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Ommadawn

Classical Music

When  we  use  the  term 'Classical Music' to define a musical work, we are bestowing  upon  it  an  air  of  importance that suggests something of the quality  of  the  music.  The  words  have a cultural significance that can radically  alter  the  way  a piece of music is heard - just as we take a man more seriously  when  he  is  dressed in a suit than when that same man is dressed in plain clothes, so do we consider a piece of music more carefully when it is  presented to us as classical music than when it is given some other title.

Yet  when  it  comes  down  to  it,  'classical  music' is a somewhat loose definition. It covers  a  wide  range of styles, from orchestral music to electronic  music.  It  is  therefore  surprising  the difficulty that some musicians  experience in gaining credibility in the eyes of other musicians by presenting their music as classical.

Ethnomusicologists have, in the past, experienced this problem. Much of the writings on ethnic music have been devoted to proving its worthiness to the Western  world.  Many  Westerners  have  been  (and  some still are) of the opinion  that  Western music is superior to music from other cultures; that it   is   technically   more  advanced  or  more  intelligently  conceived. Ethnomusicologists  have  spent  a  lot  of  time countering these cultural biases by demonstrating technicalities in the composition or performance of respective  ethnic  musics,  or  by  comparing  their cultural significance with  that  which  we  place  on  our  own  classical  music.  In this way, Ethnomusicologists  have  battled  for  the right to present the music they have researched as classical, thus obtaining for that music the notion that it is critically valid and has a significant place in the music hierarchy.

We  find  that  we  come  up  against  a  similar prejudice when presenting OMMADAWN as a classical work. The piece itself stands up well when compared to other works given the title 'classical' - there is evidence of careful and intelligent  composition,  it  relies  completely  on  theme  and  thematic variation,  it  is highly moving and succeeds in communicating the emotions which  the composer intended to communicate. The problem with describing it as classical music, therefore, is not musicological, but cultural. Firstly, the   composer,   Mike  Oldfield,  is  self-taught  and  therefore  is  not 'classically  trained'.  Secondly,  it  employs  instruments  such  as  the electric  guitar  which  is  not  generally  conceived  to be an instrument deserving  of  any special distinction. This is because of its associations with  the  likes of such distortion artists as Jimi Hendrix, which have led some to dismiss the instrument itself because it is constantly butchered by a  number of its players. This is despite the fact that the electric guitar is  a  powerful  instrument  capable  of  vast  possibilities  for creative expression. Finally, and most importantly, OMMADAWN was originally released as a rock work - rock music having a low status in the eyes of those who call themselves Classical musicians.

But what makes OMMADAWN rock music? Most people's conception of a rock work is a short piece of music featuring a predominance of electric instruments; a  singer who provides a focus for listening; and a drum kit which gives the listener a 'feeling for the beat.'  OMMADAWN is around twenty minutes long; it  is  played by an ensemble which places equal importance on electric and acoustic  instruments', there is no lead singer, although voices are used as an  instrument;  and  a  conventional  drum kit  is replaced by a percussion
section  which  features  a  compliment of African drums  Clearly, OMMADAWN does  not  sit  easily  with  the 'rock'  label.  Although it does contain elements  of rock, it is so far removed from the mainstream as to fall in a class  of its own. In fact, it seems to sit somewhere in the middle between the genre of rock and the genre of Western classical music. Because of this we  can  see  no reason why OMMADAWN cannot be described as classical music just as easily as it can be dismissed as rock.

In  the  past,  OMMADAWN has been presented as both on many occasions. Mike Oldfield,  in  his  own  live  performances  of OMMADAWN, stressed the rock elements  by  shortening the work, adding two drum kits and removing most of the acoustic instruments.  On the other hand, music graduate and Avant-garde composer  David  Bedford  rearranged  OMMADAWN  for  an  orchestra  in  his performances  of  the  work  to  a  classical  audience.  Our performance of OMMADAWN will  feature a mixture of acoustic and electric instruments, as did  the  original recording. We do not feel that the instrumentation needs to be significantly altered in order for the work to stand up in front of a critical audience. As it stands in this hybrid form, OMMADAWN is an unusual and  fascinating  composition. We believe it deserves classical recognition as  such. We hope that you will consider this in your listening of OMMADAWN and that the work will challenge your own definition of classical music.

