Author: seahr

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Johann Sebastian Bach

We’ve been look at many 20th century musicians last month, so we’re stepping back in time to study a composer who was born this month – Johann Sebastian Bach!  J.S. Bach is one of the most influential composers in history. His music has also been studied by mathematicians due to the structure, patterns, layers, and symmetry.

I’ve played numerous of his piano works. You’ve probably heard some of his compositions before:
– Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring from Cantata “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben” (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life) BWV 147
– Toccata and Fugue in D minor for organ
– The Well-Tempered Clavier (set of preludes and fugues, 24 in major key, 24 in minor key) for harpsichord: Prelude & Fugue in C Major
– 6 Brandenburg Concertos: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
– 6 Cello Suites: No. 1 is the most famous, but also listen to No. 5, 4th movement Sarabande (played by Yo-Yo Ma on September 11, 2002 at the site of the World Trade Center, while the first of the names of the dead were read in remembrance on the first anniversary of the attack)
– 6 Violin Sonatas and Partitas: Partita No. 2 (played by violinist Itzhak Perlman, paralyzed from contracting polio at age 4)
– Air on the G String
– Goldberg Variations: for harpsichord, an aria and 30 variations on the bass line and chord progression!
– Christmas Oratorio, originally performed in 6 installments
– Organ Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor
– St Matthew Passion (background: written to be used as part of a Lutheran church Good Friday service; worship, which used to be in Latin, was now in German – a language understood by the entire congregation)

Walk Off the Earth

In honour of Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday, I’m featuring a group called Walk Off the Earth. Following the death of Amanda Todd in 2012, they collaborated with several other Canadian musicians to re-record the song True Colors by Cynthia Lauper, with proceeds donated to Kids Help Phone. They started on Youtube and features mainly covers, often using uncommon instruments or found sounds.

Some songs we might be listening to this week:
– True Colors by Cynthia Lauper (collaboration with other Canadians musicians to form Artists Against Bullying; inspired by increase in bullying/cyberbullying and Amanda Todd‘s death, with proceeds donated to Kids Help Phone)
– Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye (5 people playing 1 guitar!)
– O Canada (not your typical picnic in the park!)
– Shape of You by Ed Sheeran (boomwhackers, kalimba, pop tubes, container of dried pasta, doing splits to play cymbals)
– Hello by Adele (whirly tubes, boomwhackers, bells, fly zippers, tap dancing, cymbal high kick)
– Shake It Off by Taylor Swift (kazoo, shakers, ukuleles, cajon)
– Savage Love by Jason Derulo & Jawsh 685 (ukulele tossing, toy piano, steel tongue drum, squeaky horns)
– Old Town Road by Lil Nas X (hand bells, mug, bowls of coins & guitar picks)
– Cheerleader by OMI (inside their tour bus)
– A History of The Beatles 1962-70 (20 songs in 7 minutes)

Stevie Wonder

To continue our study of Black History Month, this week’s feature musician is Stevie Wonder. Blind since shortly after his birth, Wonder was a child prodigy, signing with Motown’s Tamla label at the age of 11, and at age 13 became the youngest artist with a No. 1 single. He is also a social activist (short summary here) advocating for anti-racism, famine relief, AIDS awareness, and improving services for the blind and those with disabilities.

Some of his works we’re listening to this week:
– Isn’t She Lovely (written for his daughter, Aisha)
– I Just Called to Say I Love You (won an Oscar award for Best Original Song, which Stevie Wonder dedicated this to Nelson Mandela, and resulted in getting his music banned in South Africa)
– Happy Birthday (composed to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King‘s birthday, which Stevie Wonder dedicated 10 years to making a national American holiday)
– Ebony and Ivory (ebony is black wood and ivory is a white material made from animal tusks/teeth, materials used to make a piano; symbolizes black and white people living in harmony; sung with Paul McCartney from The Beatles)
– Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing (featured in the animated movie Sing)
– Sir Duke (we play this in FAT Jazz too! It was written for Duke Ellington, the pianist we saw in It Don’t Mean a Thing with Ella Fitzgerald, and the lyrics mention several jazz giants)
– Superstition
– As
– Living for the City
– Faith (with Ariana Grande, also featured in the movie Sing)

He’s performed in the 1999 Superbowl Halftime, for Queen Elizabeth II in 2012, for President Barack Obama, and holds many honours, including 22 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grammy Award for lifetime achievement, Gershwin prize for Popular Song, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

BC Chinese Music Association

In anticipation of Lunar New Year coming up on Friday, this week’s Musician of the Week is our local BC Chinese Music Association! When I was studying at UBC, I learned how to play this ancient Chinese instrument called zheng in an orchestra led by professor Alan Thrasher:

 

Traditional Chinese instruments in the BC Chinese Orchestra include:
Erhu & Huqin (similar to western stringed instruments like violin, viola)
Pipa and Ruan (similar to a guitar)
Yangqin (similar to a piano)
Zheng (also called guzheng, like a sideways harp)
Dizi & Flutes (similar to western flutes)
Sheng (similar to a harmonica)
Suona & Guan (similar to an oboe)
Percussion instruments
Western instruments: cello, double bass, percussion

For those of you taking private lessons outside of school and have learned to play a major scale: Chinese (and many Asian) music use the pentatonic scale (leaves out the 4th and 7th notes of the major scale).

This week, we’ll listen to some of the pieces listed below:
– The Battle of Typhoon (featuring my friend, Michelle Kwan, on zheng, performing at Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby)
– Ambush on all Sides (pipa solo)
– Princess Wencheng (featuring the sheng)
– The Legend of White Snake (featuring the dizi)
– Tiger Grinding Teeth (featuring percussion instruments)
– The Butterfly Lovers (featuring erhu, originally written for a western orchestra as a violin concerto; based on a legend similar to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, called The Butterfly Lovers)
– Yellow River Concerto (featuring the western piano, originally written to a western orchestra)
– Rising Higher (a lucky message for the New Year)
– Spring Arrives at the Qing River (yangqin solo)
– Picking Red Dates (Suona trio, a lucky food for New Year)
– Super Mario Brothers Theme (a fun piece arranged for Chinese Orchestra)

Ostinato Project #2

Your objective is to make a themed skit using 2 rhythm patterns: one is a group ostinato, and the other one is your own solo. Your group ostinato and solo each needs to be 16 beats long, and each box on your handout means one beat. You have the freedom of deciding how to format your ostinato presentation. You must make a minimum of 3 sounds on the item that you are using. For example, in the Stomp Brooms video below, the 3 sounds are 1) sweep, 2) hit broom bristles on the ground, 3) tap sides of broom on ground…or in the Basketball video, 1) dribble on ground, 2) hit ball with hand, 3) bounce ball against wall. Be creative about your theme/storyline. You will have to bring in props from home or sanitize anything you borrow at school (e.g. basketballs).

Examples:
– Stomp: Brooms (part 1), Basketball, Kitchen, Newspapers
– Cowboys
– Garbage cans

We also watched some student examples from my husband’s middle school, with themes like: sushi restaurant, library, studying in the hall, and kitchen. I can’t share them online, so let me know if you’d like to watch any of them again for an idea of what the finished product should look like.