The Swan (or le cygne) is originally a movement in a musical suite composed by French composer Camille Saint-Saens called The carnival of animals (Le carnaval des animaux), in which each movement would represent a different animal or animals. The Swan (mov.13) is a gentle piece, originally composed for Cello accompanied by two pianos, which represents the elegant movement of the Swan gliding over the water. It is certainly the most famous movement from the suite as it is the only one Camille allowed to be played in public during his lifetime. However I am going to be looking at a version of the song played on the theremin by Clara Rockmore. The timbrel qualities of the theremin and Clara’s professional expressiveness along with the flowing rhythm of the piece combine with the gentle and graceful melody in order to portray a beautiful musical representation of the swans elegance.
The theremin itself creates a very unadulterated, but somewhat basic sound which can often leave it seeming quite dull, although when played by a professional it can create an incredibly pure sound almost reminiscent of an opera singer. Clara Rockmore is one of these professionals and the sound she creates in the piece sounds extremely pure and smooth which greatly represents the swans embodiment of purity and elegance. The bright, soft and warm sound of the piano also compliments this portrayal. The constant legato from the theremin also gives a smooth and flowing auditory image like that of a swan gliding over the water. Clara Rockmore's fantastic dynamic control throughout the piece furthers this image by giving a sense of wavering movement as she expressively and beautifully adjusts the dynamics of the instrument (0:25), and a similar effect is also achieved via the expressiveness in the rhythm.
In terms of rhythm, the piece is in 6/4 played at relatively slow pace which the composer writes as Andante grazioso. There is a strong use of rubato throughout the whole piece which adds to the image of the swans elegant gliding over the water. Although another interesting thing to note is the functional contrast of rhythm between both instruments. The theremin plays smooth calm flowing rhythmic patterns while the piano plays a consistent sixteenth note pattern. It is said that while the theremin represents the swan itself and its elegant & effortless movement through the water, the piano represents the feet of the swan consistently propelling it along, hidden from view beneath the water. And since the piano is more or less the rhythmic conductor of the piece this furthers this idea of dynamic movement given that the feet are what propels the swan along.
All in all this piece could be perceived as an incredible auditory painting, representing an aspect of nature as it is. Via her beautiful control end expressionism of a pure sound, Clara Rockmore captures what this song was originally meant to represent perfectly.
References:
"Theremin - Clara Rockmore play "The Swan" (Saint-Saëns)", video, yaoikan1981, May 13 2007, viewed 19 October 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSzTPGlNa5U>.
Wikipedia, 2016, The Carnival of Animals,
Available at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Carnival_of_the_Animals#XIII_Le_cygne_.28The_Swan.29
Wikipedia, 2016, Le Cygne,
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_cygne
No comments:
Post a Comment