Theme And Variation Across Disciplines

The use of a theme or subject followed by its variations is a concept present across all disciplines; in some form, a writer will take an idea or subject and develop it into several related ideas to convey a similar message or atmosphere as the original. English Literature and Modern Western Music are two disciplines that effectively utilize theme and variation, though the theme and variation found in English Literature is less direct in its use compared to Western Music—essentially, they share the same concept, yet produce slightly different results or feelings within the reader or audience. English literature’s use of parody functions by using an augmented version of a subject and the theme and variation of Western Music functions by taking the exact subject and creating several variations of that musical idea.

 

For a better understanding of theme and variation in Western Music,  I will provide a relatively famous piece, composed by Wolfgang Mozart, that is a theme and variation on a relatively famous lullaby recognizable to you within the first few seconds—if you do not recognize the piece, the title is on the top of the video.

In the 203 Reader & Text course, we the students have been exposed to the works of Percival Everett, which constantly incorporate a concept of theme and variation through the literary device known as Parody—Parody is a literary technique which comically imitates a specific, generally serious work or the style of an author or genre. In response to his work, which constantly produces allusions to individuals and ideas outside his work, the course has also exposed us to the material from the source of the allusions, which conveniently incorporate several other disciplines, including Modern Western Music. For example, Western Music is used in the films of Sidney Poitier, who is the subject for the parody present in the novel I Am Not Sidney Poitier that follows the life of the character Not Sidney Poitier, whose name acts as it is a parody to the actor Sidney Poitier, as he experiences the events of several Sidney Poitier films like Lilies Of The Field, The Defiant ones, and A Patch Of Blue—A Patch Of Blue was not shown in class; it follows the life of a blind young white woman as she befriends a black office worker played by Sidney Poitier, leading to romance in opposition to the desire of the girl’s abusive mother.

Western Music is also fundamental to the life of Thelonious Monk, a Jazz musician whose name is utilized in the novel Erasure—noticeably, the class has not been exposed directly to novel Erasure, only through some references at the beginning of the semester, so the focus will be maintained through I Am Not Sidney Poitier (Though honestly, the focus will remain on the music from Lilies of The Field).

The novel I Am Not Sidney Poitier written by Percival Everettis parody, which features a reasonable amount of satire, of the films of Sidney Poitier; Sidney Poitier and the plots of his films are the subject for Everett’s novel, which function just as a theme would in Western Music. As a compliment to the novel, the class was exposed to two particular films: The Defiant Ones which follows the lives of two escaped convicts, one Caucasian male and one African American male, during a time of extreme segregation during the mid 90s, and Lilies of the Field which follows the life of a young man who encounters a group of German nuns who wish to build a chapel. Both of these movies are fascinating and extraordinary, following the lives of the protagonist as they perform extreme task like trying to jump on a moving train or building an entire chapel for a group of strangers—the blind girl from A Patch Of Blue and a young boy from The Defiant Ones are combined into one parodic section form the novel, where Not Sidney escapes from prison. These extraordinary feats and strange moments are utilized in the novel I Am not Sidney Poitier as the character Not Sidney Poitier, who denies any association with the actor Sidney Poitier, lives parts of the lives from the Sidney Poitier movies—this is how the novel uses Sidney Poitier as a subject for parody. Moving forward, beyond the use of parody in the novel, the film Lilies of The Field, which I was exposed to in compliment to the novel, fascinates me in its use of theme and variation from Western Music.

 

What really caught my attention though was the music in Lilies of the field, particularly the “Amen” theme song titled “Amen Amen Amen”, sang in the movie by Jester Hairston, while Sidney Poitier lip syncs—the song was popularized in the mid 20th century by The Impressions, an American music group originally formed in 1958.  The “Amentheme, once introduced in the film, is used continuously with slight alterations or variations of it. The variations are fascinating and in my own opinion beautiful; they range from a plainchant style, to a jazz like style, and a gospel style—I will provide a video of what these styles might sound like, or the exact variation from the movie below this phrase. The use of the theme is quite purposeful as well; every time the theme is repeated it feels as if I, the audience member, am being pulled toward something.

The variations all produce a sonority of “home”, though each has its own unique quality. For example, for me the upbeat big band version from the film, which features horns and saxophones, creates a happy and productive feeling which also characterizes the film and its own atmosphere—at some point, the song becomes a representation of the film itself; you might, for example, create an image of the film when exposed to the familiar song. The power in theme and variation in music is amazing; simply with a song that has been used to create several related atmospheres, you would be able to recall an entire film or work—you might even create a link between the music and the novel I Am Not Sidney Poitier and eventually even a link to Percival Everett. Both Western Music and Literature apply theme and variation in some form. They share the same concept, yet produce slightly different results or feelings within the reader or audience—concept between disciplines are quite amazing.  beyond the similarity in the variations and Everett’s use of parody.

( I could not find the exact variations of the “Amen” theme from Lilies Of The Field, but I did find songs that are similar to the variations from the film)

 

Jazzy variation by The Impressions

 

Amen Dub by Jester Hairston from Lilies of The Field ( Functions like a chant because of the nuns who, as depicted in the movie and in music history, are used to singing sacred plainchant songs from the mass, a religious service of the Roman Catholic Church, which has as its central act the performance of the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Blues/Gospel Variation

Gospel Version(This is what the original would sound like)

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.