The presentation I found interesting was on the topic of Music and Animal Cruelty by Despina Markakis. The connection between animal cruelty and the two music entries discussed in the presentation is that music is used by many organizations to connect with people, and the message of raising awareness on animal cruelty is incorporated through the lyrics, background music, and the musicians performing for a charity. The first song that was discussed is called “Behind The Mask” by Goldfinger, which was released in 2005. The connection that this song has to the topic of animal cruelty was that it talks about and advocates for “animal liberation and related associations.” There is the use of a sample from the ALF and the arson attacks & bombings, as well as repetitiveness in the music and lyrics. The tempo is 175 BPM, and the notes are in B key. A musically interesting moment that was mentioned was the music stopping and being warped because it creates tension that the listener is able to feel. The second song that was talked about in this presentation was “Exotic Animals Suite: I. Exotic Birds” by Mark Dal Porto. This musical piece is a 3-movement woodwind quintet and is considered chamber music. The connection this piece has to the topic is that it was featured in an animal welfare magazine. The overall song has dissonant harmony, and polyphonic texture, as well as effective use of dynamics. A musically interesting moment included when the composer used mimesis, where the music reflected the sound of birds chirping, and this was done with a technique on the oboe.
If I wrote about this topic, two musical pieces I would pick include “Animal Parade” by the artist Brolin from Believe Sync and “Crying Alone” by the artist Jurrivh. “Animal Parade” was featured in WWF’s Fight For Your World campaign, where the instrumental version of the song is played while the screen displayed images and short videos of declining wildlife and polluted oceans/lands. This musical piece has mostly minor chords and the general melody is repeated. Instruments that can be heard include strings and brass, and a musically interesting moment is the ringing sound that is heard towards the end of the video clip, which gives an unsettling feeling that you need to take action. “Crying Alone” by Jurrivh was used in a YouTube video posted by the channel Official NYPTV, where it showed statistics about animal abuse, specifically for dogs, and what we can do to help stop the abuse from continuing. “Crying Alone” alters between major and minor chords, and there is also repetitiveness in the melody in some parts. The tempo of this song is very slow, thus giving off the sad feeling of being alone. A musically interesting moment is at 4:22, where the violin accompaniment fades away, and you see a tear roll down the artist’s face. This shows how music is really able to connect to the hearts of people because it is a language that can be understood by everyone, and thus it is a message that everyone can also receive.
Link to WWF’s Fight For Your World campaign video: https://www.lbbonline.com/news/believe-syncs-brolin-soundtrack-wwfs-animal-parade-psa-to-help-save-the-world
Link to Official NYPTV’s Animal Abuse video: https://youtu.be/OstSxst4un0