Menolololamentable; Heavy Music Musings

Grab a cuppa; there's lots to listen to in this post. Today I want to talk about how every generation of music has had its version of 'heavy', be it metal, folk, or punk. There are reconstructions of music from around four thousand years back, from Sumerian civilisation, that reach all through the years to enter our hearts and minds (click here for The Oldest Song). We are transported by their soft jazzy ethereality. Certainly not in the 'heavy' bracket of listening, but it sounds so strange to the western and modern ear that they might have the same effect as any metal or punk on first listening.

A lot of the early music that reaches us comes from sacred ceremonies and a desire to raise hearts and minds to The Higher. Music has that ability. It also can free us of worry and strike a sense of community and comradeship. The bawdy dances and songs of Medieval times might be considered as 'heavy' compared to the songs of the church. (Click here for one example.) Then along came chamber music and the likes of Bach and Mozart... remember, he was considered a musical rebel! And Bach's organ music, in particular, can be 'heavy metal' in its eager push against keys. (Click here for his Toccata in F Major... the bloke is playing with all four paws and having a major workout! Side note; I had tickets for that concert in the SOH March 2011 - but I got confirmation of my acceptance to Sandeepany and was thrown into a whirl of getting the house on the market, making all paperwork arrangements and such, so I had to surrender the ticket to a very grateful friend. Imagine my glee at discovering this online whilst researching for this post! If it takes your fancy, the entire concert is HERE.)

As the years progressed, so did music - and the instruments upon which it was played. Those mighty organs, the hurdy-gurdies, the brass and wind sections, the timpani. Ah, yes, drums... they went from being just clay pots or hollowed wood to stretched skins and then the ever-advancing technology ensured their importance of underpinning rhythm and thrum. Audiences were challenged with louder and more strident themes - even being faced with cannons in the case of Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture. I mean, tell me THIS isn't heavy metal in the acoustic form! Seriously, all those timpani, bells, brass and cannons are METAL, and they are HEAVY. Literally!

Perhaps the most significant amount of musical innovation began in the 19th century with the arrival of the likes of Wagner (let's face it, that Ring Cycle is truly heavy going...), Sibelius (ahhh, Finlandia...) - and even Brahms was considered radical, though now we accept all these as valid, reputable composers.

As the centuries turned, along came Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Prokofiev... all offering power ballads of their ilk. Of these, the first two might be reflected in the symphonic metal bands of today, while the latter two might be echoed in the trash metal scene. 

During their time, the rise of influences from other cultures infiltrate popular culture, and we get the likes of Gershwin and Joplin setting out shorter pieces to which people might dance or sing along, as well as their concert-style pieces. Thus the beginnings of 'pop' music arrived! Barbershop quartets and music hall traditions started to burst out, and folk started to think they might have their own band. By the mid-20th century, the popular music industry was burgeoning, and there was a push for new faces and sounds. Big-band groups were giving way to smaller units of six or fewer musicians, and the invention of the electric guitar meant another surge in loud and raucous. Enter rock and roll, the 'music of the devil'!

Wave after wave of music modalities arose from the 1960s onward; candy-style pop all the way through to different rock styles. Hard rock, folk rock, glam rock, progressive rock, alternative rock, indie rock, ska, rap-rock, funk rock, math rock, and post-rock. 

Then the purists got deeper, brasher, louder. Metal arrived. Early heavy metal now sounds relatively tame and can be easily traced as coming out of hard rock tradition. But when it had to compete with punk, it needed to glow. Something else to note... much of modern pop is produced by youngsters too keen to get on stage and not necessarily following through fully on their musical studies. Nine out of ten groups rely on remote songwriters to provide their material. Many rock/metal musicians, though, are products of advanced musical study. They almost all produce their own music and lyrics. The musical skill among rock and metal bands, then, is significantly higher than many 'pop' bands. The traditions of music all the way back to Sumeria can be traced even in the most ear-ripping offerings.

To round off this very brief summary of musical heavy sounds and traditions, I will share two items for your visual and aural comparison (and, hopefully, pleasure). First, a Turkish Sufi item with the most graceful 'head banging' you will ever see! Sufism uses hypnotic, thumping rhythms to bring all minds to one point in communion with the music but also The Self. That will be followed by one of Sabaton's power ballads. The visual comparison I believe you will immediately see. But there is an anthem-like quality to En Livstid I Krig, which brings that huge crowd together to focus on that one moment of shared uplift in a similar fashion as the Sufi chant. Thanks for coming along on this little ramble around the tubular tunes with me today!