Vaughan Williams and his music for Scott

Alejandro Larumbe

12/1/2012

Captain Robert Falcon Scott wrote the last entry of his diary on Thursday, March 29,

1911. He was the final survivor of the party of five that reached the South Pole. He wrote until

he froze to death, and his journal, along with several letters and photographs were recovered

eight months after. Later on he became a British hero and as the story became well known in

England, Ralph Vaughn Williams became well aware of it. When he was asked to compose the

incidental music for the film, he accepted the collaboration. RVW had a clear vision of the

music, even before the film was actually made. The score for this film eventually evolved into a

new work, Sinfonia Antartica. Audiences favorably received this piece full of scenic landscapes,

new sonorities and vibrant orchestral colors. However, there has always been a mixed reaction

by critics and commentators, due to its apparent lack of coherence and formal processes that

arguably do not live up to the expectations of a 20th century symphony. In this paper, we will

discuss the compositional procedures that Vaughan Williams implemented to write the film

score, and the way he adapted this material for the further writing of the symphony. We will

assess the success of both pieces as individual entities, in function of their specific purposes, and

the way they intersect and depart from one another. Also, the status of Captain Scott as a hero in

RVW’s era is worth reviewing, as this may affect our perception of this score today.

1911 was the year of Scott’s final expedition. Even though defeated by his rival, Roald

Amundsen, in conquering the pole – he arrived there a month before Scott did- Scott became an

indisputable hero. He was truly a pioneer in Antarctic expedition, whose fatal Terra Nova

expedition was not his first. In 1895, Carsten Borchgrevink was the first man who claimed to

have stepped foot on the Antarctica. During the next twenty five years many nations including

England and Norway were motivated by national pride, scientific curiosity, and personal

ambition to organize Antarctic expeditions. In 1901, the Royal Geographical Society launched

its first expedition to the Antarctic – the Discovery- lead by Robert Falcon Scott. At that time,

Scott was dealing with the recent death of his father and brother, leaving him to financially

support his mother and unmarried sisters. This expedition would alleviate his financial need, and

despite his lack of knowledge of polar work, he was appointed as the “Expedition Commander.”

Among the men who went on that trip were Edgar Evans, and Dr. Edward Adrian Wilson, who

also accompanied and spent their final moments next to Scott in his next journey. On this

expedition that lasted two years, Scott, Ernest Shackleton, and the formerly mentioned Edward

Wilson, embarked on a ninety-three day sledging journey in Antarctica, which was the farthest

south any human had reached. Upon their arrival, they all suffered from scurvy, exhaustion, and

malnutrition.

Scott funded his second expedition partly by raising fifty-thousand dollars through

government and academic institutions’ donations. Private Sponsors, including Captain ‘Titus’

Oates, a member of the Terra Nova Expedition, also helped finance the trip. Scott announced that

this trip would not only conquer the South Pole, but he also claimed that it would be the greatest

scientific expedition to the Antarctic. Around that time Amundsen was supposed to be going to

the North Pole, leaving the south for Scott to discover. In June 1910, the Terra Nova began

sailing and during a stop in Melbourne they received a surprising telegram from Roald

Amundsen telling them that he had changed his mind and was also going south. It was

discovered later in history that Amundsen had changed his plans due to news of Cook and Peary

reaching the North Pole first. Amundsen was a professional explorer and had previous

experience in Polar Regions, and the idea of him reaching the South Pole first distressed Scott.

With him, Scott brought several crewmen, mechanical sleds, and dogs. Many of

the crewmembers were scientists, but none of them were expert explorers. Out of the four men

that joined him for the last march into the pole, Captain ‘Titus’ Oates and ‘Birdie’ Bowers had

never been in the Antarctic, and Edward Wilson and Edgar Evans had just as much experience as

Scott, having been there once, with him. This team contrasted with Amundsen’s crew, whom all

were expert explorers. After reaching the pole and finding that Amundsen was there a month

before, the return from it was rather difficult. This was caused by a mixture of circumstances: the

demoralization caused by the evident victory of Amundsen, extreme climate conditions, faulty

planning, and poor decision making. The most detrimental decisions were the dismissal of dogs

before reaching the pole, and the inclusion of an extra man to the final party, causing a faster

depletion of their resources. The crew died one by one, only eleven miles from a depot full of

provisions that would had saved their lives.

