A Yankee Doodle do or die;

A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam’s,

Born on the Fourth of July.

-- From George M. Cohan’s “Yankee Doodle Boy” (also known as “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy”)

George M. Cohan claimed that he, like the Yankee Doodle Boy of his famous song, was born on the Fourth of July in 1878. But it true? In a poorly sourced article on Cohan, Wikipedia says that the composer was born on July 3, 1878. Other sources disagree with the online encyclopedia.

Biographer John McCabe says this in George M. Cohan: The Man Who Owned Broadway (Doubleday, 1973):

“George Michael Cohan was almost certainly born on July 4, 1878, at 536 Wickenden Street, on Corkie Hill, in Providence, Rhode Island. Until Ward Morehouse discovered the Cohan baptismal certificate which carries a July 3 birthdate, there had never been any doubt that the real live nephew of his Uncle Sam was born on any day other than the Fourth. The baptismal certificate hardly settles the matter. As was not unusual at the time, the birth was not recorded in the civic registry in Providence. There is, however, circumstantial evidence writ large that the July 3 on the baptismal certificate is a clerical error. Cohan’s birthday was always celebrated on the Fourth of July by his parents, Jeremiah (‘Jere’ or ‘Jerry’) and Helen (‘Nellie’) Cohan, and this many years before that date began to have profitable connotations for the Yankee Doodle Dandy. The utter probity of these two remarkable people who early taught their son that a man’s word was his impregnable bond is the strongest proof that Cohan was indeed born on the Fourth.”

Among the other evidence cited by McCabe is that Cohan’s father wrote in his diary on July 3, 1882: “Got a little present for Georgie’s birthday tomorrow.” McCabe adds: “The very casualness of the entry in a book intended for his eyes alone bespeaks its integrity.”

To hear a 1905 audio recording of “Yankee Doodle Boy” sung by tenor Billy Murray, including verses rarely heard today, click on the following link (where you will hear the lines at the top of this post about 40 seconds into the song): www.firstworldwar.com/audio/Billy%20Murray%20-%20Yankee%20Doodle%20Boy.mp3. Cohan wrote "Yankee Doodle Boy" for the 1904 Broadway musical, Little Johnny Jones.

You can also hear Cohan’s “Over There” for free in three recordings on the site www.firstworldwar.com/audio/overthere.htm site, including a English-French version by Enrico Caruso. To listen to the Caruso or another "Over There," you will have to make another click on the site to select which version you want to hear.

© 2008 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.

CAN YOU NAME THIS COMPOSER.  OF COURSE THIS IS HIM AS A CHILD

HERE IS A PIECE COMPOSED BY HIM

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From the Songcraft blog:

"I’ve often spent countless hours pondering about the concept of “melody”.

Many songwriting books will tell you that writing great melody is a gift - some have the “gift of melody” while others don’t.

My question, then, is how do you define this gift of melody? Is there really such a thing..."

Click (here) for the rest of the article.

I've often spent countless hours pondering about the concept of "melody".

Many songwriting books will tell you that writing great melody is a gift - some have the "gift of melody" while others don't.

My question, then, is how do you define this gift of melody? Is there really such a thing?

Well, we know for sure who had the gift of melody. The first few names that come to my mind are Richard Rodgers, Paul McCartney, John Rutter, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, and Paul Simon.

But when it comes to actually defining what this gift sounds like, it gets a bit more difficult.

You see, the mysterious thing about melody is that we know a good one when we hear it, but we can't necessarily always construct a good one on our own.

I'm not exactly sure why this is so. You see, logically thinking...if we know what makes a good melody work, then it would follow that we should be able to all write great melodies too right?

In reality, that is not always the case.

You see, that's why I find songwriting so fascinating. It's such a nebulous concept. You never know when the next great song is going to come, and you never know where it's going to come from. It could come from anybody at anytime. It doesn't mean that those with higher musical education will necessarily write better melodies.

Do you think you have the gift of melody?

...

Notes: It has been said that Beethoven's musical gifts, as monumental as they were, did not lie in melody. If you compare Beethoven with Schubert, you can make a case that Schubert had the more natural gift for melody.

Same goes with Paul McCartney and John Lennon. I am willing to make a case that despite John being an awesome songwriter, it was Paul who actually had the greater gift for melody. John was a great songwriter, no doubt, and he had his moments of melodic genius as well, but if you were to take a look at the big picture, I think Paul had the more obvious gift for melody.

Tchaikovsky was one of the most gifted melodists I've ever heard bar none, and I suspect I'm not alone in this view. It is simply mind-boggling how he came up with such breathtaking melodies.

Stephen Sondheim is a legendary writer on Broadway, a god-like figure to some, but melody wasn't exactly what his musicals were known for. Some have noted that you don't leave a theatre humming a Sondheim melody. This is in contrast to say, Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has given us some of the most memorable West End tunes in the last two to three decades.

