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History of (Earth) Music, Monday Afternoon

Lucas was back in the back room, waiting for the students.

"Right. We left off at medieval and Renaissance music. There was some stuff that came after, mostly opera, Beethoven, Brahms, big orchestra stuff, but I don't have a harpsichord and frankly I don't want one, so we're going to skip all that and move on to 18th and 19th century America, to something that inspired a lot of modern music, something which is referred to by a very not politically correct term: Negro spirituals."

Lucas passed out a handful of pages with some details on the history of the music. "I apologize if that offends anyone. This music inspired jazz, blues, rock and roll, country . . . most of the modern genres, really. It was sung by slaves on the plantations, as a way of establishing a rhythm and passing the time as they worked in the fields. While this was a very dark time for American history, and something that not everyone wants to think about, it was a very good time for music. Again, sorry if that offends. The spiritual was usually a sung prayer to God for strength, or a lament of the hard life of a slave. It often had no back up music to support it and was sung ‘accapella', which is why I don't have any instruments for you, today. What I will do is play some samples and give you some of the lyrics. Take a listen, give singing a shot. As always, I have earplugs and aspirin."

Once the students had done that, Lucas got their attention again. "As I said, this was where a lot of modern music takes its roots. What about this music do you think inspired future singers and song writers? What aspects of it do you recognize from modern music? If you're from a different time or a different world, are there any comparisons you can make to your own culture's music?"

At the end of class, Lucas got their attention one more time. "For next week, I'd like you all to bring in a recording, CD, tape, record, lyric sheet, what have you, of some of your favorite music, as well as some music that you personally dislike. This can be anything you like. See you guys then."

[ooc: As always, information that Lucas possesses comes almost entirely from my brain, and may be incorrect, but it's his perspective on things.]

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as you do

Skank Zero Hopeless-Savage

Archie Kennedy

Philip J. Fry

Walter Dornez

Kaylee Frye

River Tam

Talk amongst yourselves.

Yes, even you, Walter. That's why we have earplugs. ;D

Zero selected a song, cleared her throat, and started to sing. This isn't exactly her usual type of music, but as the daughter of two punk rock stars and former lead singer of her own band, she, you know, doesn't suck.

"Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home

I looked over Jordan, and I what did I see
Coming for to carry me home?
A band of angels coming after me
Coming for to carry me home

If you get there before I do
Coming for to carry me home
Tell all my friends I coming too
Coming for to carry me home

I'm sometimes up, I'm sometimes down
Coming for to carry me home
But still my soul feels heavenly bound
Coming for to carry me home..."

"Excellent. Thank you, Zero." Lucas might have been making notes on who could sing and who couldn't, just out of curiosity's sake, of course.

Archie kept it simple (if a bit predictable):

Michael, row the boat a-shore
Hallelujah!
Then you’ll hear the trumpet blow
Hallelujah!

Then you’ll hear the trumpet sound,
Hallelujah!
Trumpet sound the world around
Hallelujah!

Trumpet sound the jubilee
Hallelujah!
Trumpet sound for you and me
Hallelujah!

If he made it sound like a sea chanty, could you blame him? He was a bit toneless, but quite rhythmic, in case that made up for it.

"That's a very interesting interpretation there. Thank you, Archie."

Apparently Lucas had heard him sing before. He had to choose one he'd actually heard, and this style of music wasn't incredibly popular in his time and place, what with its American roots.

No, he's not a very good singer.

At all.

Really.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home

The Lord has promised good to me; His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease
I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the sun forbear to shine
But God, who called me here below, will be forever mine

When we’ve been there ten thousands years, bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun

Lucas hadn't put in the earplugs. But his expression reamained unaffected throughout the singing.

Hell, he was friends with Marc. Really, Walter should just embrace his screaming punk or metal destiny and be done with all that melody crap.

"Thank you Walter."

Kaylee chose a song that sounded interesting, and she even sang it pretty well. At least she didn't think anyone needed earplugs.

Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children,
Wade in the water
God's a-going to trouble the water

See that host all dressed in white
God's a-going to trouble the water
The leader looks like the Israelite
God's a-going to trouble the water

See that band all dressed in red
God's a-going to trouble the water
Looks like the band that Moses led
God's a-going to trouble the water

Look over yonder, what do you see?
God's a-going to trouble the water
The Holy Ghost a-coming on me
God's a-going to trouble the water

If you don't believe I've been redeemed
God's a-going to trouble the water
Just follow me down to the Jordan's stream
God's a-going to trouble the water

Lucas nodded, quite pleased. "Thank you Kaylee. Very well done."

River found this song, which she quite liked:

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Nobody knows but Jesus
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen,
Glory Hallelujah!

Sometimes I'm up Sometimes I'm down
Oh, yes, Lord!
Sometimes I'm almost to the ground,
Oh, yes, Lord!

Now you may think that I don't know,
Oh, yes, Lord
But I've had my troubles here below.
Oh, yes, Lord

One day when I was walkin' along
Oh, yes, Lord
The sky opened up and love came down
Oh, yes, Lord

What makes old Satan hate me so?
Oh, yes, Lord
He had me once and had to let me go
Oh, yes, Lord

I never shall forget that day,
Oh, yes, Lord
When Jesus washed my sins away
Oh, yes, Lord

"Very nice, River, thank you."

Fry sang one he knew and put his elbows into it, pointing things out as he sang.

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones
Don’t you hear the word of the Lord?

Toe bone connected foot bone
Foot bone connected leg bone
Leg bone connected knee bone
Don’t you hear the word of the Lord?

Leg bone connected knee bone
Knee bone connected thighbone
Thighbone connected hipbone
Don’t you hear the word of the Lord?

Hipbone connected backbone
Backbone connected shoulder bone
Shoulder bone connected neck bone
Don’t you hear the word of the Lord?

What did you think of the music? Anything like it where you're from? How has it affected modern Earth music? Etc.

"I can see that these spirituals served much the same purpose that chantys and sea songs served for sailors on board," Archie said. "That is to say, as work songs. Sea chantys served the purpose of helping maintain the rhythm of certain tasks such as turning the capstan or hauling on ropes, and were usually sung without accompaniment as well. And there were other songs sung on board merely to keep the spirits up. They're very similar in that regard."

"That's a very good point. This sort of music was not unique solely to the slaves. What do you think might have made this music more influential than the sea shanties that you know?"

Archie considered this. "I suppose I would say that the sentiment behind the spirituals is much more universal and much deeper, and dealt with the plight of a much larger group of people than seafarers." This was honestly an opinion he was formulating as he went along, since up until now his turn-of-the-nineteenth-century ideas of slavery hadn't been challenged too much. He'd thought it would be more jarring, but he'd been in Fandom long enough that he'd gotten used to his preconceptions being challenged.

"Not to say," he continued slowly, "that life at sea was a particularly easy or pleasant one, particularly for those who fell victim to the pressgangs. But for all that there was a freedom to being on the ocean, despite the conditions and uncertainty, that can't even compare to the lives of the slaves who created this music. I would venture to say that it was the considerably greater depth of feeling that went into the creation of these spirituals that has remained so influential in modern music."

Lucas nodded. "Good thoughts there, Archie. Why do you think the feeling behind the music has so much importance?"

Archie smiled; he'd had countless discussions of this sort with Horatio and Clayton. "The feeling is what puts the soul into it. Not just with music, but with any art form, I think. And the soul of the art form, when it evokes emotional reaction, is what resonates with people long afterward. We may not know what specific thoughts went into the writing of a song, but if they stir us to feel certain emotions then we connect with them. That, I think, is universal."

Lucas smiled. "Very good. Thanks."

"The syncopations an' that were a big part of jazz, and blues, weren't they?" Zero said. "But I think a lot of it is the feeling. You've gotta feel your music, an' the spirituals were chock-full of that, an' they've passed that down."

Lucas nodded. "And jazz and blues went a long ways towards inspiring rock and roll. I think that's an excellent point about feeling the music. Would you care to elaborate?"

"Ya know, I ain't from this time, but some of these songs are still around, like "Amazing Grace." That's one of them songs that don't ever go away," Kaylee said. "Even in my time, people like to sing to pass the time, especially music like this to keep spirits up I s'pose."

"What do you think makes these songs last that long, Kaylee?"

Should you care to.

I dunno if I needed to cut that there, but . . . eh. . . .

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History of (Earth) Music, Monday Afternoon

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During the mini-lecture

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