Dinah Washington "After You've Gone"

After a long hard day, no voice is more soothing and sympathetic to listen to than Dinah Washington. Combining her beautiful voice with the song of Bessie Smith is the equivalent of a soul-massage. And if you are lucky enough to have it on Vinyl, you just feel yourself slipping away into the old days of smoky bars and quiet rooms just hoping for a taste of release as the band wails away a mournful tune.

But lets break it down for a second, taking us away from the comfort and solace that this music brings, to see what is going on behind the scenes.

It begins with the piano and snare coming in together, playing a nice, brief intro of 4 bars before Dinah starts doing her thing. After that, we have three verses of Dinah singing, with the snare beat not changing that much, keeping up a constant rhythm, and the piano supporting the changing notes of Dinah. After the third verse, however, there is a break and Dinah sings by herself before we go into the Chorus. The chorus comes a little under halfway through the song, which  seems a little unusual considering that most choruses will come in a lot sooner.

Now when the chorus starts, we are introduced to another instrument. The trumpet begins, creating almost a second melody, answering Dinah's voice. It uses a mute to give us that real whiney sound. Then the music amps up just a little bit, rising slightly in intensity into the fourth verse.

When the fifth verse starts, another instrument is added, which I believe to be the trombone, playing a somber bass note to help the trumpet out. After that, we get a reprise of the Chorus, which will lead us into the end, with Dinah going up in volume and pitch to end on a beautiful high note.

What I love so much about this song is how much it builds, much like emotions will build when you start thinking about someone you used to love. As more and more emotions and memories rush in, the feelings build. The song does a fantastic job of mirroring this with the addition of new instruments, strategically placed at the beginning of new verses, building up to a crescendo at the very end of the peace. And instead of coming back down, like as what happens in some pieces, it leaves you in a state of suspense and want, as so does many personal relationships when they end.

Indeed, a very beautifully arranged piece.

Music's Negative Influence on Behavior

 Throughout the ages, music has affected mankind. From the rising crescendo of a symphony, to a thumping beat at a dance club, this form of expression drives us and moves us in a way that will never fully be understood. It is just a part of that mystery that we all call life.
But one thing we can determine from it, is how it drives our behavior. Influencing so many different aspects of our everyday life, that some we may never even have considered before. Whether its calming us down in traffic, or amping us up for the big game, no day is complete without even just the tiniest bit of a beat.

Even from an early age in human history, people new its negative effect. Take some of the great philosophers of old. Plato is quoted with saying "Any musical innovation is full of danger to the whole state, and ought to be prohibited." [1] And Aristotle said, 

"Music directly imitates the passions or states of the soul...when one listens to music that imitates a certain passion, he becomes imbued with the same passion; and if over a long time he habitually listens to music that rouses ignoble passions, his whole character will be shaped to an ignoble form"[2]

Now, what are these two quotes saying? Essentially, they are implying that music's influence upon man's behavior is a negative one. What is a really interesting thought to ponder about, how would these great men have reacted to the music of say...Eminem. An artist who has been repeatedly connected with acts of violence, suicide, rape, murder, and any crime they can on him.  His lyrics themselves, are just chock full of inappropriate.  

The link above is one example of his songs, that young kids listen to all of the time. If you can even make it through the first verse, it continues on in the same fashion, promoting immoral and often violent sexual encounters with women.
However, some people chose to make light of this behavior, such as with an article from the humor website Cracked.com. In it, the article states several humorous facts.


http://www.cracked.com/article_15745_30-reasons-eminem-bad-music.html


However, I would like to make this statement before I appear to be something that I am not. I believe that music has a very positive influence on everyone, and this will be something that I shall be exploring next week. But as to not end on such a negative note, I would like to leave with a link to a much happier song.

Cites:
1. http://amazingdiscoveries.org/S-deception-music_philosophers_culture_plato.html (Philosopher Quotes)
2. Donald Grout, A History of Western Music (Norton, 1988): 7-8 

This is a test...of awesomness.