new_recording_2.m4a |
I chose option 3 and sang one of Ariel's musical pieces from The Tempest with a super basic piano melody. This excerpt is Ariel singing to Ferdinand, leading Ferdinand away and convincing him that his father has been lost to the storm. A slow, melancholy melody felt appropriate for the context, so I used broken minor chords at the start and I took advantage of the line about "sea-change" in the middle to play with a key change. Ariel isn't supposed to be jarring, but simultaneously enticing and distant. His voice is described almost like the wind is speaking to Ferdinand, so given more time (I'm not a particularly skilled singer or musician), I might have come up with a more complex piano accompaniment in order to mask or soften the vocal.
This adaptation of Ariel is more feminine and defined than the ethereal spirit with whom we are familiar. I think giving him/her a physical, audible voice makes him real, and tangible, where he may otherwise be a rather vague force of nature and source of magic. His ability to bend reality is easily correlated with music's ability of influence. It's not surprising then that Ariel sings; his music and his magic are wrapped up in one another. Furthermore, exploring Ariel's music triggered my curiosity about Caliban's musical inclinations. Caliban's music would obviously differ greatly from Ariel, especially given that Ariel uses music as a magical tool and an expression whereas Caliban seems to use it as an emotional outlet or private coping mechanism, and perhaps even as a release for any joy he keeps so well squashed.