CI3: The People’s Thoughts

Posted on by under Civic Issues

With such recent debate over the true application of separation of the Church and State, the general population’s opinions regarding the issue grow increasingly important. One may wonder what the majority believes and what opinions are distributed among certain groups of people. Religious identity, race, and political party are integral to the American identity, so seeing how views are distributed among those groups is key to understanding the circumstances of the nation.

Through many studies conducted by the Pew Research Center, it is possible to conclude that the majority of the American population agrees with keeping the Church and State separate. A poll conducted this past spring revealed that 73% of Americans agreed with the statement “religion should be kept separate from government policies.” This same poll also separated responses on the bases of race, age, political affiliation, and religious affiliation (only among Christians). Religious affiliation was further split into black versus white Protestants, white evangelicals versus non-evangelicals, Catholics, and the religiously unaffiliated.

Throughout every group surveyed, all had a majority agree that religion should be separate from politics except for white evangelicals. They were equally split on 49%, reflecting differences among the different sects of Christianity practiced. Also, while Catholics are often viewed as being more religious and traditional in practice than other sects, they had the greatest majority (75%) of affiliates to agree with the separation.

Other interesting finds from that poll show that younger generations (ages 18-29), with 81% in agreement to the statement, are more in favor of a separation than older generations (ages 50-64), with 68% in agreement with the statement. This statistic is able to reflect the changes in values over time in the United States, with older generations tending to be more active in religious communities and practices.

With the two political parties, both had a majority agree with the separation, but it’s pretty predictable as to which group was more divided and which was more heavily one-sided. 84% of Democrats agree that religion should be kept separate from government policies, and 61% of Republicans agree. As should be expected from lawmakers that uphold the Constitutional values in their policies, religion and the state have their limits. However, this statistic also reflects the growing separation between the political parties and the changing definitions of liberal and conservative.

The Baptist News Global states that the term ‘conservative’ “has lost its meaning in American politics,” referencing that those who embody that term, such as the Supreme Court majority, “seek to undo precedent and redefine the law to their liking.” Is Conservatism reflective of the traditional values and history of this country, or is it a movement to create a new, more religious and strict society? The United States was never built on the foundations of Christianity directly, so why do Conservatives value religion within the laws of the State? These questions are difficult to answer, especially due to the complex tradition of religion within the country, as discussed in the previous post.

One thing is clear though, the people agree with the separation of the Church and the State. Whether lawmakers do is what matters for the nation’s future, and hopefully they do what they were elected for, and listen to the people.

Sources:

Most Americans oppose high court’s decimation of church-state separation, surveys show

In U.S., Far More Support Than Oppose Separation of Church and State

This I Believe: Beethoven

Posted on by under RCL

Classical music has surrounded me since childhood. Though often subtle, it’s so prevalent in society. The melody of strings in the background of our movies is slight, but it’s there. Without it, our movies would seem so empty. I live my life that same way. Without classical music serving as my ground, I would seem empty. Just as with any other genre, for me, there’s a special composer whose music has helped me through difficult times. He’s taught me technique, but more importantly, he’s shown me who I am.

I believe in Beethoven.

Now, I’ve  always loved music. When I was five years old, I picked out my own piano and immediately started lessons. When I was nine, I started playing tuba. As much as I enjoyed piano, it couldn’t even compare to how much I adored playing the tuba. I loved the deep, bellowing sound. I loved the look and feel of the brass. Most of all, I loved the power and confidence I would get whenever I played it. 

I accelerated quickly playing in the elementary and middle school bands. I would play in local festivals and honors ensembles. It was at one of those auditions that I first met my high school band director. He complimented my playing, saying it was far above the level of other 12 year olds. We talked some more–about my future in the band, what high school would be like, and what I had the power to accomplish with my tuba. Although I still had two more years to wait, after that conversation I was so excited for high school to start and to be able to play in his band.

And when that moment finally came, I played my tuba with all the passion I could. The first piece he gave us was called “The Beethoven Machine,” a fun accumulation of different Beethoven melodies and techniques. I looked forward to band rehearsals every morning. Just like the delightness of the piece, I started high school with the energy and spirit of Beethoven, music being my guide. 

