My Trip: Update Blog

You just can't escape music

2010-04-18T22:26:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Quito, Ecuador!

As you probably know (if you’ve been reading my posts) I’ve been in South America for the past two weeks, visiting everywhere between Argentina and Ecuador. I’ll be heading to Europe in a couple days for the last stretch of my trip. So I started thinking, “what do I really want to do before I leave this continent?” Then it hit me that it was time I went to watch a football match. Right away, I checked the schedule and whaddya know? Italy vs Ecuador right here in Quito. That night. Perfect.

So I went to the Casa Blanca and watched the cliff-hanger match (they tied 2-2) which, of course, was just great. But what really caught my attention was at the beginning when they played the national anthems for both teams. I know, music nerd moment. But anyway, it was so weird because, although they came from completely different countries and cultures, I honestly couldn’t tell which anthem was which - until I looked around at the fans, of course. In a way, the anthems both reminded me of the pomp and drama of Italian opera. So, a bit confused and intrigued, I thought I’d take a closer listen on YouTube when I got back to the hotel. So that’s what I did. Except I figured I’d just look at the music itself and not the lyrics, because all national anthems seem just to say the same thing anyway.

As it turns out, up close they are indeed extremely similar, although not officially the same genres. The Italian anthem, called Il canto degli Italiani, (Link to YouTube), is meant to reflect Italian heritage (which of course would include opera). And according to avtandil from the National Anthems Online Forums, the anthem is meant to remind one of “the battles for freedom waged by the Lombard towns, the Florentine republic, the Genoese, together with the young Balilla, against the Austrians, and the Sicilians against the French in the so-called Sicilian Vespers" (1). The specifications of the latter purpose are really only reflected in the lyrics, but the war and heritage aspects can clearly be seen in the music itself.

Ironically, Ecuador’s national anthem, ¡Salve, O Patria! is considered to be in a genre called the “Latin American Epic Anthem” which is closely related to the Italian style. In fact, some of the original epic anthems in Latin America were actually composed by Italian composers. While the epic anthem eventually broke off into its own style, the musical links to Italy are still prominent.

First of all, there’s the obvious commonality which initially shocked me: the rhythm. Listen to the Ecuadorian anthem and, because of the dotted rhythmic pattern in the primary theme (<--- over there), you just might think yourself in Versailles hearing a French overture. Yes, I know, there are triplets which contradict the dotted rhythm, but notice that they are just passing tones, whereas the dotted rhythms are more prominent and actually shape the melody line.

Ok, now look at the first theme in the Italian anthem. As you can see, there are dotted rhythms here as well. Of course, the melodic mood is completely different, with repeated notes over the bar-line emphasizing the first beats most of all, in turn giving the music a sort of lilting liveliness, which contrasts the march-like melody of ¡Salve, O Patria!. Nevertheless, they both make significant use of dotted rhythms, which provides that stately elegance we all know from European dance music.

There is also a dance-like feature found in the accompaniment of both anthems. Of course this may vary with the arrangement, but in the recordings I found I noticed a lot of “boom-chick-boom-chick” rhythms. Actually, it’s almost reminiscent of a 3/4 waltz – there is a strong root on the down-beat, then weaker 3^rd, 5^th and 7^th degrees of the triad on beats two and three – with the exception that this “boom-chick” has a duple or quadruple meter feel. So, in this case, basses play the root on beats one and three, while horns, strings, cymbal or maybe snare lightly completes the chord on beats two and four to create this lilting accompaniment. In dance, it would be like, "step-turn-step-turn-etc." Although the instrumentation varies, the important part is the mood that’s created. For example, in Salve at 1:30 when the C theme begins, the basses do the exchange with the other strings and the snare. Meanwhile in the second theme of Il canto – at 0:45 – only the horns fill beats two and four, while the basses remain rooted in beats one and three as in the Ecuador anthem. This “boom-chick” pattern reflects the common ancestry of these anthems and adds another level of dance-likeness to specific themes.

