Final Blog

Music provides social commentary by pointing out society’s flaws in hopes to prevent those flaws from continuing. Two perfect examples are John Lennon’s Imagine and Macklemore/Ryan Lewis’ Same Love. Both songs are based on controversial issues to show that there doesn’t have to be so much division in this world and if we saw through each other’s differences we could all live in harmony.

Imagine was produced by John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Phil Spector. It was released in the United States on October 11, 1971. It has a strong political message by trying to get people to imagine living in a world of complete harmony and without greed. During the time this song was created, the Vietnam war was taking place. John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, both were anti-war activists. Many of their songs released before Lennon’s assassination in 1980 revolved around peace and ending the war (Imagine).

The song is beautiful with a catchy rhythm. Lennon rhymes every second and fourth line throughout the piece to add extra flair and creativity to the song.  The tempo remains the same throughout the entire piece, which is on the slower and relaxed side. I believe Lennon decided to do this to add emphasis to what he wants is for people to be able to hear him clearly, slow down, relax, find peace in the song, and start looking at the world through a peaceful view. Lennon also uses repetition in his song to ensure his message is received by the audience and to get people to think about the various problems of the world and how easy it can be to obtain serenity if everyone would put down their weapons, share with one another, and to realize we are all living on the same planet so there is no reason to not live in peace. Lennon uses his music to project his views of the world and is very well known for his rational social commentary.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ Same Love was produced by Ryan Lewis and written by Ben Haggerty, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert in 2012. The song was released originally in the United States and the social commentary of this song regards the issues of gay and lesbian rights in America. This song was produced during the campaign for Washington Referendum 74, which ended up legalizing same-sex marriage in 2012 (Same Love). The artwork cover for this song is actually Macklemore’s uncle and his husband, so this issue really does hit home for him and I really appreciate how supportive he is for equality of all of man-kind.

In the beginning of the song, a clarinet gently plays a single note in pianissimo. After a couple of measures, a piano comes in with a simple melody to add texture to the beginning of the song. The melody is very hopeful and light sounding. There is a lot of repetition throughout this song and that’s due to the chorus which simply says, “And I can’t change, even if I tried. Even if I wanted to.” This repetition allows the message of the song to get across that sexual orientation is not a choice so the world needs to stop demonizing same-sex love and allow people to live their own lives by whatever makes them happy. I also appreciate the transitions of this song from rap to a strong and emotional female singer for the chorus, who also discusses the issue from her standpoint as a woman. This song was used to encourage same-sex marriage and love equality.

Both songs are beautifully written and produced. It’s extremely important that Americans have freedom of speech so we can voice our concerns with what is happening in the world in efforts to fix it. Everyone loves music, so singing about controversial and political issues is a great way for people all over the world to hear what you have to say about current troubles of society.

From this course, I have been exposed to various genres of music, as well as different instruments. I’ve learned about music from different countries, different time eras, and what it is about music that makes it so enjoyable. Music is ever-changing. It can be anything you want it to be. It can be sad, happy, excited, dramatic, quiet, and most of all, unique. I will always be passionate about music and I’m really happy I took this course! It helped me realize certain aspects of my favorite songs that I had not acknowledged before taking this class. This course has changed my relationship with music by allowing me to focus more on what makes music so amazing and what makes each piece different from all the other music in the world. Thank you all for your time, and I hope you enjoyed reading my final blog.

“Imagine (John Lennon Song).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Apr. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_(John_Lennon_song)&gt;.

“Same Love” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Apr. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same_Love&gt;.

Continued Exploration Blog: John Williams

Continued Exploration within Music and the Fictive Dream concentrating on John Williams.

John Williams was born in 1932 in New York and has since lead a successful career as a composer, pianist, and a conductor. He has composed pieces of music within some of the most recognizable films; such as Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Star Wars, Jaws, and Superman. He has been awarded Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Grammy Awards, and Emmy Awards, all from loving music (John Williams).

