I find myself going to movies recently so I can find myself. I realize this is a HUGE statement to make, but it's something I think about every time I watch a movie: Am I like this character? Could I possibly be in this situation? Is this actor like his/her character in reality? Regardless of any circumstance, I always find myself drawn to the characters Kate Winslet plays. These are strong women not afraid to show their full range of emotion through any situation.
In Sense and Sensibility (1995), Winslet's interpretation of Marianne Dashwood leaves me wondering if selfishness and pride get in the way of my better judgment when it comes to love.
Rose in Titanic (1997) fuels my passion to question authority and my desire to be genuine, authentic, and heart-driven in all aspects of my life. Her portrayal of Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) made me realize my neuroticism is quirky, charming, and lovable. And, in Revolutionary Road (2008), April Wheeler showed the courage and tragedy facing a woman trapped by her husband's ambitions.
But, when it comes down to it, there is no doubt in my mind as to why she received an Oscar nomination in 2009 for the role of Hanna Schmitz in The Reader (2008). Winslet created a character full of depth, grace, and guilt that in turn transforms a Nazi war criminal into a catharsis-worthy person. Most striking of Schmitz is her overwhelming sense of guilt. Take a look:
Marion Cotillard, Academy Award winner for Best Actress in 2008, said this of Winslet:
"Kate Winslet, with each new role you continue to push the boundaries of what's possible. Your brilliant performance in The Reader encompasses all of the qualities that have drawn us to you: passion, vulnerability, and extraordinary depth. As your characters move through time, love, and the most dire of circumstances, we, as your audience, never lose a connection to you. This is yet another unforgettable portrait from one of our most gifted actresses and one of our most inspiring, too."
Congratulations, Kate, Academy Award winner for Best Actress in 2009. I cannot wait to see where you go next!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Weep You No More for Musical Comparisons
As a singer, I am always drawn to music that has a vocalist. My primary interest throughout my collegiate studies centered around art songs and their performance. I also delight very much in popular music and culture, so for this paper, I thought it would be interesting to compare “Weep You No More Sad Fountains” written by John Dowland. My goal is not to find the more “authentic” piece, but to explore the piece using its score in original form from Google books (as well as editorial scores placed in modern notation with piano or guitar accompaniment found on cpdl.org) and comment on the performances. My method of analysis will be using the eclectic method as outlined by Dr. Lawrence Ferrara in his book The Philosophy and Analysis of Music: Bridges to Sound, Musical Form, and Reference. Since this is a comparison, I will briefly engage with the eclectic method for each performance.
Before writing a brief eclectic analysis of each performance, I engaged an historical overview. “Weep You No More Sad Fountains” was written by John Dowland (1563-1626). He primarily wrote music for voice and lute, premiering his compositions by working as a lutenist in the courts of Christian IV of Denmark and later England’s James I. Dowland’s style is best described by his own pun on his name (and his title for an instrumental piece), “Semper Dowland, semper dolens” or “Always Dowland, always woeful.” Dowland’s music has returned to popularity due to an increased interest in early music in the 20th Century. Kate Winslet sang his song “Weep You No More Sad Fountains” in the film Sense and Sensibility (1995), and Sting recorded a volume of Dowland’s works in 2006 called Songs from the Labyrinth (thus, the popular culture inspiration for this comparison).
The Sting version of “Weep You No More Sad Fountains” follows the score but ignores the repeated chorus. The piece is in a minor mode and ends with a picardy third. Very much like art songs and popular music of today, the piece contains two verses sung to the same music and accompaniment. Sting sings the melody with lute accompaniment. The lute is played by Edin Kazanov, a Bosnian lutenist. Looking at the piece from a phenomenological perspective, Sting uses a soft and smooth tone that soars over the graceful plucking and dulcet tones of the lute. I would go so far to characterize the song as a mournful lullaby. The piece’s virtual feelings are restrained, melancholy, yearning, sparse, and plaintive; these feelings coincide with the questioning manner of the lyrics:
Weep you no more, sad fountains;
What need you flow so fast?
Look how the snowy mountains
Heav'n's sun doth gently waste.
But my sun's heav'nly eyes
View not your weeping
That now lies sleeping,
Softly, softly, now softly lies sleeping.
Sleep is a reconciling,
A rest that Peace begets.
Doth not the sun rise smiling
When fair at e'en he sets
Rest you then, rest, sad eyes,
Melt not in weeping
While she lies sleeping,
Softly, softly, now softly lies sleeping.
Too bad this isn’t an eclectic analysis assignment, or I’d have a heyday with the lyrics and their referential meaning… But, the onto-historical world of this song is worth engaging. Since Dowland even referred to his music as “always woeful”, I believe this performance speaks to the composer’s assessment of his own music. An article on pbs.org I read mentions Dowland’s time as politically and religiously charged with conflict.Dowland dealt with the disdain between Catholics and Protestants during his day, and the song could be a plea to awaken from that conflict. Although Dowland played his music in the courts and traveled with it, the piece could resonate with common people as a call for hope to awaken to a new day with prayer.
Sting certainly captured the melancholy of the piece, but hints to the hope of waking to a new day. Even when the piece was recorded in 2006, the sentiment of one’s desire to awaken to a new and hopeful day resonates. In the post-9/11 world, the globe has felt repercussions of the War on Terrorism in many fronts: War in Iraq, war in Afghanistan, continued violence in the former Soviet republics, struggles for independence in the former Yugoslav countries, etc. Sting’s performance speaks to one’s need for hope, and lulls one to sleep as the song might be intended.
