Project 8 – Rounds and Catches

Teaching music in school has introduced me to countless rounds and catches, usually based around simple nursery rhymes or fairy tales.  However, I really had no idea about the simplicity of creating such compositions.  The tonal harmony created by staggered voices gives such a complex, intertwining sound, that it is easy to assume that it take a vast amount of technical knowledge to create such pieces.  However, in studying the structure of creating triads to shape the movements of the composition, I found catches to be an extremely fun project!

Purcell’s infamous catches are proof that sex, drugs and rock and roll has far predated the likes of our 60’s rock greats!  The many catches he wrote throughout his career really display the fun and bawdy side of music at that time which, I would imagine, was considered highly inappropriate in some societies.  The short and punchy style of his lyrics in catches such as Of all the Instruments (1730) and Sweet Sir Walter (1733) could be seen as an early inspiration for some of today’s vocal warm ups eg. ‘A Proper Cup of Tea’ or even reminiscent of the times tables chants we use at school.  However, there are tones of Shakespeare’s style, which I think may possibly have been an inspiration for Purcell’s catches eg.  “This woman’s an easy glove, my lord; she goes off and on at pleasure.” Shakespeare (1605).

However, Callcott’s Sir John Hawkins’ History of Music (YEAR), displays a more satirical and cynical side to the catch.  This piece is a clear ridicule of works written by Sir John Hawkins and leads me to question whether perhaps, much in way modern music makes ‘statements’ about society, catches were an medium for communicating political and sociologic ideas to the masses.  Perhaps even the reputation of catches being popular in public houses and inns frequented by drunken individuals suggests it may have been a ploy by the educated members of society to communicate their ideas and beliefs to the previously segregated lower classes.

Whilst looking at the notation of some of Purcell’s works, I noticed the variation in the complexity of the melodies.  For instance Tis Woman Makes Us Love (1730), is a very short composition, made us entirely of a steady rhythm and simple melodic motion using minims and crotchets. However, Let us Drink To Our Wives (1733) adopts a more sophisticated style, using a flowing melodic motion, slurred sections and accidental tones. 

Whatever the content of these catches, the tonal harmony created by the intertwining of triad chords creates a flowing and gentle sound that is very easy on the ear.   

I had great fun composing these catches and tried to take inspiration from composers such as Purcell and Callcott.  However, my witty songwriting abilities are no match for theirs!

Composition of Catches

My first catch is entitled Wine and Beer and uses example 2 from the course material, based around the triad of C major, F major and G major.  To fit within these chords, I have notated this catch in the key of F major and used a Lento tempo to reflect the simplicity of the lyrics.   

For my second catch, I decided to explore my ideas around Shakespeare being the inspiration for some of Purcell’s work.  Therefore, I have chosen to use the quote from All’s Well That End’s Well (1605) and write a catch to fit the words.  In this composition I used example 1 from the course material, based around the chords of C major and F major.  This time I chose to use an Allegro tempo to contrast the very simple melody.  I think this composition shows the comparison between the more controversial works of Purcell and the risqué nature of some of Shakespeare’s lines.

For my third composition I chose to experiment with chords in the key of A major and write a catch designed to be played by three different woodwind instruments.  I have used the chords of A major, E major and D major.  This time, to reflect the nature of the woodwind family, I have added a lot more ‘detail’ to the piece, making use of large sections of slurred of semiquavers and accent notes.  I am very pleased with the overall composition and I think it demonstrates that the structure of catches and rounds can be applied to any ensemble of instruments. 

I spent a lot of time experimenting with different instruments for this composition, including strings and keyboards and found a nice balance when experimenting with changing the octave on which each instrument begins.  The balance of high tones on the treble scale and low notes of the bass clef gave a rich a warm sound and I plan to experiment with adding catch sections to later compositions in order to add harmonic decoration.