A Vision of Aeroplanes

[ardcarp]

What a wonderful piece...one would hardly guess RVW as the composer. I have a strong urge to organise a performance of it sometime...somewhere...somehow.


Choir of Clare College, Cambridge. Singer: Raphaela Papadakis. Conductor: Timothy Brown.

It was on Essential Classics this morning, about 39 mins from start.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0014yht

[Serial_Apologist]

I might have cited Rawsthorne as being the composer, even though one might not expect him to set words from Revelation! Both he and RVW used that diminished scale of alternating semitones and minor thirds so many composers today use as a compositional basis, with Vaughan Williams resorting to it more and more in later years (viz Hodie and the Ninth Symphony).

Here's the nicely resonant version I just found on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bz20ySkDyA

[Dave2002]

Isn't the diminished scale either (semitone, tone)+ or (tone, semitone)+?

https://www.simplifyingtheory.com/diminished-scale-how-to-use/

Together a tone and a semitone span a minor third so there are 4 such groups in an octave - starting either on a semitone or a tone.

Note: (semitone, tone)* or (tone,semitone)* which I wrote at first would allow a null scale with no notes at all
The + meta symbol specifies one or more non-empty groups.

[Serial_Apologist]

Isn't the diminished scale either (semitone, tone)+ or (tone, semitone)+?

https://www.simplifyingtheory.com/diminished-scale-how-to-use/

Together a tone and a semitone span a minor third so there are 4 such groups in an octave - starting either on a semitone or a tone.

Note: (semitone, tone)* or (tone,semitone)* which I wrote at first would allow a null scale with no notes at all
The + meta symbol specifies one or more non-empty groups.

Yes - thanks Dave and apologies ! - it was the Hexatonic, not Octatonic scale that I was thinking of - the former being predominant in the Vaughan Williams work here.

[Dave2002]

No probs. I didn't hear the VW work nor did I know of it, so I don't know which type of scale it was built on.

Hexatonic scales (surprise, surprise!) have 6 notes per scale - as discussed here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexatonic_scale

[Serial_Apologist]

No probs. I didn't hear the VW work nor did I know of it, so I don't know which type of scale it was built on.

Hexatonic scales (surprise, surprise!) have 6 notes per scale - as discussed here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexatonic_scale

See the link I provided in #2 - the work lasts around 10 minutes.

[jonfan]

What a composer, refused to be pigeonholed. Another unusual one that I’ve not heard recently is Flos Campi for viola and wordless chorus.

[oddoneout]

It's been niggling me that I knew I'd heard this not so long ago on R3, and was surprised by it, to say the least. I've finally tracked it down https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b8j6 (not available it says)

And yes, Flos Campi (or Flo's scampi as Harry Danks had it) has not been aired for a long time.

[Edgy 2]

What a composer, refused to be pigeonholed. Another unusual one that I’ve not heard recently is Flos Campi for viola and wordless chorus.

The best ( for me )

[Edgy 2]

It's been niggling me that I knew I'd heard this not so long ago on R3, and was surprised by it, to say the least. I've finally tracked it down https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b8j6 (not available it says)

And yes, Flos Campi (or Flo's scampi as Harry Danks had it) has not been aired for a long time.

Camp Flossie as RVW himself jokingly had it

[Serial_Apologist]

Camp Flossie as RVW himself jokingly had it

Didn't know that! Poor Flossie!!!