Moving to the version of the song in Sense and Sensibility, here's a clip I found on YouTube:
I was surprised to find that the piece does not follow the score written by Dowland at all. In fact, the piece has been rearranged to the major mode and accompaniment played on the piano. I’m not even sure if this is the same setting… This is not to say that similar virtual feelings or referential meanings are not to be found—there are similar affects, but the piece just is completely different than Sting’s performance. The major mode almost nullifies the longing and yearning in the lyrics, but it enhances the lullaby theory presented earlier. Kate Winslet uses a very similar vocal production method to Sting; she sings sweetly, softly, and uses a lot of head voice. Even with the similarity of the two performers’ vocal production, I would say that I prefer the Sting version because it captures the piece: It is faithful to the score and the impact of the song is thusly more resonant.
Being faithful to Dr. Ferrara’s eclectic method, I think it important to present a meta-critique of my analyses. I think if I were to do this assignment again, I would research each of these recordings more. I have so many questions: Is the version used in Sense and Sensibility sung by Kate Winslet really Dowland’s setting? Why did Sting choose to omit the repetition of the chorus after singing the verse? What type of vocal timbre do other singers choose to use when singing this song? Maybe I’ll post a follow up post to this one if I have enough time later in the semester.
References:
books.google.com
cpdl.org
Concise History of Western Music. Barbara Hanning, 4th ed.
oxfordmusiconline.com
pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/sting/index.html
Before writing a brief eclectic analysis of each performance, I engaged an historical overview. “Weep You No More Sad Fountains” was written by John Dowland (1563-1626). He primarily wrote music for voice and lute, premiering his compositions by working as a lutenist in the courts of Christian IV of Denmark and later England’s James I. Dowland’s style is best described by his own pun on his name (and his title for an instrumental piece), “Semper Dowland, semper dolens” or “Always Dowland, always woeful.” Dowland’s music has returned to popularity due to an increased interest in early music in the 20th Century. Kate Winslet sang his song “Weep You No More Sad Fountains” in the film Sense and Sensibility (1995), and Sting recorded a volume of Dowland’s works in 2006 called Songs from the Labyrinth (thus, the popular culture inspiration for this comparison).
The Sting version of “Weep You No More Sad Fountains” follows the score but ignores the repeated chorus. The piece is in a minor mode and ends with a picardy third. Very much like art songs and popular music of today, the piece contains two verses sung to the same music and accompaniment. Sting sings the melody with lute accompaniment. The lute is played by Edin Kazanov, a Bosnian lutenist. Looking at the piece from a phenomenological perspective, Sting uses a soft and smooth tone that soars over the graceful plucking and dulcet tones of the lute. I would go so far to characterize the song as a mournful lullaby. The piece’s virtual feelings are restrained, melancholy, yearning, sparse, and plaintive; these feelings coincide with the questioning manner of the lyrics:
Weep you no more, sad fountains;
What need you flow so fast?
Look how the snowy mountains
Heav'n's sun doth gently waste.
But my sun's heav'nly eyes
View not your weeping
That now lies sleeping,
Softly, softly, now softly lies sleeping.
Sleep is a reconciling,
A rest that Peace begets.
Doth not the sun rise smiling
When fair at e'en he sets
Rest you then, rest, sad eyes,
Melt not in weeping
While she lies sleeping,
Softly, softly, now softly lies sleeping.
Too bad this isn’t an eclectic analysis assignment, or I’d have a heyday with the lyrics and their referential meaning… But, the onto-historical world of this song is worth engaging. Since Dowland even referred to his music as “always woeful”, I believe this performance speaks to the composer’s assessment of his own music. An article on pbs.org I read mentions Dowland’s time as politically and religiously charged with conflict.Dowland dealt with the disdain between Catholics and Protestants during his day, and the song could be a plea to awaken from that conflict. Although Dowland played his music in the courts and traveled with it, the piece could resonate with common people as a call for hope to awaken to a new day with prayer.
Sting certainly captured the melancholy of the piece, but hints to the hope of waking to a new day. Even when the piece was recorded in 2006, the sentiment of one’s desire to awaken to a new and hopeful day resonates. In the post-9/11 world, the globe has felt repercussions of the War on Terrorism in many fronts: War in Iraq, war in Afghanistan, continued violence in the former Soviet republics, struggles for independence in the former Yugoslav countries, etc. Sting’s performance speaks to one’s need for hope, and lulls one to sleep as the song might be intended.
Moving to the version of the song in Sense and Sensibility, here's a clip I found on YouTube:
I was surprised to find that the piece does not follow the score written by Dowland at all. In fact, the piece has been rearranged to the major mode and accompaniment played on the piano. I’m not even sure if this is the same setting… This is not to say that similar virtual feelings or referential meanings are not to be found—there are similar affects, but the piece just is completely different than Sting’s performance. The major mode almost nullifies the longing and yearning in the lyrics, but it enhances the lullaby theory presented earlier. Kate Winslet uses a very similar vocal production method to Sting; she sings sweetly, softly, and uses a lot of head voice. Even with the similarity of the two performers’ vocal production, I would say that I prefer the Sting version because it captures the piece: It is faithful to the score and the impact of the song is thusly more resonant.
Being faithful to Dr. Ferrara’s eclectic method, I think it important to present a meta-critique of my analyses. I think if I were to do this assignment again, I would research each of these recordings more. I have so many questions: Is the version used in Sense and Sensibility sung by Kate Winslet really Dowland’s setting? Why did Sting choose to omit the repetition of the chorus after singing the verse? What type of vocal timbre do other singers choose to use when singing this song? Maybe I’ll post a follow up post to this one if I have enough time later in the semester.
References:
books.google.com
cpdl.org
Concise History of Western Music. Barbara Hanning, 4th ed.
oxfordmusiconline.com
pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/sting/index.html
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