The Progressives

There  is a history of events in the world of rock music which explains why OMMADAWN  is  as  it  is.  During  the  late  '60's  and  early  70's,  the 'progressive rock movement' caused critics to re-evaluate their conceptions of  popular  music.  Previously  a  style considered limited and trivial by serious musicologists, the progressives made use of sophisticated recording technology  to  compose  complicated  music  using basic rock materials (i.e. electric  instruments,  syncopated  rhythms,  etc.) in order to propel their music to a higher cultural status.

This  movement  had many reverberations and was expressed in many different ways. Pink  Floyd stuck (in general) to the basic rock song formula, but incorporated  into  their  music various 'studio effects' which transcended the limitations  of  their instruments and helped to create a 'psychedelic atmosphere'  which conveyed  a  cultural and political  message.  John McLaughlin  and  his  'Mahavishnu  Orchestra' absorbed jazz influences from such  artists as Miles Davis and produced 'fusion jazz/rock' which featured long improvised virtuosic solos and complex orchestration blending acoustic and  electric  sounds.  The  'Soft Machine' assimilated rock, jazz, and the classical styles of minimalism and avant-garde, which resulted in a bizarre mixture  of  accessibility  and abstraction. This movement also brought out into the open the enigmatic figure of Mike Oldfield.

Mike Oldfield

The  secret to Mike Oldfield (and indeed, the secret to OMMADAWN - for if the work  has  a programme at all, it is in the character of its composer) lies in  Oldfield's  troubled  and  introspective past. During the course of his childhood  he  became  increasingly  detached  from  other people due to an unhappy  family  situation.  He  retreated  completely into music, spending every  second  he could practicing the guitar, until music became his prime medium of communication.

At  the  age  of  14 he formed a folk band with his sister Sally called the SallyAngie.  However  his  virtuosic playing and unusual techniques brought him in contact  with the world of progressive rock. He became enlisted by ex-Soft  Machine  member Kevin Ayers into his progressive band 'Kevin Ayers and  the  Whole  World'.  This  quirky,  idealistic  group  dabbled  in  an extraordinary mixture of styles, from Mississippi jazz to minimalism. Terry Riley,  the  famous  minimalist who inspired Steve Reich, had been involved with  the  Soft  Machine  and  had  interested  Kevin  Ayers  (who  in turn influenced Mike Oldfield) in the art of repetition.

It  was  around  this  time  that Mike Oldfield began to conceive his first work,  TUBULAR  BELLS, a project he completed in 1973 after the Whole World had  split  up. A 50 minute collage of rock motifs, TUBULAR BELLS was based around  an  hypnotic Terry Riley-like figure that opened the work. It was a phenomenal  success  as  a  rock  album and was popular all over the world, establishing  for  itself  a  legendary  position in the history of popular music.  Especially  noteworthy  about this work was the way in which it was constructed - Oldfield played nearly all of the instruments himself and built up the texture with hundreds of overdubs.  This innovative technique ensured the  popularity  of  the album and kept it at the top of the British charts for over a year.

However, Mike Oldfield found this success difficult to cope with.  Terrified of  the  attention  he  was  receiving,  he  retreated to a remote part of Herefordshire  on  the  Welsh  Marches  and  refused  to be interviewed. He adopted a quiet, introspective lifestyle, playing with model aeroplanes and strolling  through  the  lush green countryside. It was here that he gained the  inspiration  for  his  next  work,  HERGEST RIDGE - named after a nearby location of great significance in Celtic mythology. A more homogeneous work than  TUBULAR  BELLS,  HERGEST  RIDGE  featured a choir and strings section which,  according  to  music scholar Bernard Benoliel, 'adds a richness and serenity which heighten the pastoral intensity'.

