Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student worker Allison (class of 2022) and features George Gershwin‘s classic piece for orchestra and piano, Rhapsody in Blue. Thanks, Allison!
George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was premiered in New York on February 12, 1924 by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra, featuring Gershwin on the piano. Whiteman, conductor of the Palais Royal Orchestra, had previously talked with Gershwin about mixing classical music with jazz and decided that Gershwin would premiere a piece at his “Experiment in Modern Music” concert. Although Gershwin had not formally committed to composing a piece, it was already announced in the newspapers so he had to. In just five weeks, the piece was composed and rehearsed, with Gershwin playing the piano part. Interestingly, he left his piano part to be improvised during the world premiere.
Gershwin’s autograph score to Rhapsody in Blue showing the iconic clarinet opening. Image source: https://smtd.umich.edu/ami/gershwin/?p=213
Although somewhat common today, it was groundbreaking in that time period for an orchestra to play a jazz concerto. The premiere of Rhapsody in Blue was wildly successful and opened doors for many future composers to incorporate jazz elements into their music. In addition, by choosing to compose this piece, Gershwin opened many doors for himself as a composer. Prior to Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin composed scores for Broadway musicals. The piece didn’t change the trajectory of his career but expanded it as he became more well known.
George Gershwin composing at the piano. American composer, 1898-1937. (Source: https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2252861)
The first Gershwin piece I heard was An American in Paris while preparing for an audition. I was very intrigued by the piece but never was able to fully appreciate it until playing it with my youth orchestra. Because I loved that piece, I was excited to receive music for another Gershwin piece this semester. Rhapsody in Blue is very different from An American in Paris but both pieces are composed in a manner that is clearly Gershwin.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
One of my favorite albums (and singers) is Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me.This might sound odd, but it’s what I most frequently listen to when cooking or baking — it’s the perfect rainy day music.
Her tone is so soft and sweet and her songs are very melodic. I love that intertwines jazz and blues because it’s hard to find that type of music now. Jones was a lot more popular in the early 2000s — I was first introduced to the album when my mom and dad would play it in our house when I was in elementary school.
She has lots of awards and has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. In the beginning of the 2000s Billboard deemed her the top jazz artist of the decade. She has won nine Grammys and writes her own songs as well as plays the piano.
Norah Jones at Bright Eyes at Town Hall 29 May 2007 (credit: Yaffa)
Come Away With Me is the album that kick started her career and launched many of her songs into popularity. The album is a fusion of jazz with country, blues, folk and pop. It was certified diamond, meaning that it sold over 27 million copies. This album alone was enough to win Jones five Grammys, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. My personal favorite songs from the album are “Don’t Know Why” and “Shoot the Moon,” but all of the songs are so unique and enjoyable in their own way. I tend to listen to a lot of mainstream pop because it’s always on everywhere and I want to stay up-to-date on all the trending music, however, this is a nice change of pace from that. I think it’s important to listen to a wide range of artists and music, and Norah Jones is the kind of singer that I believe almost everyone would like.
Some other singers that mirror her musical vibe are Diana Krall, Corinne Bailey Rey, Alicia Keys, Adele, and Duffy. I’d say her style is a bit more laid back and the songs aren’t as fit for blasting on the radio, but her songs are written about similar themes and use little auto-tuning or electronics.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
With the 92nd Academy Awards freshly behind us, I’ve been thinking about my favorite film soundtracks. For me, a driving factor of what makes a movie memorable or great is its music –either score, soundtrack, or both. I love when I hear a song that I recognize during a scene, which I can dance or sing along to in my seat. On the other hand, I also love when movies introduce me to music. The only reason I loved the songs “Hungry Eyes” and “Be My Baby” so much as a kid was because of the movie Dirty Dancing.
My parents showed me Dirty Dancing at a young age, probably because I was a dancer whose first childhood dream was to be a Broadway star, and it instantly became one of my favorite movies. The soundtrack, which features songs spanning multiple decades, made an already wholesome and fun movie even more enjoyable. Even as a child, I could feel the nostalgia that it portrayed, as it features 50’s and 60’s pop hits like “Love is Strange” and “Stay” that instantly transport the viewer to a summer in 1963. Naturally, a distinctly 80s sound is also incorporated in songs like “She’s Like the Wind” sung by lead actor Patrick Swayze himself, a man of apparently many talents. And of course, many of these songs are used in dance scenes, following Baby and Johnny’s journey from frustrating rehearsals to final performance.
