# Sea Music



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Here's another topic for the sake of compiling a somewhat comprehensive list of pieces. I'm attempting a composition that will feature the sea (it's not _about_ the sea, it will just have a depiction of it in the piece - no further details necessary!). Anyway, I just wanted to listen a ton of sea-depicting music to see if I can find some inspiration for orchestration. I'll get the ball rolling with Vaughan Williams' first symphony, now it's your turn!


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## tenor02 (Jan 4, 2008)

vaughan williams sea symphony, plus many other rumbelows


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## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)




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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

OK, I guess I wasn't specific enough - suggestions relevant to classical music please


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## Bartók (Dec 10, 2009)

Edward Elgar's Sea Pictures.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Britten - Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes
Debussy - La Mer
Sibelius - The Oceanides


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Fragments from Wagner's Dutchman. Especially overture.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

Delius: Sea Drift


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

And of course Rimsky-Korsakov "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship" and part of the ending of "The Prince and the Princess" segments from _Scheherazade_

[ETA: Clara was quite a babe, wasn't she?]


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

Weston said:


> And of course Rimsky-Korsakov "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship" and part of the ending of "The Prince and the Princess" segments from _Scheherazade_
> 
> [ETA: Clara was quite a babe, wasn't she?]


Ahem. (10 char)

[ETA: Now if we change our avatars nothing will make sense ]


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Weston said:


> And of course Rimsky-Korsakov "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship" and part of the ending of "The Prince and the Princess" segments from _Scheherazade_
> 
> [ETA: Clara was quite a babe, wasn't she?]


All I (Brahms) have to say is: PWHOAR!


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

BAX - Tintagel ( half sea anyway)

RIMSKY - Tsarina adrift at sea in a barrel - interlude from The Tale of Tsar Sultan

SIBELIUS - On the sea shore - Peleas et Melisande


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

Rubinstein's *Symphony No. 2 "Ocean"* (in "Sea" major ). I can't find a YouTube clip, but here's a review of the Naxos recording that I have:

*http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=4168*


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## Gangsta Tweety Bird (Jan 25, 2009)

takemitsu - toward the sea


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Benjamin Britten - Noyes Fludde,

Its a childrens opera based on the story of Noahs Ark. Im currently conducting it, and im sure you can guess the sea connection.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

The mad woman on the sea shore:


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Lukecash12 said:


> The mad woman on the sea shore:


If one were to describe that piece to someone who hadn't heard it - i.e., the deep, slowly repeated chords in the bass with a simple melodic line - I think they'd fail to see how it could depict what it says in the title. Yet, having just listened, it's quite stunning what effect it creates.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Polednice said:


> If one were to describe that piece to someone who hadn't heard it - i.e., the deep, slowly repeated chords in the bass with a simple melodic line - I think they'd fail to see how it could depict what it says in the title. Yet, having just listened, it's quite stunning what effect it creates.


That lady sounds pretty damned crazy to me. I think he got the effects he wanted out of it, for sure.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Alkan?


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

emiellucifuge said:


> Alkan?


Bah! You were eating out of my palms when you first saw my play list on Alkan 

Or were you make an impression of stlukesguild?


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

Let us not forget the impressionistic tone poem of Sibelius THE OCEANIDES. And by Ifukube, the CHORAL ODE TO THE SEA OF OKHOTSK. Very somber, dark music. But I imagine this stretch of sea between northern Japan and Russia has some very cold, turbulent and imposig waters, thus the sonority of the music.


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## JAKE WYB (May 28, 2009)

*The Oceanides* is for me the most evocative sea portrait - the huge wave is the only passage ive heard that approaches making my stomach churn and the opening successfully evokes the rolling surface like only sibelius could identify - I wish he could have made a more extended work of it like sometimes


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## Romantic Geek (Dec 25, 2009)

MacDowell - Sea Pieces


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

Lukecash12 said:


> The mad woman on the sea shore:


I really liked that!

There's also Malipiero's *Sinfonia del mare*. He wrote symphonies about all sorts of things. There's one about the zodiac, which sounds like a particularly good idea; but I haven't got it yet.


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## shsherm (Jan 24, 2008)

I'm surprised no one mentioned "Victory At Sea" which was written by Richard Rogers and orchestrated by Robert Russell Bennett. That series was initially broadcast in 1952 on NBC and was a series of 26 shows about military action at sea during WW2. The score is terrific and the opening is probably the most nautical music I ever heard.


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## The Cosmos (Oct 2, 2009)

'The Sea' by Frank Bridge fits the bill here! Gosh, you Englishmen sure do compose a lot of sea music.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Ciurlionis "The Sea", symphonic poem (1903); the best work of this interesting painter-composer, 
the Domarkas LP-version with the Lithuanian Orchestra is especially recommendable; there is also one with a Slovakian orchestra, and recordings by Fedoseev and others.