I recently had the golden opportunity to sit down with Firdaus, a fellow pal from our Songcraft Songwriting Circle, to talk in-depth about his thoughts on songwriting over some coffee and biscuits.

Firdaus, to me, has been one of the most prolific and inspiring songwriters in our circle, and from reading his blog at firdaus-music.blogspot.com, it is also apparent to me that Firdaus is not only a very talented musician, but he also thinks very deeply when it comes to music.

All in all, I have to say that my one-hour interview with him was a most enjoyable one, as I managed to ask him about his approach and philosophy towards songwriting, as well as other interesting tidbits which I've always wanted to find out about him.

I have reproduced the entire interview transcript below. It might be a tad lengthy, but I strongly recommend that you take a good read if you have the time, as it gives us valuable insight into Firdaus's thinking, philosophy and methods with regards to his songwriting.

(p.s. Ok, I lied. It was actually an email interview, not a sit-down interview. But it sounds so much better if I didn't admit it were an email interview right? Haha!)

...

The Interview

Q) Firstly, can you please tell me a little bit more about your musical abilities? I understand you play quite a number of instruments - Which instruments exactly do you play? What formal training have you received when learning these instruments?

I have no musical abilities whatsoever! =)

Well, I’ve been playing the saxophone since I was 13 when I joined my secondary school band, so I’m not too bad at it (I think). It’s a wonderful instrument to play. My seniors taught me how to play it, via torture and coercion. Although I wished I had learned the clarinet first before I played the saxophone, because they are quite similar, except that the clarinet has a wider range and has more complicated fingerings, which I am too lazy to start learning now. Playing saxophone is great, especially in a band, because you’re exposed to all types of music, from classical to jazz. Also, the nature of the instrument itself allows it to be effectively used in both classical and jazz pieces.

I can also play chords on the guitar and piano. I picked up the guitar in secondary school but only seriously started playing it a lot when I started university. The piano, I picked up too during university. So I guess my university years were quite productive after all! Both were self-taught (It’s kind of a weird term don’t you think? If you already knew it, why then teach yourself?). Oh yah, I play drums too, self-taught, to release stress!

Due to my laziness, I have yet to ‘master’ any instrument. I’m pretty confident that with some work I could get a diploma in saxophone. But as I don’t intend to teach saxophone, it doesn’t make sense for me to pursue a certificate. Also, as I only use the guitar and piano to play chords in order to compose songs, I see little need beyond what I already have. I could change my mind in future of course.

I wish I could learn a brass instrument. That’d be awesome! But my nose feels funny and itchy after every time I tried to buzz the notes! Oh, and I’d like to learn the harmonica too. It’d be so badass playing the guitar and sing and playing your own harmonica solo!

Q) Do you think the ability to play an instrument, or play an instrument well, is critical when it comes to writing songs?

Not if you’re a lyrics writer I guess, or if you have people whom you know that can play the instruments for you as you write the song. I think normally such cases happen in a band, where the singer comes up with the lyrics and a melodic idea and the other members play and contribute? I know there are some artistes like Madonna, Avirl Lavinge and Alanis Morissette who employs such a style of song writing. So being able to play an instrument well, for me, is not critical when writing songs.

However, the nature of the instrument itself would affect exactly how the song would turn out. For example, you wouldn’t expect someone who composes on an electric guitar with distortion to come up with a classical-sounding song. It’d definitely be something more edgy. And you wouldn’t expect someone using the piano to compose heavy metal music. The song is like a sculpture, and the musical instrument is a tool which one can use to sculpt out the song from the raw material. The resulting sculpture would definitely be affected by the tools used to shape it.

Of course, someone like Beethoven makes my whole argument invalid. But I think such composers are the exception rather than the norm. Ultimately, the music is inside of you, and the instrument is just an aid for you to get the music out.

Q) To me, your songs are like a breath of fresh air. Very interesting and refreshing. How would you describe your own song writing style?

A breath of fresh air from what? Personally I think everyone’s song is like a breath of fresh air, as long as they remain unique and true to themselves, and not try to imitate other people. Bob Dylan said that the world doesn’t need any more new songs, and that the present songs are enough for the entire world such that each person in the world can have 300 songs each but the songs would never run out. What makes a song stand out then? It must be a unique and truthful creation from the song writer, which other people would be interested to hear.

My song writing style is to write music that I myself would want to hear. I must admit, I’m a bit selfish in this respect. I compose for myself rather than for an audience. In my mind, according to my own internal logic, if you write songs for yourself, then even if others might not like it, it won’t be so bad because you have already satisfied yourself. I’m not a professional ‘artiste’ anyway who has to sell records to the masses. That’s why I think that the word ‘sharing’ our music during Songcraft sessions is great, because I am literally sharing it; something that comes out of me and is for me but is open for others to experience also. I don’t like the idea of songs that are composed because of the need to please people or trying to reach high expectations, because you could never please everyone. Pleasing yourself is enough.

