berserker. [for horn and soundtrack] - by tyler ogilvie

www.tyviemusic.com

ber• serk• er noun - Scandinavian Legend: An ancient Norse warrior who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms. (dictionary.com)

Originally written for bass trombone, berserker. tells the story of the aforementioned Norsemen of ancient Scandinavia. Their guttural scream is a unifying motive heard throughout the piece, emphasizing the bestial nature of the berserker. The excerpt shown here utilizes thematic and harmonic material from the Icelandic folk song, Krummavísur," emphasized in the A-section (not shown here). It translates in English to The Raven. In Nordic folklore, the raven is said to have reported heroic tales of brave warriors to the Valkyrie, who in turn decide which of those fallen in battle will join them in the hall of Odin in the afterlife to drink everlasting glasses of mead. In an Old Norse poem entitled The Lay of Harold, its author presents the dialogue of the Raven to the Valkyrie:

Wolf-coats [berserkers] are they called, the warriors unfleeing who bear bloody shields in battle; the darts redden where they dash into battle and shoulder to shoulder stand. Tis men tried and true only, who can targes shatter, whom the wise war-lord want in battle.

Following the assembly of the berserkers represented in the A-section, the piece moves to an at-first lopsided waltz, ultimately transforming into a happy child-like folk melody (the end of which this video excerpt begins). Amidst sounds of children playing, the Icelandic folk-song, Ifir Kaldan Eydtisand, is used here to depict an innocent village ripe for destruction in the path of the berserker warriors. A sound disc recording of Icelandic-American immigrant, John Olafson (1938, Library of Congress) singing the folksong is heard in a transformative state back to the opening motivic material. Finally, the piece concludes with an all-out groove of fury as the berserker warriors unleash their wrath in battle against the villagers, again with thematic and motivic A-section material, presented in augmentation and ostinato diminution. Inspiration for the style of this piece comes from my own and E.J. Swiders mutual affinity for everything Icelandic, Björk, and composer, JacobTV. Many thanks to E.J. for the esteemed privilege and honor of commissioning me to compose this work.

This performance was recorded at the Hockett Family Recital Hall at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. The recording heard here is a combination of live performance, raw soundtrack file, and studio mix.

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Music

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• french horn
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• ithaca college
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• icelandic folk song
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