But one day, two months into that school year, my band director was gone. A week later, I learned that he was charged with corruption of minors. 

I was shocked. I never imagined that someone so close to me could do such horrible things. He was someone I trusted and looked up to, and suddenly, my whole life took a turn. I lost my confidence, as a musician and a person, and started to give up on the activities I had once loved. I stopped playing the tuba soon after, and I used any excuse possible to justify my quitting. I said it was a time management issue; I said it was necessary in my surgery recovery. Yet I knew the whole time, it was because I was too hurt from the knowledge of his crimes, and I had no idea how to process my own emotions.

At the start of my second year in high school, I wanted to restore myself. I knew that way was through music, but I wasn’t ready to play in the band again. Instead, I wanted change. I decided to join the orchestra, as I had played the violin as a side hobby for several years. The orchestra also had a new director, who just happened to be brothers with the new band director, so I was lucky to not be the only newcomer there. 

I quickly found a new home and community in the orchestra, and with the help and support of my new director, I gained back my musical confidence and strived to achieve more. I started challenging myself, learning new orchestral repertoire and auditioning for higher-level ensembles. I grew happier being in the orchestra, and for my senior year I prepared a final recital piece, Beethoven’s Romance Opus 50. 

I felt accomplished whenever I performed it. It gave me the power I had once felt when I played the tuba. Although I’m not the most talented at violin, it was able to bring out the best of me and revive my musician I had lost from quitting the tuba. Having now played in my first college orchestra concert, it’s strange to think how much has changed for me musically these past four years. Our concert soloist plays a section from Beethoven’s Concerto in D Major, and I feel a special connection to the trying spirit of the sound. 

Working with Beethoven’s pieces throughout my life has shown me confidence, power, and resilience. My life spans in sections like his writing, with high and low moments. Music has an influence over people, and it’s enough to shape an entire character.

 

Intro Music: Charlie Siem and the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61: II. Larghetto

Outro Music: Charlie Siem and the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61: III. Rondo

PAS2: I’d listen Until the Dawn

Posted on by under Passion

There’s always those classic songs in your mind anthology that you are never able to let go of. For me, one of those is Nicky Jam’s Hasta el Amanecer (Until the Dawn). First released in 2016, it quickly topped the Latin charts. Strangely enough, I actually first heard the song from a cover in 2017, but still, it immediately grew into a favorite. Years later, I could still listen to it everyday.

Hasta el Amanecer - song and lyrics by Nicky Jam | Spotify

Image from spotify.com

Nicky Jam, a Latino American artist, has had a rather varied career, starting as a rapper back in the 90s. While born in Massachusetts, he moved to Puerto Rico at 10 years old, and it was only then where he started speaking Spanish. As a teenager, he gained recognition as an artist there but soon faced a plethora of substance abuse. Eventually, the artist recovered and restarted his career in Colombia, where he took up singing, and it was this voice that brought him international success.

Hasta el Amanecer is a reggaeton romantic song, featuring both Nicky Jam’s singing and rapping skills. The song’s layout is rather simple, with the central chorus repeating six times. The emotional appeal is brought through Nicky Jam’s voice, characterized as soft and sultry. As the pitch goes up, he pushes his voice to add more volume, and the lyrics match easily with his tone.

The song’s story revolves around meeting a stranger and immediately falling in love. He sings that while he doesn’t know the girl’s name or where she’s from, he knows that he loves her and wants her to stay until the dawn. This theme of falling in love with a stranger was rather common in ’10s Latin music, and it’s easy to see why. While the musical key is minor, the satisfying ascension and cadences fit perfectly with the story in the lyrics, ending in a soundingly successful ending.

While the chorus does repeat multiple, it doesn’t feel repetitive. Five of the six repetitions do feature the same melody, but different harmonies are added each time. By adding more volume and voices as the song continues, Nicky Jam builds up the sound before eventually calming it. The third and sixth repetition feature a doubled voice, with the background serving as a harmony to the main melody. The fourth repetition of the chorus also serves as the bridge in the song. While the lyrics remain the same, the pitches are changed to a more wide range that accompanies the tone rise and fall.

