Tuesday - August 13, 2013

Happy Music, Amazing Memories

So, looking for a bit of fun to watch on the telly again tonight. We found that the On Demand folks have finally loaded up Season 1 of Torchwood, that dark and somewhat wobbly spin-off from Dr. Who. So we’re watching episode 1.5, in which the Torchwood team has to try and stop some fairies who are on a bit of a murderous rampage in protecting their next Chosen One, a little girl who will become one of them but back in time. That’s not all that important to this post. One scene was at a school playground, where all the golden and ginger haired children (it’s set in Wales, m’kay?) are skipping about ... and the background music is a chorus of young voices singing The Lord of the Dance. A song I haven’t heard in more than 45 years. So of course it all came back to me in the blink of an eye and I knew every word. And I also immediately made the connection that it’s the same tune as The Gift To Be Simple. And the Mrs. is looking at me funny as I’m quietly singing along with the TV show as the fairies are raising a storm and killing everybody ... How do you know that song? What, didn’t they teach you this in Sunday School? Um, no, not at all. We did our catechisms and that was about it. Egads, Catholics. They miss out on all the good stuff. I’ve know this since I was a little kid. I’ve never heard this tune in my entire life. O. M. G. 

A few minutes of net research shows me that I learned LOTD when it was practically new. I doubt if I was as old as 9 ... coulda been 6 or 7 ... spent part of one summer going to multi-denominational Protestant Summer Day Camp. I must have learned a whole bunch of worship music then, and it’s all been in the back of my head ever since. Years ago I saw the film Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? and knew Down to the River to Pray the instant I heard it. Memory. It’s funny stuff.

Anyway, here’s some nice easy orchestra music to listen too, that’s almost guaranteed to make you happy. Copeland’s Appalachian Spring from 1945. You’ve heard all of it, or large parts of it, a million times before, in countless films. The bit of music I’m talking about is also the heart of the theme of the second movement of this piece, and starts right about the 4:18 mark. Simple Gifts was actually put to paper nearly 100 years earlier, back around 1848, so I’ve heard.

A lovely rendition of the old hymn ...

Posted by Drew458     on 08/13/2013 at 10:43 PM   
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