I’m sitting in front of a police station somewhere in London, using their free internet. Chaos rules!
I arrived in London yesterday, horribly sleep deprived but OK. In the early evening I had a nice practise session with Björk, Damian, Mark and Chris, but not Toumani as I had expected as he is just coming straight to Glastonbury. Hope, which is the song we are doing, will be more or less an improvisation on my part as I’m going to follow Toumani’s lead.
In my understanding my role in Hope is to be “the Lydian front” which will give Toumani the freedom to do what he wants. Björk’s music is usually in the Lydian mode (which is a normal major scale but with a sharp fourth note - for instance, a C major scale would have an F sharp, not F natural) and my improvisation is supposed to emphasise that characteristic.
Some of us are going to Glastonbury tonight. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to walk on top of the Tor and see the healing well. Should be fun!
Concerning the Lydian mode:
“We hear the Lydian fourth (a raised fourth in the context of a major tonality) in the famous first phrase of Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Maria’ from West Side Story. We hear a Lydian fourth in the accompaniment of the opening song ‘Bonjour’ from Alan Menken’s score for the Walt Disney production of Beauty and the Beast. We hear Lydian formulations cascading through the lush orchestrations that accompany the closing credits in John Williams’ score for E.T. . There is a kind of false leading note built-in to the character of the Lydian fourth ” it aspires toward the dominant in just the same way that the traditional concept of a leading note aspires toward the tonic. The Lydian contains an element of aspiration, yearning almost, within its structure. It has come to be associated with innocence (Maria, Beauty and E.T.), coupled with fervent desire, as in the yearnings of children. To demonstrate this, takes any of the examples cited above, and play them on a keyboard with the Lydian fourths lowered, so that the scale resembles a traditional major scale. It will be sensed that the peculiar quality of innocence, yearning and naiveté that the Lydian fourth brings to the music will at once disappear.”
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June 21st, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Doesn’t quite fit with the example I use (opening notes of The Simpsons’ theme)
June 21st, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I love Lydian
June 21st, 2007 at 6:58 pm
‘To emphasise the Lydian aspect’, are these specific instructions given to you by Björk?
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:02 am
ok, i’m playing MARIA now & when those strings kicked in, i instantly recognized them as “E.T. strings”; they are used way too much in movies & tv when the creators want to evoke an “awwwwww” response.
they sound so over-the-top sugary, yet in the case of Bernstein/Sondheim, i am able to believe that it comes from the heart & the desire to make the world a better place.
when John Williams does it, its feels manipulative & saccharine. i still cry, but i’m aware that millions of dollars & hundreds of production meetings have gone into producing that tear.
Menken/Ashman are manipulative too, but their fun spirit makes me willing to go there!
now i’ll listen for Lydian Fronts in Björk’s music!
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:17 am
Oh, that seems to be something to notice in the songs! Are there any other songs that are treated special as this one for the tour?
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:23 am
true.. there appears loads of mystic lydians (as often as other really colourful modes björk adopts as phrygian, loc etc) in our lady björk’s songs.. e.g. aeroplane
the old icelandic song ‘verandi’ which björk did a cover of, is so composed in light of / to boost the atmosphere of lydian, to me it felt almost medieval and ecstatic in a very different way than plain happiess. i’d say ’subliminal’- to try to explain the impression i got :D:D
If björk’s interpretation of verandi felt strong and majestic, one should also enjoy to check out the version by ísgerður Júníusdóttir in her album, Minn Heimur Og þinn-subtler but lushly arranged using organs, strings presents gorgeously this lydian-supercharged song
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:33 am
true.. there appears loads of mystic lydians (as often as other really colourful modes björk adopts as phrygian, loc etc) in our lady björk’s songs.. e.g. aeroplane
lydian’s cool because it’s got the schizophrenic, disoriented, mystic and sensory-heightened trippy qualities of wholetone as well as the everlasting innocence of Ionian (plain major)
the old icelandic song ‘verandi’ which björk did a cover of, is so composed in light of / to boost the atmosphere of lydian, to me it felt almost medieval and ecstatic in a very different way than the usual happiness. i’d adopt ’subliminal’- to try to explain the impression i got :D:D
If björk’s interpretation of verandi felt strong and majestic, one should also enjoy to check out the version by ísgerður Júníusdóttir in her album, Minn Heimur Og þinn-subtler but lushly arranged using organs, strings presents gorgeously this lydian-supercharged song
June 23rd, 2007 at 5:28 am
Is anyone aware of any websites that feature musical analysis of Bjork’s music? Thank you.
June 24th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Is the song “Hope” in any way connected/inspired by the movie “Children Of Men” by the way, (the DVD also has a documentary with the same name)?