The notice spread quickly around England that Scott had found himself beaten by

Amundsen, and that he and that his crew died shortly after. Headlines such as ‘Eight days of

starvation’, ‘His dying Appeal to England’ and ‘Homage to the heroes’ were read in the

newspapers and a great sense of loss and mourn invaded England, comparable to the death of

Princess Diana in 19971. The photographs found on the rescue mission of the exhausted party

appealed to the public, but it was specially Scott’s diary and letters found under his arm, the

factor that made him a legend. If their bodies, with the pictures and letters were never found, the

impact of their death would have been less. But these materials fed the collective imagination of

                                                                                                                         1  Kearney,    50  

the British people, and gave their story more substance. The people embraced the image of

Scott’s epic tale, fighting bravely against the weather, hauling with his man to the last moment

the sledge with geological samples, caring for his starved, frost bitten, and tired companions, and

dying next to them just a few miles from the a depot full of provisions. The last section of the

Message to the public, one of the many letters left behind by Scott reads:

We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint, but bow to the will of Providence, determined still do to our best to the last. But if we have been willing to give our lives to this enterprise, which is for the honor of our country, I appeal to our countrymen to see that those who depend on us are properly cared for.

Had we lived, I should have a tale to tell of the hardihood endurance, and courage of my companions which would have stirred the hearth of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale, but surely, a great rich country like ours will see that those who are dependent on us are properly provided for.2

The tale did stir hearts, specially the story of Oates death. He was in very bad shape, and

he knew the end was close. On March 16 or Saturday 17, as appears in the published Scott

Journals, Scott wrote: “We can testify to his bravery. He has borne intense suffering for weeks

without complaint… He did not give up until the end… He slept through the night before last,

hoping not to wake; but he woke in the morning-yesterday. It was blowing a blizzard. He said, ‘I

am just going outside and may be some time.’ He went out into the blizzard and we have not seen

him since.’ 3This pure display of unsentimental, un self-pitying, self-sacrificing Englishness

attracted immensely the British people.

                                                                                                                         2  Scott,  422  3  Scott,  410  

Thousands of people attended the funerals of the heroes, and their story was told to

750,000 children on the same day. Scott’s wife – Kathleen Scott- was awarded “Wife of a Knight

Commander of the order of the Bath”, and her and the families of the victims were awarded

pensions. And to this story, Amundsen inevitably became the villain. To the eyes of the British,

he was an impostor that snuck to the pole behind Scott’s back, and his lack of professionalism

did not fit the idea of amateur heroism. On the same account, his use of dog sleds until the end

made his journey less physically toiling than Scott’s man hauling.

Vaughan Williams, whose patriotism is well known, always felt the need to help his

country during wartime. After his service during the Great War with the Royal Army medical

Corps in France, he lamented not continuing to be actively involved. RVW’s first incursion in

the film industry was in 1940, writing the music for the film, The 49th Parallel, and his consent in

doing so had a lot to do with this desire of helping his nation. Muir Mathieson, musical director

for the Crown Film Unit, wrote this about RVW:

‘When I went to see Vaughan Williams at his country home in the spring of 1940.’ Says Muir, ‘I found him strangely depressed at his inability to play a fuller part in the war. He felt that the musician had done little to express the spirit and resolve of the British people. At that time he was ‘doing his bit’ by driving a cart round the village and countryside, collecting scrap metal and salvage. (Vaughan Williams was then over 70 years [sic] of age). I told him the story of 49th Parallel and tried to show how the cinema could help to achieve those objects for which he was striving. His enthusiasm was wonderful. He set to work right away- and remember this was the first time he had ever consented to write for the screen. 4

Ursula Woods, RVW wife said:

Ralph had been a fairly regular cinema goer… He enjoyed films, though he maintained that the cinema had never been fantastic enough, and that no one had explored the possibilities of the medium. Disney, he said, had paved the way for an El Greco, who had not yet arisen, and he would have liked to work with Disney in a cartoon film. He was delighted when, in 1940, he was asked to write

