Thoughts on Jupiter

Recently, the quartet I coach at YOLA was asked to put together an online ensemble performance of a string quartet. In the present times, this means each member records their parts separately then some brilliant and brave audio engineer puts them together.

We decided on an arrangement of the Hymn from Jupiter by Gustav Holst. I love this piece and I was happy my group chose it. I was digging around online for a good quartet recording for them to listen to to get a feel for the piece when I stumbled on the lyrics, and down the rabbit hole I went.

Researching this piece, listening to it, and coaching my students took me back to age 12 when I lived in England and attended Mailman’s Green School for Girls. Every morning, the entire school had assembly together in the gym. Any of my friends from those days or my friends of my parents, who happen to read this, know how traditional school was back then (hint: the 90s), we wore uniforms with HATS, there was a headmistress who we shook hands with every day before leaving for home, we were schooled on our manners in the lunch room…and so many more ridiculous things that are definitely not taught at school in the States, now that I’m thinking about it.

Lindsay Clarke, Samantha Day, and myself age ? in our summer uniforms - they are purple, yellow, and white

The Maltmans Green Logo

Anyways, in morning assembly the older girls sat at the back and the youngest at the front, with the teachers on the stage looking out over all the students. One morning, we were singing this hymn and me and a few of my friends started really hamming it up at the back of the room. Full on fake opera singing, with dramatic facial expressions, wild arm gestures, exaggerated rocking back and forth from foot to foot, and laughing hysterically under our breath. Silly us, we didn’t even stop to think that all of the teachers were staring straight at us.

The main entry at school with Girls in the Summer uniform

At the end of assembly, as the rest of the students filed out to begin their school day, Mrs. Vernon the assistant headmistress (much scarier than Mrs. Evans the Headmistress who called everyone sausage pots or poppets) called us aside and screamed at us for being disrespectful. In true 12-year old fashion we stared at our feet, mumbled our apologies, and then burst into laughter as soon as we got out of the room. That, to this day is my main memory of assembly and singing this hymn.

Here is what I did not know as a snotty 12-year old:

"Thaxted" is a hymn tune by the English composer Gustav Holst, based on the stately theme from the middle section of the Jupiter movement of his orchestral suite The Planets and named after Thaxted, the English village where he lived much of his life. He adapted the theme in 1921 to fit the patriotic poem "I Vow to Thee, My Country" by Cecil Spring Rice It did not appear as a hymn-tune called "Thaxted" until his friend Ralph Vaughan Williams included it in Songs of Praise in 1926.

For Reference, here is the original version:

There were many texts set to this hymn but by far the most remembered and loved is the one listed above by Cecil Spring Rice. Wikipedia says that during the 20th century Songs of Praise was widely used in schools in the UK which is probably what we were using at Maltmans Green.

Side note: It also says that the 1931 edition included the first printing of the hymn “Morning Has Broken,” another classic I remember singing in assembly (much much) more than once.

"I Vow to Thee, My Country" by Cecil Spring Rice, was sung at the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981 and again at the latter's funeral in 1997, and at the funeral of Margaret Thatcher in 2013.

The poetry is beautiful and brought a tear to my eye.

I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no questions, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.

The message of this song is so deeply heartfelt. I understand why it was claimed as a Patriotic song, especially when considered in the context of history at that time (World War I ended in 1918, the music for The Planets was actually composed by Holst during the War).

It seems to me that even though this is a hymn in the traditional sense, the message extends beyond religious sect. The message is global. Can you imagine how you would treat others if you reframed your interactions with the concept of love described above? If our ways were gentle and peaceful, how would the interactions we have with others change? If you take these notions and apply them to human interaction rather than love of country, and the love of _____ (insert your higher power of choice) it makes for a compelling case for kindness as a global motivator above all else.

When prepping materials for my students I became really fixated on these notions. I sang and hummed this tune in the shower, on walks, waiting for zoom meetings to load, as I unpacked my violin, etc. etc. etc. It was written almost 100 years ago and the message is needed just as much now as it was then.

What do you think?

corpßonore - sound // body // wellness

I am so excited to announce that corpßonore - sound // body // wellness will officially launch into the great big worldwide web on November 1st!

What is it?

Corpßonore is a performers resource comprised of an online publication, podcast, and personal/private guidance and coaching.

At corpßonore we believe that being a great musician goes beyond the music. Longevity and sustainability in a music career comes from the development and maintenance of a sound body and mind.

Our mission is to provide accessible information, tools, and support that foster balance, fulfillment, and sustainability for the performer in life and on stage.

