Snowflakes are Dancing
Encyclopedia
Snowflakes Are Dancing is an electronic music
album by Isao Tomita
, recorded in 1974 and first released as a Quadradisc in April. The album consists entirely of Tomita's arrangements of Claude Debussy
's "tone paintings", performed by Tomita on a Moog synthesizer
. It entered the top 50 charts in the United States, where it was nominated for four Grammy Award
s in 1975, including best classical
album of the year, and it was NARM's best-selling classical album of the year.
here describes the nature of a large portion of Debussy's work, which was concerned with mood and colour, eschewing traditional tonality in favour of constructions such as the full-tonal scale
, parallel chords, bitonality, and to a certain extent atonal
ity, in order to achieve a greater degree of musical expression not allowed by strict adherence to a single key
. Thus, the term tone painting is quite appropriate, in that Debussy's compositions often experimented with a much broader palette of tones, allowing each to behave similar to a colour within an illustration. Considered by Space Music
fans as the Ultimate Space Music Experience. The track "Arabesque No. 1
" was used as the theme music for the PBS astronomy
-based program Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer
.
The album is considered an early example of proto-synthesizer-pop
. It sparked a "revolution in synthesizer
programming" which it was responsible for taking to new heights. Tomita's electronic renditions of classical music was a significant improvement over the work of W. Carlos
, due to Tomita having previously had extensive experience as a classical composer. The album's contributions to electronic music included an ambience
resembling a symphony orchestra, the use of reverberation
, the use of phasing
and flanging
to create a spatial audio effect
with stereo
speakers, electronic surround sound
using four speakers, realistic string simulations, portamento
whistles, and abstract bell-like sounds created using ring modulation
. A particularly significant achievement was its polyphonic
sound, which was created without the use of any polyphonic synthesizers (which were not yet commercially released). Tomita created the album's polyphonic sounds by recording selections one part at a time, taking 14 months to produce the album. The modular human whistle sounds used would also be copied in the presets of later electronic instruments.
At least two of these titles are slightly wrong; the title track appears to be a mistranslation back into English of an other-language (probably Japanese) version of Debussy's original title (The Snow Is Dancing), whereas "Golliwog's[sic] Cakewalk" contains the common misspelling of the name Golliwogg
.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
album by Isao Tomita
Isao Tomita
, often known simply as Tomita, is a Japanese music composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements...
, recorded in 1974 and first released as a Quadradisc in April. The album consists entirely of Tomita's arrangements of Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy
Claude-Achille Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
's "tone paintings", performed by Tomita on a Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
. It entered the top 50 charts in the United States, where it was nominated for four Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s in 1975, including best classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
album of the year, and it was NARM's best-selling classical album of the year.
Overview
The use of the term tone paintingsWord painting
Word painting is the musical technique of writing music that reflects the literal meaning of a song. For example, ascending scales would accompany lyrics about going up; slow, dark music would accompany lyrics about death.Tone painting of words goes at least as far back as Gregorian chant...
here describes the nature of a large portion of Debussy's work, which was concerned with mood and colour, eschewing traditional tonality in favour of constructions such as the full-tonal scale
Major second
In Western music theory, a major second is a musical interval spanning two semitones, and encompassing two adjacent staff positions . For example, the interval from C to D is a major second, as the note D lies two semitones above C, and the two notes are notated on adjacent staff postions...
, parallel chords, bitonality, and to a certain extent atonal
Atonality
Atonality in its broadest sense describes music that lacks a tonal center, or key. Atonality in this sense usually describes compositions written from about 1908 to the present day where a hierarchy of pitches focusing on a single, central tone is not used, and the notes of the chromatic scale...
ity, in order to achieve a greater degree of musical expression not allowed by strict adherence to a single key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
. Thus, the term tone painting is quite appropriate, in that Debussy's compositions often experimented with a much broader palette of tones, allowing each to behave similar to a colour within an illustration. Considered by Space Music
Space music
Space music, also called spacemusic, is an umbrella term, synonymous with a segment of New Age Music and Ambient Music, used to describe music that evokes a feeling of contemplative spaciousness. Space music can be found within a wide range of genres. It is particularly associated with ambient, New...
fans as the Ultimate Space Music Experience. The track "Arabesque No. 1
Arabesques (Debussy)
The Two Arabesques , L. 66, is a pair of arabesques composed by Claude Debussy. They are two of Debussy's earliest works, composed between the years 1888 and 1891, when he was still in his twenties....
" was used as the theme music for the PBS astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
-based program Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer
Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer
Star Gazers is a five-minute astronomy show on public television previously hosted by Jack Foley Horkheimer, executive director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium...
.
The album is considered an early example of proto-synthesizer-pop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
. It sparked a "revolution in synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
programming" which it was responsible for taking to new heights. Tomita's electronic renditions of classical music was a significant improvement over the work of W. Carlos
Wendy Carlos
Wendy Carlos is an American composer and electronic musician. Carlos first came to notice in the late 1960s with recordings made on the Moog synthesizer, then a relatively new and unknown instrument; most notable were LPs of synthesized Bach and the soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick's film A...
