Making the World Count- The Beatles from Britain to India

By the late 1950′s, Rock and Roll artists had found a place in the hearts and souls of the youth culture of the United Kingdom and the United States. Performers such as Elvis Presley were known worldwide. By 1960, the city of Liverpool, England, had found itself musically advancing with the excitement that accompanied Rock and Roll. Liverpool alone was home to over 300 Rock and Roll clubs that were shelters for about the same number of bands. Amongst these bands existed Britain’s most successful Rock band, “The Beatles.”

Composed of four young men, The Beatles set out on a musical journey, introducing themselves first to the U.K. followed by America and the rest of the world. They explored and expanded on the very elements that accentuate and represent the world and its cultures musically and universally through comprehensive music studies and maybe a little L.S.D. The evidence that The Beatles were off to an all-inclusive start is found in their first hit song Please Please Me from their 1963 album of the same name. Being one of the “Fab Four’s” first original songs, “Please Please Me” was intriguing musically on a variety of levels. First, the use of Britain’s Merseybeat– a beat that fusioned rock and roll, R&B, doo-wop, skiffle and soul– was highly relevant in that it changed Rock and Roll forever due to the fact that it combined these beats and styles together. This combining of beats from separate genres tore down the walls of musical “segregation” and opened up the doors for “inter-musical experimentation” which would later lead to further musical discoveries in electronic music, music theory and the evolution of Rock and Roll itself.

However, the musicianship between each band member was relevant as well in the beginnings of “The Beatles” change in music. Lennon’s playing of the melody with the harmonica is extended during the whole of the piece while McCartney’s sustain on the melody’s octave (inspired by The Everly Brothers) reflected importance on the melody and the vocals. Combined with Harrison’s percussive electric guitar parallel to Starr’s Merseybeat on the drums, “Please Please Me” was a ground-breaking number, aiding in the “British Invasion” of the U.K.’s music into the ears of America. The release of Please Please Me in the United States on February 7, 1963, marked a new era of Rock and Roll which would soon become a global experience for all music cultures.

Their fourth album Beatles For Sale was a minor pivot point for The Beatles as lyricists and instrumentalists. It was this album that served as a catalyst of their gradual evolution into instrumental and studio experimentation. This album contained an array of their usual sounds (guitar, piano, drums, etc.) but, it also included the Hammond Organ, African drums, handclaps, tambourine, packing case, bongos and the timpani. With this minuscule expansion into these not so common Rock and Roll instruments, The Beatles began to utilize foreign instruments which led to their immense success and the ingenuity of their albums to follow.

Baby’s In Black

Rubber Soul (1965) was the first album in which the Beatles played an example of a Rock and Roll band playing the sitar, an instrument used in East Indian classical music. This use of the sitar was highly influenced by the famous Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar, who would eventually become one of George Harrison’s mentors and teachers of the sitar. This piece truly marks the innovation of The Beatles and their music, pulling them out of the “plain” Rock and Roll scene and placing them above it. They had found a way for the world to be heard in all ears, just by using a “strange” instrument to enhance the melody of one of their greatest songs “Norwegian Wood“. This turning point is so important in The Beatles’ history and music history because of the usage of the sitar in Rock and Roll music. Though the sitar is playing the melody and is not necessarily being used in a sacred or holy fashion, the use of it in this piece eventually extended throughout not only the music of The Beatles but it began to hit home for other bands worldwide. India was a Guru-to-student hot spot, a place for meditation and the healing of one’s soul. This would lead to a high interest in East Indian culture, which spread like wildfire clear through the mid-1980′s and still exists today.

A later album, Revolver, would soon hit the charts as one of The Beatles’ greatest albums ever composed for pop and Rock and Roll music. The reason behind this, first, are the instruments being used in this album, especially in the song “Love to You” (1966). The Beatles had decided to compose an album that would highly advance their musical careers and endorse the use of traditional Indian classical instruments as pop and Rock and Roll instruments. The song “Love To You” holds evidence of the use of the tabla, hand-drums, the sitar and the tambura, which provides the Indian drone during the whole of the song. This was the first of The Beatles songs that incorporated “true” classical Indian music, style and form. It was also dubbed the first pop song to mimic a non- Western form in instrumentation and structure. This was the first piece to ever breed Western pop music to the Eastern Indian music which Harrison would adopt and promote for the rest of his life.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) is considered to be The Beatles’ masterpiece album. It took the idea of nontraditional pop instruments to a whole new level with songs such as “With a Little Help from My Friends” which utilizes the harmonium. The album is applied with instruments such as the usual pop and Rock and Roll instruments along with the traditional sitar, tambura, and tabla developed in earlier albums. However, The Beatles decided to travel out of India and into the rest of the world and its music for Sgt. Pepper. The album contains instruments such as the harmonium, the Hammond organ, the dilruba, hand claps, the tambourine, maracas and the kazoo. They would later use the swarmandal in their 1967 album Magical Mystery Tour in their psychedelic rock tribute song “Strawberry Fields Forever”.

However massive the experience of The Beatles may be, some critics believe that The Beatles are irrelevant and unimportant to world history and music. However, in observing their music, especially the later albums, one can find portals of significance. Primarily is their approach to the Raga and Indian classical music. The fact that they even would venture so far as to study with a Guru to learn the sacredness and importance of spirituality that came with the Raga is more than most Rock and Roll artists can say. Their willingness to learn and experiment with a something foreign in the closed societies of the 1960’s clearly marks something worth writing about.

Furthermore, aside from world music, the Raga and foreign instruments, it was the experimentation of these instruments in the studios that caused such an uproar in Rock and Roll that follows us even today. Their electronic music experiments were so unique and fresh that they, along with Ravi Shankar, saved Rock and Roll as we know it. Someone had to come out of the woodwork and try something new, even if it meant facing horrible critics and a corrupted media. For the love of an art form, The Beatles and Shankar put their lives and even religious beliefs on the line because they realized how important it would be to help save our planet from dull Rock-a-Billy beats and overused guitar riffs.

The real major influence of the use of classical Indian form was passed to the Beatles by Ravi Shankar, who is to this day India’s leading Guru of Indian classical music. His collaboration and teaching of Indian classical music to The Beatles’ George Harrison is reflected and, in a rock and roll sense, perfected in the later Beatles albums. His influence means so much to not only British music culture but to music cultures universally. It was his willingness to teach and welcome foreign students to his place of learning that opened the gateways of what is now called World Music. The mixing and forming of hybrid songs in a psychedelic era could not have come at a better time. It was a time of change, historically, economically and socially and the musicians of the era were not going to be left behind. Rather, they thought ahead. Thanks to Ravi Shankar’s teachings of Raga form, The Beatles and many other rock bands were able to reach out to the world, influencing a movement that was unstoppable.

There are few musicians whose music impacts the world as the music of the Beatles and Ravi Shankar. Their music is just as relevant in music theory and history today as it was the day it was made. Very few bands and soloists have been able to completely change the landscape of music with their innovative ideas let alone continue in their stature as world musicians and artists once their era is over. Few are capable of creating a timeless masterpiece, let alone a vast catalogue of priceless pieces that can withstand time. To find such musicians with such authority on the waves of musical sound, cultural behavior and the concept of life, in the moment, is truly a treasure. The Beatles and Ravi Shankar are examples of such artful musicians.

