Simon's "India and the Middle East"

I am a people-person. I always have been and, against my better judgement, I probably always will be. Hence, it should come to no surprise that tonight's blog is less about "cool stuff" and more about cool people. In learning about different cultures of the world, and their music, we don't often have the time to focus on individual people. This week, we are learning about music in India and the Middle East, and there were a few people that I wanted to get to know better. 

Please Welcome to the Stage, Umm Kulthum:

Egyptian novelist and Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz said this about Umm: "When she sees what reaches an audience, she gives them more of it, she works it, she refines it, she embellishes it." If you watch her give a performance, you can experience what Naguib is talking about. Umm poured her heart out to the audience through her voice, and it has an incredible impact. If you read this article and in the first video, skip to 1:09:00, you will witness how she interacts with the audience through her performance, and how the audience responds so fervently. 

Often you will hear the phrase, "They weren't born into greatness, they had to earn it." This phrase is only partially true for Umm.  Though we are unsure of her exact birthdate (birth records were not enforced in Egypt in the early 1900's), we are sure that she was born to an imam in Tamay e-Zahayra. Her family was not wealthy, but Umm showed greatness in singing from an early age. Her father made her memorize the Quran, and encouraged her to learn classical Arabic repertoire. Her talent and hard work did not go unnoticed. In 1920, Umm met composer Zakariyya Ahmad and he invited her to be a performer in Cairo, where she also learned to play the oud. Umm quickly rose to fame, but never forgot her humble roots and she maintained a conservative lifestyle.

Enjoy this enchanting performance by Umm Kulthum:

Put Your Hands Together For Norah Jones:

I have been a long-time lover of Norah Jones. And by that I mean I have loved her music for a long time - not that I am her lover. With that clarification out of the way, I can admit that I have never known much about her. Only today, I learned that she is the daughter of the late composer and sitarist Ravi Shankar. And although she was born to a famous father, Norah had a very modest upbringing. 

Growing up in Grapevine, Texas, Jones started singing in church (side note - have you noticed that a massive amount of famous singers got their start in church?) and in high school she joined as many choirs as she could. After graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in Jazz piano, Norah packed her bags and moved to New York City. She performed in a small band around the city, and was noticed by a record label executive. Jones signed with EMI Publishing, and went one to win 9 grammys and be nominated for 8 more. Like the aforementioned Umm Kulthum, Norah Jones maintains her humility and leads a drama-free, modest life.

Please enjoy "The Nearness of You" by Norah Jones:

The OG (Original Grifter), Scheherazade:

I say that Scheherazade was the original grifter because she talked her way out of getting murdered, and she did it a thousand times. Although she is a fictional woman, Scheherazade is a prominent character in Arabic folklore. And she even has her own symphony by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (read more about the symphony and its composition here). 

As the story goes, a King discovers that his bride was rolling in the hay with another man. The king beheads his wife. After which, he resolves to marry a new virgin of noble blood every night (talk about a serial monogamist) and behead her before dawn. This theoretically eliminates the possibility of his bride being unfaithful. Finally, the kingdom ran out of virgins, leaving the king no choice but to marry and behead his advisor's daughter, Scheherazade.

That was his plan, anyway. But Scheherazade had something else in mind. When she went to her fate, her sister Dunyazad cleverly asked her to tell a story. Scheherazade obliged, with the king listening in awe and excitement, but she stopped in the middle of the tale. The king begged her to finish, but she said there was no time, as dawn was breaking. The king spared her life for one more day. The next night, Scheherazade finished her story, and started another, again stopping on a cliffhanger. She repeated this for 1,001 nights, after which the king fell deeply in love with her and made her his queen. 

One of my favorite part of the Scheherazade symphony by Rimsky-Korsakov is the violin solo, featured below:

If you have time, I would implore you to (eventually) listen to the symphony in its entirety:

Thank you for visiting my blog!

American Roots: Get On the Soul Train!

Plato once said, "Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe." I couldn't agree more, Plato. Where would society be without music? Church services wouldn't be nearly as impactful, rhythmic ceremonial rituals (such as school dances or weddings) would be incredibly boring, and how would you express deep love and heartbreak? Very few things elicit emotion the way music does. And in my opinion, one of the most evocative genres of music is soul. 

