John of England

John of England
by William Shakespeare
Truman State University | November 10-13, 2010 | James G. Severns Theatre
Adapted and directed by David Charles Goyette
Music written and produced by Charles Gran

King John Poster

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Excerpts from the score: TRACK LIST
Opening: Odi et amo (Christine Gran, solo), 1:00
The First Battle (excerpt), 1:32
The French Pavilion, 0:32
The Second Battle and underscore (excerpt), 1:33
The Third Battle (excerpt), 2:22
Arthur and the Executioner, 1:40
Cardinal Pandulph, 0:32
The Fourth Battle (excerpt), 0:53
The Abby, 1:19
The Sixth Battle, 1:11
King John Dies: Odi et amo - Anthem - Curtain, 2:11

[This music has been produced for a large theater sound system. Your listening experience will vary depending on the quality of your equipment.]

John of England is a fusion of William Shakespeare’s The Life and Death of King John and The Troublesome Reign of King John by an anonymous playwright, adapted by director David Charles Goyette.

John is the weak son of King Henry II and brother of the late King Richard the Lionheart. The plot covers conflicts between the royal family, John’s dispute with the Catholic Church, and the resulting war between France and England. The cascading events result in the murder of a young prince and the ultimate death of John, poisoned by a monk. The play contains a substantial amount of action including six battle sequences with broadswords.

This score is mostly done with samples and vocals. What was tricky about it is that much of the music—the fanfares, the chants—is meant to sound like it is coming from the stage, what is called "source music" in film. So the trumpets are "real" trumpets.

There is underscore as well. The six battles use mostly percussion, often sharp or metallic, so that the music more closely resembles the sound world of a battle. (Not that I've ever experienced a real sword-and-shield battle.)

As is often the case with these kinds of projects, the music was composed, and recorded in a very compressed manner. Most of the music was created over 3 weeks, while I was teaching a full load at Truman.

— Charles Gran
February 25, 2011
Kirksville, Mo.
campdeadly.com

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