Welcome to the first-ever "live-blog" event on Musicology Now. Please visit our "Preview" post for more information on the endeavor and our contributors. Here is a list of ways to watch. Refresh this page throughout the day to view the most recent posts (times given are east coast). And, join in the conversation in social media using the hashtag #MusicologyRightNow.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 6:19pm by Naomi Graber:
Unity in Song
On the surface, it's a nice touch to have the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" interlaced with "Dixie" as a gesture toward Northern and Southern unity. On the other hand, "Dixie" is an old minstrel song, usually sung by whites in blackface. The "black" character apparently longs for the era of slavery. It's a bit odd to mix it with a song that shares the same tune as "John Brown's Body," an abolitionist anthem.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 6:14pm by Dan Blim:
Lincoln Memorial
I can't tell if Trump was joking or not when he asked if the Lincoln Memorial had ever been used for a concert before. I thought so at first but then his emphatic use of the word "special" makes me doubt that. It's gone back to Clinton at least for inaugural concerts, not to mention Marion Anderson and the march on Washington among other important predecessors.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 6:06pm by Naomi Graber:
When it's okay for men to cry
It might be okay to cry to "God Bless the USA," but Toby Keith's butt-kicking anthem "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue" allows the audience to reassure themselves of their masculinity. It's a masterful combination.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 6:06pm by Dan Blim:
Women on Stage
Is Toby Keith the first artist to include a woman on stage (aside from the military bands or DJ Ravidrum's dancers, where I couldn't tell the gender make up)?
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:58pm by Dana Gorzelany-Mostak
Men Who Cry
Dan, you are definitely right that “God Bless the USA” is a song where it is okay for men to cry! The medley as a whole offered themes of love, familial relations, patriotism, and Christian faith rather than traditional tough masculinity.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:58pm by Naomi Graber
Orchestral Country
It's interesting that Toby Keith has decided to use a horn choir in tonight. I don't remember that being part of his sound. It certainly fits well with Trump's tastes, however. He likes to mix the sounds of blue color America (country, classic rock) with the sounds of "classical crossover" (orchestral music, strings, piano, etc.) as a way of showing his wealth and taste. The way Keith began "American Soldier" was particularly telling: just a shimmering cymbol and a delicate piano. Very typical "classical crossover" sounds giving way to Keith's voice, which is pure country.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:46pm by Dan Blim:
Piano Guys and Girls
In contrast to Lee Greenwood, The Piano Guys cover One Direction; almost all of the crowd cut always are to women.
They're the second group to get the crowd singing, and they do so appealing to love of country even though the lyrics don't address it. They're less successfully than Lee Greenwood, and Trump is sitting this one out). The gender split here is less once the crowd is singing, but still evident.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:39pm by Dan Blim:
Backdrops
Dj Ravidrums keeps getting these stars-and-stripes video screens, while the other bands have tended to get more landscape montages. Maybe it's that drums don't lend themselves to reflective background, and vice versa, but there's also a way in which it works to tie this music to the stars-and-stripes military music from the opening.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:33pm by Naomi Graber
Something Completely Different
The choice of John Philip Sousa's "Liberty Bell March" as the first number for Pershing's Own military band interesting. Sousa is a constant presence at patriotic events, and carries an air of nostalgia about him. On the other hand, this particular march served as the theme song for "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Apparently, we're in for something completely different with Trump's presidency!
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:35pm by Dana Gorzelany-Mostak
Country Music Medley
Unlike his opponents in the 2016 primaries and many of his Republican predecessors, Trump did not make that much use of country music on the trail, so this performance stands out. The men playfully interact with each other and sing in close harmony, so the performance comes across as a homosocial bonding ritual. The initial group of singers is sort of a warmup act for the paterfamilias, Lee Greenwood, whose “God Bless the USA” was used by Ronald Reagan for his 1984 reelection campaign. Trump also used the song towards the end of his campaign.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:32pm by Dan Blim:
Set List
It seems like an effect of the number of artists who turned down the request to perform is that we're getting longer sets than we had from Obama (where multiple stars performed just one song together). I'm curious how previous presidents put together concerts in terms of set lists for artists, and whether Obama, Trump, or both were abnormal in this respect.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:24pm by Dan Blim:
I'll Proudly Stand Up Next to You and Sing
Lee Greenwood's unabashedly sentimental ode to America invites the crowd to sing along. We even got a shot of Trump of singing the chorus as well. It's definitely a favorite for this crowd, and it strikes me as a rare example of a place where men who ascribe to a certain kind of tough masculinity will sing and tear up in public--there's got to be some good ethnographic work to be done on this, right?
Re: Wreath Laying
I wasn't sure where those clicks were coming from. They seemed so rhythic that I thought they might be off-screen drumsor something like that... Certainly disturbing.