The Main Title from Star Wars: A New Hope was released in 1977. This is easily the most recognizable theme song you will ever hear, and I’m sure when you listen to it all you think about is Star Wars. The London Symphony Orchestra performed this song along with many other songs throughout the film. The introduction of the Main Title starts off being very distinctive and is mainly played by brass instruments. It then leads into a very heroic sounding feel through strong melodic leaps (Lynch). It then goes on and allows the string instruments to be the primary sound to play the melody. After about twenty seconds it switches to an exciting brass and string combo and continues with the combo for the remainder of the song, allowing the piece to finish strong and with the feeling of triumph.  I believe this song sets the mood for the film and the entire series. It sets the tone for an action film with tones of victory and happiness. It also is used as a tool because when you hear the main theme, you recognize exactly where it is from. Lynch, from Billboard’s website, gives a compliment to this piece of music by saying, “…it’s impossible to think about Star Wars without the theme music bursting into your brain, and a sense of victory-against-the-odds swelling through your chest”, and it is so true (Lynch)! Even though this movie was released in 1977, still in 2017 we all know this famous tune. John Williams truly is amazing for being able to compose music so beautifully that it is remembered for decades after.

Hedwig’s Theme also composed by John Williams is the theme song for the hit-series Harry Potter created by J.K. Rowling. The first time the song was heard was when the first film of the series was released in 2001. It starts out with the celesta playing beautifully and mysteriously in pianissimo and is immediately recognizable as the theme song to Harry Potter. After the intro, it becomes more intense by crescendo of string instruments and wind instruments. It becomes fortissimo as the song progresses and is promising of much excitement ahead. The song is very fitting as the series’ theme song because it is mysterious, magical, and you can tell it seems to be a song representing the fight between good and evil. Filmtracks website gave a positive review of Williams saying, “One of the elements strongly favoring the first three films [of Harry Potter] was the music by veteran franchise composer John Williams, who not only was the perfect choice for the assignment…but whose themes for the world of wizardry would become yet another identity engrained for audiences of each successive film” (Harry Potter). I definitely agree with this review. John Williams did an excellent job with composing and conducting this musical masterpiece.

 

“John Williams.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Apr. 2017. Web. 17 Apr. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams>.

Lynch, Joe. “What Makes the ‘Star Wars’ Theme So Epic? John Williams’ Legendary Theme, Deconstructed.” Billboard. N.p., 18 Dec. 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. (2001, August 14). Retrieved April 17, 2017, from http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/harry_potter.html

Music and the Fictive Dream

“The Phantom of the Opera” movie was released in 2004 in the USA, was directed by Joel Schumacher, and the music was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This movie is classified as a drama film/thriller and is 2h 23m long (The Phantom of the Opera). It stars Gerald Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine. The Phantom hides away in this Paris opera house and teaches Christine how to sing. Cristine is under the assumption that the voice singing to her is an angel that was sent by her deceased father but in reality, it’s a man with a facial deformity that hides beneath the opera house. The phantom falls deeply in love with Christine, but she falls in love with a man from her past, Raoul, who is played by Patrick Wilson. The Phantom gets enraged that she’s fallen for another man so he takes her away and keeps her in his dungeon and Raoul ends up saving her from the Phantom’s captivity.

The original movie was released in 1925. It’s always interesting to watch the two movies and to observe the incredible advancements of technology and how the story line changes. I’ve never seen the 1925 film, but I think it would be a lot of fun to watch.

The piece of work I’ve chosen to discuss is Angel of Music from the 2004 film. This song is a duet between the Phantom and Christine. As she is getting ready to go to bed, she begins to hear the Phantom singing to her. She calls him the “Angel of Music” because he is the one who taught her to sing beautifully. He lets her believe that he is, in fact, the angel of music just to manipulate Christine into coming to him. Raoul hears the male voice coming from Christine’s room and interrupts. Later on in the film, the Phantom tries to lure her once again by saying that he is the “Angel of Music” and Raoul interrupts, once again, and calls him the “Angel of Darkness” and to leave Christine alone.

