Have you heard about the cobra snake that recently escaped from the Bronx Zoo? It recently set up its own Twitter account, and this snake gets around! All over New York. Seeing the sights.
Anyway, the snake charmer song that you always hear whenever snakes, Arabia, or belly dancing is mentioned is actually in no way related to any of those things. You know that tune I'm talking about. In cartoons or movies, there's a guy sitting in front of a basket with a clarinet-like instrument playing the melody while a snake, usually a cobra, pops its head out and dances along.
Two things: 1) The cobra (or any snake, really) is actually more interested in the motion of the instrument than the sound. Snakes "hear" by vibrations, mostly, but they can hear somewhat. The movement is more interesting to them, as it could be potentional prey (FOOOD!!).
2) The song in question was written in the U.S., not the far East. It is, reportedly, written by a member of the House of Representatives (and former showman) named Sol Bloom. He picked it out on the piano for the "Street of Cairo" attraction at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. From what I can tell, it wasn't copyrighted, so is Public Domain.
This has been a non-venomous nibble. Can't speak for the cobra though...
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Music soothes the savage beast
The title is a reference to a line from Shakespeare, I think.
It's once again philosophy hour here at Music Zombie.
It's always interesting how music is a present in most of the important milestones of our lives. Musicians are requested for weddings, parties, funerals, celebrations, graduation ceremonies. If not live musicians, there is music in the background. Live music is always best though, and not just because it gives someone a job. Live musicians provide an immediacy and intimacy to the music they are playing. It's part of ritual too, and humans are ritual-driven (mostly).
What song is played depends on lots of things. The circumstance, the people involved, the culture it's occuring in. I read a book called "The World in Six Songs" by Daniel Levitin. According to Levitin, there are six types of songs in the world: friendship, joy, comfort, love, religion, and knowledge. We listen to music to make us feel better (if stressed or just sad), or to show someone how we feel about them (mix-tapes, remember those?) People sing hymns in church to show unification, or repeat back mnemonic songs to remember important facts (the ABC song, for example).
Music is hard-wired into our brains. Because music is a global process (meaning it uses the whole brain, not just a specific part of it) we are able to associate memories and meaning with every melody. It's also why some music can make us cry.
Haven't you ever heard a song from you childhood and have memories come back instantly?
Anyway, something to think about. :)
It's once again philosophy hour here at Music Zombie.
It's always interesting how music is a present in most of the important milestones of our lives. Musicians are requested for weddings, parties, funerals, celebrations, graduation ceremonies. If not live musicians, there is music in the background. Live music is always best though, and not just because it gives someone a job. Live musicians provide an immediacy and intimacy to the music they are playing. It's part of ritual too, and humans are ritual-driven (mostly).
What song is played depends on lots of things. The circumstance, the people involved, the culture it's occuring in. I read a book called "The World in Six Songs" by Daniel Levitin. According to Levitin, there are six types of songs in the world: friendship, joy, comfort, love, religion, and knowledge. We listen to music to make us feel better (if stressed or just sad), or to show someone how we feel about them (mix-tapes, remember those?) People sing hymns in church to show unification, or repeat back mnemonic songs to remember important facts (the ABC song, for example).
Music is hard-wired into our brains. Because music is a global process (meaning it uses the whole brain, not just a specific part of it) we are able to associate memories and meaning with every melody. It's also why some music can make us cry.
Haven't you ever heard a song from you childhood and have memories come back instantly?
Anyway, something to think about. :)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Mighty McCartney's mandolin
Paul McCartney's 2007 release, Memory Almost Full, opens with the strumming of a mandolin. The video for this song has Paul receiving a package that contains a mandolin. Paul takes it out of the box and strums out a catchy tune.
The mandolin is a strummed or plucked instrument from the lute family. It has a hollow-body, is round or teardrop shaped, and sometimes has a curly scroll near the neck. The scroll is decorative, but also provides a place to attach a shoulderstrap. Early mandolins used gut strings, but most modern instruments use metal strings. The instrument is tuned to four pitches, with two strings (or courses) per pitch. The intonation is like that of the violin. G, D, A, and E.
Players usually use a plectrum (a pick) to strum the strings or will pluck with their fingers, like a banjo player. The fingerboard is fretted and modern instruments have guide-dots, like guitars, inlaid into the fingerboard.
Incidentally, my favourite song from McCartney's album is "Mr Bellamy." It's a dialogue between Mr. Bellamy and what could be an authority figure or figures. Two voices are used: the normal voice of Mr. Bellomy, apparently in a tree or on a ledge or something, and the low, well-meaning but menacing voice of whoever it is who is trying to get him down. "We'll have you down soon."
