I thought this week I would try my hand at a piece of poetry constructed in iambic tetrameter. Not nearly as easy as it initially seemed it might be, and certainly not perfect either, below you will find Ode to Pachelbel Canon in D. Some of the iambs don’t exactly line up, but I stayed pretty consistent with the correct number of feet. I always use to say about art (mainly referring to my photography) that the less you had to explain a piece, the better it was, so not really sure how much explaining this piece needs, probably a lot.
The inspiration for this poem came from German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel’s famous work called “Canon in D”, which I was listening to at the time of course. Pachelbel was a 17th century composer, from a somewhat Lutheran tradition, who wrote “Canon in D”, a piece of chamber music that was originally scored for three violins, and basso continuo, and originally paired with a gigue in the same key. A concerto (something usually composed of three parts) used three different types of instruments, with three violins, therefore the poem has three stanzas. Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” in our day has become basically a one hit wonder, if you could call it that, which is now popular at weddings and the like.
For what it’s worth, here it is.
Ode to Pachelbel Canon in D
Strings dance across the bars today
What does it mean, to whom they say
My praises sing to figure bass
Some go here, some try minor “A”.Strings dance across the bars today
Is time short, some just fade away
My fraction of the whole appears
A crescendo is coming next my dear.Strings dance across the bars today
Some jumping and shouting “Olé!”
They argue still, their voices raise
No matter, an applause, saves the day.
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Holiday’s always seem to be a time when we neglect our blogs and online lives for that of something in real life. Tonight I am going to spend the evening with some family and close friends watching the fireworks in Auburn. Each year the city of Auburn puts on one of the best fire works displays I have seen in person. Great for such a small town, so tonight of course I am going to try and get some good fireworks photography.
I love that type of photography but I haven’t shot fireworks photography in almost 10 years now, should be great. When I get back in the next few days I will post some fireworks shots on the blog here. While I was waiting I was flipping through some of my music and thinking about what the 4th of July means for this country. This countries history is short compared to some, parts of history tend to grow dark with a new generation.
I was not alive or when Woodstock took place, so if I want to know anything about it, I have to read the history. Jimi Hendrix has been on my playlist of artists for years now, but this one performance really stands out. I can’t decide if it is brilliant or terrible, but it is certainly different.
Holidays, the 4th, and Some Hendrix
I wasn’t going to even do a blog post today, but I had iTune on random and up came the famous version of the Star Spangled Banner by Jimi Hendrix, and I thought about this particular holiday. If any of my two or three readers read my rant on Father’s Day (Why I Don’t Like Father’s Day // Top 10) you might get an idea I don’t like holiday days. Generally, I don’t. Everything is out of sync, but maybe I just have a problem taking some time off.
So, here comes the Hendrix Star Spangled Banner (video of performance). If you have never heard it before, it is not for the faint of heart. Hendrix played this on August 18th, 1969 on the final performance at the Woodstock music festival. He only played it two more times, once in Greenwich Village and once in Harlem where two kids actually stole Hendrix’s guitar out of the back seat of his car before he went on stage.
We are More Than Just one Mind
It just reminded me what a diverse and complex collection of people that have graced the history of the United States. You may not care for Hendrix, his lifestyle, or his rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner (I know many who hate it) but he was a part of what made this country what it is today, just as much as we all are. Here is wishing everyone a wonderful 4th of July.
