'The Anvil' (2018-19) – for soprano, baritone, chamber choir, youth choir, chorus and orchestra
Emily Howard (music), Michael Symmons Roberts (text)
- Submitting institution
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Royal Northern College of Music
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
- Output identifier
- 28D
- Type
- J - Composition
- Month
- July
- Year
- 2019
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
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- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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1
- Research group(s)
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1 - Composition
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- ‘The Anvil’ for massed choirs and orchestra (320 people) explores the universal longing for suffrage, protest and liberty. It builds upon, refines and synthesises mathematically derived compositional devices, both conceptual and technical, which have been explored within an existing body of orchestral works (including ‘Axon’ (2013), ‘Torus’ (2016), ‘sphere’ (2017)) with an extended exploration of vocal writing within the context of a chamber opera (‘To See The Invisible’ (2015-18), Aldeburgh Festival 2018).
Starting with the 1819 Peterloo massacre in Manchester, initial research included undertaking the ‘Peterloo Massacre Walk’ (Schofield, January 2018) and group discussions with Dublin’s immersive theatre group ANU Productions (MIF collaborators). Conversations with RNCM musicologist Rachel Johnson about music in Manchester in 1819 led to the decision to reference 19th-century hymn tunes. The composer’s preoccupation with mathematical patterns and structures influenced the poet’s decision to create the grid-shaped text, then interpreted by the composer in the construction of a dramatic arc for the work.
The composer spent extensive time with each choir and vocal soloist exploring how best to achieve vocal music that relates meaningfully to the composer’s existing instrumental language (often featuring microtonality and extended techniques) while prioritising practical and rewarding writing for community choirs not required to read music, new music specialists, opera singers, orchestras and youth choirs.
Commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and Manchester International Festival, and nominated for an Ivor Novello Award, ‘The Anvil’ was first performed by Kate Royal, Christopher Purves, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Singers, Hallé Choir, Hallé Youth Choir and Hallé Ancoats Community Choir, conducted by Ben Gernon at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, as part of the Manchester International Festival, 7 July 2019; and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 16 August 2019, the 200th anniversary of Peterloo. An online video-score of the world première is available worldwide via PRiSM YouTube.
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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