According to "Caroline, Or Change's" Wikipedia page, the score by Jeanine Tesori includes "spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, Jewish klezmer, and folk music."
I find this an interesting mix of music genres. Spirituals and blues are (correct me if I'm wrong) typically included in Louisiana's rich culture. Motown is a record company apparently...I don't really understand its presence with these genres. Classical music brings to mind the bassoon and clarinet that are so indicative of Noah's parents. Jewish klezmer is a type of musical tradition found in Eastern Europe and is mostly played at celebrations. Folk music is associated with American culture for the most part. I think it's interesting that such an eclectic bunch of music was put together to create a rather eclectic musical, with several contrasting moods and tempos.
With the classical music, they also weave in bits of the cello, which Noa's father pressures him to pursue. This is especially obvious in "The Bleach Cup" where the classical music interlude clashes with the fast paced or dramatic music. On another hand, Mowtown is used to refer to a genre of music that was prominent in the 1960's called "The Mowtown SOund"; it was a mix of soul music with a distinct pop sound. Mowtown was important because it acted as a kind of crossover music between culture's that were segregated in the 60's. It is interesting that they chose to include this genre in the score because it is known to represent cross-culturalism.
ReplyDelete