http://achangeoftune.blogspot.com
Since my 20th century music history class during the fall of my senior year of undergrad I've been following The New Yorker's music critic, Alex Ross' blog, "The Rest is Noise." It's the namesake of Ross' breakthrough book on the music of the 20th century in it's cultural context. Its frequent that I encounter posts that in some form or fashion align with my own studies. This time its from a post about Lincoln Center's White Light Festival in October. The opening night features a free art installation by Janet Cardiff. The exhibit is multidisciplinary. The visual concept focuses on the arrangement of 40 speakers (you might realize where I'm going with this) in a room, each playing something different to invoke the idea of spacial meditation. Each speaker plays one of the voices of the motet Spem in alium (1573) by Thomas Tallis. Read about The Forty-Part Motet exhibit here http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/index.php/white-light-2010-the-forty-part-motet
I find that I repeat some ideas a lot in my research. This one in particular keeps poking its problematic little head up. That is the concept this, new music has an uncanny ability to sound and function a lot like early music.
That being said, though early music is more popularly performed now because of an increased interest in musicology and historically informed performance. Perhaps accidentally or perhaps with a real influence or connection, choral music in particular sounds a lot like early music. Arvo Pärt and Eric Whitacre are easy examples of this. Pärt's "Magnificat" is unmetered, with the stress and rhythm dictated by the natural rise and fall of the text. Whitacre specializes in unaccompanied works for choirs with close harmonies that require non-vibrato tone color.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Through the silences of space their soundless music sings, part 1
http://achangeoftune.blogspot.com/
Over the past 5 years of being employed as a church musician, I have begun to collect some favorite hymns. Usually, I gravitate towards ones that have beautiful texts, along with beautiful melodies and harmonies. However in a post like this it's difficult to give examples of the melodies, so my focus will be on text.
First is one I grew up loving and the text is "Bí Thusa 'mo Shúile", better known by it's hymn tune name "Slane" or the English title, "Be Thou My Vision."
I grew up with the English translation in the Methodist Hymnal. Translations seem to show some variation in wording, some are a little more traditional and Old English in feel, others have a more modern language appeal. Different hymnals have different numbers of verses, for example the Hymnal 1982 used in the Episcopal church only contains 3 verses. This is the translation by Eleanor Hull from 1912.
#1
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
#2
My second is one originally written in English, a poem by Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) based on Psalm 19.
The stars declare his glory;
the vault of heaven springs,
mute witness of the Master's hand
in all created things,
and through the silences of space
their soundless music sings.
The dawn returns in splendor,
the heavens burn and blaze,
the rising sun renews the race
that measures all our days,
and writes in fire across the skies
God's majesty and praise.
So shine the Lord's commandments
to make the simple wise;
more sweet than honey to the taste,
more rich than any prize,
a law of love within our hearts,
a light before our eyes.
So order too this life of mine,
direct it all my days;
the meditations of my heart
be innocence and praise,
my rock, and my redeeming Lord,
in all my words and ways.
#3
This is one where I like the words better than the tune.
Words by George Matheson: "My hymn was composed in the manse of Innelan [Argyleshire, Scotland] on the evening of the 6th of June, 1882, when I was 40 years of age. I was alone in the manse at that time. It was the night of my sister’s marriage, and the rest of the family were staying overnight in Glasgow. Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of having it dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high."
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
Over the past 5 years of being employed as a church musician, I have begun to collect some favorite hymns. Usually, I gravitate towards ones that have beautiful texts, along with beautiful melodies and harmonies. However in a post like this it's difficult to give examples of the melodies, so my focus will be on text.
First is one I grew up loving and the text is "Bí Thusa 'mo Shúile", better known by it's hymn tune name "Slane" or the English title, "Be Thou My Vision."
I grew up with the English translation in the Methodist Hymnal. Translations seem to show some variation in wording, some are a little more traditional and Old English in feel, others have a more modern language appeal. Different hymnals have different numbers of verses, for example the Hymnal 1982 used in the Episcopal church only contains 3 verses. This is the translation by Eleanor Hull from 1912.
#1
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
#2
My second is one originally written in English, a poem by Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) based on Psalm 19.
The stars declare his glory;
the vault of heaven springs,
mute witness of the Master's hand
in all created things,
and through the silences of space
their soundless music sings.