                                                                                                                         4  Goldmark,  56-­‐7    

music for an exciting spy-adventure story, with an excellent cast, called 49th Parallel – an ex-pupil of his, Muir Mathieson, was the director of music for London Films, and it was to his suggestion that Ralph owed this invitation. He was rather dismayed to find that he had to write very fast: the first lot of material was wanted almost at once, but his ideas flowed, and there was no limitation on the size on composition of the orchestra. He became fascinated too by the split-hair timings: a second of music meant exactly a second of music and this was quite new frame to musical thought, He liked people at the studio and he thoroughly enjoyed a musical job to do. 5

By the mid 40’s more than three decades had passed since Scott and his crew’s death.

England, although in decadence, was still one of the most powerful nations in the world. They

took great pride in discovery and claiming new lands for the empire. The WWII had just ended,

and the reaffirmation of heroes was a necessary task to reinforce the nationalistic pride. And

Scott was quite a hero in the eyes of the British people. Surprisingly, when approached in 1947

by Ernest Irving, the Director of Music at Ealing Studios, to compose the music for Scott’s film,

he was hesitant at first about taking this job. Ursula VW recalls ‘He was at first reluctant to

commit so much time –but Irving was persuasive, and the idea of the strange world of ice and

storm began to fascinate him’. 6

This was the seventh film on which he collaborated, and the last that he composed the

entire soundtrack for. Since the beginning, he made clear that his artistic integrity was to be

preserved.

As regards the Scott film, I think before finally deciding I should like to have a conference with you and the producer, or director, whichever it is – I never know which is which – and see whether your, his and my ideas agree as to the sort of music required. I have very definite ideas and if they do not agree with his if might be rather difficult.7

                                                                                                                         5  Ursula  Vaugh  Williams,  239  6  Ursula  Vaughan  Williams,  279.  7  Grimley,  118  

Vaughan Williams started working in the score using a few stills, the script and

researching on his own. The first cue is an orchestral prelude, the main theme that will reoccur

later in the soundtrack in varied moods. This theme, labeled heroism in the sketches of the score,

starts with a rising whole tone scale with a neighboring semitone at the end. This gesture denotes

aspiration, heroism, and bravery. As Beckerman points out, “the oscillating semitone suggests

something darker, perhaps even the cruel Antarctic wind… Thus, we may have the impression

that the music somehow represents the vastness and alien hopelessness of Antarctica as well as

the courage of the men who are marching through it”.8 Aided by an orchestration based on brass

over string pizzicato accompaniment, this theme will be repeated and build up into a great

climax. The heroism theme sounds over the initial credits of the film, and rising to the climax at

the dedication of the film to “the co-operation of the survivors and relatives of the late members

of Scott’s Last Expedition.” The great climatic arrival coincides with the name of the producer,

Michael Balcon; followed by the names of the director, and the credit to Ealing Studios.

The next musical cue introduces the Antarctic landscape. A string cantilena flows over a

xylophone’s sixteenth notes, a gesture that gives a sense of danger to the passage. A horizon of

unending ice, water, and glaciers are depicted. Then the more exotic music of soprano and

female choir similar to a howling of wind help illustrate more inhospitable landscapes.

As we can hear in the Chandos recording of the film music, the scene where Scott talks to

his wife about a new adventure features a melancholic oboe solo and string accompaniment.

However, this section was almost entirely cut from the film except for a brief introduction.

Another large chunk of music that did not make it to the film was titled “Doom”. This is the

scene where Scott misleadingly invites Wilson in front of his wife into thinking that it would be                                                                                                                          8  Beckerman,  51  

the “greatest scientific expedition to date”. The music here is another variation of the heroism

theme, this time in a darker, almost sinister way. This is why it is understandable that this music

cue was missing in the final cut, since the purpose of the film was to enhance Scott’s image.