From their first album to their last, the cultural and musical impact The Beatles made on the world was immeasurable. Bringing the Merseybeat along with them into the United States was an opening for new ideas and helped renovate the 1960’s. People were searching for an outlet from the Vietnam war, looking to ease their pains from racism and longing to exceed in their place as individuals. This cultural significance is eclipsed in how the band’s influence has continued to resonate long after their separation. To this day, The Beatles’ music is still heard on the radio and their albums are continually purchased. It is this factor that has helped maintain an interest in the music cultures of the world today. Without these albums, the influence of Ravi Shankar and other world musicians would not have gained the opportunity to influence the Western way of life and music. With this existence of musical exchange maintained on a colossal level of media, this access to world music, Raga form and unorthodox Rock and Roll instruments holds a key in today’s ways of music recording, performance and even everyday life.

Bibliography:

America’s Musical Life New York/London: W.W. Norton and Company, 2001.
The Beatles- A Life in Pictures. New York, New York: Metro Books, 2004.
The Beatles- A Pocket reference Guide to More than 100 Songs! Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 1995.
The Beatles Anthology. Dir. Geoff Wonfor. Perf. The Beatles/George Martin. DVD. EMI Video. 1996.
The Beatles-The Complete Guide to their Music. London:Omnibus P, 2004.
The Beatles with Lacan:Rock and Roll as Requiem for the Modern Age. New York: Peter Lang, Inc., 1995.
Fab Four Faq. New York: Big 3 Music Corporation, 1990.
Rock Yesterday and Today. New York: Big Three Music Corporation, 1990.

Video Source:

http://www.youtube.com

Image Source:
http://www.google.com/images/the beatles

Diva’s Choice: “On Savait” by La Grande Sophie

May23 by Roshanna Elwing

by Roshanna Elwing

Fitting her foot into the Paris pop rock music scene in 1995, La Grande Sophie (Sophie Huriaux) has been one of the leading music icons of France since the mid 90′s. With songs pumped and fashioned with a fresh, city grit sound, La Grande Sophie adds an edge to the sophisticated moods of the Francophone music listeners and lovers alike.

I chose On Savait (AZ/Universal Music 2003) for several reasons. My first reason is because it was one of the first pieces of music I heard when I arrived in France for a semester abroad. I found that it had a memorable melody, with the title “On Savait” repeated in each stanza, drawing away from the every day chorus holding the title. I liked this idea for an alternative pop song and found it a bit refreshing to hear the actual title given the credit it deserves. I also found it helpful in learning the French tense called “imparfait l’indicatif,” a tense with which I was not familiar until I heard this song, reading the lyrics along with it of course. The imparfait is a tense that refers to something that occurred habitually in the past or an on-going action and state of being in the past (along with several idiomatic uses).

I find that this song holds the sounds of big city life within it. When I hear this song all I can think of are gigantic buildings held tight in concrete with tiny little lives walking in and out of them. It holds high evidence that it was written for a broken relationship or for a horrible lover. That being said, my lover is the big city when regarding this piece. I can’t help but love a big city and yet hate everything negative that can come with a big city. Though the video poses a bright and colorful meaning, I sense as though there is another meaning behind the wandering piano and the heavily dramatized “synthony” orchestra, not to mention the simple yet infectious melody sung by Sophie. The translation alone defines that there was a horrible fight between two people. I like to imagine that I am having a fight with a city and big city life. Either way, dear listener, I hope you hear what your heart desires as you listen to this song of the day. Cheers!

Lyrics: Literal and Poetic translation by Roshanna Elwing (note– not all translations are 100% accurate).

On avait les cheveux longs [we had long hair]
Des dents de lait et pourtant [white teeth (perhaps implying smiles) and yet]
On savait, on savait, que ça n’allait pas durer [we knew, we knew, (of that which) would not last]

On chassait les papillons [We chased the butterflies]
On posait plein de questions [we asked many questions]
On savait, on savait, que ça n’allait pas durer [we knew, we knew, it would not last]

On collectionnait les billes [we collected the balls (or building blocks rather)]
On sentait bon la vanille [we smelled the good (or warm) vanilla]
On savait, on savait, que ça n’allait pas durer [we knew, we knew it would not last]

On était toujours jaloux [we were always jealous]
Et on attrapait des poux [and we caught the lice (or, in other words, we nit-picked at each other)]
On savait, on savait, que ça n’allait pas durer [we knew, we knew, it would not last]

(Refrain)

Qui aurait pu nous le dire [who would have been able to tell us]
Qui aurait su nous l’écrire [who would have known what to write us]
Qui avait la solution [who had the solution]
Pour ne jamais devenir grand [for (it) never became big (for it never was revealed)]

On partait dans les nuages [we went to the clouds]
Cueillir des pensées sauvages [Picked up wild thoughts]
On savait, on savait, que ça n’allait pas durer [we knew, we knew, it would not last]

On courait jusqu’à plus soif [we ran until we were thirsty]
On se faisait des grimaces [we made (ourselves) grimaces]
On savait, on savait, que ça n’allait pas durer [we knew, we knew, it would not last]

(au Refrain)

Devenir grand…

On voulait toujours faire vite [we wanted to always do it right]
Avant de prendre la fuite [before running away]
On savait, on savait, que ça n’allait pas durer [we knew, we knew, it would not last]

On avait la varicelle [we had the chicken pox]
On était bien trop cruel [we were very cruel]
On savait, on savait, que ça n’allait pas durer [we knew, we knew it would not last]

(au Refrain)

Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=on+savait+grande+sophie&aq=f
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Grande_Sophie
http://www.musikiwi.com/paroles/la-grande-sophie,on-savait-devenir,grand,44401.html

The Emerging Voice: By Choice and Influence

Mar22 by Roshanna Elwing

By Roshanna Elwing

“Our creations are indeed always the mirror of what we are, although the mirror may not reflect everything” -M. Feraoun

There is history in the making when one person emerges from their everyday surroundings and steps into a new environment called “the emerging voice”- a voice that works against all it has known and all it is given in hopes for something new., educational and spectacular. This question remains, however, when dealing with the emerging voice: who is the voice trying to reach?

It is a question of confidence with a complicated answer. Take, for example, Mouloud Feraoun’s novel The Poor Man’s Son, a novel in which Feraoun expresses his childhood in a Kabylian community, where only the select few are given a chance at an educated life style, a chance to excel in the family name and an opportunity to be one thing; the man of the house.

Considering these issues, it is important to first ask the essential question of “for whom is this literature written?” Does Feraoun have a selected audience in mind? To answer these questions, a careful analysis is needed in an attempt to answer these questions.

In examining, first, the kinds of issues Feraoun addresses in The Poor Man’s Son, one takes note that Feraoun draws a lot of attention to the similar problems between money and providing for a family between the adults and even some of the children. And it is here where the members of the community, not just one family, share a common ground; money. Enough money, but only to put food on the table and clothes on each member of the household (usually one set of clothes to last an entire year). Regard Feraoun’s attitude of the rich men in his village and the way they impose on their geographical and social surroundings: “A few pretentious houses have recently been constructed thanks to money brought back from France. The immodest façades… rise amid generalized decay. For one senses that this luxury is out of place in such surroundings. And we are not too proud of them” (M. Feraoun, TPMS, pg. 6-7). Feraoun continues in this idea and mentions that “vanity” is something to be scoffed, “perhaps because we are all closely related or connected” (M. Feraoun, 7).

Clearly the idea of a once poor and possibly uneducated member of this Kabylian community succeeding in another country and bringing back that countries success is not desired. However, Feraoun continues later in the book and describes the thoughts of gaining an education: “He recalled his childhood friend Akli… [who] would inevitably remain a shepherd, while he, Menrad, was going to live and evolve in this fantastic milieu. ‘It really is something to get an education’ he said to himself” (M. Feraoun, 105).

