"One
Willie and Lobo concert in the old tent with a wild rainstorm coming down. The
sound of the rain hitting the canvas became part of the concert sound and the
whole musical experience was magical."
Humans are creatures of habit. So much so that many wake up at the same time every day, even without the aid of an alarm clock. This is due to the biological clock, which exists for nearly all living organisms.
Similar to humans waking with sunrise and sleeping after sunset, the biological clocks of plants determine when their flowers open or when their leaves grow. Some plants are so regular with their cycles that they were used to tell time. “According to Chinese lore, two trees grew at the Emperor's Court. One tree produced a new leaf every day for fifteen days as the moon waxed, and then it shed one leaf every day for fifteen days, as the moon waned. In this way the months were measured. On the other side of the garden was a tree that produced leaves every month for six months, and then shed leaves every month for six months. And so, the passage of years were counted.”
Thus the notion of a flower clock was conceived. A flower clock is any arrangement of plants that have opening times associated with specific times of the day. Just as flowers can be set to time, music can also be set to time. The musical clock is a timepiece that plays a tune at set intervals throughout the day. Composers such as Beethoven even wrote pieces specifically to be played only on a musical clock.
Perhaps the most famous flower/music clock arrangement is “L’Horloge de Flore,” written by French composer Jean Françaix.” This seven movement oboe concerto pays tribute to seven different flowers that bloom at various times throughout the day - Poisonberry at 3am, Blue Catananche at 5am, Torch Thistle at 10am, Malabar Jasmine at 12pm, Deadly Nightshade at 5pm, Mourning Geranium at 7pm, and Night Flowering Catchfly at 9pm.
Today we find that some people have musical clocks that correspond with their biological clocks. In other words, certain music seems to resonate more with people at different times of day. The best example from my own life is when I was in high school. I drove to school at 6:45am every morning and most of the time I was barely awake. When the sun wasn’t even up yet, I needed something soothing to ease me into the day. Therefore I only listened to classical music on the drive to school. But in the afternoon, it was a whole different story. After school I was full of energy and wanted music that I could sing to. On the way home I always turned to the pop station to belt out the latest Britney or ‘N Sync hit. But before I shut off the car I made sure the radio was set back to the classical station so I was ready for the next morning.
What musical clock examples do you have from your life?
"Watching
all of the elementary kids bursting with energy, hands flying in the air hoping
they will be one of the lucky ones to get picked by Simon Boyer to ask him a
question, usually what his favorite band is or if he can play the Super Mario Brothers
Theme!" -Summer Johnston
Simon Boyar was the Strings School Days featured musician in 2010 and 2011. The 2012 Strings School Days program
concludes tonight with a free concert by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) at the
Strings Music Pavilion. Tickets will
be available starting at 6:00pm. Doors open at 6:30pm and the concert starts at
7:00pm. No advanced ticket reservations.
This week, the youth music education outreach program Strings School Days returns to Northwest Colorado. Leading this two-year cycle is violinist, educator, and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR). During his time here, he will meet students from 11 schools at classroom visits and field trips.
Roumain will also work closely with music students, leading interactive sessions where students will experience music and instruments in new ways. Some of his musical experiments include manipulating tempos, walking while playing, and decomposing scores. Above all, Roumain strives to show students that they can be composers simply by making a few small changes. He empowers the students to take control of their music.
All Strings School Days events are free and open to the public. Check out the schedule below for details on when you can see DBR.
"Alpin
Hong’s infectious love of music and Steamboat and Strings and his gracious
manners as he visited with us."
"Alpin
Hong is a bright ray of sunshine wherever he appears!"
"Coming
here when I was very young and being chosen to play on the stage with Alpin
Hong. I love Steamboat."
Alpin Hong was the Strings School Days featured musician in
2008 and 2009. Strings School Days returns next week May 7-11, 2012. Please join us
for a free concert with Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) on May 11th at the Strings Music Pavilion. Tickets will be available starting at 6:00pm
on May 11. Doors open at 6:30pm and the concert starts at 7:00pm. No advanced ticket reservations.
“From rock clubs to symphony
halls, the composer, musician, and performer Daniel Bernard Roumain seems
unstoppable.”-New York Sun
Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR)
Before Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) was a nationally known
violinist performing with Lady Gaga and Philip Glass, he started out as most
of us do. Just trying to figure out who we are. While many musicians conform to
set genre lines and follow the rules for their specific instrument, Roumain did the
opposite. "What I set out to do was make the violin more reflective of who
I am, and what I'm into," Roumain told NPR.
Along the way he asked himself more questions: "Where
does blackness come into play in the violin - and more than that, where does
hip-hop come in?" The answers are in the music. So if you thought that the
classical violin could never touch hip-hop, dance, and African rhythms, you’re about to be proven wrong.
Besides erasing genre lines, Roumain also
challenges the inherent qualities of the violin. The violin is classified as a
stringed instrument, where sound is generated from the vibration of strings
across a soundboard or soundbox. But Roumain proves that the violin can also be a
percussion instrument, where sound is generated by striking one object against
another.
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