Following Scott’s departure from Wilson’s residence, his wife, Oriana embraces Wilson, a

highly dramatic gesture that is not accompanied by music. This example shows RVW’s

environmental use of music rather than the effectual pairing of action and music, which is termed

by Hollywood as “Mickey Mousing”.

When Nansen, Amundsen’s mentor, tells Scott, “This Antarctica place of yours is a cold

cold place, even worse than the north”, and then explains how dogs are better than machines in

the wilderness because of their resourcefulness, mysterious music accompanies, making the

scene and Nansen’s speech eerie. This mysterious theme includes an oscillating semitone in the

bass. 9

Then, for the first time in the film, we hear a cheerful tune, setting the stage for Scott in

the office. When Scott is looking at a funding chart and draws an upward marking for

completion of fundraising, a rising scale in the marimba sounds. This is one of the only examples

of “Mickey Mousing” heard in the movie.

When Scott’s ship, the Terra Nova, departs from New Zealand, some diegetic music is

heard, when a band is playing a March, possibly an English patriotic song. When the ship

departs, leaving Scott and Wilson’s wives behind, the March transforms into a sad lingering

farewell song. This transformation from diegetic to non-diegetic and from major to minor mode

enhances the mood of the goodbye scene.

                                                                                                                         9  Beckerman,  52  

The ship arrives to Antarctica, and as a seagull is seen flying, we hear a clarinet playing

arabesques, and then music featuring triplets against sixteenths over staccato flutes and string

pizzicato. This music is highly atmospheric, and Vaughan Williams’ use of orchestral color is

remarkable. An English Horn with a seemingly improvisatory rhythm creates a sense of vertigo,

later enhanced by octatonic runs in the flutes and violins. At the sight of the Ice Barrier, great

menacing chords sound in the brass, and the music turns frightening.

As the penguins make their appearance in the film, RVW prepared a very ingenious

melody based on an augmented triad, whose charm and playfulness accurately denotes the

footage of the fun animals. Another bit of sinister music is heard when a ship arrives with notice

of Amundsen. Ascending strings tremolo while menacing brass chords are heard.

Then we have more diegetic music, when Wilson listens to the phonograph; the pianola

or player piano plays at one of the camps’ parties; and when they sing a hymn. Then, the Aurora

is depicted again with a magical whimsical fanfare. Cheerful music resumes with the playful,

proud pony march theme depicting the ponies trudging through the snow.

At this point of the film, the expedition starts becoming more serious and challenging.

The music RVW wrote in foreshadows the beginning of the end. In the next cue, disjunct music

depicts the ponies’ movement while they battle against loose snow. The declining weather is

portrayed by the howls of the female choir. A new scene depicts the dogs covered in snow as a

new theme of ascending fourths approaches. Timpani tremolo interjects in between the

character’s lines when they decide to kill the ponies, and again, we can hear a variation of the

heroism theme. However, immediately following this sequence, the music changes the mood at

once, when static and contemplative music accompanies the first sight of the Great Barrier on the

horizon. Celesta and xylophones provide an icy affect for the appearance of the snow covered

land mass.

After Scott says the line, “12 men, 3 sledges, man hauling…” we hear a theme that

consists of alternating rising half-steps and tri-tones, that describe the painful man hauling of the

sledges, due to the fact that they the ponies and the mechanic sledges are gone. The music

evokes the hard task of pulling the ropes through the thick snow, and the half step and triton

theme reflect the laboriousness of this task. The chords depicting the great barrier are repeated

identically, along with the rising half step and tri-tone motive, and as they finally ascend to the

Great Barrier, the heroism theme returns in full form from the beginning. It depicts not only

immense struggle they incurred, but also the brave effort that was rewarded by arriving. The

syncing of the climactic music in the film is somewhat disappointing. Nothing of great

importance happens at this moment in the musical climax. Also less than satisfying is in the

scene that follows, when Evans falls into an ice crack without any musical terror heard.

The last happy fanfare occurs when Scott contemplates the landscape ahead, and feels

optimistic about leaving the Great Barrier behind. Again, this music is a transformation of

heroism, this time in major mode.

