Past blog hops and challenges

Friday, March 1, 2013

Challenge of Music reveal

Erin Prais-Hintz of Treasures-Found.blogspot.com issued a challenge to make something, be it jewelry or some other craft, that was inspired by a piece of instrumental music.  I thought of a song right away but it had a single word at the very end of the music.  I asked Erin about it and she said to go for.  Then I had to try and find the music.  It wasn't readily available at home.  So what to do?

One of the types of music Erin wanted us to listen to was music that paints a series of pictures.  My friend and beading partner Evelyn found some music that she wanted to use as her challenge piece so I listened along with her and decided to use her piece of music for the challenge also.  If you look at her piece and then at my piece you would not believe that we listened to the same piece.

Ralph Vaughan Williams was an English composer of many types of music, symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music and film scores.  The music that I listened to was "A Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No. 3)" which draws on his experience as an ambulance driver in World War I.  He would go up a hill to view the sunset.  There is a cadenza for trumpet in the second movement that is based on a bugler's practice where the bugler repeatedly played an interval of a flattened seventh instead of an octave.  It was first played January 26, 1922 in London conducted by Adrian Boult.

Here is a link to YouTube: A Pastoral Symphony

It has four movements, each different.  The first is Molto moderato which is contentedly calm in tone but has a darker central section.  It often features solo instruments.  This is the section that I listened to to make my piece.  The second movement is Lento moderato a slow movement opening with a horn solo followed by a cello solo leading to the trumpet cadenza.  The third movement is Moderato pesante which is introduced by a brass section followed by some fast music (the only time fast music appears in the symphony).  The fourth and final movement is Lento starting with a wordless soprano voice sung over a soft drumroll.  The orchestra then begins a elegiac rhapsody followed by an impassioned outpouring of feeling followed by violins playing the opening soprano melody with the soprano singing the music into silence.

 Here is what I created:


A Pastoral Symphony Necklace and Earrings
The set is made from peach and yellow opaque beads with pink, Lt. green, and amethyst faceted beads.  Also included at aqua glass disks and Lt green glass leaves. 

My information was obtained from Wikipedia and the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society websites.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit all the other bloggers that participated in the Challenge of Music.

 

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful piece! So springy, fresh, excellent design! Love the post, the music and your story. But isn't that where music comes from??? Our stories.

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  2. Carolyn - this musical piece is so lovely, I feel like I am transported to a beautiful garden and can almost smell the delightful flowers. And frankly - your piece emulates that so well. It's so light and airy just like the music. And now you've intrigued me to skip the line and go check out Evelyn's piece!

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  3. Nice, it is, indeed, a pastoral symphony! I love the light feel and the pastel colours: wonderful piece.

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  4. What a pretty necklace -- it's perfect now that spring hopefully is on its way. Slowly, granted, but I think it's coming. A very nice and wellmade interpretation of the music!

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  5. Your piece has a gentle soothing peacefulness to it. I think it suits your selection very well!

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  6. I love your necklace. It does look like a pastoral symphony!!!

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  7. Wow - you are so right! There is such a huge difference between your interpretation of the music and Evelyn's. Both of you created beautiful pieces - I love the soft colors and calming pattern in your designs, with just a hint of the darker color in the blue accents. Beautiful job!

    :) Molly

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  8. Wonderful piece and I think you captured it beautifully with your necklace! I love the spring colors you used!

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  9. One (of the many) things I like about challenges is the visual representation of what/how participants were thinking or feeling when you see the finished piece. I'm looking forward to seeing Evelyn's piece!

    I really like your palette and the spring~like feel to your necklace. Although there are darker undertones in your musical selection I find that I still makes me feel hopeful. Very nicely done!

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  10. As I was not very familiar with Ralph Vaughan Williams, it was a bonus to listen to this piece TWICE (I have already visited Evelyn's post as I always do these Hops backwards). Since I listen to the music as I am reading the post and studying the item created, this time as I listened, I really heard the brighter sections which frame the more dramatic passages. I see the pastel colours you have chosen as representing the wistfulness the composer must have felt, considering his war experience, for the time of innocence which predated the conflicts. This is a lovely and understated set, Carolyn. Thank you for sharing your interpretation!

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  11. What a lovely piece! I chose to visit the list from the bottom up, so I saw your partner in crime's piece first. So very different, but both very lovely. I love how Vaughn Williams' melodies soar straight into the soul.

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  12. A very nice set! I love the colours you used, they are so delicate and so call the spring to come ...

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  13. Wow, I love the soft colours you have selected to match the soft tones of the music. It makes me think of a cottage garden in spring, beautiful :)

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  14. What a beautiful piece of music! Thank you for introducing me to this artist. The sounds are so soft and ethereal. I can picture a garden at sunrise. So serene. Thank you for playing with me in the Challenge of Music and sharing your musical interpretation with us! Enjoy the day. Erin

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  15. Lovely piece and gorgeous interpretation! Bravo!

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  16. Very pretty necklace. The music is so moving.

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