Eratosphere - The Ekphrastic Review

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The Ekphrastic Review

A poem of Martin Elster's is in The Ekphrastic Review today:

https://www.ekphrastic.net/ekphrasti...-martin-elster

Susan

Many thanks, Susan. I didn't even know that my poem appeared there today. I just looked in my spam folder and, sure enough, the editor's (Lorette C Luzajic) message to me (dated 22 Dec.) was there! So I just emailed her a thank you note. So thanks again, Susan, for announcing this, because I would have never known about it.

Congrats, Martin. It really is fascinating listening for natural effects in music such as Beethoven's. Vivaldi is another obvious one for that, and there are many others.

Thanks, Andrew. Yes, there are many composers who used nature sounds. Ferde Grofé found inspiration in the Grand Canyon (after he saw the sunrise there). From NPR:

Quote:

He uses a lot of percussion devices, you know, even the famous coconut shells to make it sound like the burro making its way around the mountains. And I guess the most interesting of all is in the "Cloudburst" movement, where he uses the rumblings of the wind machine, the thunder sheet. It's not to say that wind machines weren't used. I mean, Ravel used the wind machine in "Daphnis et Chloe." Thunder sheets had been used, and continue to be used to this day. But he did it in a very individualistic way. And I guess what we tend to reward in life is innovation as well as creativity. And Grofe was certainly a remarkable innovator, especially in terms of the orchestration.

https://www.npr.org/2000/10/29/11131...d-canyon-suite

Olivier Messiaen used birdcalls. Debussy's La Mer evokes the sea. Then there's Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee." Chopin's “Raindrop” Prelude is another composition capturing something from nature.

Also, in the ars subtilior, from the late 14th to the early 15th centuries, composers often incorporated birdsong in their pieces.

Thanks, Susan; congrats, Martin.

Of course Röykssop were inspired by the sweet sounds of guinea pigs when composing their single 'Eple' :)

Best wishes,
Fliss

Thanks, Fliss. And also for the link to that interesting piece of music. I wonder if guinea pigs would enjoy listing to it or want to dance to it. Have you played it for them? It might be fun to see their reaction.

You're welcome, Martin. Yes, an interesting piece of music. I played it to Ginny once and she went into one of her trances, staring straight ahead and cooing. She twitched a little, but made no other movements. She is generally placid, however, so it's possible the others might have a more active response. Next time I'm in Winchcombe, I shall see what occurs :)