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- Michael Nyman
On the Fiddle (1993)
- Chester Music Ltd (World)
Commissioned by the 1993 Vale of Glamorgan Festival
- Violin [Cello]/pf
- version also available for solo violin[cello]/str
- 15 min
Programme Note
MICHAEL NYMAN
ON THE FIDDLE
On the Fiddle consists of three pieces derived from music from the scores I have written for Peter Greenaway films. The first, Miserere Paraphrase, was written for use in 'The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover' (1989), and is a transcription of my setting of the 'Miserere' text (Psalm 51) sung in the film by a boy soprano and mixed chorus. The second, Angelfish Decay, is an arrangement of an arrangement: the music for the speeded up time lapse decaying animal sequences in 'A Zed and Two Noughts' was written for two violins and harpsichord: this was subsequently 'reduced' to a violin solo for 'Zoo Caprices' (1996) and also recomposed in a slowed-down version in which, however, every B-flat chord is represented in its original high speed form. For On the Fiddle, a piano part has been added. The final piece, Full Fathom Five, is a version of the Shakespeare song setting I made for 'Prospero's Books' (1990).
After I had decided to write three violin pieces, unified not only by their cinematic origins but more importantly by the alteration of slow fast music, I discovered (through a Radio 4 quiz) that the origin of the phrase 'On the Fiddle' is as follows: illegal street gamblers who were running 'Find the Lady' sessions would have a member of their gang holding a violin, on the lookout for the police. When a policeman came in view, the and the gamblers would disperse into the crowd.
Michael Nyman 1993
ON THE FIDDLE
On the Fiddle consists of three pieces derived from music from the scores I have written for Peter Greenaway films. The first, Miserere Paraphrase, was written for use in 'The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover' (1989), and is a transcription of my setting of the 'Miserere' text (Psalm 51) sung in the film by a boy soprano and mixed chorus. The second, Angelfish Decay, is an arrangement of an arrangement: the music for the speeded up time lapse decaying animal sequences in 'A Zed and Two Noughts' was written for two violins and harpsichord: this was subsequently 'reduced' to a violin solo for 'Zoo Caprices' (1996) and also recomposed in a slowed-down version in which, however, every B-flat chord is represented in its original high speed form. For On the Fiddle, a piano part has been added. The final piece, Full Fathom Five, is a version of the Shakespeare song setting I made for 'Prospero's Books' (1990).
After I had decided to write three violin pieces, unified not only by their cinematic origins but more importantly by the alteration of slow fast music, I discovered (through a Radio 4 quiz) that the origin of the phrase 'On the Fiddle' is as follows: illegal street gamblers who were running 'Find the Lady' sessions would have a member of their gang holding a violin, on the lookout for the police. When a policeman came in view, the and the gamblers would disperse into the crowd.
Michael Nyman 1993
Media
On The Fiddle: Full Fathom Five
On The Fiddle: Angelfish Decay
On The Fiddle: Miserere Paraphrase