Throughout the song, adlibs are used, both in the rap and singing, to provide more depth to the sound and add harmonies. By putting his own voice as the harmony, Nicky Jam establishes a calm tone of reggae. The background instrumental accompany the vocal harmonies, with light percussion serving as the tempo keeper.

The song has received a variety of music awards, and a look into its craftsmanship can explain why along with a listen to the song itself. It’s a soft and pretty song, built from a careful construction of musical techniques and interpretations. Take a listen; it may turn into many!

CI2: The Supreme Court v. Legislative Prayer

Posted on by under Civic Issues

Several months ago, I participated in a judicial competition where the decision at hand was regarding prayer and its admissibility in a legislative session. That scenario featured a Druid prayer being performed by county lawmakers, with Druidism being the majority religion in that county, and whether that act was considered overstepping the boundaries of the Establishment Clause, which separates religion from the state. Legislative prayer has long been a tradition with the United States, but at times, the practice has been challenged and taken to the Supreme Court for further interpretation.

Is legislative prayer on its way back to the Supreme Court? - Becket

Image from becketlaw.org

Into better understanding the prevalence of religious practices within state practices, we’ll look into several cases of legislative prayer and how its practice could possibly affect lawmaker decisions. Some rather recent Supreme Court cases regarding legislative prayer include Marsh v. Chambers and Town of Greece v. Galloway, which both ruled chaplain-led prayer in legislative settings as constitutional. However, as with most Supreme Court rulings, they came as a result of detail circumstances, such as chaplain-led versus lawmaker-led and town versus county versus state versus national.

Both cases were decided on the principles established by the Lemon Test, a set of considerations to evaluate in cases of separating the church and state. Decided in 1971, the landmark case Lemon v. Kurtzman provided three prongs of consideration that have since served as precedent for cases involving religion and government settings. While it itself dealt with public funding for private religious schools, its impact has gone much further. Under the Lemon Test, to comply with the Establishment Clause, the matter “must have a secular purpose, have a predominantly secular effect, and not foster ‘excessive entanglement’ between government and religion” (Pew Research Center).

In Town of Greece, town meetings were opened by a prayer led by an invited member of the local clergy, most of which were Christians. While they did not strictly exclude other religious prayers from being said, the majority Christian population resulted in the prayers being of Christian practice. However, since there was no evidence of intentional exclusion of other faiths, the Supreme Court ruled the prayers as constitutional in a 5-4 decision. The majority opinion established that the unique traditional of legislative prayer in the United States serves not as coercion, emphasizing that the prayer is primarily for members of the legislative bodies and not for the effect on laypeople. A concurring opinion also recognized the tradition of legislative prayer; however, it also acknowledged that disallowing prayer would force the government to be further involved in controlling religious practices, which provides the opposite of desired result. The dissent asserted that favoring one religion’s prayer over others marginalizes minority religions and that failing to represent those religions makes the practice unconstitutional.

Regarding Marsh v. Chambers, the practice was ruled as constitutional on more historical grounds, again, tracing back to the tradition of legislative prayer within the United States. However, these rulings have sparked questions regarding participation and decision of those in legislature. Does the practice of prayer have an indirect effect on the acts of our lawmakers? And would that therefore be religion working into the state? It’s difficult to answer or resolve, especially because of traditional American practices and beliefs.

While the Establishment Clause does separate religion from the state, it, too, has its limits, and whether prayer in legislative setting meets that limit or not is widely argued by both lawmakers and those of different religion.

Sources referenced: Establishment Clause, Lemon v. Kurtzman, Town of Greece v. Galloway, Marsh v. Chambers

PAS1: El Regreso de Shakira

Posted on by under Passion

It’s official. Shakira has made a comeback to the world of music (that’s what the title says). Having been in the industry since 1990, Shakira has ruled the genres ranging from Latin Pop, Pop, Reggaeton, and Rock. With a growing interest in Latin music, I’m excited to take this semester and explore more of this genre and others from around the world. The singer hails from Colombia, but her music in both Spanish and English has gained worldwide recognition. And it is certain that her popularity only continues to grow. On January 11th, she shook the world once again through a collaboration with Argentine producer Bizarrap.

Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53 - Single by Bizarrap | Spotify

Image from spotify.com

Titled “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” the song sounds like another fun pop song, and it’s the powerful Spanish lyrics that make it the internet phenomenon it is. In short, the track is a complete diss at her ex-partner, Piqué. The two were in a relationship since 2011 and had 2 sons until it was revealed last summer that the former soccer player had a mistress. When it was revealed that Shakira would be collaborating with Bizarrap, it was quickly understood that the song would likely be a diss at Piqué, in the style of many other of the Bzrp Music Sessions.

The song is very airy in its flow, but she makes no hesitation into immediately referencing the infidelity. The chorus repeats the phrase “una loba como yo no está pa’ tipos como tú,” meaning “a she-wolf like me is not for guys like you,” serving as a reference to one of her older albums, She Wolf, and literally saying she was too good for him. That might just be the nicest line as well, as she proceeds to discreetly say exactly who the song is about.

The second verse features a clever rhyme scheme, with each line ending with the sound -que, a common verbal ending in Spanish. She says how she won’t return to him and understands that the media criticizing him is deserved, ending the sequence with the verse “Yo solo hago música, perdón que te salpique” (I just make music, sorry if it splashes you). Here, through the word salpique, she mentions Piqué by name through splitting the word into sal-pique with a splashing sound between. It also serves a double meaning in that sense, with sal pique meaning leave Piqué. But it doesn’t just end there.

Through another careful selection of words, she manages to even name-drop his mistress, 22 year old Clara Chía. The lyrics say “tiene nombre de persona buena / claramente no es como suena,” meaning she has the name of a good person, but clearly it’s not as it sounds. She again splits a word, this time claramente into clara-mente and makes it clear she feels no remorse for either of the pair.

She continues the diss on Clara in the next verse, with the lines “yo valgo por dos de 22 / cambiaste un Ferrari por un Twingo / cambiaste un Rolex por un Casio” (I’m worth 2 of 22 / you traded a Ferrari for a Twingo / you traded a Rolex for a Casio). In referencing his mistress’s age, she also alludes to February 22nd (2/22), the birthday Shakira and Piqué share. She recognizes her own self-worth through the metaphors of a Ferrari and Rolex and compares his mistress to the cheaper brands, Twingo and Casio, essentially saying she is just a cheaper, lesser version of Shakira. 

While the lines may seem petty, they also show Shakira’s great creativity in song writing and her comeback from a rough situation. In just one week, the song has amassed over 150 million streams, showing Shakira’s global success and letting the world know the truth about Piqué.

CI1: Religion and the State

Posted on by under Civic Issues

Established as a means to provide the most just and democratic law, the separation of the church and the state in American policies has been an integral concept in preserving the most free and accepting environment for those seeking a new life. However, whether this concept has been followed or not by lawmakers and the population is a continuous debate that forces us to question how our beliefs and actions are formed.

Especially in recent years with the growing polarization of politics, the question of whether religious beliefs have infiltrated laws has grown in recognition. The recent dividing Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade has opened the door for Americans to look into the seemingly secular nation of the United States and determine if it truly is one. If the religious beliefs of our lawmakers infiltrate our legislation, is the church still separated from the state? If the personal morals of one of nine Supreme Court Justices changes the limits of personal rights, is religion affecting our policies? If so little people have so much control over an entire nation, how can everyone’s beliefs and opinions be represented and used?

Through this series of blog posts, I will explore the concept of religious tolerance within a secular government. In doing so, it is important to look a the history of the United States, how perspectives towards a separated church and state have changed over time, and its current effect on national affairs and policies. With religion having such a long and complex history in connection to government, I want to start this thread by recognizing its importance and impact on ruling societies.

Life had once revolved solely around religion, with devotion to learning and worshipping as a full-time practice. In Medieval Europe the cathedral was an integral part of society in both its functional usage and its symbolism of the prosperity of art and intellectualism of the time. Studying, interpretating, and chanting the writings of the Bible served as the only purpose of many Christians of the time, and any government decisions were made based on religious beliefs. As time passed on, the prevalence of religion in daily life and governance faded but still held a large role in establishing laws and societal ordinance. The first English immigrants to the United States came in search of religious freedom, and the colonies of that early period all functioned in conjunction to certain religious beliefs.

