Paper #3
Blowin’ in the Wind
I never realized how significant this song was in the 60s and even today. I suppose I should have guessed that at its importance simply because I know and recognize it, which I can’t say for very many songs of that era. To me, it sums up the feelings of frustration and regret that filled the young people of the 60s with its unanswered questions; repetitive, driving melody; and the expression of a wishful, elusive hope for solutions. I particularly like the Peter Paul and Mary cover – their soft, folky, lyricism speaks to me.
Although my initial reaction to the song was to tie it firmly to anti-war sentiments of the time, I changed my mind when they began to discuss how hesitant Bob Dylan was to provide an explanation or interpretation of the lyrics. The commentators who discussed his response emphasized that perhaps Dylan’s refusal to offer a concrete interpretation was more appropriate than stubborn; after all, it allowed the song’s intentional vagueness to speak to many people in many situations. Personally, I started to see connections to personal frustrations – people and situations in my life that seem to make the same repetitive mistakes without ever learning from them – rather than just see it as a song written before my time for people who lived before my time.
Watch on Youtube: Blowin' in the Wind (Peter Paul and Mary)
Night and Day
I really appreciated the elements of technical musical theory analysis included in this NPR clip, particularly the discussion of Porter’s use of the 7th chord after the opening drive. The harmonic structure of this 4-note chord – the three bottom notes form a major triad, while the top three form a minor triad - evokes feelings of frustration, desire, and perhaps even ambivalence. The reporters also noted the significance of the opening section: 8 bars filled with the same note repeated 30-something times, and how that contributed to the undeniable drive that fills the whole song. After hearing this analysis, I realized why I felt so pulled along by the song’s current: not only does the song speak to me poetically (as it does to anyone who has ever been in love, I think), it is also mechanically structured to have that effect.
Towards the end of NPR’s segment, they discussed the personal life of the composer: how he was a wanderer (although he was happily married for more than 30 years, he had multiple homosexual affairs), his international acclaim, and his wealthy lifestyle. His roving eye, in particular, lent a deeper meaning to the song for me. I can easily imagine Porter feeling the drumming, relentless need for a lover that he poetically describes in “Night and Day” - knowing that he shouldn’t, but needing it badly enough to pursue it anyway.
Watch on Youtube: Night and Day (Fred Astaire)
Symphony of Psalms
Although I have performed this piece (as a member of the choir), I never knew much about the history or background. I found the brief exposition on Stravinsky’s personal life during the composition particularly enlightening. It was composed between the two world wars, a time of great world turmoil. Not only was Stravinsky living in a politically charged world, but his personal world was also exceptionally turbulent at the time: he was under financial duress, and his marriage was crumbling because of his affair. These emotions are expressed beautifully in the rhythmic, desperate, animalistic cries of the brass and wind replete throughout the work. Although I have always appreciated the power of the work, I never realized how potentially personally expressive it was. Interestingly, Stravinsky denied having expressed any part of himself in the work.
Although I knew that the orchestration for “Symphony of Psalms” was unusual, I didn’t realize how unusual it was until the reporter said something to the effect of “the musicians had to play musical chairs to get in place to perform.” The absolute absence of violins and violas is incredible – no wonder the piece has such a different feel. In thinking about the unusual sound of the work before, I have always focused on his erratic rhythms and highlighting of the brass, not realizing that a great part of it was also due to the lack of half the string instruments.
This piece was already special to me because of the incredible experience I had performing it in Carnegie Hall as part of the National High School choral festival. However, learning more about it has opened new avenues of interpretation and understanding for me: I can see connections between the relentless, forceful sounds of symphony and my personal turmoil, because of the real-world historical insights that were highlighted in this episode.
My high school choir in Carnegie Hall, rehearsing before the performance of Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms" and Poulenc's "Gloria"
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