To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, NMPAT held its first film music composition competition with composer Laura Rossi: Mud, Blood and Music.
Inspired by the Imperial War Museum's commissioning of a contemporary film score by the composer Laura Rossi for the 90th anniversary of the making of the "Battle of the Somme" film, entrants from three age categories were asked to select and compose a score to one of three archive clips provided by the Imperial War Museum.
In 2018, a second film music composition project will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica and will focus on the Polar Regions.
Resources for film music composition
Three film clips were offered as a stimulus for the competition:
Film 1. THE KING VISITS HIS ARMIES IN THE GREAT ADVANCE (IWM 192)
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View the film
- Context:
King George V’s visit to the British forces on the Western Front, 8 to
15 August 1916. He tours parts of Second Army area and the Somme
battlefield, while the battle is in progress.
- Clip: Australian and New Zealand troops cheer the king. A visit to the wounded at a casualty clearing station.
Film 2. THE GREAT GERMAN RETREAT (IWM 131)
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View the film
- Context: Péronne shortly after its capture by the British, Western Front, 17 March 1917.
- Clip: The
Lincolnshire Regiment clear a road lined with damaged trees. The Royal
Munster Fusiliers cross a damaged bridge over the Somme. The North
Lancashire Regiment marches down a dirt road over the old battlefield.
The burning houses of Péronne
Film 3. THE GREAT GERMAN RETREAT (IWM 131)
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View the film
- Context: Péronne shortly after its capture by the British, Western Front, 17 March 1917.
- Clip: A French destroyed village. Captured German Trenches. A damaged bridge over the Somme.
Hear how Laura Rossi composed her score in this Vimeo clip:
Competition winners from 2017
Finalists were selected for submission by the partner schools and the adjudication for each age group was undertaken by Richard Leigh (KS3), Benjamin Till (KS4) and Laura Rossi (KS5). Results and presentations were shared at our first composition awards evening on 17th January where an overall winner was alos selected.
Congratulations to all finalists on the quality of their submissions.
Overall competition winner 2017
KS3 Winning entry
KS4 Winning entry
KS5 Winning entry
KS3 Highly commended
KS4 Highly commended
KS5 Highly commended
KS3 finalists
KS4 finalists
KS5 finalists
NSG Academy Showcase 2017
NSG Academy used Somme 100 as the basis for their Showcase using music dance, drama and circus skills. This is a summary of their work.
What is Somme 100 all about?