The song is also wonderfully scored (Paul is a genius!) with a perky piano coming out of a thickly scored horn-ists' nest (French horns, hehe). A clarinet snakes in and out of the verses.
"I like it up here. Without you!"
The mandolin is a strummed or plucked instrument from the lute family. It has a hollow-body, is round or teardrop shaped, and sometimes has a curly scroll near the neck. The scroll is decorative, but also provides a place to attach a shoulderstrap. Early mandolins used gut strings, but most modern instruments use metal strings. The instrument is tuned to four pitches, with two strings (or courses) per pitch. The intonation is like that of the violin. G, D, A, and E.
Players usually use a plectrum (a pick) to strum the strings or will pluck with their fingers, like a banjo player. The fingerboard is fretted and modern instruments have guide-dots, like guitars, inlaid into the fingerboard.
Incidentally, my favourite song from McCartney's album is "Mr Bellamy." It's a dialogue between Mr. Bellamy and what could be an authority figure or figures. Two voices are used: the normal voice of Mr. Bellomy, apparently in a tree or on a ledge or something, and the low, well-meaning but menacing voice of whoever it is who is trying to get him down. "We'll have you down soon."
The song is also wonderfully scored (Paul is a genius!) with a perky piano coming out of a thickly scored horn-ists' nest (French horns, hehe). A clarinet snakes in and out of the verses.
"I like it up here. Without you!"
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
I happen to like Puccini
I couldn't help but notice some animosity towards Giacomo Puccini this year at grad school. His name always seems to bring some comment from someone (usually a certain instructor) about the "low-brow, pop music" of his that for some reason isn't worth consideration.
I don't see it. His "low-brow, popular music"-ness, I mean. Granted, he may not be in the ranks of Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms (the 3 Big Bs), but he wrote some wonderful melodies.
Puccini (pronounced Poo-chee-nee) was born December 22, 1858 in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, to a family with a long history in music. He died November 29, 1924. Best known for his operas, the most famous of these are La Boheme, Turandot (mentioned in a previous post; where the aria Nessun Dorma comes from), Madame Butterfly, and Tosca. A Broadway musical, Miss Saigon, is based on Madame Butterfly, and Rent (hugely popular Broadway show and, hugely popular movie based on the Broadway show) is based on La Boheme.
One of his arias I really enjoy (and persistantly try to play the piano) is O mio babbino caro (Oh My Dear Papa) is a soprano aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi. It is a beautiful melody sung by Lauretta to her father. In it, she is trying to tell him that, even though their marriage is forbidden (sort of a Romeo and Juliet thing) because the man she wants to marry (Rinnucio) is now poor (because no money was left for him from a recently deceased relative's will), she will marry him anyway, or will kill herself.
Want to know what happens after the aria? Well, Lauretta's father, G. Schicchi, impersonates the dead relative (because only a few know that he's dead) from behind a screen. He impersonates him so well that he persaudes the attending doctor to return later with a notary public to dictate a (new) will. When this is done, Schicchi re-allocates the relative's wealth to the rest of the family and many valuable items to himself. These valuable items can be his daughter's dowry and she is now free to marry Rinnucio.
A man named Gianni Schicchi also appears in Dante's Inferno. Virgil and Dante find him in the Circle of Impersonators, in the Eighth Circle of Hell. It's a good chance that this is where Puccini got his idea for the opera.
I would like to talk about the Rent/La Boheme relationship too, but that would be more than a nibble. Maybe another time!
I don't see it. His "low-brow, popular music"-ness, I mean. Granted, he may not be in the ranks of Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms (the 3 Big Bs), but he wrote some wonderful melodies.
Puccini (pronounced Poo-chee-nee) was born December 22, 1858 in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, to a family with a long history in music. He died November 29, 1924. Best known for his operas, the most famous of these are La Boheme, Turandot (mentioned in a previous post; where the aria Nessun Dorma comes from), Madame Butterfly, and Tosca. A Broadway musical, Miss Saigon, is based on Madame Butterfly, and Rent (hugely popular Broadway show and, hugely popular movie based on the Broadway show) is based on La Boheme.
One of his arias I really enjoy (and persistantly try to play the piano) is O mio babbino caro (Oh My Dear Papa) is a soprano aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi. It is a beautiful melody sung by Lauretta to her father. In it, she is trying to tell him that, even though their marriage is forbidden (sort of a Romeo and Juliet thing) because the man she wants to marry (Rinnucio) is now poor (because no money was left for him from a recently deceased relative's will), she will marry him anyway, or will kill herself.