OMMADAWN  is a matured sequel to HERGEST RIDGE. Mike Oldfield explained that  it  was  written  at a very emotional time when he found himself at a 'crossroads'  in  his  life. As he came into contact with other people more and  more,  Oldfield  had  to  deal  with  many of his unresolved problems. OMMADAWN  became  a very important project for Mike Oldfield, a vehicle for looking into himself and for releasing his anger at the pains of life. This infusion  of  passion  directed the music from beginning to end, and in its execution  it  left  behind the patchy TUBULAR BELLS and the static HERGEST RIDGE.

OMMADAWN  is consequently  an  excursion  through the psyche of a troubled mind.  In  its episodicity,  we are propelled through Oldfield's turbulent emotions,  and through  a  series  of climaxes, are led to experience the height  of his joy and anguish. Without pompous attests at grandiosity, the music  subtly exposes  the  workings  of  Oldfield's  inner  self  This is important  to understand  lest  one gets the impression that OMMADAWN is a random  medley of different styles - it is intended to be a unified sequence of moods based on related melodic materials.

Incantations

After 1975 and the release of OMMADAWN, Mike Oldfield took some time out to deal  with his personal problems once and for all. He undertook a course in Exegesis which involved a rebirthing experience and was forever changed. He went  on  to  release a four-movement work called INCANTATIONS. This is the most  complex and impressive of Oldfield's compositions. It is on a grander scale  to  his  earlier  works  and  is  carefully  structured  and slickly presented.

INCANTATIONS employs a kind of intervallic minimalism, being based entirely on  the intervals of a major second and a perfect fifth (from the harmonics of a guitar). Complex patterns contrived from series of these intervals are flamboyantly  presented by a flute in the first movement and by an electric guitar  and  vibraphone  duet in the fourth. INCANTATIONS demonstrated that Mike  Oldfield's talent for original composition was becoming increasingly more refined.

However,  by this stage Oldfield's popularity amongst the rock audience was waning.  Mike Oldfield's music had originally appealed to the record-buying public  who  were  looking  for  something  different. Although he had been conscious  of  the  fact  that  he  wanted  people  to  buy  and  like  his compositions,  Oldfield  had  not  needed  to  compromise his creativity to appeal  to  a commercial audience before. He had had the freedom to compose his own music in his own way - a freedom that some classical composers in the past have  only  dreamed  of.  But when INCANTATIONS was released in 1978, tastes had changed and the Punk Rock era had begun.

The Music Business

Possibly  the  greatest damage to the composition of Mike Oldfield's music has  been  inflicted by  his  own  record  company. Virgin  Records  have increasingly  assumed a tyrannical  control  over  Oldfield's  career and compositional  style as time has gone on. After the release of INCANTATIONS Virgin turned their backs on Mike Oldfield and were no longer interested in promoting  his  music. They  refused  to  release any of his further works unless they were more suitable for the then current commercial market.

Oldfield  was  not  able to sever his ties with the record company that. Was constricting  his  compositional  freedom.  The  contract  he had made with Virgin  was  legally very tight and he was bound to write at least ten more albums for them at only 5% royalties. This is ironic as it was the sales of TUBULAR  BELLS,  Virgin's  first release, that had financially secured the company  and  its  manager  Richard Branson. Oldfield consequently had to change his compositional style, making INCANTATIONS the last of its kind.

From  then  on, Mike Oldfield's  compositions were a result of conflicting interests - those  of  his  record  company's  and  those of his own creative designs. Although he still enjoyed his compositions, he was constantly at odds with Virgin Records who wanted him to write more mainstream works.

