Reflections From a Murky Pond

It’s called Classical Music for a reason. That reason being that it has withstood the tests of time and the vagaries of cultural shifts, and nowhere is that more true than in case of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.

Beethoven’s 5th has even adapted well to modern performances, possibly because Beethoven understood the lasting power of the base line.

She Had My Attention From The First Movement 😉

Of course, if one only cares about a driving base beat and doesn’t understand or favor subtlety or complexity, there’s always Rap and/or Hip-Hop. It’s replaced the sublime with the feral, which appeals to many people who are more in touch with their animal passions.

Not To My Normal Tastes But I Could Get Behind That

Still, there are times and places to set aside the pleasures of the mind and revel in the flesh. Rap and Hip-Hop have the advantage of simplicity and a primal connection, not being too dependent upon skill or any form of delicacy, that is lacking in Classical Music and there are times when I could happily get behind that. 😛

The 2012 Grammy Awards were held on Sunday, February 12, 2012 and, as usual the songstresses in attendance were dressed to kill. That somewhat cliched phrase, “Dressed to Kill” seem to have more than one possible meaning this year though…

The Barbadian-born R & B / Hip-Hop singer Rihanna went with the more classic definition of the phrase, looked very fine and hot doing so, and proved once again that Barbados has more to export than rum.

The Russian-born Pop artist, Sasha Gradiva took a more linear and literal definition of “Dressed to Kill” to heart when she chose her ensemble with striking, though not alluring, results. 😯

Two beautiful women, Rihanna and Sasha Gradiva, with two wildly disparate views on Grammy fashion and what “Dressed to Kill” means arrived at equally stunning examples of their take on that phrase.

It’s probably best though that they made the fashion choices that they did. Rihanna, after her Man Down single, might have had trouble getting into the awards ceremony wearing a dress like Sasha Gradiva’s – especially with Chris Brown in attendance. 😆

The Piano Guys bring us their rendition of the ever ongoing franchise that is the war between the Jedi and the Sith.

The Force Is Musical In This Them

And, of course, Darth Vader’s popping & locking and playing of the accordion proves yet again that he’s on the Dark Side in the classical struggle between Good and Evil. 😆

One has to always remember that Islam isn’t a religion; it’s a din, a way of life. It includes religious, political, economic, and cultural controls so as to totally bind and shape its adherents’ societies. This, as a matter of course, includes music.

Hence all Muslim music must fit within the cultural component of Islam and adhere to the basic mores and manners (Adab) espoused therein. Above we can see a faithful Muslim street musician doing just that. 😆

And we Americans thought that Rap “music” was bad! 😆

To quote the 17th Century playwright and poet, William Congreve, “Music hath charms to sooth the savage breast.”

Ah – those words spoken by the character, Princess Almeria of Granada which open The Mourning Bride have titillated people for centuries, lasting in our collective consciousness far longer than the play itself or it’s creator.