Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima
- theclassicalcoquette
- Dec 2, 2019
- 2 min read
Hello, everyone! Last week we took a darker turn in classical music by studying Beethoven's Tempest Sonata. This week, we are going to look at one of the darkest pieces of music I can think of. It is so intense, most of you won't like it! But don't despair--this piece is extremely avant garde; it isn't something people listen to for enjoyment!
Penderecki
The piece we will take a look at is by Polish composer, Krzystof Penderecki. He was born in 1933 and is still alive today. The piece we are listening to was written in 1961. You may recognize his music if you have ever seen the films The Shining, The Exorcist, or The Devils of Loudun. Notice a theme here? Yes, his work has been featured in numerous horror movies. Perhaps this will give you a hint as to what to expect in the piece we will hear.
Hiroshima
Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima was written as a dedication to the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This was a dark time in history. Penderecki tries to mimic this horror in this piece. It was written for 52 string instruments. It lasts about 8 minutes and 11 seconds.
The piece is sonoristic, which is a technique in which the music focuses on specific qualities of timbre, texture, dynamics, articulation, and motion to create a free form of music. In other words, the piece is abstract and focuses on sounds rather than a traditional classical form.
Listen
When you listen to this piece, you may be quite alarmed or even disturbed. Many of you won't make it to the end of the recording. This piece isn't meant to be enjoyed. It will make you uncomfortable. It goes along with the notion that "art is meant to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted."
Listen for the different sounds that the strings are able to make. Listen for high pitched sounds that almost scream at you. You can almost see the events of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. You can almost feel the pain and devastation felt by those who perished in the war.
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