Paul Archibald Sounding Out

Over the last few weeks, the world turned its attention to a thrilling array of sporting events – from the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA and the drama of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 in Switzerland, to the green lawns of Wimbledon and the scenic routes of the Tour de France. Classical music has been inspired by the spirit of competition, movement, and triumph. Claude Debussy, Arthur Honegger, Jean Sibelius, Michael Nyman and Richard Strauss all composed evocative pieces that reflect the sport’s emotional highs and lows, creating music that captures the artistry, perseverance and joy of the great sporting achievements

Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)
Jeux (1913)
London Symphony Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)

Arthur Honegger (1892 – 1955)
Rugby (1928)
BBC National Orchestra
Thierry Fischer (conductor)

Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957)
The Lonely Ski Trail (1925)
Lahti Symphony Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä (conductor)

Michael Nyman (b. 1944)
The Final Score (1991) III
Michael Nyman Band

Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949)
Olympic Hymn T266 (1936)
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and choir
Hayko Siemens (conductor)

Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)
Jeux (1913)

Claude Debussy was a French composer considered to  be the foremost figure of musical Impressionism, although he himself disliked the label. From an early age, Debussy showed precocious talent and enrolled at the Paris Conservatory when he was just ten years old, where he studied piano and composition. His music broke away from the conventions of Germanic tradition, instead focusing on subtlety, atmosphere, and tonal colour. Debussy’s compositions were deeply influenced by Impressionist painting and Symbolist poetry, which can be heard in the evocative, almost pictorial quality of his music. Throughout nearly two decades from the mid-1890s until his death in 1918, Debussy developed a unique harmonic and structural approach that left a lasting imprint on 20th-century classical music. His work paved the way for many composers who followed, including Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky, and remains a key figure in the evolution of modern music.

Debussy’s Jeux is a ballet composed between 1912 and 1913 for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky. It is described as a ‘danced poem’ and presents a modern, playful scene set in a garden at dusk. The story follows a young man and two women as they search for a lost tennis ball, engaging in games of hide and seek, moments of quarrel, sulking, and embraces. The tennis ball and their chase form the central link to sport, with tennis acting as the main motif around which the ballet’s action unfolds. The playful game is suddenly interrupted by the mysterious arrival of another tennis ball, and the characters vanish into the night.

Unlike traditional ballets often based on myth or folklore, Jeux draws directly from contemporary life and sport, capturing youthful energy and physical interaction. Debussy’s music for the ballet features intricate rhythms and subtle tempo changes, creating a lively atmosphere that complements the spirited, athletic movements on stage.

Arthur Honegger (1892 – 1955)
Rugby (1928)

Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer born in Le Havre, France, who spent much of his life in Paris. He studied violin and harmony in Paris before attending the Zurich Conservatory, then returned to Paris to work with distinguished teachers such as Charles-Marie Widor and Vincent d’Indy. Honegger was an important member of the group of avant-garde composers known as Les Six. He rose to prominence in the early 1920s with the ‘dramatic psalm’ Le Roi David and enjoyed a prolific career between the two World Wars. His diverse output includes orchestral music, operas, ballets, choral works, and film scores. Among his best-known works are Pacific 231, an orchestral piece that captures the power of a steam locomotive, and the oratorio Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher. Honegger’s music skillfully blends French avant-garde harmonic language with the grand forms and rich sonorities typical of the German tradition.

During the Second World War, Honegger stayed in Paris and was involved with the French Resistance. His later symphonies, particularly Nos. 2 to 5, convey the profound impact of the war years. Honegger left behind a significant legacy as one of the leading figures in early twentieth-century French music and published his autobiography, Je suis compositeur, in 1951.

Arthur Honegger’s Rugby is a symphonic movement composed in 1928, depicting the sensations and atmosphere of a rugby game. Inspired by his experience as a sports enthusiast and spectator at rugby matches in Colombes, near Paris, Honegger sought to capture the ‘wilder, more sudden, more desperate and less regulated rhythm’ of rugby. The music portrays a vivid impression of the physical struggle and dynamic tension of a match, using orchestral techniques such as rapid tempos, syncopation, staccato passages, and contrasting themes to evoke the game’s athleticism and conflict.

The piece does not aim to represent specific moments of the game but rather the overall energy, rhythm, and interaction between opposing teams, conveyed through musical ‘game and counterplay.’ Based on a rondo with variations, the musical dialogue between different sections of the orchestra reflect the constant contest and shifts of momentum in rugby. Rugby embodies the intense physicality and spirited competition of rugby through orchestral sound.

Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957)
The Lonely Ski Trail (1925)

Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer widely regarded as the greatest symphonic composer of Scandinavia and a key figure in Finnish national identity. He was deeply inspired by Finnish literature, especially the national epic, the Kalevala, as well as the country’s nature and mythology. Although initially intending to pursue law, he devoted himself to music, studying in Helsinki, Berlin, and Vienna. Sibelius came to prominence with works such as the choral symphony Kullervo (1892), Finlandia (1899–1900), the Karelia Suite, and his seven symphonies. His music evolved from Romantic nationalism to a more personal, searching style in later works, including his powerful symphonies Nos. 3 to 7 and tone poem Tapiola. Sibelius’s work is characterised by a profound connection to Finnish culture and landscape, combining rich orchestration and innovative symphonic form. He spent much of his life in Finland and retired from public composing in his later years. His music remains central to Finnish cultural heritage and is widely performed worldwide.

The Lonely Ski Trail (Swedish: Ett ensamt skidspår), composed in 1925 and first performed in 1948, is a melodrama for narrator and piano, later arranged for narrator, harp, and string orchestra. The work features a spoken text by Bertel Gripenberg that describes a solitary ski journey through a forest. The narrative metaphorically links the fading ski trail in the snow with the elusive nature of human thought and existential searching. The connection to sport is direct: the ski trail and the act of skiing are central to the piece’s imagery. Sibelius vividly captures the physical and reflective experience of skiing, evoking the solitude, challenges, and fleeting impressions of a solitary journey across snow. The music and narration together create an atmospheric, evocative impression rather than a literal depiction of athletic competition, highlighting the unique interaction between sport, nature, and introspection in Sibelius’s work

(English translation)
Through the silent, snowy forest
I glide on my lonely way,
The moon above me shining
On drifts of silver-grey.
The pines stand dark and dreaming,
The snow lies soft and deep,
And only my skis are whispering
In the night’s enchanted sleep.
No path, no trace before me,
Just endless, gleaming white,
And only my heart for a compass
In the stillness of the night.

Michael Nyman (b. 1944)
The Final Score (1991)

Michael Nyman is an English composer, pianist, librettist, and musicologist known for his innovative and influential work, especially in film music. Educated at King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Music, he initially worked as a music critic and coined the term ‘minimalism’ to describe a style of music. In 1977, he formed the Michael Nyman Band, which became a key vehicle for his experimental compositions. Nyman is probably best known for his acclaimed film scores, including the multi-platinum soundtrack for Jane Campion’s The Piano (1993). He also collaborated extensively with filmmaker Peter Greenaway on numerous films, blending early music influences with modern minimalism. Beyond film, Nyman has composed several operas, ballets, chamber works, concertos, and vocal pieces. His compositions are known for their rhythmic drive, melodic clarity, and inventive use of texture. A prolific performer himself, Nyman continues to tour internationally with his band and remains active across composition, performance, and writing, regarded as one of Britain’s most creative and versatile contemporary composers

Michael Nyman’s The Final Score is a soundtrack composed in 1991 for a Channel 4 documentary film directed by Matthew Whiteman. The film focuses on Nyman’s favourite football team, Queens Park Rangers (QPR), particularly recalling the golden era of the mid-1970s led by Stan Bowles. The music is built on variations of a simple four-note bass line, designed to be evocative of the spirit and energy of football. The score captures the dynamism and passion of the sport, especially linking to football culture and the QPR team’s history. The piece is performed by the Michael Nyman Band and features a rich orchestration including strings, brass, saxophones, piano, and bass guitar.

Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949)
Olympic Hymn T266 (1936)

Richard Georg Strauss was a German composer and conductor and one of the leading figures of late Romantic and early modern music. Born in Munich into a musical family – his father was a renowned horn player – Strauss began composing at a very young age and quickly developed a distinctive style marked by rich orchestration and advanced harmonic language. He gained fame for his tone poems such as Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, Also sprach Zarathustra, and Ein Heldenleben, which vividly depict stories or ideas through music. Strauss was also a prominent opera composer, with internationally acclaimed works including Salome, Elektra, and Der Rosenkavalier. Alongside his compositional career, he held important conducting posts in Munich, Berlin, Vienna, and helped co-found the Salzburg Festival. Throughout his life, Strauss was admired both for his innovative compositions and his skill as a conductor. His music bridged the Romantic tradition and modernism, leaving a lasting impact on orchestral and operatic repertoire.

Richard Strauss composed the Olympische Hymne (Olympic Hymn) in 1936. The piece was created for the Olympic Games held in Berlin that year and was intended as an official musical tribute to the Olympic movement. The hymn is a dignified and uplifting orchestral and choral work that celebrates the ideals of the Olympics – peace, unity, and the spirit of athletic competition.The work was commissioned specifically for the Olympic Games, and the music captures the grandeur and solemnity of the occasion, reflecting the virtues of sportsmanship and the global gathering of athletes. Although composed with a classical style typical of Strauss’s late Romantic period, the Olympische Hymne underscores the universal and inspiring nature of sport through its majestic and ceremonial tone.

English Translation of Lubahn’s Text (excerpt):
Nations! Be the Nation’s guest.
Come in through the open gates!
Glory to the nation’s feast!
Peace shall be its fight-device.
Young strength wants to prove its courage,
Ardent game Olympia!
Wants to praise your glare in actions,
Purest goal:
Olympia!