Westport Public Library MOVIE & MUSIC Blog

The death of King George VI in 1952 not only heralded Elizabeth's new career as the leader of her country but served as the impetus for Benjamin Britten's commission to create a large-scale opera for the coronation. With William Plomer as librettist, Gloriana, set during the later years of Queen Elizabeth I, was composed. Other musical works that can or have been played for royal events include the British National Anthem, Edward Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance Marches, George Frederick Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks, Water Music, Jean-Joseph Mouret's Rondeau (Theme from Masterpiece Theatre), Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major, and William Walton's Crown Imperial: A Coronation March.

For those nostalgic Anglophiles, Sarah Bradford's Elizabeth, Tim Graham's Queen Elizabeth II: A Celebration of Her Majesety's Fifty-Year Reign, Ben Pimlott's The Queen and the video A Queen is Crowned may be consulted. One may also go to the monarchy's own website or the new one courtesy of YouTube.

He was born in Montreal on August 15, 1925 and studied classical piano from the age of eight; after winning a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation talent hunt, he dropped out of high school to concentrate solely on the piano. By performing on a weekly Montreal radio show and later with Canada’s Johnny Holmes Orchestra in the 1940's, he received the nickname the "Brown Bomber of Boogie-Woogie". 1949 marked his first performance at Carnegie Hall with a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert; he became a regular member of that group during the early 1950s. He formed his own trio with guitarist Herb Ellis and double bassist Ray Brown that lasted from 1953-1958; other artists who joined his trio included Ed Thigpen, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes and Clark Terry.

With improvisational sparkle and virtuostic technique which dazzled audiences especially during his solo appearances, he was considered a consummate artist and a creative force. His accolades included eight Grammy awards, various music and Hall of Fame awards, honorary doctorates, and the noteworthy honor of becoming the first living Canadian to have a commemorative postage stamp in 2005. He performed with numerous symphony orchestras and frequently entertained dignitaries and heads of state.

To learn more about this artist, you may check out Gene Lees' Oscar Peterson: The Will to Swing. Some of his compact discs include Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson at the Opera House and Tracks.

Please feel free to sample his music using the link below:

As we hear the wind howling and see the flakes falling, we realize that winter is just around the corner. Trudging through the snow and cautiously maneuvering on the ice try our patience and frazzle our minds. As we look for ways to stave off the doldrums, it is comforting to know that the Library offers solace and refuge. The Library's collection of compact discs provides different styles of music for enjoyment, relaxation or study.

Here is a list of pieces that may relieve the tensions of the season and lift your spirits:

Beach Boys. Greatest Hits

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphonies #6, 7

Brubeck, Dave. Time Out

Grappelli, Stephane. It's Only a Paper Moon

Haydn, Joseph. Trumpet Concerto

Joplin, Scott. The Entertainer

Mamas & the Papas. Best of the Mamas & the Papas

Marsalis, Wynton. Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. 1

Mendelssohn, Felix. Symphony #4

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Symphony #31

Rossini, Gioacchino. Overture to La Gazza Ladra

Schubert, Franz. Symphony #9

Schumann, Robert Symphony #1

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich. Swan Lake Ballet

Various Performers Almost Famous

Various Performers Big Chill

Vivaldi, Antonio. Concertos for Mandolin

Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men

Have you seen the film No Country for Old Men? The movie is based National Book Award winner Cormac McCarthy’s work of the same title. It’s a difficult film for me to recommend because, like the novel, it so relentlessly violent and disturbing. But the performances trump the disturbing aspects. As the New York Times reviewer wrote, “At its center is a figure of evil so calm, so extreme, so implacable that to hear his voice is to feel the temperature in the theater drop.” Spanish actor Javier Bardem plays a sociopath, a hired killer with a twisted honor code. His presence dominates the film, so much so that you fear his return to the screen, but are too mesmerized to look away.

Bardem is a chameleon, able to change his appearance and alter his physical presence for each role he undertakes. In this new film he is barely recognizable as the same actor who portrayed persecuted Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls. (He received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for this role.)

The Westport Library has several offerings, including many Spanish fillms featuring Bardem. While in our Audio Visual department, browse through the growing collection of international films.

