new_recording_489.m4a |
And then take hands:
Curtsied when you have, and kiss'd
The wild waves whist,
Foot it featly here and there;
And, sweet sprites, the burthen bear.
Hark, hark!
Bow-wow.
The watch-dogs bark.
Bow-wow.
Hark, hark!
Bow-wow.
The watch-dogs bark.
Bow-wow.
Hark, hark! I hear
The strain of strutting chanticleer
Cry, Cock-a-diddle-dow.
Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Hark, hark!
Bow-wow.
The watch-dogs bark.
Bow-wow.
Hark, hark!
Bow-wow.
The watch-dogs bark.
Bow-wow.
Hark, hark! I hear
The strain of strutting chanticleer
Cry, Cock-a-diddle-dow.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Ding-dong.
Hark! now I hear them—Ding-dong, bell.
Ding-dong, bell. Ding-dong, bell. Ding-dong, bell.
In my adaptation of Ariel's Song, I took the liberty of making it more song-like and less free-verse-styled. In doing this, I created a chorus out of "Bow-wow. Hark, hark.....". I believe this allowed the song more time to resonate with the listener, and gave the listener something slightly catchy to remember. The structure I created is as follows; verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, fade-out. The decision to create a structure to the song was risky, for I put the song's original qualities at stake, but in the end I believe the decision was worth it in order to give the song a more lasting impression.
I decided to sing the song slightly in falsetto in order to match what I guess Ariel's airy tone would have been like. Of course since I am a girl and Ariel is not, a detachment of sorts is created there, but, personally, I always imagined Ariel as a woman. The guitar part came to me very quickly and from there I created a melody to go with the words written by Shakespeare. I think the guitar part is very appropriate to the scene, since it is simple and, to me, sounds like flying. Singing and playing this song connected me to the work much more than before, for it is really a beautiful song and after I applied my artistic changes I think it sounded very trance-like and relaxing.
Ariel gained a more sweet side through my singing of this song. It isn't menacing or evil, but rather it is a song of duty and has a definite calming nature. It is hard for Ariel's character to lose much because of his mysterious manor and submissive characteristics, and for the most part I think I captured both of those qualities to the best of my ability. This was very fun to apply my love for music to a play I really enjoyed reading. While reading "The Tempest" I wondered what Ariel's songs and music would sound like, and, who knows, my interpretation may not be what Shakespeare imagined, but maybe some of you will like it!