Another common point in the accompaniment of these two pieces is the theme being rhythmically echoed by the horns. In the Ecuadorian anthem (---->) the horns’ echoes are on triplets, while the Italian anthem (<----) keeps with the dotted rhythm motif. However the idea of the echo in the horns is the linking point, and – who knows? – maybe it symbolically represent something: a past national experience like profound unity and cooperation within the country, which would have been necessary in the ongoing fight for freedom. I know it's a stretch, but there is no information as to what the music itself reflects except the interpretation of the sounds.

Although without the lyrics it’s impossible to know the exact historic events symbolized by the music, in both anthems it is evident that at least there is an inherent narrative aspect within the instrumental arrangement. This is only obvious because of the distinct indicative changes in mood, attained through the texture, timbre, and harmony.

For example, the texture of the instrumental prelude to Salve is monophonic, as the whole ensemble plays the first bar in unison. But then, in the second measure, the arrangement splits into polyphony for the staccato quarter notes, while still remaining homorhythmic. The first eight bars of the prelude are as such, but at measure nine the texture changes again to homophony, with a waltz-like (only it is 4/4, not 3/4) accompaniment below the soft melody in the flutes. Then, at bar 17, as the prelude ends and the lyrics begin, the accompaniment finally gains weight and adds more rhythmic punctuation, such as the triplet echoes mentioned above. However, when the B theme arrives, we go back to the melody-dominated homophonic texture as in the prelude. Once the link after theme D is reached, a homophonic and homorhythmic fanfare appears which again contrasts the preceding theme. This fanfare likely has military significance and could represent the country’s bravery – or something along those lines –, whereas the simple, soft homophonic melody could represent peace, or the beautiful rural countryside for which the nation fought. In any case, the contrasting textures hint towards specific events which are to be reflected in the music.

Similarly, the Italian anthem displays just as much contrast between its sections. However, in this arrangement, the narration is made most obvious by the instrumentation and use of different timbres. For example, the melody in the prelude stays strictly with the trumpets, in their fanfare-style opening (another link to the Ecuadorian anthem!). In the A theme, however, the melody shifts to the upper strings and reed woodwinds, giving it a much lighter feeling. The second theme moves to the flutes and glockenspiel, which creates a mood approaching evanescence, before returning to the A theme with the original instrumentation. Hence, in Il canto degli Italiani, the timbre is used to create different moods which reflect the narration intended for the anthem.

I have also noticed another musical device which is used in both the Ecuadorian and Italian anthems to help outline the narration: the harmonic structure. To put it quite simply, it is the most obvious structural parallel between these two pieces. The B theme of Il canto moves to G minor, the relative minor of the root key, Bb major, while the second theme in Salve is in D major, the Dominant major of its root key, G major. Oh but wait, here comes the good part: in both anthems, the C theme is in the Subdominant major of the root key! In Il canto it’s in Eb major, and in Salve it’s in C major. Talk about a parallel!

Who knows, maybe I’m over-analyzing this? Because we can’t know for sure what was intended as a narrative, or what historical staples are supposed to be reflected in the music of these national anthems. But I suppose we can know what Italy’s and Ecuador’s national anthems sound like, and with that we can compare how they sound. Upon hearing it the first time, I knew they were similar. But now, after all this analyzing, I’ve discovered that there are even more parallels between them than I imagined. Really, the only link between these two countries I knew beforehand was their Latin descent. But there’s so much: the rhythmic ideas and motifs are almost identical in each, with the dotted rhythms, the “boom-chick” patterns, and the rhythmic echoing in the horns. It’s that specific. And what’s more, both anthems are immersed in narrative purpose. They’re both musically designed to reflect a story, a history.

Well, anyway, it was an intense soccer game, but I learned a ton more than what I paid for. The score to remember in my books is the musical score between the Italian and the Ecuadorian national anthems, which also just happens to be a pretty equal match.

