Why I Love Music (Part I)

The other day I realized at least one reason why I really love music, and so I thought I would create a little series of posts on this topic. So, without further ado: #1: Music is not a material thing.

This is the thought that started this whole idea for me. I realized that amongst all the material goods that surround us (i.e. smartphones, computers, cars, houses, gadgets) there is music - just sound waves traveling through the air. Sure, you can record it and turn it into a tangible, possibly material thing, but that's not the point. The point is that music exists on a wavelength totally separate from our material-obsessed society.

When we sit there and marvel at the beauty of a piece of music, we aren't marveling at its monetary value, shiny exterior, or sex appeal. We are enamored solely with the sound itself and how it makes us feel. In our society today, we really have to dig our way through the material-saturated culture to find those things which possess inherent value beyond a tangible state. As our world grows even more focused on material items, music will remain. If all of our material things vanish, music will remain.

Stay tuned for Part II.

PS. I realized a piece of music to illustrate my point was probably in order. Thus, I give you Mahler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Px44IuVKM

Themes from the Vernacular

This evening, I turned on the CD player and put in a CD full of "American Music." I compiled the CD myself to celebrate the fourth of July last year, and interestingly, there are several pieces by non-american composers that appear on the CD.  Among these are Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World."

It's a work we often group into the "Americana" genre, as the nation of cowboys and colonials inspired the great work.  Infused throughout the work are many original themes that Dvorak wrote based on Native American and African American melodies he encountered in the US. The native Bohemian wrote the work in 1892 during his stint as head of the National Conservatory in New York.

The second movement of Dvorak's symphony is particularly well-known for its beautiful melody which was later popularized as a spiritual (Goin' Home).  It's interesting to think that Dvorak was attempting to write themes in the vain of spirituals, and that his original theme was later turned into a spiritual and became widely popular.  He obviously paid attention to what he was hearing around the country.

Many composers have drawn on folk songs and themes from the vernacular in their music.  However, not many have been able to create an original work which was later adopted as part of that vernacular.  It seems backwards, but in fact it shows the care and respect that Dvorak had for this music.  It is entirely possible to believe (if you don't know the history behind the work) that Dvorak's tune was in fact a spiritual that he borrowed - it fits all the criteria.  Although there is some speculation about this possibility, it's highly unlikely that Dvorak's tune existed before his pencil hit the paper.

Here's a video of Dvorak's wonderful second movement from Symphony No. 9 "From the New World."  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYl4Xb4cDQ8&hl=en_US&fs=1&