Want to know what happens after the aria? Well, Lauretta's father, G. Schicchi, impersonates the dead relative (because only a few know that he's dead) from behind a screen. He impersonates him so well that he persaudes the attending doctor to return later with a notary public to dictate a (new) will. When this is done, Schicchi re-allocates the relative's wealth to the rest of the family and many valuable items to himself. These valuable items can be his daughter's dowry and she is now free to marry Rinnucio.
A man named Gianni Schicchi also appears in Dante's Inferno. Virgil and Dante find him in the Circle of Impersonators, in the Eighth Circle of Hell. It's a good chance that this is where Puccini got his idea for the opera.
I would like to talk about the Rent/La Boheme relationship too, but that would be more than a nibble. Maybe another time!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Fame Zombie...errr, Monster
Today is Lady Gaga's birthday. She is now 25 years old. And a highly successful songwriter/performer. If you haven't heard of Gaga by now, you just aren't paying attention.
I usually just give a cursory glance to whoever the pop music flavour of the month is, but Gaga caught my attention. I saw her first on Saturday Night Live, performing "Paparazzi." Her fashion choices were a big factor in my initial interest in her. One day, though, I ran across a video of her as Stefani Germanotta (her real name) and she impressed me.
The pre-Gaga performance showed me that she really has chops. A good pianist who writes her own songs and sings well. This is in contrast to certain other pop music stars, who just sing what others write for them. This isn't neccessarily a bad thing, because it's not the worst thing to be a hired voice. After all, you still need talent to sing well, but it's just a tiny bit more impressive to be able to write your own stuff.
Gaga got her name by a texting accident (if you believe some sources) and a commentary on her singing and performance style (if you believe other sources).
Happy birthday Fame Monster!
I usually just give a cursory glance to whoever the pop music flavour of the month is, but Gaga caught my attention. I saw her first on Saturday Night Live, performing "Paparazzi." Her fashion choices were a big factor in my initial interest in her. One day, though, I ran across a video of her as Stefani Germanotta (her real name) and she impressed me.
The pre-Gaga performance showed me that she really has chops. A good pianist who writes her own songs and sings well. This is in contrast to certain other pop music stars, who just sing what others write for them. This isn't neccessarily a bad thing, because it's not the worst thing to be a hired voice. After all, you still need talent to sing well, but it's just a tiny bit more impressive to be able to write your own stuff.
Gaga got her name by a texting accident (if you believe some sources) and a commentary on her singing and performance style (if you believe other sources).
Happy birthday Fame Monster!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Rahman (not the noodle)
Indian food is yummy. So yummy that I've found quasi-Indian food from the store when I can't get to a restaurant. One kind of Indian food I've gotten a couple of times is currently offering CDs of Indian music with the foods. The second CD I've gotten (it's all random) features music of A.R. Rahman. Rahman has been dubbed the "Mozart of the Madras," and his music has been featured in over 100 Bollywood films.
Rahman's music uses traditional tonalities of Indian music, but modernizes it by adding electronic dance beats, sampling and overdubbing, and other European and Western elements. It's always interesting when things I stumble on come full circle. His music is also heard in Slumdog Millionaire (great movie, by the way) a couple of years ago and in the recent 127 Hours. I did not know that. : )
Bollywood has always interested me. I guess enchanted is a better word. It's so hypnotic. The music and the dancing is hard to turn away from. Repetitious, rhythmic, charming, and very high-energy. In college I ran across an Indian movie on TV. I tried to get the title, but with no grasp of Hindi, that didn't work. Then, I tried to search for it later, figuring that there couldn't be that many...WRONG! Bollywood turns out more movies per year than Hollywood (and is actually only a part of Indian cinema). It is based out of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, and produces mostly musicals, and that is where A. R. Rahman fits in.
Rahman's music uses traditional tonalities of Indian music, but modernizes it by adding electronic dance beats, sampling and overdubbing, and other European and Western elements. It's always interesting when things I stumble on come full circle. His music is also heard in Slumdog Millionaire (great movie, by the way) a couple of years ago and in the recent 127 Hours. I did not know that. : )
Bollywood has always interested me. I guess enchanted is a better word. It's so hypnotic. The music and the dancing is hard to turn away from. Repetitious, rhythmic, charming, and very high-energy. In college I ran across an Indian movie on TV. I tried to get the title, but with no grasp of Hindi, that didn't work. Then, I tried to search for it later, figuring that there couldn't be that many...WRONG! Bollywood turns out more movies per year than Hollywood (and is actually only a part of Indian cinema). It is based out of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, and produces mostly musicals, and that is where A. R. Rahman fits in.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
What's the name of that song?!
There have been a few occasions where I've heard snippets of a piece of music and it won't leave my head until I track down the title and artist/composer. This may have happened to you, too.