A few sources:

www.nationalanthems.us/forum

www.nationalanthems.info

2009-02-04T06:31:00.000-08:00

Isn't it funny how every day is a new day? Who would have known?

Today, I've decided to continue my Blogation. Except I think I'm going to change the style, just a little bit. Instead of randomly writing about my various pass-times and complaining that they pass the time too much, I will now write more about the world. Or, more truly, I will share my opinions on the world. And whomever reads this must agree with them.

The world is flat. Ha. Take that.

No. I don't intend to write about the shape of the world - in the physical sense anyway - but about the condition of the world, be it ecological, economical, econeurotical, ecodragonal... etc.

My intention in my writing this is in no way to make everyone agree to my intellectually superior arguments, but rather to be a sort of open journal, welcoming discussion. I am still only 16 years old and in the process of formulating mature ideas, and I believe it would be best to cultivate my mind with more opinions than just my own.

So, starting sometime in the future, I'll be writing about my opinions... They may be as broad as general gets, or more specific than can be seen with the naked eye. It's a new age of Ben's Blog, a reformation, when every day brings something seemingly out of the blue... But is it really out of the blue? --

The Wonder of Summer

2007-06-19T17:57:00.001-07:00

So the summer I've been waiting for all year is finally here. Now I have to ask myself: what am I going to do? Everyone knows how many options there are. So this summer, for some reason, I want to do something different than the other summers. I want it to be productive. I haven't quite figured out what it's going to be like, but I'm working on it. So, summer for me is looking like this: finding out a way to spend my summer... productively.

I hope everyone has a great summer and rest-of-year.

Success!!

2007-04-21T03:28:00.000-07:00

I successfully successed in having success in my audition that I talked about in my last post. I am now an Apprentice!

Well, It's that time of year again... The sun comes out as if it never had before, and makes the flowers wake up. The bees come back and we all get honey on our roasted-on-the-fire toast. We all celebrate the past winter and the coming summer. Except we didn't really get much of a winter. All that makes you just want to lie down on your hammack (or however you spell it) and drink loads of cold lemonade and iced tea... Then there's the Music Festival. That time of stressedness is like a dark cloud coming right over your hammack and dripping on your book.

Sometimes you just have to think about why you're doing things. Who know's maybe you'll find out that that it's not really worth doing that thing...

2007-03-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

I found out someone actually reads my Blog! Wow! I feel so special!
I guess I should start putting more posts up, eh?

Well, there's not really that much to talk about. My team got last place in basketball provincials. Praise GOD! and on the same day, I had an audition to be an "apprentice" in Symphony New Brunswick. But, I haven't heard from them yet.

I think from now on, I'll just start putting more posts (but not as long as the first ones).

Good Days...

2007-02-23T16:51:00.000-08:00

Hi to any readers.

I don't even know why I'm making a post, no-one will read it... Oh well, extra typing.

So, last weekend I had NBYO again (yes that's my life). It was pretty sweet. I bought a new hoody and stuff. By the way, I'M GOING TO CHINA!! It's going to be, sweet... Wow, I say sweet alot. Anyway, so yeah, the weekend was fun. I'm homeschooled. At NBYO we eat a lot. Like, really. We eat as much as we want, basically. Homeschooling's rough. So is hockey. I just went to see a hockey game at RV, and by was it rough. But it was good. The team I was hootin' for won 6-1. The other team was French, I think. At least, some of the parents were.

So... Wow, I say so alot. Anyway. This weekend is going to be really... cool... not sweet. I'll say what I'm doing this weekend. And all you have to do is read it! :o

It'll start out like this: I'll probably go to my basketball game first. Then I'll go to da IFFD, which is (for those of you who are staring at the screen with your head tilted to the point that you can't bring it back anymore and you'll have to go to the hospital and it'll all be my fault) the International Family Fun Day. Sounds cheesy, doesn't it? Well, it does happen to be - quite delicious -. You see... Hmm. I'll just put it straight for all y'all blondes out there. It's basically a place where immigrants come and meet other immigrants and non-inmigrants. And we play games. And we eat good food from aaaall over the world. And we have music from aaaall over the world. It's actually lots of fun. You should come and help out at the next one. Just kidding. You don't need to.