And he's still thumbing his nose at the artists who denied permission for him to use their music. No wonder he wants to destroy the NEA and its "leftist" musicians!
Dan, I think there's something to your observation. There's a lifting quality at the outset that does seem inspirational if not inspiring.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 4:43pm by Dan Blim:
Re: Wreath Laying
Jim, I was struck not by the jet plane, but the constant clicks of photographers in the clip I saw, a reminder of the public status of remembrance even as a moment of silence suggests inward, private thoughts.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 4:55pm by Naomi Graber:
The Rolling Stones
Thursday, 1/19 @ 4:43pm by Dan Blim:
Bang the Drums
The opening act, DJ Ravidrums, is a striking choice in a lot of ways to open: a young, Indian-American, punk-styled, peace-sign-clad electronic drummer. Far from what I think many might have envisioned. And yet, the drums fit well with the military bands who preceded him, merged especially with the Copland Fanfare for the Common Man (I think that's what it was, the sound's a little low where I am).
Going for Gold
It's worth noting the "Make America Great Again" logo choice. Instead of red, white, and blue, we have gold, white, and blue, the text appears in gold and white on a blue background with a glossy, reflective effect added, and a sort of ballooning 3-D roundness. The logo merges patriotism with victory (gold medals), celebration (the balloon-style text), and, more subtly, wealth (think, for example, of the golden Trump Tower sign).
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 4:06pm by James Deaville:
Wreath Laying
The unexpected sound of a commercial jet intervened during the somber ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which otherwise was marked by silence other than the performance of "Taps" by solo trumpet, preceded by a brief drum flourish. Any other sounds would diminish the solemnity, which serves the purpose of remembering the fallen. CBSN uses dramatic music for its bumpers (music into and out of the commercial breaks). Coming soon: an outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial, the "Make America Great Again" concert.
Speaker Interruptions
Note that the questioning of Mnuchin involves interruptions, another way of gainsaying or silencing the speaker. Reminiscent of the presidential debates. Much is at stake here, not only for the nominees and the president, but also the members of congress, who want to verbally display their knowledge and authority. Spoken sound is the only means available to them for voicing their positions. Such exchanges can make the general public uncomfortable, since they don't adhere to principles of civility.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 6:19pm by Naomi Graber:
Unity in Song
On the surface, it's a nice touch to have the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" interlaced with "Dixie" as a gesture toward Northern and Southern unity. On the other hand, "Dixie" is an old minstrel song, usually sung by whites in blackface. The "black" character apparently longs for the era of slavery. It's a bit odd to mix it with a song that shares the same tune as "John Brown's Body," an abolitionist anthem.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 6:14pm by Dan Blim:
Lincoln Memorial
I can't tell if Trump was joking or not when he asked if the Lincoln Memorial had ever been used for a concert before. I thought so at first but then his emphatic use of the word "special" makes me doubt that. It's gone back to Clinton at least for inaugural concerts, not to mention Marion Anderson and the march on Washington among other important predecessors.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 6:06pm by Naomi Graber:
When it's okay for men to cry
It might be okay to cry to "God Bless the USA," but Toby Keith's butt-kicking anthem "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue" allows the audience to reassure themselves of their masculinity. It's a masterful combination.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 6:06pm by Dan Blim:
Women on Stage
Is Toby Keith the first artist to include a woman on stage (aside from the military bands or DJ Ravidrum's dancers, where I couldn't tell the gender make up)?
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:58pm by Dana Gorzelany-Mostak
Men Who Cry
Dan, you are definitely right that “God Bless the USA” is a song where it is okay for men to cry! The medley as a whole offered themes of love, familial relations, patriotism, and Christian faith rather than traditional tough masculinity.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:58pm by Naomi Graber
Orchestral Country
It's interesting that Toby Keith has decided to use a horn choir in tonight. I don't remember that being part of his sound. It certainly fits well with Trump's tastes, however. He likes to mix the sounds of blue color America (country, classic rock) with the sounds of "classical crossover" (orchestral music, strings, piano, etc.) as a way of showing his wealth and taste. The way Keith began "American Soldier" was particularly telling: just a shimmering cymbol and a delicate piano. Very typical "classical crossover" sounds giving way to Keith's voice, which is pure country.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:46pm by Dan Blim:
Piano Guys and Girls
In contrast to Lee Greenwood, The Piano Guys cover One Direction; almost all of the crowd cut always are to women.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:39pm by Dan Blim:
Backdrops
Dj Ravidrums keeps getting these stars-and-stripes video screens, while the other bands have tended to get more landscape montages. Maybe it's that drums don't lend themselves to reflective background, and vice versa, but there's also a way in which it works to tie this music to the stars-and-stripes military music from the opening.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:33pm by Naomi Graber
Something Completely Different
The choice of John Philip Sousa's "Liberty Bell March" as the first number for Pershing's Own military band interesting. Sousa is a constant presence at patriotic events, and carries an air of nostalgia about him. On the other hand, this particular march served as the theme song for "Monty Python's Flying Circus." Apparently, we're in for something completely different with Trump's presidency!
