The Fifth
Tom Service savours the sound of the fifth - an interval with many meanings, from mystic drone to military bugle call. With guests Jeremy Llewellyn and David Bruce.
Tom Service savours the sound of the fifth - an interval with many meanings, from mystic drone to military bugle call. He's joined by Early Music expert Jeremy Llewellyn who explains the significance of the fifth in medieval music, related to The Music of the Spheres and used to invoke the Almighty in religious chant; and by composer David Bruce, who describes how composers today find fresh uses for this primal sound. Tom finds the open, ringing sound of the fifth in all sorts of music, from a Buzzcocks guitar solo to a Bruckner symphony, providing the thrill of adventure in the Star Wars theme and underpinning the reels of Scottish bagpipe music.
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Music Played
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Aaron Copland
Fanfare for the Common Man
Performer: Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Performer: Antal Dor谩ti.- Decca.
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Arvo P盲rt
Nunc Dimittis
Performer: Choir of St. Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. Performer: Matthew Owens.- Decca.
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Benjamin Britten
Fanfare for St Edmundsbury
Performer: Philip Jones Brass Ensemble.- London.
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Traditional
Raga Behag (Alap)
Performer: Gundecha Brothers.- Sense World Music.
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Jean Sibelius
Symphony No.5 - Finale
Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker. Performer: Sir Simon Rattle.- Berlin Philharmonic Recordings.
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Buzzcocks
Boredom
- New Hormones.
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Giraut de Bornelh
Reis Glorios
Performer: Paul Hillier. Performer: Stephen Stubbs. Performer: Erin Headley.- ECM.
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Gyorgy Ligeti
Violin Concerto - 1st movement
Performer: Benjamin Schmid. Performer: Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Performer: Hannu Lintu.- Ondine.
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David Bruce
Fanfarron
Performer: San Diego Symphony. Performer: Jahja Ling.- Private Recording.
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Traditional
Redesdale Hornpipe
Performer: Jack Armstrong.- Saydisc.
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Anton Bruckner
Symphony no.4 - 1st movement
Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker. Performer: Klaus Tennstedt.- EMI Classics.
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笔茅谤辞迟颈苍
Beata viscera
Performer: The Hilliard Ensemble.- ECM.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No.9 - 1st movement
Performer: Berliner Philharmoniker. Performer: Herbert von Karajan.- DG.
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Mark Saul
The New Paradigm
Performer: Breabach.- Breabach Records.
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Joseph Haydn
Symphony No.104 - Finale
Performer: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Performer: Colin Davis.- Philips.
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Traditional
The Last Post
Performer: Unknown.- Private Recording.
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John Williams
Star Wars 聳 Main theme
Performer: Boston Pops Orchestra. Performer: John Williams.- PolyGram.
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Alexander Courage
Star Trek - TV theme
Performer: Boston Pops Orchestra. Performer: John Williams.- PolyGram.
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Richard Strauss
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Performer: Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Performer: Fritz Reiner.- RCA.
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Harrison Birtwistle
The Mask of Orpheus - Act 2 Scene 3
Performer: 大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra. Performer: Andrew Davis.- NMC.
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Prince
Purple Rain
Performer: Prince. Performer: The Revolution.- Warner Bros..
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Thomas Ad猫s
Violin Concerto - 1st movement
Performer: Anthony Marwood. Performer: Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Performer: Thomas Ad猫s.- EMI Classics.
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Piano Etude Book One No.2 聯Cordes a Vide聰
- Nonesuch.
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Antonio Vivaldi
Lauda Jerusalem
Performer: Bach Consort Wien. Performer: Ruben Dubrowsky.- Gramola.
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Paul Desmond
Take Five
Performer: The Dave Brubeck Quartet.- Columbia.
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Lionel Richie
Hello
Performer: Lionel Richie.- Motown.
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Elliott Carter
Symphonia
Performer: 大象传媒 Symphony Orchestra. Performer: Oliver Knussen.- DG.
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Arnold Schoenberg
Chamber Symphony no.1
Performer: Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Performer: Heinz Holliger.- Apex.
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Benjamin Britten
The Turn of the Screw - Prologue
Performer: Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Performer: Daniel Harding.- Virgin Classics.
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John Adams
Grand Pianola Music Part 2: On the Dominant Divide
Performer: San Francisco Symphony. Performer: Michael Tilson Thomas.- SFS Media.
Broadcasts
- Sun 1 Jul 2018 17:00大象传媒 Radio 3
- Sun 1 Mar 2020 17:00大象传媒 Radio 3
- Fri 6 Mar 2020 16:30大象传媒 Radio 3
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Podcast
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The Listening Service
An odyssey through the musical universe, presented by Tom Service