This post is based on my Arts class on 9/12/11. Michael Morreale discussed Bebop and played several important songs for us.
I found the lecture especially interesting today because of the connections I made with the jazz class I’m already taking. I was already familiar with many important jazz players such as Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. Michael Morreale also played a short song for us on his horn. This was one of my first live jazz performances. Michael Morreale’s lecture ranged from discussion of famous songs to how drugs and musicians lifestyles hurt their careers. Like other art forms in the era, jazz was spontaneous. As bebop developed, it became less of something people could dance to and more of an actual expression.
The song below is by Coleman Hawkins. While Hawkins is associated with the swing era of jazz, he had a role in the development of bebop as well.
This post is based on my Arts class on 9/7/11.
Today we discussed abstract expressionism. Our guest speaker, Geoffrey Dorfman, highlighted several important artists such as Cezanne, Monet, Picasso, and De Kooning. I found his lecture quite surprising. Before the lecture I viewed most expressionist work as purely abstract and beyond meaning. However, Mr. Dorfman successfully was able to convey the importance of art as both a form of expression and livelihood. I also drew many connections between some of expressionist artists discussed and the minimalistic designs of both Isamu Noguchi designs as well as modern dance found in Appalachian Spring.
Onement – Barnett Newman
This post is based on my arts class on 8/31/11. We discussed bio-morphism and modern dance.
A link to the Appalachian Spring video can be found here.
It was difficult for me to follow Appalachian Spring because of my lack of knowledge in both orchestral music and modern dance. However, even with the little knowledge I possess, I was still able to connect with and understand the story it was trying to tell.
The minimalist design reflected how little the settlers were starting their new lives with, yet the strong and building musical score still conveyed a sense of hope in their new journey. The entire performance, both the dance and music fluctuated with the arrival of new characters. The stress the music put upon the new characters seemed to highlight the important individual role each member had in society. Characters would of course also dance with one another, as they would work together in their new society.
The settler’s almost statuesque poses reflected the high ideals that the settlers were trying to uphold in the new world. Refined movements and quick tempo changes helped to make the performance very dynamic, just like the new life of the pioneers. Overall I enjoyed the performance, even if I found it a bit repetitive.
Hey guys, the Christopher Maniscalco Macaulay Blog is officially up! Future updates will be added shortly.
