In a few hours, I will begin a long overdue trip to my much beloved home on the rolling plains. To mark the occasion, the Pax Plena song of the week is none other than Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic show tune Oklahoma!
Oddly, one of my favorite performances of the musical took place at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts- a veritable mecca of culture nestled just outside of Washington, D.C. The cast was full of bright, young actors who struggled as best they could to capture an Oklahoma accent. It was a bit too muggy to watch a musical in the summer, as I recall, but the closing chorus makes every performance worth while.
Of course, no performance of Oklahoma! is more memorable than the one preformed by the Walters High School Varsity Choir during my sophomore year. A fun fact for the Pax Plena faithful- yours truly sang baritone throughout my high school days, and played the small role of Judge Andrew Carnes in said production.
Perhaps law school was always in the cards after all.
Given my exodus from the desert, blogging will be light over the course of the next few days. I will do my best to post as time allows. In the interim, please enjoy the Pax Plena song of the week, and the coolest State Song in land, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! By Rodgers & Hammerstein
Eller: They couldn’t pick a better time as that in life
Andrew: It ain’t too early and it ain’t too late
Laurey: Startin’ as a farmer with a brand new wife
Curley: Soon’ll be livin’ in a brand new state
Company: Brand new state! Brand new state, gonna treat you great! Gonna give you barley, carrots and pertaters, Pasture fer the cattle, Spinach and termayters! Flowers on the prarie where the June bugs zoom, Plen’y of air and plen’y of room, Plen’y of room to swing a rope! Plen’y of heart and plen’y of hope.
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain And the wavin’ wheat can sure smell sweet When the wind comes right behind the rain. Oklahoma, Ev’ry night my honey lamb and I Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk Makin’ lazy circles in the sky.
We know we belong to the land And the land we belong to is grand! And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay! We’re only sayin’ You’re doin’ fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma O.K.
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain And the wavin’ wheat can sure smell sweet When the wind comes right behind the rain. Oklahoma, Ev’ry night my honey lamb and I Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk Makin’ lazy circles in the sky.
We know we belong to the land And the land we belong to is grand! And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay! We’re only sayin’ You’re doin’ fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma O.K.
We know we belong to the land And the land we belong to is grand! And when we say Yeeow! Ayipioeeay! We’re only sayin’ You’re doin’ fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma O.K. L – A – H – O – M – A OKLAHOMA! Yeeow!
The monsoons have finally arrived here in Tucson. After a long, sun-parched summer, and with a trip to Oklahoma looming, I can think of no better song of the week, for this Tuesday in particular, than George Strait’s A Better Rain.
Taken from the 2006 album It Just Comes Natural, the melody of the song mixes pensive and optimistic sounds to create a wistful tribute to life and change. What makes the sound unique, in a style specific to George Strait, is its simple use of the fiddle and acoustic guitar. Few instruments are more evocative of such melancholic emotions.
But what really makes the song special is its lyrics. All country lyrics tell a story. Yet, the story in this song happens to be especially true to life. Sung in the first person, it tells the story of a love gone wrong, and likens the end of the relationship to the dark, foreboding rains of a storm. The troubadour muses about life’s complexities, and then concludes by wishing the woebegone lover ‘a better rain’ to wash away the grime of pain.
In response, the mood and music of the tune lifts as the singer encourages the lover to recall the good times- ‘before the flood, once upon a time in love, a beautiful us.’ The recollection becomes a prelude to the rainbow still to come.
As 2L year peaks over the horizon, the song reminds me how we are each indelibly shaped by our pasts. The music seems to embrace this point. In the song, as in love and life, we have little choice but to forge ahead. Change is inevitable. And so the lot falls on each of us to embrace the rain- to expect that the clouds will pass, and to anticipate the streams in the desert.
Few people go through life having never loved and lost. For those among the masses of people who have done both, the message of A Better Rain will strike a chord.
The photo at right of the Tucson monsoons appears courtesy of yours truly. Feel free to use as you would. A terrific user video of A Better Rain appears below. Lyrics follow after the jump. Enjoy!
A Better Rain By George Strait
Baby, what do you say when love comes down on you Rainin’ the blues on you Like it’s never gonna end on you And all your dreams like leaves in the gutter go floatin’ by No, baby, I don’t know why all God’s children cry I’ll miss your skin, as golden as your wheat-field hair And where you go, I hope you find out there
A better rain The kind that comes in off the coast and paints the sky And lets you know that God’s alive A better rain That’ll wash me from your eyes so you can smile again And be all right again In a better rain
Someday is gonna find you in a sweeter place Long after time has erased All the words like razor blades You’ll remember you and me before the flood Once upon a time in love, a beautiful us I can see you on some stretch of sand Spinin’ round in circles barefoot dancin’ in
A better rain That’ll leave behind a rainbow in the sky Let you know that God’s alive A better rain That’ll wash me from your eyes so you can smile again And be all right again In a better rain
A better rain That’ll leave a rainbow in the sky Lets you know that God’s alive In a better rain A better rain
In an age where people and artists continually reinvent themselves, I have come to appreciate consistency. Going on nearly four decades in country music, George Strait is a bastion of tradition in a sea of ever changing artists. Last weekend I stumbled across George Strait’s new Troubadour album and was pleased to see that the King of Country still has it.
