Religious Music

What does that even mean? Well, for me, it means any music that brings me closer to God and helps me reflect on Christian ideals and values. I had one of those moments today. We were singing Sibelius' "Finlandia Hymn" in choir today, and it struck me as especially poignant. We're singing the "This is My Song" version, and it's all about peace and love -- something I think we all need to be reminded of the day after elections. The version below is the best vocal version I could find, but it's a little fast. I think they only sing one verse. I'll post the other lyrics, and bold the lines that pull at my heartstrings.

This is my song, oh God of all the nations,

a song of peace for lands afar and mine.

This is my home, the country where my heart is;

here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;

but other hearts in other lands are beating

with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,

and sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine.

But other lands have sunlight too and clover,

and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

This is my song, thou God of all the nations;

a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms:

Thy kingdom come on earth thy will be done.

Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,

And hearts united learn to live as one.

Oh hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations;

Myself I give thee; let thy will be done.

Another tear-jerker for me is the song cycle, I Never Saw Another Butterfly. The text is from poems children wrote while they awaited death at Terezin. It is one of the most haunting pieces of music I have ever encountered. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for you, there are not any decent renditions on YouTube. I highly suggest you listen to the version Anna Owens performed on her senior recital. She transposed the score for cello, and it was one of the most profound experiences of my life. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I've been trying to think of a segue out of the Holocaust that's not completely depressing, but I'm beginning to think that's not possible. Let's just make a clean break, shall we?

Christmas music. There. Doesn't that just make you want to smile? One of my favorite carols is "O Holy Night."

I'm also a big fan of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. I didn't used to like it! However, I've come to appreciate it the more I listen to it. I especially love the last movement and the fifth movement. They are about the eternity and immortality of Jesus, and I feel like Messiaen embodied those concepts in this work.

I. Liturgie de cristal (Liturgy of Crystal) [0:10]

II. Vocalise, pour l'Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps (Vocalise, for the Angel who Announces the End of Time) [2:45]

III. Abîme des oiseaux (Abyss of Birds) [7:49]

IV. Intermède (Interlude) [16:10]

V. Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus (Praise to the Eternity of Jesus) [17:58]

VI. Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes (Dance of Fury, for the Seven Trumpets) [25:24]

VII. Fouillis d'arcs-en-ciel, pour l'Ange qui annonce la fin du Temps (Tangle of Rainbows, for the Angel who Announces the End of Time) [31:32]

VIII. Louange à l'Immortalité de Jésus (Praise to the Immortality of Jesus) [38:54]

Fun Stuff

Mr. Dr. Vaneman's "O Fortuna" post got me thinking about how easy it is to misunderstand a language, especially if it's not your native tongue. Does anybody else remember the foreign woman who tried to sing Mariah Carey's "Can't Live Without You" on one of the knock-off versions of American Idol? It's hilarious because I know that's what I must sound like sometimes when I'm singing in a foreign language. What a mortifying thought!

I'm also a big fan of Victor Borge. He and Marilyn Mulvey do a routine based on Verdi's "Caro nome." I find this especially funny because Borge makes fun of all of the typical mistakes singers make with this piece and just performing in general.

This is one of my favorite SNL skits of all time. It's not necessarily about music, but it has some musically-related references.

And this one is also very funny. Unfortunately, it is very hard to find, and the dialogue in the beginning is cut out. Basically, the producer wants JT to sing, but Justin wants to experiment and try new things outside of music. Then Justin realizes, he has to explain it to the producer in terms that the producer will understand. Thus . . .

Do you have that one video that will make your day no matter what's happened? The one below is mine. The little girl, Bella, is singing and "playing" the piano, and it is the most precious thing in the entire world.

How To: Market Music

There are several ways to go about marketing music. There's the tasteful, posh way. There's the in-your-face-way. And there's the sex appeal way. Wait, what?! Yeah. You heard me. Check out the poster below.