There are many iconic movie scenes that will be forever associated with their respective songs, or vice versa. Think: “(Don’t You) Forget About Me” with Judd Nelson’s fist in the air at the end of The Breakfast Club, or “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon” in Uma Thurman’s apartment in Pulp Fiction. But undoubtedly one of the most commonly known and referenced music/movie scene pairings is “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life” from the final dance scene in Dirty Dancing –with extra emphasis on the achievement of Baby’s lift that happens right as the song climaxes. This is the kind of flawless, emotional moment that makes the right fusion of a scene and a song selection one of my favorite aspects of film. It’s also one of the many moments that made the Dirty Dancing soundtrack go multi-platinum.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
In doing so, they document how the U.S. criminal justice system’s policing of hip hop and rap music has evolved, and elucidate the dire consequences and First-Amendment concerns of using rap lyrics to convict and incarcerate young men of color.
Here are five deeply concerning takeaways:
1. Rap lyrics are almost always permitted as evidence to prosecute serious crimes like murder, robbery and drug trafficking
Throughout their research, Nielson and Dennis have identified more than 500 cases across the U.S. in which rap lyrics were used as evidence in a criminal trial. In some cases, the prosecution introduced a defendant’s lyrics as substantiating evidence of the defendant’s guilt in some crime. Other times, the lyrics were the crime.
According to the New Jersey ACLU, rap lyrics were permitted as evidence in 80 percent of cases that considered their admissibility. But Nielson and Dennis say the number, according to their research, is significantly higher.
2. Police and prosecutors target young, black and Latino amateur rappers
In roughly 95 percent of cases involving rap lyrics, the defendant is a young, black or Latino man with a local fan base, if any fan base at all. Because of their social status, amateur rappers, in the eyes of police and prosecutors, are not real artists.
3. Rap lyrics are used to convince jurors of the defendant’s “true character”
By Dennis and Nielson’s analysis, police and prosecutors nationwide interpret and present to jurors rap music as autobiographical. A training manual written by a California prosecutor says that, through music lyrics, prosecutors “can invade and exploit the defendant’s true personality.” The manual tells prosecutors not to be fooled by the defendant’s nice court attire.
“The real defendant is a criminal wearing a do-rag and throwing a gang sign,” according to the manual.
In the hands of prosecutors, rap lyrics are taken out of context and construed as accurate depictions of the defendant’s real life, despite the art form’s well-known tradition of hyperbole. Because of this, defendant’s will often plead guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence, knowing their lyrics, presented by prosecutors, might significantly bias the jurors.
To introduce lyrics as evidence, prosecutors often argue that the lyrics they wish to introduce are evidence of the defendant’s motive, knowledge or ability to commit the crime in question. If a defendant is being accused of murder, for instance, prosecutors will cherry-pick from the defendant’s rap lyrics the lyrics most evocative of murder, and argue before the jury that the rap lyrics at least prove the defendant is capable of murder.
Prosecutors have used rap lyrics to argue for harsher sentences. Dennis and Nielson have identified thirty cases in which prosecutors used a defendant’s lyrics to argue that the defendant’s “true character,” as exposed in his lyrics, was so beyond any hope of rehabilitation that he should be sentenced to death.
In at least one case, prosecutors used a defendant’s lyrical abilities to argue that he was mentally stable and intelligent enough to be executed.
4. Rap lyrics and videos are used to warrant “gang enhancements”
If prosecutors can show that the crime the defendant is standing trial for was committed on behalf of or in association with a gang, prosecutors can request a “gang enhancement,” which can double a defendant’s sentence. In some states, gang enhancements allow for juveniles to be charged as adults.
Prosecutors regularly use rap lyrics to seek gang enhancements. If a defendant references gang themes in his lyrics, or even just mentions certain neighborhoods, prosecutors will use those rap lyrics to connect the defendant’s crime to gang activity.
Increasingly common is the use of rap music videos to justify gang enhancements. Dennis and Nielson have identified cases in which prosecutors used rap music videos to justify a gang enhancement for defendants who were seen in the background of a music video.
5. “Gang experts” routinely use rap music and videos to surveil entire communities
Nielson and Dennis make clear that, although “Rap On Trial” is focused on the use of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials, police and so-called “gang experts” nationwide use hip hop, rap music and videos to surveil communities, to identify suspects and to justify arrests, all before rap enters the courtroom.
Michael Render, also known as “Killer Mike” from the Atlanta, Georgia, hip hop duo “Run The Jewels,” is a close friend of Nielson’s and wrote the foreword to Rap On Trial.