So why did this religious society disappear?

As more people migrated to the Americas, more religions were present on the continent, but the Scientific Revolution of the 17th and 18th centuries likely played a role in dwindling the impact of religion on the law. Philosophers and those in power began turning away from religious practices and dedicated more efforts to scientific and liberal researches. By the time the United States became a country, religion was important to individual groups but no longer the center of society.

In writing the First Amendment, freedom of religious became an American philosophy and clause, and framed the concept of separating the church from the state. But religion has never faded from the United States; only a wider variety has appeared. It is near impossible to claim that religion has no effect on the policies of the country, as religion is the base of so many people’s morals and beliefs, which ultimately play a role in establishing national policies and actions.

Wall of Separation: Church & State in America | BackStory with the American History Guys

Image from backstoryradio.org

Chen: Last Scene

Posted on by under Passion
Last Scene - The 3rd Mini Album - Single by CHEN | Spotify

Last Scene album cover

Here’s the post I’ve been waiting to write: Chen, his album, and his voice. For a little background information, Chen (Jongdae Kim) debuted in the then Korean-Chinese boy group EXO in 2012 as the group’s main vocalist and has been active in the industry ever since. He began singing in solo soundtrack recordings shortly after and is still highly dedicated to that style and industry. In 2019, he made his official solo debut with the melancholy album April, and a flower. That year, he released another album Dear my dear with 11/12 songs taking top 20 places on Korea’s 2019 male soloist charts. In early 2020, he announced his marriage and the birth of his daughter, which sadly caused many delusional fans to boycott his music for some time. Later that year, he went on a 1.5 year hiatus due to Korea’s military requirement, returning to the industry in summer 2022 with a soundtrack feature in the K-drama Doctor Lawyer.

Chen released his third solo album this past Monday morning, titled Last Scene. While I am very biased to his music, I was blown away from the first listen of the album, especially after him not releasing music for such a long time. The voice was perfect. The tone was perfect. The performance was perfect. And mostly, the musical composition and album structure was perfect. Being that this a short album from my long-time favorite artist, let’s look into all 6 songs!

The album opens with the title track Last Scene, referring to the ending of a relationship between two lovers. It’s pretty evident that Chen has a few common themes throughout all his discography: breakups, memories, and the occasional acoustic uplift. Kind of ironic considering his own marriage and children, but Chen manages to place all the correct emotion into his recordings of these songs that talk of a couple’s final moment. In the music video for Last Scene, he sings while the video recalls memories of a relationship that is coming to an end. Featuring Squid Game actor Haesoo Park (Player 218) as the protagonist, the lyrics follow the scenes, with the balance between music and video remaining stabilized throughout the development of the plot.

The next track is Photograph, a similarly soft and reflective piece with lots of piano accompaniment. The first time I heard the song I was actually a little shocked due to the low register it begins in. While I was aware of the vocalist’s abilities to sing in such a deep range, he is more well known for his tenor range and skill in belting and holding high notes. As the song continued, it rested more within the range he is most famous for, but nevertheless, it was able to convey the true extent of his range and advanced vocal abilities.

Differing the most from the theme of the album has to be track three, Traveler. Backed by acoustic guitar instrumentals and percussion, it’s a happier song speaking of the beauty of seeing new views with a lover. With some lyrics in English, it’s more typical of the K-pop style that he performed with EXO. The soft vocals and major tones give it a light tone, and his self-harmonization provide layers to the composition.

Closely similar in vocal texture and acoustic support to the previous song is the easy-going I Don’t Even Mind. The chorus repeats the phrase “I don’t even mind” with each repetition following a different note progression, rising the pitches up and then bringing them back down. It’s also the perfect contrast to the next track in the album, strategically placed for dramatization and memorability.