I don't know about you guys, but that definitely catches my attention! Needless to say, I was curious. What is a naked man holding a violin doing on a poster for a quartet? Well, he's a actually a member of the ensemble. And don't worry! They all play with their clothes on. Although . . . I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to some shirtlessness . . .

Anyway, the group plays all kinds of music from Mozart to comedic renditions of popular songs. Check out the video below, especially 3:04.

Ke$ha's "Your Love is My Drug"

So, remember how I mentioned that there were several ways to market music? Well, let's move on to the in-your-face tactic. Listen very carefully at :08, and you can hear a guy questioning, "What IS that?"

Alvin Curran's Maritime Rites

Well, my unidentified friend, you've just been introduced to Alvin Curran's Maritime Rites, which was adapted so that the band could play from rowboats in Central Park Lake. In your FACE! Seriously, though. This music is supposed to feature foghorns to recreate the sounds of the maritime coast. How awesome is that?

And lastly, there is the approach that The Silk Road Project takes -- a beautifully-designed website. I especially love the section, "Postcards from the Road." The Silk Road Project is an international program that promotes new music. In the "Postcards from the Road" section, you can "travel" with the musicians to all of the amazing locations they perform. If you need a mini-vacation, just visit the site and you can live vicariously through these guys. As I matter of fact, I think I'll go visit China . . .

 

therestisnoise.com

Now that I've finally figured out how to navigate Ross' blog, here are three links you should really check out:

Eve Beglarian. This composer has several interesting projects you can peruse. First, there is the Book of Days. It's a daily calendar compilation of music and texts. I especially liked "Testy Pony." Then, there's the RiverBlog. Eve took a trip down the Mississippi River (via kayak) and used her experiences as inspiration for her most recent compositions.

The Queens College New Music Group is also worth a peek. It is a student-run program at the Aaron Copland School of Music that encourages the production of graduate student compositions. At least three performances are given every semester, and they hire professional musicians to play the works. Very cool!

Finally, if you are an aspiring opera singer, you MUST read Jennifer Rivera's blog, "Trying to Remain Operational." Jennifer gives an inside scoop on the glamourous (ha!) life of an opera singer. She has both blogs and vlogs, and she describes the ups and downs of an uncertain lifestyle with humor. I highly encourage anyone who wants to sing to navigate though Jennifer's site. If you still want to continue after you've heard all of her crazy stories, then I think it's safe to say that you've made a good choice.

What Music Keeps Me Sane?

Well, the sane part is debatable, but I am definitely drawn to more pop culture pieces. I think it's nice to escape from the classical music world sometimes.

On road trips, I love to listen to upbeat movie soundtracks, especially Cars and She's the Man. They keep me excited to continue traveling the monotonous miles ahead.

Real Gone by Sheryl Crow

Sh-Boom by The Chords

No Sleep Tonight by The Faders

And, I'm not going to lie. I totally dance around to these songs in my room while I use a hairbrush as a microphone. You have those songs, too. Don't judge!

On a more serious note (no pun intended), I have two songs that remind me of my grandmother. The first is Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up. I know, I know. That's corny. But the first time I heard this song, my grandmother had just passed away. The funeral was the next day, and I didn't know how I was going to bear it. Then this song came on the radio, and I remember thinking Grandma had sent this song to me from heaven. For a few moments in all the chaos of death, I felt some peace.

You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban

The other song that reminds me of my grandmother is one that makes me very sad. I feel like this is the song I would sing to my grandmother if I could bring her back to life. You see, my grandmother died fairly suddenly. I was only 10, and I remember my mom leaving to go take care of my grandmother in the hospital. I had this terrible sense of dread, and I kept begging my parents to let me visit. One night, the dread of my grandmother dying was so great that I went and asked my dad, "Is Grandma going to die?" He was so genuinely shocked by my question and so adamant that it was just bronchitis that I ignored my intuition and didn't pray for her. The next morning, my dad walked into my room, and I just burst into tears because I knew. And because I didn't pray for her, I felt really guilty for a long time about not protecting her from death. Leona Lewis' I Will Be encompassed a lot of what I felt, even though it came out two years afterwards. It still chokes me up a little.

