Zeitmusik 2023 Programme Booklet

Cover Contents

MeetthePerformers

Programme Outline Programme Outline

Act One

Pinto - Ring Around The Rosy and Sleeping Time

Ravel - Mother Goose Suite, Mvt.3

BillieEilish - idontwannabeyouanymore

Bolcolm - The Serpent's Kiss

Ibert - Deux Interludes for Flute, Violin, Piano, Mvt.2

Saint-Saëns - Carnival of Animals / Fossils, Swans, Finale

Rachmaninov - Vocalise for Clarinet and Piano

INTERMISSION (15min)

Act Two

JH4 / SH1 - Soundpainting

Dvorak - Slavonic Dances, Op.46, Mvt.7

Milhaud - Scaramouche, Op.165, Mvt.1, Mvt.2

Shostakovich - String Quartet No.6, Mvt.1

JH1 / 2 / 3 - Spoken Percussion Item

About NJC About NJC Music Programme Music Programme

Since its inception in 2006, the NJC Music Programme has expanded to becomeasix-yearprogramme,culminatingatthe'A'Levelwherestudentscan takeH2Music.TheProgrammestrivestoprovidestudentswithaholisticand unique education in music, where skills and knowledge are gained through different learning process and applied though authentic assignments, at the sametime,wideningstudents'musicalexperiencestotheunfamiliar.

A wide and eclectic range of actives are available - in addition to lessons in musichistory,musicwritingandpracticalmusicianship,studentsaregranted exciting opportunities to attend sound-painting, conducting, music arrangement workshops by professionals and more! Students are also given various platforms to perform throughout the year, with biannual Lunchtime ConcertsandtheNJCArtsFest,bothofwhichareopentotheCollege.

TheCollegeoffersmanyPerformingArtsCCAs,ofwhichmostofourstudents aremembersof,andenjoymakingmusictogether.Inthisjourney,passionate music students have also served as student leaders in their respective CCAs, and taken up the challenge to arrange music for different combinations of ensemblesintheschool.

Graduates of the Programme go on to pursue both arts and non-arts related disciplines, and work to make their presence felt in the local music scene in various ways such as performing with professional or community bands and orchestras, serving as art administrators, educators, or simply by being enthusiasticpatronsofandadvocatesforthearts.

Octavio Pinto Octavio Pinto

Scenas Infantis Suite, Mvt.2 "Ring Around The Rosy", Mvt.4 "Sleeping Time"

IsaiahNgandBooZhiLe

Octavio Pinto’s Scenas Infantis was written for his wife in 1932, who performed the suite and brought attention to his works. This suite consists of a series of short pieces, with two of them being “Sleeping Time” and “Ring Around The Rosy”.Sleepingtimedepictsalullabyscene,whereacuckooclockrings6timesin the opening, followed by a soothing lullaby tune filled with lyrical and melodic phrases, which expresses the calm mood of the piece. The piece uses different soundeffectstorepresentdifferentanimalsinthelullaby,likeowlsandthesound ofacuckooclockchiming.

“Ring Around The Rosy” is a cheerful and playful piece which illustrates young children happily playing around in a location such as a playground. The piece is filled with many short and detached phrases, and many expressive dynamic changes,whichportraystheyoungchildrenplayingdifferenttypesofgameslike HideandSeek,expressingthelivelyandjovialmoodoftheyoungchildren.

Joseph Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel

Mother Goose Suite, Mvt.3 "Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas"

XeeZunYeeandLamKangRui

MauriceRavel(1875-1937)wasaFrenchcomposerandpianistborninCiboure. Ravel’s music is sometimes linked to the Impressionist movement in art. Ravel's pieces frequently showcase his command of form and structure with luscioustextures,intricaterhythms,andrichharmonies.

The“MotherGooseSuite''(MamereI’Oye)inFrench,wasoriginallywrittenasapiano duetin1908andlaterorchestratedbyRavelin1911.Thesuiteisbasedonacollectionof fairy tales and nursery rhymes, and has become one of Ravel’s most beloved and popular works. Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas, is the 3rd Movement of the Mother Goose Suite. This movement portrays a Chinese princess named Laideronnette, who resides in a pagoda. Ravel uses pentatonic scales and colourful orchestrationtoevokeanexoticatmosphere,capturingtheessenceofChinesemusic. The music's lovely melodies and innovative orchestrations continue to embody the whimsyandmagicoftheoriginalfairytales.