After the IFFD, I'll head on to Downtown SJ. I'll go to my church, and help serv at the HS Cafe. After that, I'll stay for the SLEEPOVER!! And it'll be sweet. Except there's not actually that much sleep.

So, this has to be the biggest post I've ever and will ever do. Dont' worry.

Hey Napolean. Peace out.

Picture from NBYO

2007-01-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of a percussionist friend of mine. He enjoy's himself way too much :P. This picture was in a random paper I think.

2007-01-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

Hello again,

As I mentionned in my last post, this weekend I had NBYO. It was fantastic! I did a lot of fun things, but of course I'm not going to tell you ALL of it. For anyone who doesn't know what exactly we do at 'NBYO weekends', as they are often put, I will briefly explain.

About once a month, we orchestra members get together for a weekend to practice, play a concert and hang out. The venue is always different. We (almost) never play at the same place twice in one year. For instance, this weekend was in Moncton while the one in November was in Saint John. And to save money, we stay at people's houses instead of hotels or motels. This is organized for us, though (it would be kind of annoying to have to find someone ourselves). So, going on. I stayed with a really nice family, the family of one of the orchestra members. The youngest son turned out to be a LEGO Maniac, and he had the most LEGO I've ever seen. Oh, by the way, we played 4 concerts this weekend ( we usually only do 1), so I'm pretty much tired out of my arms and fingers(if that makes any sense).

So... uh. Wait. There we go. That's about it. If I get any pictures from the weekend, I'll make sure I post them.

Great Week!

2007-01-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

Hello readers (as few as you may be),

Well, this week, as said in the Title, was really awesome. Seriously. It was 10 times better than I expected it to be. Anyway, you're probably wondering what was so good about it, right? Well, there were many factors to its awesomness... First. School got cancelled on Monday! Second. I got up at six o'clock on Tuesday morning and did a bunch of stuff (like practice violin at 7 am, and surprisingly, my parents didn't seem to mind. I just might do it again!). Third. I had a violin lesson and a cello lesson on Wednesday and they both went rl rl well. Then Thursday I had a basket-ball practice and found out I made the 'Rep. Team', which is friggin' sweet, yanowatamean? And today, well, I just had a good day (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about). And this weekend I have New Brunswick Youth Orchestra so I'll get to see my friends I haven't seen since November.
I have to go put away some dishes, so, goodbye.

New Blog!

2007-01-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

Hello and thank you for reading this!

This is a new Blog and I hope you'll keep visiting as I put posts on and stuff. Um. Well, I don't really know what to talk about... Well, I've wanted to create a Blog for a while now. Probably ever since I heard about them, haha. I guess I'll have to decide what type of Blog this is, eh? Maybe I'll just put basically the stuff that's happenin'. Alright. Here we go... No wait. I'll have to go back a little won't I? Not too far though, or it might get boring for you.

So Christmas is gone by, and it was great! But, like every year since, like, grade 1, I have to come back to reality: school. Well I was kind of wondering if I should go back to school (homeschool, that is) with a negative attitude, which would be the natural attitude, or a positive one. And though I really don't like school that much right now (because I'd honestly rather do other things), I decided I take option b: a positive attitude towards the coming of school. Because when you think about it, if you constantly tell yourself: "I hate school", you'll probably end up not liking school! And that basically applies to anything. So remember. Stay positive. Anyway, I was pretty excited this morning when I woke up and went upstairs to see snow. I could have an extra day off! SWEET!! I mean, even if I'm positive towards school and all. But, still! SWEET!! Alright. I'm out. I don't know much about Blogs, but I'll soon find out. And if there's anyone who actually reads this I'll be happy.