Man hauling continues, and the music entitled “Snow plain” is heard and becomes

increasingly repeated. The next significant musical cue is when Scott sees Amundsen’s flag in

the distance. Very dramatic music including perhaps the only stinger chord that catches one off

guard are heard here. However, upon their arrival to the camp there is silence. Also, no music is

heard upon the discovery of the Amundsen’s dogs paw prints in the snow, a very shocking

discovery.

The music depicting the return to the camp is brutal. Timpani and brass strokes

accompany a dark march melody in the strings. The woodwinds paint the spoken line, “the wind

is playing tricks.” The repeating musical theme becomes more rugged and hopeless as through

the re-introduction of the rising half step-tritone motif again. This theme fragments the heroism

motive again. As Beckerman points out, “This variation of the theme is associated with the

notion of ‘desperate struggle’. In the context of Scott and his men, this material suggests a

funeral dirge, since the final journey back from the pole must be considered a kind of death

march.”10

Evan’s death is preceded by a tragic variation of the heroism theme that leads to his

departure, but silence accompanies his death. When Oates says, “I’m just going outside, It might

be some time.” the only sound is howling choral voices. Brief music follows as he disappears

into the blizzard. RVW composed plenty of music for these two tragic events, as appears in the

CD under “The deaths of Evans and Oates”, but hardly any of this was used in the film.

The final music, when a cross is shown in memorial of Scott and his companions, is

highly redemptive and in a major mode. This reaffirmation of the heroism gives the movie’s

grave ending some relief. Later on, when RVW composed his Sinfonia Antartica based on the

themes of the movie, he had a very different idea in mind for this ending than what was

portrayed on screen.

It is well know that for RVW the ideal process for writing film music was composing the

score in advance, and then having the director and editors adjust to it. This is still not the

standard practice followed by most movie studios. However, RVW certainly tried to have things

                                                                                                                         10  Beckerman,  52  

his way, and proof of this is, that he composed most of his film music beforehand, just with the

script in his hands. This method has his pros and cons. Not having the film in front of him,

triggered his imagination, and made him use all the colors in his palette. In addition, it is very

refreshing to watch a movie that, unlike other movies of the time, is not filled with sound effects

and tunes that merely mimic the screen action. However, there are some cons. Regardless of how

much work was put into editing and synchronizing the film with the soundtrack, there are some

events that go unnoticed by the music. In some cases, the motive is not that RVW did not write

music for these moments, but for reasons that I do not know, almost half of the score written for

this film was not even recorded. However, a few of this unrecorded music found a new life.

The music that RWV composed for Scott’s film had a different weight than other films he

worked for. In the past, he had arranged some of this music for concert suites, and for him, music

was something more than just utilitarian tool. His aims were of the highest artistic quality, and

the music for Scott’s was perhaps one of his major achievements in the film industry. RVW

‘very definite ideas’ about Scott’s film had a different scope, and the idea of making a

Symphony out of this themes did not take long to take over his head. In a letter to Alan Frank,

the head of the music department at Oxford University Press, RVW stated:

Almost always when I write film music I have an ulterior idea of a concert

version in my own mind. I remember Ernest Irving once saying to me, ‘You

composers always write with one eye on the concert room’ and I said to him, ‘I

will tell you why – because in the concert room we are pretty sure we shall not

have half the music cut out and the rest inaudible.’

RVW announced his new ‘Sinfonia Antartica’ during the premiere of his sixth. It raised

great expectation from the British Audiences. Sinfonia Antartica’s composition started in 1949,

but RVW some projects and the process was slow at first. The majority of the score was

composed in 1951, and premiered in 1953 by Sir John Barbirolli and La Hallè Orchestra. They

had performed all RVW previous symphonies during the 1950-51 season, and in return RVW

gave them his new one. The score was dedicated to Ernest Irving.

The public received this symphony enthusiastically at the time of its premiere.

Nevertheless, the apparent lack of unity and development of this symphony has remained a

pervasive thread in its perception. After all, the task of setting pre-composed themes into a full-

scale symphony is not simple. In addition, another of this Symphony’s challenges is its

ambivalence. As Ottaway says, “it is neither programmatic nor symphonic enough”11. Thus,

leaving aside all the imagery that the title and its association with Scott’s myth and movie might

inflict on the listener’s perception, the question of whether this piece is successful as a symphony

or not is quite valid.

