Music for Megaliths

gjrk Jan 6, 2010 17:17:58

I've just written a short article for the Heritage Journal, about a personal association of a 'megalithic event' with a piece of music:

http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/a-soundtrack-for-the-sun/

Prompted, I should admit, by a recent feature, by Tom Service, in the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/02/tom-service-music-landscape-review

This can't therefore be only my own oddity ;) Does anyone else have music that is wedded in their own minds with specific monuments, or moments, perhaps, at the same??

tiompan Jan 6, 2010 17:28:54

Replying to gjrk

gjrk wrote:

I've just written a short article for the Heritage Journal, about a personal association of a 'megalithic event' with a piece of music:

http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/a-soundtrack-for-the-sun/

Prompted, I should admit, by a recent feature, by Tom Service, in the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/02/tom-service-music-landscape-review

This can't therefore be only my own oddity ;) Does anyone else have music that is wedded in their own minds with specific monuments, or moments, perhaps, at the same??

That was a nice wee article in the Guardian , good to see that somebody stoill listens to Bruckner . I noticed you mentioned Bryan Magee ,Gordon , what a great bloke and writer ,although I draw the line at Wagner but can't stand "celtic " music which is so often used by producers when looking for some aural honey on the ears ,the other dislike is bombastic sub Stravinsky with it's woooo somebody is going to be sacrificed . Cage's 4' 33'' is ideal for me .

moss Jan 6, 2010 18:03:47

Replying to gjrk

You're not going to believe this.. but John Taverner's The Protecting Veil would be my choice for the sun rising - its slow high pitched music pulling at the soul represents the sun slowly coming up to the horizon, and then that crashing discordant music in the next movement would illuminate the stones in the full glare of the sun... you can keep Hot Scoria ;)
And classical again, Maxwell Davies's sea music is'nt bad.

Mustard Jan 6, 2010 18:14:30

Replying to gjrk

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Stonehenge-lyrics-Spinal-Tap/C5BF21B1DBC24FA148256DCE002F45C7

tjj Jan 6, 2010 19:08:10

Replying to gjrk

gjrk wrote:

I've just written a short article for the Heritage Journal, about a personal association of a 'megalithic event' with a piece of music:
http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/a-soundtrack-for-the-sun/
Prompted, I should admit, by a recent feature, by Tom Service, in the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/02/tom-service-music-landscape-review

This can't therefore be only my own oddity ;) Does anyone else have music that is wedded in their own minds with specific monuments, or moments, perhaps, at the same??

I like this post very much.

The most obvious choice that sprang to mind was the Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave) by Mendelssohn to remind me of the ferry crossing to Mull and Iona back in 2007. Should I ever make it to Callanish this will be my internal music.
Fingal's Cave

On less dramatic note - The Lark Ascending by Vaughn Williams for walking to hilly places around Avebury on a sunny, spring morning.

Last weekend I made it to a couple of long barrows in the Cotswolds and that evening with my meal listened to In Gloucestshire (String Quartet No 3) by Herbert Howells.

atb
tj

drewbhoy Jan 6, 2010 19:47:08

Replying to gjrk

Finlandia by Sibelius
Ma Vlast by Smetana
Symphonic Metamorphoses by Hindemith
Four Last Songs by Richard Strauss

Very good to listen to on some of the longer walks and climbs.

postman Jan 6, 2010 20:00:53

Replying to gjrk

Not really much of a music head, iv'e never even heard of most of the
music thats been referred to, but I do like Pink Floyd, a bit old hat maybe
but it's what I like, anyway there is one song off Obscured by clouds, cant remember its name but it has these lyrics
Mile after mile
stone after stone
you turn to speak but your alone

Says it all really

Littlestone Jan 6, 2010 20:42:30

Replying to gjrk

I've just written a short article for the Heritage Journal, about a personal association of a 'megalithic event' with a piece of music:

Very nice feature Mr g.

Your -

"We should occasionally consider, perhaps, the respective significance of message and monument, within ritual. The circles, tombs and rows, that we gaze at now, may have been an integral part of the stage, part of the cast, even, but no more than that; sight without sound. Beautiful, precious, sometimes sublime, yet only a fragment of the scene."

Reminded me of Rupert Till (writing here - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/4108867/Stonehenge-was-giant-concert-venue.html ) that -

"The most interesting thing is we managed to get the whole space (at Maryhill) to resonate, almost like a wine glass will ring if you run a finger round it.

"While that was happening a simple drum beat sounded incredibly dramatic. The space had real character; it felt that we had gone somewhere special."

Didn't Devereux also say something on this...?

faerygirl Jan 6, 2010 22:08:10

Replying to gjrk

I thought everyone just listened to the Levellers...

Littlestone Jan 7, 2010 09:59:35

Replying to gjrk

This can't therefore be only my own oddity ;) Does anyone else have music that is wedded in their own minds with specific monuments, or moments, perhaps, at the same??

Forgot to mention my piece of music for megaliths - it would, perhaps, be the first few minutes of - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7LWANJFHEs while walking in the north-east quadrant of Avebury on a snowy morning such as this :-)

GLADMAN Jan 7, 2010 21:19:17

Replying to gjrk

Nothing but good old silence when actually on-site... can't stand those bloody I-pod thingies clouding thought.

Capercaille and Julie Fowlis have become a bit of a ritual when driving around Scotland, it has to be said. Mention must also be made of Ultravox's Lament album (so old I actually bought it on vinyl, featuring a lovely pic of the Tursachan at Callanish, as it happens). One song, featuring the line 'taking shelter by the standing stones, miles from all that moves....', struck a chord with the adolescent Gladman. Uh oh!

And of course the Drude......