For the final composition sketch task, we were instructed to compose an open form piece. All of my sketches so far have actually been open form to an extent, so I wanted to try something a little different.
Whereas my previous compositions have focused on creating systems to inform musicians' performances, I wanted to create a composition based off a pre-existing system.
I chose Wilberforce House as my location, specifically the garden outside the back of it. Due to the obvious links with William Wilberforce, the house has a deep link with the abolition of slavery, and the exhibits within its museum include one focusing on modern slaver and human trafficking.
The house also has a large room which individuals or groups can rent out for events. I used to train capoeira weekly in this room. Capoeira is a Brazillian game, which is a blend of dance and martial art. I have linked to a video of a game below. There is a stark relevance in playing the game in Wilberforce House, as it was created by slaves working on land in Brazil in the 1500s.
There are many elements to the game, one of the largest being music. Not only do the players in the roda (playing area, circle) respond to the music played by the musicians, it is also common for the choice of music to reflect the type of game being played. Some examples of songs sung in the roda can be found below. Typically they consist of a call and response style of singing, and are accompanied by berimbau and an assortment of percussion instruments. There are a number of set rhythms these instruments play (with room for variation and advancing complexity), and each song will use one of these rhythms.
My composition sketch idea is to take these principles of capoeira music, and to apply them in a simple to learn way to teach newcomers the basics of the game and the music that surrounds it.
The leader of the group will play the berimbau and sing the lead part in the songs, but the chorus and percussion parts will be simplified.
The leader will play the basic Angola rhythm on the berimbau, while the rest of the performers will only play the first note of their rhythm, so they can learn how the berimbau and other percussion instruments work together.
Although capoeira music is not usually notated, the above is an approximation of the interraction between the berimbau and other percussion instruments in my simplified arrangement.
In terms of writing a song, I want to keep the flexible nature of the communication between the players and the musicians, so the leader's part in the song is an entirely improvised count of eight, to which the chorus responds with one of two possibilities depending on the tone of the leader's previous section:
This is about as simple as I could make the music of capoeira, and I hope that this would allow a group of people completely unfamiliar with it to participate in a roda, without losing any of the spontaneity and improvisation that gives it its unique atmosphere.
Whereas my previous compositions have focused on creating systems to inform musicians' performances, I wanted to create a composition based off a pre-existing system.
I chose Wilberforce House as my location, specifically the garden outside the back of it. Due to the obvious links with William Wilberforce, the house has a deep link with the abolition of slavery, and the exhibits within its museum include one focusing on modern slaver and human trafficking.
The house also has a large room which individuals or groups can rent out for events. I used to train capoeira weekly in this room. Capoeira is a Brazillian game, which is a blend of dance and martial art. I have linked to a video of a game below. There is a stark relevance in playing the game in Wilberforce House, as it was created by slaves working on land in Brazil in the 1500s.
My composition sketch idea is to take these principles of capoeira music, and to apply them in a simple to learn way to teach newcomers the basics of the game and the music that surrounds it.
The leader of the group will play the berimbau and sing the lead part in the songs, but the chorus and percussion parts will be simplified.
The leader will play the basic Angola rhythm on the berimbau, while the rest of the performers will only play the first note of their rhythm, so they can learn how the berimbau and other percussion instruments work together.
In terms of writing a song, I want to keep the flexible nature of the communication between the players and the musicians, so the leader's part in the song is an entirely improvised count of eight, to which the chorus responds with one of two possibilities depending on the tone of the leader's previous section:
This is about as simple as I could make the music of capoeira, and I hope that this would allow a group of people completely unfamiliar with it to participate in a roda, without losing any of the spontaneity and improvisation that gives it its unique atmosphere.
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