Having a programmatic title like ‘Sinfonia Antartica’ is a departure from his last three

symphonies, which are just numbered. However, this does not mean that this is a complete

programmatic work. Vaughan Williams did not provide a program for this piece; instead, he

included epitaphs for each one of the movements. The texts were collected from very different

sources, which give us an insight of RVW interest and knowledge of fine literature. They will

provide the mood, and insight to the goals of each movement:

PRELUDE: Andante maestoso

                                                                                                                         11  Beckerman,  54  

To suffer woes which Hope thinks infinite; To forgive wrongs darker than death or night; To defy Power, which seems omnipotent… Neither to change, nor falter, nor repent; This… is to be Good, great and joyous, beautiful and free; Good, great and joyous, beautiful and free; This is alone Life, Joy, Empire, and Victory. SHELLEY: Prometheus Unbound SCHERZO: Moderato There go the ships, and there is that Leviathan; Whom thou hast made to take his pastime therein. PSALM 104 LANDSCAPE: Lento Ye Ice-falls! Ye that from the mountain’s brow Adown enormous ravines slope amain- Torrents, methinks, that heard a mighty voice, And stopped at once amid their maddest plunge! Motionless torrents! Silent cataracts! COLERIDGE: Hymn Before Sun-rise, in the Vale if the Chamouni INTERMEZZO: Andante sostenuto Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime, Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time. DONNE: The Sun Rising EPILOGUE: Alla Marcia, moderato (non troppo allegro) I do not regret this journey… We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint. CAPTAIN SCOTT’S LAST JOURNAL

Another way in which this work differs from its three predecessors is the fact it was

designed in five movements. In addition, its form is freer and does not follow the same process a

Beethovenian symphony would. However, there are some features that we can trace, which wrap

the symphony together. Regarding form, we cannot approach a work like this in the same way

we would approach a 19th century symphony. Nonetheless, as Darcy and Hepokoski suggest, the

concept of Rotational form would be more suitable to analyze a work of this nature. Rotational

form, as defined by Hepokoski, paradigmatically ‘refers to the presence of an extended,

patterned succession of musical events (often a collection of “themes”), which are then revisited

one or more times (recycled or “rotated through”) with internal variations in intensity, motivic

growth, interpolated or deleted material, and so on. 12

The Prelude is very episodic in form. The opening of the movement, which accounts for the first

rotation, is the same that serves as the introduction for Scott’s movie. This theme, labeled

“heroism”, appears in its entirety. Hugh Ottaway commented on this passage’s initial chord

progression that the relationship between the first and second chords is the same as the

relationship between the first two chords of the beginning of the Sea Symphony. Furthermore,

the relationship between the second and third chords is the same as the one existing between the

initial chords from the epilogue of the Sixth Symphony. To Ottaway, the first progression, with

the resulting major third in the soprano line, has an aspiring character and the second one a

constricting one. The opposition of these two distinct characters is one of the most important

aspects of the whole work, as seen in this introductory passage, and will be reflected on a larger

scale in the rest of this movement. 13 In these initial bars, we also see the introduction of the

                                                                                                                         12  James  Hepokoski,  128  13  Ottaway,  47-­‐48  

octatonic collection on which much of the material of the rest of the movement and of the

First page of the Score, 'heroism' theme

symphony is based (See Figure 1). This collection - set class 5-2 ([01478])- is in fact the result of

the combination of the pitches from the second and third chords (G Major and a “misspelled” A-

flat minor), which are a semitone apart from each other. This collection will serve as the

generator of later ideas, and will give further cohesion to this work.

Figure 1, from Beckerman’s

 

If the opening theme can be associated with heroism, and the human aspiration to take on

challenges, the next idea deals purely with nature. This new section is also the second musical

cue of the film. The instrumentation changes dramatically, with the main instrumentation being

the xylophone ostinato and the string cantilena. Very abrupt is the juxtaposition of the first and

second themes, however, they are still closely connected. The material on which this second idea

is based is a combination of octatonic collections II and III, derived from Set class 5-22. The

third idea of the first rotation is the entrance of the wordless howl sung by soprano and female

choir, which appears in the film in the same order as in the symphony, and ends with the wind

machine.

