"Gifts and Prayers" and Music from the Golden Age of Russia

This past Tuesday, the Hugh Hodgson School of Music held an ensemble concert inspired by our current exhibition on 19th century objects from Russia titled “Gifts and Prayers: The Romanovs and Their Subjects.” The concert program, “Music from the Golden Age of Russian Culture,” focuses on Russian music from that same period and examines another side of art from the era of Romanov rule. Some highlights of the concert include:

Scherzo in A flat Major by Alexander Borodin

 

Just as some of the gifts given and received during the House of Romanov included enameled miniatures, it turns out music can have miniatures too. Clocking in at three minutes when played at the correct tempo, this vivacious and lively piece belies Alexander Borodin's own interesting background. Borodin, who was a bright youth with a passion for both the sciences and the arts, was denied access to higher education because he was born out of wedlock to a Georgian prince and a commoner. Eventually, through the help of his mother and stepfather, Borodin enrolled at the academy of medicine in Saint Petersburg.

Sonata for Violin I: Allegro by Mikhail Glinka

Glinka is known for his particularly Russian brand of classical music, and his works were performed often during the Romanov Tercentenary in 1913, which celebrated the rule of the Romanov dynasty. Under the rule of Nicholas I, Glinka's “The Life of a Tsar” became the national opera of Russia.

The last highlight is “Ya li v pole da ne travushka bila (Were I a blade of grass)” from Seven Romances Op. 47 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, sung here by Polish soprano Teresa Zylis-Gara. This sorrowful and graceful piece takes its words from a poem published in 1870 by Ivan Surikov, titled “Little-Russian Melody.”

"It Happened in Brooklyn" and Tin Pan Alley: 20th Century Music from New York

Our current exhibitions "Icon of Modernism: Representing the Brooklyn Bridge 1883–1950" and "Man's Canyons: New York City on Paper" show visual representations of the bridge and New York during a period of changing social attitudes and perceptions; music was another creative discipline that reflected those times.

Of course, you wouldn't think times had changed all that much based on this studio take of "The Brooklyn Bridge" from 1947. Performed by Frank Sinatra, this song was featured in the film "It Happened in Brooklyn," which is screening for free tonight as part of our Brooklyn Bridge film series at 7 p.m. in the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium.



The writers and producers of this light-hearted musical comedy were aware of the growing generational gap between those who remembered how things were and those who saw only modern life, and they used music to contrast the old and the new. Check out two versions of the same song, also featured in "It Happened in Brooklyn."



Outside the film, New York City's contributions to musical history in America has been incredibly rich and diverse. The city is the birthplace of hip hop, doo woo, new wave and salsa, and two of America's most celebrated composers, George Gershwin and Aaron Copland, were born in Brooklyn. For those interested in hearing more of the music created contemporaneously with the paintings featured in "Icon of Modernism," here are a few select playlists of music from Tin Pan Alley, which was the name given to the row of music publishing houses in New York on West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue, where popular music flourished from about 1885 through the 1950s.

This first playlist features 80 tracks, some of them the same songs with different arrangements, for a broader view of songwriting during this period.

Gershwin got his musical career started in Tin Pan Alley, eventually moving on to writing Broadway theatre tunes, classical music, and Hollywood movie scores. Some of his most recognizable works include "An American in Paris," "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Porgy and Bess." This particular playlist features his early songs from Broadway and Tin Pan Alley.

 

Have a favorite song from the early 20th century? Be sure to share with us in the comments!

Playlist

If you've been wondering if that really was A Tribe Called Quest you heard while browsing our exhibition "American Letterpress: The Art of Hatch Show Print," you've got a good ear. As part of the exhibition installation, we have music playing by many of the artists whose posters the show features. Here's a list of what's streaming.

