Sep 25, 2015 Writing 101
“Without music, life would be a mistake.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche
- Tell us about a time when a piece of music moved you.
- Do you have an all-time favorite song? Why is it significant?
- Compile a playlist of 10 tracks that represent you.
While I’m not sure whether Nietzsche wrote those actual words, and had to check (since I’m not a reader of Nietzsche), I did find out this from good old Wikipedia:
Nietzsche wrote a fragment titled “On Music and Words”.[106] In it he asserted the Schopenhauerian judgment that music is a primary expression of the essence of everything.
In any case, I agree with this statement.
How can I write about my breath, my cells, my skin? How can I write about why my eyes are the way they are, or my feet, or my thoughts? How can I write about why music moves me to the very roots of my being, and without it, I would be a desiccated planet?
My mother says she sang while I was in her womb, and told me that I could sing difficult Carnatic (South Indian classical) songs in tune along with her, at the age of two and a half (alas, I don’t sing Carnatic any more, for I went on to Hindustani classical music, as well as western rock, folk and jazz songs all along the way).
Inspired by my mother’s story I did the same for my daughter while I was pregnant (sang to her while she was in utero, that is). And it turned out that my daughter, too, could sing in tune by the time she was about two and a half years old. Now ten years old, she’s intensely musical, sings all the time, and plays guitar (as do my husband and I).
Music is the blood in which I swam, and breathed. All through my life, I’ve listened and played and sung, and tapped my hands and feet. I got myself a guitar when I was about ten or eleven, and taught myself to play in Chennai at a time when I knew NOBODY else around me who had a guitar, leave alone played it — of course, I was influenced by The Beatles (who wasn’t?). Filled to the brim with it, I was still always thirsty for music, or, perhaps greedy for it, a glutton, really.
While many songs and pieces have made me weep from a strange unnameable emotion (music produces its own emotion, one that will remain nameless, irreducible), certain Indian ragas, like Darbari Kannada or Vibhas have made me weep when I’ve heard them sung. Certain songs have also moved me deeply, but they’ve faded into the mist of memory. All I can remember from my most recent emotional reaction to a song is when I wept over “Julia” by John Lennon, which is about his mother, Julia Lennon. “My Favorite Plum” and “Small Blue Thing” by Suzanne Vega also did that for me — though I didn’t weep. I just felt very moved.
I won’t go into a long description of all the kinds of experiences I’ve had musically, but I will say I have performed the following on stage, and at various stages in my life (zeugma!):
Voice and guitar: My own songs, folk songs, rock songs, jazz standards. Here’s a song from my (not very prolific) YouTube link: Bird Over The Water
Hindustani (North Indian) classical music: Sitar and classical vocal music
Vocal Ensemble music: With “Goddess Gospel” (an all-women vocal group that lasted many years, no longer active); Mandala (for a brief while in their vocal ensemble; they are also no longer active)
At the Ig-Nobel 2015 (see link to understand what this prize is about) awards this year as a member of the operatic chorus in the hilarious mock-opera “Best Life” based on Aida by Verdi and The High Executioner by Gilbert and Sullivan.
I’ve performed on stage in Chennai, Pune, Mumbai and Delhi, India (this was quite a while back — no videos), the UK (back in 2004 and 2005), and the US (mostly in Cambridge and Boston, MA). I’ve performed in the subways in Cambridge and Boston, and on the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Some Music for You Today – September 24th, 2015
Mauritanian singer Dimi Mint Abba:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zimbabwean master musicians of the Shona tradition –Dumisani Maraire and Ephat Mujuru
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beautiful singer from Mali, Oumou Sangare:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Music from Bali, Indonesia:
Legong (Tobatelou) – Sanour Village
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Music from the Sunda Straits, Indonesia (Sunda Javanese Gamelan music):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(The one and only Miles Davis on trumpet playing his exquisite version of Bye Bye Blackbird):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s the incomparable Chet Baker playing the same tune on his trumpet (I believe, but I’m not sure, that this was recorded in 1964, and the lineup of musicians goes as follows: Chet Baker on the horn,Jacques Pelzer- sax, Franco Manzecchi- drums, Luigi Trussardi- bass and Rene Urtreger- piano):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yulduz Usmanova is a well-known Uzbeki singer. I thought you’d enjoy listening to her beautiful singing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sabah Habas Mustapha (of The 3 Mustaphas 3) sings this Indonesian-music-inspired piece:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eddie Jefferson sings “Sister Sadie.” I love Mr. Jefferson’s warm, fuzzy vocals. There’s humor and great musicality in all his singing. He generally makes me smile. (Although, I must say this song isn’t funny).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When jazz icon Billie Holiday sings, she always makes me want to cry:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The above piece is a composition by Warren Senders, who put Baul songs to music. The lead singer in this live concert recording from 1993 song is me (yes, I used to be a part of a group of women singers known as “Goddess Gospel” — founded and led by Louise Cloutier, formerly of Cambridge, now in Chicago). Hope you enjoy Three Baul Songs!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of my favorite pieces of guitar playing: Bach Cello Suite #1 in G, played by Andres Segovia.
