Music Appreciation Monday #3 -- A little bit of Appalachian Spring

Tired of winter? Me too. So I was delighted to run into a little bit of Spring on Friday night... I had the pleasure of hearing the entirety of Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring during my Edmonton Symphony shift, and as I listened, I imagined the beauty of flowers popping out of the earth as we sometimes see in those time-lapse videos. They would be really wonderful set to Appalachian Spring!

Of course, the most familiar part of Copland's piece of orchestral music is The Shaker Song, known to the Shakers as "the dancing song" and written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett in or near Alfred, Maine, a Shaker village. 

In 1944, Maestro Copland incorporated the melody into his Appalachian Spring composition for the Martha Graham Ballet of the same title. 

In 1963, Sydney Carter turned it into The Lord of the Dance, and there have been many versions of the melody sung by everyone from Captain Tractor to Weezer, and, of course, danced to by many, many Irish dancers!

If you want to hear the entirety of Appalachian Spring, I recommend this video with Maestra Alondra de la Parra for the enjoyment of watching musicians do their thing (that's why I love symphony so much!), and imagining those flowers unfolding themselves from the ground. 

But for those who aren't so inclined, here's the melody of "Tis the Gift to Be Simple" as Copland adapted it, with the charming Shaker lyrics below.

Enjoy! 

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd

To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return

'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,

And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,

Then we'll all live together and learn to say, (Refrain)

'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,

'Tis the gift to think of others, not to only think of "me,"

And when we hear what others really think and really feel,

Then we'll all live together with a love that is real. (Refrain)

Monday music appreciation #1

Since Appreciation is my word of the year, I've decided to note things I appreciate here in my moodlings. And since music is one of the things in my life that really touches me (as if you haven't guessed that from just this past week's moodlings alone), I'm going with music appreciation Mondays, at least when I remember to or have the time.

There are a number of pieces of music vying for this Monday music appreciation spot at the moment, but I think I have to start with a classic, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. It was part of an Edmonton Symphony Orchestra concert shift I worked at on Friday night, and the guest conductor, Yaniv Dinur (who was quite funny), made introductory comments that helped me to understand the music better. 

(Note: many symphony orchestras have struggled with whether or not to play Tchaikovsky's music given the genocide Russia is perpetrating in Ukraine right now, but there is evidence to suggest that Tchaikovsky himself was a victim of the Russian Regime of his time. For this reason, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra has chosen to continue to play his music.)

Our conductor told us that Romeo and Juliet begins with a hymn-like theme to remind us of Shakespeare's Friar Lawrence (the go between for Romeo and Juliet), and moves to the clash (hear the swordplay?) between the Montagu and Capulet families. Then we hear one of the most famous romantic themes in classical music, followed by reminders of further clashes and a bit of funeral march before the romantic music returns, with a sadder ending, of course.

If you're buzzing about this week as I am, with many things to do, perhaps you might like to let this play in the background -- or, if you have time, plug in some headphones and let it flow through you, as symphony concerts are meant to do. (I like this BBC video for its movement between different London Symphony Orchestra musicians, and the obvious workout being put in by them and Maestro Valery Gergiev. For me it's worth watching, as I'm always fascinated by how orchestra members work together to create beauty, from tiny piccolos to tubas to tympani drums -- if only everyone in the world worked this way!) 

Either way you might choose to listen, enjoy!