Q) I understand you are a huge fan of The Beatles and Oasis, just to name a few. Would you say your music is heavily influenced by these bands? Who else would you cite as your major musical influences, if any?

The Beatles were the Mozarts of the 20th century. They were THAT good musically. I would think that any popular music-listening person would have at least 1 favourite song that was composed by the Beatles. It’s fascinating to learn about them, because their ascent to global superstardom was during a period of social upheaval in the 1960s, where everything was turned upside down. One could even suggest that the Beatles played quite a part in it, from their music to their fashion senses, right down to their haircuts. And who could forget the screaming and screaming fans they attract everywhere they go? The whole world was Beatle-mania! I don’t think any other musical group would affect the world in such a way again.

Photo ("The Beatles.") by Gonzalo Barrientos

I like Oasis because they happen to be the best and most famous band while I was a teenager. It was the ‘in thing’ to like Oasis you know. ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ was a massive hit back in those days.

I guess my music must have been influenced by such bands, since I listened to them a lot. It’s not a conscious process. Only when you look back, then you could maybe think ‘hey, it sounds a bit like Oasis’. One of my friends told me that my music sounds like 1960s music. I don’t know if it’s a compliment or not, haha..

Believe it or not, the first song I ever wrote, ‘Someday’, was actually not influenced by the above two bands but a Canadian band called the Moffatts! The chord progressions I used were similar to a few of their songs, because I had learned to play their songs on guitar. That’s why I’m a great believer in the process of learning other people’s songs because it allows you to absorb and internalise their music, and maybe use it in future.

I think I’m over my Beatles, Moffatts and Oasis period now. While it’s always nice to listen to the songs, it gets kind of boring eventually. So I always try to go to Youtube and listen to different acts to get new ideas and be inspired. You don’t have to always try to listen to the new bands and see what new ideas they have come up with. I have discovered for myself that you could also learn from the musicians of the past, like from classical music or composers from the past decades. A good thing about living in the present with all the technology available is that you have very good access to archives of great music from the past!

I now try to listen to more jazz and Latin music. Jazz musicians from past decades like Sonny Rollins, Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis are so unbelievably talented that it’s out of this world simply watching and listening to them play. A simple tune can become so complex and wonderful when they get their hands on it. I like Latin music because of it’s different feel compared to normal pop music. Also, Latin music is very dramatic and is communal in nature. Very nice!

Strangely enough, I have also somewhat become a fan of Yoko Ono recently and have been listening to her songs on Youtube. She has a few brilliant songs, like ‘Walking on Thin Ice’ and ‘Yume O Moto’. Sometimes I even feel her songs are more musical and deeper than the Beatles’!

Q) You seem to be a very prolific songwriter. In fact, I think you're one of the most prolific songwriters in Songcraft. How do you find the inspiration to write your songs? What is your typical song writing process like? Also, what is your philosophy towards songwriting?

The number of songs I write doesn’t mean much to me. It’s very easy to write a song. I think the lyrics of my song ‘A Lazy Song’ lampoons the whole process of song writing – “some simple poems to make up the song, four chords repeating all the way”.

Maybe my mentality helps a lot in the writing of my songs. I’m not a perfectionist, so I don’t fret too much about a certain lyric or melody. Hey, as long as it’s acceptable, I’m not going to worry too much about it. The devil is getting the damn song out in the first place, not in the details. And as I mentioned before, the only person whom I let judge the song is me and not others. So if I think it’s okay, then screw what other people think! Haha.. But that doesn’t mean I set a low standard. It’s just that I don’t go the extra mile. Law of diminishing returns you know. Song writing is a hobby anyway for me, not a job.

My songs come to me inspired. It means that I don’t sit down with a guitar, pen and paper, think of a topic and then proceed to craft out a song. Or try to come up with a nice set of chord progression and then hammer something out. It doesn’t work that way for me. It’s a strange process, like suddenly you feel that you are bursting with a song inside you, willing itself to come out. The whole process would be over in like 20 minutes and the song would be there. It’s what you feel that at that moment and your state of mind. Suddenly the song would just be there. It’s very weird!

I remember how the song ‘I Do I Do’ came about. It was 3am in the morning and I was surfing the net. I was a bit bored, so I took my guitar and started to slowly strum it. Suddenly a flash of inspiration hit me and the song was written. Took 15 minutes to write everything out. I have no idea why a song talking about “you’re so beautiful tonight, lay down and hold me tight, wanna spend my life with you, do you feel the same way too?” appeared at the ungodly hour of 3am but it just did. I think quite a few people I played the song to liked it, but I have absolutely no bloody idea how it came about, and it pisses me off because I can never write another song quite like it.

My philosophy towards song writing is that ‘when the song comes, it comes.’

Q) Let's talk about one of your more well-known songs, "Special Girl". Could you tell me the story behind this song, e.g. how it came about, how long you took to write it, and whether it's based on real-life events?