What does corpßonore mean?

corps sonore is a term coined by John-Philippe Rameau in the early 18th century initially to discuss frequency, vibration, and tuning based on the notion that establishes the triad as the building block of harmony, and the principle of the corps sonore, which he established as the scientific basis for music theory. corps sonore translates to mean “sound body” or “resonant body” and that resonated with me because you need a sound body to make music with your body but it is also a term steeped in music history, and a concept that Rameau applied to so many aspects of nature and life in his later years.

When developing our own “sound body” we created one word from the two by using the german symbol for ss, called the Eszett or scharfes S, which depending on the font looks like this: ß. We also added “wellness” to the description to open up even more discussion opportunities.

A Little Backstory

Several years ago, while I was working on my dissertation I hatched the idea of bringing the information I was digging up in my research to a larger audience in an accessible and approachable format. I was lucky at the time to be affiliated with an institution that afforded me access to a vast library system, scholarly journals, medical publications, published dissertations, and other research. It was fantastic, but still quite difficult to navigate because research and information typically exists in isolated departments and the discoveries made in exercise science for example don’t often make it to the music building, and you don’t find performers discussing the advances in performance psychology the same way they talk about so-and-so’s new recording. It struck me that so much significant research exists in peer-reviewed journals, academia, and in arenas of life that do not often or easily overlap with “traditional” or “standard” music pedagogy or mix well with pop culture.

After doing a little digging myself, I realized that there are very few purveyors of this information to the working musicians of the world in any genre. I know so many freelance musicians, orchestral players, touring musicians, and teachers who are not affiliated with a University and therefore have to work so hard to access some of this information. This does not sit well with me.

This is a problem!

This means that most of the music teachers you see or send your child to, and the performers you cherish and celebrate onstage are missing out on some majorly effective research and information. How can you pass something on if you don’t know it exists? How can you make the best choices if you don’t know all of your options?

Facts:

• This needs to change

• Valuable and important information does not need to come in stuffy and unapealing packaging and formats.

• We believe that helpful and pertinent information is meant for every musician, from young beginning violin students and their teachers, to old and seasoned blues guitarists, to internationally celebrated singers, and everything in between.

The Partnership

I approached Madeline with my idea for this project very early on because I knew she would be the perfect partner for something like this. She was instantly taken with it.

For my readers who don’t know Madeline, she is a retired/former/ex opera singer who is a BirthFit Coach, Yoga Teacher and Therapist, and Holistic Nutritionist based in Portland, Oregon. She knows so many things that musicians should know! You can find her online at http://www.posanatherapeutics.com, and on instagram.

Madeline and I met in grad school and lived together for two years. She talked me into doing my first (and only so far) triathlon, we also ran the Hood to Coast Relay together. In the past, pre-corpßonore she helped me eat appropriately the day of or night before a big performance or audition. I would never have known or thought about some of the things she suggested.

The Details

We are working hard to creat podcast episodes that feature different musicians from all genres. Our goal is to explore the musician beyond the music. So you will hear some personal questions and responses. We have a fantastic list of guests lined up so make sure to subscribe!

Our online publication will be available at https://www.corpsonore.com starting November 1st, and will also be delivered directly to our subscribers via newsletter. Our articles cover everything from time management, to music reviews, shoulder tension releasing techniques, recipes, the negative effects of sugar, and so much more. We want this to be interesting and appealing to a wide audience.

We offer workshops, classes, lessons, coachings, masterclasses, and guidance via the internet and in person. If this is something you are interested in learning more about please leave us a message, send an email, or stay tuned for more info.

What can you do?

1. Subscribe to our website here

2. Subscribe to our podcast (more details coming soon).

3. Tell us what you want to know about (you can tell me directly via Active Violinist too)

4. What musical guests do you want to hear from on our show? Who are you curious about? We want to hear from you - it can be anyone from that street performer you walk by everyday on your way to work, to your absolute favorite DJ. It doesn’t matter, we want to talk to them!

5. Are you the owner of a business, teaching studio, etc.? We would love to hear from you and craft creative ways to engage with the music community through partnerships and much more.

6. Share this with your friends, family, and aqcuaintances and help us build momentum.

7. Follow us on facebook, twitter, and Instagram.

You can email me directly at hannah@activeviolinist.com or corpsonore.sbw@gmail.com with questions, queries, suggestions, support, words of wisdom, dream podcast guests, or whatever you have up your sleeve or in your cauldron.

Lastly, A massive thank you to the incredibly talented Meghan Irwin for the creation of our logo and branding. You simply MUST check out more of her work here and follow her beautiful creations on Instagram. Fun fact: Meghan and I have known eachother for over 10 years, and she also created the Active Violinist Logo AND the 100 Days of Practice charts and certificates available in my shop. I truly want corpßonore - sound // body // wellness to be successful so I can pay her what she is truly worth as an artist, collaborator, designer, and creator.

Thank you!