Even if you can't sing hope, a song is hope

F.Mompou：Canciones y Danzas -for Wind quintet-

Frederic Mompou（1893～1987）is a Spanish composer.

He was born in Barcelona and left a lot of chamber music, mainly piano works.

One of his masterpieces is "Canciones y Danzas"（1921～1979）.15 works were written throughout his life, pieces except No. 13 (guitar solo) and No. 15 (organ solo) were written for piano solo.

 

 

 

・Canciones y Danzas(Cançons i Danses)

 

I thought to arrange this work for woodwind quintet. 

Because, when I listened to this works,  (originally, through keyboard instruments that are heterogeneous with that) I felt the reverberation of human breathing and voice.

 

“What is the true nature of this sound?”

 

When I transferred this work from a single instrument to a collaboration of breath-based instruments, I thought I would get closer to that secret.

 

The theme of this work is a homage to the folk songs of Catalonia, the native place of Mompou. “Since it is based on the melody sung with the oral, it is natural that the work will be like vocal music.” I think some people say that. But, this work is on the horizon away from such imitations. While borrowing expressions like voice, expressions that exceed voice are born. So, when I dare to transfer the this work to a ensamble style similar to voice, what you can see without being buried there. I thought that was the ‘uniqueness’ of this work.

 

Before one knows it, someone started singing and it was transmitted. The only reason for this is human empathy, which cannot be calculated. This is the path to walk when folk songs are inherited. That road lies between the glamorous fads and the Enlightenment, and in some cases feels fragile.

Still, I think there is a ‘substance of the song’ in this pure sprit. 

 

"Canciones y Danzas" are tried to draw the heartstrings itself that exists between people with ‘oral song’  as a catalyzed. There, ‘something that borrows the form of the voice, but does not become the form of the voice’, that is the ‘pray’ is hidden. I think that was what I heard as ‘human breathing’.

 

We would like to thank the staff of "Fundació  Frederic Mompou" and "Frederic Mompou Association of Japan" for allowing us to arrange and play this work.   

 

 

You can watch a part of this arrangement.

 

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・F. Mompou：Canciones y Danzas（for Wind Quintet）

 

・No.1  La Filla del Carmesi - Dansa de Castelltercol

・No.3  El Noi de la Mare - Sardana

・No.4  El Mariner - Ball del Ciri

・No.6  Mompou’s Original Themes

・No.14  Canco del Lladre

 

Personal:

Asako Imamura（flute）

Aina Tsutchiya（oboe）

Shota Tabe（clarinet）

Nozomi Shindo（horn）

Ryo Sagara（bassoon）

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The arranged sheet music is currently stored in the "Fundació Frederic Mompou" digital archive.

You can make inquiries from on the Fundació Frederic Mompou web (Español/English). If you would like all the sound sources, please use the Inquiry form on this site.

 

 

writing: Shun Aoki (arranger)