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish

idontwannabeyouanymore

ThaarminS/OThanaRajan

“idontwannabeyouanymore” is thetitleofa2017singlereleasedby Americansinger-songwriterBillie Eilish. On this song, Eilish addresses, among other things, her struggles with self confidence and insecurities. She doesn’t like the fact that she’s not secure in herself as well as her abilities. Aside from her problems with insecurities and self confidence, she generally leads an unhappy life. Owing to this, she wishes she was someone else other than her. Hence the birth of the following heart wrenching line: “I don’t wanttobeyouanymore”

The pronoun “you” from the line above clearly refers to her. When she looks into the mirror, she just doesn’t want to be that person she sees. Not anymore!Eilishrepeatsthatsadlinemultipletimesthroughoutthesong.

In summation, this is nothing short of a self-loathing song. Eilish hates herselfsomuchthatshecan’tstandbeingwhosheisevenforasecond.

The Garden Of Eden Suite, No.3 "The Serpent's Kiss"

XavierChuaandAlisaKok

William Bolcom’s The Garden of Eden is a piano suite comprised of four ragtime pieces “Old Adam,” “The Eternal Feminine,” “The Serpent’s Kiss,” and “Through Eden’s Gates.”. These pieces tell the story of Adam and Eve and theirimminentdemise.Thispiece was written during the “Ragtime Revival,” when a group of young composers, Bolcom included, began to write what Bolcom considered to be “new traditionalstylerags."

“TheSerpent’sKiss”isaragfantasy

anextendedformofaragnotmeantto accompany dance. While Bolcom incorporates traditional ragtime elements suchasstridestyleaccompanimentand“stoptime”,healsomovesawayfrom strict ragtime conventions by unusual tempo changes throughout the piece. Inthestoptimesection,boththepianopartsalternatewithoneplayingchords and the other knocking rhythms on the piano in a call and response fashion. Bolcom uses these compositional techniques to successfully create the cunning sounds of the serpent through the music in this rag. “The Serpent’s Kiss” ends with the soloist whistling and playing a tune from “The Eternal Feminine,”apreviouspieceinthesuiteaboutEve.Ithasbeensuggestedthat thisquotationistheserpentmockingEvewhenshefallsforhisplan.

William Elden Bolcom William Elden Bolcom

Jacques Ibert Jacques Ibert

Deux Interludes for Flute, Violin and Piano, Mvt.2

ZoeyChong,ArielNeoandJacobCheng

Composed in 1946, Deux Interludes for Flute, Violin and Piano is a 20th century piece by French composer Jacques Ibert. As a composer, Jacques Ibert's music defies classification. His style sometimes bordered on impressionism while his composition methods often resemble that of neoclassicalRussiancomposers,hencenotfittingintoeithercategory.

ThesecondmovementthatwillbeperformedtonightwillpresentSpanish Influences reminiscent of an Andalusian Dance, beginning with delicate and introspective melodies, delicately passed between the instruments. This piece has an ABBA structure so look out for the contrasting mood betweentheAandBsections,andhowtheopeningmaterialreturnsatthe end. The piano figures prominently with its evocation of flamenco guitar while the melodic and ornamental lines by the flute and violin transports listenersbacktoancientSpain.Payattentiontohowthelinesbytheflute and violin, supported by the strong piano accompaniment, interact seamlesslyandeventuallyjoinasonemomentarily.

Camille Saint-Saëns Camille Saint-Saëns

Carnival Of The Animals, Mvt.12 "Fossils", Mvt.13 "The Swan", Mvt.14 "Finale"

AngelaGohandRaynaLim

Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals is a remarkable musical work that showcases the composer's creativity and sense of humour. Through its diverse movements, including the comical "Fossils," the serene "Swans," and the jubilant "Finale," this piece takes us on a captivating journey throughawhimsicalworldofanimals.

In the movement “Fossils,” the repetitive and march-like rhythm, coupled with playful melodies, takes us on a whimsical journey through prehistorictimes.Thepianos create a delightful and humorous atmosphere, mimicking the sound of bones and fossils being struck, which adds an extra layerofcharmtothepiece.

In “Swans,” the delicate and graceful melodies evoke the elegance and beauty ofthesemajesticcreatures.Theflowingpianolinesandgentledynamicscreate a serene ambiance, as if we are witnessing a ballet of swans gliding across a peacefullake.Theinteractionbetweenthetwopianosenhancesthelyricaland enchantingnatureofthecomposition.Thegrandfinalebringstogetherallthe animal characters in a joyous and exuberant celebration. The energetic and spirited interplay between the pianos, with rapid passages and cascading scales,reflectsthebustlingatmosphereofacarnival.

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Rachmaninoff

Vocalise for Clarinet and Piano

MrAaronLumandMsGayleSim

The last of the set of fourteen songs published by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943), Vocalise is the only song without text, but is meant to be sung using a wordless vocalisation from the soloist to a sound of the vocalist’s choosing. The work denies any attempt to pinpoint it with a particular feeling, having been said over the years to represent a range of emotionsfrommelancholy,nostalgia,yearning,ruminationsonsadnessand more. Since its premiere, the piece has been rearranged for various instrumental pairings and today’s performance will be presented by the clarinetandthepiano.

