One is supposed to name our favorite incarnations of various musical forms. If I showed you all of the blanks, it would outnumber the answers. So I won't.
Symphony: Gee, I don't know. Is there just one? Beethoven's Fifth, first movement, Beethoven's Ninth, second movement (the theme song to the NBC News with Huntley and Brinkley). A number of Mozart symphonies, 29, 35, 40. Dvorak's Ninth. OK, I'll pick that one -"New World".
Tone Poem, or other non-symphony long-form orchestral work: Scheherazade, by Rimsky-Korsakov. (I stole the answer, because I had no idea what a tone poem was and I DO like that piece.)
Piano concerto: Something by Mozart
Piano sonata: Raindrop by Chopin
Other chamber music: The Pachelbel Canon (so it's so obvious - sue me)
Latin choral work (mass, requiem, Stabat Mater, etc.): OK, it's cliche, but it's the Mozart Requiem. Hey, it's the 250th anniversary of his birth. I LIKE Requiems.
Classical work composed after 1950: Te Deum by Arvo Part
Movie Score: Last Exit to Brooklyn by Mark Knopfler
TV theme: most of the Mike Post oeuvre- Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Rockford Files, NYPD Blue. Also, Taxi, the Fugitive, and Hawaii 5-0, especially the percussion in the beginning.
Song, Rock: If I had to pick ONE right this minute, It might be "Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo" by Johnny Winter And.
Song, blues: "Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On". Can't remember who did it.
Song, country: "Stand By Your Man" by Lyle Lovett.
Song, other: "Waters of Babylon" by Don McLean
Guitar or lute, classical: There's a Doors' song "Spanish Caravan" from the "Waiting for the Sun" album, which is based on some classical guitar piece.
Guitar, rock, blues, country or other: the "Blue Moon" section of "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream.
Goofy novelty song: "In the Mood" by Henhouse Five Plus Too.
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I knew Billy Preston was sick, but it still his passing yesterday made me sad. I remember hearing that first Apple album of his when I went to visit my friend Steve in Poughkeepsie, shortly after my high school girlfriend broke up with me. I especially loved the first song, "Do What You Want To (I Will Love You Anyway)".
One of my favorite Billy Preston riffs was the organ on "I Got the Blues" from the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers album, which has been playing in my head. Although best known for playing with the Beatles, and for solo John, George and Ringo discs, he played on several Stones albums as well. And of course, he had his own hits.
Only recently did I learn that he co-wrote "You Are So Beautiful", the big Joe Cocker smash.
Johnny B on Billy P.
***
Again, I was able to get the Billy Preston pic (from the Beatles Again site), but not any of the dozen graphics I tried for the main part. Blogger, thy name is maddening.
3 comments:
Rogerian!
I too was saddened by Mr. Preston's passage. I remember George Harrison's exclamation on the "Concert for Bangladesh," "We fergot Billy Preston!" I also SAW Billy at our alma mater, SUNY Npaltz, playing in the gymnasium. I was about twenty feet away, amazed at the way he was (literally) rocking the keyboard.
Ah, we're getting olde...
Marconi!
I was at that very same Billy Preston concert, in 1971 or 1972. It had totally slipped my mind! I even took pictures that were too far away (more than 20 feet) and I got mostly the back of people's heads.
"Oh, I told my wife Billy Preston had died. She thought I said Billy Crystal. It lead to a very weird conversation, especially the bottom line, which was that she didn't know who Billy Preston was. Ah, these young people."
Rick (he's 54) and I had a conversation about Billy Preston yesterday that involved how many albums we could name that he'd played on. It was a lot!
Rick did theater and concert lights when he was at SUNY Albany and once did lights for Billy Preston.
Response from the guys I work with, mostly in their mid-30's: Billy who?
Hope you guys are well and Carol is enjoying the countdown to summer.
Oh- we LOVED those graphics from Homeland Security. Laughed out loud. Thanks for that!
Love,
Mary
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