I wish that the narrator of the video below didn't talk fast as a speeding freight train. Even so, the stories are quite interesting:
A little spooky music and animation (Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns, 1835-1921):
About the above piece:
According to legend, Death appears at midnight every year on Halloween. Death calls forth the dead from their graves to dance for him while he plays his fiddle (here represented by a solo violin). His skeletons dance for him until the rooster crows at dawn, when they must return to their graves until the next year.Read more HERE.
The piece opens with a harp playing a single note, D, twelve times (the twelve strokes of midnight) which is accompanied by soft chords from the string section. The solo violin enters playing the tritone, which was known as the diabolus in musica ("the Devil in music") during the Medieval and Baroque eras, consisting of an A and an E♭—in an example of scordatura tuning, the violinist's E string has actually been tuned down to an E♭ to create the dissonant tritone.
The first theme is heard on a solo flute, followed by the second theme, a descending scale on the solo violin which is accompanied by soft chords from the string section. The first and second themes, or fragments of them, are then heard throughout the various sections of the orchestra. The piece becomes more energetic and at its midpoint, right after a contrapuntal section based on the second theme, there is a direct quote played by the woodwinds of Dies irae, a Gregorian chant from the Requiem that is melodically related to the work's second theme. The Dies irae is presented unusually in a major key. After this section the piece returns to the first and second themes and climaxes with the full orchestra playing very strong dynamics. Then there is an abrupt break in the texture and the coda represents the dawn breaking (a cockerel's crow, played by the oboe) and the skeletons returning to their graves.
The piece makes particular use of the xylophone to imitate the sounds of rattling bones.
Here's another: "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1, Op. 46 by Edvard Grieg (1843-1907):
About the above piece:
The piece is played as the title character Peer Gynt, in a dream-like fantasy, enters "Dovregubbens (the troll Mountain King's) hall". The scene's introduction continues: "There is a great crowd of troll courtiers, gnomes and goblins. Dovregubben sits on his throne, with crown and sceptre, surrounded by his children and relatives. Peer Gynt stands before him. There is a tremendous uproar in the hall." The lines sung are the first lines in the scene.Read more HERE.
Grieg himself wrote "For the Hall of the Mountain King I have written something that so reeks of cowpats, ultra-Norwegianism, and 'to-thyself-be-enough-ness' that I can't bear to hear it, though I hope that the irony will make itself felt." The theme of "to thyself be... enough" – avoiding the commitment implicit in the phrase "To thine own self be true" and just doing enough – is central to Peer Gynt's satire, and the phrase is discussed by Peer and the mountain king in the scene which follows the piece.
And from the best-selling album of all time (performed by Michael Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones) :
The entire album is HERE (15,838,789 views as of the time of this posting). But not everyone's cup of tea, I know.
10 minute vid? I didn't mind her talking fast :)
ReplyDeleteMJ was a talent. Too bad about all the other stuff.
Kid,
DeleteMJ had so much wrong with himself on a personal level.
Nevertheless, he was such a talent with his music and dancing! I remember watching the Grammy Awards just to see him dance.
Hey, AOW, it might surpise you to learn that I ENJOYED th video –– up to a point. That scene where Michael gets transformed into the Ultimate Werewolf –– or is it an evocatiin of Satan, himself? –– was so well done it amazed me. The "music," if we must call it that, was rather mild, –– an echo of a 70's Disco Room with its relentless, monotonous beat, but the beat is LIGHTWEIGHT in this case –– almost delicate
DeleteI wonder if we shuldn't regard the whole shebang as SYMBOLIC of Michael's monstrous.transformation that was yet to come?
I still say that at the time this video was made, Michael was a cute, clean-cut Negro kid albeit with a hyper effiminate speaking voice –– a dead givaway that somethng was distinctly queer about him. I SHUDDER when I think what happened to him later on.
I've read the FATHER played the role usually performed by a typical "Stage Mother" eager to ruin her kid's childhood and sacrifice the child's LIFE in exchange for the "glory" of Fame and Fortune.
Franco,
DeleteI AM surprised that you actually enjoyed the video at all! I will respond to your comment more later: I overslept this morning and am just now getting my first sip of coffee.
Franco,
DeleteOne reason that "Thriller" is so good: Quincy Jones! A brilliant musician, IMO.
I'm sure that MJ did not intend the symbolism you mention. But that symbolism is spot on:
the whole shebang as SYMBOLIC of Michael's monstrous.transformation that was yet to come
At the least, his father used him to support the entire family. Beyond that, I think that the father was a sexual deviant. That father always "creeped me out."
