sbobrow – MHS 123: Music and Technology in the Twentieth Century

April 17, 2019April 17, 2019

Evanescence and the Gothic Aesthetic

Evanescence is one of the bands that created the foundation for what is now referred to as “gothic rock.” Coincidentally, it’s also one of the only bands that can make me feel like I’m still 13 years old and no one will ever understand me. I’m not the only person that feels this way, though. The Youtube comments on the music video for “Bring Me To Life” mirror similar sentiments, with one user, Marco Alcocer, commenting “it’s not a phase mom.” Evanescence, through their music and their visual aesthetic, resonated with angsty teens on an incredibly widespread level.

Evanescence first became popular in the early 2000s; largely because their songs sounded unlike pretty much all of the other popular music at the time. Their debut album, “Fallen,” came out in 2003, which, to set the scene for the music landscape, was a year in which the Billboard Top 100 was dominated by upbeat songs like “Crazy in Love,” by Beyonce and “Hey Ya!” by OutKast. None of the tracks on “Fallen,” however, sounded like either of those songs.

The most popular song off the album, “Bring Me To Life,” was even described in terms of its relationship to popular music as the “anti-Britney” by the New York Times. Yes, the music was angsty, but what solidified this song as the goth legend it is today was the way the music was combined with visual elements in the music video. Basically, Evanescence used traditional symbols of the gothic style in the music video, which then reinforced the meaning of the lyrics by giving them a historically recognized aesthetic backing.

Bring Me To Life (Official Music Video)

The examples of gothic style that Evanescence used here are plentiful, but for the sake of this post, I’ll just examine a few.

The most easily identifiable gothic element in this video is the color palette. For the duration of the video, there are three main colors: black, white, and dark purple/blue. Notably, there are also flashes of red throughout the whole video, which is a quintessential color in the gothic palette. In fact, typing “gothic color palette” into Google yields the following image.

https://www.color-hex.com/color-palette/40542

While the colors may not inherently mean anything, they symbolize a kind of inescapable darkness (especially to anyone who’s ever taken a high school English class) that corresponds to the lyrics of the song. One line in particular, ” call my name and save me from the dark,” exemplifies this idea that the singer is in a dark mental space, so it’s very effective visually that her external surroundings are dark as well.

Another, harder to spot gothic element is the inclusion of the grotesque. Many visuals in the gothic style include grotesque or spectral figures. In the music video, it goes by quickly, but there is a scene that includes clown-like, masked figures.

Screen capture from 1:49 in the “Bring Me To Life” music video

According to Justin Bienvenue, urban gothic (which is the setting of the music video since it takes place in a city during post-industrial society), “is known to put people in horror situations…for an overall dark feel and eerie look.” In this case, it does exactly that. The inclusion of these figures in the music video adds to the overarching feeling that something is not right or is strange in the life/mind of the singer. The fact that they’re masked and not just regular clowns makes it especially creepy, which contributes to the aesthetic of the video overall. Additionally, the speed at which they flash by in the video begs the question of whether they were actually there or creates a “what was that?” effect, which adds to the eeriness of their presence.

Lasting Impressions

In recent years, this song has adopted a new visual medium: the meme. If you didn’t know that this song spurred a popular meme, one scan through the “Bring Me To Life” Youtube comments would fill you in. Youtube user Turnabout Robin commented, “This has become a meme song as of late.” User KR Gaming adds, “I remember listening to this song as a child without thinking of memes…damn.”

The memes in question are similar in format to these:

The move from the music video to memes indicates that the feelings that this song evoked are something that a lot of people look back on with a humorous sort of nostalgia. Basically, we can identify that at one point all of this angst spoke to us, but now we realize that, as much as we hate to admit it, our moms were right, and it was just a phase. As Youtube user The Perfect Gaming Zone put it, “Music is the closest thing we have to a time machine…”