Bach: Cello Suite #1 In G, BWV 1007 – Prelude
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
D.V. Paluskar (Hindustani Classical vocalist), whose voice is mesmerizing:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The exquisite and ecstatic singing of Mallikarjun Mansur:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here’s Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar, and her soulful, lovely singing:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prabha Atre (Very soulful Hindustani vocalist):
Kalavati: Tana mana dhana tope varun
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pete Seeger — America’s folk music Muse:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Julia” by The Beatles (John Lennon)
This, too, makes me want to cry.
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles (George Harrison)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Song from the movie “Alaipayuthey” — music by that genius of current Indian film music A.R. Rahman:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of my absolute favorite songs from the same movie:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” is one of my favorite pieces by Charles Mingus. I used to sing a version of it (lovely lyrics!).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The brilliant poet-folksinger-rockster Bob Dylan:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And finally, my very favorite Suzanne Vega:
That’s all for now, folks! Hope you enjoyed the music! I went WAY beyond ten tracks, but I enjoyed going back to some of my favorite music — and have been shaped by all of these, and more through the course of my life.
There’s plenty more where this came from, so if you like this, I’ll start a new weekly post of my favorite music from around the world!
Thanks for reading and listening!
Love,
~Dreamer of Dreams
Tags: #Suzanne Vega, #The Beatles, A.R.Rahman, Andres Segovia, Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, D.V. Paluskar, Eddie Jefferson, Indonesian music, jazz, Mallikarjun Mansur, Miles Davis, music from around the world, music from the African continent, music is life, North Indian Classical Music, Pete Seeger, Prabha Atre, Sabah Habas Mustapha, Without music life would be a mistake- Friedrich Nietzsche quote, Yulduz Usmanova
May 22, 2014 Music
Someone shared this on a friend’s FB page, and I was instantly transported to the early 80s, when I was young, and listened to Led Zeppelin a lot (or at least the album on which this song appears).
I know I sound like an old fogey, but seriously, where ARE the real songs in popular music today? It’s all either trash-talk, or mushy.
Give me Pink Floyd, King Crimson, even Deep Purple, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, always Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Queen, Eric Clapton, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Simon and Garfunkel.
And always, The Beatles.
Give me Suzanne Vega, always.
Joan Baez (even though her shrill trills set my teeth on edge)
Joni Mitchell (lovely songs, too high a voice for my taste, but beautiful, still).
Carole King
Don McLean
Even Nirvana, whose sound is inimitable.
I know I sound like an old fogey, but seriously, where ARE the real songs in popular music today? It’s all either trash-talk, or mushy.
Give me Pink Floyd, King Crimson, even Deep Purple, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, always Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Queen, Eric Clapton, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Simon and Garfunkel.
And always, The Beatles.
Give me Suzanne Vega, always.
Joan Baez (even though her shrill trills set my teeth on edge)
Joni Mitchell (lovely songs, too high a voice for my taste, but beautiful, still).
Carole King
Don McLean
Even Nirvana, whose sound is inimitable.
Always, Bob Dylan!
And from before, and since, Pete Seeger.
And from before, and since, Pete Seeger.
Yes, there are others, of course. They’ll come to mind.
Form, sound, soul, structure, musicality, good taste (most of them, and some of them not all the time, but much of the time) — they’re all there.
And I’m not even at jazz music yet, or the old songs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, or soul.
Fortunately, there are good singer-songwriters out there, but they’re not making much either in terms of fame or money. That’s a shame.
Here are some songs about California (just because …):
Tags: #Suzanne Vega, Beatles, Bob Dylan, Carole King, Crosby, Deep Purple, Don McLean, Emerson, Jefferson Airplane, Jethro Tull, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, King Crimson, Lake and Palmer, Led Zeppelin, nirvana, Pete Seeger, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rock, Simon and Garfunkel, Singer-Songwriters, Still and Nash, The Doors, The Mamas & The Papas