{"id":3363,"date":"2016-02-09T13:40:25","date_gmt":"2016-02-09T02:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emotemuse.com\/g\/?p=3363"},"modified":"2020-03-30T09:50:26","modified_gmt":"2020-03-29T22:50:26","slug":"the-battle-of-the-somme-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wedgebillmusic.com\/?p=3363","title":{"rendered":"The Battle of the Somme"},"content":{"rendered":"

Title: The Battle of the Somme
\n<\/i>Composer: <\/b>Greg Smith
\nPerformer:<\/b> Greg Smith
\nInstrumentation: <\/b>Piano
\nProduct medium: <\/b>MP3 download (25 tracks; 73:00)
\nRelated products:
\n<\/i> – Full score<\/a> (PDF download). 80 pages.<\/p>\n\n

Background:
\n<\/b>In 1916 France was struggling to fend off German occupation.
\nIt had become apparent that to break the stalemate Britain may
\nneed to increase its involvement in battle. Plans were made in
\nlate 1915 by French commander Joseph Joffre for coordinated
\noffensives on all fronts. On the western front, Joffre planned to
\nattack Picardy near the Somme River, which marked the boundary
\nbetween the French and British forces. However, by July 1916, the
\nFrench forces had weakened and the Somme offensive became a
\nprimarily British battle.<\/p>\n

The initial attack was made on 1 July 1916 at 7.30am. 100,000 men
\nfrom British forces went into battle on that day.19,240 British
\ntroops died that day. The battle would continue for one hundred
\nand forty-one days.<\/p>\n

Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell, British army cinematographers,
\nfilmed footage of the preparations and Battle of the Somme. The
\nlive footage was recorded between 26 June and 8 July 1916. Some
\nshorted staged sequences were staged in later July.<\/p>\n

The footage was first shown in London on 10 August 1916 at the
\nScala Theatre and was publicly released 21 August.<\/p>\n

This original score was created for a live Remembrance Day
\nObservance presented by the Teachers Sub-Branch of the RSL and
\nAustralia’s Silent Film Festival on 12 November 2012.<\/p>\n

TRACK LISTING AND PREVIEWS:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Track<\/b><\/td>\nTitle<\/b><\/td>\nTime<\/b><\/td>\nPreview<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nPrelude – Preparatory Action<\/td>\n3:38<\/td>\n\n
2<\/td>\nIndustrious French peasants – Care of
\nartillery horses<\/td>\n		5:28<\/td>\n\n
3<\/td>\n4-7 inch guns<\/td>\n3:51<\/td>\n\n
4<\/td>\nLondon Scottish and East Yorkshires troops<\/td>\n2:35<\/td>\n\n
5<\/td>\nFiring plum puddings<\/td>\n2:16<\/td>\n\n
6<\/td>\nCampsite of the Royal Warickshires<\/td>\n1:48<\/td>\n\n
7<\/td>\nHavoc caused by Howitzers<\/td>\n1:25<\/td>\n\n
8<\/td>\nA further moving up of troops<\/td>\n1:33<\/td>\n\n
9<\/td>\nFlying pigs<\/td>\n1:25<\/td>\n\n
10<\/td>\nGrandmother Howitzer<\/td>\n2:27<\/td>\n\n
11<\/td>\nLancaster Batalion<\/td>\n1:27<\/td>\n\n
12<\/td>\nAttack<\/td>\n2:01<\/td>\n\n
13<\/td>\nFurther attack<\/td>\n5:50<\/td>\n\n
14<\/td>\nRelief of Lancaster Battalion – troops
\nreturn with prisoners<\/td>\n		7:52<\/td>\n\n
15<\/td>\nArrival of wounded and prisoners<\/td>\n4:09<\/td>\n\n
16<\/td>\nDressing station for the slightly wounded<\/td>\n2:15<\/td>\n\n
17<\/td>\nGerman curtain fire<\/td>\n1:31<\/td>\n\n
18<\/td>\nClearing the battle fields – Routing the
\nGermans from dug outs<\/td>\n		1:52<\/td>\n\n
19<\/td>\nEffect of British shell fire on German
\ntrenches<\/td>\n		3:38<\/td>\n\n
20<\/td>\nAftermath<\/td>\n2:49<\/td>\n\n
21<\/td>\nThe battered German stronghold at Fricourt<\/td>\n4:18<\/td>\n\n
22<\/td>\nSome of the booty – German trench mortors –
\nCaptured field artillery<\/td>\n		1:21<\/td>\n\n
23<\/td>\nA welcome rest<\/td>\n1:40<\/td>\n\n
24<\/td>\nRoyal Fusiliers cleaning up<\/td>\n1:32<\/td>\n\n
25<\/td>\nWashup – Roll call – Clear up – Seeking
\nfurther laurels – Less fortunate depart for England<\/td>\n		4:59<\/td>\n\n