Saturday, April 28, 2018

Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty and Rothko Chapel

The video Ms. Quinet showed us of Mark Rothko's artwork and Morton Feldman's music really stuck with me. The artwork and the music in particular was so beautiful and I couldn't help but be reminded of a couple Walt Disney films I watched back when I was little - Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Fantasia (1940). The music in both films, in my opinion, is reminiscent of some of the music we listened to in that video.
Here is a link to a clip from Sleeping Beauty: https://youtu.be/N6UYITSXjfc
The link to the clip above features Maleficent beckoning Aurora to the dreaded spinning wheel on which she pricks her finger - y'all know the story. Anyway, at the beginning of the clip, the music that plays sounds like that of a woman singing or hollering - kind of like what we hear at some parts of the Rothko Chapel video. And then as Aurora ascends the staircase, there are a couple pauses in the music kind of like what we hear at 7:00 (yes I picked out specific time measures - a bit OCD) of Rothko Chapel, except the music heard at that specific part sounds like a tiptoeing violin rather than what is heard starting at 1:24 of the Sleeping Beauty clip.
Here is a link to a clip from Fantasia: https://youtu.be/Rrm8usaH0sM
The link to the clip above features Mickey and the sorcerer, who leaves Mickey to his devices. Mickey, the sorcerer's apprentice, has chores to do and Mickey uses the sorcerer's magical hat (sorcerer left it behind - bad idea) so he can bring his cleaning utensil (a freaking broom) to life. At 3:09-3:20 of the video, Mickey brings the broom to life and the music sounds similar to 7:00 of Rothko chapel in that there are also pauses in the music but unlike a tiptoeing violin, the music at that part of the Fantasia clip is quirky, bouncy and more playful.
Not quite sure why or how my brain made this weird connection to my favorite pastime (watching Old Disney films lol) while listening to Rothko Chapel. But both Disney films along with the music we hear and some of the artwork we see in Rothko Chapel was made/composed in the 40s and 50s. No matter the difference between indeterminate music (composing approach Feldman used) and Fantasound (stereophonic sound rep system designed for Fantasia), there's a handful of common qualities found/heard in all music made in the early 20th century. Something to think about.

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