Beyond the sound bites Current Events:
Father Of 9 Year Old Murder Victim In Tucson Does Not Want Restrictions Of Freedoms
The Ch. 12 Sec. 1 Quiz Prep Page is available for Friday's Quiz.
The Ch. 11 Make-Up Test is today.
The Chapter 11 Section 3 The Age of Napoleon Make-Up Quiz is today.
Cf. http://shanawiki.wikispaces.com/Honors+World+History+II+Fall+2010+Chapter+11+Section+3+The+Age+of+Napoleon+Quiz+Prep+Page
#19. should have listed: "d) Anne Louise Germaine de Staël"
#20. do not answer, skip the question entirely, go on to #21.
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Ch. 12 Sec. 4 Culture: Romanticism and Realism
Main Ideas
Review
In-class assignment, working alone, and not with a partner, write out one of Wordsworth's sayings in your own words and explain what you think he meant.
A thought provoking collection of Creative Quotations from William Wordsworth (1770-1850); born on Apr 7. English poet; His "Lyrical Ballads," 1798 are noted for their worship of nature and humanitarianism; poet laureate, 1843-50.
Are there still Romantic heroes in popular culture today?
The Romantic Hero
Individually, for this In-class assignment:
Write out a list that characterizes the Byronic hero.
Cf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a25-iCW3rpU
Suggestions:
Are there Byronic heroes today? Yes, indeed there are.
What are the characteristics of the American Romantic Hero: Indiana
Jones?
Indiana Jones: The American Romantic Hero
One of the first rebels in pop culture was Marlon Brando in "The Wild One"
The rebellious pop image was thereafter popularized by James Dean
Arguably the most famous Byronic rebel was Elvis.
The Byronic figure in pop culture can be seen in diverse figures from Marilyn Monroe, to Jim Morrison, to Michael Jackson, and many others such as Tupac Shakur.
5th and 8th to enjoy
Are there even more contemporary Byronic heroes?
How about Twilight?
The romantic hero often hid a guilty secret and faced a grim destiny. German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (gur tuh) wrote the dramatic poem Faust. The aging scholar Faust makes a pact with the devil, exchanging his soul for youth. After much agony, Faust wins salvation by accepting his duty to help others. In Jane Eyre, British novelist Charlotte Brontë weaves a tale about a quiet governess and her brooding, Byronic employer, whose large mansion conceals a terrifying secret.
5th and 8th to enjoy
In the story, Jane Eyre (Wasikowska) flees Thornfield House, where she works as a governess for wealthy Edward Rochester (Fassbender). The isolated and imposing residence - and Mr. Rochester's coldness - have sorely tested the young woman's resilience, forged years earlier when she was orphaned. As Jane reflects upon her past and recovers her natural curiosity, she will return to Mr. Rochester - and the terrible secret that he is hiding.
Jane Eyre Movie Trailer Official, 2:13
Faust Fragments: Prologue in Heaven and Faust Monologue bilingual German/English, 4:52.
Faust is a tragic play. It takes place in multiple settings, the first of which is heaven. Mephistopheles makes a bet with God: he says that he can deflect God's favorite human being (Faust), who is striving to learn everything that can be known, away from righteous pursuits. The next scene takes place in Faust's study where Faust, despairing at the vanity of scientific, humanitarian and religious learning, turns to magic for the showering of infinite knowledge.
Faust makes an arrangement with the devil: the devil will do everything that Faust wants while he is here on Earth, and in exchange Faust will serve the devil in Hell.
Video and Music by Independent Basement Production Ltd.
The deal with the devil is reminiscent of the blues man Robert Johnson who supposedly sold his soul to the devil as he sang about in the song "Crossroads."
Michael O'Neill: Visions Rise, and Change - Emily Brontë's Poetry and Romanticism, The Brontë Society Conference 2009 July 31 - August 2 at The University of York, 2:43.
Inspired by the Past
Romantic writers combined history, legend, and folklore. Sir Walter Scott’s novels and ballads evoked the turbulent history of Scottish clans or medieval knights. Alexandre Dumas (doo mah) and Victor Hugo re-created France’s past in novels like The Three Musketeers and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Sir Walter Scott and Ivanhoe, 5:41.
