Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Most people in the 21st century have forgotten the appeal of classical music. One of these includes operas and arias. A majority of people will have a general idea of Mozart but when asked to identify some of his works, they will only be able to associate him with only pieces that are played by just an orchestra. However, one of Mozart’s most well known works is Le nozze di Figaro.
Opera may seem very dry at first but in reality it is just a play but rather than the dialogue being spoken, it is sung. Le nozze di Figaro is very special to me because it was the first opera I got to see live, but not only that it was performed by my voice teacher in South Korea to whom I credit everything I know how to do today. And so I would like to recommend Le nozze di Figaro from our Music library.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
The innate attraction we have towards music as humans have always fascinated me. Nicknamed the “universal language,” music seems to be so deeply embedded into society. The way it evokes certain emotions within us feels like a concept too abstract to be explained. Why do we enjoy certain combinations of tones over others? How does music remain the same or change over time and cultures? Why do different scales induce different emotions? Music as Biology by Dale Purves was an interesting read that helped me formulate concrete ideas about some of these questions through a biological perspective.
Dale Purves is a highly accomplished neuroscientist who is currently a professor at Duke University. His lab studies the neurobiological underpinnings of our perception to different stimuli, including sound. Dr. Purves takes an empirical approach to music, incorporating data and research from biology to support his arguments on how we react to music. He provides additional links to more information on certain questions throughout the book if you were interested in further research as well. Overlapping music theory and biology offered a refreshing insight into how we perceive music. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in music or science!
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Animation as a medium is something that has always intrigued me. Inherently having limits differing from traditional film, animation’s visual spectacle sees itself as a source of disagreement. On one end, you have supporters celebrating the composition of the visuals, but on the other, critics viewing it as a commodification of drawing, reserved for children. Regardless of viewpoint, however, is the music in works of animation. Masters of animation music use the medium in conjunction with what is on the screen for an expressive statement.
This book piques my interest for its breakdown of the works of these very artists, auteurs like Hisaishi have created works so fitting they have become indelible from what is on the screen. Sublimity is unequivocally achieved because of these scores, I often reflect most heavily on the sounds I heard from an animated feature, extending beyond even the most dogmatic of views on what a film “should be”. Editor Rebecca Coyle’s shared admiration for the often-ignored musical elements of these songs is something I was delighted to discover, as the focus of animated films are naturally on the animation itself. But this doesn’t mean music in animation should be marginalized, making this book all the more interesting as it is devoted to animation music. Stylistically, music drive themes in film more subtly than dialogue or visuals–– saturating the viewer in a soundscape is a pivotal role–– and throughout my life, recognizing the importance for these composers made any film an enriching watching (and listening) experience.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Slumdog Millionaire flashes between Jamal’s life as a teen and his childhood, showing the realities of living on the streets of Mumbai as a young child. The story is compelling, and the acting is phenomenal, but the thing that makes this film is the soundtrack. With artists like M.I.A. involved, it is easy to understand how this film won the Golden Globe for best soundtrack in 2009. A. R. Rahman, the score’s creator, wanted to create a mix of both modern and old India in the soundtrack.
While this movie discusses and portrays hardship and is not indicative of every success story, I think it gives hope to those who feel stuck and like they won’t succeed. You can check out the soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire at the Music Library!
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
If you frequent the music library, you may remember the question we had on our whiteboard last semester: do you listen to music when studying? If you do, this CD is something you should definitely check out.
Side note: the whiteboard questions are open for anyone to answer!
This CD is a collection of arias, or long accompanied songs for soloists, from a variety of romantic composers. The romantic era in music can usually be characterized by the introduction of chromatic harmonies and new chord progressions that “break” the rules of classical composition. They do not necessarily rely on resolving a melody or having a constant tempo throughout the piece. Romantic composers saw music as a medium to express human emotion and experience; it was seen as a way of communication.
Sung by my favorite tenor, this CD contains arias sung in Italian, French, and German. Jonas Kaufmann is a German operatic tenor noted for his versatility. You may remember seeing him as Don José in Carmen, but I personally became a fan after watching him in Massenet’s Werther. Check out this CD along with the CD players we have available for use in the library for your next study session!
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Farwell Yellow Brick Road – The Closing Chapter on Elton John’s Magical Journey
For people in my generation, Elton John was the singer we grew up listening to when our parents were tired of listening to 2010s pop and Disney Channel stars. He (and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin) were the masterminds behind the
music & lyrics we somehow all knew even if we didn’t recognize the name. Needless to say, Elton John has been an influential artist on multiple generations and continues to be one of the biggest names in the music industry.