Listen

seems like a seemingly calm piano accompaniment - a facade quickly broken by the undercurrent of turbulent emotions that emerge in the lower registers ofthepiano,hintingatanemotionthatfightstofullyexposeitself.Themusic movesthroughvariouschromaticregionsasittriestodriveandfinditswayto realization, with both the piano and the clarinet finding their own voice to searchforsomepointofmeaningfularrival,onlytorealizethatintheendallis perhapsbutafutileexercise,leavingthelistenerinastateofmelancholia.

S Soundpainting oundpainting

JH4,SH1Cohorts

Soundpaintingisthecontemporaryuniversal,multi-disciplinary,livecomposing languagecreatedbyAmericancomposerWalterThompsonin1974,comprisingmore thanathousandgestures.Asoundpainter(whoisalsothecomposer)standsinfrontof thegroupandcomposesinrealtimebycommunicatingaseriesofsignstothegroup, usinghandandbodygestures.Unliketraditionalperformancepractices,thegroupdoes notreferenceanysheetmusicatall,evenduringrehearsals.Whilethegrouprespondsto thesoundpainter’sgestures,thesoundpainterthereonelucidatestheseideasbasedonthe performers’responsesandthesoundtheydesire,conjoiningvariousideas.Theseideas primarilyfocusonthechiaroscuroofsoundmass,textureandtherelationsbetween differentinstruments,insteadoftheindividualpitchesoranyspecificpattern,orderor regularityheard.

Theessenceofthisperformanceliesinthesplashingofcoloursoftonesandtheimpact and effects of the sound elicited. Soundpainting binds and blinds contrasts between specificity and chance – if the responses are within the sound painter's expectations, andwhatgesturesthegroupwillreceive.

Tonight,ourgroupof13musiciansalongsideMrDirkStromberg,whoisalecturerin audioproductionatLaSalleCollegeoftheArts,willpresenttoyouaneventful,evening episode of soundpainting. The instrumentation for this episode is highly diverse, rangingfromWesterninstrumentssuchasstringsandwinds,toChineseinstruments, including a Kazoo! Appreciate the soundscape of timbres of various instruments blendingandintertwiningwhilewatchingoursoundpaintersinaction.

Antonín Leopold Antonín Leopold

Dvořák Dvořák

Slavonic Dances, Op.46, Mvt.7

EthanOoiandClaraTeo

Dvorak’sSlavonicDances,Op.46wasoriginallywrittenforfour-handspianoand later arranged for orchestra. It was written in the 1870s and 80s, nearing the end of the Romantic period when East-European music was in high demand, and skyrocketed Dvorak into fame. Commissioned by Dvorak’s publisher and close friend, Franz Simrock, this piece mimicked the sound of his Bohemian homeland. They followed in the footsteps of Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dances,whichquotedtraditionalHungariantunesandfolksongs. The Slavonic Dances do not directly quote any traditional tunes,insteadevokingtheirspirit by being highly rhythmic, vigorousandhavingthecolourful harmoniesexpectedofBohemian folk music. Dvorak later wrote another collection of Slavonic dances, including folk music from Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine.

Op. 46, Mvt 7 is a Skočná, Czech for ‘leaping’. It fits into a Czech tradition of fast duple-time dances that gave it its name. It is vigorous, powerful and blindingly quick. Listen out for the dramatic dynamic changes between sections and the high melody line flying above. Sections of rhythmic and strong material which highlights the ferocious energy of the piece, are juxtaposed against sections of sweetlyricalmelodies,alternatingandinterruptingeachother.

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud

Scaramouche, Op.165, Mvt.1, Mvt.2

Scaramouche was originally written for two pianos in 1936, and later rearranged for saxophone and orchestra, and clarinet and orchestra. This suite is based on incidental music to Molière’s play, Le médécin volant (The Flying Doctor). In the play, Scaramouche is a stock clown character of the commediadell’artewhoisanunscrupulousandunreliableservant.

The first movement, Vif, has influencesfromfolk-songmelodies and nursery rhymes, one of the themesinthemelodycomingfrom a children's song, "Ten Green Bottles". It is full of syncopations andbrilliantoctaves.Thetonalityis unstable for the first movement, wherechromaticallyclashingtriads are layered under the movement's openingtheme.

The second movement, Modéré, showcases Milhaud's ability to blend elementsofclassical,jazz,andfolkmusicintoacohesivework.Itisnotable for its simplistic beauty, lyrical lines and unexpected harmonic twists. The outer section’s well-crafted melody is strong and provides an appropriate platform for dialogue between the pianos. The middle section switches to compound time before the return of the main melody, this time with more contrapuntal accompaniment. This movement exemplifies Milhaud's uniquecontributionto20th-centurymusic.