Alexandre Dumas (doo mah) re-created France’s past in a novel like The Three Musketeers. The romantic adventure between D'Artangnan and Lady de Winter ends in a disaster. Milady tries to kill the Musketeer after he discovered her bad secret: Lana Turner, Gene Kelly star, 5:45.
5th and 8th to enjoy
Victor Hugo re-created France’s past in his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame: here is an excerpt from Disney's version, "Heaven's Light" - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), 1:31.
5th and 8th to enjoy
Architects, too, were inspired by old styles and forms. Churches and other buildings, including the British Parliament, were modeled on medieval Gothic styles. To people living in the 1800s, medieval towers and lacy stonework conjured up images of a glorious past.
Music Stirs Emotions
Romantic composers also tried to stir deep emotions. Audiences were moved to laughter or tears at Hungarian Franz Liszt’s piano playing.
In the War of the Romantics, Liszt looks forward to the 20th century but he felt he was in the tradition of Beethoven. The War of the Romantics is a term used by music historians to describe the aesthetic schism among prominent musicians in the second half of the 19th century. Musical structure, the limits of chromatic harmony, and program music versus absolute music were the principal areas of contention. The opposing parties crystallized during the 1850s. The conservative circle, based in Berlin and Leipzig, centered around Johannes Brahms, Clara Schumann, and the school founded by Felix Mendelssohn. Their opponents, the radical progressives in Weimar, were represented by Franz Liszt and the members of the so-called New German School ("Neudeutsche Schule"), and by Richard Wagner. Composers from both sides looked back on Beethoven as their spiritual and artistic hero; the conservatives seeing him as an unsurpassable peak, the progressives as a new beginning in music.
Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811 July 31, 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist and teacher. Liszt became renowned throughout Europe for his great skill as a performer; during the 1800s many considered him to be the greatest pianist in history. Some of his most notable contributions were the invention of the symphonic poem, developing the concept of thematic transformation as part of his experiments in musical form and making radical departures in harmony.
1st to enjoy
Victor Borge - Franz Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody #2, 2:48. This is a humorous clip from a typical family variety show of the past.
Biography
Ludwig van Beethoven
An accomplished musician by age 12, composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) agonized over every note of every composition. The result was stunning music that expresses intense emotion. The famous opening of his Fifth Symphony conveys the sense of fate knocking at the door. "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which he began in 1804, was first performed in Vienna in December 1808 (Cf. Hickok, Music, p. 206)."
The passionate music of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven combined classical forms with a stirring range of sound. He was the first composer to take full advantage of the broad range of instruments in the modern orchestra. In all, Beethoven produced nine symphonies, five piano concertos, a violin concerto, an opera, two masses, and dozens of shorter pieces. To many, he is considered the greatest composer of his day.
This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons.
Otto Klemperer conducts Beethoven's 6th Symphony "Pastoral" - The Storm, by The New Philharmonia Orchestra, London, Royal Festival Hall, 1970, 3:49.
His Sixth Symphony captures a joyful day in the countryside, interrupted by a violent thunderstorm.
Beethoven’s career was haunted by perhaps the greatest tragedy a musician can face. In 1798, he began to lose his hearing. Still, he continued to compose music he could hear only in his mind. How did Beethoven’s music reflect romanticism?
Other romantic composers wove traditional folk melodies into their works to glorify their nations’ pasts. In his piano works, Frederic Chopin (shoh pan) used Polish peasant dances to convey the sorrows and joys of people living under foreign occupation.
1st - 8th
Prelude for Piano No. 7 in A Major (The Polish Dance), :43.
Romanticism in Art, 6:08
In-class assignment, while working with a partner, describe the numerous images painted by Turner. How would you characterize his painting? What are his typical subjects? What types of things did he paint? Does nature seem to be an important focus of his painting? How are human figures depicted in his work? Are they depicted as large, significant, or important, or, are they viewed as tiny figures who struggle against nature?
1st - 8th
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA (1775-1851) was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker, whose style is said to have laid the foundation for Impressionism. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting. Although renowned for his oil paintings, Turner is also one of the greatest masters of British watercolour landscape painting. [Cf. Wikipedia]
Music: They that go down to the sea in ship, by Herbert Whitton Sumsion (1899-1995)
Sumsion was organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1928 to 1967.
The cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral are exquisite. They were used in the Harry Potter movies (1, 2, 6).
The music is by: St. Paul's Cathedral Choir, John Scott (conductor), Huw Williams (organ); Worcester Cathedral Choir, Donald Hunt (conductor), Adrian Partington (organ).
The music is from Psalms, 107:23-30 by Henry Purcell.
Purcell also wrote a hymn based on this psalm: "In thankfulness for a providential escape of the King from shipwreck, the Rev John Gostling, who had been of the royal party, put together some verses from the Psalms in the form of an anthem, and requested Purcell to set them to music."
Painters broke free from the discipline and strict rules of the Enlightenment. Landscape painters like J.M.W. Turner sought to capture the beauty and power of nature. Using bold brush strokes and colors, Turner often showed tiny human figures struggling against sea and storm.
Romantics painted many subjects, from simple peasant life to medieval knights to current events. Bright colors conveyed violent energy and emotion. The French painter Eugène Delacroix (deh luh krwah) filled his canvases with dramatic action. In Liberty Leading the People, the Goddess of Liberty carries the revolutionary tricolor as French citizens rally to the cause.
This was a school task. The topic was to create the paraphrase of a random painting. I chose Delacroix: Liberty Leading the People, which i re-imagined as a fictional Nintendo game. Not interactive....sadly. :)
Artwork: ‘Viva La Vida’
Here is a little background about this amazing work of art. It’s by Eugène Delacroix (French Romantic Painter) and was painted in 1830 titled “Liberty Leading The People”. Eugene Delacroix is numbered among the greatest and most influential of French painters. He is most often classified as an artist of the Romantic school. His remarkable use of colour was later to influence impressionist painters and even modern artists such as Pablo Picasso.
Liberty Leading The People; Painted on 28 July 1830, to commemorate the July Revolution that had just brought Louis-Philippe to the French throne; Louvre.
This painting, which is a sort of political poster, is meant to celebrate the day of 28 July 1830, when the people rose and dethroned the Bourbon king. Alexandre Dumas tells us that Delacroix’s participation in the rebellious movements of July was mainly of a sentimental nature. Despite this, the painter, who had been a member of the National Guard, took pleasure in portraying himself in the figure on the left wearing the top-hat. Although the painting is filled with rhetoric, Delacroix’s spirit is fully involved in its execution: in the outstretched figure of Liberty, in the bold attitudes of the people following him contrasted with the lifeless figures of the dead heaped up in the foreground, in the heroic poses of the people fighting for liberty, there is without a doubt a sense of full participation on the part of the artist, which led Argan to define this canvas as the first political work of modern painting.
Liberty Leading the People caused a disturbance. It shows the allegorical figure of Liberty as a half-draped woman wearing the traditional Phrygian cap of liberty and holding a gun in one hand and the tricolour in the other. It is strikingly realistic; Delacroix, the young man in the painting wearing the opera hat, was present on the barricades in July 1830. Allegory helps achieve universality in the painting: Liberty is not a woman; she is an abstract force.
Live performance of "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay in pop temple Paradiso, Amsterdam and was a secret gig for only 300 fans.
LYRICS:
I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemies' eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead, long live the king!"
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castle stands
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand
I hear Jerusalem bells a'ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
Once you'd gone it was never
Never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world
It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh...who would ever wanna be king
I hear Jerusalem bells were ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs were singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Whoaaa
(Whoa) hear Jerusalem bells were ringing
(Whoa) roman Cavalry choirs were singing
(Whoa) be my mirror, my sword and shield
(Whoa) my missionaries in a foreign field
(Whoa) for some reason I can't explain
(Whoa) I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Oooh ooooh oooh ooooh.
The lyrics are reproduced here for educational purposes only; the original copyright remains with the lawful owners.
How did romantic writers, musicians, and artists respond to the Enlightenment?
Learn
Focus Question
What artistic movements emerged in reaction to the Industrial Revolution?
William Wordsworth, along with William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Percy Bysshe Shelley among others, was part of a cultural movement called romanticism. From about 1750 to 1850, romanticism shaped Western literature and arts.
Reading Check, p. 389
Examining
How did the popularity of Ivanhoe reflect the interests of the nineteenth century?
