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Royals and Peasants

Royals and Peasants, for String Quartet

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Performed by:

Chua Lik Wuk, Violin I

Ng Yu Ling, Violin II

Oh Han Ling, Viola

Chan Wei Shing, Cello

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"The Living Composers Series: Preamble" 

10th January 2020

LASALLE College of the Arts

 

Live engineered by: Fairuz Ramlan and Ernest Foo Mixed and Mastered by: Ernest Foo

Videography by: Diana Chong

This piece begins with a strong majestic theme, followed by a more graceful section to represent the Royals. It then leads to a livelier section featuring a pentatonic melody sung by the Peasants. The Royal sections are achieved by using dense chords and sophisticated harmonic movements, while the Peasants’ tune features simple accompaniment that occasionally repeats and overlaps to create a scenario of the common folks singing and dancing.

The Royals and the Peasants crosses path when the pentatonic melody is introduced with sophisticated harmonies. It creates an interesting blend as the overlapping tune and the harmonies complement each other while staying in their own integrities. The Royals are dancing with the songs and the Peasants are celebrating the knights’ glory —— a scene of the two classes in rejoicing in rapprochement.

This metaphorically reflects the theme of fusing jazz and classical in one. This piece bases on a more 20th century classical sound, but there are jazz influences throughout. The verticals are voiced in a manner leaning towards jazz, as well as blues note within the Peasant section. At the main climaxes, the main melody includes major seventh notes for each dominant seventh chords in the II-V-I progressions to achieve the feel of “complementing by ignoring each other.”

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