The title of the Gallery Concert Jan. 13 at 2pm at the Wellington County Museum is 1914-1918 – A Time of Change in Music and Literature, with author Mary Swan.
Many will remember last year’s Gallery Concert focusing on the words and music of Shakespeare.
This concert presents the time of World War I in spoken word and music. The Gallery Concert Players explore the music of Ravel, Butterworth, Elgar, Gurney, and Havergal in the first half of the program, along with a medley of World War I songs such as In A Monestary Garden by Ketelbey, and Schoen Rosmarin by Kreisler.
After intermission, other familiar pieces from that period will include: La Cathedrale Engloutie and Syrinx by Debussy, Gymnopedie 1 and Ragtime by Satie, Poulenc’s Sonata for two clarinets, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Kurt Weill’s Mack the Knife, Walton’s Jodelling Song and Ives: The Unanswered Question.
At the outbreak of war in 1914, Debussy said, “France can neither laugh nor weep while so many of our men heroically face death,” and his musical voice was silent for a year.
Then, he realized he must contribute to the struggle “by creating to the best of my ability a little of that beauty which the enemy is attacking with such fury.” He died in 1918 during the bombardment of Paris.
As in painting, the music of that age was a reaction to excessive romanticism, an exploration of a new tonal language, and a new nationalism.
Recognition of harsh realism was balanced with a refreshing clarity.
Tickets are available at the door for a price that makes it accessible to families, and refreshments follow the program. The Gallery Concert Group, is organized by Leslie Marshall.