This song represents how young people can be naive and they will give people the benefit of the doubt unless they prove otherwise. It can also represent how people deceive others to get what they want. This adds drama to the piece of work because the audience gets more involved wanting the girl to be protected and they feel the suspense as she begins to go toward his voice, and then the audience finds relief when Raoul saves Christine from being abducted.

Throughout the movie, I have always been baffled with Christine’s saprano vocal range. She can hit such high notes beautifully and effortlessly. Listening to her sing is such a joy. Emmy Rossum actually won the “Best Performance by a Younger Actor” Saturn Award, “Best Young Actress” Critics Choice Award, “Breakthrough Performance by an Actress” NBR award, and many other awards, all because of this movie when she was only 18 years old. Now that’s amazing.

Peter Travers from Rolling Stone complimented the movie by saying, “Fearing date-movie hell, most guys will panic at the idea of a Gothic love story set in an 1870 Paris opera house where beast hits on beauty with a nonstop assault of Andrew Lloyd Webber music. Snap out of it. Phantom, still running on Broadway after sixteen years, is a rapturous spectacle. And the movie, directed full throttle by Joel Schumacher, goes the show one better.” I have never seen the broadway shows, but I definitely agree that “The Phantom of the Opera” is an excellent movie. A must-see!

Thank you all for your time. I hope if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you will now be more motivated to do so. Sorry if I spoiled some juicy parts for you.

Okay, bye for now!

The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film). (2017, April 04). Retrieved April 06, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_of_the_Opera_(2004_film)

Travers, P. (2004, December 15). Phantom of the Opera. Retrieved April 06, 2017, from http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/phantom-of-the-opera-20041215

Role of the Performer – RIHANNA

Rihanna, A.K.A. Robyn Rihanna Fenty, was born in 1988 in Barbados. She moved to America when she was only 16 years old to begin her career in Connecticut. Rihanna stated, “When I left Barbados, I didn’t look back…I wanted to do what I had to do, even if it meant moving to America.”, while looking back on her past (Rihanna). Leaving her country and family really shows how dedicated she is to the music industry and her career.

In 2005, Rihanna performed an important audition in the presence of the famous Jay-Z, in which she was signed on the spot. Eight months later, her first single came out called, “Pon de Replay“, which reached number 2 on the Billboard singles chart. This song was composed by  Vada Nobles, Alisha Brooks, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers in the U.S.A. (Pon de Replay).

I love the reggae type feel to this club mix, it’s so unique and I’ve always loved Rihanna’s accent. The rhythm of the music is so catchy it just makes you want to dance and the lyrics are so memorable. Surprisingly, I haven’t heard this song in probably 5 years and I knew every lyric. As everyone says, Rihanna has always made an impact! Below is the video to her first hit single, “Pon de Replay“.

From 2005 to now, her music career blown up and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Personally, she is one of my favorite artists. Not only because she started out as someone completely normal and had the odds against her, but also because she rose up and took hold of her opportunities and never let her dream escape her. She makes me feel empowered through her music and I know many other women admire her strength in music and attitude as well. The first song that really made me feel powerful when I sang along was “Take a Bow“. It was produced in 2008 and was composed by Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen, and Shaffer Smith in the U.S.A. (Take A Bow). It has a very sarcastic vibe to it and there is clear resentment in this song, but she’s cool, calm, and collective about being betrayed, which adds to why I like this song so much.

Here’s the music video below.

Rihanna has many more hit songs that I chose not to mention here because upon researching I noticed that my favorite songs by her were pretty vulgar! But I do really like how powerful she portrays herself and, in watching interviews of her, she seems like a strong woman in general and doesn’t let people mistreat her. I’ll always be a huge fan of hers due to her music, talent, and strong persona!

I hope you guys enjoyed this blog and hopefully you learned something new about Robyn Fenty.

“Rihanna.” Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 30 Nov. 2016. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.