KerrieAnnChuaandElliotHwong

CarmenWeeandHoYuTong

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Shostakovich

String Quartet No.6, Mvt.1

MatthewChua,JoshuaTham,CaydenYeongandAidanYeong

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was a prominent Soviet composer known for his powerful and emotionally charged music. His works, including symphonies,stringquartets,andoperas,oftenreflectedtheturbulentpolitical climateoftheSovietUnion.Shostakovich'smusiccombinedintenseemotions withadistinctiveandinnovativemusicallanguage.

In 1956, following the sudden death of his first wife and the loss of his mother, Shostakovich surprised his friends by impulsively marrying Margarita Kainova, a young party official. Although their marriage ended in divorce three years later, theirearlydayswerejoyful,including a honeymoon in Komarovo. It was during this time that Shostakovich composed his String Quartet No. 6, whichdisplaysacomparativelylightheartedtone.

The first movement of the first piece, in sonata form - features a nursery-themeinspired melody carried by the violins and a tranquil second idea introduced by the first violin. While the piece begins in the style of a simple string quartet of the Classical Era (with a simple and memorable melody) the music quickly takes on a much more ominous and dark tone, perhaps reflecting some of the events that Shostakovich was experiencing himself at that time. Despite a brief period of heightenedactivityinthedevelopmentsection,themusicquicklyreturnstoastateof calmness before fading out with a quiet conclusion. Notably, Shostakovich embedded his initials, DSCH, within the composition's closing five-note cadence, leavinghisdistinctmarkonthepiece.

Spoken Percussion Item Spoken Percussion Item

JH1,JH2,JH3Cohorts

ComposedbytheJH2MusicProgrammestudents,thisshortandpunchypieceis aspoken‘percussion’item.ItisinspiredbyStephenCronin'sTheEdukationBlues, whichmakesuseofboxnotationinthecreationofitsrhythms(seeFig 1onnext page -making proc

The self-composed text features references to ideas and composers discussed during music lessons. The piece starts off in a simple rhythmic fashion, portraying the regularity of the 'gotta practise, gotta study' motif in a student's life. As the piece progresses, look out for how the rhythms are layered over one another, interact with each other alongside unconventional solos where students express their own unique personalities. Finally, the piece culminates with the additionofbodypercussiontofurtherenhancethevarietyofsoundsandrhythms used and ends with a loud proclamation of what the students have been working towards:"ZEITMUSIK!"(seeFig.2onnextpage).

JH1,JH2,JH3Cohorts

Figure1-Anexerpt ofthescorefrom StephenCronin's EducationBlues showingtheuseof boxnotationto createandlayer rhythmsovereach other.

Figure2-Anexerpt showingtheJH2 students'created rhythmsleadingup tothefinal exclamation 'Zeitmusik!'

organising committee organising committee

TeacherAdvisors

MsGayleSim

MrAaronLum

MsLynetteYeo

StageManagement

HoYuTong

AngeleneKho

TanZhengRui

JanelleTan(U)

TristenNg(U)

Publicity

ThamYuxin

ClaraTeo

CaydenYeong

ElliotHwong

LamKangRui

XeeZunYee

ZoeyChong

Emcee

CherrlynChia

AngeleneKho

XeeZunYee

ZoeyChong

Ticketing/Front Of House(FOH)

CarmenWee

ArielNeo

KerrieAnnChua

ThamYuxin

ChenPinglan(U)

JacobCheng(U)

ProgrammeBooklet

XeeZunYee

EthanOoi

ClaraTeo

ElysiaJoseph(U)

Logistics

TanZhengRui

ElliotHwong

LamKangRui

Bolded-MainICs

Understudy(U)

Acknowlegments Acknowlegments

Wewouldliketothank:

Our Principal, Mrs Lucy Toh, and our Vice-Principals Ms AileenSim,MdmGwenTan,andMrAlfredTan,fortheir continual support to the department and our programmes

OurHOD(Aesthetics),MsMichelleEngforprovidingher inputandalwayssupportingusinallourendeavours

The Music Programme teachers, Mr Aaron Lum, Ms GayleSimandMsLynetteYeo,withoutwhomthiswould nothavebeenpossible

The coaches for the ensembles, Mr Dirk Stromberg, Ms GayleSim,andMsKhorShangJinfortheirexpertiseand assistanceincoachingtheensemblepiecestonight

NJCPhotographySocietymembersforphotocoverageof thisconcert

The Esplanade for the rental of these wonderful concert premises Andlastbutnotleast,YOU,foryourpresenceandsupport thisevening!