Lamar Dodd Gallery

Nine Inch Nails, “The Fragile” & “Into The Void”
The Strokes, “Is This It?”
Squirrel Nut Zippers, “St Louis Cemetery Blues”
Beastie Boys, “Paul Revere” & “No Sleep till Brooklyn”
Pearl Jam, “Supersonic” & “Man Of The Hour” (Big Fish)
The Legendary Shack Shakers, “Swampblood”
A Tribe Called Quest, “Excursions” & “Rap Romoter”
Bob Dylan, “Blowin’ in the Wind” & “Subterranean Homesick Blues”
The Rolling Stones, “Paint It, Black” & “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
Beck, “Loser”
The Everly Brothers, “Run Around Sue” & “All I Have To Do Is Dream”
Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama”
Lucinda Williams, “Righteously” & “Howlin’ At Midnight”
Bob Marley & The Wailers, “No Woman No Cry” & “Rebel Music”
Rod Stewart, “Maggie May”
Mark Knopfler, “True Love Will Never Fade” & “Boom, Like That”
Etta James, “All I Could Do Was Cry” & “Something’s Got A Hold On Me”
Elvis Costello & The Attractions, “Alison” & “Everyday I Write The Book”
The Shins, “Know Your Opinion!” & “The Past And Pending”
Wilco, “Heavy Metal Drummer” & “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart”
Weezer, “Island In The Sun”
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, “Free Fallin’ ”
Motely Crue, “Home Sweet Home” & “Smoking in the Boys Room”
The Jon Spenser Blues Explosion, “Bellbottoms” & “Cowboy”
The Roots, “What They Do”
Ben Folds Five, “Battle of Who Could Care Less”
Tragically Hip, “Love is a First”
My Morning Jacket, “Off the Record” & “Lay Low”
Sigur Ros “Untitled 3” & “Untitled 4” (NOTE*: These songs may have a title but when they were sent to Lynn the title may not have been labeled on that person’s ipod…?)

Alfred Heber Holbrook Gallery

Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys, “Toy Heart” & “Wicked Path of Sin” & “Blue Grass Breakdown”
Ernest Tubb, “You Nearly Lose Your Miind” & “Waltz Across Texas”
Eddie Arnold “Cool Water” & “Cattle Call”
Elvis Presley, “All Shook Up” & “Mystery Train” & “Love Me Tender”
George Jones, “He Stopped Loving Her Today” & “Wine Colored Roses”
Waylon Jennings “Bob Wills Is Still The King” “Lonesome, On’ry and Mean”
The Original Crickets, “That’ll Be The Day” & “Rave On”
Buddy Holly, “Everyday”
Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “Holding On To Nothing” & “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me”
Merle Haggard, “Make-up and Faded Blue Jeans” & “Worning Mans Blues”
Tammy Wynette & her Country Gentlemen, “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” & “Stand By Your Man”
Willie Nelson & the Recordmen, “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” & “Red Headed Stranger”
James Brown, “The Big Payback” & “Papas Got A Brand New Bag”
The Carter Family, “Single Girl, Married Girl” & “I’m Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes”
Loretta Lynn, “Don’t Come Home A Drinkin” & “Coal Miner’s Daughter” & “High On A Mountain” & “Van Lear Rose”
Kitty Wells, “Makin’ Believe”
Johnnie and Jack, “(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely” & “Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight”
Emmylou Harris, “Red Dirt Girl”
Tony Bennett, “Rags To Riches”
Townes van Zandt, “Ain’t Leavin’ Your Love”
Johnny Cash, “Folsom Prison Blues” & “I Walk The Line” & “Ring of Fire”
Duke Ellington, “Mood Indigo” & “Take the A Train”
Louis Armstrong, “What A Wonderful World” & “La Vie en Rose”
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “Chicago” & “Love The One You’re With”

Georgia Theatre Quilt

On June 19, 2009, fire destroyed Athens’ beloved Georgia Theatre, the historic and popular music venue at which many famous bands and artists have performed—including the B-52s, John Mayer and R.E.M. The Georgia Theatre opened as a music venue in 1978, and 30 years later, the fire caused much sadness in the Athens area and beyond.

Photograph of the Georgia Theatre, 1953

The Georgia Theatre is now working on a new project to raise money. Not only does Athens have a well-known music scene, but it also has a great art scene. Local artist Jennifer Schildknecht “hopes to unite the music and art communities in order to generate more love and support” for the Georgia Theatre. She has called upon artists, musicians, businesses and anyone else to participate in creating an art quilt. The quilt will be a “non-traditional wall-hanging.” The goal is for two quilts to be made—one quilt will be auctioned off to raise money for rebuilding and the other will be given to the Georgia Theatre as a gift. If you’re interested in participating, all quilt blocks must be turned in by November 30. Click here for more information about guidelines and submission.

The Georgia Theatre, in an ongoing effort to raise funds to rebuild, is hoping to have its doors open again by New Year’s Eve 2011. The Theatre has partnered with The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and has also established a fund to accept tax-deductible donations. 

Rendering of the future theatre interior