In a previous article, I argued that the movement of musical composition in Egypt has its own roots, in terms of characteristics and style, in the national struggle for independence from Britain in the early 20th century. The British occupation in the first half of the 20th century triggered what would be deemed later as an Arab-Egyptian identity in composing classical music.
The first generation of Egyptian classical composers — Yusef Greiss (1899-1961), Abu Bakr Khairat (1910-1963) and Hassan Rashid (1896-1969) – based their works on traditional folklore melodies.
With the second generation of classical music in Egypt, a number of composers blazed the trail for a vivid advancement in both melody-making and harmony. Aziz el-Shawan (1916-1993) was the most talented taking the classical music composition to new horizons.
After the July 23 Revolution in 1952, an Arab national trend dominated the musical scene. Rifaat Garrana (1924-2017) emerged in 1960 when he produced “The July 23 Symphony”, which was in C minor. Garrana’s symphony is uniquely tinged with an oriental spirit.
The first movement of “The July 23 Symphony” was written as a sonata, a piece for solo instrument, or a small instrumental ensemble. The second and third movements were lyrical and scherzo, respectively. Scherzo is derived from the Italian word “scherzando”, which means playfully or ‘jokingly.
A scherzo is simply a piece or a movement in a symphony of a very lively character. It is a playful style of composition that adds a special vivid flavor to the symphony. Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 18. and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony are well-known examples of scherzos.
The fourth and final movement in Garrana’s “July Symphony” was in the rondo form. ‘Rondo’ is another Italian word that is derived from the French ‘rondeau’, meaning ‘round’.
Technically, a rondo is an instrumental form mixing a binary form and a ternary form. The composer repeats one or two episodes in the piece. In the 18th and 19th centuries, rondos were very popular. Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 is a good example of a rondo.
In another masterpiece, “Port Said”, Garrana demonstrated his talent. He composed “Port Said” in 1966, portraying the Tripartite Aggression on the Mediterranean city in the aftermath of the nationalization of the Suez Canal in 1956.
We can easily sense Garrana’s oriental characteristics in “Port Said”, which he composed in the form of a symphonic poem.
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