Traces of religious messages can be found just about everywhere in life. Sometimes it requires a finely tuned ear to fully grasp or understand them; however, this is not the case with The Muppet Christmas Carol. There are explicit references and plot lines that directly relate to biblical themes. Two very prominent themes in this movie that can be found in all four New Testament Gospels are: help those in need when possible (stewardship), and forgiveness. Stewardship is seen when Scrooge is urged not only to donate money to those in need, but even in the scene when Kermit asks him for a just extra shovel of coal on the fire to offset the coldness in the shop.…
Music has been invariably elucidated throughout history altering the definition of what is considered melodic, and revolutionizing the manner in which pieces are composed and one of the most prominent periods of musical transformations was the 17th century. It was during these influential times in which music was subjected to the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, both signifying turbulent times for the church and both fundamental in the salvation of polyphonic musical composition as we know it today. Composer John Jenkins’s Fantasia is a prime example of a piece born on the scrupulous limitations of this era. Fantasia No. 13 is a piece scored for chordophones, most particularly a string quartet with double bass, the arrangement…
Then the horns and xylophone were added in. The flute soloist would play one song and the rest of the instruments were playing a different one, it actually sounded really cool. At one point it all the sudden got really loud and violent with horns and trumpets playing. The song ended with the flute playing quietly and the the rest of the instrument slowing joining in. The third song was Horner Triptych.…
Alexis Cornelius Prof. Wood 3 December 2015 MU 2313 Critique Project Film: Scrooged The comedy Scrooged was released in 1988 and was written by Mitch Glazer, Michael O’Donagough and Charles Dickens. Twisting up the Christmas classic of a Christmas Carrol, Scrooged, follows a very successful film director named Frank Cross through a ghost filled journey to try and retrieve his Christmas spirit and fix the wrongs of his past.…
Everyone remembers the classic fairy tale The Sleeping Beauty, but few have experienced the fascinating twist that is presented by the Moscow Festival Ballet. Directed by Sergei Radchenko, the audience is left on the edge of their seat at every stage of the three act performance; from the curse set on The Sleeping Beauty to the moment she falls in love and gets married. The captivating story of the Sleeping Beauty (Princess Aurora) involves multiple elements that all add to the success of the performance in their own unique way, which create a wonderful work of art. This is precisely why Marius Petipa’s choroeogrphy is considered to be at the top of the spectrum when it comes to classical ballet. More specifically, these elements include Tchaikovsky’s musical talent which sets the tone for the performance, the vibrant costume design which draws the audience’s full attention, and finally the character development of Princess Aurora which sends her on an imaginative journey to eventually fall in love.…
Who doesn’t love a Technicolor Christmas party!? I hope that everyone out there who does, will enjoy this collection of scans. I decided to share this booklet of holiday party recipes produced by 7Up in 1962. I adore the kitschy photos, quirky fonts and period illustrations that are seen throughout. While it only has 8 pages (including the cover), it is packed with awesomeness!…
The effects of music in one’s culture is inviolable, it is a form of art that affects us in every aspect of our lives, playing an important role in communication and learning. According to Ludwig Van Beethoven, “music can change the world,” meaning to say, musical transformations leads to changes not only in its field but also in every individual of our culture. Meanwhile, in today’s society, most music produced is accompanied by videos which can be either a concept video or a performance video of the artist (American Academy of Pediatrics. 2009, 1488).…
The song Jing-A-Bells James Pierpont, arr. Earlene Rentz, is a stylish remaster of the traditional Jingle Bells song. It features separate moving parts with distinct harmonies. Within the song, listen for small snippets of the original Jingle Bells song. This piece has an uplifting beat that sparks a sense of cheer in your heart, Enjoy!…
For the rest of the song, the trombone player and Armstrong exchange vocal lines. Towards the end of the song, they are solely scat singing. The back-and-forth reminds me of the discussion we had in class about having impromptu conversations. The two musicians are really playing off of each other’s words. The walking bass and drums set up a consistent beat, with the piano harmonizing and clarinet almost playing as a “third-wheel” to the two vocalists.…
According to the article, “I won. I’m sorry”, Author Mariah Burton Nelson discuss that females are being pressured to act a certain way in society. As states in the first few paragraphs, she explains how athletes are going by the ‘final rule’. Mariah states, “Beauty and vulnerability seem to be as important to today’s female athlete as brawn and gold medals.” Although a female athlete is playing sports that make them look a bit masculine, at the end, all they regard to be gaining the males approval of their femininity.…
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a song originally written and recorded by the Grunge band Nirvana in 1991 on their “Nevermind” album and is considered to be one of the most influential songs the band had written during their time. One year later, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was covered by singer-songwriter Tori Amos for her “Crucify” EP. While the cover may be extremely different from the original, there are still some elements that are similar among both versions. In contrast, both Nirvana and Amos play different styles of music which would change how the song is viewed by their respective audiences. Although the lyrics, in general, are the same, the overall meaning and mood of the song is different based which artist is playing the song.…
American Overture for Band is a level six, wind band, piece that has been played and enjoyed by advanced high school and university bands. The scoring is dense and somewhat atypical, however. Jenkins includes a sting bass, a cello, three baritone parts, three flute parts, and four clarinet and trombone parts. Jenkins includes the string bass part because is important to the texture of the piece. The tuba cues, like all the cues in the piece, are “safety doublings” and “should be played only in the absence of the instrument shown”.…
“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flow from heaven to the soul (Monet). ” Feeling good was originally written in 1965, by Nina Simone. This song has been used in the popular culture such as, “Point of No Return” and “Six Feet Under”. A song cover was later done by Jennifer Hudson in 2011, and Lauryn Hill in 2015.…
Upon seeing A Christmas Carol on the night of Friday, November 18th, I had what I thought to be a firm understanding of the Charles Dicken’s classic. It was until the show was over that I realized my previous interpretation was completely senseless, with little to no opinion deriving beyond the script. As I dove into the performance in the Joan C, Edwards playhouse, I made personal connections that I had never made before when watching other adaptions of A Christmas Carol, in particular Scrooge (1970), my father’s favorite. Every detail of this performance aided in my overwhelming positive review, asserting this play as my favorite of all the revisions I have seen.…
The 2004 movie, The Phantom of the Opera, is based off the original 1986 musical that was produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The actual movie is also produced by Webber and is directed by Joel Schumacher. It was released in the United States in December of 2004 and has been a hit ever since. The musical is still very popular and is performed on stages across the world to this day. Each musical scene in The Phantom of the Opera is sung in opera, so one has to have a special talent to perform.…