The first occasion of this that I can remember was when I was watching an episode of "House." Dr. House is trying to come up with a diagnosis for his patient-of-the-week with his team by listening to the sounds of the patient's heart. They are in a locker room because the acoustics are better. Before and after the team comes in to hear the heart sounds, House is listening to an aria sung by a tenor. Only a small part of the aria was played, but it was the best part and I really liked it. Then I had that part stuck in my head for days.
Do you know how frustrating it is to have an unknown tune stuck in your head?!
I asked a few singers (well, sung the melody to them) who didn't know for sure, but somewhere along the line I figured out that it was sung by Luciano Pavarotti, the famous tenor. I don't speak Italian so I couldn't look up the lyrics. So, in desperation, I went to the book store and got a CD of Pavarotti's "Greatest Hits." I was fully prepared to listen to the whole damn thing to find this melody.
Turns out it was the first track (huzzah!) and it was an aria from Puccini's Turandot (an opera) called Nessun dorma. This piece is worth listening to. A few times. Or more. It starts off simply, but swells at the end to a divine combination of an emotionally-charged high note from the tenor and full, rich chords from the orchestra. Even though it was written before 1926, it sounds like something that could have been written ten years ago. It's now one of my favourite pieces.
Another song I just had to get out of my head (and into the CD player of my car. Hahaha) was first heard while browsing around a neat, Indie shop in Iowa City. The music they were playing featured a woman's voice accompanied by harp. To me, she sounded odd, vocally. A bit like a cross between Mae Questal and Lisa Simpson. Another customer was in the store at the same time and started commenting on the song with the clerk. All I managed to catch from the conversation was the name Newsom.
Yay for the Interwebs! To track this one down I went to Google and searched "harp Newsom" and the results came back with Joanna Newsom. But then I wanted to find the song that caught my attention while in the store. So, YouTube to the rescue, I searched her and, because it was one of her more popular tunes, was able to hear Cosmia, from her "Ys" album. Her music is interesting. She uses lots of polyrhythms (more than one rhythm at a time) and has an unusual way of phrasing her lyrics, which read like epic poems. Plus, she accompanies herself on a pedal harp, which can be a refreshing sound after hearing nothing but guitars everywhere else.
With some resourcefulness (and an open ear), it's possible to find good music from nowhere!
The first occasion of this that I can remember was when I was watching an episode of "House." Dr. House is trying to come up with a diagnosis for his patient-of-the-week with his team by listening to the sounds of the patient's heart. They are in a locker room because the acoustics are better. Before and after the team comes in to hear the heart sounds, House is listening to an aria sung by a tenor. Only a small part of the aria was played, but it was the best part and I really liked it. Then I had that part stuck in my head for days.
Do you know how frustrating it is to have an unknown tune stuck in your head?!
I asked a few singers (well, sung the melody to them) who didn't know for sure, but somewhere along the line I figured out that it was sung by Luciano Pavarotti, the famous tenor. I don't speak Italian so I couldn't look up the lyrics. So, in desperation, I went to the book store and got a CD of Pavarotti's "Greatest Hits." I was fully prepared to listen to the whole damn thing to find this melody.
Turns out it was the first track (huzzah!) and it was an aria from Puccini's Turandot (an opera) called Nessun dorma. This piece is worth listening to. A few times. Or more. It starts off simply, but swells at the end to a divine combination of an emotionally-charged high note from the tenor and full, rich chords from the orchestra. Even though it was written before 1926, it sounds like something that could have been written ten years ago. It's now one of my favourite pieces.
Another song I just had to get out of my head (and into the CD player of my car. Hahaha) was first heard while browsing around a neat, Indie shop in Iowa City. The music they were playing featured a woman's voice accompanied by harp. To me, she sounded odd, vocally. A bit like a cross between Mae Questal and Lisa Simpson. Another customer was in the store at the same time and started commenting on the song with the clerk. All I managed to catch from the conversation was the name Newsom.
Yay for the Interwebs! To track this one down I went to Google and searched "harp Newsom" and the results came back with Joanna Newsom. But then I wanted to find the song that caught my attention while in the store. So, YouTube to the rescue, I searched her and, because it was one of her more popular tunes, was able to hear Cosmia, from her "Ys" album. Her music is interesting. She uses lots of polyrhythms (more than one rhythm at a time) and has an unusual way of phrasing her lyrics, which read like epic poems. Plus, she accompanies herself on a pedal harp, which can be a refreshing sound after hearing nothing but guitars everywhere else.
With some resourcefulness (and an open ear), it's possible to find good music from nowhere!
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