The End …
Thank you for all your hard work!
Twenty-three different tunes with lots of great discussion, imaginative ideas and some brilliant dance moves.
This has been a great activity – I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
You can go back through all the cards here to find your favourites and listen to them again. Maybe the wordclouds will remind you of some that you really liked?
Week 23 (tune of the Month for July)
"I Go Swimming" (about 1982) by Peter Gabriel
I thought you might like this cheerful and lively song as a summer special just before the holidays.
Peter Gabriel's rock music fame began when he was the lead singer of the band Genesis. Leaving them in 1975, he started a very successful solo career which continues to this day – he is still performing strongly at the age of 73: I went to see him at the O2 a few weeks ago. He was fantastic!
"I Go Swimming" is not on any of Peter Gabriel's regular studio albums, but appears on a Plays Live compilation released in 1983. I enjoy the way it just takes simple pleasure in a swim – there is no great rock complexity here! We used to play it on the way to my own kids' swimming every week for years ... I know many of you enjoyed it too.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is the "I Go Swimming" that we listened to in class, on ❗YouTube. All we can see is the album sleeve artwork, a photo of Peter Gabriel in his spectacular concert makeup, but we hear the whole song. I have not yet found a really good video of him performing the song.
Codeword for having read this far (for dojos or just praise): FREESTYLE. Now please make sure you have a look at the wordcloud and the video!
Week 22 (tune of the Month for June)
Dvořák's String Quartet no. 12 – the American Quartet (1893), last movement
Antonin Dvořák (1841–1904) was from Prague in what is now the Czech Republic (or Czechia). From 1892 to to 1895 he was working (for a huge salary!) in New York City and he composed this quartet during one of his summer holdays from that job.
Dvořák was very interested in understanding and developing American sounds and ideas in music, and many people feel that you can hear it in this work, as well as in others by him from the same period.
You will remember from your Apollo Music Project sessions that a string quartet comprises two violins, a viola and a cello. The part that we listened to is the Finale, the last movement out of four, and it is marked (in Italian) Vivace ma non troppo which means "lively/fast – but not too much". So he is saying "go fast, but don't overdo it!" Have a look at the wordcloud for some of the amazing and interesting things you said.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is the Finale of Dvořák's American Quartet on❗YouTube, in a nice lively performance by the Dover Quartet with very clear sound and video. I hope you enjoy it.
Codeword for having read this far (for dojos or just praise): New York. Now please make sure you have a look at the wordcloud and the video!
Week 21
"Happy" (2013) by Pharrell Williams
I think we said everything that needs to be said about this in class! Great reactions and dance moves.
Yes, it is from the Minions film Despicable Me 2, and the music video is wonderful. There is also a (much) bigger video project called 24 Hours of Happy, which is well worth a look.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is Happy on ❗YouTube with the lovely video. Enjoy!
Week 20
"St. Louis Blues" (1930 ish) played by Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong (1901–1971) was a seriously important and influential jazz trumpet player from the United States city of New Orleans. You really can't overestimate his importance in the development of jazz and therefore in music history in the US and worldwide. I remember in 1971 when he died … it was a sad day for trumpet players everywhere.
We listened to Louis Armstrong in a recording from around 1930 or a year or two later, playing "St. Louis Blues".
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
This is the "St. Louis Blues" that we listened to in class, on ❗YouTube. This one just shows you the record sleeve and label, but it is nice to listen to.
This ❗other version is different, and quite fun, and shows a very old-school record player in action! Whichever you choose, I hope you enjoy it.
Week 19
"Yellow Submarine" (1966): The Beatles
Great excitement over this popular favourite!
I was amazed and impressed by children's knowledge of the music and culture of the 1960s.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "Yellow Submarine" on ❗YouTube, complete with its amazingly 1960s cartoon. Enjoy
Week 18
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (1808)
Here's a very well-known piece of classical music: the start of the Fifth Symphony by the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827).
People often just call this piece Beethoven 5.