That track would be the beautifully composed Reminisce. The longest song of the album, it nears five minutes as another melancholic ballad, but this time more dramatic and impactful. While cringy to say, I have to admit, the first time I heard this song my jaw dropped. My mind opened. My soul ascended. My ears surrendered to the music. Being the fifth track on the album, I already had high hopes from my experience with I’ll be there, the fifth track from his debut album. I find the two to be similar in so many ways: theme, musical progression, and memorability. The song begins soft, then the chorus hits, and Chen’s well-known powerful vocals come in, pushing out notes with an insane emotional presence, and reaching such high notes that it both surprises and soothes the mind. It’s again about the ending of a relationship, a beautiful ending, and he reflects this idea with his soft, vibrating vocals accompanied by electric guitar elements, piano, and percussion. It’s a true power ballad, my favorite of his genres. The push from a low pitch start of the chorus to the soaring mixed voice pitches truly heal the soul and have been causing me to listen on repeat for these past 3 days.

CHEN | Spotify

Chen, as pictured in Last Scene

To conclude, the final track in the mini album is the soft piano-backed Your Shelter, serving almost as a lullaby and contrasting in power from the previous song. It’s the perfect end to a soft, but powerful, album filled with stories of various stages in a relationship. The calm and thoughtful vocal tone puts the listener to ease, but it also convinces them to return and listen again, that this musical experience doesn’t have to be a one-time activity.

A beautiful vocalist with beautiful songs that hold beautiful messages. Last Scene is a work that truly reflects Chen’s growth through his career and highlights all his vocal capabilities and talent. And it’s exactly what I’ll spend the remainder of 2022 listening to.

images from spotify.com, song links from spotify.com, “Last Scene” video from youtube.com

History of a Public Controversy ideas

Posted on by under RCL

One topic that interests me in the sense of a public controversy are the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WW2, and in a more general sense, the use of weapons of mass destruction. Produced through the scientific revolutions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, scientists were able to chemically and physically create weapons that easily wipe out entire cities. The atomic bomb’s ethicality was questioned from the start, but it remained a secret from the general population through most of its development. When it was used against Japan in WW2, impacting first Hiroshima then Nagasaki, it was thought of as both a militaristic win and loss. Even to this day, the question of whether the atomic bomb should have been used is still argued. Within the next few decades, nuclear warfare was increasing around the globe, and the use of these weapons were highly debated among the population. Is it ethical? Is it necessary? Is it moral? These are all questions to consider while looking at the controversies created by weapons of mass destruction.

Another topic that interests me is drug legalization. Throughout American history, drug and alcohol laws have been historically strict, with the 18th Amendment being something most people can’t even imagine these days. Now, the question of controversy is whether currently illegal drugs should be legalized for recreational purposes. Most spoken about these days is marijuana, which medical use has been approved for in many states. Several states have also legalized the recreational use of marijuana, with calls to legalize it throughout the country. However, it faces a huge opposition for being a dangerous substance and many still call for it to be illegal. There then comes the question of punishment for having amounts of marijuana, as many people agree that the punishment for having the drug is far too strong for the crime. Drug legalization and punishment go hand in hand, and in this project, it will be fascinating to see the changes over time regarding the substance and the multiple perspectives on the issue.

Anastasia

Posted on by under Passion
Anastasia | Broadway in Chicago

Image from https://www.broadwayinchicago.com/show/anastasia-2022/

Who hasn’t been fascinated with the conspiracies of the Romanov family’s murders at some point? The story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia has been so greatly debated within popular culture that an animated movie and later musical were made. They tell the story of the Grand Duchess escaping the murders, but then suffering amnesia, where she takes on the life of a poor orphan named Anja in St. Petersburg. The movie centers around Anja seeking to find her grandmother in Paris with her love interest being the smuggler Dmitri and a mystical Rasputin as the villain. The broadway musical keeps many aspects from the movie, with the general theme being the same, but realizes it by having a Russian communist named Gleb serve as the villain instead of Rasputin. The conflict becomes much more realistic and with such a wide, beautiful soundtrack, easily hits on the emotion of the listeners. Throughout the musical, she travels from St. Petersburg to Paris, in hopes of finding her grandmother.

ANASTASIA | Broadway In Thousand Oaks Series

Image from https://americantheatreguild.com/thousandoaks/shows/anastasia/

With 25 singing songs and over 40 compositions, it’s hard to talk about each song’s connection to the story and its own elements in just one post. Two years ago, I played in the pit orchestra when my high school performed this musical, and I’m now quite familiar with the score behind the songs. So what are my favorite songs from the show?

