Vattendroppar

Rivers, streams, waterfalls. Fountains, ponds, lakes. Oceans, seas, gulfs. Rain, dew, tears… I’ll stop there. This is clearly neither the time nor place for me to wax poetical about the nature of water. I know enough philosophy to know that “one can never step into the same river twice,” and I know enough science to know that the human body is about 60-70% water. Beyond that, I would prefer to let “water music” tell us its tales. It is hardly surprising that composers have been moved since antiquity to celebrate one of nature’s primal elements. Moreover, so many composers either grew up along major waterways (witness last Friday’s On the Danube program) or have “sought the sea” in moments of inspiration. Tonight we sample from 500 years of such efforts.

Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) played a critical role in the formation of a modern, indigenous musical culture for his homeland. When Sibelius was born, Swedish was the most widely spoken language in Finland, but with the wave of nationalist sentiment sweeping Scandanavia in the late 1800s, he was eventually schooled in a Finnish-based academy. His musical interests manifested themselves quite early. And even though a career in music was not strongly encouraged by his parents, Sibelius persevered. Nature made a very strong impression on the young musician. His first composition, Vattendroppar (Water Droplets) written when he was 10 years old, certainly makes no grand statements. It is nothing more than a minute of playful pizzicato between violin and cello.

(c) Jason Stell