“Right now, aspiring rap artists need to know they are being targeted by the authorities,” Render wrote, “and they need to balance their right to free speech–and their desire to push the envelope of free speech–with the reality that police are watching.”
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student worker Emma R. (class of 2021) and features a study score edition of Mozart’s Requiem. Thanks, Emma!
What does it mean to compose a piece of music? Is it writing the notes on the page? Is it dictating the general musical idea? Writing the lyrics? What about the problem of orchestrations? If the composition is in the musical idea, can we know what a composer intended the piece to sound like? These kinds of questions can apply to many pieces by composers who do not work completely alone – both contemporary and long-dead. However, when considering a piece such as Mozart’s Requiem, these questions clearly take on greater than typical importance. As is commonly known, Mozart’s Requiem was left unfinished at the time of the composer’s death – a tale highly dramatized throughout the centuries since. But dramatization aside, this leaves serious questions for modern historically aware performers and listeners – questions which are not present when considering most other works. Who really wrote what parts of the Requiem? What did Mozart imagine when he conceived of the work?
Due to the unfinished nature of the work, the autograph does not contain all the answers. Portions of the autograph – the original handwritten version of the piece – are in Mozart’s hand and other portions are not. Significant portions were not completed at all. Orchestrations and – some scholars argue – entire sections, such as a hypothesized intended fugue – are missing. This doesn’t even begin to consider the lack of answers to many performance questions which impact the sound of the piece – articulation markings, dynamics, tempos, and more.
1st page of Mozart’s autograph manuscript of the Requiem Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=853665
Currently, the version completed by Mozart’s student Süßmayr is considered somewhat the standard. However, this is still a decision that must be made prior to every performance of the work, as other versions – completed by Mozart scholars – do exist. I myself am not informed enough about Mozart’s style nor his compositional process to make normative statements about the potential distance between the composer’s likeliest intentions and the accepted completed version today, however scholars such as Friedrich Blume and Nathan Broder have. In their article, “Requiem but No Peace,” these scholars argue, for example, “that flutes, oboes, clarinets, and horns are wholly absent in the complete Requiem is entirely unMozartean and must weaken Süssmeyer’s (sic) credit…” (Blume and Broder 1961, 161). Furthermore, these authors argue that since Mozart tended to compose orchestrations in three rounds – the above mentioned winds in the last round – that the lack of these instruments is more likely due to the unfortunate death of the composer than due to his intentions to leave them out (160).
Can we really say that the Requiem as we hear it performed – perhaps Mozart’s most well-known work today is really written by Mozart? Is the Requiem we know actually what the Mozart Requiem would have sounded like had the composer lived long enough to see it completed?
This study score at the Music Library shows all parts of the accepted Süßmayr completion – including markings which denote portions from the manuscript judged to be in Mozart’s vs Süßmayr’s handwriting. (It’s a miniature score – so it isn’t large and bulky). Take a listen and read along. No matter who wrote it, it really is a marvelous work.
Detail of a portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Johann Nepomuk della Croce – Unknown, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=449108
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
Amanda Röntgen-Maier portrait Bergen Public Library Norway from Bergen, Norway
If you look up Amanda Maier in Grove Music Online, the self-styled “world’s premier online music encyclopedia,” you’ll find that she was the first wife of composer Julius Röntgen, as well as a violinist who studied at the Stockholm Conservatory. But Maier (1853-1894) wasn’t “only” a wife and a violinist; she was also a gifted composer whose music was praised by both Brahms and Grieg. After hearing a recording of Maier’s violin concerto on the radio, I resolved to add the works of this unjustly neglected composer to Parsons Music Library’s collection.
Jennifer Martyn, herself a violinist, has filled in some of Maier’s background. Maier’s performing career essentially ended when she married Julius Röntgen, her violin teacher’s son, but she continued to compose until a few years prior to her tragically early death, from a lung ailment, at the age of forty-one.
Two CDs recently acquired by Parsons Music Library are simply titled Amanda Maier,volumes 1and 2 (call numbers RM3.1 .M36 2016 and RM3.1 .M36 2017) They are the brainchild of Swedish producer Erik Nilsson, who plans to record all of Maier’s works. Volume 1 contains the first movement of her Violin Concerto in D Minor, performed by violinist Gregory Maytan and the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andreas Stoehr (unfortunately, the second and third movements have been lost). Maier’s final work, her Piano Quartet in E Minor, is played by Maytan with Bernt Lysell (viola), Sara Wijk (cello), and Ann-Sofi Klingberg (piano). The Quartet is a profound work, with a dramatic first movement, a lyrical second movement reminiscent of Brahms, a dancelike third movement, and an exuberant finale. Klingberg also accompanies Maytan on the Swedish Tunes and Dances that Maier and her husband composed together.
