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’re anything like me, Mama Mia! is a classic pick for movie night. The catchy songs, written by Swedish 70s group ABBA, are upbeat and danceable. The movie features Meryl Streep, who plays the hardworking Donna. Her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), is getting married and wants to invite her biological father. However, it could be one of three different men that Donna was involved with. Sophie sends invitations to all of them, leaving her mother in a predicament as she faces her former lovers. With the addition of breathtaking Greek landscapes and hilarious friends, this film embodies the music that brought it to life. The sweet, slow ballad reminds me of the waves crashing on Greek beaches while the fiery electric guitar solos personify the energy that the men bring to Donna’s life once again. I often wonder how a series of ABBA songs could correlate to form an entire movie. The original recordings are so iconic on their own but Mama Mia! brings them all together for one hilarious story. Parsons Music Library offers both ABBA CDs and the score from Mama Mia!, so you can also listen and read along with these iconic tunes.
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a playlist of Broadway tunes curated by Music Library student assistant Kinme (class of 2022).
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’re any fan of Disney, or of musicals, there can be a 95% guarantee – if not 100%, that you have heard of Alan Menken. Menken, born in 1949 in Manhattan, is a composer and songwriter who has worked tirelessly since 1972 to give the American public and worldwide audiences the pleasures of listening to his incredible musical abilities, writing songs for some of our favorite Disney movies, musicals, and shows.
Just the sheer variety of different types of films/musicals and the musical talent to be able to write completely original songs with varying styles is incredible. And all of them were absolute hits. This incredible discography is beyond fascinating. Just imagine – currently in New York, Little Shop of Horrors is playing again Off-Broadway. Aladdin is on Broadway. The Little Mermaid live action remake is coming out in 2023. The Hunchback of Notre Dame’s live-action remake is in the works. That is four – yes four – pending or active projects that have Menken’s name attached to them.
Parsons Music Library has had the privilege to house the Alan Menken Songbook, with scores for piano, voice, and guitar. Some of his most popular pieces are held in this 188 page score.
Songs that are included are “Sante Fe” (Newsies), “Somewhere That’s Green” (Little Shop of Horrors), “Proud of Your Boy” (Aladdin), “Go the Distance” (Hercules), “A Change in Me” (Beauty and the Beast) and a variety of other classics.
As you play, listen, or read the scores for all 28 songs included in the songbook, you can feel the different styles and the creativity needed to write songs for such Disney-esque plots. Nothing Disney has come out with has ever been less than imaginative – it takes an even more imaginative person to bring those creative tales to life through song. And that is all achieved through Menken’s song writing abilities.
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a collection of feel good indie/alternative music curated by Music Library student manager Abby (class of 2021).
So here are “some showtunes to belt in the shower, or to serenade your roommates with until they either join in or kick you out” per Abby:
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 item spotlighted in today’s edition of Arachnophonia is titled, Vocal Selections from Next to Normal. This musical score of the 2008 smash hit musical Next to Normal featuring Aaron Tveit and Alice Ripley is a simply stunning piece that has been lucky enough to be purchased and brought into the Parsons Music Library Collection for years to come. Despite only lasting a few years on the big stage, this musical score has warmed the hearts of many even 12 years after its Broadway debut. Its popularity and relevance has garnered enough support as to open a revival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C earlier this year. However, it was through a friend back home that I had found out about this musical. Sharing her Broadway playlist with me on Spotify, filled with over 1,000 Broadway hits (this number sounds big and yes. It is very big. The run time of the playlist is a few days long), I had come across the song “How Could I Ever Forget,” sung by the character Diana, as she reminisces the day that doctors informed her that her infant son had passed.
Although the lyrics, written by Brian Yorkey and composed by Tom Kitt, were full of raw and intense emotion that could turn you to tears in an instant, I fell in love with the song and the emotion put behind it. So, as any normal human being would do, I heard the entirety of the musical’s score. It moved me to tears, which I admit is hard to do for the most part. The songs were just full of raw emotion and the harmonies between all the characters made the songs super catchy. I played it on repeat for days.
Alice Ripley, Aaron Tveit, and J. Robert Spencer in Broadway production of Next to Normal – Joan Marcus
One day I just decided that maybe it would be cool if I find the score of some of the songs, play it, and possibly sing along to it. By no means am I a singer (I am so bad), but the ingenuity and the emotion felt behind the song compelled me so much, that I decided to take a stab at it. So, as a normal human being would do, I went to the Boatwright Memorial Library website and searched for my score. Sure enough, the coveted musical score that I so sought was there waiting for me, available under the illustrious call number: M1508.K5 N49 2009. I quickly checked out the score and began to play.
Even to this day, 12 years after its debut, there is something to the pieces that never get old. Although I did not have much time to play the songs since this spring semester has started, I am urging and scratching to find time just to hear myself play the amazing songs brought to us by Yorkey and Kitt. I urge that even if you are not interested in Broadway musicals, to check out the Vocal Selections from Next to Normalbook for a couple weeks, or at least have a listen. Tears will be shed, but it would be the best cry you’ve had in years.
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.
At the end of the day, as I leave my shift and head off back to my dorm, I’m on my own. By myself, I have time to decompress and utilize that time to think about everything that is happening in my life. Most days, my thoughts are filled with happiness and satisfaction with the day’s events. Other days, my thoughts are foggy, due to the fatigue caused by the emotionally and mentally draining events of the day. Turning right outside of the Modlin Center for the Arts, I traverse back to my castle on the cloud, Lora Robins court. Once I arrive, I slump into my bed as I dream a dream.