This song was written about a friend of mine and how she has enriched my life and made it a better place. =)

Q) Are you more of a lyrics-first person, or a music-first person? Which comes more naturally to you?

For me, it has to flow together. It’s a pain in the butt having either come first and then trying to fit in the other one to match the other so that it doesn’t sound weird. So yeah, the ideal situation is having them both come together at the same time.

Q) Could you tell me who your most admired songwriters/composers are, and why?

I don’t have any favourites, cos I feel that we all can learn something from each composer. I was into the Beatles and Oasis of course, but I think other composers have something to contribute as well. Lately I am into the music of Ryan Adams. He’s a very good songwriter who writes deep songs

Q) I love your song "Crazy Blues". I think it's incredibly catchy and infectious. I saw you perform it at the Singapore Art Cafe one night and the audience reception was absolutely amazing. How did that song come to you? What was the song writing process for that song like?

I stumbled across a blues chord progression and was inspired to write the song. It was a fun process, thinking of all the nonsensical things I could say in the song – “you’re a millionaire in a billion, you’re a head case in a crazy rebellion, you gotta shake and it’ll burn!”

Q) I'm sure you must love writing songs. Could you tell me the reason why song writing appeals to you so much?

I enjoy the process and it makes me feel good. That’s good enough reasons for me. I don’t intend to change the world or influence people through my songs.

Q) Lastly, of all the songs you've written, which song(s) are you MOST proud of? And why is that so?

Haha, you’re asking a parent to choose a favourite among his children! Impossible question with an impossible answer.

If there’s one thing that I’m proud of, it’s that I’ve managed to put a bit of myself in all the songs I wrote and thus remain true to myself. There are no fake songs that come from me. So when you listen to a happy song like ‘Special Girl’, and you felt happy listening to it, surely you could only imagine how happy I was to write it and how happy I was in singing it. If you listened to a sad song like ‘I Just Wanna Say I Love You’ and you felt sad and uncomfortable, you’ll know that I was also sad when I wrote and sang it. Songs like ‘Singapore, How Exciting!’ and ‘Singapore Singapore’ indicate how much I like this country. And of course, playful songs like ‘If I Was Superman’ and ‘Crazy Blues’ are just me being me. By listening to my songs, you get to know a bit of me, like tiny jigsaw pieces falling into place and forming an overall big picture.

But life is always full of changes and motion. What’s me today may not be the same as tomorrow’s me. The important thing is to keep going on and looking forward.

Q) [Bonus question which Firdaus added in himself] What are your thoughts on Songcraft?

I think it’s an absolutely fantastic group to be with! We may not have much in common in our everyday lives, but in terms of song writing I think it could be said that we are all on the same page. It’s a blessing for me to have discovered this group. I used to think that I was mad because I seem to be the only one interested in writing songs. It’s a great relief to get to know people who share the same passion, and to come together to support each other. May it last for a long time to come yet!

p.s. I’d like to take this opportunity to say that Man Utd rulz and I predict they’ll do the treble this year, with or without Ronaldo! Haha...

End of Interview

Of course, we had the usual manageable crowd of around thirteen to fourteen. It's funny how we have people come and go, but at the end of the day, our turnout always manages to average around thirteen or fourteen. It's remarkable.

We had, as usual, a wonderful assortment of songs. Jerron showed us a "two-years-ago" side to his songwriting, which was very impressive. Ivan played us two tracks ("Sweet Dreams" and "If You Were A Dance"), which I thought were well-done. Hui Leng presented a lovely piano song that Firdaus wrote lyrics to. It's a beautiful duet that reminds me of Peter Cetera songs. We had a new friend who sang her songs to us a cappella, which I thought was an excellent effort.

But most importantly, we had two guests join us today, totally UNEXPECTED, who are like two of the most prominent figures in local musical theatre. People I have been reading up on and looking up to for the longest time. No kidding! Click (here) and (here).

I was, of course, a bit starstruck to say the least. To the point that I kinda lost my train of conscious thought at certain instances (those who were there tonight will know what I mean).

Lastly, I once again enjoyed the post-session hangout. It was fun!

Here's to good times ahead for Songcraft.

Of course, we had the usual manageable crowd of around thirteen to fourteen. It's funny how we have people come and go, but at the end of the day, our turnout always manages to average around thirteen or fourteen. It's remarkable.

We had, as usual, a wonderful assortment of songs. Jerron showed us a "two-years-ago" side to his songwriting, which was very impressive. Ivan played us two tracks ("Sweet Dreams" and "If You Were A Dance"), which I thought were well-done. Hui Leng presented a lovely piano song that Firdaus wrote lyrics to. It's a beautiful duet that reminds me of Peter Cetera songs. We had a new friend who sang her songs to us a cappella, which I thought was an excellent effort.

But most importantly, we had two guests join us today, totally UNEXPECTED, who are like two of the most prominent figures in local musical theatre. People I have been reading up on and looking up to for the longest time. No kidding! Click (here) and (here).

