Go to this Youtube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00B7DBD4BF4AC715.
Listen to at least 5 songs. Once you’re done, post a comment below (app 200 words) that addresses which songs you liked best and how you think they help illustrate or contextualize the play. In particular, you might reflect about reading vs. performance; about “opera” as a genre; or about the role of music in expressing characters.
Post your comments before we meet for class on March 12.
After listening to at least five songs, the songs that I liked the best are “Over the Hills and Far away” from “The Beggar’s Opera” and Three Penny Opera. Both songs helped illustrate the play better because it made the play more alive. What I mean by that is that it was not just a boring play of people talking, there was more to it. The songs made the plays come to live and it actually grabbed my attention. I love how the songs matched on what was going on in the scene which made it interesting and intense to watch. Like in “Over the Hills and Far away” the song was soft and slow because the characters were expressing their love then afterwards the music turned into a fast and intense song because one of the characters is trying to escape from other characters trying to get him. The role of music made it more interesting to watch the performance of the characters. It is because the characters looked motivated with a song in the background. When reading you would have no background and get bored easily. You would have to imagine how the characters are saying each line and it could get confusing due to the different wording.
The five songs were very interesting , I listened to them in the order of the playlist. The first song was “or la tromba” , honestly I was amazed and fascinated on how the guy was singing the opera in the way that he was. with his mouth barely moving. I was honestly lost and uninterested the first video didn’t lead me to any clues on the story. I actually skipped the second one and listened to “Beggars Opera” and “Over The Hills”. Beggars Opera showed me the community which described how women and wine inspired the men and guranteed them a good life. Over The Hills and Far Away showed two lovers singing and kissing , possibly about a get away .It seems their love is forbidden , this is assumed from the random guys being fought off by them and their secretive meeting to kiss. The song “Three Penny Opera” was probably my favorite. It was about a love story in which the lovers had a long history and deep past , even to bring up a baby the girl was once pregnant with .Lastly the song ” Mack the Knife” was alright it didn’t make much sense but it had a nice tune. The songs really connected and showed the portrayal in characters compared to the script in the way that it brung visuals.
Of the five songs I listened to, “Three Penny Opera” was my favorite. I liked this song because of the story it told. The singers also did a great job portraying a visual representation of their emotions through the performance. This song is a good example of how music can be used to be expressive. It combined a talent with real-life incidences and feelings that others can relate too. While I think that it’s great for readers to use their own imagination to figure out the character’s emotions through reading a play, I also enjoy learning the character’s emotions through their own expression.
I also listened to “The Beggar’s Opera”. Based on the title, I immediately thought this song would be an anthem for the play or a song that represented the play’s central idea. The visuals did connect to some parts of the play. When I saw the characters in the bar getting rowdy, I envisioned when Macheath was going to meet his gang members and then later got set up by the women. This song allowed the readers to see a side of the characters that we may not have pictured just by reading the play. Although this song didn’t relay as strong of a story as “Three Penny Opera”, it made up for it in visuals.
From the playlist, with the first song “Or la tromba” within 50 seconds of the song I was amazed by the fact that the man didn’t show any movement in his arms like singers/artists today do. Instead he used his head and his facial expression stayed the same, I guess to match the music. The second song, “Dal cup barratry, venite, oh furie”, the lady singing gave me an evil queen vibe from a Disney princess movie, despite that I admired how widely she opened her mouth which must’ve hurt after she was done performing unless she did exercises beforehand. I really liked the “The Beggar’s Opera” because it’s like a lively music video, there is so much going on within three minutes.The fourth song, “Over the Hills and Far Away”, I liked as well because the tone was very soft and felt very romantic. Lastly, the fifth song, “Mack the Knife” I really loved because of the upbeat feel I got very listening to it. The role of music in expressing characters is important because it shows more of the character’s personality all while acting freely into character. Reading a play and watching one gives a completely different feel. The actions and facial expression gives a better understanding of what is going on.
After listening to five of the songs, I can say that “Three Penny Opera” was my favorite. I enjoyed this song because it told an interesting story about their relationship. The singers also did a great job of expressing their feelings through the performance. Although I think it is fine for audiences (whether that be people reading a play or listening to a performance without visuals) to use their own imagination to get a sense of the character’s emotions, I also like to know the character’s true emotions through their own expression. Music plays a great role in the expression of characters; it offers a little more than what an audience can obtain from just reading the character’s words.
Another song I listened to was “The Beggar’s Opera”. The scene where everyone was in the bar acting rowdy looked like what I pictured when Macheath went to meet his gang members and then later got set up by the women associated with the gang. Although this song didn’t deliver a story in the way that “Three Penny Opera” did, this song made up for it in visuals.
I liked all the five songs I heard. The man who was in the “or la Tromba” video I was most shocked with because I didn’t know men did opera type singing like he was. “Over the Hill far away” reminded me of Bollywood movies because the way they were acting and singing at the same time is something you will see in a Bollywood movie. The “Dal cupo…” the one that had an evil looking women who I am assuming to be an evil queen reminded me of the evil women in Disney’s Ariels movie. In the beggar’s opera song, I was more interested in how the people were behaving there clothing. There was also showing a man and women making out. I am wondering if people openly did that with like 50 people around them or if it was just like that for the music video. It was also so crowded and chaotic. Mack the Knife looked more modernized to me compared to the other ones I saw. Watching these music videos I got a visual it was like back then. The videos give viewers better understanding of the characters.