Holy and Humble Beginnings:

Like with most secular music, soul takes aspects of church music (specifically gospel) and is paired with non-sacred lyrics. If this sounds familiar, that's because the chanson had a similar birth (more information on chansons here). In 1954, Ray Charles created a recipe; a pinch of gospel rhythm, a heavy seasoning of jazz instruments, a garnish of secular lyrics. He tossed it in the oven and baked it at 198 beats per minute to conceive "I Got a Woman". This was the beginning of Soul. Although we can thank Ray Charles for introducing the world to this heart-wrenching genre, there was a slew of other artists to emerge from the early 60's who popularized soul music. "Stand By Me", released in 1961 by Ben E. King, is a prime example of the genre, nodding to it's roots in church.

And "I Got a Woman":

 

 Women in Soul:

"She had a voice, raspy with hardness and pain, but could turn into silk at the drop of a dime." Beyonce said this about soul legend Etta James. In 1960, Etta arrived on the soul scene with hit songs like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "At Last." Not only did these songs elevate Ms. James' career, they boldly carried with them the soul genre, setting the industry standard and showing the world what soul music was. If you like movies, you should watch Cadillac Records, a movie that tells the story of Etta James and other soul artists of the 60's (Beyonce gives an unforgettable performance as Etta). 

In 1966, another name blossomed in the world of soul. Releasing hits like "Respect" and "A Natural Woman", Aretha Franklin stole the crown and became the Queen of Soul. Aretha developed and nurtured her voice singing gospel music at a Baptist church in Detroit. Shortly after her 18th birthday, she was encouraged to share her talents with the world, and she signed a record deal with Columbia Records. The Queen of Soul then went on to win 25 Grammy Awards and was the first woman inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Aretha Franklin is still regarded to this day as one of the most important names in soul history.

"I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James: 

"At Last" by Etta James:

"Respect" by Aretha Franklin:

And Then White People Stole It:

Just kidding, this is actually one thing that white people didn't intentionally steal. Throughout the 60's, a musical duo consisting of two white artists called The Righteous Brothers rose to fame. They sang with so much "soul" that when they showed up for radio interviews, the hosts were often surprised to find that the duo was white. One of those surprised radio hosts was Georgie Woods, who coined the phrase "blue-eyed soul." Then in 1969, a white person named Jerry Lee Lewis did try to steal the soul genre with an album called "Soul My Way." Featuring songs like 'Turn On Your Love Light" and "I Bet You're Gonna Like It", the album was a huge success. Radio stations that had previously only featured black artists were now introducing white artists as well.

"Unchained Melody" cover by Righteous Brothers:

"Turn On Your Love Light" by Jerry Lee Lewis:

Soulful Seventies:

At this point, soul has been around for nearly two decades. Like many things that stick around for 20+ years, the genre morphed. When you're done reading this section, I invite you to go back and listen to Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" then listen to the Delfonics' "Hey Love" and notice how much the music has changed. From the level of production, to the instrumentation, to the complexity of the harmonies and addition of voices, you will surely spot the differences. One of the pinnacle moments in soul history was the creation of the TV show Soul Train, which debuted in 1971 and ran for 35 years. The show featured everything from jazz and funk to gospel and, of course, soul. Although the show was wildly successful, the soul genre started to fizzle out in the late 70's. By the early 80's, disco, funk and R&B had overwhelmed the relaxed sound of soul, and very few bands included soul songs on their albums. 

Back to Life:

Nearing the end of 1989, Soul II Soul released an R&B song called "Back to Life", which took aspects of soul music from the seventies bringing the forgotten genre "back to life." Because people's taste changes, as well as their uses for music, soul had to evolve further from its original DNA. In fact, the soul genre never made a complete comeback. In 1994, a sub-genre called neo-soul became popular and is still popular today. It incorporates a lot of the basic "soul recipe" (steady, gospel-like rhythm, emphasis on jazz instruments, and non-secular lyrics), but it also adds a sprinkling of funk and R&B.

"Back to Life" by Soul II Soul:

A modern-day example of neo-soul is Alice Russell. Here is her song "Citizens":

And another amazing example is Erykah Badu singing "Bag Lady":

In Conclusion:

Although soul in its original from is not present in 2021, we can appreciate so much of the music that the genre gave us. And without soul, we wouldn't have gotten to experience some of the greatest artists in history (James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight to name a few). Soul music showed us a new way to express heightened emotion. Are you in love? Sing about it. Did that love break your heart? Sing about it. Are you having money problems? You know what to do. As we all know, when words fail, music speaks.