I was, of course, a bit starstruck to say the least. To the point that I kinda lost my train of conscious thought at certain instances (those who were there tonight will know what I mean).

Lastly, I once again enjoyed the post-session hangout. It was fun!

Here's to good times ahead for Songcraft.

I'm excited about tonight's Songcraft because:

i) I've got two guitar songs to share, which I'm quite excited about. They're not fantastic songs, but I'm looking forward to sharing them nonetheless.

ii) Got some new friends which might join us tonight. It's been awhile since people emailed me at my Songcraft email expressing their interest in joining our sessions.

iii) My dear friend is gonna join us for one more session tonight before going back to the US. I specially scheduled our session on tonight so that he could attend.

iv) I've got Songcraft "souvenirs" prepared for everyone this evening! (Hope there's enough to go around.) Nothing fancy. No...REALLY, it's nothing fancy. But a nice simple souvenir nonetheless. (Hey, I'm not a rich guy ok!)

ASCAP says, "At this time, when so many forces are seeking to diminish copyright protections and devalue artistic expression, this Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers looks to clarify the entitlements that every music creator enjoys. "

Read more: A Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers

The other day, a young friend of mine listened to a clip I had sent her from the Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. Her response was "pretty!" Then, self-consciously, she apologized for the simplicity of the remark and explained that she didn't feel she had the sophistication to respond appropriately to the music. Immediately I reassured her that sophistication is not a prerequisite to the appreciation of classical music any more than knowledge of stellar evolution is necessary to appreciation of the night sky's beauty. Our brief conversation prompted me to think further about classical music as perceived by American audiences today. It also raised the question in my mind of what the minimum demands are that a work places upon its audience. I'll return to the broader societal issues later, but first, a word about the matter of prerequisites.

Many things enrich the experience of listening to classical music: close study, wide-reading, long and deep experience of life. But all that is absolutely needed to enjoy it -- including in a profound and rewarding way -- is the faculty of hearing, a willingness to listen, and an openness to the internal responses it evokes. My young friend's difficulty with expressing her own internal response is not surprising. Putting such responses into words can be difficult, even for seasoned listeners. To an extent, doing so becomes easier with practice. But even so, one should keep in mind that music (qua sound) is a non-verbal art; there is, consequently, a limit to what words can, or perhaps should, do to describe it. "Pretty" is, indeed, a very simple description of the Shostakovich Fifth, but it is a beginning. And the beginning is always a good place to start.

My friend's self-consciousness is doubtless quite common, and not just among American youth. Up until the early twentieth century, the culture of classical music, at least in Europe, was dominated by the nobility, and many aspects of this associaton continue to affect popular perceptions of the music today. The original association with nobility was not coincidence. Nobles tended, after all, to be the ones with the money to commission works or otherwise support composers. Upwardly mobile merchant and professional classes, in possession of new wealth, aspired to appear to possess what they could not acquire by purchase: high birth. How to do so? Do what the aristocracy does: patronize the arts. Over time the association of classical music with high class has weakened, but one need only attend a concert or opera in a major metropolitan area (or observe the way classical music is used in, for example, advertising) to see that the appearance, if not the reality, of high class, and the intellectual sophistication to which it has always pretended, still shape not just young people's, but the general public's, views on the subject. And so the impression arises that intellectual and cultural sophistication is a prerequisite to the appreciation of classical music.

In this connection one should keep in mind that the greatest composers, without any exception that I am aware of, were not members of the nobility -- genius cares nothing for birth. Socially, most composers stemmed from what we now call the middle-class. Händel's father was a barber, and the fathers of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven were all professional musicians in the service of the aristocracy. The connection between composers and the aristocracy was essentially symbiotic and commercial: the patron provided the composer with a living (though often, as in the case of Mozart, a very meager one), while the composer provided the patron with great music that celebrated his accomplishments or otherwise, by association with him, increased his perceived standing vis-à-vis other aristocrats. The upshot of all this is that what appears to be essential to classical music -- all the evocations of its historical association with the upper classes -- is in fact merely incidental. High birth, high education, general cultural 'sophistication' -- some composers have possessed the third of these, fewer have possessed the second, and none have possessed the first. Of course, great composers do enjoy advantages that very few people possess: (1) a highly technical understanding of musical forms and techniques and (2) a rare, native, and essentially indefinable creative genius. These traits differentiate the Beethovens and Verdis of the world from the me's and you's, but remember: the Beethovens and Verdis of the world did not compose simply for other Beethovens and Verdis. They composed for audiences consisting largely, at first, of nobles, but more and more, particularly as the nineteenth century wore on, they wrote for audiences with neither high birth, nor extensive musical training, nor deep creative genius. In short, they composed, consciously or not, for the general public and an uncertain posterity. In other words, us.

