HELLLOOOO BEAUTIFUL READERS!!! Welcome back to my blog!
Today I'll be discussing Versatility in French-speaking countries in The Caribbean.
There are numerous examples of versatility highlighted in Chapter 2 of the book, Tour De Force.
Versatility can be portrayed in numerous ways including performance, instruction, leading a choir, or playing in a band or an ensemble. In today's segment, I have decided to highlight the countries, Guadeloupe and Haiti.
Guadeloupe
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Geroges
In Guadeloupe, the most important musical figure, Joseph Bologne, displays the theme of versatility in Caribbean music. Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges was born in Guadeloupe in 1745 but moved to France at a young age. Bologne was a conductor, composer, fencer, and violinist who vividly displays versatility in his lifespan. He was referred to as the "Black Mozart" as the quality of his compositions was remarkable.
The image below displays a picture of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges:
The video below displays a performance of Joseph Bologne's Symphony No. 2 in D Major:
I chose this video mainly because of the creativity in regard to the animation. The animation makes the video more interesting and engaging. This composition by Joseph Bologne reminds me of movies that mirror the classical era like Pride and Prejudice.
Alain Pierre Pradel
Another perfect example of versatility observed in Guadeloupe is the composer, Alain Pierre Pradel. In the book, Tour de Force, Pradel is considered a Caribbean artist and composer that needs a nonmusical career to support his musical passions. Pradel pursued an extensive career in banking as he did not expect to gain financially from composing music.
The image below displays a picture of Alain Pradel:
https://www.alainpradel.fr/bio
The video below displays the musician Alain Pradel as he advertises his collection of musical compositions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zphbXnIDn4I
I chose to attach this video as it highlights the theme of versatility. In the video, Mr. Pradel plays the piano for a few seconds and then goes on to discuss his life and the musical compositions he has published. I especially like this video as it is Mr. Pradel himself in the video rather than another individual speaking on his behalf.
Haiti
In Haiti, many artists display the theme of versatility being composers, conductors, and instrumentalists.
For example, Sydney Guillaume is an established conductor, composer, and clinician born in Haiti but residing in Portland, Oregon.
Guillaume has been a conductor for numerous choirs and concerts including:
The 2022 Georgia All-State Senior Treble Choir
The 2019 Florida All-State Middle School Treble Chorus
The 34th annual Idaho State University Choral Invitational Festival
The 2018 Maine All-State High School Mixed Chorus
2018 World Conference in Azerbaijan
An All- Guillaume Concert in New York City
Imbroglio Sextet Concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City
The image below displays a picture of Sydney Guillaume:
The video below shows Sydney Guillaume as the conductor for a performance by Florida All-State Middle School Treble Chorus:
I chose the video above as it shows a video of Mr. Guillaume in his element as he skillfully conducts the choir resulting in a beautiful, raw, and unique performance. I also love that the choir consists of children rather than adults.
Unfortunately, I must conclude here. Thank you for reading! Until the next segment!
References
Gangelhoff, C., & LeGrand, C. (2019). Tour de
Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbean (1st ed.). Nassau: Sound
Caribbean.
Guillaume, S. (n.d.). Sydney Guillaume . Retrieved
from Sydney Guillaume : https://sydneyguillaume.com/
Wise, B. (2020, October 10). A composer with a
life seemingly torn from an adventure novel. Retrieved from Experience:
https://cso.org/experience/article/1263/a-composer-with-a-life-seemingly-torn-from-an
In the book Tour de Force, there are several examples of versatility highlighted in Chapter 1.
Versatility can be portrayed in numerous ways including performance, instruction, leading a choir, or playing in a band or an ensemble. In this blog I have chosen to highlight the countries, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and US Virgin Islands.
Trinidad and Tobago
While reading the book Tour de Force, I've become absolutelyyyyy fascinated with the representation of versatility in Trinidad and Tobago. In the beautiful country of Trini, as I would call it, there is an annual event known as Panorama which began in 1963 and is an example of performance in versatility. In a panorama, winners are able to receive both recognition, and prizes. Additionally, during a panorama, steel bands are judged on how well the panners perform and also the level of quality the music performed. I find the name panners as a substitute for players to be so hilarious lol.
The image below shows a picture of the 2020 national steelband competition in Trini known as Panorama:
The video below also shows a short performance of the winners of the 2023 Panorama known as the Bp Renegades.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RixqRLVuhcA
One of the main reasons why I chose this video was due to the uniform they wore lol. I love that they're wearing the flag of Trini on their shirts which would increase recognition as international videos would know that this is a part of the Trini culture. I also chose the video because the music was just so different and energetic. It was almost as if hypnotic features were embedded into the quality of the music. Although I am not familiar with many steel bands, I can understand entirely how they won.
Jamaica
Another English country in the Caribbean that shows versatility in Music is Jamaica. In Jamaica, there is a plethora of artists that are performers and composers. In the book Tour de Force, Peter Ashbourne is highlighted as a well-known and versatile composer. Peter Ashbourne was born on July 14th, 1950 in Kingston, Jamaica. He was in several groups including Byron Lee and The Dragonaires, Peter Ashbourne Affair, and Peter Ashbourne Group (Discogs, n.d.). He was often a composer of film productions, television and theatrical music.
The image below shows a picture of Peter Ashbourne:
I chose the video above as it shows Peter Ashbourne live and in action. The video also tells exactly what role he plays in the performance. If you watch the video, Mr. Ashbourne is recognized as the composer and the piano player.
United States Virgin Islands
The US Virgin Islands is another English speaking country that highlights the theme of versatilty. A famous composer known as Wilbur "Bill" LaMotta is a prime example of the theme as LaMotta was a composer and a pianist, arranger and organist (Discogs n.d).
The image below displays a picture of Bill LaMotta:
