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Selected Topics: Word and Image: Songs & Places: The International Edition | Instructor: Anthony Dubovsky

What are the connections between song and place—visual, musical, and otherwise? How can we describe these connections—give them form?

Music and place have long been intertwined—and the particulars of place have given rise to some of our most memorable songs. In the fall 2010 semester course we explored this question through old American songs ("On the Banks of the Ohio," "Shenandoah" "Red River Valley," "Sweet Home Chicago" along with many others). In this new spring semester course, we'll continue the exploration, ranging farther afield. The International Edition, as it were, concentrating on the folksongs of Argentina (for example, Atahualpa Yupanqui's "Viene Clareando" or Jorge Cafrune's "Zamba de Mi Esperanza") and Russia ("Tonkaya Ryabina"—The Slender Mountain Ash, and Mark Bernes' "Shalandi" ), with a swing through Mexico for some corridos del tiempo de la Revolución (and maybe Cuco Sanchez singing "Cama de Piedra"), touch down in the Nederlands (for a recording of a Dutch country girl calling in her cows), and make at least one gritty stop-over in Kingston, Jamaica ca. 1972... (for Max Romeo's "Every Man Ought to Know," and the Melodians' "Rivers of Babylon"...with Ernest Ranglin on guitar—eight bass notes that in many ways defined an era... And perhaps visit the retreat of guqin master high on Huashan Mountain in southern China....

Note that this is a seminar-with-projects—a course in which we look closely at the original connection between songs and places—and make images in response. The medium here is open—drawing, painting, collage, writing, recordings, hybrid forms are all acceptable. We'll begin each week by listening to a selection of songs. Studio projects follow (outside of class). Then we reconvene the following week, to sing the songs, look at and discuss the work made by each person in the group. Followed by a new set of songs.

Sarah Brady

Argentine Pallet

Left: Argentine Peach Trees; right: Mercedes Sosa

Reptilian Tango

Borscht Soup

Ruth Cho

Nancy Ledesma

Francisco Sao-Vicente

Jiun Seo

Natasha Tan

Cheuk Nam Yu