Considering both of these situations, to whom is Feraoun writing? To which party does he belong? The uneducated laborers of his village or the aspiring teachers, readers and writers of literature that intend to initially “help” the poor and uneducated? These questions bring Feraoun to a point where he must define, to his intended audience, what is “good and what is bad…what is black and what is white?”

To answer these questions, whether as a group or as an individual, seems almost impossible. However, as individuals, the question may be less complicated to answer. Turning to Jaques Derrida’s novel The Other Heading we discover that “[Public] opinion can change from one day to the next… [it is] ephemeral, it has no status because it does not have to be stable, not even constantly unstable, for it sometimes ‘takes its time,’” and “if it had a proper place, public opinion would be the forum for a permanent and transparent discussion” (Derrida, TOH,, 85).

Reverting back to Menrad’s comment about Akli, “who had stayed behind” (M.Feraoun, 85), plants an impression ont he reader that Akli did in fact have an individual choice to continue with his education, but, decided to remain a shepherd. Out of fear of success or conflicts in money, the reader is not sure.

The reader does collect, however, the sense of choice. Menrad decided to continue in education, whereas Akli did not. But, were they offered the same opportunity? Not necessarily. Menrad was fortunate enough to be offered the chance to apply for a scholarship. Did he apply himself in his studies more than Akli? Did Akli have the support of his family, friends and schoolmates like Menrad had? Those may seem fickle and frivolous elements for success but these too hold their place when encouraging something as difficult as an education.

Acknowledge Akli and Menrad’s social status as young Bakylian men. They are both sons of shepherds, they are both poor and they both understand the difference between “success on behalf of family” and “success on behalf of vanity”. But where does one draw the line?

In contemplating the answer to the previous question, we must also consider the snowball effect that educational “money” has on the rest of a tight-knit community, especially when concerning the women in these types of communities, where men flourish first. In a community such as Menrad’s, the reader learns quickly that the women do not ALWAYS have a say in which direction their lives will advance. Most of the young girls are only educated until they are old enough to either be married or help around the house sufficiently. It is quite clear in Feraoun’s “The Poor Man’s Son” that women are, on most occasions, the lowest on the pole when it comes to the pecking order.

The issue of women’s rights rises, from a liberated woman’s point of view, on page 12 of TPMS with the phrase, “My uncle took up the habit of beating her without ever managing to install fear.” This phrase approaches the idea that, in this community, the men are to be feared and the women are to be silent. Again, from a liberated woman’s point of view, this “dominant male” attitude is wrong. But, in this Kabylian community, it is not wrong, and unfortunately, these women are not allowed to reach their full potential as something more than an average, perhaps below average, member of this community.

In examining Feraoun’s attitude towards education, money and women, it seems safe to assume that Feraoun is writing to those who are willing to take their own decisions, life style and success into their own hands, making the choice to be vain, educated or a profitable woman. It appears that Feraoun draws the line between black and white when he made the decision to compose “The Poor Man’s Son in a effort to tell his story of his triumphs and tribulations, personal and communal.”

Perhaps he is taking a stand in proving that even he, a once poor, colonialised shepherd boy could rise above the norm of his community, geographically and economically, and succeed in making his educational goals and dreams into reality. Perhaps he is secretly writing to the women who want to be more than a good wife, who long to step out of their shells and become successful business women, actresses or writers, whether with a family or alone. Or, maybe he is writing to the men in an attempt to counsel them into thinking that there is no shame in monetary gain if it is used for the right reasons.

For whomever this text was written, it is clear that the concepts of “choice” and “decision” (individual and communal) are involved, things that Feraoun did not indubitably learn in his Kabylian community. Nevertheless, Feraoun makes it clear that, until a community can agree on the same general decision, the individual choice is the winning answer.

___________________________________________________________________________

photo sources:

www.google.com/images

http://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=http://www.yennayer.fr/local/cache-vignettes/L220xH334/mouloud_feraoun-eb578.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.yennayer.fr/spip.php%3Farticle719&h=334&w=220&sz=33&tbnid=AMGAjhNBgi8QIM:&tbnh=267&tbnw=176&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmouloud%2Bferaoun%2Ble%2Bfils%2Bdu%2Bpauvre%2Bphotos&zoom=1&q=mouloud+feraoun+le+fils+du+pauvre+photos&hl=fr&usg=__wLoEAtF1-Sb1hNXZIjmG7PK80qQ=&sa=X&ei=vD2GTd2iIsf14AbK55STCQ&ved=0CCUQ9QEwAA

http://www.google.fr/imgres?imgurl=http://gelambre.pagesperso-orange.fr/Site_AKKA/images/Acc%26Pres/FERAOUN_fils-du-pauvre.jpg&imgrefurl=http://gelambre.pagesperso-orange.fr/Site_AKKA/akka_1_presentation.htm&h=333&w=200&sz=11&tbnid=RH-JHlAsI1i_FM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=71&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dle%2Bfils%2Bdu%2Bpauvre%2Bimages&zoom=1&q=le+fils+du+pauvre+images&hl=fr&usg=__-epzIXbBtSVXHoKvRwrnNDCL4Js=&sa=X&ei=nEOGTdeCFqWT4AbI0IiHCQ&ved=0CCAQ9QEwAg

http://www.upress.virginia.edu/books/feraoun.html

other resources:

Derrida, Jacques. The Other Heading: Reflections on Today’s Europe. Indiana University Press, 1992 (Translated by Pascale-Anne Brault and Michael B. Naas.)

Feraoun, Mouloud. The Poor Man’s Son: Menrad, Kabyle Schoolteacher. University of Virginia Press, 2005 (Original French Publication: Le fils du pauvre: Menrad instituteur Kabyle. Le Puy France: Les Cahiers du Nouvel Humanisme, 1950.)

L’amour défi au temps

Mar9 by Roshanna Elwing

By Roshanna Elwing

Through the centuries, poets of literature and the arts have been in a constant battle to compose the perfect poem of love. I say battle because the battle is within the mind and in the soul of the poet and composer. If the soul is not healthy and the mind is not well, composing a love poem may be the last thing that writer will compose. The battle lies in the dark and sacred truth that, above all, love must defy all odds, people and situations.

But does love in fact conquer all? There are times when love rears its ugly head and completely destroys a relationship, or worse, the mere definition of one person’s being, body, mind and soul. A perfect example of love conquering all for all of the wrong reasons is (my interpretation) Victor Hugo’s “Mon âme a plus de feu.”

There are five sections to this poem, each with a little more insight to the relationship between the lover and the poet. The energy of the poet, the energy of the beloved and the emotional outcome of their passions. I will break the poem down, stanza by stanza, in French and with an English poetic translation.

The first stanza is dedicated to the lovers’ interactions and responses to each other. The phrase “J’ai” is crucial in understanding the first stanza because it is the poet speaking and recalling to the reader what he has done to the lover. “J’ai mis”, “J’ai posé”, and “J’ai respiré” are actions which the poet does TO the lover, physically. “Ta coupe”, “tes mains” and “ton âme” are body parts of the lover and belong to the lover and therefore are applied to the lover in this poem.

