“Equally potent sources of musical material are human relationships and their varied traces within the soundscape. Duke Ellington’s 'Harlem Air Shaft' captures the cacophonous interweaving of the collective sounds of an apartment building’s tenants--their making love...intimate gossip...the radio...the janitor’s dog...people praying, fighting, snoring, the accidental breaking of a window, the emphatic rhythms of dancers in the apartment above, 'every contrast' amplified by an air shaft” (Paul F. Berliner 1994:487).
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Take the “A” Train is a song that was composed in collaboration between Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington in 1939. |
Harlem Air Shaft,composed by Duke Ellington and recorded by Duke Ellington and His Band in July of 1940. |
Paths like the one marked by the route of the "A" Train have memories of their own. They can be inscribed in objects, words, but also songs. Listen to these two songs - one of them directly related with the "A" train - by Duke Ellington, one of the most important musicians of Harlem. While you do it, think about the relation that exists between music and memory. Do you think these songs reflect the 'soundscape' in which they were produced? What memories do you think are inscribed in them?
BERLIN, GERMANY
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Different people have had different experiences of trains during different times of history. One of the most horrible ones was that of those who, from cities like Berlin, were deported to the German concentrations camps during the Nazi regime. We invite you to go here and listen to the song ‘The Train’ composed by Armand Amar for the motion picture ‘Amen’. While you listen to it, try to imagine the differences between this train and the one of Duke Ellington’s song, and reflect on how a person who has the memory of the first one would react when encountering a place that represents the memory of the second one. If you want more information about the movie Amen, you can find it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280653/ |