Village in the city: musical piece on 100 years of HCT and Tuindorp

At the 100th anniversary of Harmoniecorps Tuindorp, the association invested in a composition commission, which resulted in the piece of music Village in the city (Village in the City). The piece was composed by Leon Vliex, whom we agreed to interview about his composition. Village in the city is a piece of over 10 minutes, consisting of the sections ‘NDSM Shipyard’, ‘1960 Flood Disaster’ and ‘Multicultural Society’, themes suggested by the society's committee that guided the creation of the composition commission.

How did you approach composing when Harmoniecorps Tuindorp had approached you for a composition commission?

First I try to put the information received into a form: what information goes where and how is it displayed? I soon had an idea for a grand opening and the NDSM shipyard was very suitable for that. I also went looking for footage of the 1960 flood disaster and found images of houses under water. These gave such a hushed and melancholic atmosphere, which I then tried to capture in notes. Multicultural society fitted well at the end for me, because there is a lot of diversity in that, including in music. I looked for characteristics of typical Arabic and Antillean music to incorporate into the composition. Once the form has been determined, I make separate musical sketches for each part, which I start working on. I incorporate those musical sketches into a score. Eventually, the sketches and ideas get bigger and a musical line starts to emerge. Then everything is connected and it is a matter of finalising everything, touching up, correcting and adjusting where necessary until it is finished. And even then there are still little mistakes in the music (chimes wrong pitch, trill forgotten in flute et cetera). I am always glad when I get help in coming up with a title, as I find that even more difficult than composing the whole piece!

Do you work from a strict assignment or do you want to be ‘free’ when composing?

For commissions, I almost always work with information from the client. I don't have to be free to compose; I now have more than 20 years' experience of composing on commission. So far, fortunately, it has always worked out well. And if it is not right, something can always be adjusted.

How do you turn certain themes, such as the 1960 flood, into music?
I turn the melancholic mood of the image into a melancholic melody. The chords underneath are very important to capture that mood. I also tried to capture the stillness in a gentle solo for two clarinets.

Are you satisfied with the final result?

I myself am very satisfied with the final result and I hope the musicians are too. I am very curious how it will sound live, unfortunately I have not been able to hear it yet. And a computer is always different from live!