DANIEL BASFORD - COMPOSER & ARRANGER

Chansons Pyrénées, Set 2

2012. Duration 15' approx.

 

 

 

 

 

First performance - August 2012, Harmoniemusik

 

Scoring

Flute

Oboe

Clarinet

Bassoon

Horn

Piano

 

Programme Note

The second set of Chansons des Pyrénées once again revisits traditional songs that originate from the Pyrénées. The melodies are a richly evocative description of the landscapes in this part of France, and provided much scope for melodic and harmonic exploration. 

 

Prelude: 1. Boune May (“Good Mother”)

The text represents a prayer for the Virgin Mary. The piece is stately and chordal, with a more expressive central section.

 

Canto: Bèt Cèu de Pau (“The Beautiful Sky of Pau”)

The text is of an exile remembering the sky in Pau, and wishing to see it again before he dies. A gentle and expressive movement with fragments of the melody passed around the ensemble.

 

Scherzo: Lous tilhoulès (“The boatmen”)

A fast scherzo in contrast to the previous movements. The harmonies are mostly based on triads and each section is punctuated by a horn call. A tillhole is a type of boat used on the river Adour, which runs into Bayonne; this song describes the brave hard-working boatmen rowing across the waters.

 

Rhapsody-Hymn: Aquéres mountagnes/Liberté (“These Mountains/Liberty”)

'These Mountains' is a kind of anthem for this area of France, a tune very much well-known to all the people there. 'Liberty' further enhances this sentiment; the mountainous people are said to feel quite independent from the rest of France. The closing movement begins solemnly with solo bassoon before building into a majestic coda with bell-tolling effects in the piano.