The dawn returns in splendor,
the heavens burn and blaze,
the rising sun renews the race
that measures all our days,
and writes in fire across the skies
God's majesty and praise.
So shine the Lord's commandments
to make the simple wise;
more sweet than honey to the taste,
more rich than any prize,
a law of love within our hearts,
a light before our eyes.
So order too this life of mine,
direct it all my days;
the meditations of my heart
be innocence and praise,
my rock, and my redeeming Lord,
in all my words and ways.
#3
This is one where I like the words better than the tune.
Words by George Matheson: "My hymn was composed in the manse of Innelan [Argyleshire, Scotland] on the evening of the 6th of June, 1882, when I was 40 years of age. I was alone in the manse at that time. It was the night of my sister’s marriage, and the rest of the family were staying overnight in Glasgow. Something happened to me, which was known only to myself, and which caused me the most severe mental suffering. The hymn was the fruit of that suffering. It was the quickest bit of work I ever did in my life. I had the impression of having it dictated to me by some inward voice rather than of working it out myself. I am quite sure that the whole work was completed in five minutes, and equally sure that it never received at my hands any retouching or correction. I have no natural gift of rhythm. All the other verses I have ever written are manufactured articles; this came like a dayspring from on high."
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Sunny day, chasing the clouds away...
http://achangeoftune.blogspot.com/
Yes, this post is about Sesame Street, where the good music goes to relax and educate. Norah Jones and Leslie Feist are among those. I think this probably goes hand in hand with my love of covers.
I wonder a bit about how much a two year old really takes from these cameo appearance by great musicians and actors, but I forget that the target audience of Sesame Street is more than just young children. There are the parents and caretakers who watch too, myself included. I never expected that my nanny job to provide musical material for me to explore. This first video of Leslie Feist singing new lyrics to the hit from her 2007 release "The Reminder." The video for "1,2,3,4" was shot in a single take and featured in an iPod commercial the same year, rocketing her quiet indie status to a mainstream pedestal. I assume that's about where Sesame Street picked her up. She now takes her place among some of the greatest performers of all time, from Little Richard to Marilyn Horne.
When I first discovered these little pieces of pop culture crossing into other pieces of pop culture, I got so excited. I'm fascinated by the creative combinations
Feel free to explore on my new favorite Youtube channel SesameStreet.
"1, 2, 3, 4 penguins that went by the door..."
Just listen and enjoy.
Elmo is so precious.
Another recent sky rocketing from relative obscurity to world wide fame with Jason Mraz and his hit "I'm Yours." Now retitled, "Outdoors"
Marilyn Horne! One of my favorite voices of all time.
One bonus, non musical, celebrity appearance. Love this man.
Yes, this post is about Sesame Street, where the good music goes to relax and educate. Norah Jones and Leslie Feist are among those. I think this probably goes hand in hand with my love of covers.
I wonder a bit about how much a two year old really takes from these cameo appearance by great musicians and actors, but I forget that the target audience of Sesame Street is more than just young children. There are the parents and caretakers who watch too, myself included. I never expected that my nanny job to provide musical material for me to explore. This first video of Leslie Feist singing new lyrics to the hit from her 2007 release "The Reminder." The video for "1,2,3,4" was shot in a single take and featured in an iPod commercial the same year, rocketing her quiet indie status to a mainstream pedestal. I assume that's about where Sesame Street picked her up. She now takes her place among some of the greatest performers of all time, from Little Richard to Marilyn Horne.
When I first discovered these little pieces of pop culture crossing into other pieces of pop culture, I got so excited. I'm fascinated by the creative combinations
Feel free to explore on my new favorite Youtube channel SesameStreet.
"1, 2, 3, 4 penguins that went by the door..."
Just listen and enjoy.
Elmo is so precious.
Another recent sky rocketing from relative obscurity to world wide fame with Jason Mraz and his hit "I'm Yours." Now retitled, "Outdoors"
Marilyn Horne! One of my favorite voices of all time.
One bonus, non musical, celebrity appearance. Love this man.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sharing the limelight: Ben Sollee
It was brought to my attention that, for a headliner, he shares the spotlight almost constantly. Whether the spotlight is shared with the cause of his choice, or with the musicians he's playing with, there is an air of graciousness about Ben Sollee's playing.
