Commonwealth Speakers:Music and Dance
Commonwealth Speaker Joseph Becton plays guitar and sings while sharing the history of the blues and its influence on other musical genres.
Widely known as a conductor, composer, pianist,and educator, Leonard Bernstein is arguably the most fascinating American musical personality of the 20th century. Flavio Chamis discusses how Judaism permeated Bernstein's life and work. He composed a number of works inspired by Judaism, he wrote for the Shabat synagogue service, and his connection with Israel began even before statehood, when in 1947 he conducted his first concert with the Israel Philharmonic (then called the Palestine Symphony Orchestra). Audio recordings of Bernstein's works and excerpts of Flavio Chamis's exclusive interview with the artist are presented.
CD player, TV,and VCR or DVD player required.
Flavio Chamis, Conductor and Composer, Pittsburgh
Bluegrass and mountain music is a "hot" commodity in today's music world, but because it developed within an oral, rather than a written, tradition, little is widely known of its history. In this informal presentation, Jim Davy discusses the origins and development of bluegrass music, demonstrates the key instruments used, and plays several musical selections himself. Come to learn and be entertained!
If outdoors, microphone required.
Howard "Jim" Davy, Historian and Musician, Beech Creek
From a bobby sox idol in the 1940s to a cultural icon in the 1980s, Frank Sinatra played a seminal role in shaping the Great American Songbook. In a PowerPoint presentation that features music, rare photographs, original album covers, and vintage sheet music, Phillip Atteberry discusses "Ol ' Blue Eyes'" career, his place in American popular culture, and his influence on the American popular song.
Projection screen required.
Phillip Atteberry, Ph.D., Director of Humanities Division, University of
Pittsburgh at Titusville
Jazz music is now over one hundred years old, but we don't always recognize it when we hear it. Time, place, and situation continue to shape what has been called "Jazz, America's unique art form." When cornetist Buddy Bolden marched through New Orleans' steamy streets in the late 1800s blasting his newfound notes of joy, American music, and that of the world, were changed forever. Whether it takes the form of dance music, concerts, or ballads, jazz continues to define how and why people meet. Using CDs, Jack Buerkle describes this phenomenon.
Jack Buerkle, Ph.D., Host of "Jazz Encounters Today," and Co-Producer of "Crossover," WRTI, 90.1 FM, Philadelphia
Brazilian Music and the Jazz InfluenceSince the birth of Bossa Nova in the late 1950s, Brazilian composers and players have received worldwide exposure and recognition. American standards have been performed in the "new rhythm," and today the Bossa Nova influence within jazz is broadly acknowledged and demonstrated by the enormous output of recordings made by the greats, among them Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock, and Stan Getz. Flavio Chamis uses a carefully chosen selection of recordings to unveil the ingenious creativity of the Brazilian poets of Bossa Nova, especially Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto, the two "fathers" of the movement.
CD player required. TV, VCR, and piano preferred.
Flavio Chamis, Conductor and Composer, Pittsburgh
World War II generated a wealth of enduring popular music: separation songs, reunion songs, patriotic songs, and even comic songs. In a PowerPoint presentation that features music, rare photographs, and vintage sheet music, Phillip Atteberry discusses the musical themes and styles that both defined and reflected the era. Come listen to Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Kate Smith, and many others.
Projection screen required.
Phillip Atteberry, Ph.D., Director of Humanities Division, University of
Pittsburgh at Titusville
Charles Pettaway presents three distinct facets of American music as he discusses and plays piano compositions by Louis Moreau Gottchalk, George Gershwin, and Samuel Barber. Gottchalk was the first internationally-known American pianist, whose music reflects the American South prior to the Civil War. Gershwin was fascinated with Tin Pan Alley—the popular music industry springing to life in early 20th-century New York City—and is best known for his Broadway musicals. Barber, a 20th-century West Chester native, is probably best remembered for his well-loved lyrical composition "Adagio for Strings", which provided the background music for Platoon and other movies.
Piano and microphone required.
Charles Pettaway, Concert Pianist and Associate Professor of Music, Lincoln
University
Charles Pettaway explores what occurred when the balance and symmetry of European classical music met the complex rhythms and syncopation of African American music. Using samples from the piano music of Scott Joplin, R. Nathaniel Dett, Hale Smith, and John Dangerfield Cooper, he shows how the styles merged to create a uniquely American music.
Piano and microphone required.
Charles Pettaway, Concert Pianist and Associate Professor of Music, Lincoln
University
Dressed in African-style garb, Joe Becton sings and plays traditional instruments (guitar and harmonica) as he takes participants on a walk through American history and music from Frank Johnson to John Coltrane. He traces the styles of music developed by Africans in America and the collision of cultures that created the music we call gospel, jazz,and blues.
Chalkboard, chalk, table, and chair required.
Joseph Becton, Interpreter and Musician, Philadelphia
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