We listened to the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (the German Chamber Philharmonic of Bremen), conducted by Paavo Järvi, playing the piece. We talked about the "Fate" rhythm, those dramatic four notes that we all know, and we wondered about whether a Ninth Symphony is an unlucky number for composers. (Well, no it isn't really, but it is a fun piece of superstition!)
The symphony was first performed in 1808 in Vienna, the capital city of Germany's neighbour, Austria.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is Symphony no. 5 on ❗YouTube played by the same people we listened to in class. It's a nice video with lots of playing action – what instruments do you see and hear?
Week 17
"Yuba" (1940s?) played by Rafael Méndez
Rafael Méndez (1906–1981) was a virtuoso trumpet player from Jiquilpan in Mexico. He moved to the US when he was 20 and had a stellar career in concerts, recordings and film music. You could buy a trumpet with his name on, or a tutor book by him – he was a very important artist. In this track you hear him playing high and fast! Enjoy.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is Méndez playing "Yuba" on ❗YouTube. When we listened to this in class we left out the first 40 seconds and jumped straight to where the trumpet comes in, but you might like to hear it all. Also, there is another bit we missed, which you might enjoy – check out what happens at about 1:30 in where there is a sudden total change of scene and it turns into ... well, I really don't know, what do you think? If you would like help finding it, ❗this is a direct link to that moment.
Week 16
"A'Abirsikkah" (1991) performed by the Abdel Gadir Salim All-Stars
A brilliant tune with wonderful singing and instrumental parts. Abdel Gadir Salim is a Sudanese superstar, and I think you can hear why.
Here's an interesting thing: it's from Sudan, and lots of the comments along those lines are relevant and often very close. But why did so many people mention Ireland or Scotland? They do have a point ... what is it? Listen again, especially before the singing starts. Dojos for thoughtful comments!
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "A'Abirsikkah" on ❗YouTube – have a look at the album cover photo ... what instruments do you see?
Week 15
"Plant Island" (2012?) from My Singing Monsters
"Everything here is alive!"
This really got some people moving. A great song from a video game that first came out in 2012: (I am not sure when this song was recorded).
"A note becomes a chord,
becomes a phrase,
becomes a melody
And a note becomes a monster ..."
A big big thank you to Hafsa for telling me about this song!
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "Plant Island!" on ❗YouTube – a very busy video with lots of performers doing their various, complicated, amazing things. Enjoy!
Week 14
"El Muerto Vivo" (1966) sung by Peret
A complicated Spanish story in a song – well done if you said Spain. or pretty much anything connected with its language and music. That's most of you, so good work everyone!
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "El Muerto Vivo!" on ❗YouTube – a fantastic performance with an exciting street scene, lots of people enjoying a dance, and some great brass!
Week 13
"Hallelujah!" (1992) conducted by Quincy Jones, from Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration based on the 1741 original
It was very interesting to revisit an old piece of music in a new version. Most people liked it but if you look carefully you will also find a few thoughtful but negative remarks. I really appreciate these people too! Some people hate cover versions and some love them. I wasn't too sure about this when I first heard it and now I think it is pretty amazing … the conductor, Quincy Jones, is one of my favourite artists.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "Hallelujah!" on ❗YouTube – it shows you photos of some of the really top African-American artists who are singing.
Week 12
"Work Song" (1960) by Nat Adderley, recorded by Rico Rodriguez in ?1995
I love this. Judging by the dancing, so did you! Rico was one of the first non-classical brass players on whom I was really keen. He had lots of his own albums out but his trombone playing was all over other people's songs in the 1980s.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "Work Song" on ❗YouTube – I am sorry it is only a nice photo and not a video, but you can enjoy listening to the whole track, with some fantastic playing!
History note: the names and dates above are the best I could get them but if you find better information, please let me know!
Week 11
"Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copland (1942)
Here's something a bit different from the seasonal jollity! A huge fanfare for brass and percussion, written during the Second World War to inspire and support people. Did it inspire you?