Everything seems to be handcrafted to make each moment about something more than him. There were beautiful, transcendent moments like Try, Try, Try (featured below) and moments of pure hilarity, thanks to a cover of Tom Waits' of Chocolate Jesus.
Ben Sollee LIVE @ WFPK Live Lunch June 2008: Try (re-mastered in HD) from Keith Robbins on Vimeo.
Friday, February 26, 2010
I'm back! And obsessed with this song
Les Trois Cloches AKA The Three Bells
In it's English words, it's often called Jimmy Brown or Little Jimmy Brown.
I guess I originally heard this song sung by Edith Piaf in French on an Artists Choice disc, favorite songs by Joni Mitchell. It was a beautiful song, and one that introduced me to Piaf. The song never struck me as of importance until I recognized the tune listening to WNCW one afternoon. The English version, recorded by The Browns sounded strangely familiar as I drove. I couldn't place it, so I began to Google. At first I couldn't remember the title, but once I figured it out I realized where I knew the tune from.
Click here to watch Edith and her ensemble Les Compagnons de la Chanson.
You can watch the version by The Browns here, and then my personal favorite by Allison Krauss here
It's a sad song, but beautiful in both languages.
[Originally a French tune written in 1945]
[Original French words by Bert Reisfeld]
[Music by Jean Villard]
[English words added by Dick Manning]
There's a village hidden deep in the valley
Among the pine trees half forlorn
And there on a sunny morning
Little Jimmy Brown was born
All the chapel bells were ringing
In the little valley town
And the songs that they were singing
Were for baby Jimmy Brown
Then the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above
Lead us not into temptation,
Bless this hour of meditation
Guide him with eternal love
There's a village hidden deep in the valley
Beneath the mountains high above
And there, twenty years thereafter
Jimmy was to meet his love
All the chapel bells were ringing,
Was a great day in his life
Cause the songs that they were singing
Were for Jimmy and his wife
Then the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above
Lead us not into temptation,
Bless oh Lord this celebration
May their lives be filled with love
From the village hidden deep in the valley
One rainy morning dark and gray
A soul winged its way to heaven
Jimmy Brown had passed away
Just a lonely bell was ringing
In the little valley town
Twas farewell that it was singing
To our good old Jimmy Brown
And the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above
Lead us not into temptation,
May his soul find the salvation
Of thy great eternal love
In it's English words, it's often called Jimmy Brown or Little Jimmy Brown.
I guess I originally heard this song sung by Edith Piaf in French on an Artists Choice disc, favorite songs by Joni Mitchell. It was a beautiful song, and one that introduced me to Piaf. The song never struck me as of importance until I recognized the tune listening to WNCW one afternoon. The English version, recorded by The Browns sounded strangely familiar as I drove. I couldn't place it, so I began to Google. At first I couldn't remember the title, but once I figured it out I realized where I knew the tune from.
Click here to watch Edith and her ensemble Les Compagnons de la Chanson.
You can watch the version by The Browns here, and then my personal favorite by Allison Krauss here
It's a sad song, but beautiful in both languages.
[Originally a French tune written in 1945]
[Original French words by Bert Reisfeld]
[Music by Jean Villard]
[English words added by Dick Manning]
There's a village hidden deep in the valley
Among the pine trees half forlorn
And there on a sunny morning
Little Jimmy Brown was born
All the chapel bells were ringing
In the little valley town
And the songs that they were singing
Were for baby Jimmy Brown
Then the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above
Lead us not into temptation,
Bless this hour of meditation
Guide him with eternal love
There's a village hidden deep in the valley
Beneath the mountains high above
And there, twenty years thereafter
Jimmy was to meet his love
All the chapel bells were ringing,
Was a great day in his life
Cause the songs that they were singing
Were for Jimmy and his wife
Then the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above
Lead us not into temptation,
Bless oh Lord this celebration
May their lives be filled with love
From the village hidden deep in the valley
One rainy morning dark and gray
A soul winged its way to heaven
Jimmy Brown had passed away
Just a lonely bell was ringing
In the little valley town
Twas farewell that it was singing
To our good old Jimmy Brown
And the little congregation
Prayed for guidance from above
Lead us not into temptation,
May his soul find the salvation
Of thy great eternal love
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