Tonic Jukebox History
WEEK 71 - Morning 2
More masterful morning melodies from mini Maestro, making for a magical mellifluous musical morningtide.
See also Morning 1 in week 68 and Morning Has Broken in week 24.
See also Morning 1 in week 68 and Morning Has Broken in week 24.
Monday July 19
Morning
In 1875 Grieg wrote incidental music for Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play, Peer Gynt. The most well-known piece is Morning (Morning Mood).
Grieg's Peer Gynt Suites were an early favourite of mine. Very accessible for a youngster and beautifully descriptive. I have always enjoyed his middle name - Hagerup.
Choice of recordings:
Recording (with photographs)
Recording (with video of orchestra)
I think this second recording is a great video for introducing a child to classical music. The piece is perfect and on this video you get a clear indication of the sounds made by a number of instruments, particularly the woodwind section and my favourite, the French Horn.
Tuesday July 20
Chelsea Morning
Chelsea Morning is a song written and composed by Joni Mitchell (born 1943) and recorded for the singer's second album, Clouds, which she released in 1969. The song was inspired by Mitchell's room in the Chelsea neighbourhood of New York City.
Recording
Thanks to Jukeboxer Anne Leach for suggesting this one.
Wednesday July 21
Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning
Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning is a song written by Irving Berlin (1888-1989) in 1918 that gives a comic perspective on military life. Berlin composed the song as an expression of protest against the indignities of Army routine shortly after being drafted into the United States Army. This recording is from the 1943 American wartime musical comedy film, This Is the Army, which starred amongst others, Ronald Reagan.
Recording
Thursday July 22
Vainement, ma bien aimée
Le roi d'Ys (The King of Ys) is an opera in three acts and five tableaux by the French composer Édouard Lalo. Apart from the overture, the most famous piece in the opera is the tenor's aubade in act 3, "Vainement, ma bien-aimée" ("In vain, my beloved").
An aubade is a morning love song (as opposed to a serenade, intended for performance in the evening). Aube is the word for dawn in French.
There are many recordings on-line but this one of Juan Diego Florez is special. Many of us were in the audience at the Royal Festival Hall on 20 January 2011 (the date of this recording) for a quite superb concert. It was an early Tonic Choir outing. If you listen carefully you can hear us clapping. Thanks to Bryan for suggesting this one.
Recording
Friday July 23
Easy (like Sunday morning)
'Easy' is a song by the Commodores for the Motown label. Group member Lionel Richie wrote Easy and is singing it on this recording. I do like Richie and his music and have performed/recorded Three Times A Lady, another of his hits. Great fun.
Recording
Weekend July 24/25
Oh what a beautiful mornin'
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' is the opening song from the musical Oklahoma!, which premiered on Broadway in 1943. It was written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. This was the first song of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical collaboration to be heard by theatre audiences. Here it is sung by Gordon MacRae (1921-1986) in the 1955 film.
Recording
GOOD NEWS: There will be a third morning-themed week coming soon.
Morning
In 1875 Grieg wrote incidental music for Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play, Peer Gynt. The most well-known piece is Morning (Morning Mood).
Grieg's Peer Gynt Suites were an early favourite of mine. Very accessible for a youngster and beautifully descriptive. I have always enjoyed his middle name - Hagerup.
Choice of recordings:
Recording (with photographs)
Recording (with video of orchestra)
I think this second recording is a great video for introducing a child to classical music. The piece is perfect and on this video you get a clear indication of the sounds made by a number of instruments, particularly the woodwind section and my favourite, the French Horn.
Tuesday July 20
Chelsea Morning
Chelsea Morning is a song written and composed by Joni Mitchell (born 1943) and recorded for the singer's second album, Clouds, which she released in 1969. The song was inspired by Mitchell's room in the Chelsea neighbourhood of New York City.
Recording
Thanks to Jukeboxer Anne Leach for suggesting this one.
Wednesday July 21
Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning
Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning is a song written by Irving Berlin (1888-1989) in 1918 that gives a comic perspective on military life. Berlin composed the song as an expression of protest against the indignities of Army routine shortly after being drafted into the United States Army. This recording is from the 1943 American wartime musical comedy film, This Is the Army, which starred amongst others, Ronald Reagan.
Recording
Thursday July 22
Vainement, ma bien aimée
Le roi d'Ys (The King of Ys) is an opera in three acts and five tableaux by the French composer Édouard Lalo. Apart from the overture, the most famous piece in the opera is the tenor's aubade in act 3, "Vainement, ma bien-aimée" ("In vain, my beloved").
An aubade is a morning love song (as opposed to a serenade, intended for performance in the evening). Aube is the word for dawn in French.
There are many recordings on-line but this one of Juan Diego Florez is special. Many of us were in the audience at the Royal Festival Hall on 20 January 2011 (the date of this recording) for a quite superb concert. It was an early Tonic Choir outing. If you listen carefully you can hear us clapping. Thanks to Bryan for suggesting this one.
Recording
Friday July 23
Easy (like Sunday morning)
'Easy' is a song by the Commodores for the Motown label. Group member Lionel Richie wrote Easy and is singing it on this recording. I do like Richie and his music and have performed/recorded Three Times A Lady, another of his hits. Great fun.
Recording
Weekend July 24/25
Oh what a beautiful mornin'
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' is the opening song from the musical Oklahoma!, which premiered on Broadway in 1943. It was written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. This was the first song of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical collaboration to be heard by theatre audiences. Here it is sung by Gordon MacRae (1921-1986) in the 1955 film.
Recording
GOOD NEWS: There will be a third morning-themed week coming soon.