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Saturday 14 April 2012

Titanic

You can hardly fail to have noticed that 15th April 2012 marks 100 years since the Titanic sank. The airwaves are awash with dramatisations, recollections and analysis (would it be disrespectful to mention "cashing in"?) A hundred years ago things were different; but as early as 1912 the first of many films were being made (click for list). And in an age before everyone had radios and records, but more people had pianos, sheet music was much more prevalent. Most young girls had piano lessons, and my Nan was no exception. Born in 1901 she would have been eleven when she carefully wrote her name on her copy of Haydon Augarde's "The Wreck of the Titanic - a descriptive musical sketch for the piano". With the help of sellotape the music has survived, and if you want to have a go at playing it click on the images below. And many thanks to Emily who played it for me.

In case the music itself doesn't convey the story, the sections are annotated.


Afloat on the ocean blue
The ship's bell rings for the departure of the Titanic
Cheers
Goodbye
Smoothly sailing
Dance on board "The sailors two step"
Crash
An iceberg
Full speed ahead
Too late
Excitement on board
Lower the boats
Captain cried "Women and children first"
Lowering the life boats
Nearer my God to thee (sung on board the doomed ship)
The Carpathia arrives and saves many lives
Buried at sea - Chopin's Funeral March









2 comments:

derekt said...

Hey, what's all this about - "Thanks to Emily for playing it for me"? I thought you were teaching yourself to play the piano? Judith - who still finds playing with both hands tricky said that even she could have a go at that.
I've printed it off, thank you and we can both give it a try. Some good 'borrowing' of themes in it.

NB we saw the 2011 TV film here on French TV, where it was presented as being historically very accurate.

Strickley said...

My piano practice has been a bit curtailed for various reasons (one being we only light the stove at weekends in the sitting room), but I hope to get down to it again soon. I could probably manage the right hand - or the left - but definitely not together!