The Padstow Lifeboat Op. 94 (1967) by Composed by Malcom Arnold, Arranged by Ray Woodfield (67-69)

Who composed The Padstow Lifeboat?

Malcolm Arnold

Who arranged The padstow Lifeboat for concer band?

Ray Woodfield

When was The Padstow Lifeboat premier3ed?

June 10, 1967

Where was The Padstow Lifeboat premiered?

At the BBC international Festival of Light Music

What band did Arnold conduct for the premiere of The Padstow Lifeboat?

Black Dyke Mills Band and the BMC Band

What is the BMC?>

British Motor Corporation

The 2 bands in the premiere for the Padstow Lifeboat were of what musical family?

Brass bands

Who conducted the march for the Padstow Inaugural ceremony?

Malcolm Arnold

When was the Padstow inaugural ceremony?

July 19, 1968

What ensemble performed the Padstow Lifeboat at the Inaugural ceremony?

The St. Dennis Silver Band

What was Arnold’s most popular compositions?

The Padstow Lifeboat march

What was The Padstow Lifeboat initially scored for?

A brass band

What has The padstow Lifeboat been arranged for?

Concert band and also for orchestra

The orchestra version of The Padstow Lifeboat uses what opus number?

94a

What version of the Padstow Lifeboat is used in our guide?

The concert band recording

Are all 3 versions of the Padstow Lifeboat structured similarly?

Yes

What is the form of The Padstow Lifeboat?

Multithematic form

What is multithematic form common in?

Marches and ragtime

What is multithematic form nicknamed?

March form

Describe multithematic form

It uses multiple strains and usually the strains are repeated with slightly different instrumentation or with a countermelody

What are strains in multithematic form?

Name for melodies

What group does Arnold ask t play a countermelody during the repetition of the B strain?

The high woodwinds

The high woodwinds play a countemrelody during what repetition of the B strain?

The first repetition, or second time going through the strain

Mmany marches feature a later strain t hat is both _________ and ____________ and employs ____________

Loud and aggressive; call-and-repsonse

What is the loud, aggressive section which often employs call and response called in marches?

A break-strain or “dog-fight”

Which melody in Arnold’s work can be called a “dog-fight?”

The C elody

What is another name for break-strain?

A “dog-fight”

The C melody in padstow Lifeboat has a very ______ quality

Stormy

Near the end of a march it is common to repeat….

The strain louderm and more slowly

What expressive level often labels the repetition of a strain near the end of apiece?

“grandioso”

What section of The Padstow Lifeboat is labeled “grandioso?”

The coda

The coda is a repetition of what melody?

The B melody

What is a stinger In March form?

When the full ensemble plays a loud staccato note or chord at the very end

What occurs at the very end of The Padstow Lifeboat?

A stinger note

Despite the use of typical march features the Padstow Lifeboat is…

Not a typical march

How long into The Padstow Lifeboat can you tell it isn't a typical march?

Seconds into the work

What occurs in the opening seconds of the work which hints at its uniqueness as a march?

The majority of the and plays a brisk syncopated opening rhythm which is interrupted by a ff blast from the horns and others in a different key

What pitch do the horns and other instruments interrupt the opening rhythm with?

D natural

What is the Padstow Lifeboats tonic key?

Ab major

Is D natural in Ab major?

No

After the interruption by the horns in ff, what occurs?

The band reenters with its melody a step lower but is interrupted again

Through the padstow Lifeboat what keeps occuring?

The out-of-key blaring keeps breaking in as the full ensemble plays on

What turned the Padstow Lifeboat into a programmatic work?

The juxtaposition between melody and blasts

What do the ff interuptions represent programmatically?

The sound of the Trevose Head Lighthouse foghorn

How did Arnold hear the sound of the trevose horn lighthouse?

While he lived in Cornwall

What did Arnold recall about the foghrn at the lighthouse?

It always varied between Middle C and D

What did Arnold note in the score about the foghorn-esque blasts in the work?

That for the sake of musical unity the foghorn remains D throughout the march

Although the blasts are ________ they are surprisingly _______ as well

Jarring; amusing

How does the image of the Trevose Lighthouse depict why a lifeboat was often needed at Padstow?

Because off the angry surf in the image

What programmatic element does the break-strain portray?

A turbalent sea

What musical features occur in the break-strain to portray the turbulent sea?>

Rapid chromatic scales and glissandos which resemble churning waves and cymbals with long crescendos adding to the terrifying effect

What contributes to the terrifying effect during the break-strain?

Cymbal cresendo

What do biographers believe about Arnold’s Padstow Lifeboat story?

That he was depicting an actual dramatic rescue that the Padstow lifeboat had performed during a storm

What date was the rescue that biographers reference in regard t Padstow Lifeboat?

November 23, 1965

What is a coxwain?

The leader of the lifeboat

What was the coxwain of the Nov 23 1965 rescue awarded?

A silver medal for his bravery

Is it known whether or not Arnold’s work actual depicts a specific rescue?

No

Compared to a typical march, Arnold’s march contains a deal more __________

Drama

What did ARnold say to an itnerviewer in 1984 about the Padstow Lifeboat?

“Of all my brass and band pieces, it is Padstow Lifeboat which I like best.”

How does Padstow Lifeboat open?

A 2 measure pattern in the band

Describe the introduction of Padstow Lifeboat

2 measure pattern → foghorn → 2 measure pattern STEP LOWEr→ foghorn → band and foghorn alternate → band plays descending line → foghorn

What occurs at the start of the first A section of the Padstow Lifeboat?>

The first strain is played in piano with frequent foghorn blasts.

How does the first A section end?

Ff brass play rising and descending scale followed by foghorn

Are all the A sections exactly alike?

Yes the last one features repeated notes with a small ritardando leading into the coda at the end k

How many A sections are there?

3

How many B sections are there?

3 including the CODA

How many C sections are there?

2

What occurs at the start of the B section?

A lyrical conduct melody is played in low brass at piano dynamic

What occurs in the latter half of the first two B sections?

Crescendos and diminuendos

What is the difference between the first and second B sections?

The second one features a countermelody in high winds as the low brass lay

What occurs at the start of the first C section?

Brass play ff, winds play chromatic scales, and cymbals roll for a stormy effect

How many times is the beginning of the C section played before the section moves on to new material?

3 times in sequence

The playing of the C section opening 3 times in the first C section depicts what ?

The “dog-foight”

What occurs after the dog-fight in the first C section?

Trombone glissandos which are answered by repetitive pitches in higher instruments which is all repeated 3 times

What occurs at the end of the first C section?

Glissandos and chromatic scales in clse succession

How do the fisrt and second C section differ?

The second one features a foghorn at the end after repeating the same material from the fist C section

What occurs in the COda of Padstow Lifeboat?

It is played grandioso and features 4 lyrical phrases in brass with a busy countermelody in winds and ends with a stinger note