Mattachinism from Connections Drawn by Cherry Mint Koala
An original arrangement adapting melodic and harmonic elements of 'Mattachins (Sword Dance)' from the Capriol Suite, composed by Peter Warlock in 1926. The Capriol Suite was itself an adaptation of pieces from Thoinot Arbeau's 'Orchésographie', a manual of Renaissance dances first published in 1589.
As with the previous Chopin piece, this was something I had to slow down to use in a dance class setting, but only a little bit in this instance as it was still going to be used for allegro work. Doing that brings it into a more regular pop/dance music tempo (approx 130bpm) and combined with some elements of syncopation, the whole thing really begins to get into a pretty irresistible groove.
Which is where the idea of connecting it with early 90s piano-driven house music comes in! Not that I had any intention of recording it to a click and adding actual beats, but I was intrigued by the idea of using some chunky repetitive rhythmic figures of that period style, breaking up the melody into pieces and adding some suitably arpeggiated strings (check out 1.16 - 2.30).
And in another 90s dance music connection, the weirdly unpredictable harmonic sequence at 4.03 - lifted from Warlock's piece - reminds me very strongly of the work of techno explorers Orbital.
The other feature I introduced is the 'riff of fifths' (try repeating that in quick succession...) which crops up a couple of times: first at 0.38, then again at 2.59. Primarily a means of varying the harmony underneath the melody, it also happens to carry some heavy hints of heavy rock.
All in all, this piece is absolutely crammed full of exuberant delight. And there's something really thrilling about how a manual of Renaissance dances published in 1589 gets connected to the rave/dance music explosion 500 years later via an early 20th century maverick British composer with a somewhat wild reputation.
This is one of two tracks which will reappear in a slightly different form on the next Mark Northfield album ('Lifetime Playback') recorded at the same time as 'Connections Drawn'. Expect handclaps!
Tracklist
| 5. | Mattachinism | 5:13 |
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Pianist and singer/songwriter from Berkshire, England. Also founder member of piano trio Cherry Mint Koala. Mark makes eclectic, melodic and slightly melancholic pop/rock, with prominent classical and theatrical influences. Often collaborates with other vocalists drawn from a variety of genres. Somewhat unpigeonholeable.