Volume 2 of Amanda Maier contains her best known work, the passionate Sonata in B Minor for Violin and Piano, here performed by violinist Cecilia Zilliacus and pianist Bengt Forsberg. This duo also plays her Nine Pieces for Violin and Piano, only six of which have ever been published. Maier’s vocal music is represented on this recording by four unpublished songs setting texts by the now-forgotten poet Carl-David af Wirsén. Soprano Sabina Bisholt and pianist Bengt Forsberg perform these rather melancholy pieces.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
Although my parents definitely read the book to me previously,my first tangible memory of The Polar Express was in first grade when my class had “Polar Express Day.” On that day we came to school in our pajamas, drank hot chocolate, and watched The Polar Express. As a result, I have always had a certain fondness for the movie.
In 2017, I played “The Polar Express Suite” with my youth orchestra as a part of our annual Christmas concert. Even with our packed program, “The Polar Express Suite” still stuck out as one of my absolute favorites. The suite highlights the main themes from the polar express soundtrack and creates the same majestic feeling the songs have in the movie. The suite is often overlooked but I find it to be just as much of a holiday classic as the movie itself.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student worker Lauren (class of 2023) and features Back To Black, the second and final studio album by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse. Thanks, Lauren!
Back to Black by Amy Winehouse is one of the most influential albums of all time that served to inspire the next wave of female artists such as Adele and Florence and the Machine. Amy Winehouse was an English singer with a uniquely soulful and expressive vocal repertoire. Her music is reminiscent of blues, jazz, and soul by conveying a deep and emotional mood. Not only was her music so revolutionary for its new sound, but it was also reflective of her life and personal struggles. The song “Rehab” featured on the album reflects on the protagonist’s desire to avoid going to rehab for alcohol abuse, unfortunately foreshadowing the singer’s demise. This album may be used for research in order to understand more about Winehouse’s personal emotions, or to learn how she influenced later female artists.
Personally, Amy Winehouse has been someone I’ve admired for her empowering songs and unique character. Even though she has since passed, she remains an iconic musical artist, whose music will be remembered forever. When I listen to Back to Black, I am immediately transported into another time-period and empowered by my femininity.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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 Red Hot Chili Peppers are the most successful alternative rock group of all time. Typically, you’d expect a band to reduce themselves to the lowest common denominator to find success en masse, but the Peppers managed to climb to the top while staying as perfectly weird and beautifully musical as ever. The key behind their success, of course, lies with the band members — and though their lineup has changed a handful of times over the years, there’s no doubt about the definitive Chili Peppers crew. Anthony Kiedis and Flea have been there since the beginning as the lifeblood of the group. Kiedis acts as both the face and voice of the group, and though neither his singing nor his lyricism has ever left me in awe, he remains consistent and passionate in every performance he gives. Flea, of course, is one of the best bassists of all time, and is allowed by the band to shine more so than in almost any other group. Chad Smith, as the definitive drummer, acts as the backbone of the group—and famously resembles Will Ferrell.
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 04: (L-R) Recording artists Flea, Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers attend a signing for their book “The Red Hot Chili Peppers” at Barnes & Noble at The Grove on November 4, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
And then, as the final member of the definitive loadout, there’s John Frusciante. Over the years, Frusciante came and left the group due to bouts with drug addiction and mental illness, eventually parting with the band for good in 2009. To an onlooker, he looks just like any other skilled guitarist, but to the Chili Peppers, he was the brains. His talents as a songwriter were unparalleled in the group, and he excelled at writing songs that succeeded in three parts: they allowed everyone in the group to shine, they appealed to a massive audience, and they sounded uniquely phenomenal. While he wrote many incredible songs during his tenure with the band, there is no better example than his final album with the Peppers: Stadium Arcadium.