The holidays fill us with feelings of contentment and joy due to the beautiful lights that dot the landscape and the musical tunes that surround us. The New Haven Symphony Orchestra invites one and all to their annual pops concert on Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. at Fairfield University's Quick Center. For this celebration, the Symphony is joined by The Janes, a vocal trio similar to the Andrews Sisters, and the Elm City Girls Choir, the renowned ensemble of the United Choir School in New Haven. The program consists of Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, Niccola Porpora's Lauda Jerusalem, jazz renditions of familiar favorites and the inimicable sonorities associated with female groups.

If you want to get into the holiday mood, the Library offers Yolanda Adams' Christmas with Yolanda Adams, Julie Andrews' Greatest Christmas Songs, Joan Baez's Noel or James Brown's Christmas. For those who want to swing, the Library has Harry Allen's Christmas in Swingtime, Ray Charles' Spirit of Christmas or Grover Washington's Breath of Heaven.

Just for fun, please join the Westport Public Library staff in determining the Best DVD released in 2007. Want to vote? Simply comment on this blog entry, or pick up an entry at the Audio-visual center circulation desk. Ballots will also be available at the MovieLine presentation of The Namesake showing at 6:30 on December 11th in the McManus room. So, please let us know what you think. What do you think was the best film you watched from the comfort of home this year? American and international films are eligible. Results will be tabulated and released on January 7th. So vote now.

It would not feel like the holidays without the ubiquitous melodies and words of George Frederic Handel's Messiah. This work, which was first performed in Dublin in 1742, was a resounding success. Unfortunately, its London premiere in 1743 did not meet with the same positive reaction. It was not until a 1749 benefit performance that the English audience embraced it and recognized its majesty and power.

The Messiah may be heard in Connecticut on December 9 with the Fairfield County Chorale or on December 15 with the Norwalk Symphony and Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut; New York City performances will occur on December 16th with the National Chorale, December 18th with the Oratorio Society of New York, December 19-22 with the New York Philharmonic and December 22nd with the Masterwork Chorus and Orchestra.

If you have never sung in a chorus but have always wanted to, you may take advantage of this special offer. The popular Messiah Sing-In, created and produced by the National Choral Council, will take place at Avery Fisher Hall on December 18. Seventeen conductors, four vocal soloists, an orchestra and hundreds of choristers will join forces for this unique, exuberant event. If you need a copy of the vocal or full score, feel free to borrow it from the library.

For those who would prefer to listen to it in the comfort of their own home, the Library has several CD versions for checkout. If you can't get to a concert hall, you may borrow it on DVD or videorecording. For those interested in learning more about Handel, one may read Donald Burrows' Handel, Christopher Hogwood's Handel or Paul Henry Lang's George Frideric Handel.

Due to an anonymous gift of $100 million in November 2005, Yale's graduate students do not pay tuition; this has led to a marked increase in the number of applications. Obviously, the school can be more selective and admit the "cream of the crop". Will it rank as high as the Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music or the Peabody Institute of Music? You are invited to be the judge of that at Friday's concert.

Have you ever wondered how composers, lyricists, performers or writers know which words to choose when creating a song? How do they channel their concepts into actual lyrics? Where do they get their ideas even when they are not inspired? Is there a way to hasten and improve the writing process? What is the secret formula for connecting to your listeners?

There are many tools available at the library for aspiring songwriters. Sheila Davis in The Craft of Lyric Writing summarizes the techniques utilized by famous lyricists. Michael Pollock in How to Write Funny Lyrics: The Comedy Songwriting Manual provides a how-to methodology from developing a humorous concept to realizing its fruition. Andrea Stolpe in her new Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling describes a foolproof path to the final product.

Beginning poets or songwriters often need assistance in finding and rhyming a word. Suggested books include Sammy Cahn's The Songwriter's Rhyming Dictionary, Gene Lees' The Modern Rhyming Dictionary: How to Write Lyrics and Clive Upton's Oxford Rhyming Dictionary. Bruce Pollock's In Their Own Words is a compilation of interviews with 20 noteworthy songwriters ranging from Harry Chapin to Frank Zappa. Jimmy Webb's Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting offers his unique perspective in the music business.

For those who want to analyze lyrics by contemporary musicians, the library has Complete and Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics, Lyrics by Sting, Lyrics, 1962-2001 by Bob Dylan and Patti Smith Complete: Lyrics, Notes and Reflections.