The second rotation could be comparable at some degree to the development of a

classical symphony. Thematic or motivic transformation are not the developing tools, here;

instead, the juxtaposition of contrasting elements (nature versus man) with increasing intensities

takes us to the local climax. This is the way that RVW based the discourse of this section, and of

much of the symphony. The third and last rotation, which is a functional coda, also serves in

many ways as a recapitulation. It starts with a triumphant trumpet fanfare, and the heroism is

transformed again, and after some variations leads to the climax of the movement. This section is

based in a variation of the 4-19 collection, which is a major chord with the flattened sixth added.

The second movement –Scherzo - is in ABA form. This movement is the lightest in

nature, which RVW uses for some of the more cheerful music, including the ‘penguin’ theme.

This movement’s first rotation is based on two thematic materials, based on the Aurora sequence

in the movie. The first one is introduced by the French horns (Fig. 2) , and the second one

appears for the first time in rehearsal 1. (Fig. 3)

Figure 2

Figure 3

Section B, which is the equivalent of a Trio, is more panoramic. It draws thematic

material from the movie, specifically from the scene where the Terra Nova ship arrives to the

Antarctica, and shots of the glaciers and the Great Ice Barrier are shown. It also incorporates the

playful penguin music, and again, music from the Aurora. The return to the A section is very

brief, in ends without being stated completely. This movement’s construction is perhaps the

closest to a traditional XIX c. symphonic movement.

The third movement is called Landscape, and it the best executed. It is completely

atmospheric and panoramic. This movement draws most of its thematic material from the movie

sequences where ice floes on the sea, and the central part is the climbing of the Glacier sequence.

It is to be noted the importance of the minor second and augmented fourth intervals throughout

the movement. This movement is organized around two rotations of contrasting material, that are

alternated, and that are enclosed by a short introduction and coda. This two kind of materials

rotated through the movement are based on different devices. The first moves propelled by

ostinato, the second moves through slow melodies, that unfold creating the effect of vast

landscapes upon the horizon. Thus, just like in the “development” of the first movement, the

symphonic design is founded upon juxtaposition of contrasting elements. These rotations

alternate until the disruptive entrance of the organ (Fig. 4). This is the climax of the movement,

and the most impressive event in the whole symphony.

Figure 4

The fourth movement, titled “Intermezzo”, is oriented to the human aspect, and bases its

material mostly on music that was cut from the movie. The first rotation’s theme is some type of

valse triste, initially intended to depict Wilson’s wife, and labeled “E. Oriana: Romantic woman”

in the sketches (Fig. 5). Then, another theme is linked to this one, also concerning a woman. This

one is the character portrayal of Scott’s wife, labeled “D. Kathleen: domestic bliss with a hint of

Figure 4

foreboding. Then, we have another theme that seldom made it to the movie, the one labeled

“death of Oates”. This theme is based on the heroism motif. The movement ends with the brief

re-statement of Oriana’s theme, rounding up this simple but well integrated movement.

The last movement, in line with previous RVW symphonies is labeled Epilogue. This is

his answer to the finale crisis of the XX century symphony, and it is perhaps the single greatest

contribution by RVW to this genre. The material on which this movement is built is taken from

the first movement. After the initial drum roll, the heroic theme is stated in a march-like form.

The bells are heard too, and the wordless howl of the soprano, which had been absent since the

first movement, reappears. Then, the main theme reappears in a similar form from the beginning.

It is important to note that the end of the symphony is completely different from the movie’s

ending, which music was redemptory and major.