Borup Jørgensen "Marin" (1963-70), considered his masterpiece, with up to 44 individual string parts,
not easily accessible though.

If you dare: Karl Tausig (1841-1871): a Symphonic Ballade with a terryfying subject:"The Ghost Ship", also existing in a version for solo piano. 
For the less adventurous: another piano piece, Mussorgsky:"On The Sea-Shore".

Max von Schillings:"Seemorgen", from "Two Symphonic Phantasies" op.6 (1895) for orchestra, not bad at all; 

Poul Schierbeck: A piano suite, "Sydvest, Sweater og Shag", meaning something like "Sou-wester, Woolen Sweater and Smoking Tobacco", inspired by for example Michael Ancher´s gradually kitsch-like series of paintings of North Sea fishermen. 

Novak:"The Storm", Sea-Fantasy for vocal soloists and orchestra op.42 (1908), a fine work, especially
the first part.

Rangström:"Havet Sjunger / The Sea Is Singing", a symphonic poem (1913), also good.

Glazunov:"The Sea", Symphonic Poem op.28, a fine work. 

According to G.B. Shaw, the first movement of Brahms` 4th Symphony re-creates sea-sickness in its most extreme form.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Some more sea pieces:

Reynaldo Hahn, ”Reverie Nocturne sur le Bosphere” & “En Caique”, from ”L´Album d´un Voyageur: Orient” (1909), for piano. His song after R.L. Stevenson, “My Ship and I”.

Ravel: “Une Barque sur l´Ocean”, another masterpiece of his;

Debussy: the delicate ”Voiles / Sails”, from “Preludes”;

Hugo Alfven: “4.Symphony, Från Havsbandet / From the Outer Skerries”. I remember this as probably his best work.

The first part of Nielsen´s “An Imaginary Trip to The Faroe Islands” for orchestra" is very effectful in its rendering of a ship voyage among tall cliffs and sea-gulls. Mendelssohns masterful “The Hebrides” likewise.

Erik Satie:"Yachting", "Le Water-Chute" and "Le Bain de Mer" from the piano miniautures "Sports et Divertissements".

Lord Berners:”The Triumph of Neptune”, a ballet for the Diaghilev company. 

And, even though it is more of a lagoon-sort of piece, Liszt´s hypnotic “La Lugubre Gondola I & II”, for piano.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

The sea has been the subject of hundreds of compositions, at least if one includes
somewhat-related themes. The following have all been recorded:

The talented British composer William Baines, who died tragically young, 
wrote some very beautiful, quasi-impressionistic piano pieces, which include
- “Tides” (1920-21)( I."The Lone Wreck" II."Goodnight to Flamboro") 
- “Silverpoints” (1920-21), with I."Labyrinth. A Deep Sea Cave" and II."Water-Pearls". 
These works could easily be a part of piano recitals.

Mendelssohn´s ouverture, ”Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt”, and Beethoven´s ”Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt”, for choir & orchestra, are both based on a poem by Goethe.

Lord Berners wrote the song series "3 Sea-Shanties"(1921), except from the above-mentioned ballet.

Gösta Nystroem, the Swedish composer, was very fascinated with the sea and wrote ”Sinfonia del Mare” for Soprano & Orchestra. It is an evocative piece, but tends to repeat itself a bit too much.
He also wrote the highly recommendable symphonic poem "Ishavet / The Arctic Sea", and “Songs by the Sea” f.Soprano & Piano, or Soprano & Orchestra.

Likewise, there is
Paul Gilson:”Die Zee”, symphonic poem;

The 1.Symphony by Langaaard, “Rock Pastorals”, has a first movement called “Brænding og Solglimt"/Surf and Glimpses of the Sun". There are various small piano pieces of his also, with maritime subjects.

- Lili Boulanger:“Les Sirenes” f.Soprano, Choir, Piano (1911).

- Diana Burrell: a work for strings with an intriguing old-German title:”Das Meer, das so gross und weit ist, da wimmelt´s ohne Zahl, grosse und kleine Tiere”, for strings. 

- Borodin:"La Mer" f.Bass & Piano;

Fartein Valen, the interesting Norwegian composer, wrote ”Zwei Lieder” f.Soprano & Piano opus 31 (1939) including "Horch wie Murmeln des Empörten Meeres" (Schiller). And a symphonic poem, "Le Cimetiere Marin" op.20 (1934).

Klami:"Sea Pictures" for orchestra;

Alan Bush:"Variations on an English Sea-Song" f.Piano & Orchestra.

Also, Arnold Bax wrote a piano piece called "Nereid" (1919).


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