THE STRUGGLE OF ODYSSEY

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Additional information

Sound File
Composer Bosveld, Jan
Instumentation Concert Band
Grade 4
Duration

12:00

Genre Concert Music/ Educational
Series

CONCERT BAND SERIES

Format

A4

Article

SMP-10-0329

Description

The content of the composition “The Struggle Of Odyssey” is threefold. First is the musical description of some of Odyssey’s adventures, as well as the programmatic content. Second, the four separate movements are based on musical technical aspects and third, there is the Odyssey motif, the connecting element between the four movements.

 

The programmatic content is as follows:

In part 1, Odyssey and his men are trapped in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemos, Odyssey throws a spear into Polyphemos’ eye after which, hanging under the Cyclops’ sheep, they manage to escape.

In part 2, we hear the sirens. With the beautiful song singing they lure Odyssey to them only to have him sail onto the rocks. To prevent the sirens’ lure from taking hold of him and his crew, Odyssey plugged his men’s ears with beeswax and tied himself to the mast. Thus they got past the sirens unscathed.

Part 3 is about the sorceress Kirke. She used a magic potion to turn Odysseus’ men into beasts. Odysseus makes Kirke a promise and when he fulfills it, the beasts turn back into humans. In Part 4, Odysseus returns to Ithaca after twenty years. In the guise of a beggar, he contemplates the situation. His beloved Penelope still waits for him but has difficulty keeping the ever-intrusive suitors at bay. Odysseus makes himself known and goes to battle with the suitors. When the battle is settled in his favor and he can embrace his beloved Penelope, his quest is complete.

 

The musical technical aspects on which the four parts are based are as follows:

Part 1 focuses on several playing manners including trills, tremolos, glissandi, and flutter-tongue.

Part 2 contains added sound files containing the singing of sirens.

Part 3 makes extensive use of parallel chords coupled with an organ point. The whole-tone scale is also used, albeit only for a few bars. These three aspects are characteristic of Impressionism.

In Part 4, irregular time signatures are the theme. Subject.

The unifying element in the composition is the Odyssey motif. It consists of the four notes C-Db-F-G. In part 1, the motif is introduced. In part 2 the motif appears in the inversion, in part 3 in the retrograde, and in part 4 in the retrograde of the inversion (see example). The motif is used not only horizontally but also vertically, like a chord. In this way, the sound of the four separate parts is related to each other.

 

‘The Struggle Of Odyssey’ was born from Joost Flach’s idea to create a sequel to the composition The Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci (2019). Joost Flach is a lecturer at the ‘Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)’ in Singapore and conductor of the ‘NAFA Wind Orchestra’.

This composition was made possible by Stefan Schorer from Star Music Publishing and a financial contribution from Musidesk. Thanks to Joop Boerstoel.

 

Jan Bosveld

The content of the composition “The Struggle Of Odyssey” is threefold. First is the musical description of some of Odyssey’s adventures, as well as the programmatic content. Second, the four separate movements are based on musical technical aspects and third, there is the Odyssey motif, the connecting element between the four movements.

 

The programmatic content is as follows:

In part 1, Odyssey and his men are trapped in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemos, Odyssey throws a spear into Polyphemos’ eye after which, hanging under the Cyclops’ sheep, they manage to escape.

In part 2, we hear the sirens. With the beautiful song singing they lure Odyssey to them only to have him sail onto the rocks. To prevent the sirens’ lure from taking hold of him and his crew, Odyssey plugged his men’s ears with beeswax and tied himself to the mast. Thus they got past the sirens unscathed.

Part 3 is about the sorceress Kirke. She used a magic potion to turn Odysseus’ men into beasts. Odysseus makes Kirke a promise and when he fulfills it, the beasts turn back into humans. In Part 4, Odysseus returns to Ithaca after twenty years. In the guise of a beggar, he contemplates the situation. His beloved Penelope still waits for him but has difficulty keeping the ever-intrusive suitors at bay. Odysseus makes himself known and goes to battle with the suitors. When the battle is settled in his favor and he can embrace his beloved Penelope, his quest is complete.

 

The musical technical aspects on which the four parts are based are as follows:

Part 1 focuses on several playing manners including trills, tremolos, glissandi, and flutter-tongue.

Part 2 contains added sound files containing the singing of sirens.

Part 3 makes extensive use of parallel chords coupled with an organ point. The whole-tone scale is also used, albeit only for a few bars. These three aspects are characteristic of Impressionism.

In Part 4, irregular time signatures are the theme. Subject.

The unifying element in the composition is the Odyssey motif. It consists of the four notes C-Db-F-G. In part 1, the motif is introduced. In part 2 the motif appears in the inversion, in part 3 in the retrograde, and in part 4 in the retrograde of the inversion (see example). The motif is used not only horizontally but also vertically, like a chord. In this way, the sound of the four separate parts is related to each other.

 

‘The Struggle Of Odyssey’ was born from Joost Flach’s idea to create a sequel to the composition The Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci (2019). Joost Flach is a lecturer at the ‘Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)’ in Singapore and conductor of the ‘NAFA Wind Orchestra’.

This composition was made possible by Stefan Schorer from Star Music Publishing and a financial contribution from Musidesk. Thanks to Joop Boerstoel.

 

Jan Bosveld

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