The Chili Peppers circa 2006 – L-R John Frusciante, Chad Smith, Anthony Kiedis, and Flea
In many ways, Stadium Arcadium is the group’s magnum opus. It’s their longest record, with an astonishing 28 tracks and over 2 hours of run time — but has enough raw content to keep you hooked throughout. It was their first album to debut at number one, marking the group officially as the behemoth they had become. And finally, it brought the band back in touch with their funk roots, combining with their newfound mastery of rock to create, in my opinion, their best work. Across the record, the band stays strong but varied. We ease into things with a song that would top the rock charts for weeks and pick up 2 Grammys along the way: “Dani California.” It’s a very on-brand song for the group—a nice, groovy start with Flea and Frusciante battling for the melody, Smith keeping things moving with a punchy beat, and Kiedis practically rapping over the other members. Finally, Kiedis breaks into song, moving into a grungy, distorted chorus. The appeal of RHCP can be seen perfectly here. You only need to hear the chorus once, and you’ll happily be singing along—the words are simple, yet carry a certain amount of emotion and edginess. For teen America, it was a perfect recipe for success. Finally, late in the song, you hear the first of many Frusciante solos — an aspect unique to Stadium Arcadium. Of course, he performed solos in other songs, but the solos on Stadium Arcadium were completely improvised. He doesn’t sacrifice an ounce of quality, but this fact brings another raw layer of authenticity to the album.
They don’t pull any punches with the second track, either. “Snow (Hey Oh)” was the first RHCP song I heard, and is likely the most iconic in my mind to this day. It’s light, intricate, sonically beautiful, and an absolute pain to play on guitar. The rest of the 1st disk (named Jupiter —something Spotify won’t tell you) flows back and forth from funk to finesse, before finally landing on “Wet Sand” and “Hey,” two songs that pull back from the fun, upbeat pace and end things on a somber note. “Wet Sand” dives into the difficulty of loving the dark side of a person jointly with the good, ending finally with a repetitive bridge that provides an analogy to being unable to rely on your loved ones during times of struggle, having to, instead, find strength within. “Hey” is almost the continuation of “Wet Sand,” as it talks of the difficulty—but necessity—of breakups. This eloquent end to an otherwise happy disk serves as a cliffhanger, leaving you ready to jump into the second side — Mars.
The album immediately continues in a somber fashion, with the classic Frusciante anthem “Desecration Smile.” One of my favorite techniques that Frusciante employs (as a guitarist myself) is at the forefront in this song, just as with my favorite Chili Peppers song: “I Could Have Lied” (sadly, not on this album). He combines the acoustic verse with an electric chorus, bringing the song to a crescendo when it most needs it, then calmly returning to a low key verse that juxtaposes the chorus without skipping a beat. The rest of the “Mars” side continues in a similar fashion as “Jupiter,” crescendoing into a funky midsection, but with a much more laid back and melodic aesthetic. It’s almost as if the band wants you to sing and dance your heart out on Jupiter, then collapse and just enjoy the more articulate words and melodies of Mars.
Mars ends beautifully with their first homage to the space theme (though not represented lyrically), “Death of a Martian.” Martian was Flea’s dog, one that the group became infatuated with during practices at Flea’s house. The meaning of the song was a happy surprise to Flea, who remarks on it during the CD commentary. Finally, Kiedis ends with a chanting spoken word—apparently a poem he took a particular liking to. As a message, the final track delivers little, but it’s a perfectly “RHCP” song: one that celebrates both their goofiness and empathy. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are a goofy rock band. But, as perfectly demonstrated on Stadium Arcadium, they are extremely competent at both music and songwriting. They can break out into a distorted, rocky fanfare, and they can wallow in funky baselines, but they have a complex past, but individually and united. On Stadium Arcadium, they pay tribute to both sides. For a farewell album, Frusciante couldn’t have picked better—and the heart he put into the record is at a perfect forefront. It marks the end of an era, but it does so with finesse.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia 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.
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish Rock Band founded in Glasgow who’ve achieved worldwide success throughout the past decade and a half making post-punk revival music. Franz Ferdinand’s best work struck the world in their first ever album, you guessed it… Franz Ferdinand. Released on February 9th, 2004, the album launched Franz Ferdinand to international fame with over a million copies sold in both the United Kingdom and the United States and received a Grammy nomination for best Alternative Album in 2004.
The album has a quiet start with the soft intro of the first song on the album, “Jacqueline”, before the band explodes showcasing their eccentric talent. The album is rooted by its hit classics such as “Take Me Out” and “Michael” which blend the perfect combination of dance-rock rhythms and light pop hooks. Songs like “The Dark of the Matinee” and “Darts of Pleasure” surround your ears with a dark and soothing rhythm but almost juvenile lyrics which keep the bittersweet taste of the whole album. My personal favorite song “Auf Achse” appears melancholy at first glance but features a powerful background of instrumental talent that moves you along as if you’re feeling their world around you.
If you’re into any form of indie / alternative rock music and you’re feeling nostalgic for the early zips, this is the album for you. Even if you’ve already listened to it on repeat the past week like I have.
