Sunday, November 15, 2009

Lullabies

The chosen song for this week's Take This Tune is James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James", written as a lullaby for a nephew who was named for him. It got me thinking about lullabies from other musical forms, and these two in particular, one a traditional folk piece, the other, rather unexpectedly, from opera.

The late lamented beautiful Odetta recorded "All the Pretty Little Horses" live way back in the sixties. I first heard her recording in the 1980s, when I went on a musical odyssey and fell in love with her cavernous contralto. My mom, who in her younger days, had a glorious rich contralto as well, sang it to me as she'd rock me to sleep or hush me when I was fretful and feverish from teething.



"Summertime" is, of course, the opening soprano aria from George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward's 1935 opera PORGY AND BESS; it's a lullaby sung by the character Clara to her baby. For me, it doesn't work as a soprano piece, largely because of the high notes. I prefer it sung in lower keys, the way my mom sang it to me and as the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald sings it here.



I don't have children of my own, but I carried on the tradition; I sang these lullabies to my nephew and nieces when they were babies. I don't know if they will remember that, down in those memories we feel in our viscera rather than consciousness, but I hope they'll learn them and someday sing them for their children.

Take This Tune is a weekly meme hosted by my friend and fellow music lover Jamie. A tune is chosen and participants are asked to write about the associations or memories the tune suggests to them. If you'd like to participate, please click on the link above; full instructions on how to link your response and blog are given there.

12 comments:

  1. I am connecting to you through the suggestion of Barry on my blog. I play some classical guitar - I liked the song pretty little horses I like playing that style of finger picking on a classical guitar. I also really like the picture you have at the top of your blog. You have a well thought out blog. I like it and can see why Barry suggested visitng.

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  2. Hi, Tom. Glad to meet you, and glad you enjoy the blog. It's a combination of two previous blogs I had and seems to be working okay. (And I'm glad Barry suggested you visit--he and I have been blog buddies for a long time!) Thanks for stopping by, and do come back! :)

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  3. Having no choice, I sing everything in lower keys. My voice slipped from soprano to alto back in the 70's. Too much singing along with the radio, maybe. I never thought of Summertime ... that would have been perfect. But I did sing Peter, Paul, and Mary and a little Simon and Garfunkel (Scarborough Fair) to Moonbeam. That probably accounts for her liberal political leanings and her enduring soft heartedness. By the way, I agree with Tom's comments on your blog. It's probably a good thing I can't post images here and mess the whole thing up for you. Much to your relief, I'm done now. <3

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  4. I've never been perfectly certain of my range, Moon, to be honest. At one point I could hit an E below middle C and an F sharp above high C--and had even at my best nowhere near the power of Mom's voice. I think when all's said and done I'd be, probably, a mezzo. "Scarborough Fair" is a great lullaby--and one I never thought of because I could never separate the words to it and the ones to "Canticle" which Simon and Garfunkel sang with it!

    PS I do wish you could leave me an occasional cupcake here--;)

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  5. Fair, you are an excellent storyteller.

    Enjoyed your month of Halloween stories & am enjoying your latest efforts as well.

    Ella can't be beat, whatever she sings....
    Bob Seger, well, my favorite, Night Moves....

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  6. Fairweather, a very lovely post on the singing of lullabies. I enjoyed listening to both songs. Thanks very much. :)

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  7. Love the subject of lullabies. Nice take on the subject. My grandmother would sing All the Pretty Horses and Bye Baby Bunting. My children got All Through The Night and Brahms LUllabye in German. Mother being mother, I got "A Slow Boat To China". :-)

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  8. Hi Coreen--Glad you enjoyed the Halloween stuff and the newer as well--True about Ella--and I love "Night Moves" too--Thanks for stopping by! Good to hear from you!

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  9. Hi Mary and thank you. I've stopped by your blog several times; it's an excellent one. :)

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  10. LOL Jamie--Mom hummed Brahms for me--and I just remembered another she sang: hush little baby don't you say a word/Mama's gonna buy you a mockin'bird. . .remember that one?

    Another one I sang for Bubba and the nieces is "The Riddle Song" which I learned I think from a Doc Watson album--

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  11. I have no memory of the lullabies sung to me as a child, but when my daughters were very young, "Sunshine On My Shoulder" by John Denver was very popular and I would sing it to them. It retains very tender memories for me to this day.

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  12. That one has all the elements for a great lullaby, Barry--no exceptionally high notes and a steady slow rhythm. Wonderful memories for you!

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