I realize the song “Rhapsody in Blue” is a little jazzier
than boogie-woogie style tunes. Nevertheless, George Gershwin’s masterpiece
immediately came to mind when I envisioned Piet Mondrian’s painting Broadway Boogie-Woogie, which I've seen hanging in the MoMA; the song’s
order and rhythm for me speaks to the De Stijl art movement, which features
paintings with white backgrounds, black grids, and an alternating pattern of
the three primary colors. Broadway
Boogie-Woogie differs from Mondrian’s usual style in that it is based on
realism: the vibrant city streets of New York and their own special grid-like
organization. That inspired me to try and bring in some sounds of Broadway
music, mingled with the ubiquitous sounds of traffic and crowd chatter. Yet, I
chose to have the piece end with a melodic, orderly portion of “Rhapsody in
Blue” because I believe the painting is about finding harmony among the chaos.
Projects like this allow for a different creative outlet,
and can speak to art historical sensibilities, which I enjoy. The software
requires some patience, though, so I wonder what age set a project like this might be best
for. Maybe middle school and up?
I like your tie in with considering the art historical aspect of this project. Your consideration of the music choice in relation to the work. I agree with the needing patience with the software! I was getting annoyed and wanted to give up. I imagine though that kids these days are more eager and willing to learn these programs. Maybe, perhaps in a collaborative way. I'd also be curious to see what music younger kids choose - if they go for sounds more so than songs. Also, I love Mondrian's work and his artistic process!
ReplyDeleteEmily, thank you for your kind words regarding my video. That software was a difficult but fun challenge!
DeleteThis is such a beautiful audio response to a great painting. I agree with the question of frustration with technology, but perhaps - creating a series of short live performances in front of paintings or sculptures could be a solution. This orchestration could also enhance the students' confidence in their only musical/rhythmic abilities.
ReplyDeleteI am also interested in your analytical and art historical approach to the project
Udita, thank you for the suggestion of adding performance. The sounds from this performance could even be recorded and used for the final sound piece!
DeleteI really like Udita's suggestion to do a performance exercise as an introductory activity or at least brainstorm the kind of sounds imagined coming out of the painting. To Emily's comment, I would follow up this exercise with something more challenging by having them create their own original sounds/scores rather than from existing pieces of music. It can also be equally challenging to have students work strictly with abstract works of art like this that promote them to higher-order thinking skills
ReplyDeleteCarolina, please see my reply to Udita’s comment because I, too, agree a performance would be an interesting addition to this piece.
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