An Ox on the Roof 3: Abandoning tonality (2). Today episode 3 of an Ox on the Roof by Thea Derks. in this programme she loosely follows the argument of her book, Een os op het dak: moderne muziek na 1900 in vogelvlucht (An ox on the roof: a brief sketch on modern music after 1900), which was published in 2018. The book introduces contemporary music, written in everyday language.
The book was very well received by the press and the public, it has since been sold throughout the whole of the Netherlands and was even made into a regular feature in magazine De Nieuwe Muze. On Sunday 19 May Thea Derks will give two lectures about modern music during the Eratofestival in Meppel. She will also give two lectures during the Oranjewoud Festival on 30 and 31 May on the atmospheric rural estate Oranjewoud (Landgoed Oranjewoud). All in all, it would seem that there really isn’t that much fear of new music.
During the first episode of An Ox on the Roof, Thea Derks zoomed in on the abandoning of tonality, in which for centuries the gravitational force of the root/tonic had ruled. At the start of the twentieth century Arnold Schönberg broke through the hierarchy by equalizing all 12 semitones of the octave.
The road that led him there was long and turned out to be much trickier than expected, but it resulted in many beautiful pieces. Much to Schönberg’s chagrin the term ‘atonal music’ came into fashion. Today we look at this interesting period of musical history again, with music from Schönberg’s kindred spirits and students, Anton Webern and Alban Berg and from American Ruth Crawford.
- Anton Webern: Im Sommerwind. Koninklijk Concertgebouw Orkest / Mariss Jansons
- Anton Webern: Entflieht auf leichten Kähnen. John Alldis Choir / Pierre Boulez
- Alban Berg: Jugendlieder, selection. Jessye Norman, soprano; Ann Schein, piano
- Alban Berg: Piano sonata opus 1. Daniel Barenboim, piano
- Ruth Crawford: Three Chants. New London Chamber Choir / James Wood
Tip: if you use the following site: boekenbestellen.nl to order Een os op het dak, you will receive a copy with a personalized inscription.
Produced and presented by: Thea Derks
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