The classic A Rumor in St. Petersburg was one song originally in the movie and adapted to also serve in the musical. It’s in the beginning of the show, a scene where Russians, led by lead characters Dmitri and Vlad, complain about the poor conditions of St. Petersburg and talk about the possibility of the Grand Duchess Anastasia still being alive. It starts with a message from Gleb, speaking of the new Communist regime, then shifts to Dmitri’s displease towards the new St. Petersburg. It’s an upbeat ensemble piece, with smooth harmonies between soprano and bass vocals, combined with short dialogue from Dmitri and Vlad. The reason behind why I love the piece is more so related to the subtle orchestra in the background. With emphasis on the off-beats and staccato notes, it was so fun to play with the vocals on stage.

Max von Essen to Play Final Performance in Broadway's Anastasia | Playbill

Image from https://playbill.com/article/max-von-essen-to-play-final-performance-in-broadways-anastasia

Now, why did they choose to change the villain? The addition of Gleb adds another aspect to the story and allows for better understanding of the time context. Gleb is the son of the man that had killed the Romanovs, and he expresses his duty to his father (killing Anastasia) through the new song The Neva Flows. A very minor and reflective song, it establishes Gleb’s importance to the revised story and his reasoning for finding Anastasia. His other solo is the beautifully written Still, where he sings of Anastasia and how hard it is for him to kill her. Powerful tenor vocals with connections to muted brass and minor strings set the somber emotion of Gleb’s character. In the reprise of the two, Gleb meets with Anastasia at the climax of the story, where he must make the choice to kill her. It becomes a dialogue between the two, with some vocal support from the ensemble, where Gleb sings with anger and passion.

Anastasia (musical) - Wikipedia

Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasia_(musical)

Perhaps the most beautiful piece though is A Crowd of Thousands, another added piece, which is supported by soft winds, piano, and strings that play both alongside and in background to the vocals. It’s a duet between Dmitri and Anja, where they realize she is in fact the Grand Duchess and serves as one of the most romantic moments in the musical. Both vocalists perform with incredible passion and emotion, adding to the effect of this tear-jerker.

While classics such as Once Upon a December and Journey to the Past are still wonderful in the musical, it’s the additional songs that make the soundtrack and plot so much more beautiful and emotional. Anastasia’s story always intrigued me, and this musical seriously added another passion. Are you ready to listen to the recordings now?

(all song links from spotify.com, images individually linked)

Slides for TedTalk

Posted on by under RCL

Code of Hammurabi: Laws & Facts - HISTORY

Code of Hammurabi: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/hammurabi

Medieval British Capital Punishment: https://www.medievalists.net/2017/11/medieval-executions-view-scaffold/

Was the First Person Executed in the Colonies a Mutineer or a Spy? - HISTORY

Colonial America: https://www.history.com/news/death-penalty-jamestown-virginia-colony

PENNSYLVANIA AND THE DEATH PENALTY | Rehmeyer & Allatt

The Transition from Public to Correctional Facility: https://www.arjalaw.com/blog/2018/11/05/pennsylvania-and-the-death-penalty/

Execution death penalty capital punishment modern Vector Image

Modern Capital Punishment Methods: https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/execution-death-penalty-capital-punishment-modern-vector-24078031

Exoneration and Arguments against Death Penalty: https://time.com/wrongly-convicted/

Christina Bollo of Urbana, Illinois, holds a sign as she protests the execution of Corey Johnson, near the Federal Correctional Complex, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, in Terre Haute, Ind. (Joseph C. Garza/The Tribune-Star via AP)

Protests:

https://sojo.net/articles/death-penalty-protesters-want-break-cycle-violence

https://wwmt.com/news/nation-world/big-challenge-biden-is-pressed-to-end-federal-death-penalty-1

The death map: Which US states still have capital punishment, and who uses it the most | The IndependentDeath Penalty Abolition: Spotlight on States - The Appeal

Changes over time regarding legality:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/death-penalty-us-states-map-b1932960.html  https://theappeal.org/political-report/death-penalty-spotlight-on-states/

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