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:35pm by Dana Gorzelany-Mostak
Country Music Medley
Unlike his opponents in the 2016 primaries and many of his Republican predecessors, Trump did not make that much use of country music on the trail, so this performance stands out. The men playfully interact with each other and sing in close harmony, so the performance comes across as a homosocial bonding ritual. The initial group of singers is sort of a warmup act for the paterfamilias, Lee Greenwood, whose “God Bless the USA” was used by Ronald Reagan for his 1984 reelection campaign. Trump also used the song towards the end of his campaign.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:32pm by Dan Blim:
Set List
It seems like an effect of the number of artists who turned down the request to perform is that we're getting longer sets than we had from Obama (where multiple stars performed just one song together). I'm curious how previous presidents put together concerts in terms of set lists for artists, and whether Obama, Trump, or both were abnormal in this respect.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:24pm by Dan Blim:
I'll Proudly Stand Up Next to You and Sing
Lee Greenwood's unabashedly sentimental ode to America invites the crowd to sing along. We even got a shot of Trump of singing the chorus as well. It's definitely a favorite for this crowd, and it strikes me as a rare example of a place where men who ascribe to a certain kind of tough masculinity will sing and tear up in public--there's got to be some good ethnographic work to be done on this, right?
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 5:09pm by James Deaville:Re: Wreath Laying
I wasn't sure where those clicks were coming from. They seemed so rhythic that I thought they might be off-screen drumsor something like that... Certainly disturbing.
And he's still thumbing his nose at the artists who denied permission for him to use their music. No wonder he wants to destroy the NEA and its "leftist" musicians!
Dan, I think there's something to your observation. There's a lifting quality at the outset that does seem inspirational if not inspiring.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 4:43pm by Dan Blim:
Re: Wreath Laying
Jim, I was struck not by the jet plane, but the constant clicks of photographers in the clip I saw, a reminder of the public status of remembrance even as a moment of silence suggests inward, private thoughts.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 4:55pm by Naomi Graber:
The Rolling Stones
The recordings of the Rolling Stones that are playing before te live concert ("Let's Spend the Night Together,""You Can't Always Get What You Want") were staples of Trump's pre-rally playlists during the campaign. Many writers noted the way "You Can't Always Get What You Want" was a way for Trump to thumb his nose as his political opponants, particularly on the Republican side, who weren't thrilled with his nomination. Although Trump promised a switch from "candidate" to "president" in the inauguration, the music suggests he's still thinking in terms of the winners and losers of electoral politics.
-------------------------------------Thursday, 1/19 @ 4:43pm by Dan Blim:
Bang the Drums
The opening act, DJ Ravidrums, is a striking choice in a lot of ways to open: a young, Indian-American, punk-styled, peace-sign-clad electronic drummer. Far from what I think many might have envisioned. And yet, the drums fit well with the military bands who preceded him, merged especially with the Copland Fanfare for the Common Man (I think that's what it was, the sound's a little low where I am).
And now with the 18th century military corps, in Revolutionary-era costumes, it's looking like an early theme yet one with a wide scope that sort of bring DJ Ravidrums into this narrative quite well.
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Thursday, 1/19 @ 4:14pm by Dan Blim:Going for Gold
It's worth noting the "Make America Great Again" logo choice. Instead of red, white, and blue, we have gold, white, and blue, the text appears in gold and white on a blue background with a glossy, reflective effect added, and a sort of ballooning 3-D roundness. The logo merges patriotism with victory (gold medals), celebration (the balloon-style text), and, more subtly, wealth (think, for example, of the golden Trump Tower sign).
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 4:06pm by James Deaville:
Wreath Laying
The unexpected sound of a commercial jet intervened during the somber ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which otherwise was marked by silence other than the performance of "Taps" by solo trumpet, preceded by a brief drum flourish. Any other sounds would diminish the solemnity, which serves the purpose of remembering the fallen. CBSN uses dramatic music for its bumpers (music into and out of the commercial breaks). Coming soon: an outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial, the "Make America Great Again" concert.
-------------------------------------
Thursday, 1/19 @ 12:14pm by James Deaville:Speaker Interruptions
Note that the questioning of Mnuchin involves interruptions, another way of gainsaying or silencing the speaker. Reminiscent of the presidential debates. Much is at stake here, not only for the nominees and the president, but also the members of congress, who want to verbally display their knowledge and authority. Spoken sound is the only means available to them for voicing their positions. Such exchanges can make the general public uncomfortable, since they don't adhere to principles of civility.
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