A New Age of Science
British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough presents his views on Charles Darwin, natural selection, and how the Bible conflicts with Darwin's views of the natural world in an exclusive interview for Nature Video, 4:27.
In addition, to celebrate Darwin's bicentenary Darwin 200 in Nature is also providing selected content free online, including continuously updated news, research and analysis on Darwin's life, his science and his legacy.
Individually, In-class assignment: in a short paragraph, describe the differences between Darwin's view and a traditional biblical view of the world.
Baba Brinkman performs "Natural Selection" from "The Rap Guide to Evolution" at the launch party of the Cambridge Darwin Festival, Cambridge Botanic Gardens, July 5 2009, 3:30.
Can a computer simulation imitate Darwinian evolution?
This video shows results from a research project involving simulated Darwinian evolutions of virtual block creatures. A population of several hundred creatures is created within a supercomputer, and each creature is tested for their ability to perform a given task, such the ability to swim in a simulated water environment. Those that are most successful survive, and their virtual genes containing coded instructions for their growth, are copied, combined, and mutated to make offspring for a new population. The new creatures are again tested, and some may be improvements on their parents. As this cycle of variation and selection continues, creatures with more and more successful behaviors can emerge.
The creatures shown are results from many independent simulations in which they were selected for swimming, walking, jumping, following, and competing for control of a green cube.
Individual, In-class assignment: as you view these computer creatures, answer the question of how and in what way this simulation infers Darwinian evolution and behavior.
The organic world – animals, plants, viruses – is the product of Darwinian evolution by natural selection. Natural selection expresses the idea that organisms (more accurately their genes) vary and that variability has consequences. Some variants are bad and go extinct; others are good and do exceptionally well. This process, repeated for two billion years, has given us the splendours of life on earth.
It has also given us the splendours of human culture. This may seem like a bold claim, but it is self-evidently true. People copy cultural artefacts – words, songs, images, ideas – all the time from other people. Copying is imperfect: there is "mutation". Some cultural mutants do better than others: most die but some are immensely successful; they catch on; they become hits. This process, repeated for fifty thousand years, has given us all that we make, say and do; it is the process of "cultural evolution".
However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. For example, how important is human creative input compared to audience selection? Is progress smooth and continuous or step-like? We set up DarwinTunes as a test-bed for the evolution of music, the oldest and most widespread form of culture; and, thanks to your participation, these questions will soon be answered.
DarwinTunes: a test-tube for cultural evolution
In-class individual assignment: what is Dawkins' argument in favor of evolution. This can be listed in bullet form or in a short paragraph.
Reading Check, p. 390
Describing
How did Darwin's theory of natural selection influence the way in which people viewed the world?
Realism
The Call to Realism
Novels Depict Grim Reality
The English novelist Charles Dickens vividly portrayed the lives of slum dwellers and factory workers, including children. In Oliver Twist, Dickens tells the story of a nine-year-old orphan raised in a grim poorhouse. In response to a request for more food, Oliver is smacked on the head and sent away to work. Later, he runs away to London. There he is taken in by Fagin, a villain who trains homeless children to become pickpockets. The book shocked many middle-class readers with its picture of poverty, mistreatment of children, and urban crime. Yet Dickens’s humor and colorful characters made him one of the most popular novelists in the world.
Oliver! (1968) - Theatrical Trailer - © Columbia Pictures
Starring: Mark Lester as Oliver Twist, an orphan, Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed, Jack Wild. Directed by: Carol Reed. Story written by: Charles Dickens "Oliver Twist" (novel). Screenplay & Dialogues written by: Vernon Harris. Distributed by: © Columbia Pictures. Theatrical Release Date: September 26, 1968 (UK).
Synopsis:
"Oliver!" is a 1968 musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the stage musical Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris.
Both the film and play are based on the famous Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. The musical includes several musical standards, including "Food, Glorious Food", "Consider Yourself", "As Long as He Needs Me", "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two", "Oom-Pah-Pah" and "Where is Love?".
The film version was a Romulus Films production and was distributed internationally by Columbia Pictures. It was filmed in Shepperton Film Studio in Surrey and various other locations in England.
In 1968 Oliver! won Six Academy Awards, including awards for Best Picture, Carol Reed Best Director.
