An Ode to Music
The invasion of Russia by Napoleon started in June of 1812. In the subsequent Battle of Borodino that September, a battle that had the highest number of casualties of all the Napoleonic wars, he routed the Russian army but did not completely annihilate it. He then followed the retreating army of Tsar Alexander I to Moscow, thinking the Russians were going to surrender.
By the end of October, Napoleon realized the Russians were not going to surrender. Moreover, the Russian winter was starting to take a bite. Of the 286,000 men he entered Russia with, he had only 95,000 left and those men were freezing, hungry and ridden with typhoid fever. Napoleon and the remnants of the Grande Armée had to withdraw. By December when he crossed the Russian border, he was only left with 23,000 men. Napoleon had with the withdrawal handed victory to the Russians and they were elated.
Tsar Alexander I commissioned the building of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to commemorate the victory. Even though Alexander himself died thirteen years later, work on the cathedral continued.
By 1880, it was nearing completion. Other upcoming festivities were the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Alexander II in 1881 and the All-Russia Arts and Industry Exhibition in 1882. With all these festivities in view, the composer Tchaikovsky was asked to write a piece that would capture the spirit of all these festivities.
Tchaikovsky began work on the project on October 12, 1880, and at the end of six weeks, had composed what was to become his most famous piece – the 1812 Overture.
A piece known for its powerful finale marked by cannon fire, the chimes of bells and vivid brass notes, it debuted on August 20, 1882, in Moscow.
Even though Tchaikovsky hated the overture, and described it as “… very loud and noisy, but without artistic merit, because I wrote it without warmth and without love”, it is truly one of his most remarkable pieces and suited the festive nature of all those events perfectly.
The power of the 1812 Overture truly lends itself for celebratory occasions and thus it is no wonder it is played during firework displays on July 4. It has also been used for movies and coopted into others’ work.
For me though, the overture is a piece that wakes me up and gets me going. It seems to summon my animal spirits and turns me into a doer, ready for the day. A lot of mornings, it is the piece playing in the car as I drive to work. Those crashing cymbals and cannon fire have a kick.
Which brings me to the crux of this essay.
There are musical pieces that get us into specific moods. On the other hand, we sometimes pick specific pieces to suit certain occasions.
I remember my bachelor days when I’ll set the mood for an impending date with some Barry White. His baritone could work wonders.
At parties, you want something bumping. Something with beats that make the diaphragm on the bass cone in the speakers bounce. Some hip-hop, R&B, hip-life, soukouss, salsa, merengue…something that helps with gyration and inspiration.
At worship, 50 Cent would not do. There, you want hymns by Charles and Joseph Wesley or even gospels by Cece and Bebe Winans.
On the other hand, hearing the notes of the trumpet flowing from Miles Davis might make you think of the concept of the Cool. What is the Cool? Billie Holiday’s voice might remind you of lynching through her song “Strange Fruit”. Whitney’s music may make you yearn for love and the warmth of the One. Phil Collins’ may make you miss the ’80s.
Music can do that.
Being the soundtrack of our lives, we tend to pick the right ones for the right occasions. However, it can also make us long for the situation to fit that soundtrack.
Music lifts, it exalts, it calms yet can also excite and invigorate. It makes us want to make love but it also reminds us of the one who got away. It makes us cry and yet can make us feel like we are floating on a cloud.
Music does that.
These seemingly conflicting roles of music always come to mind when I am listening to an opera or watching a musical.
Whereas the music of an opera takes you to a “certain” place, a musical, in mixing dialogue with music is more like picking the right music for the occasion.
Both genres seek to tell stories but that is not the most important thing with an opera.
With an opera, it is really all about the music. One does not have to understand the lyrics of the aria “Nessum Dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot to feel the tug it exerts on the heart and the yearning one feels in the Tenor’s voice. Even though the opera tells a story too, that is not the essence of the experience. It is the music. The composer wants you to close your eyes and let the arias carry you to a special place.
Musicals, on the other hand, have dialogues that are important to understanding the story. The music is a bonus and the pieces set the mood and add a certain verve to the experience. Thus even though the music in “Wicked” is great, ultimately one needs to pay attention or the essence of the story is lost.
An unknown writer once wrote, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” How right he or she was.
The ability to immerse oneself totally into a swirling amalgamation of tunes and tones at the perfect harmony and pitch can transport one to a great place. Whether you play a piece to set the mood or the piece you heard has got you reminiscing, let yourself go. Like the German writer, Jean Paul wrote in his novel “Titan”, “Music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life.”
So be it the powerful pieces of Tchaikovsky or the unmistakable piano sonatas of Chopin; be it the unmistakable voice of Bob Dylan or the guitar riffs of Jimmy Hendrix; be it the soul of Aretha or the rock ‘n roll of Elvis; even the rhymes of Tupac, the melody of Egya Koo Nimo or the pitch of Makeba…let music seep through that night and light it up with beats, harmony, and soul.