RAMSBOTTOM RECORDED MUSIC SOCIETY
RAMSBOTTOM Recorded Music Society welcomed member Tony Mosedale as presenter at the meeting on July 13 with an ingenious and fascinating programme entitled ‘When Science meets Music’, in which examples of connections between the two were explored.
The earliest music heard was a Sonata for lute by Michelagnolo Galilei, younger brother of Galileo Galilei, himself an accomplished lutenist.
This was followed by the Ricercata No 6 for solo cello by Gianbattista Degli Antonii, published in 1687, the same year in which Sir Isaac Newton produced his ‘Principia Mathematica’.
Sir William Herschel was both scientist and musician, his career as an astronomer (he discovered the planet Uranus) eclipsing that of composer.
Tony played the first movement of Herschel’s very attractive Oboe Concerto in C.
Two modern compositions with scientific associations are the musical ‘Frankenstein’ by Mark Baron and Jeffrey Jackson and the opera ‘Doctor Atomic’ by John Adams.
The former is inspired by Mary Shelley’s famous novel of 1818 (owing much to Davy’s experiments in galvanic chemistry) and the latter by the career of the American theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, who developed the atomic bomb. Vocal numbers were performed from both works.
The American cardiologist and musician Zachary Goldberger claimed to have found links between cardiology and certain compositions by Beethoven, these being found in the Piano Sonata No 26 in E flat and the String Quartet No 13 in B flat.
Tony played the relevant excerpts and left his audience to make up its own mind on the matter!
Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein, renowned respectively for their Origin of Species and relativity theories, were both interested in music, Darwin’s wife Emma being a former pupil of Chopin, while Einstein was a violinist and a devotee of Mozart.
Movements were chosen from Chopin’s Piano Sonata No 2 in B flat minor (‘Funeral March’) and Mozart’s Violin Sonata in E minor.
Tony’s narrative was permeated throughout with delicious touches of humour ‘Science with a Smile’ and this was also exemplified in two songs, Tom Lehrer’s rendition of ‘The Elements’ and Flanders and Swann performing ‘The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics’.
Engineering being essentially the practical application of science, Tony concluded his excellent programme by paying tribute to a personal hero, engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whose wife Mary came from a very musical family.
To celebrate the construction of the Thames Tunnel between Wapping and Rotherhithe, Brunel organised an underwater banquet, with music performed by a military band, including Handel’s ‘See the Conquering Hero Comes’ from ‘Judas Maccabaeus’.
The original choral version of this rounded off the evening in grand style.
This week, society member Gillian Hoare gave an informative programme ‘All that Glitters...’
Her inspiration came from her forthcoming ruby wedding anniversary, so her choices were based not on gold, but on glittering jewels.
Amethysts come mainly from Brazil, the birthplace of Villa Lobos, who opened the evening with the popular folk-style Churro No. 1 for virtuoso guitar.
Diamonds, many from central Africa, gave us the majestic John Barry theme tune from Out of Africa, while South Africa, also renowned for diamonds, provided us with indigenous Zulu harmonies from Ladysmith Black Mombazo with Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes from Paul Simon’s Gracelands.
Emeralds took us to Ireland, the Emerald Isle, with the folk band Deshel in Following the Road to the Sun.
From Charles Villiers Stanford we heard the 2nd Movt. from his Irish Symphony.
With Pearls came two further contrasting pieces, namely Bizet’s Temple Duet from The Pearl Fishers followed by Glenn Miller’s big band sound in String of Pearls.
The Sapphire provided three items: the comical version of Strauss’s Blue Danube by the Portsmouth Symphonia, comprised of amateurs and beginners, which was most amusing.
Then followed Chopin’s beautiful Raindrops Prelude for piano and the Adagio from Spartacus by Kachaturian, used as the theme music for the nautical TV series The Onedin Line.
Gillian thought the Adagio had a tenuous link, as oceans often appear blue!
Rubies were once mainly sourced from Burma and we thus heard a traditional Burmese folk song accompanied by gongs, drums and pipes.
Found in Oklahoma, the sandstone rose rock provides crystals and the perfect excuse to enjoy Bryn Terfil singing Oh What a Beautiful Morning, the air being crystal clear!
The evening concluded with Diamonds are Forever, sung by Shirley Bassey, a fitting finale to a most interesting programme.
For further details contact Richard Hall on 01706 823490 or e mail Richard.w@hall45.eclipse. co.uk