To many the above may seem obvious, but often the obvious needs expression precisely because it is obvious. So deeply are such ideas ingrained in our outlook that we generally take them for granted, and rarely even think about them at all. But what I've written above leads to a conclusion that is not quite so obvious. If Beethoven, Verdi, Wagner, and Shostakovich composed increasingly for general audiences, then we must possess at least some, and possibly all, of the equipment we need to hear and, in a non-conceptual sense, understand their work. I stress 'non-conceptual' for two reasons. First, because I believe the best classical music operates at a non-conceptual level: that is, its fundamental and most significant effect is not at the level of concepts and reasoning, but at the level of emotions, however complex and finely nuanced. Second, because its deepest effects simply defy conceptual analysis, to say nothing of verbal 'translation.' One may apply conceptual analysis to a piece, and do so fruitfully and with interesting results, but in doing so one has, in the end, only scratched the surface, and can only scratch the surface.

Perhaps this mere scratching of the surface is one reason why rock, country, and many other types of music are more accessible to the general populace. It is easier to get one's mind around, and to think and talk about, a composition that is short, uses a small number of instruments, and contains lyrics that are usually in one's own language, are clearly heard, and are typically sung by single voices. But the easy conceptual accessibility and obvious relevance of much rock music is why, to me, it is far less attractive than classical. The lyrics and music of rock and related genres are simplistically congruent to the workaday concerns of modern, and especially modern juvenile, life. Also, while such music may deal with social issues, politics, love, sorrow, or any number of other topics, its very topicality ties it down, specifies it, and thus limits its capacity for interpretation. And though it may move, it does not transport, much less transfigure. The best classical music, by contrast, sets up a startling incongruity between our experience of it and the states of mind in which, for most of our lives, we move through the world. It takes us beyond the common or even banal elements of everyday existence, even when, on occasion, it treats of those elements themselves. And in doing so, it penetrates to what is genuine, fundamental, and beautiful -- concepts that cause the standard-bearers of this age of irony and cynicism to sneer and snicker and mock.

The daily experience (and perhaps I'm being unrealistically optimistic by saying daily) that strikes me as closest to classical music's potential for transport is sex with a loved one. Many works of classical music, particularly of the Romantic and immediately post-Romantic eras, demonstrate, in one passage or another, a gradual crescendo that culminates in what, for lack of a better expression, might be called a burst of musical sensuality -- often seemingly unrestrained -- that then subsides into more tranquil sounds, into tremulousness, or into silence. The orgasmic metaphor is nothing new, but it very effectively expresses one of the ways classical music allows us, even while sitting on our couches with our feet propped up on the coffee table, to escape into very profound experience.  I cite three examples, the first two familiar to most, the third less so (but undeservingly): the rising violins as they reintroduce the love-theme late in Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy; the jubilant choral build-up to the orchestral climax of the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony; or -- and this is a significant variation -- the entire structure of the second movement of Wieniawski's Second Violin Concerto, which takes us slowly from a gentle caress in the violin section and builds, without even the faintest suggestion of loss of control, to the solo violin's sustained and impassioned melody, only then to subside once again into tranquility, followed by the silence of the movement's end. It is beautifully intimate.

In the seventh chapter of his novel If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, the Italian writer Italo Calvino explores the similarities of reading, in a broad and even metaphorical sense, to the act of making love. One observation from this moment in the novel brings me to my final point. "What makes lovemaking and reading resemble each other most," Calvino writes, "is that within both of them times and spaces open, different from measuarable time and space." In other words, reading and making love transport and transfigure us, enabling us to leave behind the constraints that bind us to our workaday existence and to experience what modernists like James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and E.M. Forster called, respectively, "epiphanies," "moments of being," and -- the finest phrase -- "the eternal moment." As I wish to apply Calvino's language to music, "times and spaces" are the inward regions of subjective musical experience where what we are listening to interacts with our own memories, psychologies, and aspirations to produce deeply personal moments of interior transfiguration. These, though ineffable in their essence, may, if appropriate, perfectly well, and with admirable succinctness, be called "pretty."

As an appendix to this essay I'd like to add a musical example: Birgitt Nillsson singing, in concert performance, Isolde's Liebestod (Love-Death) from the final act of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde (1865). The situation, briefly stated, is as follows: Tristan, a knight serving King Mark of Cornwall, has fallen in love with Isolde, and she with him, as he escorts her from Ireland to England for her marriage to King Mark. Although Isolde and the king wed in the opera's second act, the bride's passion for Tristan continues unabated. The king, returning unexpectedly from a hunting trip, catches the adulterous pair making love and, at the end of the second act, has one of his knights run Tristan through with a sword. Gradually, as the third act progresses, Tristan's strength fades, and at opera's end Isolde holds her dying lover in her arms, singing with increasing rapture of his passage from this life, and of her passionate desire to follow him. At the climactic moment, her voice falls silent, she collapses, lifeless, onto his body, and the orchestra plays the final bars of the work. The rest, as Hamlet says at his own death, is silence. And so it was at the opera's first performance in 1865, and so it has been at innumerable performances since. It is a moment of profound and stunning beauty. The text of the aria, in the original German and in English translation, may be found by clicking here: Mild und leise.

