The ‘Sound of Music’ fame music director Martin Emslie who was on a Goa visit recently to conduct a master class for Namah Chorale as well as examinations for London College of Music students in Goa, admits that his favourite musical compositions are those that can be played with only one finger on the piano
BHARATI PAWASKAR
Namah Chorale, a socio-cultural initiative in Goa started by Christo Fernandes, had a musically refreshing visit and master class with musical performer, composer, arranger and director Prof Martin Emslie from the London College of Music, UK. Emslie who was last examining in India in 2016, stated that this was his first visit to Goa. His substantial experience in a wide range of musical genres makes him a popular freelance music director for both classical performances and musical theatre productions.
Students at Namah were excited to have this music director among them as he is known to have created countless musical masterpieces - Fiddler on the Roof, Sound of Music, Peter Pan, Strike it Lucky, Think of the Magic, Sweet Charity, Salad Days, Snow White, Aladdin, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Honk, Scout/Guide, Jack and the Beanstalk and many more.
A fellow of the London College of Music in Goa Emslie visited Goa to conduct a number of examinations for acoustic guitar, electronic keyboard, violin, popular music vocals and drums. He is highly skilled musician specialising in piano, electric organ, synthesizer, church organ, classical, folk, electric and bass guitar. During the visit, Emslie also took time to hold a seminar in advanced music theory to teachers and gave a master class in vocal techniques to the Namah choir. The Namah Chorale studied under his guidance some of Emslie’s recent works, the ‘Rock Mass in D’ and was exposed to his much sought after work called the ‘Omega to Alpha’. The master class ended on a rocking note with the ‘Sanctus’ that is an innovation merging Gregorian Chants with pulsating rock rhythm.
Examining is only a part of his musical life. A composer and educator, Emslie runs a large successful choir in the UK and plays the pipe organ in churches and cathedrals. He was awarded the Fellowship of the London College of Music in 2013 for the composition of his Oratorio ‘Omega and Alpha’. He has been the musical director for over 50 musical productions and performed in many major venues such as Westminster Abbey and The Royal Albert Hall in London.
“Music has always been a part of my life. I studied the subject at school and started teaching guitar at the age of 15. I became a production engineer manufacturing military aircraft when I left school but kept music as a hobby. It was not until 2002 that I left engineering and turned to music as a career,” briefs Emslie who has always enjoyed world travel with his wife, Lynn and the opportunity to visit countries like India has enabled him to meet and work with musicians from many countries.
People often ask him what his favourite piece or style of music is. His answer is static - ‘good music’ but when asked which of the composition are dear to his heart, he quips, “Over the ages there have been numerous remarkable compositions. The ones that I prefer are those which you can play simply with one finger on a piano. If it relates to your inner self without fancy arrangements then it is memorable and anything you do to enhance it is a bonus. Obviously the genius of people like Mozart, Bach and Beethoven cannot be understated or the emotion of shows like Bernstein’s ‘West Side Story’ be forgotten, but the elegance and simplicity of some small tunes which get into your head and will not go away is mind-blowing.”
During the master-class with the Namah choir, Emslie introduced the singers to one of his pieces, ‘Sanctus’ from his Rock Mass. This is a piece of music that is designed to be sung in a Christian Church service and is traditionally sung by a four-part choir in Latin. The twist with this composition is that the musical accompaniment is a rock band rather than the more traditional organ or ‘a capella’ (un-accompanied) style. Emslie mentions that this piece has recently been included as a track in guitarist Tom Toomey’s latest album ‘Turquoise’.
Following the master-class, the Namah choir have started to prepare for a performance of one of Martin’s shows ‘Eric the Ark’ “This is a humorous version of the story of Noah and the Flood and will be presented on October 31 this year,” informs Emslie.
An exuberant Namah Chorale is all set to stage the production of works in conjunction with living composers and thinkers - in an age where music is best expressed through dialogue and collaboration. The broad aim of ‘Namah’ is making contributions towards the society in various ways. Music is a medium to achieve those aspirations. It brings additional meaning to life of the individual chorus members as a sensitive and sensible hobby. It also aims to popularise music in Goa. It was determined to take music to the have-nots, those who would never be able to learn and play music.