Plot:
Oliver Twist is sold to a Dunstable undertaker after asking for more dinner at the orphanage. Escaping to London he is taken in by Fagin to join his gang of child pickpockets. Wrongly accused of a theft he meets a more kindly gentleman who takes him in, to the concern of one of Fagin's old pupils, the violent Bill Sykes. In the middle is Nancy, Sykes' girl whom Oliver has come to trust.
French novelists also portrayed the ills of their time. Victor Hugo, who moved from romantic to realistic novels, revealed how hunger drove a good man to crime and how the law hounded him ever after in Les Misérables (lay miz ehr ahb). The novels of Émile Zola painted an even grimmer picture. In Germinal, Zola exposed class warfare in the French mining industry. To Zola’s characters, neither the Enlightenment’s faith in reason nor the romantic movement’s feelings mattered at all.
Realism in Drama
Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen brought realism to the stage. His plays attacked the hypocrisy he observed around him. A Doll’s House show a woman caught in a straitjacket of social rules. In "An Enemy of the People," a doctor discovers that the water in a local spa is polluted. Because the town’s economy depends on its spa, the citizens denounce the doctor and suppress the truth. Ibsen’s realistic dramas had a wide influence in Europe and the United States.
Part 1 of 12. Arthur Miller's adaptation of Ibsen's "An Enemy Of the People," which first aired in 1966 on "NET Playhouse." Stars Emmy-award winner James Daly, Kate Reid, George Voskovec, James Olson, William Prince, Philip Bosco and Ken Kercheval. All copyrights acknowledged. For research and commentary purposes only.
Arts Reject Romantic Ideas
Painters also represented the realities of their time. Rejecting the romantic emphasis on imagination, they focused on ordinary subjects, especially working-class men and women. “I cannot paint an angel,” said the French realist Gustave Courbet (koor bay) “because I have never seen one.” Instead, he painted works such as The Stone Breakers, which shows two rough laborers on a country road.
The Stone Breakers, Gustave Courbet, 1849, this is a file from the Wikimedia Commons.
The Gross Clinic, Thomas Eakins, 1875, this is a file from the Wikimedia Commons.
emphasis—(em fuh sis) n. special attention given to something to make it stand out
Checkpoint
How did the realism movement differ from the romantic movement?
Reading Check, p. 391
Evaluating
What factors helped to produce the movement known as realism?
Beethoven 5th Symphony 5 (7:38, graphical score animation):
Wikipedia on the composer Beethoven is instructive.
Chuck Berry - "Roll over Beethoven," 3:32, 1972 live on the Beat Club (German TV):
Lyrics:
I'm gonna write a little letter,
Gonna mail it to my local dj.
Its a rockin' rhythm record
I want my jockey to play.
Roll over Beethoven, I gotta hear it again today.
You know, my temperatures risin
And the jukebox blows a fuse.
You know, my hearts beatin rhythm
And my soul keeps on singin the blues.
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
Well if you reel and rock it,
Go get your lover, reel and rock it
Roll it over and move on up just
A trifle further and reel and rock it,
one another
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
(Instrumental)
Well, well,Well, early in the mornin Im a-givin you a warnin
Dont you step on my blue suede shoes.
Hey diddle diddle, I am playin my fiddle,
Aint got nothin to lose.
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven,
Roll over Beethoven and tell Tschaikowsky the news.
Electric Light Orchestra - "Roll Over Beethoven," 4:37
ELO performing on the Midnight Special in 1973.
William Wordsworth updated in hip-hop style, 2:02.
Die Leiden des jungen Werther - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Frederic Chopin - Nocturne In E Flat Major, Op.9 No. 2, 4:09.
The Indoorfins: www.myspace.com/theindoorfins
Sources on Darwin.
Sources on Dawkins.
History and Historians in the Nineteenth Century by G. P. Gooch.
Modern European Intellectual History: Reappraisals and New Perspectives by Dominick LaCapra.
Music in the 20th Century, from Debussy Through Stravinsky by William W. Austin.
Exploring Music
by Robert Hickok.
The Understanding of Music by Charles R. Hoffer.
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Preview Questions:
1. What were the major features of romanticism and realism?
2. How did the Scientific Revolution lead to secularization?
3. You should finish reading Ch. 12 Sec. 4.
4. Reading Check, p. 389
Examining
How did the popularity of Ivanhoe reflect the interests of the nineteenth century?