“Pon de Replay.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Feb. 2017. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.

“Take a Bow (Rihanna song).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Mar. 2017. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.

Innovations and Evolutions of Electronic Music

“Clarity“, composed by Zedd, Matthew Koma, Porter Robinson, and Skylar Grey, is a grammy award-winning song performed by the Russian-German artist known as Zedd and vocals performed by a British group named Foxes (Wikipedia-Clarity). Zedd, A.K.A. Anton Zaslavskiis, is well-known throughout the world for his catchy upbeat music such as “Clarity“ with almost 200 million views on youtube since being released in 2012.

Zedd’s music falls into the category of electronic dance music. The evolution of electronic music goes back to about 50 or so years when disco first began. It began with disco and then electronic music began to increase in popularity with the use of synthesizers and keyboard music in the 80’s. An example of a song in the 80’s using electronic music is “Don’t You Want Me” by the British synthpop group, “The Human League”. Composed by Philip Oakey, Philip Adrian Wright, and Joe Callis in 1981 (Wikipedia-Don’t You Want Me).

Electronic Dance music, in specific, gained popularity in the 1990’s and has attracted much more attention since. Nick Gibson with Udemy blog states, “Since 2000, electronic dance music (EDM) has grown from a popular genre into an influential part of all mainstream music.” and I agree (Gibson). I have always thought that music with the particular sounds of electronic dance has been very recent and is currently sweeping the world with its energetic vibes.

It’s amazing how different the music sounds from the 80’s,  90’s, and now. Each decade seems to have its twist on music in its own unique way. That’s what I love about music, though. It’s ever-changing and fascinating. I actually was lucky enough to see Zedd in concert in September of 2015 for my 21st birthday. They were playing at a music festival called Bumbershoot in Seattle and I randomly walked in on their show. They were absolutely amazing and the energy in the concert stadium was nothing but pure happiness. It was quite the experience. If anyone is interested, I definitely recommend going to see them live. I also recommend going to a music festival as much as you can, you never know what new band you’ll discover! I’m going to another music festival in Arizona for spring break, maybe I’ll come back with a couple stories to share.

I actually was lucky enough to see Zedd in concert in September of 2015 for my 21st birthday. They were playing at a music festival called Bumbershoot in Seattle and I randomly walked in on their show. They were absolutely amazing and the energy in the concert stadium was nothing but pure happiness. It was quite the experience. If anyone is interested, I definitely recommend going to see them live. I also recommend going to music festivals as much as you can. You never know what new band you’ll discover! I’m going to another music festival in Arizona for spring break, maybe I’ll come back with a couple stories to share.

I hope you all enjoyed reading my thoughts on the evolution of music. Ta-ta for now.

Sources:

“Clarity (Zedd Song).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Feb. 2017. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.

“Don’t You Want Me.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Mar. 2017. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.

Gibson, Nick. “History of Electronic Music: From the 1970s to Today.” Udemy Blog. N.p., 6 May 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2017.

Music Analysis #2

“Scars To Your Beautiful”, composed by Alessia Cara, Pop & Oak, and Sebastian Kole, is a beautiful piece of music that encourages people to be comfortable in their own skin. The song was released in 2015 in the U.S. and has gained popularity since; reaching top charts in Canada, Australia, Slovenia, Germany, and many other countries including America. It has reached number 1 on US Dance/Mix Show Airplay, US Mainstream Top 40, US Adult Top 40 in the U.S. and is currently playing on the local radio on a regular basis (Know-It-All, Wikipedia).

Below is the music video and is worth the watch if you have not yet already seen it.

