We are spending our vacation at the New England shore this week. With a good book in hand, I have overdosed on every single nautical or ocean related Scott score. With one ear to the Atlantic ocean lapping at my toes and the other taking in the wonder of John Scott, I am in my happy place.
We are spending our vacation at the New England shore this week. With a good book in hand, I have overdosed on every single nautical or ocean related Scott score. With one ear to the Atlantic ocean lapping at my toes and the other taking in the wonder of John Scott, I am in my happy place.
There is something restorative about the beach. We must know on a very deep cellular level that we came from the ocean. The water-to-salt ratio in our bodies is very close to that of the ocean. It is like we internalized the ocean when we moved out. Going to the beach is like returning home.
I think few composers capture the beauty, mystery and romanticism of the natural world, and the ocean in particular, like Scott can. He was just born with a musical gift bespoke of natural reverence.
From JULES VERNE ADVENTURES to his COUSTEAU scores to 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, the man just knows how to capture the sound of the 'ol blue!
I can think of one “modern era” composer who can match him, at least: Basil Poledouris. But yes, love Scott in this vein, especially Odyssey of the Belem...
Love me some delicious Basil (CONAN's a top ten-er and BLUE LAGOON is a personal favorite in the period romance sub-genre) and while I know he was an avid lover of all things nautical himself, I can't say I've ever found his ocean-associated scoring to be very, well, "oceanic-sounding".
It just doesn't carry the mystery, ecstasy or very specific flavor of adventure I associate with the ocean, something only really Chris Gordon (MOBY DICK), Scott and a few others (mostly from the cocnert hall - a la Britton, Debussy, Bax and Vaughn-Williams) have really been able to tap into for me.
Conversely, Scott's music is redolent with all facets of its existence: Rollicking adventure in treacherous storms, the beguiling mystery of things undiscovered, the romanticism of majestic creatures that dwarf their land-bound brethren... All bespoke pretty beautifully in his JULES VERNE score among other works:
Not knockin' Poledouris and the amazing body of work he left behind, mind you!
We are spending our vacation at the New England shore this week. With a good book in hand, I have overdosed on every single nautical or ocean related Scott score. With one ear to the Atlantic ocean lapping at my toes and the other taking in the wonder of John Scott, I am in my happy place.
There is something restorative about the beach. We must know on a very deep cellular level that we came from the ocean. The water-to-salt ratio in our bodies is very close to that of the ocean. It is like we internalized the ocean when we moved out. Going to the beach is like returning home.
This comment sums it up for me en total. I was born, grew up and still live on a lake. We had a home by the ocean and I spent my summers there until I had children of my own. I have gone back to the ocean each year to find that peace and renewal I discovered long ago. The beautiful music makes finding it more joyful.
Where in New England are you, Edwzoomom? I was born and raised in Massachusetts and spent most of my childhood summers on Cape Cod. Wonderful memories.
Where in New England are you, Edwzoomom? I was born and raised in Massachusetts and spent most of my childhood summers on Cape Cod. Wonderful memories.
I am writing this from Cape Cod right now. I was born and raised in Connecticut but spent my childhood on the shores Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Cape is by far my favorite and where we spend most of our time now.
How wonderful that you grew up on Cape Cod. It is a place like no other, enchanting, quirky and teeming with history. We live in the Mass border and almost prefer Massachusetts to Connecticut.
I hope you get a chance to get back to the Cape bobb. Thanks for sharing.
Isn't the Cape just the best? We used to rent a summer home in Truro, right on the water, from a distant relative every summer for about a month or so. We got it for a total steal (anyone who's done aa summer rental on the Cape knows that even the most humble property costs an arm and a leg usually). Some of my favorite memories are from there, and indeed, I can't quite think of anywhere else quite like it.
Watching the sun set OVER the ocean - the only place I know of on the eastern seaboard where that happens, due to the Cape's "hook" shape - had a magical effect on my formative years. I do miss it so.
I wish I had "met" John's music by that time, but my Cape Cod days ended well before I started collecting scores. I'm sure his impressionistic and sensorial work has a very galvanizing effect.
To me, this mini-masterpiece from his Cousteau score, "The Warm Blooded Sea", perfectly encapsulates memories of those summers long ago, running along sand dunes, enjoying the summer breeze, watching the sun set over the water and so forth:
The beaches in Truro are beautiful as is the entire Truro area. It is so far down on the Cape, so peaceful and untouched. You are correct about the price you pay for that peace and quiet though.
If you go further toward the end of the Cape, past Provincetown, you find Race Point at the very tip of the Cape. It is a vast, almost untouched area with the ocean on one side and the endless dunes on the other. You can view whales, seals and many migrating birds. It is here that you truly feel one with the ocean.
