Puccini, Porter and emotion

photo: AudreyH License: CC, Flickr

A musical week – from Puccini to Cole Porter

Puccini’s ‘Messa di Gloria’ must be the most upbeat take on the mass ever written. Uplifting, moving, indulgent – even in rehearsal when the focus is on getting the mouth round the words (he never splits the syllables in the same way twice), following the line of the parts (some positively jazzy crunches) and switching tempo or dynamic. The final performance should be breathtaking. This is on my mind because Brockham Choral Society are singing the Messa di Gloria this week, along with some opera choruses, and the music is permanently out for a few minutes practise, various recordings of it are getting played on Spotify, and there’s a general feeling of being soaked in it. (Concert is at St Martin’s Church in Dorking, 7.30 on Saturday 18th since you ask).

Cole Porter

Of course, no week is quite as dedicated to one thing as I suggest. I’ve also spent some time with the music of Cole Porter and others as I work towards a sax/singer backing track outing. This involves working out what key the backing track is in, sorting out the chord structure, transposing and then the easy bit – playing it. And what great songs they are. Every one a winner.

Emotion

The carry over into writing the novel, which is the other main focus at present, is  to take the emotional content of the music and embed it in the lives and actions of the characters. From Gloria to Miserere, it’s all there under the surface. Conveying it in words is the challenge. For some of my characters, the mass is a good template as they struggle with questions of faith and religion, dogma and intent. Certainly it’s a way in. So there are benefits in a portfolio of activities as ‘one hand washes the other’.

Back to the music

Practice calls. Sax or singing? Singing has to take priority today if only so I can be on top of that mighty fugue in the Gloria.