In dem wogenden Schwall

in dem tönenden Schall

in des Welt-Atems wehendem All

ertrinken

versinken -

unbewußt -

höchste Lust!

***

I am in the midst of Kidnapping Water composing and auditions, so my answers to his query were brief:

1) Why opera? and Why now?

• superstar passion : rarefied voices : unwitting pain
• 21st century american privilege necessitates extreme humanity

2) Is it opera? In what sense?

• trained voices sing their narratives as if nothing else mattered

3) What kind of stories do you want to tell? Why?

• stories that should survive neglect

4) Do you see yourself in any way connected to previous composers of opera?

• mozart's splendor amidst economic poverty

5) Any other thoughts or manifesto items that you can think of?

• don't tempt me.

Photo ("Guitar Hero") by wvs

Songcraft is turning into everything I had hoped for it to be.

I was very pleased with tonight's Songcraft session. You could say that it is every music-lover's dream.

It's exactly the way I had envisioned Songcraft to be like:

Passionate musicians/songwriters coming together to share their songs with one another.

Engaging discussions about the finer points of music, composition, lyric-writing, arrangement, etc.

Being encouraged by having others hear and give feedback on your original songs.

Being inspired by one another to write more and more songs.

Meeting and getting to know new music-loving friends each and every session.

It's just amazing, the feeling that I get every time I come away from another Songcraft session. We have people who play the blues, we have people who score music for films, we have people who study music recording and composition, we have people who write songs for popular singers, we have people who play the guitar in non-conventional tunings...and of course, we have people who write beautiful songs.

One can never cease to be in awe of the wonderful and amazing talent which Songcraft has managed to attract.

It's always a humbling yet inspiring experience every time I attend a Songcraft session.

And of course, I really love the post-session hangouts too...cos that's where we really get to chill out and get to know one another better over a passion iced tea.

I really cherish being able to know all these wonderful music-loving people, cos it's not often you have someone say "I think every key has it's own mood..." and everyone else in the room starts nodding their head in agreement.

Or when you say "I almost died when I learnt I had to play his song in Gb major..." and everyone gets the joke.

It's the common fundamental passion for music that brings us all together.

]]> http://ceceiliainmunich.wordpress.com/?p=19 Fri, 30 May 2008 21:35:14 +0000 ceceilia http://ceceiliainmunich.wordpress.com/?p=19 The first, very rough itinerary page is posted! Woohoo! ::victory dance::

Now down to business.

In my last post I decided to compare performances of specific pieces. Umm, what was I thinking?!?!? No artistic director in their right mind duplicates another ensemble's repertoire. Fortunately for me, there are a select few instances where Brahms Symphony No. 2 will be played by different ensembles, but my enthusiasm wanes drastically for Brahms... even though I'll be attending. Ach.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate Brahms. There's no doubt that he was a master. Take two seconds to look at the way he plays with form and counterpoint in the string quartets and piano trios. The guy was a genius, and it's no surprise that he paved the way for the likes of Schoenberg and Berg (swoon!). Still, I don't enjoy listening to his music. All those sappy, sequenced 7-6 suspensions in the piano sonatas slay me. every. time. Blegh. Enough already! But I diverge...

In order to fix my lapse in common sense regarding repertoire, I'm left with no choice but to widen the parameters! Darn. Instead of comparing performances of specific pieces, I'll be comparing composers and their respective musical styles/periods. Christine Schaefer (mein Lieblings Saengerin) will be singing sacred baroque music by Vivaldi and Pergolesi at Rheingau which will contrast nicely with the Bach performed at the Leipzig Bach Festival earlier in the summer. Performances of Mahler (Alma AND Gustav) songs will also contrast well with Victor Ullman's songs salvaged from Teresienstadt and Wagner's Die Meistersinger. To boot, BBC Proms Folk Nights provide a selection of composers that integrated "folk" into their music in vastly different ways, such as Vaughn Williams, Bartok, Grainger and Berio.

But, who ever thought Vaughn Williams and Berio would be on the same program???? Talk about culture shock. BBC Proms might just have topped La Scala's awkward performance of La Boheme. Of course, it is prom, and we all know how awkward that can get... 

Photo ("Guitar Hero") by wvs

Songcraft is turning into everything I had hoped for it to be.

I was very pleased with tonight's Songcraft session. You could say that it is every music-lover's dream.

It's exactly the way I had envisioned Songcraft to be like:

Passionate musicians/songwriters coming together to share their songs with one another.

Engaging discussions about the finer points of music, composition, lyric-writing, arrangement, etc.

Being encouraged by having others hear and give feedback on your original songs.

Being inspired by one another to write more and more songs.

Meeting and getting to know new music-loving friends each and every session.

