Week 6: APPALACHIA

At first glance, 'Banks of the Ohio' is a hard song to get into. The lyrics illustrate a scenario so disgusting and reprehensible that there seems to be a cognitive dissonance between the lyrics and the melody. The casualness in the way Ashley and Watson sing it is jarring. The version sung by Ollie Gilbert feels more in line with the actual content of the lyrics. Her version is stark and bare, with careful attention given to each phrase so that the listener can hear it very clearly. I appreciate the ability of the song to tell a complete story in such a short amount of time.

The version of 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' by Watson and Ashley is almost solemn and retrospective. It feels calming and emotional compared to the stiffness of the Carter Family version. The tempo difference adds to the difference in feelings of the two versions of the song. The Carter version is almost robotic and commercial. It's very much performance while the Watson and Ashley version comes closer to front porch. However once again, neither come close to the rawness of Ollie Gilbert's version. Ollie's voice and cadence reminds me of a grandmother singing to their grandchildren. The lyrics of the song are very sad and, like 'Banks of the Ohio', are at first betrayed by their instrumentals.

When I did research into Appalachia, I found images of poor, rural scenes that reminded me of where my mother came from in rural China near Shanghai. The cold and hazy landscape that is beautiful to the eye is also very harsh and unwelcoming to live in. People that have grown up or lived long lives in these areas seem to have a hardness about them, a toughness that can only come from overcoming hardship. I think music is one of the few ways that people can process and cope with the tragedies and traumas around them. Both 'Banks of the Ohio' and 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken deal with tragedy in their lyrics, whether it be the death of a mother or the senseless murder of a woman. Being able to resolve these events in song means being able to accept life and carry onward. For my piece this week, I thought a lot about the lyrics to 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken' and how it applies to my life. The line "There's a better home a-waiting In the sky" made me think about my unresolved relationship with spirituality and the afterlife. Like many people, I want to believe in something better after death, but my skepticism continuously reminds me that I have nothing to base that hope off of. Hearing songs of grief like this one make me wish I could have more faith in the unknown. For a moment when I listen and sing along, I can feel some of my unresolved grief be assuaged. Sadly, for me songs can only be a temporary escape and not a therapy.

I wish to keep the content of my piece a secret until we meet. After reading what I have wrote above I am curious what people's first impressions and assumptions of my piece will be. 

Update:

My piece is a reflection of my family, with the chrysanthemums representing my grandmother, the roses my mom, the sunflower being me, and the dragon and snake representing my brother and grandfather, respectively. It is a piece representing the transition and flow of life, circling and eventually coming back together.