Because  of  this  he  lost a great deal of critical interest. Many of his earlier  followers  were disappointed with his 'new sound' and gave up the serious  consideration of such works as OMMADAWN. Oldfield quickly became an anachronism  in  the  eyes of those listeners and to the pop culture of the 80's with whom he never completely managed to establish a lasting rapport.

Oldfield's  career has been a classic example of what happens when an artist is  compelled  to  compromise his or her work for a commercial audience. His later  works were enjoyable and interesting, but in no way did they approach the same intellectual level of the more mature of his early compositions.

So  OMMADAWN  is  a  relic - it  is  representative of a  style of classical composition  that has never been touched again. No-one else has ever written anything  quite  like it and it is possible that no-one ever will. It is one of  a  scant  few  members of  an  otherwise untouched genre which remains unexplored  to this day. In rearranging OMMADAWN we have dragged it from its grave  for  a  re-examination. We hope to in some way draw attention to this virgin  territory  so  that  people  of this age can look over it, nod their heads and acknowledge that it is there.

This kind of attitude is extremely important in our times as the world moves to  multicultural  acceptance. Just as we do so politically, so must this be reflected  in  the  music  of our generation. In a few years we will see the turn of the millennium and the genre of 21st Century Music will begin to come into  being. In its own way, OMMADAWN represents an ideal picture of a music from  a  utopian  future, a music which embraces as equals the influences of folk,  ethnic,  popular  and classical styles. The sooner that serious music begins  to  open  itself up to new inspiration from other genres, the sooner will it develop  exciting  new areas in the compositional art. OMMADAWN may be but a simple excursion into a novel form, of Assimilationism; even so it does suggest a path of considerable potential.

The Arrangement

This  arrangement was originally intended as a transcription of OMMADAWN to be  used  as  course  materials  for  the School Certificate OMMADAWN study offered at Dilworth School. We embarked upon this project in September 1993 with  this  purpose in mind. However, as the project developed, we realised that  a  reduction  of  the score for a small group of classroom performers would  be  impractical  and would not do justice to the original recording. Furthermore, as we dissected the music we came to discover many interesting features  in  its structure and thematic manipulation which caused us to be interested in presenting the piece to a classical audience.

We decided that an arrangement that remained close to the original scope and  instrumentation  of  the  recording  was  necessary  for  this kind of performance.  We  completed  the  transcription  early  in  March  1994 and immediately  began  work  on  the rearrangement, at the same time enlisting musicians keen to perform it.

OMMADAWN  uses  several  electric  guitar  sounds - we decided to conserve on electric  guitars  and  incorporated  only  one in this arrangement, giving other  parts to the violin, flute, synthesiser and piano. We rearranged the vocal parts for a full choir and extended the roles of the 'cello, acoustic guitars  and  trumpets.  We  also replaced the recorder with a clarinet and extended its role in the piece. Owing to the complexity of the African drum section  (played  by  the  African  group  Jabula  in the original) we have simplified the drum parts for six unspecified drums.

In  late  May,  a  rough  form of the arrangement was completed. During the following  months  the  parts were written out, the arrangement was revised and most of the performers were organised.

Rehearsals began in August but were hampered by conflicting commitments and examinations  Despite these, this difficult piece has come together well.

Today's  performance  is  the  end result of a year's work. It is the first time  that  OMMADAWN  has  been  performed in New Zealand. We hope that you enjoy  OMMADAWN  and  that  you will appreciate the hard work that has gone into it.

Many thanks also to the performers who voluntarily sacrificed their time to rehearse  and  perform  our  pet project. Thanks also to our conductor Owen Workman,  who  has  been teaching OMMADAWN to secondary school students for around ten years. Both he and the Dilworth Chapel Choir have simultaneously been  involved  in  the  production  of  Owen's  own musical at Dilworth: we appreciate  the  extra  time  put in to OMMADAWN. We hope that all involved have  enjoyed  the  experience  of  performing  in this 'different' kind of ensemble.

Michael Arnold