The recently widowed Mrs. Smith was dissatisfied when she visited to the mortuary to see how her late husband Marvin ad been laid out before the viewing.
ReplyDelete"Whatever could be wrong, Mrs. Smith?," asked the affable young mortician as she approached him with a deep frown and look of profound consternation to register her complaint.
"Oh the casket is lovely, the lining is exactly what I ordered, and his face looks so calm and peaceful I could cry, but that is NOT the suit I bought for him some time ago in anticiption of this sad event," she complained. "That was an expensive, custom-tailored garment purchased at great cost, and THIS is nothing but a cheap ordinary thing pulled off the rack at The Burlngtin Coat Factory no doubt," she all but snarled. "I suppose you pinched the beautiful clothes I bought for him, substitted this cheap rag, and thought you could use my dear Marvin's suit, yourself," she said accusingly.
"I assure you I did nothing of the kind, dear lady," the young man stammered, taken aback at her combative tone. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what went wrong, but we'll check and see if we can't rectify the situation. Please take a seat in the lounge. I'll be with you right away."
In less than five minutes, he returned smilng broadly, and asked Mrs. Smith please to come back and see her husband again.
Not at all sure she'd be satisfied since practically no time had elapsed, Mrs, Smith went back, and saw to her delight and amazement, her dear Marvin neatly laid out in the expensive custom tailored suit she'had, indeed, bought him.
"Oh THANK you," she intoned, "My dear Marvin never looked better in his life, but tell me please, HOW did you manage to change his clothes and rearrange him in that coffin so beautifully and so quickly? I just can't imagine how you did it."
"Well, Mrs. Jones," the fellow pracically purred, "since you've been so nice I'll let you in on one our best kept trade secrets. "in situations like this, which unfortunately do occur more often than we like to admit we don't disturb the BODIES, we merely exchange the HEADS!"
Franco,
DeleteLOL! I read this to Mr. AOW, and he's chuckling, too.
~~ A Most Unhappy Halloween ~~
ReplyDeleteA little child knocked at my door ––
He looked so pallid, thin and poor
He meekly murmured, "Trick or Treat?"
He seemed pathetic, yet so sweet.
My heart was touched. I did not see
His parents hid behind the tree
Not three feet from my open door,
Tired, hungry, dirty, poor.
They had used their child as bait
Alas! I learned this much too late.
For they rushed at me wth a knife
I felt they meant to end my life
But no, they just swept through my door
And tramped all over my clean floor,
Rifled through each dresser drawer
Taking silver –– jewelry –– more
Stuffed them in my pillow case
Then ate the food stored in the place
I hoped by then that they'd just go
But when I asked, they just said "No!
"We like it here, we're going to stay
"You tried to lead our boy astray.
"We mean to be your family, see?
"Accept us, and we'll let you be.
"Remember you abused our kid.
"We know he'll tell the cops you did.
"You'll have no chance 'gainst us in court,
"So get this straight, and make it short
"We're living here at your expense
"You'll buy our food, we'll pay no rents.
"That's the price for being blind
"While believing you were kind."
That was several years ago.
They're with me still. They'll never go.
They've forced me to give them the deed
To my house, and watch them bleed
My stock account and savings dry,
But I won't let them see me cry.
For them I was an easy prey,
How long they'll let me live they never say!
~ FreeThinke
Well! That's creepy!
DeleteOff topic....
ReplyDeleteThe AOW Household is over the moon. The Washington Nationals won the 2019 World Series. GO, NATS!
Rendon gonna get paid.
DeleteWe actually had these two works in music class in 8th class.... I wonder how many kids are fortunate to still have music classes... I recall the teacher giving us the narrative and we used our imagination to fill in the visual... No computer games in those times.. we used our mind....
ReplyDeleteYes. Same here. We had wonderful music programs in elementary school and high school especially the latter. Our choir gave a Christmas concert each year that was a veritable CHURCH SERVICE in praise of CHRIST the NEWBORN KING.
DeleteAnd guess what? The JEWISH kids loved it as much as the rest of us.
Getting into our choir was a competitive process. Our music director didn't take just anyone. You had to AUDITION. Well, the Jewish kids were vying to become choristers like the rest of us, and many of them DID –– as long as they could sing on pitch.
But that was 1953-1959 –– before the Cultural Marxist TERMITES got on the Supreme Court and convvinced us to POLITICIZE absolutely EVERYTHING –– the dirty bastards!