This year, he took to the stage one last time and began his very last world tour. John, now 75, has played over 3,500 concerts since his career took off in 1969. The “Farwell Yellow Brick Road” tour began in 2018 and was halted due to COVID-19. In early November of 2022, John completed the North America leg at Dodgers Stadium, as a nod to one of his earliest shows in which he performed in a bedazzled Dodgers uniform. He will continue touring in Europe this summer with about 60 shows left before he takes his final bow.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
The Parsons Music Library has a collection of albums, LPs, and books that can help one expand their musical knowledge. In this digital era, there are many CDs that can be found and one of my favorites that I have reconnected with is Lady Gaga’s album, The Fame Monster.
Lady Gaga is one of my favorite childhood singers, her music was very experimental compared to a lot of the music my family exposed me to. And although I never considered myself a big fan of hers, now I hear her music and become nostalgic. The Fame Monster album in particular has many songs such as “Bad Romance,” “Alejandro,” and “Poker Face” which I consistently heard on the radio. As we get older, the songs that were once the most famous become ingrained in our heads and remind us of our childhood, and that is the case with Lady Gaga’s music for me.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Souvenir de Florence is a chamber piece written by the great Romantic Era composer Tchaikovsky. It involves 2 violins, 2 violas, and 2 cellos all playing their own parts. I find this composition incredibly interesting because of the moments of chaos created by 6 different parts being played at once, but also because of the brilliant moments where Tchaikovsky blends the sounds of the 6 instruments incredibly well. Tchaikovsky dedicated this piece to the St. Petersburg Chamber Music Society after becoming an Honorary Member.
Title page of the first printed edition of Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence score
The principle theme of this piece was written during a visit to Florence, Italy, hence the title which translates to “Memory of Florence”. The first movement, in sonata form, is likely the most memorable of the 4 in the piece as it starts off with a bang and returns to the beginning theme at the end with even more energy. However, my favorite movements are the lasttwo. These movements have distinct Russian folk-like melodies that contrast the music in the first two, and which I think are the most interesting of the 4. As a whole, I think this is my favorite chamber piece I have ever heard. Be sure to pick up the score or find it on a CD at the Music Library!
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
When analyzing the classic and most famous Broadway shows, similar answers typically arise. Many instantly associate New York Broadway with flashing lights, lines of dancers, or extremely costly sets that attempt to engage the audience in unthinkable ways. Many of my friends who are relatively new to the Broadway scene associate the industry with Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, and The Lion King. These are some of the longest running Broadway shows to exist, with most taking their inspiration from childhood storylines and characters. Wicked, takes a spin of The Wizard of Oz and creates a masterpiece with some of the most iconic songs in Broadway history. The Lion King takes a classic Disney movie and brings it to life on a grand scale, supplemented with music by the legendary Elton John and Tim Rice. Phantom of the Opera, a stage adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1909 novel of the same name (and a book that I started but never finished) brings the entire theater to life, with a collapsing chandelier over the audience, an extremely costly set design, and one of the musicals that contains some of the greatest vocal control and range I have ever heard. There is a reason why it is the longest running show on Broadway, despite its recent announcement that the show is closing in 2023. Finally, Les Misérables, my favorite of all time and a book that I made over 1,500 pages in but have not finished, is a masterpiece. See one of my prior works to see exactly how and why I love the musical. But as it did to me, it captivated Broadway fans and has become one of the shows most synonymous with Broadway. If someone who has extreme reach and can pull up strings – bring it back. Thanks. Please. And thank you again.
However, mixed in with the Broadway giants, the past decade and change has brought to Broadway some of the most underrated and beautiful masterpieces Broadway has ever seen. Although COVID, lack of demand, rising rental costs, and ultimately a stream of bad luck, shows such as Dear Evan Hansen, Waitress, Next to Normal, Beetlejuice, Be More Chill, Dogfight, Heathers, Something Rotten, The Prom, and She Loves Me have been cut short and their greatness is impossible to compare with shows that have survived for 30+ years.
One of those shows, whose Broadway run should have been much longer in my opinion is Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Before I get into why the musical is my feature for this post, I want to touch upon how I found out about the piece.
I’ve touched in some of my other posts that I was in a musical my senior year and knew nothing about anything. I could not read sheet music (as I forgot after I quit saxophone before middle school), was stiff as a board in my dancing, did not know tap, could not sing, and could not tell you the difference between tenor and bass. Yet somehow, I got a speaking role and had a two-line solo in 42nd Street about traveling shoes and newspapers. Despite that, as I was trying to impress a girl and become immersed in the experience, I had to learn all about Broadway culture. It seems like a dumb reason, but once I got involved into it, I was immersed for real. And so, I went through every single musical I could, listening to them, learning the lyrics, watching clips on YouTube and actually getting to go to one in New York my freshman year for the first time ever. And somewhere, in between, as I was a huge Waitress fan and Jessie Mueller was the original cast performer for the role of Jenna, I checked out some of her other work. Lo and behold, she also played the titular character of Carole King in the musical Beautiful.
