POP Goes the Classical
2013; Routledge; Volume: 69; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2769-4046
Autores Tópico(s)Theater, Performance, and Music History
ResumoI CONSIDER IT UNIQUE BLESSING that I was reared by two parents who happened to be professional musicians and singing teachers in New York City in mid-1940s. I consider it an even greater blessing that they both enjoyed and taught many styles of singing. For example, my father's resume included a stint in early touring production of Barney Google where nightly, he stopped show with his rendition of Yes, We Have No Bananas.Opera, oratorio, art song, sacred song, music theater, jazz, pop, and folk all had a place in their studio at Ansonia Hotel, where they shared a floor with Met opera stars, Lauritz Melchior and Bidu Sayao. To paraphrase a Rodgers and Hammerstein classic lyric, the hotel was alive with sound of and I was one of beneficiaries of those sounds.Throughout my professional career I have attempted to find art, truth, and entertainment in all music I sing and teach. challenge has been to delineate technical and performance requirements for each style. In March of 1997, I wrote in my then Bach to Rock Connection column in Journal of Singing a piece called The Alternative Recital in which I described performances where I programmed most of aforementioned singing styles and brought them all under one roof. In article I said, Aside from exploring my own musical diversity, I'm trying to get classically focused people to hear classical influences in popular music, and to lead those people who prefer popular music to recognize musical roots which lie in classical repertoire.In recent years, pianist and accompanist Joseph Krupa and I have been exploring classical/CCM connection with a recital called POP Goes Classical! In a nutshell, Mr. Krupa, a gifted and passionate musician, plays select classical piano pieces. Mr. Edwin then sings popular songs those piano pieces inspired. With potential to bring two very diverse audiences together to celebrate their own and each other's musical aesthetics, project had its premiere on April Fool's Day in 2006 at Calvin Hall in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Both artists were garbed to reflect classical and pop disciplines: tux jacket, shirt, and bow tie over jeans and sneakers.Although there is a vast collection of pop songs that owe their genesis to classical composers (e.g., musical Kismet borrowed from Borodin, Elvis's hit Can't Help Falling In Love born of Martini's Plaisir d'amour, as well as countless tunes shooting out from Pachelbel's Canon in D), Joseph and I decided to adhere exclusively to piano-based pieces. Since he had played most of them and I had sung most of them, preparation time was dramatically reduced.Our current program starts with Joseph playing Petzold's Minuet in G major. I join him later as piece becomes A Lover's Concerto by Linzer and Randall, a big hit for Toys in 1965. Without a pause, Joseph segues into J.S. Bach's Prelude in C major which, in turn, segues into Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.Next comes Rondo from Clementi's Sonatina, Op. 36, No.5 in G major which produced Mindbender's hit, A Groovy Kind of Love in 1966. Two Chopin pieces follow, first being Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Opus 28 which spawned 1970s Manilow/ Anderson hit, Could It Be Magic. Chopin's Polonaise in A[musical flat], major, Opus 53 is source for Kaye/Mossman 1945 hit, Till End of Time, but Joseph and I opt for its use in Stahlhuth/Edwin musical comedy, Saga of Sam's Saloon, in which character, Lucretia, who believes she is deserted wife of Chopin, sings passionate (and very funny) lament, Frederic to her lost love. …
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