Today is the birthday of Rosa Parks, a civil rights hero who needs no introduction.

You might need an introduction, however, to Michael Daugherty. He is one of the best living American composers today. I’m particularly fond of him because his music isn’t pretentious OR corny. The line between pretentious and corny is very thin – it’s hard to not be one or the other. His pieces often follow a story of some sort, such as Superman, UFOs, or American landmarks.

Rather than blab on, I will quote Daugherty’s own website regarding his composition, Rosa Parks Boulevard.

“Rosa Parks Boulevard pays tribute to the woman who, in 1955, helped set in motion the modern civil rights movement by her refusal to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1957, she moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she has lived ever since. One of the many honors bestowed upon Rosa Parks is a downtown Detroit boulevard bearing her name. 

In the fall of 1999, I had the pleasure of attending a Sunday church service with Parks…. {She}viewed the words spoken by African-American preachers as a source of strength. Preachers also inspired African-American poet James Weldon Johnson. In the preface to God’s Trombones, his 1927 volume of poetry, Johnson describes how the preacher ‘strode the pulpit up and down in what was actually a very rhythmic dance, and he brought into play the full gamut of his wonderful voice, a voice-what shall I say? Not of an organ or a trumpet, but rather of a trombone, the instrument possessing above all others the power to express the wide and varied range of emotions encompassed by the human voice – and with greater amplitude’…. 

Rosa Parks Boulevard features the trombone section, echoing the voices of generations of African-American preachers in Detroit and across the country. Fragments of the melody Oh Freedom are played in musical canons by the trombones, which I associate with the preacher. I also introduce a musical motive, which I associate with Parks, first heard in the woodwinds and vibraphone. These lyrical sections alternate with a turbulent bus ride, evoked by atonal polyrhythms in the trumpets, horns and non-pitched percussion. The recurrence of ominous beating in the bass drum reminds us that while progress was made in civil rights in the twentieth century, there is still much to be done in the twenty-first century.”

Francis Poulenc‘s first song cycle was Le bestiaire. It was never a “smash hit” as far as Art Music goes, but it remains in the repertory for a number of reasons. It demonstrates Poulenc’s compositional talent, early in his career, while he was still serving in the French army during World War I. It’s not exactly avant-garde, but it’s modern enough to catch you off-guard if you’re not used to the Art Music of the 20th century. And, if you do find the modern sound a bit challenging, the pieces are short and sweet, and the subject matter, fun (animals!) Finally, it helps to introduce French Art Song, or mélodie, to budding voice students.

The movements are:

1. The Dromedary (there’s your HUMP DAY joke)
2. The Goat
3. The Grasshopper
4. The Dolphin
5. The Crayfish
6. The Carp

If you ever want to lose your faith in humanity, just read the comment section of any YouTube video. However, once in a while, there is a comment of pure genius. The top comment of this video is perfect:

Pretty sure this {video} was a practical joke, in which the orchestra grabbed a drunk man off the streets, gave him a bouquet of flowers, and said, “Stand here and make vague waving gestures at the orchestra.”

Mikhail Glinka‘s opera Ruslan and Ludmila was never a hit, but the overture became an instant favorite among audiences. Even when played at a moderate tempo, it sounds like the strings have had about three cups of coffee too many. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I found a video where the strings have had too much coffee after overdosing on speed.