No Subject

28 November 2001
November metal
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I am offering here a pre-Christmas gift.

If you visit this website often (or buy my Scoop CDs) you will know that I
sometimes speak in liner notes and mp3 postings about a series of variations
I made on a simple piano canon provisionally called SIEGE. The first was
written in 1982. I subsequently wrote another in 1983 for the middle section
for a track called ASK YOURSELF which appeared on the second SCOOP album
(called ANOTHER SCOOP). Later, in 1985, when working on my solo album for
IRON MAN I used the canon as the leitmotiv for the Iron Man character. In
other words, whenever the Iron Man appears, you hear this ponderous, and
sometimes slightly threatening theme. There are a couple of spots on the
IRON MAN solo album where you can hear the canon. Look out for it.

Later, in 1993, when I took IRON MAN to the Young Vic theatre for a
Christmas Season, I expanded the score a little with the help of my
hard-pushed orchestrator Gary Yershon. A few more variations on the theme
were produced. Sadly this complete score is not recorded yet, though you can
hear a demo of the opening Narration on Scoop 3.

Then Helen Wilkins, the producer of Scoop 3, used two demo variations on
that album for strings and harmonica - 'Theme015' and 'Theme016'.

Recently, when working on the LIFEHOUSE play for BBC Radio 3, I had the use
of a chamber orchestra and a large recording studio. I took the spare time
to record nine of my short variations for strings. I was not present at the
studio when they were recorded, and they are - perhaps - a little slower
than I would myself have wished. However, they do seem to make a pleasing
collection when heard in sequence.

For music students and scholars among you I will soon be posting pdfs of the
score of each theme posted here. You will see then that there are minor
differences between many of the pieces. Nevertheless, what I learned was
that even the simple act of transposing a bass line harmonically up or down
radically altered the mood of a piece.

There are then nine of these. As the conductor apparently said to the
transcribing orchestrator - 'These are ALL in E flat!'. They are indeed. A
strange key for a string orchestra, but producing a perfectly 'plain' and
sombre mood for my purpose.

Theme006 - 'Very sad, restrained'

Theme007 - 'Lush, poignant'

Theme008 - 'More positive, strident cello, very slightly dissonant'

Theme012 - 'The very first variation written. Unsettled, an interlude,
expecting optimism.'

Theme013 - 'As above, but with the bass transposed from Eflat to G'

Theme017 - 'Airy, gentle, death of a child. Modulates via C to end on
G7sus4'

Theme017(2) - 'As above, string choir octave down. Bass normal. Fuller
sound, less troubled.'

Theme028 - 'Delius-ish. A little more optimistic' - this one is in Aflat for
a change.

Theme028(2) - 'As above, but with shifted harmonic base, thus - less
resolved. Designed to give a modulation from Eflat to Bflat'
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The transcriptions for chamber orchestra were made by Rachel Fuller.

The London Chamber Orchestra was led by

The Conducter was Harry Rabinowitz.

The engineer was Keith Grant.

The session producer and editor was Phil Rowlands.

The producer for Angelic Ceilings / Eel Pie was Billy Nicholls.

Recording was made at A.I.R. Lyndhurst Hall studios in London in 1998

Theme006 - 'Very sad, restrained' (MP3 audio file: 1.13MB)
Theme007 - 'Lush, poignant' (MP3 audio file: 1.17MB)
Theme008 - 'More positive, strident cello, very slightly dissonant' (MP3
audio file: 886KB)
Theme012 - 'The very first variation written. Unsettled, an interlude,
expecting optimism.' (MP3 audio file: 840KB)
Theme013 - 'As above, but with the bass transposed to G' (MP3 audio file:
896KB)
Theme017 - 'Airy, gentle, death of a child.' (MP3 audio file: 1.30MB)
Theme017(2) - 'As above, string choir octave down. Bass normal. Fuller
sound, less troubled.' (MP3 audio file: 1.40MB)
Theme028 - 'Delius-ish. A little more optimistic' (MP3 audio file: 1.15MB)
Theme028(2) - 'As above, but with shifted harmonic base, thus - less
resolved' (MP3 audio file: 673KB)

-Pete Townshend