I Will Be by Leona Lewis

I'm also a big fan of Rufus Wainwright. He can go a little flat sometimes, but I still love the quality of his voice. He also tends to mix classical elements into his songs, which I like. The one below has a horn solo.

 The Art Teacher by Rufus Wainwright

And last, but most certainly NOT least, there is my favorite instrumental work of all time . . . Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. I am a firm believer that works like ballets and operas must be watched and not just listened to, so I have a clip from the best version ever produced -- The Royal Ballet with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.

This is the scene where Romeo must leave Juliet at dawn because he's been exiled. 

And this clip is here just because it's so freaking adorable. (Sorry I cut their heads off.)

Sharing Art

I've always been drawn to art with vibrant colors, especially bold primary colors. However, I like there to be an abstract quality about it, whether the proportions are off or seemingly different objects are placed together.

Fatata te Miti (By the Sea), 1892

Paul Gauguin

Gauguin was a stockbroker turned painter. This painting is from his fist visit to Tahiti. I especially love the blue-green of the water. Funnily enough, Gauguin studied with Vincent van Gogh, another one of my favorite artists.

Wheatfield with Crows, 1890

Vincent van Gogh

Although Van Gogh was a brilliant artist, he had several health issues. The year before this painting, he had a mental breakdown, and the same month (July) he painted Wheatfield with Crows is also the same month he committed suicide. I like this painting because of the contrast between light and dark.

Le bonheur de vivre (The Joy of Life), 1905

Henri Matisse

I LOVE the color in this painting. This is a true "explosion of color," as you like to say, Mr. Dr. Vaneman. The artistic movement for this kind of work where color reigns supreme is called Fauvism. 

Mother and Child, 1991

Eric Hefte

While this is not always true, I think most people's tastes are the product of their environment. One of the reasons I like vivid colors is because that's what I grew up with. The painting above is one that's been in my bedroom since childhood. Since my dad uses bold colors in his paintings, that's what I like to see in other people's works. I have a friend who lives in Florida, and she loves neutral colors and pastels. What about you? Did your environment shape your artistic palette? I know mine did!

 

The Best Performances of 21st Century Repertoire

Riddle: Where can you find the best performances of fairly unfamiliar 21st century repertoire? 

(The answer's below, but if you want to try and guess, I've given you some clues by defining the terms underlined above).

Best Performances
1. There are little or no mistakes during the performance.
2. You connect with the piece or the performance of the piece in some way.

Fairly Unfamiliar
1. This is, admittedly, a bit ambiguous. So . . . I decided that if I asked 10 random people, "Do you know such-and-such a piece of music?" and the majority of those 10 people wouldn't know, then that qualified as 'fairly unfamiliar.'

21st Century Repertoire
1. It's from this century, obviously.
2. It's experimental.

So now do you want to know the answer to the riddle? Do ya? Do ya?!

drum roll please . . . 

ANSWER:

YOUTUBE

Still not convinced? Fine, I'll explain.

Best Performances

1. YouTubers have the chance to re-record every second of their music, so there aren’t very many mistakes.

2. You connect with the piece because it’s personal. 

Fairly Unfamiliar

1. If you were to ask random people on the street about a random YouTuber's music, there's a good chance they wouldn't know what the heck you were talking about. 

21st Century Repertoire

1. YouTube wasn’t even created until 2005. It’s definitely part of this century.

2. YouTube is ALL ABOUT EXPERIMENTATION.

With that in mind, here are five selections that I thoroughly enjoy:

(I'm curious to know which ones you were already familiar with. Comment!)

1. Tobuscus takes trailers for movies and video games and then creates literal commentary.

2. Nick Pitera sings classic Disney songs with himself x 6.

3. This YouTuber modernized Belle.

4. Charlie composes a song ONLY using items he finds in his house!

5. This YouTuber created a song from a newsreel clip. 

Do you agree or disagree that YouTube is a great place to find new music?