In this week’s blog post, our musical director Sara Brandt explores the music we use in our production…
Shakespeare is timeless – old, and new simultaneously. A play that was written in 1610 still resonates today. So how can we bring that resonance into the music?
By using both old and new music! We have in our possession some of the original music from the 1600s. Our artists will be singing the original melodies Full Fathom Five and Where the Bee Sucks by John Wilson. It’s eerie to think that these songs will be sung just as they might have been in 1610.
But not all of the music is old. The Tempest will also feature two new pieces, written just for this production. Ban Ban Cacaliban is sung by the fish-monster, Caliban, to celebrate his new master and the freedom he hopes to have. This song was inspired by an Irish lullaby and tries to capture both the child-like naivety and the darker, scheming side of Caliban.
Awake, awake! is an original song sung by the powerful spirit, Ariel, to awaken some nobles she has under her spell. This song was inspired by another lullaby, a Finnish folk song called Nuku Nuku Nurmilintu.
We have old and new music, but did you know that we also have old and new instruments? Some of the background music for the show will be played on a modern flute, which has a range of 3 to 4 octaves. This flute can play music in any key and over a wide range, but has a distinctly modern sound.
To achieve an older, spookier sound, some of the music will also be played on bamboo flutes. These flutes have open holes and take advantage of the natural hollow shape of bamboo. While these flutes have a distinctly ‘island’ sound, they are limited in range as well as key. We can’t help but imagine that Caliban might have carved one of these flutes by hand, to pass the time on the lonely deserted island.
Besides the instrumental music, you can expect to hear everything from a beautiful wedding blessing sung by three magical spirits, to a drunken – and rather off-key – sea shanty. It’s a wide range to cover, but we’ve got the chops to do it!
In summary, this island is full of strange noises. Come, let’s follow them!
The Tempest by William Shakespeare 