Lyrics

The lyrics to this song are beautiful. Cara sings about no matter who you are, or where you come from, you should always embrace who you are and the body you live in. She is also trying to bring awareness to people who are treated differently, saying “…and you don’t have to change a thing, the world could change it’s heart…”, by saying the world should try to be more accepting and realize there isn’t one kind of beauty, but endless ways to be beautiful. Uniqueness should be encouraged. Clover Hope, with Billboard website,  positively stated, “As first impressions go, Know-It-All is a charismatic balance between dreams and reality that makes its author stick out in the most impressive way.”, and I would like to agree that Cara herself is unique for singing about something real and what most everybody on the planet can relate to. Andy Kellman, from AllMusic website, also reviewed the song in a positive light stating, “Going by the level of potential shown here, it’s evident that Cara will eventually need a lot less creative assistance [in the future]”, which I also agree with this statement. I believe the chorus could have been less generic sounding, but the lyrics are prime so I believe in the future she will be able to get more creative with the sound while maintaining her strong message through lyrics and music videos.

Clover Hope, with Billboard website,  positively stated, “As first impressions go, Know-It-All is a charismatic balance between dreams and reality that makes its author stick out in the most impressive way.”, and I would like to agree that Cara herself is unique for singing about something real and what most everybody on the planet can relate to. Andy Kellman, from AllMusic website, also reviewed the song in a positive light stating, “Going by the level of potential shown here, it’s evident that Cara will eventually need a lot less creative assistance [in the future]”, which I also agree with this statement. I believe the chorus could have been less generic sounding, but the lyrics are prime so I believe in the future she will be able to get more creative with the sound while maintaining her strong message through lyrics and music videos.

Texture and Dynamics

In the beginning of the song, Cara starts off only accompanied by a homophonic texture. The accompaniment plays and holds one chord and changes the chord every couple beats in pianissimo as she sings along, which allows the audience to hear the message in her lyrics clearly. Then a catchy rhythm with bass and snapping comes in to warm up for the chorus. Then when you get to the chorus, the music gets louder, the lyrics sound happier and more empowering, and the texture turns to polyphonic- many rhythms are layered on top of each other. Throughout the piece, there are contrasting textures, and I believe that adds dynamic to the music.

Range

Cara really stays in a neutral range and doesn’t take many jumps to high/low notes. The song is singable, and I believe they may have done this on purpose to not distract from the message of the lyrics and to allow anyone to be able to sing along without causing people to feel self-conscious of their voice.

Duration and Rhythm

There are notes that are held out and there’s also notes that are cut short for a dramatic effect. Beautiful is usually held out longer than the other words to drag emphasis to what the song is about. There is a pulsing throughout the music that lands directly on the beat and you can hear word-rhythms, especially when she sings “no better you than the you that you are” and the rhythm is replicated throughout the piece.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog. I hope it was enjoyable for you.

Sources:

“Know-It-All.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Feb. 2017. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

“Scars to Your Beautiful.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Feb. 2017. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

Hope, Clover. “Alessia Cara Balances Idealism and Cynicism on Debut ‘Know-It-All’: Album Review.” Billboard. Billboard, 06 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

Kellman, Andy. “Know-It-All.” AllMusic. AllMusic, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2017.

“Pink Bullets” – Musical Analysis #1

There are some songs that you would listen to or skip based on the type of mood you are in; similar to a food that sounds good one day but doesn’t sound as appetizing the next. There are also songs that I like to call classics, where you can listen anytime, anywhere, and it never seems to get old. “Pink Bullets”, performed by The Shins and composed by the American lead singer, James Mercer, is what I consider a classic song.

This song was written in 2003 off of their album Chutes Too Narrow and has an amazing ability to take your mind to a place that is full of meaningful lyrics accompanied with a relaxing melody. If there was a day I wasn’t feeling particularly great or even a day I felt rather happy, I could still enjoy this song to no end because everything James Mercer says in this song resonates a deeper meaning about how life isn’t always easy.