It's just amazing, the feeling that I get every time I come away from another Songcraft session. We have people who play the blues, we have people who score music for films, we have people who study music recording and composition, we have people who write songs for popular singers, we have people who play the guitar in non-conventional tunings...and of course, we have people who write beautiful songs.

One can never cease to be in awe of the wonderful and amazing talent which Songcraft has managed to attract.

It's always a humbling yet inspiring experience every time I attend a Songcraft session.

And of course, I really love the post-session hangouts too...cos that's where we really get to chill out and get to know one another better over a passion iced tea.

I really cherish being able to know all these wonderful music-loving people, cos it's not often you have someone say "I think every key has it's own mood..." and everyone else in the room starts nodding their head in agreement.

Or when you say "I almost died when I learnt I had to play his song in Gb major..." and everyone gets the joke.

It's the common fundamental passion for music that brings us all together.

I bought "South Saturn Delta" by Jimi Hendrix today. Check out "Midnight". It's so sad that he died too young. And to think he was scheduled to record with Miles Davis just a week after his death.

Are there any paraplegic guitarist/composers out there? I thought not. Anyway, today sucked. I hate being a para (or cripple as I say). I was ambulatory for a long time and then to have your legs taken away - it's hard to describe how much it sucks. Is someone feeling sorry for himself? Yes. And your an idiot. Now shut the hell up! I always thought paralyzed people didn't feel anything. I was wrong. I've been in an almost constant state of discomfort since I was afflicted in 2003 and you wonder why I'm in a bad mood or maybe you don't care but I'm going to write anyway.

Besides you are probably a moron. Has anyone noticed how stupid this country is becoming. It's not just me and even if it was just me I'm always right. Everybody uses double negatives. "I can't see no reason why not!" you say. THEY CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT YOU IDIOTS. What you're saying is that you can see a reason. I guess it's cool to sound like an ignorant ass. And whatever happened to adverbs. "What are those? " "They modify adjectives." "What are those? " "Forget it!!" We're doomed. "Wow Bill, he played that perfect." Its perfectLY. LY LY LY LY God You Idiots!! Has anyone out there ever attended school or were you too busy texting. LOL - God I hate that. Laugh out Loud - yeah right. You're probably sitting there quietly crying because you have no friends. LOL

And Rap. Oh My God. I am so sick of slang or cool or phat or phazzizel or whatever is currently popular for the next 15 minutes...JUST SHUT THE F$$K UP. Rap That's crap (the c is silent) Music for people who can't sing. I've tried and tried but it just doesn't do much for me. I like chords, harmony, melodies and other musical stuff - musicality. But you say - "It's poetry" or "I like the beat" Why don't you just buy a metronome and set it to your favorite "beat". "Yeah Susie, Don't you just love 132!!" "Oh but I disagree Gladys. I think 120 is a much better beat although it don't make no difference as long as we can dance ourselves into imbecility" (which probably wouldn't take too long). And no this is not a "race" thing. I love Miles, Hendrix, Albert and BB and Freddy King, Kool and The Gang, Trane, Monk, EWF, Oliver Nelson, etc. I could go on with my "race" credentials but I won't because the point is not the color of the musician but the "quality" of the music. In fact, is this "artist" even a "musician" at all?

Am I a musical snob? Who cares. It's my blog.

I feel much better. But I still can't walk. Damn!

And, taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin argues that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language. This Is Your Brain on Music is an unprecedented, eye-opening investigation into an obsession at the heart of human nature.

Order This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of Human Obsession from Amazon for $9.99

Don't have Amazon Kindle? You can always purchase it from here
Or if you prefer to read the Print editions instead, you can get it from here

Other Kindle Books of Interest
Musicophilia
First Word, The
Psychology for Musicians: Understanding and Acquiring the Skills

Ten Sunday morning album recommendations for blissful passage and solitary contemplation. What they all hold in common for me is their ability to create a certain kind of mood, a dream-like state of almost cinematic beauty. Perhaps they will serve you well, too:

1. Harold Budd: La Bella Vista
2. Willits + Sakamoto: Ocean Fire
3. Daniel Lanois: Belladonna
4. Fennesz: Live in Japan
5. Susumu Yokota: The Boy and the Tree
6. David Shea: The Tower of Mirrors
7. Anton Fier: Blind Light
8. O Yuki Conjugate: Peyote
9. David Sylvian: When Loud Weather Buffeted Naoshima
10. Takagi Masakatsu: Eating

NOTE: The above-mentioned albums may induce a state of complete relaxation and perceptive transfiguration. Enjoy the flavor.

Of course there are many albums that have had a powerful impact on me from a slew of different genres and countries. This list applies to this particular morning, to the dark damp cold comfort of an early morning. What kind of music transports you to a different place or clearly and powerfully transforms or enriches your experience?

Here are appropriate links to the artists mentioned:

Harold Budd
Willits/Sakamoto
Daniel Lanois
Fennesz
Susumu Yokota
David Shea
Anton Fier
O Yuki Conjugate
David Sylvian
Takagi Masakatsu