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is the Fanfare on ❗YouTube, performed as a sort-of flashmob by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra at Dublin Airport!
Again, I wanted to find one for you that I absolutely loved and this is not quite it (anyone for a bit of diversity ?) but it is close, and the flashmob format makes it more fun. Enjoy!
Week 10
"Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson (1948)
We enjoyed this seasonal hit from the last century – a great tune that is full of clever sound effects to help move the sleigh along.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "Sleigh Ride" on ❗YouTube, performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra
Note: I couldn't find a performance that I really loved and that had good video of the orchestra too … this one has great playing but just shows you a montage of Christmas cards: sorry! But if you listen right through you will hear all the things we talked about.
Whinny-note … and as a bonus, I know that many of you were very interested by the horse whinny near the end, so here is a demo from a university trumpet professor on ❗YouTube, explaining it very clearly.
Here is how it looks in the trumpet part – you can probably see it bigger if you click the little picture, then come Back to here:
Brass lessons begin as soon as school starts, in the first week back, but we will save the next Tune of the Week for the week after that, otherwise too many people will miss it.
Week 9
"Ability" by Radio and Weasel, the Goodlyfe Crew, featuring Rabadaba (2009)
Magic … really??
An uplifting, cheerful song about opportunity and ability and going for it when you get the chance. It's a bit older than you, and a lot younger than me!
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "Ability" on a ❗Ugandan music service.
Check back here soon for our next Tune of the Week!
Week 8
"Hallelujah" from Messiah by George Frideric Handel (1741)
Amazing! It seems as if everybody knows this tune! We had interesting discussions about why this is … we don't think it's the religion – it is just incredibly well-known and gets used for all sorts of things beside its original purpose.
Lots of people wondered about the actual word "hallelujah". You might want to look it up for yourself but I can tell you that it is from Hebrew and is very old – way older than Christianity! It's a sort of general shout of praise and joy ... which again works well with all those ads, jokes and memes as well as in the original.
Click the little wordcloud to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "Hallelujah" on ❗YouTube, performed by The Sixteen, directed by Harry Christophers in this 2008 recording.
I wonder what our next Tune of the Week will be about?
Week 7
"Take the 'A' Train" by the Duke Ellington orchestra (1942)
Lots of people had very clear ideas about this jazzy American dance-band music. It was great to see children enjoying this very popular old tune.
Click the little picture to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is "Take the 'A' Train" on ❗YouTube, being played by the same orchestra in 1962, twenty years after their big hit with it. Enjoy!
Week 6
"Taboo" by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Peter Gabriel (released 2005)
Some very strong singing, and some very interesting reactions ...
Click the little picture to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is the whole song on ❗YouTube. It is quite long: in class we listened to the first minute, roughly.
Week 5
"Watts-Hoffmann Special" played by Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars
Can you hear how this maybe sounds a bit like our Klezmer warmup, no. 9? We don't go this fast, though!
Click the little picture to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is the whole tune on ❗YouTube. It's over pretty quickly – don't go and make tea or you'll miss it!
Week 4
Part of the "William Tell" Overture by Rossini (1829)
You know this one! Even if you think you don't ... there's a (very small) clue in the word cloud.
Click the little picture to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here it is on ❗YouTube in a clip from the film Brassed Off. This is a real band playing, but with actors too ... look out for Obi-Wan Kenobi playing the tenor horn!
Week 3
"Roll" by Fatai (2015)
My heart beats to the rhythm of thunder!
Click the little picture to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is the whole song on ❗YouTube.
Week 2
"Move On Up" by Curtis Mayfield (1970)
Just move on up
Toward your destination ...
Click the little picture to see a bigger version, then come Back here for more!
Here is the whole song on ❗YouTube.
Week 1
"Canzon Septimi Toni no. 2" by Giovanni Gabrieli (1597)
First you need a really big church, and lots of brass players ...
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Here is the whole piece on ❗YouTube.
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