Another aspect of this work that needs to be taken into consideration is the balance of his

overall design. Movement III, ‘Landscape’, is the strongest of the whole symphony. It is also

placed at the heart of the five-movement work. Then, around this we have the lighter

movements. The Scherzo and the Intermezzo are the two brief musical interludes. The Scherzo is

light in character and, it is panoramic, dealing with the more fun part of nature. The Intermezzo

is more nostalgic; there is little evocation to the Antarctic landscape in this movement, and it

deals with the human side of the story. Then, wrapping the work we have the first and last

movements. The first exposes the listener to the heroism theme, and also sets the basis of how

the symphony will work as a whole. This dynamic will be predicted by the juxtaposition of two

contrasting elements (man versus nature, aspiring versus constricting) that takes place on various

grounds (within the heroism theme, and within the first movement as a whole). In this way, the

first movement is perfectly balanced by the last one as well. They share the same common

theme, heroism, however, its treatment of the theme varies. The prelude launches the question of

whether or not man will conquest nature or not, towards the end, when the fanfare is heard.

RVW answers at the end of the epilogue through his wind machine and the howling wind voices,

reaffirming the ultimate power of nature, who in the end always wins.

As we can see, there is plenty of evidence of the coherence of this symphony as a whole.

Its material is based on the heroism theme, which octatonic collection will be the generator of

new material during the course of this piece. The process RVW used to reach the climaxes of

each one of the movements was by juxtaposing elements of different nature, but with different

intensities, until reaching the peaks of each section. Also, the layout of the movements, where I

and V, and II and IV balance each other, and orbit around the central landscape, is another strong

asset in RVW’s treatment of this material. The question is, whether or not this work would be

equally successful if its attachment to Scott’s story was omitted.

Well, first we have to make clear that the stature of Scott as a legend has been re-

evaluated by history. This has to do with the historic context when this happened. It also has to

do with the character of the British people, and the romanticism that surrounded the story. As

Beckerman points out in his article:

…the race between Norwegians and British, was seen at the time as a competition of national virtues... Norwegians are humble, rather taciturn people, and only wanted things to go without adventure, smoothly as possible. Not technologically sophisticated, but simple, even primitive; they used skis and dog sleds They adjusted to their environment and tried not to underestimate it. Those are Norwegian virtues... The English tried to bring as many things from home. The last of technology, the ill-fated motor sledges. Indeed, it was the failure of these marvels of industry that allowed Scott and his men to heroic stature. Through they tested themselves unsuccessfully, their solace was that no men could have survive such tests, that they had pushed human courage and bravery to its limit. They tried their damnedest and failed. These were English virtues14

Recently, many publications have made clear that the responsibility of Scott’s on the

tragedy that surrounded the party that reached the pole is much greater than was originally

thought. Ronald Huntford, in his book The last place on earth gives us a different take on the

story. In this book the treatment given to Scott is that he was rather incompetent, and that he was

also blinded by the idea of reaching the pole after Amundsen. It is remarked that the outcome of

the expedition was due solely to his poor decision making, and that the weather that he encounter

was not very different from the one Amundsen found on Antarctica. It also tries to redeem

Amundsen, and portrays him as someone extremely competent whose only error was to do his

job as planned, taking all the necessary precautions, and planning like a maniac every stage he                                                                                                                          14  Becherman,  50-­‐51  

might encounter. Reading accounts of Scott’s selfish and insecure personality makes us look the

whole history and the mythology that surrounds it in a different way. It is acknowledged that

RVW knew about some of these things as well. Even though these books were not published at

the time, other materials were available to him. RVW’s wife, Ursula, recalls in his biography:

“Ralph became more and more upset as he read about the inefficiencies of the organization: he

despised heroism that risked lives unnecessarily and such things as allowing five to travel on

rations for four filled him with fury”15

The real take of RVW on this is something that we will never know. He was an extremely

intelligent man that new the error that led to Scott’s misfortune, but involved himself in this

endeavor to contribute to his nation. Though it is difficult for us, the listeners, to disassociate

ourselves from the history behind the music, but after my research, my perception of the whole

matter has changed. Possibly, what at first seemed heroic now might seem pointless. However,

the integrity of the piece, and the craft put into it are still undisputed. Hence, can the Sinfonia

Antartica be perceived as successful work, without the film? Yes.

                                                                                                                         15  Barbara  VW,  269  

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