Bibliography:

Wikipedia, "Soul Music", 1/26/2021 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_music#:~:text=Soul%20music%20has%20its%20roots,that%20began%20in%20the%201950s.

Richie Unterberger, "The Righteous Brothers, 1/27/2021

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-righteous-brothers-mn0000424296/biography

Pierro Scaruffi, "A Brief History of Soul Music" 1/27/2021

https://www.scaruffi.com/history/soul.html

Wikipedia, "Neo Soul" 1/26/2021

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_soul

Britanica, "Blue-eyed soul", 1/27/2021

https://www.britannica.com/art/blue-eyed-soul

Gender Bender

Musicians are strange creatures. Especially singers, but musicians in general. We could be performing a role that completely defies everything we believe in, but we temporarily forego those values for the love of our art. I once did an opera composed by a local Detroit artist, Cinderella Undone, which was based on the story of Cinderella but with one difference; all the characters were in drag. We had drag kings playing all the male roles, and drag queens playing all the female roles (most of us were not professional drag performers - we were singers first and had drag consultants). Cinderella was a baritone and had a beard, her prince was a mezzo and obviously didn't have a beard. I played the Evil Stepmother, and a very conservative friend of mine played one of the wicked stepsisters. 

My friend, we'll call him Brendon (because that was his name), was from my church and was convinced that all people in the LGBTQ+ community were going to burn in hell. He was very sweet and loving, and eventually adopted the attitude of "Love the sinner, hate the sin" which was really all we could ask of him. My point being that when we finished church choir rehearsal, he would strap on his corset and high heals, and abandon his values to perform in this very queer, very raunchy opera. Because he's a musician, and that's what we do.

Music and Gender: One of my favorite Disney villains is Ursula. My highschool did a performance of Little Mermaid, and I was fortunate enough that the woman playing Ursula couldn't sing to save her life. With a few adjustments, she and I actually sounded fairly similar so they asked me to sing on her behalf! I was very excited because this was the closest I'd ever come to actually playing Ursula. What most people don't know about Disney Ursula is that she was actually based on a famous drag queen named Divine (I promise my whole blog is not about drag queens). But this was not the first time that the performing arts bent the rules of gender. 

In fact, up until the late 1600's women were not permitted to perform at all in the theatre, so men had to play all the roles (read this article to learn more). And even after women were permitted to become thespians, no respectable lady would ever consider such a lifestyle, so men continued to dominate the performing arts. 

Fast-forward roughly 350 years, and the performing arts are still bending the rules of gender! Not three years after my role in Cinderella Undone, my voice teacher did a performance of Cendrillon by Jules Massenet, in which her prince was played by a female mezzo. Please note, my voice teacher was not Joyce DiDonato.

So many people have this grand misconception that women can't play male roles, and vice versa for men. That is simply not the case. Artists, whether you are a musician, director, dancer, visual artist, etc., we all have a weakness for beauty. If it is more aesthetically pleasing to have a woman sing the role of a prince, then so it shall be. And if you think that's radical, wait 'til I tell you about Dr. Frank-N-Furter...

Simon's "Music of the Americas"

 How It's Made: Have you ever seen the show How It's Made? Spoiler alert: it's an entire show telling you how things are made. In our Music of Diverse Cultures Class, we were discussing some of the traditional instruments used in South America. One of them was the charango, which our professor graciously pointed out was (traditionally) made from dead armadillos. It got me thinking, how is the rest of the instrument made? What about other traditional instruments like the panpipe (also known as la antara, or siku)? I did some digging and discovered that not only was the shell made of armadillo, the strings of the charango were made from animal tendons, as pointed out in this article. There was another website that I visited to learn more about the charango, but ended up being educated on armadillos and their defense mechanisms. Did you know there are at least 20 species of these hard-bodied creatures? As I mentioned before, I also became incredibly curious about how panpipes were made. They actually seem pretty straightforward once you get the motions down, as you can see in the video below. Wayra Nan, a maker of 32 different instruments, guides us through his process. You too could be an instrument maker - all you need is straws, scissors, clay and something to hold the straws together!