April 2, 2019April 2, 2019

Fortunate Son and the Vietnam War

Music is a powerful political tool. Throughout history, musicians have written reactionary music to historical events, but in the case of the Vietnam War, this reactionary music shaped an entire political movement, and, on a larger scale, an entire era. This music was very accessible to Americans (thanks to advancements in technology like improved record players and cassette players) so it reached a much larger audience and had a more widespread impact than music from the past. Popular artists like Bob Dylan released folk-oriented, pared-down, anti-war songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which calmly questioned the war through an abstract string of questions. In contrast, the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival released upbeat songs that were straightforward in their meanings. One of these songs, which grew to basically define the era, was “Fortunate Son.” This song, unlike “Blowin’ in the Wind,” is not an anti-war song, but rather a song meant to draw attention to the inequality of the draft system. Basically, Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) wrote this song in response to privileged people evading the draft. The appeal of “Fortunate Son” was so widespread that it not only became an anthem for protestors of the Vietnam War, but also for the soldiers fighting in it. Essentially, CCR used this song as a tool to protest not the war itself, but rather the unequal systems of war in America.

Fortunate Son, first released in 1969 (the first year of the draft for the Vietnam War)

The American political landscape was incredibly tense during the Vietnam War Era. Many young people did not know what the war was about or what they were even fighting for, so, justifiably, they were suspicious about and resistant to the war effort. The reinstatement of the draft further stoked this resistance, as it forced young men to enlist in the military if their birthday was called in a random lottery. This randomized lottery was supposed to create a system in which all men aged 19-26 were equally likely to be drafted to go to war, but as with most “equal” systems in American history, well-positioned people (wealthy, powerful, etc.) were best able to maneuver around the rules of the draft, which meant that society’s most vulnerable members were the most likely to serve in the Vietnam War. Included below is footage from the 1969 Draft Lottery. Although the process does seem random in terms of date number assignments, the disparities began in the next step of the draft process, which was where men enlisted or were exempted

“Fortunate Son” was written in direct response to CCR songwriter Jon Fogerty’s anger about the role of social class and wealth on enlistment. During the year the song was written, 11,000 Americans had already been killed in the Vietnam War. Most of the soldiers killed were poor, and a disproportionately high number of them were black. At the same time, President Nixon’s daughter married President Eisenhower’s grandson, who was given a deferment from the military. Stories like this seemed to populate the news, and it seemed unfair. Wealthy people who had no reason not to be eligible for the military other than their status kept evading the draft. That’s why, as CCR’s drummer Doug Clifford put it, “‘Fortunate Son’ is ‘really not an anti-war song’…“It’s about class. Who did the dirty work?”

In part, this song was received so well due to its accessibility. As Anthony Tommasini wrote, “Nothing impedes the appreciation of classical music — and keeps potential listeners away — more than the perception that it is an elitist art form.” Although he clearly was talking about perceived elitism in classical music, this quote also speaks to the bigger idea of the importance of access and understandability. The lyrics in “Fortunate Son” are very straightforward. Take the following lines, for example:

“Some folks are born made to wave the flag

Ooh, they’re red, white and blue

And when the band plays “Hail to the chief”

Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord”

This section of the song speaks to the idea that wealthy people may be patriotic, but when it comes to actual combat, they send people who do not have the power to say no. The ease of listening to rock and roll and the ease of understanding the message of the song are, in part, why it is still such an icon from the Vietnam War Era.

“Fortunate Son” achieved its goal in drawing attention to class disparities of the draft. In fact, it is still used today in popular culture references to the Vietnam War. The opening scene of Forrest Gump (included below) for example, uses the song, and there is a popular meme (also included below) based off of the song being used in so many Vietnam War helicopter scenes.

Opening scene of Forrest Gump (1994)

photo found at https://i.redd.it/3cme2s3ug3j11.jpg

The fact that the song is still used today is a testament to its effectiveness as a protest tool. The ability of the song to transcend decades and be so closely tied to a social issue demonstrates the high level of power that music can have on politics.

January 31, 2019January 31, 2019

The Bassoon Reed

The bassoon reed: so small, yet so capable of ruining my life. The bassoon reed is one of the few pieces of technology that makes life difficult just as often as it makes life easy. Every bassoonist knows the struggle: you spend hours on one reed, only to find out that it is not, and never will be, very good.