With one song from the new album already atop the country billboards, Strait’s stipped-down version of country music has made him the stuff of legend. The most obvious example of this nearly minimalist style is found in the first single on the album eponymously titled Troubadour. The song is at points both wistful and self-affirming. It’s unique simplicity earns it the title, Pax Plena Song of the Week.
Country music fans will appreciate that the songs on the entire album are pure George Strait. Far from having the rock flourishes of a Keith Urban, George Strait’s brand of country music reminds one of driving dusty roads in West Texas. With Strait, the generic trappings of Nashville are displaced for want of Frio County, Texas. The music is real.
In terms of sound, the drive of the album is obviously Strait’s voice, but its instrumentation is guided by the pure strum of an acoustic guitar, and the crying fiddle that personifies country music. A small trap set keeps beat, but its role in the song is far subordinate to the elements mentioned above.
But what makes Troubadour stand out from an impressive gallery of songs on the album is its lyrics. The words of the song force one to consider self-definition. Because Strait’s music style, already has quite the established definition, the challenge in the lyrics comes with authority.
For instance, in the chorus, the singer muses that even as old age approaches some goals remain the same (viz., still trying to make a name), though they have now been tempered by a profound self-assurance (viz., Knowing nothing’s gonna change what I am). This simple introspection strikes at the heart of the very negotiation made between ambition and definition. For those who resolve the conflict, there is no need to fret comparisons with others because we are who we are at the end of the day. Take it or leave it. I would submit that most folks can relate to the questions posed. The problems the song presents are just as relevant in Pearsall, TX as they are in New York City.
George Strait reminds us that in some ways we are all troubadours. Our songs are simply different.
Please enjoy the Pax Plena Song of the Week, Troubadour in the video below. Lyrics follow after the jump.
Troubadour By George Strait
I still feel 25, most of the time. I still raise a little cain with the boys. Honky tonk and pretty woman. Lord I’m still right there with them. Singing above the crowd and the noise.
(Chorus) Sometimes I feel like Jesse James, Still trying to make a name. Knowing nothings gonna change what I am. I was a young troubadour, when I rode in on a song. and I’ll be an old troubadour, when I’m gone.
Well, The truth about a mirror, It’s that a damn old mirrow. Don’t really tell the whole truth, It don’t show what’s deep inside. Oh read between the lines, it’s really no reflection of my youth.
(Repeat Chorus)
I was a young troubadour, when I rode in on a song. and I’ll be an old troubadour, when I’m gone. I’ll be an old troubadour, when I’m gone.
A little known fact about your humble blogger: many years ago, I was a member of my high school’s varsity choir. For a town of roughly 2,500 people, our choir was fairly impressive. Led by our intrepid director, Mrs. Charla Dedmon, our small troupe would go on to win several superior medals at the Oklahoma State Solo and Ensemble Competition (This was the rough equivalent of taking a gold medal at a state championship track meet). As with so many activities of youth, I failed then to realize that my hours spent singing were actually quite influential in developing my later appreciation of art and music.
Lest this post seem more self-congratulatory than need be, I cannot lay personal claim to having made Oklahoma’s illustrious All-State Choir despite my superior solos and ensembles at State Contest. Sadly, My baritone voice was of limited range, and this did me no favors as I competed against Oklahoma’s best. I was easily bounced from the final round of auditions having returned late from a College visit to Dartmouth. I suppose we all have our priorities.
Looking back on it, I wonder if I might have met country music star Carrie Underwood somewhere during our formative years at competition. Ms. Underwood hails from sleepy Checotah, OK, a town roughly the same size as Walters, and she graduated from High School the same year I did in 2001. For anyone interested in music or singing, varsity choir was an obvious way to go. Then again, Ms. Underwood was probably too cool for choir, and, regardless, is surely way too cool for yours truly.
All of the above, is merely a long prelude to today’s Song of the Week. One of the few numbers we performed in my choir days that has stuck with me was English composer Ralph Vaughn Williams’ 1901 selection titled Linden Lea. It was a drop high for me as a baritone, but the song was lovely.
At risk of insult, Vaughn Williams’ style was to borrow from the Anglican hymnal and recast folk songs to the rough typeset of a hymn. This metric is pronounced throughout song. As a result, one could fairly call Linden Lea a secular hymn. In my view, this is a perfectly reasonable application of new styles to older songs. Artists have been doing this since ye olden days of minstrels and bards. In music and fashion alone is theft a form of flattery.