Lyrics

I believe everyone can relate to this song in the way of the pain that comes with parting ways with a loved one, either a significant other or a dear friend. Most of the time when you have to part ways with someone you love, it’s because the relationship has turned toxic or their life isn’t heading in the same direction that yours is heading, so it’s best to part ways. The lyrics depict this painful breakup throughout the song. When they first met, “I was just bony hands as cold as a winter pole. You held a warm stone out new flowing blood to hold. Oh, what a contrast you were…”, he felt the rush of falling in love and the feeling of happiness. You can also tell he must have spent a considerable amount of time with this person by the lyrics, “The years seem short but the days were long” and “We fell in a field it seems now a thousand summers passed” showing that they gave a fair amount of their life together while in this relationship. As the song progresses, you can see there’s a change in the relationship when the lyrics say “When our kite lines first crossed, we tied them into knots. And to finally fly apart, we had to cut them off.”, using the kites as their lines of life, they intertwined at the beginning of their relationship, but when things went sour, it was decided that it was best to part ways and continue living life separately. In the end, he misses her immensely, though. “Since then it’s been a book you read in reverse. So you understand less as the pages turn…But your memory is here and I’d like it to stay. Warm light on a winter’s day…Two loose kites falling from the sky. Drawn to the ground and an end to flight.” These lyrics show that he’s loved, lost, and is reminiscing on his past romance.

Alison M. Rosen, from Nerve, was able to interview James Mercer and ask him some interesting questions. One of those questions was, “How dark are your lyrics?”, with Mercer replying, “They’re dark in a real way. Dark about things that are real and permanent and really suck and don’t change.” I agree, that he sings about life’s difficult obstacles. But I also believe that that’s what make his songs so great and relatable.

Melody and Range

The melody is very buoyant, free-slowing, and soothing with a beautiful harmony to go with it. I love the rhythm that stays in line with the beat, makes you want to sway along as you get lost in the music.

The range of the piece isn’t drastic, but there are points where he does sing low to emphasize the sad parts, and higher to emphasize the happy parts of the song. The Shins are great at showing emotion through their music. Heather Shares, from AllMusic, commented on the album saying the band “excel[s] at sounding happy, sad, frustrated, and vulnerable at the same time, and their best songs, whether they’re fast or slow, feel like they’re bursting with nervous energy.” I completely agree. The song is in C minor, and usually songs in minor sound a little more on the sad side. They did very well at depicting how the music should sound to convey the message that this is a song of reminiscing an old romance.

Dynamics

There are some parts of the song that are louder: the chorus. There are also parts of the song that are soft-spoken, as in the end of the piece. This gives dynamics to the piece instead of it being one setting the entire song. By the song going quieter at the end and being able to hear the lyrics more clearly, it makes the listener pay closer attention to what is being said. It’s smart to end the song with being soft-spoken, it really rounds off the song nicely and leaves the listener satisfied with what they heard.

Sources:

Rosen, Alison M. “Music Interview: The Shins.” Nerve. N.p., 11 Apr. 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

Phares, Heather. “Chutes Too Narrow – The Shins“. AllMusic. N.p., N.d., Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

My First Post

Hi everyone, my name is Danielle Bohan. I’m a junior at UAF and I’ve lived in Alaska my entire life of 22 years. I have two dogs, Athena and Moe, a border collie and a pitbull, both whom I love very much. I’m extremely excited to get back outdoors with them and my boyfriend this summer to go for hikes and lots of camping!

I little musical background about myself is that I’ve played violin since 4th grade. I’ve learned how to play the bass, guitar, cello, and a little bit of piano in the meantime. I’ve found that once you know how to read music and learn how to play one string instrument thoroughly, you can learn how to play a different kind of string instrument fairly easy.

I’ve always been passionate about music. If there’s a lyrical song playing, I’ll always sing along. If theres an instrumental playing, you’ll catch me jamming out to it. Music has always paid a great deal of influence in my life; from carrying my tape player when I was 4 years old playing Patsy Cline, to now making big vacations out of going to music festivals, it’s always been something I find comfort and joy in.

Intro- The xx  Here’s an instrumental that I’ve always found to be feel-good and soothing.

Well, that’s it about me! I look forward to reading all of your blogs and I hope you enjoy mine. Bye for now.