Puisque j’ai mis ma lèvre à ta coupe encore pleine;
(Since I have put my lip to your cup [that is] always full)
Puisque j’ai dans tes mains posé mon front pâli;
(Since I have rested my pale forhead in your hands)
Puisque j’ai respiré parfois la douce haleine
(Since I have breathed at times the sweet breath
De ton âme, parfum dans l’ombre enseveli;
(Of your soul, perfumed in the buried shadow)

Beautiful, yes. But look again. The poet is physically performing these actions on those which are metaphorical, such as “cup” and “soul”. The only time in this stanza where the two characters are equal is when the lover holds the poet’s head in their hands. And this is the only time when the poet and the lover are ever equal. A body part for a body part. No metaphors or hidden messages. The energy of the poet is strong in this stanza, especially in cases when the poet is “imposing” on the lover. The reader never sees a point where the lover is imposing on the poet, physically. Emotionally, however, the reader senses that the lover has full control of the poet and has the ability of captivating the poet, dangerously so. The energy is not equal and it is a selfish energy in which they invade each other and are in a constant state of receiving and never giving.

The second stanza poses the same idea. the lover’s ear has been graced with the gift of listening to the poet, who is mysteriously pouring himself into the lover:

Puisqu’il me fut donné de t’entendre me dire
(Since you have given me your ear to listen while I speak)
Les mots où se répond le coeur mysterieux;
(The words where the mysterious heart pours itself)
Puisque j’ai vu pleurer, puisque j’ai vu sourire,
(Since I have seen [your] tears, since I have seen [your] smile)
Ta bouche sur ma bouche et tes yeux, sur mes yeux
(Your mouth on my mouth and your eyes on my eyes)

The poet pours himself into the lover, mentioning “tears” and a “smile”. Obviously, one does not see their own tears running down their face or their own smile, unless the are looking at the reflection in the mirror. The poet is claiming that they are watching the lover cry and smile, and the reader wonders why the lover is crying and then smiling. Perhaps they are crying and smiling with tears of joy and laughter, or perhaps they are crying one moment because of a mishap between them and the poet. The reader is never clearly sure why the lover would be crying, but, the reader is then assured that nothing could be wrong with the phrase “Your mouth on my mouth and your eyes on my eyes.” What a beautiful phrase! Beautiful enough to make the reader forget that there might be some sort of qualm between the lover and the poet.

The third stanza is quite interesting in its shift of attitude between the poet and the lover:

Puisque j’ai vu briller sur ma tête ravie un rayon de ton astre.
(Since I have seen a ray of your star shine brightly on my head)
Hélas! Voilé toujours;
(Alas! Always veiled)
Puisque j’ai vu tomber dans l’onde de ma vie
(Since I have seen fall in the wave of my life)
Une feuille de rose arrachée à tes jours;
(A leaf of a rose pulled out of your days)

The poet refers to the lover as a rose, a flower which has held as the symbol of true love, and mentions that there is a “leaf of rose pulled out of your days”, but why? It seems as though the poet has begun to pick the lover apart and has found, with the last petal, there is nothing more to share with the lover, not even love. Or, perhaps the poet is saying that [he] is fortunate enough to have a piece of the lover, the lover being gracious enough to bless the poet with their presence for a time. The question still remains, however: What is it that is veiled? Is it the lover’s love? How can the lover shine brightly on the poet’s head and yet everything is veiled and unclear for the lover? The true expressions seem negative and the French pronouns are presented in a harsh manner.

The fourth stanza expresses the frustration of the poet in full force — almost as if the poet is beginning to show their hatred to the lover:

Je puis maintenant dire aux rapides années:
(I then, now, speak to the passing years)
-Passez! Passez toujours! Je n’ai plus à viellir;
(Pass! Pass always! I have nothing but old age)
Allez-vous-en avec vos fleurs toutes fanées;
(Leave with your faded flowers)
J’ai dans l’âme une fleur que nul ne peut cueillir!
(I have in the soul a flower which no one has ever picked!)

This is my favorite part of the poem because the reader can not be too sure as to who the poet is speaking. The french pronouns have changed in attitude from the beginning of the poem to this point. The french pronoun “TU” (tes and ton in conjucation) are used for cases of familiarity, such as friends, family and loves. But the pronoun “vous” and the conjunction of the french verb “to pass-PASSER” as “passez” is used in forms of formality or things/people who are unacquainted. Really, this part of the poem is quite exciting because, is the poet speaking to the unfamiliar years? Or, has the poet become so turned off to their lover that they are now unfamiliar with them? Take note, too, that the pet says,”I have in the soul a flower which no one has ever picked”. I wonder if the poet is referring to the lover’s virginity or body, of which no one else has taken part of. This part of the poem is where all the juice is. Finding the flavor, however, is hard to do.

The fifth and final stanza is where we see sheer passion and desire of hatred pour forth from the poet but we are still not sure if it is to the lover or to the passing years. I believe that the poet is upset with the lover and no longer cares for them. But you, dear reader, are open to think what you wish. The pronouns suggest that the poet is, in fact, upset at the lover, at their “useless” body and insults the lover in their decision to give everything they had to the poet. The pronouns suggest revenge against the lover, and add an urgent and sickening pain to the reader;

Votre aile en le heurtant ne fera rien répandre
(Your once flapping wings will never spread)
Du vase où je m’abreuve et que j’ai bien rempli.
(Due to the vase where I drink, which I keep well replenished)
Mon âme a plus de feu que vous n’avez de cendre!
(My soul is ablaze of which you have not even ashes!)
Mon coeur a plus d’amour que vous n’avez pas d’oubli!
(My heart has a love which you will never forget!)

If this is indeed meant to insult the lover, the job is done. The once angelic lover cannot even flap their wings as long as the poet suggests that they will not even share the ashes of the poet’s burning heart. The pronouns express the poet’s anger and revenge towards the lover, and everything that the lover gave the poet — body, mind, and soul. The pronouns express the energy and the intentions of the poet, but the energies of the lover are brought forth in the reader, leaving the reader to answer the question, “for whom is this stanza written?” We, the readers, are offered a chance to stand in for the lover and truly understand their emotions and their feelings. We can be their voice above the poets.

photo sources:

http://www.charles-tocanier.fr/blog/mentors/images/Victor_hugo.jpg

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQOZWisSs2bR3-GSTRwtjwoNq8fU0n59RD1JnFYFrSYlnhQ9Mr6xg

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQR4y-SZ0nrGVX8BOqbryejjEV5pxAjJLRCh6PwAs_ENPJxgUHnCQ

other resources:

Anthologie de la litérature française, Tome II. Leggewie, R. Oxford University Press, New York, 1990.

Bring a castle home this Valentine’s Day

Feb14 by Roshanna Elwing

By Roshanna Elwing

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The perfect day to frantically spend the last of your winnings from the Super Bowl on your beloved, granted that you have remembered your significant other and their obsessions with cushy teddy bears and message candy. The ultimate question of “What the hell am I going to get her/him/them for Valentines Day?” lurks in your mind as you wander aimlessly through the Walmart Supercenter, the long and dangerous lines at the brand name jewelers or that corner candy store that always has fresh chocolate almond caramel thingys. Oh, dear reader, you are looking in all the wrong places! Who can answer your fateful question?

Hayao Miyazaki, with the help of Joe Hisaishi.

Miyazaki’s 2004 film Howl’s Moving Castle reeks of love and war between two very different lands and two extremely different people and is the PERFECT Valentine date film! With a good part of the plot dealing with a war between two lands, the music aids the viewer in their interpretation of the film as a love themed war story and vise versa. The love theme shared by Howl and Sophie is an essential piece in understanding the characters and their influences on one another.

