Yes, I suppose one could accuse me of being unnecessarily provocative (it wouldn't be the first time today, as it turns out), but as usual, the solfa blog is inspired by the stuff of life -- in this case, my first encounter with the Imperial Court System. Until recently, I had not a clue that this sort of establishment existed anywhere, but as it turns out, large groups of drag queens gather and strut their stuff for a variety of exciting events throughout the year under the auspices of this organization. How did this come to my attention, you ask? Well, in my capacity as the assistant conductor of the Denver Gay Men's Chorus, I conduct occasional performances by our "outreach" small group, the Ambassadors....and the Ambassadors were invited to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" for an Imperial Court fundraiser, the Snow Ball. Believe you me, it wasn't just banners that were star-spangled...these folks are NOT messing around.
Anyhow, I actually do have sort of a point...it's kind of goofy, but I got to thinking: what would be the musical equivalent of drag? The first idea that came to mind was taking a piece that exists in major and making it minor, or vice versa. Rising 3's and 4's have heard me talk about this before in terms of "mode mixture" (using chords from the parallel minor in a major key or vice versa), but I mean it in a more wholesale melodic sense this time around. For example, I frequently play this game with the theme song from the Mickey Mouse Club:
dd dd dd dd rd t,l, s,
dd d dd d md rt, d
dd l, dd s,
s, l,l, l,l, l,l, t,d r
dd dd dd dd rd t,l, s,
dd d dd d md rt, d
and turn it into the Martyr Mouse song:
ll ll ll ll tl si, f, m,
ll l ll l dl tsi, l
ll f, lf, m,
m, f,f, f,f, f,f, si,l t
ll ll ll ll tl si, f, m,
ll l ll l dl tsi, l
I took one little liberty that you will probably catch, but it's just for affective reasons...it sounds more pathetic that way, you see...
Anyhow, it's much easier to do with something written on the staff, soooo....
Rising Level 2's
Take a gander at Ottman 4.46. It's written in E-flat major and it's mostly just riffing on the tonic triad. Sing it in E-flat major. Then, play a game....either pretend you're in treble clef and sing it in C minor, or sing it in E-flat minor. No letter names required -- just pretend not to see either the clef or the signature respectively, and apply new solfa (i.e., instead of beginning with d-s-d', you will begin with l-m-l'). Repeat this procedure with Ottmans: 4.48, 4.49, 4.52, 4.77, 6.10, and 6.11. Use harmonic minor where appropriate, or experiment with natural minor and see what you think.
Rising Level 3's
Choose a few Ottmans from chapters 6 and 8 and follow the process outlined for the rising 2's -- hint: bass clef examples in major give you the option to use the same trick I recommended for them, or you can play the parallel minor way. Additionally, look at 15 2-part #7....read the little blurb Mr. Kodaly has written about transforming this modal piece into a simple major exercise. Sing through it....you may want to choose the same voice part you learned this past summer (you may also want to sing through it first the modal way, then do the transformed version). Do you think it's easier in Dorian or in major? Do you find it more appealing in one than the other?
Rising Level 4's
Choose 3 Ottman examples from chapters 6 and 8 that are in major and change them to minor. Then, choose 3 examples from chapters 5, 6, and 8 that are in minor and change them to major. If you're lonesome for Mr. Kodaly, you may also look at 15 2-part #7 and do the task outlined for the Rising 3's.
Now, get out there and strut your solfa!
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