I watched a bootleg of the musical (as it was closed after I found it) and was instantly hooked. The music within the musical is all modern and sped up adaptations of some of the most classic songs that Carole King produced and wrote during her hay day. And hearing those songs that I grew up with, but in a newer and crisper way was something that I enjoyed incredibly. With that, today’s focus is on Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
To begin, Beautiful opened on Broadway on January 12th, 2014, and made it just short of six years, taking its final bow on October 27th, 2019. The musical performed over 2,400 times and was critically acclaimed, taking home two Tony awards in 2014: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, and Best Sound Design. The musical relives the career and life of Carole King, a songwriter from New York City who started songwriting in 1958. From 1958-2000, King had 118 songs appear on the Billboard 100. It explores her personal life with her first husband Gerry Goffin, who she met while at Queens College (where both of my cousins go) and became writing partners with, her career, and the success of her music. Despite rising to commercial success with Goffin, their marriage was eventually doomed, as Goffin had admitted he was having an affair, had a daughter with his mistress (in real-life, not the production), and was a substance abuser. All these factors contributed to their downfall as a couple and decision to divorce. Despite this, King also had solo success once her career took off. She became one of the most prolific songwriters of her time.
Beautiful played at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, sharing the privilege with past musical productions such as Anything Goes, Mrs. Doubtfire, Bye Bye Birdie, Cabaret, and Daddy Long Legs (which received an off-Broadway revival recently). After its close, Beautiful cemented itself as the 28th most performed show in history, just 100 performances shy of The Producers and about 40 more than Annie.
Some of my favorite songs are “1650 Broadway Medley,” “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”, “Take Good Care of My Baby,” and “One Fine Day.” “1650 Broadway Medley” is a masterpiece that sheds light to the talent and musical masterpieces (by artists other than King) that stemmed from the Brill Building, a music studio located in Manhattan, New York where Carole King began her career. “Some Kind of Wonderful,” opens with Carole and Gerry singing the song together, and then transforming it in the later half to show how their song was then picked up by the Drifters, who shot the song to success. The version in the musical is a lot more modern and quicker compared to the version performed by the Drifters. However, some of the string melodies are still present in the song. The buildup in between King and Goffin’s version to the Drifters’ is an awesome transition. “Will You Still Love me Tomorrow” takes a similar approach in the musical. The first time it is performed in the musical is Carole singing the song by herself, presumably in the early stages of writing it. However, two songs later, the same song is sung and performed in a grand manner, in the style of doo-wop by The Shirelles. Once again, the musical version is sped up and the quality is a bit crisper. However, despite that, the same base and notes to the original version are still present in the piece. The strings in my opinion really hold the song together, as I am a sucker for strings. It adds more depth and volume to the piece, ultimately supplementing the voices of the Shirelles very well.
As for “Take Good Care of My Baby,” the song is very simplistic, and quite frankly too quick. The song, written by Carole and Gerry was performed by Bobby Vee in 1961. This is also interesting, as the Bobby Vee version is not a duet. The producers of the show decided to make the song a duet between Carole and Gerry, something that I liked throughout the show as the songs made popular by the artists who sang them did not dominate the show. Most of the songs have Carole herself performing them. Finally, “One Fine Day,” made famous by The Chiffons and drawing inspiration from doo-wop is one of the best songs on the album. Once again, the song is sped up and is modernized, which is a nice touch on the classic piece. The background vocals complete the song and add immense depth. This was the first song that I heard off the entire album and was one of the main reasons that I got hooked to the piece.
All in all, those main songs do not aim to take away from the beauty of the other pieces. I simply just could not highlight the beauty of them all and chose to focus on a select few. Despite hearing most of these pieces from being the son of a musician who played at weddings with my grandpa and played all the biggest hits at the time starting from age 11, I never knew the history behind each of these songs. And the fact that they were all written by Carole King was new to me. I will always regret not being able to see the show in person, but at least I have the music to keep the show alive forever.
Finally, the show was able to spread its beauty without having a complicated set. The set itself really is just a compartmentalized wood wall in the back and a relatively empty main stage. There are no witches flying around, or falling chandeliers, or superhero battles attached to safety harnesses, or a mechanical King Kong, or a full circus like Moulin Rouge, or a giant plant puppet that grows as the production continues. It is basic, beautiful, and supplements the music that is being performed.
I personally think that those musicals that focus on the music and do not try to go too over the top are severely overlooked. Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton are very similar. Both do not have extremely over-the-top sets, and in the case of Dear Evan Hansen, there is barely any set at all. There is a huge LED screen that lights up and has graphics going across it, as well as very basic sets such as a bed or a couch. I mean, Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton obviously have resonated better and more widely than Beautiful has, so maybe it is not the best comparison, but all really focus on the story and the music, using the set only when necessary.
In conclusion, if you have not already checked out Beautiful, I highly suggest you come to Parsons Music Library and find the CD. Give it a listen, and I guarantee you will love it.