The film opens immediately with the love theme which Howl and Sophie share throughout the entire film. The theme is presented in a pitiful state at the beginning of the film. When I say pitiful, I am not saying that I do not like the theme. This theme is gorgeous and full of intense score work. However, when watching the film, the viewer finds that the theme is stagnant and doesn’t go anywhere. It stands still and the ear waits for it grow into something large, profound and beautiful, but it doesn’t, and this is who Sophie is at the beginning of the film; quiet, stagnant, full of potential yet terrified of her own shadow and who she could be if she would only spread her wings. The piano is connected to Sophie and her self-inflicted lonely state in which the viewers are introduced to her personality and her beginning role in the film. Take note, too, that this theme is cadence and ended with the ringing of the bells in Sophie’s hat shop.

The film continues and Sophie makes her way to visit her sister. One the way, her path is intercepted by two soldiers who are not exactly thrilled to take a polite “no” for an answer. The refer to Sophie as a “scared little mouse” and mock her brave yet useless energies of being left alone. But, wait, the viewer hears in the distance the tiniest sound of a pizzicato amongst several violins. This pizzicato crescendos and Voila! There is Howl, standing next to Sophie, with the means of protecting her and sending those soldiers away. Why is this important enough to note? Because the tune of the pizzicato in the strings plays the love theme once more, this time in a bouncy, playful way. Remember that Howl is still a child at heart and his mischievous plan to cast a spell on the soldiers to make them leave the scene is presented in the pizzicato of the love theme. They are soon followed by a flock of blobbish henchmen.

As they are followed, their theme is slightly interrupted here and there with quicker elements which are related to the theme but steal away the feeling of passion and overpower the “love at first sight” factor. The theme grows in intensity and Howl grabs Sophie, bringing her into the air with him, above the town and the scent of pre-meditated war. As they are floating in air together, the theme reaches a small peak through a waltz. The waltz here is important to note for several reasons. One, waltzes were thought up as a form of entertainment and to show signs of partnership on the dance floor. Traditionally, the man leads the woman, using the feet as the main “challenge” or “attraction” in the waltz. How interesting is it that Hisaishi chooses a waltz in this particular scene? The use of the waltz in this scene is a huge clue in understanding the mental state of our characters, for this given time. Howl is leading her (obviously from harm) but he is initially dancing with her, teaching her something new and taking her to a new height (no pun intended) of understanding how adventurous Sophie could be if she would just open her wings and do something for herself. I would also be a fool not to admit that floating in the air with a gorgeous man who just saved me from some blob men while “dancing” a waltz on our way to my pretty sisters house is pretty damn romantic. Howl opens Sophie’s eyes and she realizes she doesn’t want to be in the shop forever. He stays on her mind all the way home from her sister’s bakery.

There are a few instruments to which I would like to draw some attention. The first instrument is the flute. Notice how the flute is directly related to Sophie. Yes, the lonely piano sticks with her throughout the film, but, the instrument that defines her to the core is the call of the flute. It is a distant call, one that longs to be set free, like a bird in a cage waiting to be released into the wild for the first time. It is Sophie’s call for adventure and her longing to be free that form her misery. Note that, when she finally leaves the hat shop as a old woman, there are multiple flutes. I personally feel that this her longing multiplied by the intensity of being an old woman and that is what allows her to take that step into the Wastes by herself to find that which will break her spell. Imagine being young one night and old the next… I would definitely go out and do some crazy things by myself too! And why are the flutes being played as she finds turnip head? Perhaps this is a connection between her and him that goes unnoticed by the viewers. His theme, too, gains confidence as Sophie pulls him out of the bush. How interesting that his theme grows with her around and so does Howl’s part of the love theme between him and Sophie.

Suddenly, as Sophie is making her way up the mountain, her piano disappears and is replaced with an accordion. I find this interesting because the accordion is often associated with folk and folklore and I feel that, in this scene, Sophie is breaking away from her traditions of being a proper young lady and is going out to do something daring, something that frightens her and is out of her reach at the moment and yet, she is still going to find what she needs to find. So far, much of her life has been set for her. Now, she is on her own course, a course she never intended to have.

And why are the flutes being played as she finds Turnip Head? Perhaps this connection between their themes signifies a connection that goes unnoticed by the viewers but, is not unnoticed in the book. His theme, too, gains confidence as Sophie pulls him out of the bush. How interesting that his theme grows with her around and so does Howl’s part of the love theme between him and Sophie.

Should she have ended up with the Turnip Head? There are constant implications as the film continues that the potential love between Sophe and Turnip Head could be possible, but would not last long. It is here where the love theme between Sophie and Howl interrupts the feeble theme between Sophie and the prince. The love would not last long because Sophie does not love Turnip Head. She loves Howl and the interruption of themes is a gentle “no but thanks for offering” sign and symbol that there is nothing that can break the love between Sophie and Howl, not even a spell.

With characters as strong as their instruments, Howl’s Moving Castle has one of the best film scores set to an anime film and the score has the ability to draw and complete the connections between the book and film. If you must know what those connection are, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Bring your love home and take them on a journey with Howl and his moving castle.

Photo Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3791557120/tt0347149

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1537448192/tt0347149

Video Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/

A Rose Colored Sparrow: Edith Piaf and La Vie En Rose

Jan13 by Roshanna Elwing

by Roshanna Elwing

France: a fantastic place. Full of life, love, liberty and a pursuit of all the happiness that life has to offer. I cannot describe to you, dear reader, what an amazing experience this country has been for me thus far. I am currently studying the French language in the south of France in a little town called Pau. What it lacks in size it makes up in culture. Culture of the French and Basque Country alike. This little place is aware of its surroundings, particularly the woman who has been called the “Voice of France.” Yes, I am speaking of Edith Piaf, a fine performer, actress and songwriter in France’s life of the 1930′s through the earliest of the 1960′s. She became an icon; a symbol of and for France that, some believe, could never be topped in the French culture.

Forgive me for being more intimate in this article. I really struggled with finding my center amongst all of the commotion in being in a new country, writing for this amazing site and still keeping my head on straight with overwhelming joy. As an aspiring performer and actress, I want to show my deepest appreciation for Edith in this article, and, to do so I must make myself vulnerable and tear down my walls of mental “professionalism.” This is not a term paper, this is not an assignment, but it is a look into my love for Edith and her contribution to such an amazing country. I cannot do her justice but I will do my best.

I would like to begin with a brief introduction to Edith. Her life story was tragic in many ways, but she was capable of taking her tragedies and turning them in to something more vocal: something from the soul that bared the very essence of her raw yet ravishing personality. Her childhood was extremely confusing, being hardly cared for by her mother and father, leaving her in the care of her biological grandmother who operated a brothel. How confusing and strange for a child. The psychology behind it boggles me and I often wonder what sort of memories occurred for poor Edith in her adult life.

Leaving the brothel at age fourteen, she worked alongside her father in a traveling circus where her love for singing began. She began singing often to appease her father in his failing circus acts, and, after a time, she left him to pursue her own career as a singer with her only friend, Simone (Momone). They had each other and that was good enough. Eventually, Edith rose to the occasion and became the famous icon she still remains today, but her struggles and triumphs were many.

I briefly spoke about Edith’s life merely to introduce the smaller tragedies in her life. I feel that, the best way to see more of Edith and her life is through Oliver Dahan’s 2007 film La Vie En Rose (aka La Môme in France). Now, I’m not saying that this is the best source of media in order to gain knowledge of Edith Piaf’s life, but, in a visual sense I feel it is extremely close to giving her justice. There are parts of the film that are delivered with a somewhat bland (thanks M. Groves) taste, but this film does deliver the message that Edith’s life was not easy. She struggled AND conquered her struggles. She rose to the top of the music charts and has stayed there for years.

