De Natura Sonoris
Encyclopedia
De natura sonoris is the title of two works by the Polish
composer Krzysztof Penderecki
.
De natura sonoris No. 1 (the number was appended later) was composed in 1966. The title was inspired by Lucretius
's De rerum natura (On the nature of things). As the title suggests, it is a vigorous exploration of wildly divergent orchestral effects and dynamics. It was premiered on 7 April 1966 at the International Festival of Contemporary Art in the French
town of Royan
.
De natura sonoris No. 2 was composed five years later to a commission by the Juilliard School of Music in New York
. Penderecki again took up the theme of vividly contrasting orchestral colouration, including unusual percussive effects: an iron bar is struck by implements such as a hammer
and a saw
. It was premiered on 3 December 1971 at Juilliard under the conductor Jorge Mester
.
Both pieces are approximately eight minutes in length each, with De Natura Sonoris No. 2 being the longer of the two. In 1975 the composer recorded both works with the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra for EMI
.
, directed by Stanley Kubrick
.
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
composer Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
.
De natura sonoris No. 1 (the number was appended later) was composed in 1966. The title was inspired by Lucretius
Lucretius
Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is an epic philosophical poem laying out the beliefs of Epicureanism, De rerum natura, translated into English as On the Nature of Things or "On the Nature of the Universe".Virtually no details have come down concerning...
's De rerum natura (On the nature of things). As the title suggests, it is a vigorous exploration of wildly divergent orchestral effects and dynamics. It was premiered on 7 April 1966 at the International Festival of Contemporary Art in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
town of Royan
Royan
Royan is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department, along the Atlantic Ocean, in southwestern France.A seaside resort, Royan is in the heart of an urban area estimated at 38,638 inhabitants, which makes it the fourth-largest conurbation in the department, after La Rochelle, Rochefort and Saintes...
.
De natura sonoris No. 2 was composed five years later to a commission by the Juilliard School of Music in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Penderecki again took up the theme of vividly contrasting orchestral colouration, including unusual percussive effects: an iron bar is struck by implements such as a hammer
Hammer
A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head,...
and a saw
Saw
A saw is a tool that uses a hard blade or wire with an abrasive edge to cut through softer materials. The cutting edge of a saw is either a serrated blade or an abrasive...
. It was premiered on 3 December 1971 at Juilliard under the conductor Jorge Mester
Jorge Mester
Jorge Mester is a Mexican conductor of Hungarian ancestry.-Biography:He studied conducting with Jean Morel at the Juilliard School in New York, and worked with Leonard Bernstein at the Berkshire Music Center and with Albert Wolff...
.
Both pieces are approximately eight minutes in length each, with De Natura Sonoris No. 2 being the longer of the two. In 1975 the composer recorded both works with the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra for EMI
EMI Classics
EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....
.
Other uses
Penderecki's 1975 recordings of both works feature heavily on the soundtrack of the 1980 film The ShiningThe Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
, directed by Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
.