My Purpose

My Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to help people understand that music can be more then just entertainment, and what those things are. I want be able to help people with this blog. I don't know everything about music, I am still studying it, however, I will share what I have found. I hope you will be enlighted and edified by what I have to share. I worry that some people might turn a deaf ear to my blog if they read something on this blog that they don't agree with. I respect your beliefs. I don't agree with everything I read either. But I know you can find something that can help and interest you, if you just keep reading.

"Quotes Worth Mentioning"

QUOTES WORTH MENTIONING

When asked where his inspiration came from, Johannes Brahms said, "I immediately feel vibrations that thrills my whole being. These are the Spirit illuminating the soul power within, and in this exalted state, I see clearly what is obscure in my ordinary moods: Then I feel capable of drawing inspiration from above, as Beethoven ... Straighway the ideas flow in upon me, directly from God, and not only do I see distinct themes in my mind's eye but they are clothed in the right forms, harmonies, and orchestration. Measure by measure, the finished product is revealed to me when I am in those rare, inspired moods." "The powers from which all truly great composers like Mozart, Schubert, Bach and Beethoven drew their inspiration is the same power that enabled Jesus to work his miracles. It is the same power that created our earth and the whole universe"
("Talks with Great Composers", Arthur M. Abell)

"Give me power over he who shapes the music of a nation, and I care not for who shapes it laws"
Napolian Bonaparte

“Intellectual enlightenment consists of instruction in the arts, numbers, history, speech, and government. Music consummates a man’s life, giving his rituals meaning. Music has a trensforming effect on its listeners, and should be the first principle of government.” -The Teachings of Confucius.

I quote some remarks between,Gene R. Cook, and Mik Jagger made a few years ago:
Cook: "I have the opportunity to be with a lot of young people. Many say your music does not affect them adversely in any way. Others say it effects them in a very bad way. What is your opinion? What is your impact?”
Jagger "Our music is calculated to drive the kids to sex. It's not my fault what they do. It's up to them. I'm just making a lot of money.”
Cook: He was in Mexico making a profane and pornographic music video because the cost is 1/3 there. In addition it is easier to produce such videos there at the moment. He explained that though such videos with explicit sexual behavior is illegal on US national television, it soon will be, and they want to have the videos ready. Now not only audio pornography can be portrayed, but they can view it as well. He was making more money this way."
Jagger:“It doesn't matter what you do in life, there are no rules. There is no god. You can take whatever you want. It doesn't matter."

"To encourage literature and the arts is the duty which every good citizen owns to his country."
George Washington

"Music has the power of producing a certain effect on the moral character of the soul, and if it has the power to do this, it is clear that the young must be directed to music and must be educated in it."
Aristotle



(more qoutes to come)

PLEASE NOTE: It would greatly benefit the reader to follow blog postings from the first post to the most recent. Using the Blog Archive in the left column of the page to jump to the oldest posts. For now I will see if I can find a way to display the posting in chronilogical order, first post to the latest post.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN

RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN
Perhaps the time when the Broadway Musical truly came into it’s own as a world class art happens in 1943 when Richard Rodgers, who had written very successful musicals with Lorenz Hart, and Oscar Hamerstein II, who had written with every major composer of the 20th century, met to consider collaboration. They would set the popular drama Green Grow the Lilacs, and release to the world the longest running musical of it’s time, Oklahoma! When Alfred Drake came onto the stage singing Oh, What a Beautiful Morning, the American Musical Theatre took a major step forward as an art form. For the first time in history, the dramatic element of the show was equal to the musical element. Before Oklahoma! the plots of musicals existed onoly to get from one song to the next. In fact, songs were often traded back and forth between musicals. Rodgers and Hammerstein determined to use the music to further the drama, not suspend or stop the dramatic action. Where else could songs like Oklahoma, or Poor Judd is Dead, be used in another how. The perfect marriage between good music and theatre was born. Oklahoma, ran 2,212 performances at the St. James Theatre, receiving even more widespread viewership when it was made into a motion picture in 1955. One of the elements of Oklahoma! that distinguished it was the ingenious choreography of Agnes DeMille. She literally changed the course of American Ballet by incorporating movement and costuming of the west into the traditions of ballet. The farmers and the cow men of the west wore their boots as they danced and a new heightened masculinity developed into the ballet forms of the American Musical Theatre and beyond. The public loved the new look that would give rise to Aaron Copland’s great American ballet Rodeo, which she also choreographed. While still enjoying their great success of Oklahoma!, Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote, what they considered their masterwork, Carousel. Opening April 19, 1945 and running 890 performances, it caused a departure from the formula of Oklahoma!. Because they determined to use more operatic convention, namely longer songs, or arias, and incorporating dialogue with underscoring of music, some of their backers were reluctant to give their support. At this point, given their financial success of Oklahoma, they were able to move forward in production with their own financial resources. In addition they determined to print their own music under the name Williamson, (the maiden name of Richard’s mother), and thereby controlled their own destiny as well as reaped considerable financial rewards. This paradigm was unheard of at the time, but subsequently Irving Berlin would follow suit by printing his own music as well. Though Carousel was not the box office hit that Oklahoma was, it was considered by it’s composers to be their best effort, and a means of saying thank you to God for his giving them the gifts they had enjoyed. The final song of Carousel, promotes the idea that they both believed, tat You’ll Never Walk Alone. At the conclusion of the war, in 1949 they met with another hit, South Pacific, based on the award winning book, Tales of the South Pacific, by war correspondent and veteran, James A. Michenor. The work was directed by Joshua Logan, and written for the talents of the leading characters, Ezio Pinza, matinee idol of the Metropolitan Opera, and Mary Martin. One of the songs, You’ve Got to be Taught, which promoted the idea that prejudice is a learned behavior caused a great deal of concern for the producers, who believed at the time that people went to the theatre to get away from thinking. Rodgers and Hammerstein held fast to keeping the song in, losing some of the their backers in the process. They would find the same challenge, and the same result when South Pacific was later made into a motion picture. In 1951, being approached by Gertrude Lawrence, who was enjoying enormous success with Anna and the King, as a straight play, they determined to set the play to music. King and I became a wonderful vehicle for Lawrence, especially given that they tailored the music to her limited vocal range, but it did not suit her leading man Rex Harrison, who refused to be involved with any musical theatre at all. History would prove that decision to be short lived. The role of the king would ultimately, quite by accident, be played by Yul Brynner.. Songs such as Getting to Know You, Hello Young Lovers, I Whistle a Happy Tune, all show the genius of Rodgers and Hammerstein to tailoring their music to fit the specific gift of an artist. Though Rodgers and Hammerstein enjoyed successes with State Fair, Cinderella, and Flower Drum Song, their most widely accepted work would be their last. Opening on November 16, 1959, The Sound of Music would run 1443 performances, and in 1965 become a motion picture with the widest exposure of a musical in history. Starring Mary Martin who had helped create the character of Maria von Trapp by becoming well acquainted with the historical figure. Oscar Hammerstein would succumb to a long battle with cancer as Sound of Music opened at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre. His last lyric which he wanted set into the piece were: “A bell is no bell till you ring it, A song is no song till you sing it, And love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay Love isn’t love till you give it away”

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