The bland sequences of her life in the film seem to be within the connections of her childhood and her adult life. Such blind spots include the connection between her heroine addiction and her love affair with Marcel Cerdan, her self centered personality that grew over time through her fame and her (to most viewers) terrible, dirty childhood and how it affected her personality as a performer. Where are the connections? Why couldn’t Edith rise above the addictions and pain of losing her lover, when she conquered keratitus as a young child?

These were parts of the film that I really found important but did not find them delivered in a satisfying manner. What made her so persistent in her career? Was it all she had? Was it all she felt she could do? Was it for the money? These are questions that I didn’t personally feel were explained enough in the film.

However, the role of Piaf was delivered in huge amounts of satisfaction. I felt that Marion Cotillard exploded Edith all over the screen. It’s a pity that the deliverance of the story did not match up with the deliverance of the character. And, perhaps that is where the missing piece is, for me. As a performer and singer, I want to know Edith’s secret in rising to the top through all of her struggles. I want to know what drover her and made her passionate about the stage and her voice. I want to know because I want to be inspired in my career as well. Singers flock to each other in learning from one another. How can I learn from Edith if I can’t see every striped emotion being reproduced in the film?

La Vie En Rose. 2007. O. Durhan. DVD

www.rfimusique.com

Atonement: A Journey Through A Child’s Mind

Dec21 by Roshanna Elwing

by Roshanna Elwing

Joe Wright’s Atonement (2007) expresses many close connections between three main characters. The music of Dario Marianelli helps solidify these connections, not only between the multiple characters, but also between the storyline and its relationship with the music. Containing a plethora of sounds, including the acousmetre and musical diegeis, Atonement can be broken and dissected into numerous parts, especially when considering the film’s political and geographical setting of the film, the film’s score, and most importantly the underlying story.

The beginning font of the film is typed across the screen, which gives the viewer a clue as to who may be writing to the audience and which character’s memory we are reliving. The instrument that makes the sound, meta-diegetically, is a typewriter. This typewriter sound is shortly thereafter connected, diegetically, with the young Briony Tallis, a 13-year-old aspiring writer who has just completed her first play. Her anxiety to see her play performed is quickly exclaimed through a meta-diegetic rhythm set to typewriter, which is heard as she walks hastily through her home to show her play to her mother.

This first set of sounds is extremely important for a viewer to grasp immediately. The typewriter heard through the opening presentation of the font connects directly to Briony’s typing diegetically. This is the first connection that can be made by the viewer in associating a theme for Briony. The typewriter is hers, the story being relived is revealed as hers, therefore the type rhythm theme belongs to her. This theme, or collection of rhythms, proclaims Briony’s connection as the author of the story that is about to take place.

Dario Marianelli, music composer of Atonement, states in an interview with Scott Macauly from Focus Features that, “at some point I started to think of Briony as the ‘girl with the faulty breaks.’” He later states that he “went off and sampled every single keystroke, spacebar, carriage return from a 1930’s Corona typewriter…wrote five or six pieces for solo typewriter and played them on my keyboard. One of them combined really well with the ‘faulty brakes’ idea… which was the title of the very first piece of music I wrote for Joe on this film.”

This statement is meant to ensure the viewer that Briony is a victim of her own naivety, in which her imagination can lapse into overdrive, leaving her hung and obsessed with her egotistic ideas. This obsession leaves Briony in a state of mind that overwhelms all logic and questions, leaving no room for anyone else’s side of the story. Her theme, which includes the single, meta-diegetic note from the piano and the typewriter sound, are overwhelming, even when working with each other. Is she hearing her own theme in her head? Are her thoughts so big that she cannot see nor consider what else is going on? She is a writer, so perhaps she is allowing her thoughts and ideas to get the better of her, clouding her judgment and making her choose these horrid mistakes. This theme in actuality represents her thoughts and fears being poured out into a form of a score.

There are two alternate characters which share a huge part in Briony’s typewriter theme. Cecilia (Keira Knightly) and the oh so pretty Robbie (James McAvoy) hold their own when it comes to diegetic sounds in Atonement: paper and a lighter. These two every day items are used in an aleatoric manner once adapted into the score. Robbie’s lighter works as a narrative context, especially when lighting Cecilia’s cigarette at 10:04. This small gesture holds significant truth in Robbie’s relationship with Cecilia. Though there is no audible music present in this scene, the foreshadowing of this petite instrument is highly significant. The lighter is then brought back later in a brief memory of Robbie’s, leading him to discover that he has given Briony the wrong letter for Cecilia. As he is brought into this memory, Briony’s theme begins to play, shortly followed by Robbie flicking the lighter to make sure it is sustainable for the evenings festivities. As Claudia Gorbman says, it is “as an act of placing its object in a frame, photography/cinematography encourages a special ‘aesthetic’ mode of contemplating its content.” It is at 10:04 that the viewer is introduced to Robbie’s lighter, serving as a light for Cecilia’s cigarette, confirming that he is romantically involved with Cecilia in lighting her fire.

Cecilia’s instrument is paper. Whether from her cigarette or the letter she receives from Robbie, the paper shows her frail and flammable love for Robbie. She can be burned, written on and manipulated but her instincts to explore and express her love for Robbie stand true throughout the entire film. Unfortunately, Cecilia’s instrument is tampered with, by both Briony and Robbie. Briony rips open Cecilia’s letter from Robbie, Robbie sets her cigarette on fire and Briony rummages through Cecilia’s bureau where Cecilia keeps her letters. This constant exchange of fire with paper is a perpetual implication that their love belongs to each other, no matter what spoils may befall.

In a comparison of two scenes, these themes and instruments protrude through the doubtful viewer and stand true in the eyes of cinematography. The main connections in themes and aleatoric instruments begins in scene 25:53. Robbie, carrying a letter for Cecilia, strolls down the country road that leads to the Tallis residence. He sees Briony playing in a nearby clearing, pausing for a moment or two. This pause is followed by Robbie’s gesture of tapping the letter, intended for Cecilia, on a stone wall near to him on the road. It is unclear as to why Robbie does this. Perhaps it is a motion signifying that he has made up his mind, in this case, to give the letter to Briony to take to Cecilia. This is the second time the viewer witnesses Robbie’s tapping of the letter. He performs this motion in the previous scene on the door of his room as he is leaving his residence to deliver the letter. Whatever the notion, it is clear that this is a gesture Robbie performs when he has made a final decision.

Robbie proceeds to call for Briony and asks her to deliver the letter for him. In this brief moment of exchange, Briony looks up to Robbie, as if to say “I have your instrument, and I shall do what I want with it.” As soon as she decides what she will do with the letter, her piano theme begins. The solo note is played in a daunting manner, almost type-like. Now the instrument is in her hands and she has control over its fate. She runs off, leaving Robbie to realize he has mixed up a dirty letter he composed in private with the intended truthful, heartfelt letter he has left sitting on his desk.

There is an abrupt, sting-like pause in between Briony’s body and theme fading out with Robbie’s realization of his grave error. Briony disappears behind the trees and the piano stops. Robbie looks to his left profile and says “Briony?” which is followed by a brief click of Robbie’s lighter. Then, the scene returns to Briony running, her theme in
full force with the piano and the typewriter running away with her logic and sense. A quick scene change back to Robbie in his memory of the letter occurs. He puts the letter in the envelope and seals it. However, the viewer can hear the sound of the lighter being clicked in the background but there is no view of the lighter in this scene. The lighter is merely used as an acousmetre, filling in for the small voice of the envelope that is quickly flipped in Robbie’s hands. A prompt flashback to Briony running through the forest again is impetuously interrupted with Robbie tapping the letter on the his door. A slow track from the main themes mixed with the sound of two singers is heard diegetically from a record playing in Robbie’s room.