After listening to the list of songs, the songs I liked best were the ones that helped me set the scene out for the play. It is interesting how the addition of the music helped shape and develop the characters that were singing them. I definitely got a better understanding of certain characters’ essence and core personality, particularly Macheath’s songs. I enjoyed “Over the hills and far away.” The song is full of passion and is quite romantic. If I didn’t know any better I would truly think that Macheath was really in love with Polly. For me, the song validates Polly’s actions. I can see why she fell for Macheath’s lies. Macheath is a true womanizer, he knows exactly what he is doing and how to go about maintaining this trust that Polly has for him. He is a very clever man. Similarly, “Would you have a young virgin,” replays Macheath’s carefree yet charismatic personality. I feel like both of these songs had a romantic theme to them and this also makes them ironic considering the bigger picture of betrayal and deception in the play. “Cotillon” was another song I liked. This song is interesting in how the song and melody are so elegant in a scene involving thieves and prostitutes. I like the contrast between the song and the scene, particularly how it helps the audience really see the group of ladies so called “class.” After hearing the song and watching the scene play out, I got the impression that the play was meant to be more light hearted than I initially thought.
The music helped illustrate the play by giving it more emotion and intensity. Reading the play didn’t really grasp my attention and I was easily distracted. When listening to the music I was able to understand more of what scenes were softer and intense. By soft I mean easy going. The five songs I chose were: “Or la Tromba,” ” Over the Hills and Very Far Away,” “Del Cupo Barato,” “Three Penny Opera,” and “Mack the Knife.” The opera sang in “Or la Tromba” was both soothing and intense and I was able to picture the play when having its intense scenes. “Over the Hills and Very Far Away,” was a sweet and slow song. It showed the love scene between the two characters. Later on, when the music turned fast it showed how something intense was going on. “Del Cupo Barato,” was weird and demonstrated horror to me. The singers make up was spontaneous. “Mack the Knife” had a nice beat, but I did not know where I could connect it to the play. In, “The Three Penny Opera,” the singers looked a little weird and scary I can say. Their music was like a horror scene where I could incorporate that into the play as well when things were going wrong. The music helps express the characters and I think helps when watching or listening to it. There is the perfect tone to each scene which helps somebody stay entertained.
Overall, “Over the hills and far away” was my favorite. The mood of the song helped support the plot in the play. Although we were reading the play and we understood what was happening, this expands more on the mood and tone. I felt as if listening to these songs were new information. It evoked emotions that were not evident when I was reading the play. Based on the plot, I understood that the song was about running away because the Peachum parents were after Polly and her husband. Music helps describe the role and emotion of every character because music is an element that sets a mood. Sometimes the musical songs for this play was very slow and sad. Even the characters who were not the main ones, they had music help their emotions be expressed. For example, during “Over the hills and far away” the group of men did not even speak. However, the music and the tempo helped describe the suspense and need they had to catch Macheath’s. Just like a play is different in writing than on stage, acting and music make a difference. Although most of the information is in writing, acting and musical numbers always make a play richer and helps the viewer or reader understand better.
After listening to five songs from the playlist i ended up choosing three as my favorite. The first one is “The beggars’s opera” posted by Allan Janus. I believe that the video itself talks about what the play is going to be about and sets the mood for the play as well. Seeing how the characters were being carefree and being comical depicts how the play is itself. The song was also very cheerful and carefree personally as i listened to the music and watched the video as well my mood was uplifted. The second song was Handel (Rinaldo) or “or la Tromba” by David Daniels. I personally say that this Aria made me think about how Mr Peachum felt when he heard that his daughter was already married to Macheath and how on several occasions he escaped from prision. Seeing how the Opera singer was upset made me think of that character. The music for me was comical but also angry at the same time. My third song is Over the Hills and Far away from “The beggar’s opera”. Here we have two characters from the play “Polly and Macheath” singing to eachother i just found it very beautiful and romantic. The music was very sweet and subtle as well. The songs that i mentioned above are the ones that best depict the play as a whole and little scenes as well in my opinion.
After watching the videos and listening to the 5 songs, the first of my 3 favorites was “Or la tromba”. The mans voice is amazing, the way it seems like he’s singing a story while acting out whatever he’s doing. His facial expressions are great and doesn’t look like he’s actually singing but telling a story. My other favorite song was “Dal cupo baratro, venite, oh furie” I loved the costumes, hers in particular, her makeup, the way she sang and acted out her scene. The way she moved her hands, her body and the facial expressions she made reminded me of a wicked witch casting a spell. Lastly, watching “Over the Hills and Far Away” helped me put a face to Polly and Macheath, they truly seemed to be in love, the way they held each other and sang to one another. Also while reading the play, i don’t actually sing the songs but instead just read them like the rest of the text, but watching the video and listening to them sing the song let me hear what the text sounds like being sung out loud.
The songs made the interpretations of the text far more interesting than when it was just being read. “Over the Hills and Far Away” emphasized Polly and Macheath’s strong desire to be with each other. When reading about their affection in Act 1, Scene 13, their feelings were obvious but the song revealed the depth of it. If a person didn’t know about Macheath’s personality, the video would convince him/her that he only desired Polly, especially when he fought the armed men. “Mack the Knife”, which was my favorite, had a great Rhythm and also, it was a good way of highlighting the infamous Macheath. Referring to him as “the Knife” made it easier to understand that there was nothing good about him. His womanizing qualities were even heard in the song since “Jenny”, “Sukey”, and “Lucy” was a part of the lyrics. “Beggars Opera” revealed Macheth’s desire for women in general, especially the women who were in the Tavern. “Three Penny Opera” was fascinating because of how the lyrics and performers were able to tell an entire story. The final song which I liked was “Since laws were made”, featured Macheath who sang about laws. The songs gave a deeper understanding to the text. What was read didn’t leave a powerful impression when compared to viewing the actual performance.