Linden Lea is striking for two reasons. First, its music is absolutely superb. Written in the key of G major, the tune is at times both soaring and brooding, not unlike the natural environs it sets to score. Specifically, the high key challenges even the best of singers because the highest points in the song are also those notes that are held the longest. A quick read of the sheet music shows the highest notes in the second half of the melody marked with a dotted quarter note set amid a 3/4 time signature.
Given the pace, it could be said that the greatest musical difficulty of the song is its simplicity. To wit, anyone can sing Amazing Grace, but not everyone can sing Amazing Grace well. The same holds true for Linden Lea.
The second reason the song is striking is its words. While Ralph Vaugh Williams dubbed the song a ‘Dorset Song,’ true credit for the lyrics go to the Dorset poet William Barnes. Barnes was born in the early 19th Century and spent the majority of his life among the west country peoples in Dorset along the southern coast of England. This area is home to a number of jutting crags, meadows and grasslands aplenty (viz., leas). Although the area was once quite thick with timber, the land has been cleared for centuries of its native forests. Its climate falls on average between 50 and 54 degrees. As one keeps in mind the area described in the song, it is difficult not to develop an affinity for such a seemingly far away place. Growing up in small-town Oklahoma, even a young boy could appreciate the romance of green leas, and the bubbling streams of Doreset.
The song was originally written in the Dorset dialect, a slight variation of English that adds a soft inflection in place of the letter “F.” It makes for an interesting read of the poem as Barnes wrote it. The themes of the poem’s language carry over nicely into the song by Ralph Vaughn Williams. It is not difficult to embrace the locale described in its colloquial warmth. The song evokes feelings brought on by the turning seasons, and by wide expanses of meadows. This aspect of appreciation is not limited to Dorset. One of my favorite college memories is of lying down in a field of green near Quechee, VT, and soaking in the cloudless sky overhead.
As a burgeoning lawyer, the part of the song that I enjoy most is the lyricists musings on life and work. The final stanza of the song describes a choice made long ago between making easy money working in ‘dark-roomed’ towns or living life in the freedom of simplicity. I suppose we will all cross a similar point of decision in our lives. But for now, the introspection is a welcomed consideration nearly a decade after first hearing the song.
Below is a performance of Linden Lea as sung by the Choir of St. Mary’s Church at Hendon. The congregation at Hendon has has existed in some form since the 9th century. Its choir has performed at such sundry places as St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and in venues across New York City. A legal and free mp3 of the song can be found here. Lyrics follow after the videos. Enjoy!
Below is a video of Linden Lea as sung by a terrific, amateur countertenor.
Below are videos underscoring the, ah, difficulty of singing Linden Lea well.
Within the woodlands, flow’ry gladed, By the oak trees’ mossy moot; The shining grass blades, timber shaded, Now do quiver under foot; And birds do whistle overhead, And water’s bubbling in its bed; And there for me, The apple tree Do lean down low in Linden Lea.
When leaves, that lately were a-springing, Now do fade within the copse, And painted birds do hush their singing Up upon the timber tops; And brown leaved fruit’s a-turning red, In cloudless sunshine overhead, With fruit for me, The apple tree Do lean down low in Linden Lea.
Let other folk make money faster; In the air of darkened towns; I don’t dread a peevish master. Though no man may heed my frowns I be free to go abroad, Or take again my home-ward road, To where, for me, The apple tree Do lean down low in Linden Lea.
In hopes of numbing the pain of finals, I recently watched all six episodes of the Star Wars saga for the first time (ever). I had my doubts. How could something parodied by every comedian since Gary Coleman be worth its social billing?
Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised. The stalwart cultural franchise was well worth the time invested. But what struck me most in the wake was the saga’s score by John Williams- particularly The Imperial March. So much so, that The Imperial March easily earns the title, Pax Plena Song of the Week.
For those in need of motivation to study, open up iTunes. Download the song. Put the track on repeat. Listen to it while en route to your exam. The effect is almost like navigating an Imperial Star Destroyer in traffic. The tune should be enough to set you on attack mode as you prepare to annihilate the test (or your prof).
What makes The Imperial March interesting is John Williams’ adept use of leitmotif in crafting the score. Every time Darth Vader appears on screen some variation of The Imperial March melody is played. Of course, the same is true for other characters but their tunes are not nearly so frightening.
Here’s why: the famous, opening melody of the song does a fantastic job of blending the introductory chords with the subsequent chords in a mini-crescendo. These initial sounds are then contrasted with the quiet strains that follow in the middle. Naturally, the two melodies regroup after the pianissamo movement to engage in a bit of musical banter while building to a powerful crescendo at the end. The final product is the sheer terror of sound when the melody concludes. It almost makes you fear for Captain Needa’s life. No other song in the entire series is so powerful.
One quirky point of note: Many have disagreed with me (even those who have been recent guests in the viewing), but whenever I listen to The Imperial March I hear the Mary Poppins tune in the second movement of the song. For those who recall this embarrassing movie of youth, the words from Mary Poppins that I hear in The Imperial March are “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, the medicine go down.” Does anyone else hear it?
Pax Plena 