Happy happy!!

2011 is going away and 2012 will be here to stay (at least until the next full revolution around our Sun).  It is customary for those celebrating this common celestial occurrence to have a glass of champagne (or beverage of choice) and sing a tune called Auld Lang Syne at the turning of the clock.  You know the melody.  You hear it every New Year's Eve, if you stay up late enough, or if you've ever watched any TV program or movie that has any sort of plot centering around the changing of the years.

Auld Lang Syne, lyrically, is based on a poem written by Scotsman Robert Burns in 1788.  The melody is a traditional folk tune.  The words can very generally be translated as: "old long since" or "long, long ago."  Basically, the song rhetorically asks whether or not we should forget the past and reminds us to remember our good friendships.  Which reminds me of something:  You know the end of the movie It's A Wonderful Life, where the town turns out to help George Bailey in his time of need?  Well, everybody starts singing Auld Lang Syne, and inscribed in a copy of Tom Sawyer, from Clarence the Angel: No man is a failure who has friends.

The song is sung all over the world for many different events, but usually in a context of farewell or remembrance.

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

A-caroling we will go

After years of resisting, I have broken down and picked up a Christmas carol book to play on the piano.  The years of resistance is largely due to my relative inability to play the piano well, but I've been practicing a lot lately, and so can now play some easy arrangements well enough.  I was playing through some tunes and got to thinking, when and where were the first carols sung or played?

It is probably worth mentioning that Christmas is built around a pagan holiday celebrating the winter solstice and that Jesus was probably born sometime in the spring.  Because the Christian religion appropriated the solstice holiday, the first Christmastime hymn with a Christian focus appeared in 4th century Rome.  The hymns were in the traditional Latin and were basically theological doctrines.  A Parisian monk named Adam of St. Victor began to derive music from popular songs in the 12th century, and these are a little closer to the modern Christmas carol. 

"Wassailing" was a tradition that began with songs that were meant to be sung by groups of people (and also probably has some pagan background; wassail is an Anglo-Saxon toast for "be thou hale" or "be in good health.")  The group of singers would go from home to home singing carols.

The "golden age" of caroling is believed to have been between the 15th and 16th century in England, and the word carol is of medieval origin that meant a dance song or circle song with singing.  Most of these songs had a verse and refrain form.  Remarkably, caroling fell out of fashion for about 200 years, experiencing a revival of sorts in the 18th century, where most of the carols we know today come from.

Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too!

Skating

This time of year, it's impossible to go anywhere without hearing, at least once, the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas.  The jazz-soaked tunes are the work of Vince Guaraldi, a pianist known as Dr. Funk from San Francisco, CA.  He had some previous acclaim in 1963, winning a Grammy for Best Instrumental Jazz Composition for Cast Your Fate to the Wind, which became an instant hit.

The Peanut's connection was formed when Guaraldi was hired to write a score for a TV documentary called A Boy Named Charlie Brown.  Through this, Guaraldi met Charles Schulz (the author of the Peanut's comic strip), director Lee Mendelson, and artist Bill Melendez.  Unfortunately, in true Charlie Brown irony, the documentary never aired, but it did lead to the Christmas special, thanks to some attention from sponsor Coca-Cola.  The TV special finally aired in 1965 on CBS, though production was pessimistic about the jazzy soundtrack, worrying that they'd "ruined Charlie Brown."

However, it has now become a yearly tradition for many families, and the smooth jazz from the Vince Guaraldi Trio is (usually) a welcome change to the often cloying, melodramatic Christmas music I must endure for nearly two months every holiday season. 

Happy winter solstice!!!

Coda

Rock and roller cola wars  In the 1980s it was popular for soft drink advertisements to use well-known pop celebrities to promote their sugary beverages.  Some people used to sell soda: Pepsi-Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Britney Spears, David Bowie, KISS, and Mariah Carey.  Coca-Cola-Max Headroom (not a music celeb, sorry, but don't you remember Max Headroom!?), Paula Abdul, Christina Aguilera, and Weird Al Yankovic. 

I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Variation 6

Heavy metal suicides Music outside of the "mainstream" is typically regarded with wariness.  Especially when the music is heavy, hard, loud, and makes full use of the right to freedom of speech and expression (i.e.offensive language).  In other words, if the music isn't pleasant and positive, it is targeted for being a "bad" influence on its listeners and performers.  While this may be true in some isolated cases, it has been my experience that heavy metal music is simply another genre of the long list of musical styles.  Most of the performers and fans of metal music that I've encountered have at first given me an impression of hardness or cruelty, but in talking to them, I've realized that they are just normal people who happen to like their music to have a certain edge.  I like jazz music, but that doesn't make me a brainless coke-fiend (I have no good reason for using stereotypes from the 1960s).

