You can visit this link to watch the performance and hear a little bit about the piece, it’s context, and how the author’s circumstances might influence the way we perceive art.
Video Transcript:
This piece is called ‘Sicilian Blues’ and was composed by Hiromi Uehara, who is a Japanese jazz composer and pianist.
Why did you choose this piece? I chose to play this piece because I think it really exemplifies how understanding the cultural and social context behind a composer can really enrich a piece. Uehara, as a woman and in the world of jazz outside of America represents how the jazz movement has spread. The genre of jazz was born in the black community in New Orleans in the early 20th century, with roots in West African cultural and musical expression, and it rose up as a cultural force against oppression and racism. As a counterculture movement, it’s really powerful and beautiful, despite the complexity of jazz music theory.
More on the Jazz movement Ironically, though, the music theory world and the jazz world are pretty elitist. It’s hard to get in there, it can be quite cold and unforgiving. I think, though, that it’s a testament to the universality of music that a piece such as Sicilian Blues can be considered beautiful despite all this. And, of course, there are still people that discriminate and look down upon the Jazz movement for its history, no matter how wonderful the music is. I think that really goes to show how culture and social values really impact the way a piece is viewed.
Music Theory, and the Universality of Music I think it’s obvious to all of us that music is much more than notes on a page. People who understand music theory might see the artistic value, they’re able to do almost like an autopsy on a piece to figure out why it’s so beautiful, but you don’t need a deep understanding of music theory to appreciate a piece. That also relates to how you don’t need a social context to appreciate a piece either. This is why music is universal. However, music theory and social context can really enrich a piece in terms of experience, despite the fact that it’s not necessary to know. I think that this complex universality is a key part of all art and all life, and is what makes Music such a fulfilling art.
Through this activity, I tried to capture a more retro and bright interpretation of the timeless nursery rhyme, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I used a large number of synths (as well as a trumpet) to achieve a more Western Style atmosphere, creating a thick texture with many layers. The main melody and harmony are doubled with different instruments, adding variety but also some volume. The beginning of this track also features a radio static sound effect to create that retro style. I also edited the piano slightly to give it a more faded, ‘retro’y timbre.
I also used a free retro drum sample off of the internet, which is linked here. I’m somewhat unfamiliar with drums as an instrument and decided that a drum set sample would probably be a great way to get an effective rhythm section going. I also find that the use of samples is an awesome aspect of music production in the modern age!
My original inspiration for the feel of this interpretation (the song that inspired me to do a more retro interpretation) is a song called ‘Lady’ by the group EXID. I wasn’t really sure what direction to take this activity, so I just hit shuffle on my Spotify playlist and decided to study and somewhat mimic the style of the first song that played. I found this was a really successful way to gain some inspiration as well as a good direction to take for this activity! Make sure to give ‘Lady’ a listen!
We spent the first few weeks of the year in Music experimenting and playing with the opportunities that the Music department holds here. We played Happy Together as a class to start refamiliarising ourselves with playing music, our instruments, as well as playing in an ensemble (something many of us haven’t experienced in many months because of the pandemic). We also started to look at the basic building blocks of music such as melody, and revisiting old concepts such as structure, variation, melodic contour and sequence.
We also split off into smaller groups to start thinking about arrangements, and how we can take a piece of music and infuse it with our own originality and flair. We created bluesy versions of Twinke Twinkle Little Star to continue thinking about playing in an ensemble and to get our Music minds rolling.
