Why I wrote Magdalena’s Revenge

by

Easter is a good time to share why I wrote the tune “Magdalena’s Revenge”.

the Tune
Magadalena’s Revenge is a fast-paced tune, in 2 4, and is a kind of frailich.
Listen to a full live version on our BandCamp site.

Walking Dead
For those not familiar with christian mythology, Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus’ rising from the dead. There’s nothing new under the sun, even zombie stories. Christ’s rising from the dead and wandering around for 40 days is one of the great zombie stories of all time.

Mary of Magdala was the first one to see Jesus after he rose from the dead. The other disciples were afraid of the authorities and wouldn’t go to the tomb. She was bold and went. She is the one who spread the “good news” that he had risen.

In her gospel, the Gospel of Mary — yes, there are other gospels that the church fathers opted not to include in the new testament — the Magdalene describes the rising of Jesus as a kind of vision, not an actual physical body. That is, of course, more reasonable but so much less spectacular for marketing purposes than a walking, talking previously dead person. Her description of the event was undoubtedly one of the reasons that her gospel didn’t make the final cut of the new testament.

the Backstory
Back in 1995, I watched a documentary based on Susan Haskins definitive work
“Mary Magdalene: Myth and Metaphor”. I was aghast at the blatant re-writing of her life by church fathers hellbent on perpetuating male dominance in christianity. I was irked. I had to write a tune for her.

In a very small nutshell, Mary of Magdala, the Magdalene was the favorite disciple and close companion of Jesus the Nazarene. There is historical evidence that women around Jesus had equal power. This power was eventually eroded by jealous, frightened sex-obsessed, religious leaders.

The church, over a span a several hundred years morphed Mary Magdalene from the historical, empowered special associate of Jesus that she was into a repentant, deferential prostitute which fit the church’s view of women, you know, us scary sexual beings that need to be controlled.

Pope Gregory the Great, in 591, merged three women, including Mary of Magdala, from the early gospels into one person, a repentant prostitute. Vatican II, interestingly, removed the prostitute label. Don’t you just love how those church officials can write and re-write history as they please?

Revenge is sweet
I like it when the truth wins out, even if it takes centuries. After hundreds of years of distortion, the real Mary of Magdala has started to be vindicated by historians.

Lots to read here:

A Sunny Day – an inside look at one of my tunes

by

Spring is here!

For a while now, I’ve wanted to share how I go about analyzing a song, for example, if I want to transcribe it and arrange parts for the band. Today’s glorious weather inspired me to use our tune «Il Fait un Beau Soleil» (It’s a Sunny Day) to illustrate how to map song structure.

No worries, I am not talking music theory or composition how-tos here. I am simply sharing another way to see music.


You can listen to Il Fait un Beau Soleil for free over on our Bandcamp site. If you’re a musician, try playing along for fun.

Enjoy!

Download the “Il Fait un Beausoleil” crib notes (an easy to read chord chart) .

This is the beat map, or as I call it, the bones of the tune:
IlFait_bones

Making Butterscotch

by

I discovered how easy it was to make butterscotch about three years ago when I was looking for a treat to replace my usual chocolate.

Chocolate wasn’t the friend I had thought it was. Cacoa beans contain both tyramine and phenylalanine which are common migraine triggers. I had to go cold turkey after years of being a chocoholic.

There in the trustworthy “Joy of Cooking” was a basic old time recipe that looked like something I could master. I bought a candy thermometer – a must, and a few candy molds – optional, and gave the recipe a try. Sweet success!

I’ve made it several times since and it is always good. Butter, molasses and brown sugar, vinegar and water. What’s not to love? Plus the cost is very low for something as scrumptious.

Candy making does require fussiness. And be super cautious handling molten sugar. It’s really hot!

Here I am showing you how I do it:

For the curious:
• Sugar Melting Point Varies Because Sugar Doesn’t Melt; It Decomposes
• Caramelization: new science, new possibilities
• The Joy Kitchen – the official website of the Joy of Cooking

Live and Unusual

by

Yesterday, at le Vieux Port, in a plaza in front of the Museum of Archeology and History of Montreal at 2pm (14:00), we enjoyed a surround sound outdoors “symphony”.

The work, composed by a trombonist named Scott Thomson, was realised by bagpipers, drummers and several musicians working multiple horns on large ships frozen at their docks and a train horn on a locomotive nearby.

The piece was around 15 minutes long. The pipers and drummers moved around adding spacial contrast. The horns were loud but pleasant.

I loved the concept, the sounds, the audience engagement, the use of public space for collective joy. I particularly liked a section with cascading drums rolls which began after a large deep ship horn blared. At that point the drummers were 50 plus feet apart. The rolls echoed off the stone buildings in waves.

I would love to compose for this. It is right up my alley.

Les Symphonies portuaires de Pointe-à-Callière (The Port Symphonies of Pointe-à-Callière) are presented by the Musée d’archéologie et d’historie de Montréal. This was the 22nd year.

If you are in Montreal next year, don’t miss it.

This short video (1:30) gives a taste of the event.

Gary and I followed the concert with a walk along the waterfront and then a nice steak dinner at the Keg.

A perfect day.

Steel Poppies – Les Forges de Montréal

by

nuit-blanche-2016-afficheLast night I went to Les Forges de Montréal, a coal smithy, to view blacksmiths forging poppies out of steel — les coquelicots en acier. The public demonstration was part of Montréal’s annual citywide celebration called “La Nuit Blanche” which features 200 or so activities, mostly free.

Les Forges de Montréal is located in an industrial area down near the St. Lawrence river (map). The building is very old. It is surrounded by freeway overpasses, large silos and rusty warehouses. Inside was warm, the walls glowing from the coal fires. It was noisy but not annoyingly so.

I loved being up close to the workers and watching the hot steel be shaped, twisted and punctured. Forging metal is one of the big accomplishments in human history — mythological and magical, civilizing and utilitarian.

These blacksmiths are joining others from around the world in forging poppies for a “Poppy Cenotaph” to commemorate soldiers who had died, were wounded or displaced in World War I. The cenotaph” (I had to look that one up) will be created in Ypres, Belgium in September 2016 and will include 2016 poppies. The official Ypres 2016 site has fascinating information about the memorial, forging, World War I and more.

My grandfather enlisted in the Canadian Army and went to France in WWI. His military career was not illustrious — the subject of another post — but nevertheless he was there in the thick of one of the worst wars.

More info about blacksmithing.

Post Navigation

 
Newer Posts →