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Williams to compose new piece for Obama's Inaugural Ceremony (the Air And Simple Gifts thread)


Ollie

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Poo on the critics! :lol:

I really liked the piece and was pleasantly surprised. I loved his creative arrangement of the Shaker tune, lots of neat twists and turns, he even kind of jazzed it up at a point, it was great. Fun chances there for the musicians to show off their mad skillz too! I thought the piece sounded very fresh and current, updating a classic Americana theme with his beautiful additions.

It's so neat JW got this opportunity (very fitting!) and the dignitaries definitely seemed to enjoy the piece and the awesome performance.

And BTW, have you guys read about this:

Because the ceremony was running late - 12:00 noon struck DURING the piece, and as per the 20th Amendment, Obama became President at that moment (even before being formally sworn in, which happened at like 12:03).

So JW's piece truly ushered in a history making moment!

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Thanks to everyone for the links and converted files! It was great to listen to the piece again.

In case anyone besides me has a complex about needing album artwork for everything in their iTunes library, I thought I'd share my rapidly-designed "cover":

20_airandsimple.jpg

(Photo credit: H. Darr Beiser, USA Today)

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Nice job!!

Because the ceremony was running late - 12:00 noon struck DURING the piece, and as per the 20th Amendment, Obama became President at that moment (even before being formally sworn in, which happened at like 12:03).

So JW's piece truly ushered in a history making moment!

Yeah, that was the only thing the aunnoncers bothered to say during the piece on my station.

Millions of people around the world will now associate John Williams with the historic moment. Perhaps he can run for president in four years.

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Thanks to everyone for the links and converted files! It was great to listen to the piece again.

In case anyone besides me has a complex about needing album artwork for everything in their iTunes library, I thought I'd share my rapidly-designed "cover":

20_airandsimple.jpg

(Photo credit: H. Darr Beiser, USA Today)

Really nice cover, Dalboz! But John Williams isn't the arranger, but the composer of the piece.

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And BTW, have you guys read about this:

Because the ceremony was running late - 12:00 noon struck DURING the piece, and as per the 20th Amendment, Obama became President at that moment (even before being formally sworn in, which happened at like 12:03).

So JW's piece truly ushered in a history making moment!

Well, if I can put my legal hat on for a minute (or at least wave my political science degree around and sound pompous) the Constitution has a fun little contradiction there. Article II Section I also states that the President must take the oath before discharging the duties of the office, so it could be interpreted that for three minutes there technically was no president. Well, interesting to political geeks like me, anyway.

I finally have internet back home and am feeling incredibly lazy (not to mention very mad for a...missed opportunity today that I won't expand on for fear of treading into dangerous waters). Could one of my buddies *hack**cough* the piece? Thanks.

EDIT- Got it. Thanks.

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John, as the Constitution expert, I have a question: in the period of time before Obama was president but after Biden was sworn in, did we have a Bush/Biden ticket in office?

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Hmmm, interesting. Not before noon, as Cheney's term didn't end until then. But if something had happened to Obama before he took the oath at 12:03, Biden could legally have assumed presidential authority because he had already been sworn in, even though Obama hadn't. In theory, could a vice president prevent the president from taking the oath and then assume power for themselves?...Again, interesting...

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I'll let you know after I've had time to absorb it, and seperate it a little from what it was written for. You know, I still haven't been able to listen to The Patriot since election night... :lol:

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Aw, be a little optimistic, John. I am not happy with the results either, but there was a reason he won (though I will not get into it). Anyways, how is "The Patriot"? Apparently, the album is composed mostly of "Pop" songs. Is that true?

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It's called self-plagiarism.

It's called a style. While The Patriot isn't the most original and unique of all his works, it's clearly more original than, for example, latest Indiana Jones, which contains a lot of material borrowed from his other scores.

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Man, the critics are totally missing this!

It's pretty obvious that Williams is deliberately creating a tradition, passing the baton of this very famous melody, from its origin deep in history in the 1800s by the Shaker composer, to Copland's treatment in 1944 towards the end of the war and other uses in classical and popular culture along the way, now to the swearing in of an African American President. Just like Obama's speech which didn't have any "catch phrases" --- nor did Lincoln's or FDR's inaugural speeches for instance; many were actually criticized in their day --- the important and emotional resonance of what was presented yesterday may not instantly be apparent, but in good time, as history becomes shaped, the substance will gain in significance.

History is not immediate; it takes years to crystallize. And what Williams chose to present took foresight, and plain guts.

The symbolism of the Shaker melody is beyond appropriate. America is all about learning from and remembering the past, her very old charters guiding the country through the most difficult of times, reminding us that hope and joy can be renewed by reaffirming neglected traditions while we look to the future.

If Williams had composed an entirely new piece, it may have been aesthetically spine-tingling for the moment, but it's ironic that these chamber critics aren't appreciating the symbolism that would have otherwise been missed.

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Hmmm, interesting. Not before noon, as Cheney's term didn't end until then. But if something had happened to Obama before he took the oath at 12:03, Biden could legally have assumed presidential authority because he had already been sworn in, even though Obama hadn't. In theory, could a vice president prevent the president from taking the oath and then assume power for themselves?...Again, interesting...

Ah, I see. Thanks.

