Today we're going to be writing about music. We got a good start Tuesday, or seven of us did. I liked what you posted. I agreed with vjb79, who recalled a high school madrigal dinner and said the King's Singers sounded "more like the madrigal song than the song Saints did" when Harry Belafonte joked about singing "When the Saints Go Marching In" like an old English madrigal. (I thought his arrangment sounded more like a 1950s studio band, which of course is what was backing him up!) And I agreed with cylegilbert who said we shouldn't label music as belonging to a particular ethnic group or nationality, because "music comes from cultures and from the heart." What we'll see this semester is a type of music, actually several types of music, that developed when people of different cultures adopted each other's riffs and ultimately each other's values. I like what jazz saxaphone player Charlie Parker said (as quoted at the top of our syllabus) ...
Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. -- Charlie 'Bird' Parker
We're going to talk about folk, popular and art music, and listen to some of each.
Also we'll watch two versions of "When the Saints Go Marching In" on YouTube. The first is a jazz version by Louie Armstrong and Danny Kaye.
It looks like it was on television in the Netherlands, by the way, since there are subtitles in wht appears to be Dutch. Talk about no boundary lines to art!
The second version is by Bruce Springsteen and his Pete Seeger Sessions band, at a concert in Bologna, Italy. No boundary lines here, either. In fact, Springsteen's Sessions tour was more popular in Europe than it was in the United States:
After watching them, I want you to write your response to the two versions of the "Saints." How do the artists performing each version and make it their own? As you listen, ask yourself these questions:
Also we'll watch two versions of "When the Saints Go Marching In" on YouTube. The first is a jazz version by Louie Armstrong and Danny Kaye.
It looks like it was on television in the Netherlands, by the way, since there are subtitles in wht appears to be Dutch. Talk about no boundary lines to art!
The second version is by Bruce Springsteen and his Pete Seeger Sessions band, at a concert in Bologna, Italy. No boundary lines here, either. In fact, Springsteen's Sessions tour was more popular in Europe than it was in the United States:
After watching them, I want you to write your response to the two versions of the "Saints." How do the artists performing each version and make it their own? As you listen, ask yourself these questions:
1. What about each piece of music and/or performance stands out in my mind?Post your thoughts are comments on this blog.
2. What in my background, values, needs and interests makes me react that way?
3. What specific things about the performance trigger that reaction?
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