5. Reading Check, p. 390
Describing
How did Darwin's theory of natural selection influence the way in which people viewed the world?
6. Reading Check, p. 391
Evaluating
What factors helped to produce the movement known as realism?
Robert Schumann - Piano Quintet op. 44 (1/4), 8:55
Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 - 29 July 1856) was a German composer; he is one of the most famous and important Romantic composers of the 19th century.
Schumann was the first romantic composer to pair the piano with the string quartet. The ensemble was later used by many composers; some of the well-known quintets are by Johannes Brahms, Antonín Dvořák, César Franck, Edward Elgar, and Dmitri Shostakovitch.
Schumann had hoped to pursue a career as a virtuoso pianist, however, when a self-inflicted hand injury prevented those hopes from being realized, he decided to focus his musical energies on composition.
In 1840, after a long and acrimonious legal battle with his piano instructor (Wieck), Schumann married Wieck's daughter, pianist Clara Wieck, who also composed music and had a considerable concert career, including premieres of many of her husband's works.
Robert Schumann died in middle age; for the last two years of his life, after an attempted suicide, he was confined to a mental institution at his own request.
The French Revolution ("Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga), 4:59
Rockwell, Somebody's Watching Me, 3:37
Kinks - Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues, 3:32
Live at the In Concert TV show, 1973.
Happiness is a Warm Gun - Beatles, 2:48
John Lennon once claimed the song was “sort of a history of rock and roll,” as it features five different sections but is less than three minutes long. The song begins with a brief lilting section (“She’s not a girl who misses much…”). Drums, bass and distorted guitar are introduced as this portion of the song proceeds. The surreal imagery from this section is allegedly taken from an acid trip that Lennon and Derek Taylor experienced, with Taylor contributing the opening lines. After this, the song transitions into a Lennon song fragment called “I Need a Fix,” built around an ominous-sounding guitar riff. This section drifts into the next section, a chorus of “Mother Superior jumped the gun”.
The final section is a doo-wop send up, with the back-up of vocals of “bang, bang, shoot shoot.”
One of the most radical musical accomplishments of the song is its frequent shifts in meter. Beginning in 4/4 time, the song shifts to a 3/4 time for the guitar solo in the “I need a fix…” section. This gives way to 6/8, 3/4, and 4/4 measures in the “Mother Superior…” section before returning to 4/4 for the majority of the doo-wop style ending. During Lennon’s spoken-word interlude, the song briefly switches into 6/4. The spoken word section has its roots in the song later on the album “I’m So Tired” because, exhibited in the song’s home demo, is a spoken word section in 6/4 time that is almost exactly like the one in “Happiness is a Warm Gun.”
According to Lennon, the title came from the cover of a gun magazine that producer George Martin showed him: “I think he showed me a cover of a magazine that said ‘Happiness Is a Warm Gun.’ It was a gun magazine. I just thought it was a fantastic, insane thing to say. A warm gun means you just shot something.”
Many different interpretations of the song have been offered down the years. It has been said that, in addition to the obvious reference mentioned above, the “Warm Gun” could also allude to Lennon’s desire for Yoko Ono and also to his well documented problems with heroin at the time of the recording of The White Album (in this case, the gun being a loaded syringe).
“Happiness Is a Warm Gun” is Paul McCartney’s favorite song on the White Album. Although tensions were high among the band during the album’s recording sessions, they reportedly collaborated as a close unit to work out the song’s challenging rhythmic and meter issues, and consequently considered it one of the few true “Beatles” songs on the album.
Cf. http://www.last.fm/music/The+Beatles/_/Happiness+Is+a+Warm+Gun/+wiki
HW: email (or hard copy) me at gmsmith@shanahan.org.
The Ch. 12 Sec. 1 Quiz Prep Page is available for Friday's Quiz.
Tuesday HW
1. p. 391, #7-9
Wednesday HW
1. p. 392, #1-10, Using Key Terms (you only need the key term: do not write the entire sentence).
Thursday HW
1. p. 392, Reviewing Key Facts, #11-14.
Friday HW
1. p. 392, Reviewing Key Facts, #15.