, due to Tomita having previously had extensive experience as a classical composer. The album's contributions to electronic music included an ambience
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
resembling a symphony orchestra, the use of reverberation
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
, the use of phasing
Phasing
In the compositional technique phasing, the same part is played on two musical instruments, in steady but not identical tempo...
and flanging
Flanging
Flanging is an audio effect produced by mixing two identical signals together, with one signal delayed by a small and gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds. This produces a swept comb filter effect: peaks and notches are produced in the resultant frequency spectrum,...
to create a spatial audio effect
3D audio effect
3D audio effects are a group of sound effects that attempt to widen the stereo image produced by two loudspeakers or stereo headphones, or to create the illusion of sound sources placed anywhere in 3 dimensional space, including behind, above or below the listener.There are several types of 3D...
with stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
speakers, electronic surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
using four speakers, realistic string simulations, portamento
Portamento
Portamento is a musical term originated from the Italian expression "portamento della voce" , denoting from the beginning of the 17th century a vocal slide between two pitches and its emulation by members of the violin family and certain wind instruments, and is sometimes used...
whistles, and abstract bell-like sounds created using ring modulation
Ring modulation
Ring modulation is a signal-processing effect in electronics, an implementation of amplitude modulation or frequency mixing, performed by multiplying two signals, where one is typically a sine-wave or another simple waveform. It is referred to as "ring" modulation because the analog circuit of...
. A particularly significant achievement was its polyphonic
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
sound, which was created without the use of any polyphonic synthesizers (which were not yet commercially released). Tomita created the album's polyphonic sounds by recording selections one part at a time, taking 14 months to produce the album. The modular human whistle sounds used would also be copied in the presets of later electronic instruments.
Side A
- Snowflakes Are DancingChildren's CornerChildren's Corner is a six-movement suite for solo piano by Claude Debussy. It was published by Durand in 1908, and was given its world première in Paris by Harold Bauer on December 18 of that year...
(2:10) - Reverie (4:44)
- Gardens in the RainEstampesEstampes , L.100, is a composition for solo piano by Claude Debussy. It was finished in 1903.It consists of three movements:# Pagodes - approx. 6 minutes.# Soirée dans Grenade - approx. 5½ minutes....
(3:41) - Clair de LuneSuite bergamasqueThe Suite bergamasque is one of the most famous piano suites by Claude Debussy. Debussy commenced the suite in 1890 at age 28, but he did not finish or publish it until 1905.-History:...
(5:48) - ArabesqueArabesques (Debussy)The Two Arabesques , L. 66, is a pair of arabesques composed by Claude Debussy. They are two of Debussy's earliest works, composed between the years 1888 and 1891, when he was still in his twenties....
No. 1 (3:57)
Side B
- The Engulfed CathedralLa cathédrale engloutieLa cathédrale engloutie is a prelude written by the French composer Claude Debussy for solo piano. It was published in 1910 as the tenth prelude in Debussy’s first of two volumes of twelve piano preludes each...
(6:18) - PassepiedSuite bergamasqueThe Suite bergamasque is one of the most famous piano suites by Claude Debussy. Debussy commenced the suite in 1890 at age 28, but he did not finish or publish it until 1905.-History:...
(3:17) - The Girl with the Flaxen HairPreludes (Debussy)Claude Debussy's Préludes are two sets of pieces for solo piano. They are divided into two separate livres, or books, of twelve preludes each. Unlike previous collections of preludes, like those of JS Bach and Chopin, Debussy's do not follow a strict pattern of key signatures.Each book was written...
(3:25) - Golliwog's CakewalkChildren's CornerChildren's Corner is a six-movement suite for solo piano by Claude Debussy. It was published by Durand in 1908, and was given its world première in Paris by Harold Bauer on December 18 of that year...
(2:50) - Footprints in the SnowDes pas sur la neigeDes pas sur la neige is the sixth of Claude Debussy's first set of preludes for piano. It evokes a stark, glacial landscape of resigned sadness and solitude. The melancholy of the fragmented melody is superimposed by plodding ostinato figures.Maurice Hinson considered this piece the saddest and...
(4:30)
Bonus Track (2000 CD release)
- 11. Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (10:18)
At least two of these titles are slightly wrong; the title track appears to be a mistranslation back into English of an other-language (probably Japanese) version of Debussy's original title (The Snow Is Dancing), whereas "Golliwog's[sic] Cakewalk" contains the common misspelling of the name Golliwogg
Golliwogg
The "Golliwogg" was a character in children's books in the late 19th century and depicted as a type of rag doll. It was reproduced, both by commercial and hobby toy-makers as a children's toy called the "golliwog", and had great popularity in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and...
.
Recording Information
The back of the album sleeve displays a complete list of the recording hardware that Tomita used in the creation of this album, including:- Moog synthesizerMoog synthesizerMoog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
- One 914 extended range fixed filter bank
- Two 904-A voltage-controlled low-pass filters
- One 904-B voltage-controlled high-pass filter
- One 904-C filter coupler
- One 901 Voltage-controlled oscillator
- Three 901-A oscillator controllers
- Nine 901-B oscillators
- Four 911 envelope generators
- One 911-A dual-trigger delay
- Five 902 voltage-controlled amplifiers
- One 912 envelope follower
- One 984 four-channel mixer
- One 960 sequential controller
- Two 961 interfaces
- One 962 sequential switch
- Two 950 keyboard controllers
- One 6401 Bode ring modulator
- Tape recorders
- One AmpexAmpexAmpex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
MM-1100 16-track - One Ampex AG-440 4-track
- One Sony TC-9040 4-track
- One Teac A-3340S 4-track
- One Teac 7030GSL 2-track
- One Ampex
- Mixers
- Two Sony MX-16 8-channel mixers
- Two Sony MX-12 6-channel mixers
- Accessories
- One AKG BX20E Echo unit
- One Eventide Clockworks "Instant PhaserPhaser (effect)A phaser is an audio signal processing technique used to filter a signal by creating a series of peaks and troughs in the frequency spectrum. The position of the peaks and troughs is typically modulated so that they vary over time, creating a sweeping effect...
" - Two Binson Echorec "2" units
- One FenderFenderFender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...
"Dimension IV" - One MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...