About the Composer

This week it’s Frank Zappa. I was a fan as a kid, long before I knew that he was also a “composer”, and long before I really knew what a composer was. In particular, Just Another Band From L.A. was a staple in our house, thanks to my older brother, and I was the only tween in our neighborhood who could recite and sing “Billy the Mountain” in its entirety.

When I was in college, I encountered 200 Motels for the first time via an obsessed friend. I never got that familiar with it, but some of it made a lasting impression on me. Roger blogged about it a few weeks ago, and I was more recently reminded of it for other reasons.

What I’m currently listening to over and over again is the song “Strictly Genteel”, an overblown pop anthem that serves as the finale of the movie. Having not listened to this stuff in many, many years, I’m more keenly aware of Zappa as an orchestral composer. We all know that he was good at aping Varèse and Webern, but this song shows his more transparent and lyrical side. I like the way he moves back and forth between the two worlds.

Let me walk you through some of “Strictly Genteel”. Here’s the opening, just to get oriented. The lyrics are, of course, hilarious (to me, anyway).

Lord, Have mercy on the people in England
For the terrible food these people must eat
Etc.

(This is Theodore Bikel singing, by the way. Not one of the more prominent things on his bio, I’ll bet.)

A bit later, after one of several odd transitions, we get to hear the full-blown anthem theme in its over-the-top splendor. Again, pretty funny lyrics.

God help the winos, the junkies and the weirdos
And every person who’s adrift in the storm
Etc.

Now, here’s an instrumental (well wordless anyway) interlude that I like a lot. It reminds me of a passage in the “Wild Nights!” movement from John Adams’ Harmonium.

Next, winding up toward the end, it’s a wonderful chromatic variation on the anthem theme, followed by an episode that I think is absolutely beautiful. Again, I must highlight some lyrics.

Lord have mercy on the hippies and faggots
On the narcs and the weird little children they grow
Help the black man
Help the poor man
Help the milkman
Help the doorman

(Let me know if I don’t have that quite right.)

For a long time Philo was obsessed with Yiddish folk and theater music. I could not convince him to listen to anything else. (My own fault, I admit.)

Today it was Ravel’s Bolero. Yup, my almost-three-year-old sat through it twice in one sitting. Don’t get me wrong; I adore the piece, but I believe there are many adults who would rather drink their own bath water than sit through it once. (Their problem.)

But twice! Twice, and he was riveted, although disappointed with the sparing use of the bass drum.

I sure do like bass drum, dad!

(Did I mention he’s not three yet?)

Garbage Man Crying. 10/05

Philo’s interest in orchestral music has skyrocketed since we took him to see a puppet theater version of The Nutcracker back in D.C. Thanksgiving weekend. True, he needed to be removed from the theater in tears, along with several other two-year-olds (you know… Mouse King), but the experience made a deep impression on him. He frequently dances around to no music, and insists that he’s a scary puppet, and that one of us has to be the Nutcracker.

I don’t own a recording of The Nutcracker, but a few weeks ago I had an idea. “Hey Philo”, I announced, “Wanna hear some puppet music?” His eyes lit up. I put on Petrouchka , and he danced around, and acted out every character change in the music (and of course there are dozens). On this particular recording, The Rite of Spring follows, and he enjoyed that with a mixture of fear and fascination. (He did finally start freaking out a little near the very end, and I had to turn it off.)

I’ve since discovered that just about anything lively and orchestral works for Philo as puppet music, even if there’s no bass drum. (I was asked to turn off the Ravel Piano Trio — sigh.) Holst’s The Planets was a big hit, and if you have any doubt that I’m a sick, sick individual, I’ll mention that we also listened to Var�se’s Arcana, which follows on that particular recording. He actually didn’t mind it, which I think is great.

Here’s a partial Philo’s Thumbs-up list, based on lots of random trial-and-error:

• Bernard Herrmann, North By Northwest Overture
• Prokofiev, Classical Symphony
• John Adams, “Wild Nights!” section of Harmonium (and the preceding wind-up)
• Stravinsky, Dumbarton Oaks Concerto (despite the lack of bass drum)