Native American Vocal Technique: As a musician, I am constantly listening and analyzing sounds around me, even if it isn't music. More specifically, as a singer, I analyze voices. If you've ever talked or sung around me, it's a safe bet that I have made conclusions about your voice. Needless to say, when we started exploring Native American music, I noticed two things right off the bat: the rhythm of their music, and their voices! Because so much of their music is communal, the melodies are not overly complicated, and are small in range. However, that does not mean that you are equipped to sing them. If I tried employing some of the technique that Native American singers do, I would either die of a heart attack or my voice teacher would kill me; not sure which one would happen first. One of the foundational things we learn as singers is to simply let the air flow, and allow your voice to do what it's going to do. Native American vocalists approach singing differently. As you will read in this article, Native Americans rely heavily on the strength of the muscles in their voice, and less on air flow. You can observe the very muscular sound in the video below:

Teach Me How to Dougie: When it comes to Native American culture and music, how can you not mention their dances? Such energy, such reverence to nature, such vibrancy cannot go unnoticed. I had the opportunity to witness a traditional Native American dancer in Cherokee, North Carolina and the amount of stamina it took to perform the way he did was staggering. Because dancing is such an integral part of their culture, Native Americans don't just stick to one dance in one setting to one song. Nay, they have many different dances for different occasions. Are we dancing for fun? Or are we honoring Mother Earth? Are we around a fire, or are we in an open plane? Is it just one person, or are we in a group? What are we wearing? Read all about it here. I also invite you to watch the video below, which is a prime example of traditional Native American dance (notice the woman's dress and how it's a part of the music).

And because I now have it stuck in my head, you get to listen to "Teach Me How To Dougie":

Simon's Musical Culture

Hello Friends! My name is Simon Mishler, and I am a tenor studying Voice Performance at Converse College. My parents have always told me that I was born singing, and haven't stopped since. Throughout the years I've flirted with other instruments like piano and clarinet, but my pride and joy is voice. Although my greatest passion is singing, my goal is not to be a performer - I dream of being a voice professor at a college. 

A lot of my childhood and most of my adult life has been spent in Detroit, where jazz, blues and soul are prominent fixtures of the city. These genres have been powerful influencers in how I sing, and how I approach music in general. In fact, my first professional gig was performing "an evening of jazz" at the opening of an art gallery in Detroit. I was 13, and me and the other singer had no rehearsals with the band. Whichever one of us was singing at the time would tell the band the name of the song and the key, and we would see what happens. I opened with "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess, in B-flat. It wasn't a disaster.

This is the exact video I used to inspire my performance - I can't actually believe I found it.

1. An example of music that is important to me: Anyone who knows me knows that "my thing" is Judy Garland. I've seen all her movies, all episodes of her show, listened to all her music, and I collect her memorabilia. I even have tattooed the title of her last movie (I Could Go On Singing) and a Bluebird, referencing a quote from her first movie; "If happy little bluebirds fly above the rainbow, why oh why can't I?". There are many people who share my love for Judy Garland, although I border on the obsessive, and yet it seems no one can explain their infatuation. We all just connect with her music and her story. I think my love for her started with her first movie, Wizard of Oz, where she guided us with music through a land of dreams and beauty. 

Her first movie (skip to 0:50 if you want to just hear the song): 

And her last movie (skip to 0:55 for the song): 

2. An example of music that has gotten me through 2020: "Vocalise" by Rachmoninov is a very popular piece, and I had heard it plenty before the pandemic hit. However, it never resonated with me the way it did after living through the dumpster fire that was 2020. It's like when you meet a guy who is a solid 6, but he jumps to a 9.5 when you find out he's emotionally available and a feminist. The "Vocalise" was always unquestionably beautiful, but I discovered that it carries us through every emotion from its beginning to its end. Although there are no words, you can hear the anger, you can hear the desperation, the yearning, and the relief. This is a piece that you should listen to in a quiet place, with an open mind and open ears.

3. Simon Says "No" to this music: I can't say I don't like an entire genre, because there will imminently be a song within that genre that I do like. I typically don't turn on the radio and blast country, I rarely have a hankering for techno, alas I can usually find something to appreciate about any piece of music. However, I have been known to flee aggressively from "Never Be The Same" by Camilla Cabello. There is not a single redeeming aspect of that song, in my opinion. I think it sits in an uncomfortable part of her voice, the lyrics are unfortunate (at best), and the melodic composition is lazy. Even thinking about the song has my heart racing with fury. I will reluctantly include a link to the song below: