"Palladio" Music Analysis #2.
"Escala - Palladio"- 2nd Musical Analysis.
My second music analysis is about the Escala's version of Palladio.
This song was composed by Karl William Pamp Jenkins in 1995. It's name has caused a lot of discussions as to why it was called "Palladio". Which is simple to find out. It was inspired by a sixteenth-century Italian by the name of Andrea Palladio. Jenkins was inspired by the mathematical harmony and architectural elements of Andrea Palladio's work. After Jenkins published Palladio in 1996 an English string quartet, Escala, "recorded a version of Palladio in 2009 which featured on their self-titled debut album..." (Wikipedia). Later it would be released as a single and peak at number 39 on the UK Singles Chart. It stayed in the top 40 for a week.
Escala's version is composed by a few orchestra instruments: "contrabass, cello, electronic violins, viola, and one drum set" (WordPress). To understand Escala's version of Palladio, I will explain more about the original piece.
The original was made in three movements for string orchestra:
1. Allegro
2. Largo
3. Vivace
Allegro:
"The first movement utilizes unity, with the main theme being played in unison by the whole string orchestra. This small kernel of melodic material and movement is then taken and developed throughout all three movements, but most obviously in the first" (Classicalexburns).
The song adapts a baroque style in melody. The instruments all start together, blending in a beautiful clash until solo parts emerge, creating the suspenseful tone. Dynamics play a key role in building tension and drama to the piece.
Largo:
The second movement has the instruments playing all together again until a singular violin plays the main melody. The instruments playing the lower parts don't waver from the pulsating rhythms. "Unlike the First Movement, the second is very slow and solemn, creating a very different atmosphere. The solo violin sings above the accompaniment, highlighting some really heart-wrenching melodies" (Classicalexburns). Dynamics once again helps the melody. "...the accompaniment building with the intensity of the soloist, and then quickly dying away to create the vision of nothingness, perhaps" (Classicalexburns). While I don't think it dies exactly, it does fade. Effectively creating the vision of nothingness, but not quite dying, showing that there is still something there.
Vivace:
The last movement is quite different from the second. Moving quickly, it emphasizes the timbre. "The jaunty and brash melodic idea is repeated, steadily going through different harmonies for over two minutes" (Classicalexburns). Then the melody clams down and returns to sound like the first movement. "As aforementioned, with this score being inspired by Andrea Palladio, the harmony and structures are rigid and very mathematical, something that is less-heard of in the 21st Century" (Classicalexburns).
Escala takes the song into a more pop-rock version, utilizing the drums and electric instruments. They start with the suspenseful tone that carries throughout the piece. Instead of the song sounding like something a ballerina would dance to like in the original, Escala remakes it into something that could be used in a spy movie. Which, in my opinion, makes the song a lot cooler. As much as I love classical music in all its calm and relaxing nature (except for Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture), I also love when someone remakes these classics into a more modern twist. Not only does it show how creative the person is, it also shows that these pieces are truly timeless. Able to be played in any century and enjoyed by all ages.
Resources used:
Alex Burns, "Karl Jenkins: Palladio". Classicalexburns, Dec. 8, 2020. https://classicalexburns.com/2020/12/08/karl-jenkins-palladio-mathematically-structured-music/ . Accessed on Oct. 2, 2021
Escala-Topic, "Palladio". Escala, Nov. 1, 2015. https://youtu.be/aDYwXMNm7F4 Accessed on Oct. 2, 2021
mjlee13, "Palladio - Escala" WordPress, June 3, 2011 . https://mjlee133.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/palladio-escala/ Accessed on Oct. 2, 2021
Wikipedia, "Palladio (Jenkins)" Wikipedia, Last edited on Jan 28, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladio_(Jenkins) Accessed on Oct. 2, 2021
Hi Emily! I had never heard this song before you posted it here to share. I personally am not a big fan of this song. I don't really like music without words, unless it's a quick intro song to a show. This song is very dramatic to me. I do think it would be cool to see this performed live with instruments but it's certainly not something I would listen to on my way to work in the morning. You did a great job explaining the three different movements for string orchestra, but don't forget we were supposed to identify five musical elements of the song. Thanks for including your opinions and references! I did find those interesting :)
ReplyDeleteSo, I don't know a lot about this genre of music. I really couldn't find myself to stop it though. The tempo and the change in instruments really had me interested. It just seemed like a powerful song to me. I could see this being an amazing addition to a rock song. Now I have to learn about movements.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard a genre like this other than how people add bass boosting to classical songs. Overall I like it, seems like a good song to play during some sort of intense moment in a game or working out. If I had time for either of those I definitely would have this playing in the background. With the loud dynamic, it makes it seem like an entrance for someone in those wrestling shows. It's pretty nice overall. But with the song length and it repeating the chorus and keeping the same tempo, not sure if it'd be a very popular song. But I like it nonetheless!
ReplyDeleteThere's one song that this reminds me of but it isn't as rock sounding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzJjzEEphfM the poster of the song took the original music from Halo 3 ODST and added rain and thunder in the background. Makes a nice calming sound to listen to when trying to sleep (only song that I could think of when writing this comment).
DeleteHey! This was a amazing song. I don’t normally listen to this genre unless I’m doing school work. The beat and tempo made the song so upbeat you could move with it. Since you like this song you might really like the artist Lindsay stirling. She is a violinist that makes similar music.
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