Surely I'm not
alone in being driven mildly mad by omnipresent Nokia ringtone over the last
ten years or so. Everyone knows the little tune, though few people realise
that it is actually taken from an infrequently played Waltz by the great guitar
composer Francisco Tarrega. You hear it everywhere you go, and it, along with
the banal one-sided "conversations" that inevitably follow on from
it, is especially annoying in close quarters such as trains ("I'm on
the train.") or waiting rooms of all descriptions. If you really love
both sound and silence, it is a real problem...
One day, whilst waiting for a train, I finally snapped when three Nokia phones
went of almost simultaneously. In a fit of pique, it suddenly occurred to
me: What if the tune were slowed down, given a new harmonic context and played
in a sweeping Brahmsian style? The result was this little piece, which works
the motive over and over (somewhat obsessively!) into a sort of resolution.
Though it started off as a kind of joke, I grew to love the little motive,
and it ended up being quite a sincere musical statement.
Strangely, ever since writing the piece, the ringtone hasn't really bothered me so much.
Ringtone Rhapsody (on a motif by Tarrega) for clarinet and guitar duration: 4' Also versions for cello and guitar, viola and guitar, flute and guitar)
[listen to demo (with harp instead of guitar!)] [download score pdf]