I have really enjoyed my Renaissance class this semester. The topic is the development of popular music through the past 100 years. To make the subject more manageable, the instructor has divided it into decades. Some have been much more meaningful to me than others.
For example, this week's decade was the 50's the one where I spent most of my childhood, learned to play the piano, accordian, and string bass, and found out that girls can make your life exciting and miserable. So naturally the music of the 50's brings back those memories like a summer flash flood. Patti Paige's "Tennessee Waltz" was the #1 hit of the decade and the first sheet music I received and learned to play. My dad sang it at least as well as Patti. In fact, this was the first class this semester for which I have piano music for every number discussed.
The 50's was also a decade of great change in music and the world: pre 55 singers sang with orchestras, post 55 they sang with small combos; pre-55 singers sang songs written by song writers, post-55 singers sang what they wrote; pre-55 music was sold on 78's, post-55 we had 45's and LP's, 78's died; pre-55 we danced to Como, Crosby, and Astair, post-55 we danced to Elvis and Buddy Holly; pre-55 we had adolescents, post 55 we had teens.
From the teary eyes around the room when the computer was turned off and the lights came back on, I wasn't the only one who had many fond memories of the 50's. Do you?
No comments:
Post a Comment