Scales of Rejoicing

Happy New Year!

The end of the Christmas season always makes me think of the closing of W.H. Auden's "For the Time Being", an extended poetic work Auden intended to be the libretto for an oratorio by Benjamin Britten. I learned about this work from my first solfa teacher and have been somewhat obsessed with it and the collaborations between Auden and Britten (including Hymn to St. Cecilia, one of my all-time favorite pieces of music) ever since.

"For the Time Being" contains the characters from the biblical Nativity story: Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, shepherds, Magi -- there's even a chilling and gorgeous stanza spoken by the Star in the east, but this ain't your mamma's Christmas story. The turmoil of the early 20th century and the struggles of human beings at that time to adjust to technology and its effects on culture are infused into the story, along with Auden's own personal struggles with faith and societal acceptance. "For the Time Being" is certainly and identifiably a product of its own time and circumstances, but for me, it also transcends that time, especially when Auden says this:

"...In the meantime
There are bills to be paid, machines to keep in repair,
Irregular verbs to learn, the Time Being to redeem
From insignificance. The happy morning is over,
The night of agony still to come; the time is noon:
When the Spirit must practise his scales of rejoicing
Without even a hostile audience, and the Soul endure
A silence that is neither for nor against her faith...."

Early January feels very bleak sometimes, when it's just after New Year's and everyone is trying to get to the gym, re-establish routine, eat more carefully, save money, be nicer to their relatives....it's a time of great energy and great promise, but the departure of holiday glamor can make for a rough go. I think that's what Auden meant by "scales of rejoicing" -- a new season of work has begun, and we are the ones who must find joy in it, 'cause Johnny Mathis doesn't sing any songs about January.

So, since this is the solfa blog, after all, let's see what we can do with a few scales of rejoicing:

Rising Level 2's

Your scales of rejoicing are: A major, E major, B major, F-sharp major, and C-sharp major.

Each day, use your tuning fork to find and establish one of these keys, then sing the scale in solfa & letter names.

Finally, find an Ottman example of your choice in that key and sing through it in solfa (or in letters, if you're feeling frisky).

Rising Level 3's

Your scale of rejoicing is Mixolydian mode (refer to "Modes Made Easy" in the right toolbar if you need to refresh your memory).

Each day, use your tuning fork to find and establish 2 different tonics (try to get through 12 possible starting points over the course of the week, avoiding double-flats) and sing Mixolydian mode with two different solfa systems, then in letter names.

After that, find an Ottman example of your choice that shares a tonic with one of your scales of the day and sing through it. If you're feeling ambitious, try changing the example into Mixolydian mode (meaning that you change "ti" to "ta")...obviously, this will work best if you choose examples in major keys.

Rising Level 4's

Your scale of rejoicing is Lydian mode (refer to "Modes Made Easy in the right toolbar if you need to refresh your memory).

Each day, use your tuning fork to find and establish 2 different tonics (try to get through 12 possible starting points over the course of the week, avoiding double-sharps) and sing Lydian mode with two different solfa systems, then in letter names.

After that, find an Ottman example of your choice that shares a tonic with one of your scales of the day and sing through it. Now, go back through the same example and change any "fa" to "fi". Does it sound modal, or does it sound like you're just tonicizing the dominant?

And, to close with yet more rejoicing...welcome to Baby Addie and congratulations to Mama Megan!!!