haydn's Nelson Mass with the Senior Choir, then Y13 listening to Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire and Britten's Serenade Op.31.

Also, our Composer of the Week slots have returned - so far we have featured Glenn Miller, Clara Schumann and Vivaldi.  Look out for different musical figures each week.