At the foundation of the bassoon reed is a plant called Arundo donax, or, more commonly, “giant reed.” Once it’s harvested and sent to bassoonists, it’s generally referred to as “cane.” It is an invasive species and grows all over the world, but most of the cane used for bassoon reeds is grown in France. That may seem like an oddly specific, arbitrary location, but there actually is a difference in the makeup of the plant depending on the region in which it grows. Arundo donax contains certain percentages of natural minerals and chemicals that serve to protect it from insects. One of these minerals is silica (a glass-like mineral that gives a piece of cane strength), and the amount of it that is in the cane dictates whether or not it is usable for the purpose of reed making. Too much means the cane will be too stiff to vibrate (making it very difficult to make a sound), and too little means that it vibrates much too easily and will probably sound similar to a kazoo. Basically, there are only certain regions in which cane grows in an ideal way for reed making, and France just so happens to have ideal growing conditions.

When the cane first reaches the bassoonist, it looks nothing like a reed. At this point in the process (wherein the only thing done to the cane has been harvesting it and cutting it into sections about one foot tall), it pretty closely resembles a bamboo shoot.

Tube bassoon cane after harvest. Likely what a professional bassoonist would be purchasing for reed making.

This is where the manual labor begins for the bassoonist. To put it simply, the tube has to be split into four equal pieces and cut to a precise length, and the inside material has to be scooped out and thinned. At this point, the cane has undergone what is called the gouging process, and it looks like this:

The cane then undergoes a series of transformations during which it begins to look like a reed. These would be boring and confusing to explain, but this video of Abe Weiss (the former principal bassoonist of the RPO) does a good job of demonstrating the steps. The first half of this video is about the steps involved in processing cane, and the second half is about finishing the reed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsK54ZoHzlU

How someone chooses to finish a reed depends on a variety of factors. These factors include things like where they live, who they study with, and what kind of playing they plan on doing. According to George Sakakeeny in his book, Making Reeds from Start to Finish, there are three main styles of reed making which all suit different needs.

The first distinct reed style is the Garfield style. This type of reed is rare and mostly found in North America. It is named for Bernard Garfield, who developed it in the mid-twentieth century while playing in the Philadelphia Orchestra. The goal of this reed type was to achieve a darker sound that was easy to control for orchestral playing. Over the years it has fallen out of favor, mostly because it does not project well. The other two reed styles don’t have special names. One is used mainly in North America and tends to elicit a brighter sound from the bassoon. This type of reed is good for solo and principal orchestral playing. The third is used pretty much everywhere outside of North America, and elicits a darker sound from the bassoon. While there are three “main” styles of bassoon reeds, every individual adjusts their reeds to suit their needs in so specific of a way that almost no two people’s reeds are the same.

In terms of development, the bassoon reed hasn’t really changed since…pretty much ever. Even dulcians (the precursors to bassoons) used reeds that look similar to ones bassoonists use today. Obviously there are differences in things like shape and size, but the general structure of the bassoon reed doesn’t seem to have gotten an update in over 300 years.

A dulcian, circa 1700, with reed and bocal

Making a reed out of organic material, however, can be a frustrating task given how inconsistent plants can be. This means reed making ends up being an incredibly time-consuming task since at least half of all reeds are not suitable to be played and have to be thrown out. As a result, modern companies are trying to find a synthetic material that will work just as well as traditional bassoon cane. The forerunner in this industry right now is Légère, which has created a synthetic reed that, all things considered, functions pretty well. That being said, they are not widely accepted in the bassoon world yet. Reed making is honestly a pretty culty thing, so much so that people tend to look down upon people who don’t make their own reeds. Steve Paulson, the principal bassoonist of the San Francisco Symphony even said, “I’m almost reluctant to reveal publicly how much I am enjoying the experience. As good as these reeds are, I’m sure that even the folks at Legere understand that it will take a long time to have synthetic reeds accepted as mainstream in our worldwide culture of bassoonists, at least among professionals. Prospective conservatory students will want the assurance that a bassoon teacher will continue devote the time and energy to the teaching of cane reed making, as I will, even if the professional happens to be “doing a little Legere on the side”.

Reeds are a vital part of the bassoon playing experience. Without a good reed, there’s no way to play the bassoon to the standard of an orchestra or any ensemble for that matter. They are the most important piece of technology a bassoonist has available to them, and, in the process of being made, the reeds accrue their own history. Through understanding how a reed is made and how specific they are to different people/regional sound preferences, we can gain an appreciation for how bassoonists have adapted this technology to make it meet their individual needs.