At this point, the music crescendos slowly, a musical inclination that something horrible is going to happen, and the fear is real. The viewer sees the intended letter for Cecilia on the desk, the violins playing an eye opening chord to add flavor for the drama that is to follow. The scene comes to a quick halt with two clicks of the lighter and Robbie yelling “Briony!” as he recognizes his error. The scene returns to Briony, who is tampering with Cecilia’s letter. She opens it, reads it, and is insurmountably turned off from her imagination with a blunt “return cartridge” sound once she realizes the severity of opening the letter. Up to this point, the music is so rampant in Briony’s theme of the typewriter that the rest of the score has almost been forgotten. Therein lies an orchestra, replacing the piano that was Briony’s introduction cue.

This intensity of adding the orchestra to Brion’s typewriter theme demonstrates, to an extent, Briony’s wild fabrications and adds to the annoying rhythms of the typewriter. Briony’s theme envelopes the diegetic use of Robbie and Cecilia’s instruments, so much so that this engulfment represents Briony’s tendency to exaggerate certain situations, giving in to her immature state of mind. Shortly after this scene takes place is another scene which shares in similarity the amplified purpose of Briony’s theme, especially when mixed with Cecilia and Robbie’s instruments.

44:14 solidifies Briony’s obsession to be right, jumping ahead of herself once more. The scene of the music sequence begins with Briony seated in a chair facing the detective. All color fades, leaving Briony in the dark. This fading of light in the cinematography suggests that, once again, Briony has ventured off into her own world, not considering the consequences of her actions. With the dark background, the music begins after Briony’s line of “I saw him with my own eyes.” There is no piano introduction nor a source of any diegetic sound. The music enters with the blatant sounds of the typewriter theme, the theme which is associated most with Briony’s character as an obsessive young writer. It is not until Briony’s mother emerges from the blackened shadow to say “well done, darling” that the viewer hears the steady one pitch play from the piano which is closely associated to Briony’s fanciful ideas.

The following frame holds Cecilia as its main picture. Cecilia walks out from the home to have a cigarette as she waits for Robbie to return. It is interesting that, while the cigarette is her paper instrument, Cecilia now lights it herself. The click of the lighter is not overlooked at all in this scene, much as it is not passed over in the previously discussed scene. The lighter is now in Cecilia’s hands, posing that, while Robbie is gone and cannot defend himself, she will in fact defend him. She is holding his instrument in his absence, much as he holds hers in 25:53.

This sequence of exchanging fire and paper is relevant because in determining how Briony’s theme overpowers the sounds from these instruments. This exemplifies Briony’s tendency to block out the cries and speeches of Robbie and Cecilia, with only a bit of hesitancy brought about by the sudden clicks and taps heard from their instruments amongst Briony’s theme. However frequent the interruptions of Briony’s theme by the lighter and paper may be, Briony’s theme gains in volume and rhythmic variations each time her thought is interrupted. There is no room for any other source of truth in Briony’s mind, which is held together and proven in her theme.

Within this collaboration of sounds and their connection between these three characters lies a definition of truth to Claudia Gorbman’s Unheard Melodies. Gorbman quotes Gerard Genette who “defines the (musical) diegesis as ‘ the spatial temporal universe referred to by the primary narration’” (Gorbman, 1987). It is in this quote where the viewer realizes that this typewriter theme is, in fact, the narration of the story being told by the author, who is in this case, Briony. She is writing the story in her head as a child, certain that this male figure she has known her whole life has gone onto a dark and dreary path adorned with sex and violence. Her train of thought is only broken in the small interruptions produced diegetically by Cecilia and Robbie. They are attempting to bring Briony back to them in order to preserve their love affair.

Kathryn Kalinak states in her Every Character Should Have a Theme that, when dealing with film music scores, “The score is also interesting for a practice Steiner himself came to exemplify: the exploitation of musical associations to provide the link between narrative content and musical accompaniment” (Kalinak, 1992). Though Briony’s typewriter theme is not exactly Steiner material, this statement by Kalinak proves that, through the exhaustive use of the type writer theme, the viewer can connect directly with Briony, as the narrator who plays her own type writer through the reliving of her stories. The opening font saying “London 1935” is understood to be the beginning of a narrative. Briony, though her spoken voice is not heard, is the narrator, taking the audience back to a memory for which she holds immense regret.

In conclusion, the musical score of Dario Marianelli in Joe Wright’s Atonement is one that can ultimately be scattered with no intentions of aiding the viewer as to what is going to happen in the film. The sudden silences posses the character of a sting, the use of ominous layers in the direction of the music derails any sense of a home key (in some scenes) and the unconventional sounds put into a 1930’s conventional story can be, to some viewers, highly frustrating. Yet, hidden in this animosity between eye and ear, the audience may find that, if perceived with the intention to sympathize with each character’s frustrations and diegetic instruments, there is more light shed upon the narration and purpose of the story, light that holds important truths, for the audience and the characters.

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photo source:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3601/3550030648_a0b822636a.jpg

other resources:

Gorbman, C. 1987. Perspectives on Film Music. Indiana. Indiana University Press.
Kalinak, K. 1992. Setting the Score: Music and the Classical Hollywood Film. Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin Press.
Macauly, S. (2007, November 30). Dario Marianelli. Retrieved December 9, 2010, from www.focusfeatures.com/article/dario_marianelli.
Wright, J. (Director). (2007) Atonement [DVD]. Focus Features (US). Universal Pictures (UK). Studio Canal (France).

http://www.youtube.com

BEST IN GENRE (Musicals): Defining Eras Through Song and Dance

Dec7 by Roshanna Elwing

by Roshanna Elwing

When I was asked to write an article about Music in film for The Alternative Chronicle, I was half enthused and half petrified. Enthused because, as an aspiring performer, dancer and musician, I found this to be an opportunity to express my feelings of my art in a way where I could be the catalyst of inspiration for other readers. My petrified emotions resulted from the idea that I would be covering a genre of theater and film that has exhaustively defined the eras of the world as we know it since as early as 5 B.C. While I shall not be covering any such dramatizations, giving the art of music and theater in film its due justice is a challenge which I may not succeed with, but one I will not refuse to attempt.

Enter the world of music in film. Straying away from pop music soundtracks or pre-composed music being performed by an orchestra in the background, I am directing my attention to the characters and how they perform music in a film. There are such genres of film titled as “musicals” and films that possess the idea of a musical, but are in fact, the use of pre-composed, culturally acclaimed music being performed in the film by the characters. An example of this use of music in film can be found in scenes from The Coen Bros.’ s O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000) and, arguably, John Carney’s Once (2006).

Down to the River to Pray from O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Falling Slowly from Once

Now, you may be asking yourself “what is the difference between the use of music in film and a musical?” This is a question that holds many discrepancies between film and musical lovers all over the world. There is a distinction between a musical and the use of music in film, and I shall do my best to explain the difference.

The previous video from O Brother, Where Art Thou? is an example of music used and performed in film. Though the song is, without a doubt, a beautiful and moving spiritual, the film would still succeed and be convincing without the music present at all. The music portrayed in this film is not necessary for the characters to express themselves and their story. For a film such as O Brother, Where Art Thou? or even Once in some respects, it would not be surprising to find if the music for these films was added or even created during post production.