Justin Timberlake's dance hit "The Parish Church Aflame" is a real toe-tapper.

:unsure::lol:

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his greatest strength has always been his superversatility, the way he can bring absolute artistic commitment to someone else’s style: the Korngold-like swagger and boyish thrill of the original “Star Wars” movie (not to mention the Holst and Stravinsky “steals”), the roiling Wagnerian cauldron (with leitmotifs!) of the last one, the divinely inspired Mancini-makeover that was “Catch Me If You Can,” or the elegantly Duchinesque ballroom jazz of “Sabrina.”

It's Official. John Williams is the next 'Giacchino' :wave:

Mmmmm
John Williams is a bit of a hack. He recycled his Star Wars theme to create his soundtrack for the Harry Potter novies and even this composition for the inauguration lifted from Copeland. That is not a virtue but speaks of creative bankruptcy. I realize that all artists ‘borrow’ or incorporate the work of other artists in their creations, but usually the effect isn’t usually an obvious patchwork of other composers that mark most of Williams’ compositions. He deserves his second rate reputation because few, if any of his compositions, are really his own. I simply do not understand the reverence given to him.

— pete

Copeland
-pete

Joe, is that you doing some kind of joke for us? :lol:

If not, that guy is just a blithering idiot.

It's completely serious! It's in the comments on the article that Ray posted.

I mean that if Joe was playing a joke for us, and posted that comment on the article. He wrote Copeland instead of Copland in another thread, and i think Pete is a ...oh my, my mistake :lol: Pete is Peter, not joseph-Joe.

I didnt say a word -_-

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Man, the critics are totally missing this!

It's pretty obvious that Williams is deliberately creating a tradition, passing the baton of this very famous melody, from its origin deep in history in the 1800s by the Shaker composer, to Copland's treatment in 1944 towards the end of the war and other uses in classical and popular culture along the way, now to the swearing in of an African American President. Just like Obama's speech which didn't have any "catch phrases" --- nor did Lincoln's or FDR's inaugural speeches for instance; many were actually criticized in their day --- the important and emotional resonance of what was presented yesterday may not instantly be apparent, but in good time, as history becomes shaped, the substance will gain in significance.

History is not immediate; it takes years to crystallize. And what Williams chose to present took foresight, and plain guts.

The symbolism of the Shaker melody is beyond appropriate. America is all about learning from and remembering the past, her very old charters guiding the country through the most difficult of times, reminding us that hope and joy can be renewed by reaffirming neglected traditions while we look to the future.

If Williams had composed an entirely new piece, it may have been aesthetically spine-tingling for the moment, but it's ironic that these chamber critics aren't appreciating the symbolism that would have otherwise been missed.

Wasn't it FDR's that said that the only thing America had to fear "was fear itself" or something?...that's sort of a catch phrase. It might have taken a while for it to become a catch phrase though, as you pointed out, history is not immediate and takes a while to crystallize. Could be the same for this recent speech perhaps? Good points about the use of the Shaker hymn though. :lol:

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The LA Times music critic demolishes without class or respect the Williams' piece, calling it "hokey".

Nice comment on that article, dear paisano. I hope your words somehow impact the author in some way.

EDIT: Maurizio, are you aware of Henry Buck's .MP4 file that he has been sending since yesterday?

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I'll let you know after I've had time to absorb it, and seperate it a little from what it was written for. You know, I still haven't been able to listen to The Patriot since election night... ;)

Bah...they played "Raiders March" as a McCain rally once, and I still love it.

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I'll let you know after I've had time to absorb it, and seperate it a little from what it was written for. You know, I still haven't been able to listen to The Patriot since election night... ;)

Bah...they played "Raiders March" as a McCain rally once, and I still love it.

:) No! It can't be! I will never ever listen to "Raiders March" ever again as long as I live! The piece has been sullied forever!

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I finally took a listen to the piece. I definitely enjoyed it. The "bookend" theme was quite nice, and the "Simple Gifts" arrangement was...clever, certainly. I'm not sure I'm totally a fan of the especially lighthearted passages at this point, but they'll probably grow on me. And, of course, the performance itself was outstanding, as expected.

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It's called self-plagiarism.

It's called a style. While The Patriot isn't the most original and unique of all his works, it's clearly more original than, for example, latest Indiana Jones, which contains a lot of material borrowed from his other scores.

Yes, The Patriot doesn't quote any preexisting music. That doesn't mean it's more original. I find the tone of it is very stale and drawn heavily from previous works. Quotation, no. Evocation, yes.

EDIT: Maurizio, are you aware of Henry Buck's .MP4 file that he has been sending since yesterday?

No, the NPR stream has higher quality.

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NPR has an audio stream of the piece. To my ears, it seems even better quality than the MSNBC stream.

It doesn't seem to want to play on my Mac. Any copies around?

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NPR has an audio stream of the piece. To my ears, it seems even better quality than the MSNBC stream.

It doesn't seem to want to play on my Mac. Any copies around?

Same request here, please.

And here, please. :P

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NPR has an audio stream of the piece. To my ears, it seems even better quality than the MSNBC stream.

It doesn't seem to want to play on my Mac. Any copies around?

Get a PC

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Actually, it works on my Mac. I just don't know how to download it. I'd appreciate either a PM of the download or instructions on how to download it.

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