La Folia-- a musical presentation. April 8, 2010

     I, Ann S., was responsible for today's presentation. I tried to tantalize our members by just giving them the name of my presentation, but little information about what it was to be about. I think they were somewhat mystified and I think they were pleasantly surprised by the subject and the journey into music we took, ending with a very moving video to which we sang in unison.


     La Folia means frivolous or joyful, is the name of a dance and of a festival brought to Brasil by African slaves. But mostly it is the name of the most memorable written melodic theme in classical music. The most recognizable form is credited to Jean-Baptiste Lully, an Italian composer, working under France's Louis XIV, composed in 1677. Since that time the theme has been used in at least 350 compositions by 150 different composers including Vivaldi, Corelli, Bach, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff among many others. We listened to an early form by Lully, an Italian composer.  We watched a slightly later version by Vivaldi with baroque dancers in costume performing to the music. This melody has been used in various modern music as well such as the theme for the TV show, The Addams Family.and multiple modern Western movie and TV themes.

     Below is the music for a Beethoven use of the La Folia theme.

     Next I discussed Vangelis, the Greek electronic composer who is best known for his musical score for the movie, Chariots of Fire. I played a clip of Vangelis talking about making this score and some scenes from the movie with the music.  Then we moved on to a European movie that was not very popular at the box office, which debuted in 1992 to celebrate the 500 year mark for Columbus discovering America. The movie stars Gerard Depardieu and Sigourney Weaver. But the star of the movie is really the score by Vangelis. The theme song, 1492, Conquest of Paradise, is a huge dramatic piece. We viewed a clip of that piece showing parts of the movie, and Vangelis playing the theme in his Glass Studio in Paris on his gigantic keyboards. This muscical theme uses the first 8 bars of the La Folia theme, granted with far different emphasis than the classical La Folia and with much more bass and rhythm emphasis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7X_7IDXupU

      Everyone was moved by the majesty of this muscial piece. But we weren't done yet.

     Dana Winner, a Flemish singer, has put Flemish words to Vangelis' 1492, Conquest of Paradise music. These words have been translated to English and Winner sings them on a video with very moving and appropriate photos in the background. This piece, she called Eden Garden. This, of course, is also La Folia. But the words have geared up the magnificence of this musical endeavor.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=921404098341028320#

     Following are the lyrics to this Eden Garden piece, muscis by Vangelis, and lyrics by Dana Winner.

There shines a light in the heart of man


That defies the dead of the night

A beam that glows within every soul

Like wings of hope taking flight.



A sunny day when a baby’s born

The little things that we say

A special sparkle in someone’s eyes

The simple gifts, every day.



Somewhere there’s a paradise

Where everyone finds release.

It’s here on earth and between your eyes

A place we all find our peace.



Chorus: Come, open your heart, reach for the stars.

Believe your own power.

Now here in this place, here on this earth,

This is the hour.



It’s just a place we call paradise

Each of us has his own.

It has no name, no, it has no price.

It’s just a place we call home.



A dream that reaches beyond the stars

The endless blue of the sky

Forever wondering who we are

Forever questioning why.



Chorus: Come, open your heart, reach for the stars.

Believe your own power.

Now here in this place, here on this earth.

This is the hour.



There shines a light in the heart of man

That defies the dead of the night

A beam that glows within every soul

Like wings of hope taking flight.



Like wings of hope taking flight.