Sinfonia Antartica

[LMcD]

Oh, and to me, the only New World snobs are those who insist upon "From the New World", but since I am a stickler for "Pictures from an Exhibition" . . .

How do you feel about 'Sinfonia Antarctica'?

[Dave2002]

How do you feel about 'Sinfonia Antarctica'?

A bit cold?

[LMcD]

A bit cold?

As against 'Sinfonia Antartica'?

[Bryn]

How do you feel about 'Sinfonia Antarctica'?

What, Max's 8th? A fine work.

[Dave2002]

As against 'Sinfonia Antartica'?

Still cold - however it's spelled!

[LMcD]

Still cold - however it's spelled!

I was just wondering who decided to go with the (let's say) 'alternative' spelling of 'Antarctica'.
I've never heard PMD's 'Antarctic Symphony' - a further addition to the list of works which I shall have encountered via the Forum!

[vinteuil]

I was just wondering who decided to go with the (let's say) 'alternative' spelling of 'Antarctica'.

... I think the Italian for antarctic is antartico. So Sinfonia antartica wd be good Italian.

.

[LMcD]

... I think the Italian for antarctic is antartico. So Sinfonia antartica wd be good Italian.

.

Thank you!
As an admirer of Nielsen's music, I guess I should have remembered his 'Sinfonia Semplice'....

[Pabmusic]

I was just wondering who decided to go with the (let's say) 'alternative' spelling of 'Antarctica'...

I shall find and post correspondennce between RVW and Hubert Foss of OUP about tthis. Foss points out RVW's mistaken Italian; RVW initially refuses to alter it, saying that it's how the Italian "should" be.

It's not as problematic as Sullivan's Overture di Ballo.

[vinteuil]

I shall find and post correspondence between RVW and Hubert Foss of OUP about this. Foss points out RVW's mistaken Italian; RVW initially refuses to alter it, saying that it's how the Italian "should" be.

.

... wiki helps here :


"Right up till as late as 5 January 1953, nine days before the premiere performance, Vaughan Williams had been wanting to call it Sinfonia Antarctica. In his letter to his amanuensis and assistant Roy Douglas of 5 January he advised he had finally accepted the correct Italian spelling Antartica. See Roy Douglas, Working with Vaughan Williams: Some Newly Discovered Manuscripts."

http://www.bl.uk/eblj/1990articles/pdf/article18.pdf

[Barbirollians]

Talk about off topic !

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Talk about off topic !

Weeeelllll .... the source Music of the RVW was about a "New World", so it is, in a sense "A 'New World' Symphony".

(I missed my vocation as a Spin Doctor - I'm delighted to say!)

[Bryn]

Weeeelllll .... the source Music of the RVW was about a "New World", so it is, in a sense "A 'New World' Symphony".

(I missed my vocation as a Spin Doctor - I'm delighted to say!)

Ah, but Scott and co. only went to the Antarctic, so there was no case of from the New World for them.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Ah, but Scott and co. only went to the Antarctic, so there was no case of from the New World for them.

Indeed. When I said "in a sense" in my previous, I meant to imply "in a very wrong sense".

(cf "Spin Doctor" op cit.)

[Pabmusic]

I shall find and post correspondennce between RVW and Hubert Foss of OUP about tthis. Foss points out RVW's mistaken Italian; RVW initially refuses to alter it, saying that it's how the Italian "should" be.

It's not as problematic as Sullivan's Overture di Ballo.

To continue this off-piste side-track...

Here's RVW to Alan Frank at OUP: not Hubert Foss - I was wrong but can admit it, which is more than RVW can. Frank has told him that "the pundits at the Radio Times" (an early form of this forum, perhaps?) have pointed out that Antarctica is Latin, Sinfonia Italian:

"I think we will stick to 'Antarctica', even if it is bad Italian. It ought to be good and it is their fault if it is not. I named it 'Sinfonia' on the lines of the 'Sinfonia Domestica', though I hope the work has no other likeness to that!"

That is dated 31 December 1952 (I was 21 days old) but he had changed his mind by 6 January, because Frank notified New York that the title was now correct Italian.