The Wirless Military Band, conducted by B. Walton O'Donnell; Edith Furmedge (Contralto); James Ching (Pianoforte)
The rhythms and melodic idioms of peasant song in Norway were never long absent from Grieg's music. He did not often use actual folk-songs, but cast his pieces in the style of folk-music, sometimes decking them out in the gayest colours of the instruments, as in these Symphonic Dances, originally written for Orchestra. In them we find much of pastoral joy, and sometimes, we may feel, just a trace of the gentle melancholy in nature.
Bach's 'French' Suites (the name was not given to them by the Composer) are written in the light style that in his day was popular in France, There are eight short Movements in this, the Sixth Suite:-
Allemande. (Moderately quick.) The right and left hand open with a semiquaver tune and a quaver tune respectively, and out of these two the piece develops-in two voices throughout.
Courante. The Italian type of Courante-continuously 'running' throughout.
Sarabande. (Fairly slow and sustained.) The two very expressive little motifs given out by right hand (bar 1) and left hand (bar 2), briefly developed, make up the whole thing.
Gavotte. (Pretty lively.) Gay, but courtly. In three voices throughout.
Polonaise. (Fairly quick and graceful.) Two voices only - the upper one with a tune and the lower one with a steady accompaniment.
Bourree. (Lively.) A simple dance in two voices.
Minuet. (At a moderate speed.) Light and innocent-minded, and quite short.
Gigue. (Very quick.) The downward arpeggio motif, which supplies material for the first part, becomes an upward arpeggio motif in the second part.
Cyril Jenkins is a Welsh musician, prominent both as composer and propagandist. He is one of those whose aim it has been to bring into Wales the modern current of musical ideas that formerly tended to stop short at the border.
His own compositions are not of the kind that rank as 'modernistic' in the musical world generally. He expresses himself in the musical language of the age from Wagner to Elgar. Some of his works, such as the Tone Poem we are to hear, are on a large scale.