Of course, there are isolated cases.  Such as the case in 1985 where two families sued the metal band Judas Priest.  Their claim was that the music of Judas Priest drove two young men to kill themselves after listening to the band's music.  For me, this brings up an interesting question, not unlike the question that Rob Gordon asks in the movie High Fidelity.  "Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"  In my case: Am I  neurotic because I am a woodwind player?  Or am I a woodwind player because I'm neurotic?  The whole chicken vs. egg thing.

So, does metal music make people behave violently or have an adverse reaction (how's that for a euphemism?), or are people who are predisposed to this kind of behaviour attracted to metal music?  Just as many violent things happen to (and are caused by) people who listen to other kinds of music. 


What do you think?

Variation 5

Punk rock is a form of popular music that developed in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia between 1974 and 1976.  It is characterized by fast, short songs, minimal instrumentation (think a guitar or two, a bass, and drums), and lyrics that often proclaim dissent on establishment and government.  In the U.S. the three most influential punk rock bands were The Ramones, The Clash, and the Sex Pistols. 

Punk evolved a bit into the 1980s, becoming even faster and more aggressive.  The original punk rock movement influenced other bands that emulated, or were clearly inspired by, the earlier punk bands.  These bands include Green Day and The Offspring, two bands who were eventually accepted into the mainstream, and in the case of Green Day, is still popular and relevant today.  Ironic, no?

"In its initial form, a lot of [1960s] stuff was innovative and exciting. Unfortunately, what happens is that people who could not hold a candle to the likes of Hendrix started noodling away. Soon you had endless solos that went nowhere. By 1973, I knew that what was needed was some pure, stripped down, no bullshit rock 'n' roll." --Tommy Ramone

Variation 4

Chubby Checker is a popular singer-songwriter of the 1960s.  His big break came with a recording he made called The Class which had Checker singing Mary Had a Little Lamb in the style of Fats Domino, Frankie Avalon, and The Chipmunks.  His really big break came with the recording and release of a cover of the Hank Ballard song The Twist.  The song was an instant smash and in some ways typecast Checker as a dance artist and not a singer.  Nevertheless, Checker went on to record lots of dance songs, including The Hucklebuck, The Fly, and Let's Twist Again. 

Bob Dylan Nee Robert Allen Zimmerman, American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has become a living cultural icon of the folk music and early rock movement.  His unusual voice and singing style is a hallmark that has distinguished him and made him a target of criticism.  But his music is good.  His well-known All Along the Watchtower was written in 1967 and features lyrics derived from the Book of Isaiah.  Jimi Hendrix did a "definitive" cover of Watchtower, but the best version in my book will always be the studio recording and any and all live cuts of the song done by the Dave Matthews Band. 

Woodstock was a music festival that took place on a dairy farm in Bethel, NY in August 1969.  Over half a million attendees flooded the grounds to witness four days of music history.  Headliners include Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, The Who, Joe Cocker, The Band, Johnny Winter, Blood Sweat and Tears, Sha-Na-Na, and Crosby, Stills and Nash, among others.  I'm exhausted just listing the talent.

Waldstein madness

The Theme and Variations has been temporarily suspended, due to some struggling with Beethoven's Piano Sonata,  No. 21, Opus 53, the "Waldstein".  Named for and dedicated to Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabril von Waldstein of Vienna, Austria in 1803 (he was a patron and friend of Beethoven's).  I'm in the throes of trying analyze this monster.  I chose it for my paper because I like how it sounds, but now I'm kind of wishing I'd chosen an earlier, simpler sonata.  Oh, well. 

I think you may have heard this famous sonata opening in a car commercial within the last couple of years and in the opening sequence of the HOUSE episode guest starring Dave Matthews (YAY!).  The opening driving eighth-notes of the Waldstein is the sonata that Dave's character is playing before his brain starts to blow up.  And then he becomes the Patient of the Week.  Dave's character, not Beethoven.  Though Beethoven may have benefited from some medical diagnostic assistance from Dr. House...poor Ludwig.  His health was never very good throughout his life, then he went deaf. 

Music Zombie will return shortly with the concluding Variations.  BTW, if you haven't figured out where the Theme and Variations are derived from, you just aren't paying attention. 

Cheers!  :-)