Music and the Fictive Dream: The Lion King

Disney's The Lion King (1994) is one of my all time favorite movies!! I watched this movie countless times growing up, and I still watch it every now and then. The piece that I think really elevated the climax and resolution of this movie is King of Pride Rock by Hans Zimmer.

This is what you hear in the background as Simba takes on his uncle Scar, and reclaims his place as king. I think this piece creates so much emotion during such a big part of this movie.

As Simba makes his way to the top of "pride rock", the melody in the vocals and strings, accompanied by soaring french horn lines feels so thrilling and honestly kind of inspirational. I get chills every time I hear it.

Honestly, I don't think this piece has any specific social commentary attached to it. I believe it just adds to the scene and makes it amazing.

Sources:

"King of Pride Rock." The Lion King Wiki, lionking.fandom.com/wiki/
     King_of_Pride_Rock#References. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

"The Lion King." Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King. Accessed 30
     Nov. 2023.

The Role of the Performer: Britney Spears

 

Britney Spears is without a doubt, a very popular singer. She's one of the world's best selling artists, and her performances can only be described as iconic.

Britney began singing lessons as a child, before appearing in a few different TV shows. At 17 years old, she released her debut album, "... Baby One More Time" which was the biggest-selling album ever by a teen artist. 

From there, Britney's music career hit many highs and lows, with many more albums released. Most recently, she released a memoir titled "The Woman in Me". 

Here are two of her performances:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vjFljmxecY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq7Zuq6sgBc

I really like the way she enters the stage in both performances, rising up onto the stage as the center of attention. I also really like the choreography of her backup dancers, and all of the details and visuals that are added to both of these shows. Her music obviously puts it over the top, with her impressive vocals, strong beat and catchy melodies. 

Sources:

"Britney Spears." Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britney_Spears. Accessed 16
     Nov. 2023.

Toxic. Performance by Britney Spears. YouTube, uploaded by Speed S, 21 Jan.
     2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq7Zuq6sgBc. Accessed 16 Nov. 2023.

...Baby One More Time. Performance by Britney Spears. YouTube, uploaded by
     ThisIsTheMusicTV, 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vjFljmxecY. Accessed 16
     Nov. 2023.

A Musical Trip to Japan: Koto

 

The Koto is one of the most popular Japanese instruments. It is made of paulownia wood and has 13 silk strings (although some have only 7). It also has "bridges" which are placed under each string in order to tune the Koto for the piece that will be played on it. A Koto is played by plucking the strings using picks (or plectra, called tsume).

This instrument was created in the 8th century, and many different versions have followed since then; the 17-string bass Koto (jūshichigoto), as well as the 20-string, 25-string, and 30-string Koto.

Here are two pieces featuring the Koto. The first shows the 30-string Koto, played by Aya Asakura. The second shows both the 13-string and 17-string, played by The Sydney Koto Ensemble. (I cannot find the name of either of these pieces.)

                             

The melody of the first piece is very disjunct. It jumps around a lot, which gives it a mysterious quality. There are also many accelerandos, which adds to that quality.

The second piece is a lot easier to follow. It's melody is a lot more conjunct. The piece starts out pretty soft, maybe a mp dynamic. As it goes on, and as the melody builds, it gets louder with the use of a cresc. poco a poco. (Louder little by little).

Personally, I enjoy the second piece a lot more because there's more harmonies and countermelodies, whereas the first piece is a little hard to follow.

SOURCES

"Koto." Traditional Music Digital Library, 2014, www.senzoku-online.jp/TMDL/e/
     01-koto.html#Gallery. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.

Kuiper, Kathleen. "Koto." Edited by Dutta Promeet et al. Britannica, 20 July
     1998, www.britannica.com/art/koto. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.