As if it was not evident enough, certain phrases such as “on my own,” “in my life,” “turning,” “castle on the cloud,” and “I dream (ed) a dream” all contain one commonality; they are all wonderful masterpieces in the Broadway musical, Les Miserables. So, it is no question to assume that I was absolutely awestruck when I saw the Les Miserables piano/vocal score on the shelf. After years of looking, I had finally found the book that I had searched for all this time.
What makes this specific piece of music so compelling and important to me?
Les Miserables opened me to the world of theatre, Broadway, piano, and French history. To begin, the movie for the beloved musical reached theaters on Christmas day in 2012. Never taking any attention to the 10th or 25th anniversary performances, I never thought of myself to have any interest in theatre or music itself. It seemed to almost take away from the plot and add nonsense that could stated simply through plain dialogue. It was not until 2017 where I finally gave it a chance. On a rainy day one summer afternoon, I sifted through DVDs in my parents’ movie collection, seeing the one movie I vowed I wouldn’t watch. After all these years, I could have been missing out on an absolute gem. With this in mind, I inserted the disc into my computer and watched the 2012 movie. The movie blew me away. Yes, some of the most popular actors at the time were featured in the movie, but that was not the one thing that captivated me. What made me so in love with the movie was the music. The combination of fast and slow songs, heartfelt and fierce songs, and the melodies were breathtaking. Additionally, the strings and the complexity of the orchestral score made the songs stand out even more.
It was simply beautiful. Every song had been sung with heart and every instrument combined with the rest to create a full orchestra unlike any other. With this in my mind, I went straight to youtube to find the 25th anniversary concert. Seeing the full choir in the back of the stage and the giant pit in front of the actors shocked me. I never really thought of musicals and concerts to have such grand setups and stages. So, completely awestruck of what was in front of me, I took to find other Broadway musicals that had music just like Les Miserables. Although there are none that compare exactly to it, I fell in love with everything Broadway. It even prompted me to join my school musical and do something that years prior I thought was not interesting.
Now Les Miserables still touches me. On top of everything mentioned, it is what made me want to learn piano. The music was so beautiful that I knew that I wanted more of an experience with the pieces. I did not just want to sing the songs or listen to them through my headphones; I wanted to play them. So, after finding the sheet music at the library here at the University of Richmond, I took to the practice rooms and began to teach myself the piano. The very first song I learned was “Stars.” A simpler yet more heartfelt song, this song was one of the ones that made me so obsessed with the musical. Because of the impact Les Mis had on my life, it was a no-brainer to choose it, filled with drama surrounding love and revolution, with characters experiencing danger and confrontation at every corner.
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.
If you’re a fan of musical theatre, you probably know about A Chorus Line. It’s a classic musical from the 1970s that’s pretty much the mother of meta – the whole story is a dance-based musical about dancers trying to get cast in a musical. It couldn’t be more self-reflective. The music, composed by Marvin Hamlisch, is lively and bouncy and inspires people even as uncoordinated as I am to get up and dance. A lot of the singing is conversational, with the songs dominated by jazz piano and interesting syncopated drumbeats.
Listening to this musical will give you confidence about your biggest creative insecurities. “Nothing” is about a girl whose acting teacher hates her because she doesn’t understand the value of pretending to be a table or an ice cream cone during class. “Sing!” is sung by a girl who can’t carry a tune to save her life.
“At the Ballet” is my favorite musical theatre song of all time. Three women sing about their different experiences getting into ballet while simultaneously talking about their families’ issues. It’s powerful without being sentimental, and the dark lyrics are contrasted with such lively music which creates the same kind of contrast between love and longing that I’m sure existed in their lives.
Overall, A Chorus Line is already so famous but if you haven’t heard it and you’re in the mood for a raw, real musical about a musical, give the soundtrack a listen.
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.
Rent is a Tony award-winning musical production that originated on Broadway in 1994, and has since been remade into a movie and has been touring since its 20th anniversary in 2014. The story follows a group of New York City bohemians who are struggling to make their rent payments, while juggling the challenges of the AIDS epidemic that directly affects a few main characters. We see the ups and downs of their lives, all set to catchyrock music.
This musical is a personal favorite of mine. I remember stumbling across it about 8 years ago, when I was entirely too young to really understand what was going on. I can remember my attraction to the upbeat rock music, which I had never experienced in a musical theater setting before. However, as I got older and began to grasp the story line that the talented actors were portraying, it suddenly clicked: it is such a powerful work targeting tough social justice issues.
From homelessness and poverty, to the AIDS epidemic, drug abuse, and homosexuality, this musical puts faces, names, and stories behind people who grapple with the challenges associated with these and the experiences they have. Especially for those who were born in the 1990s and after, they don’t really have an idea of what the AIDS epidemic was like in the United States. This musical is a way for us to get a glimpse into what the lives of affected individuals were like. We see a heartbroken romantic partner and devastated friends lose a loved one, we see others struggle with past losses, and we see others just wondering when it will be their turn. At times, it can be hard to watch these characters go through this, especially because the writing and acting is so realistic and authentic. However, I think it is important to watch, as it gives us a chance to reflect on our own privilege, and how lucky we are today. We never know when our time is up in this world. We must treat every day like there is “no day but today”, and we must hold onto what is important. There’s only 525,600 minutes a year: how will you measure your year?
