Stu Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 (edited) I think that for most of the audience, "The Chairman Dances" will just be a catchy tune that they've never heard before or at best remember SCV playing six years ago: for those people, it is absolute rather than programmatic music. Interesting; so you mean it would be similar to a corps using the song ‘Fancy’ by Reba McEntire simply because it has a catchy melodic hook; and it really just does not matter if the DCI audience ever realizes it is actually a story about a mother who desires, and pushes, her daughter to go into prostitution. Edited February 6, 2014 by Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mingusmonk Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 (edited) Imagine reading about the following show concept/design with the one odd musical injection, and you may see the disjunctive nature I found when I read about the current Blue Stars show concept/design: 'The Depths of Romance: From Tragedy and Longing to Bliss and Joy' Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet – Tchaikovsky I Will Always Love You- Olivia Newton John Doctor Zhivago Ovature - Maurice Jarre I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton and/or Whitney Houston Just Kiss Me - Harry Connick Jr. Powaqqatsi - Philip Glass I like this example. I'm guessing that Powaqqatsi is the one that is out of place? Maybe? Because of it not being love-oriented or something? It is a great example because it has been sampled and used in various media settings outside of the film Powaqqatsi. I really like how it captures a feeling in Truman Show regardless of the fact in has no reference to the original context. Edited February 6, 2014 by mingusmonk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Interesting; so you mean it would be similar to a corps using the song ‘Fancy’ by Reba McEntire simply because it has a catchy melodic hook; and it really just does not matter if the DCI audience ever realizes it is actually a story about a mother who desires, and pushes, her daughter to go into prostitution. Yes, that would be a comparable situation. If most of the audience likes the melody (and the performance thereof) and doesn't know the lyrics or doesn't find the implications of the lyrics jarring in the adaptation, then those lyrics don't matter ... to them. I guess you'd be shaking your head in disbelief while the crowd went wild. I've enjoyed quite a few popular songs whose lyrics I can't understand because they aren't enunciated particularly clearly. There are other pop songs I might enjoy if the singers mumbled more, because the tunes are pleasant while the lyrics are so bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjordansc Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Classic example of thread hijacking. Looking forward to enjoying the Blue Stars this summer. Reaching the 50 year milestone is an incredible accomplishment. Congratulations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I like this example. I'm guessing that Powaqqatsi is the one that is out of place? Maybe? Because of it not being love-oriented or something? It is a great example because it has been sampled and used in various media settings outside of the film Powaqqatsi. I really like how it captures a feeling in Truman Show regardless of the fact in has no reference to the original context. Glad you brought up the movie The Truman Show!!!! Thank You!!!! The term Powaqqatsi is a word which means: "An entity, a way of life, that consumes the life forces of other beings in order to further its own life". If you notice where the Powaqqatsi theme actually appears in the movie The Truman Show it is at the moment Truman realizes his life is somehow being manipulated, or consumed, by a source outside of his frame of experience; and in fact Marlon (Noah Emmerich), and all the cast, characters, and production crew involved with the 'TV production of The Truman Show' are actually engaging in Powaqqatsi type behavior by consuming and manipulating the life of Truman to further their own life!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Yes, that would be a comparable situation. If most of the audience likes the melody (and the performance thereof) and doesn't know the lyrics or doesn't find the implications of the lyrics jarring in the adaptation, then those lyrics don't matter ... to them. I guess you'd be shaking your head in disbelief while the crowd went wild. I've enjoyed quite a few popular songs whose lyrics I can't understand because they aren't enunciated particularly clearly. There are other pop songs I might enjoy if the singers mumbled more, because the tunes are pleasant while the lyrics are so bad! Yes, I would be shaking my head. And I take it by your position that you are fine if the DCI audience remains ignorant to any and all source materials used by corps so long as they garner enjoyment from their ignorance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Classic example of thread hijacking. Not hijacking; just seeking a lucid connection to the disjunctive aspects of how a chart which depicts the wife of Chairman Mao crashing a party and dancing with a portrait image of Mao relates to the concept of Blue Stars being a place of ‘Home, Heart, and Family’. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mingusmonk Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Glad you brought up the movie The Truman Show!!!! Thank You!!!! The term Powaqqatsi is a word which means: "An entity, a way of life, that consumes the life forces of other beings in order to further its own life". If you notice where the Powaqqatsi theme actually appears in the movie The Truman Show it is at the moment Truman realizes his life is somehow being manipulated, or consumed, by a source outside of his frame of experience; and in fact Marlon (Noah Emmerich), and all the cast, characters, and production crew involved with the 'TV production of The Truman Show' are actually engaging in Powaqqatsi type behavior by consuming and manipulating the life of Truman to further their own life!!! I get it. But ... ironically, .... the Anthem is being played as Truman is determining his own life direction and begins the journey of his own singular force instead of being the life force consumed by others. The opposite of Powaqqatsi is happening. He is breaking down Powaqqatsi. If you get the reference, it's quaint ... at the most. The use of the anthem sounds like an awakening. A theme that grows and bubbles into a more positive force as it develops. Irrespective of the context ... it sounds "right." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corpsband Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 (edited) Yes, I would be shaking my head. And I take it by your position that you are fine if the DCI audience remains ignorant to any and all source materials used by corps so long as they garner enjoyment from their ignorance. So music has no value unless you completely understand the context of it's origin and composer's intent? Balderdash!! The audience isn't ignorant of the music -- they've LISTENED to it. One of the most WONDERFUL things about music is that it can be understood and appreciated WITHOUT any foreknowledge on the part the listener. It can and does speak for itself. Your headshaking is precisely the sort of elitist nonsense at which you constantly (pretend to?) rail. Your entire commentary in this thread is just silly. Go back two squares. Edited February 6, 2014 by corpsband 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 So music has no value unless you completely understand the context of it's origin and composer's intent? Balderdash!! The audience isn't ignorant of the music -- they've LISTENED to it. One of the most WONDERFUL things about music is that it can be understood and appreciated WITHOUT any foreknowledge on the part the listener. It can and does speak for itself. Your headshaking is precisely the sort of elitist nonsense at which you constantly (pretend to?) rail. Your entire commentary in this thread is just silly. Go back two squares. The members of the audience may have listened to the music; but if they are not aware of the composer's intent for a piece of 'programmatic', not 'absolute', but 'programmatic' music they are still in a state of ignorance. Ignorance is merely lack of knowledge; and if the audience is made aware of the original composers intent of a programmatic piece of music the audience is no longer ignorant and will, in turn, have a deeper enjoyment of what the composer intended. Or, the audience will be confused by the musical choices which create disjunctive story-telling communication. That is not elitist but educational. By the way, this is why I rather despise the nature of DCI shows becoming more and more story-telling ‘programmatic’ in nature where the audience needs to be aware of the background, especially the in-depth historical background of something like Cabaret Voltaire and the Dada movement, to really grasp some of these modern DCI shows. I am not a dinosaur seeking back to better times, but I do wish DCI would get out of this ‘the show concept/design has to tell a story’ and just present ‘absolute music’ non-programmatic show designs with great choreography and drill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.