A musical usually acquires its subsistence from a prior showing on a theater stage, such as those off of the magnificent world of Broadway, the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles or The Prince Edward Theater in London. The musical’s origin of intent is to be performed on stage pampered backdrops, dancers and a huge musical score. The music in the score reflects and accents the performers’ expressions, movements and feelings, adding a deeper understanding to the viewer’s perception of how the character is feeling in their response to their surroundings. The dialogue and lyrics of the song fit in with the cardinal story in a musical, whereas music in film is more of an add on to the production or performance. In MOST cases, the characters do not necessarily know that they are singing. However, the presentation of the characters’ situations through song and dance is highly effective in presenting time and place to the audience, two key factors in dealing with historical and cultural relevance. The following videos are taken from Youtube and represent my top 10 musical to film list, based off of relevance of musicals in and throughout history.

10. Rob Marshall’s Chicago (2002)

The Cell Block Tango

An example of how the music can be performed, with the context of the story in mind.

9. Fosse (2001) / Sweet Charity (1969)

Vereen/Reinking tribute Big Spender

Here is the same song, presented with the context and film in mind (Bob Fosse’s Sweet Charity 1969)

8. Susan Stroman’s The Producers (2005)

Springtime for Hitler

7. David Greene’s Godspell (1973)

Turn Back, O Man

6. Joseph Mankiewicz’s Guys and Dolls (1955)

Luck Be A Lady

5. Jerome Robbins & Robert Wise’s West Side Story (1961)

America

4. John Huston’s Annie (1982)

Little Girls

3. Bob Fosse’s Cabaret (1972)

Tomorrow Belongs To Me

2. Adam Shankman’s Hairspray (2007)

I Know Where I’ve Been

1. Milos Forman’s Hair (1979)

Let The Sun Shine

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video source:

www.youtube.com

Debussy’s “Trois chansons de Bilitis”

Nov4 by Roshanna Elwing

by Roshanna Elwing

Chanson de Bilitis, or Songs of Bilitis, is a song cycle of three French melodies which were completed in 1897. These prose poems are meant to be Greek poems translated by Pierre Louys, a very close friend of Debussy. The poems are representations of the three stages of Bilitis life- her childhood and first sexual escapades, her indulgences in homosexuality and her life as a courtesan. These three melodies form what is called a triptych - a set of three panels or compartments, side by side, bearing similar pictures, carvings or the like.

In the first of these melodies we find young Bilitis (an ancient Greek courtesan woman and a contemporary of Sappho) sings of her first emotions of her first love; the second melodie indicates that this love has reached its height; the third says that the winter has come and with it, the dimming of the lover’s affections. The key elements that unite these three melodies as a song cycle is Debussy’s high demand of precise tempo between the voice and the piano. There is no room for a vocalist’s own interpretations of ornamentation, nor is there freedom for the piano or the orchestra to lean towards a slower or faster tempo than the ones marked in the music. For example, in the first song (original key in B) “La Flute de Pan”, the flute boy is heard through the orchestra rather freely, however, there are certain rules that tie down his “freedom”. The flautist must play slow and with no rigor in the rhythm. The singer, too, must be precise in timing in order to allow the pianist to play his introduction (which is repeated later in the song) in the exact same way, both times, under the phrase of the voice. The singer, who is Bilitis, must have a clear and pure color in her voice, doing so with absolutely no passion in her voice whatsoever. The simpler the phrases are, the better they will be.

The second melodie (G flat) follows these rules in a similar fashion. From the beginning of ‘Il m’a dit’, to ‘Quand il eut acheve’, it must be understood that it is the boy’s dream being told by the girl, Bilitis. The listener should have two different feelings and two different tempi through this melodie. The first tempi should be within the first two bars and the last eight and the other considerable slower for the rest of the song. The first piano bar must be as legato as possible, yet simple and straight to the point. The second melodie allows the singer to be concentrated on her passions, but, must be committed to the intensity of the piano marking.

The singer must also take care to not break the meaning of the literary phrases by taking a breath too soon or too late. The conclusion for the singer in this piece is that, when considering dynamic and accelerations against the literary meanings and breathing through the phrases, this piece is, as the first, tenuous yet simple, if the music is performed precisely as written.

The third and final song in this cycle has, as its predecessors, a very slow tempo. The singers slow and discontented pace should be felt in the rhythm, yet, she sings softly but with no added caricature. This same soft yet serious notion is again revisited when the last words of the boy are heard in “Mais restons ici, ou est leur tombeau”. The girl responds with admiration, but the lack of a perfect place to breathe makes her phrase difficult, especially through a crescendo. The flutes even movement should not be disturbed by the stress of the orchestra. Again, simple music but difficulty in the balance of accelerations and literary meanings.

Irene Joachim- Evaluation of “Trois Chansons de Bilitis” -scale of 1 (L)-10 (H)

Interpretation of the cycle- 10

Response to vocal accelerations- 9

Response to the demands in the accompaniment- 10

Response to areas of difficulty, including “breath spots” – 10

Response to the second melodie’s “bi-polar” caricature- 10

Response to literary text- 9

Response to Debussy’s demands as a whole cycle- 10

BEST IN GENRE (Horror): “The Wicker Man” (1973) – A Landmark for Musical Diegesis

Oct27 by Roshanna Elwing

by Roshanna Elwing

Beginning in the 1950′s, the French film industry began what is most commonly known as the French New Wave of film making. The French New Wave’s purpose was to capture and create films that look realistic, as if the events in the film were literally happening right before the viewers eyes. This new take on the art of film did not leave much room for meta-diegetic (from the minds of the characters) music. Rather, it opened up a new door for the beginning of the use of pop and diegetic (performed by the characters) music as a substitute for orchestrated film music.

By the 1960′s, this new form had become well used and perfected by many a film maker, one of the most famous of these being Francois Truffaut. This new wave soon became popular amongst many noteworthy film makers and producers. Films of this genre began with and include Otto Preminger’s The Man With the Golden Arm, Jeremy Stanford’s BBC television drama Kathy Come Home and Poor Cow directed by Ken Loach.

From such use of film, the viewer gains a sense of realism which can completely overwhelm and dislocate the viewer in their reception of the film, especially if the film contains horrific and unfamiliar events. One particularly great example of such realism can be found in Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man (1973) with music by Paul Giovanni. This film is an exceptional example of the use of popular and pre-existing tunes performed both meta-diegetically (coming from the minds of the characters) and diegetically (performed by the characters).

The film opens with non-diegetic (unknown source/pre-composed) music being played as the sergeant enters in to the borders of the isle. There are few times when this happens as the rest of the film’s music is performed by the characters or is produced from the character’s mind(s).

One of my favorite scenes and example of the use of diegetic to meta-diegetic music, is the scene where Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) is making his journey from the town to Lord Summerisle’s (Christopher Lee) home to inquire about a missing girl on his island. On his way to Lord Summerisle, he passes by a group of young, nude women, who are dancing around and over a fire pit, praying to their sun-god to grant them fertility. The song “Fire Leap” is being sung (performed) by the women diegetically, who are dancing close to Summerisle’s home. Lord Summerisle soon plays the melody of the song on his piano, portraying a perfect example of meta-diegetic music.

At the very end of the film we finally see the actual Wicker Man, where the film’s shocking climax takes place. As the film ushers itself to a close, the characters perform, diegetically, a pre-composed song from the 13th century (composer anonymous) in their own arrangement, complete with horn and full chorus. This makes the film’s already powerful and unique ending all the more memorable.