2006 Student ShakeHits™
IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE, PLAY ON…
Below are some classic Shakehits by last year’s classes. Sit back and enjoy these greatest hits from Steveston-London’s classes of yesteryear. Simply click on the player buttons below.
How Should I Your True Love Know (Ophelia’s Song Version#1) — Band 8—Hamlet (4.5.23-40)
Ophelia’s song, “How Should I Your True Love Know”, from Hamlet, seems to be a popular one with students. The song is sung by the character of Ophelia in front of the King and Queen after she goes mad (insane). The lyric details her unrequited love for Prince Hamlet and the death of Ophelia’s father, Polonius, in the imagery of a religious pilgrimage and the burial of an unnamed man. Shortly after the performance of this song, Ophelia takes her own life (off stage) by drowning. This particular setting was done by a quartet of Grade 8 Band students—Rachel, Sharon, Alice, & Helen. I was very impressed with their music, which is tuneful and memorable but seems to capture the moodiness and dark undertone of the words.
Group Vocals: Sharon, Alice & Helen Lead Vocals: Rachel
Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind—Band 10-11-12—As You Like It (2.7)
Of all of Shakespeare’s lyrics, “Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind” (from As You Like It) seems to lend itself well to modernization. Perhaps the sentiments of disillusionment and alienation expressed in the lyric have much in common with our own age. Here, a group of Band 10, 11 and 12 students—Sharon, Enzo, Andy, Matthew, Daniel, Rhonda, and William—have done a wonderful job of putting the words in a modern rock setting, replete with drums, bass, and guitars.
Lead Vocals: Sharon Production/Engineering: Enzo
Under the Greenwood Tree—English 9— As You Like It (2.6.49)
This song from As You Like It is often done in a musical arrangement that reflects its pastoral setting, as exemplified by the classic Thomas Arne version of the song (or my own setting). The song text details the joys of a Utopian country life but cautions that no one can really escape the realities of human existence. A group of English 9 students--Wesley, Alan, Joyce, Victor & Lianna--took me at my word when I explained that “pastoral” meant “in the country”, and the result was this banjo pickin’ blue-grass Shakesong. Yee-Haw!
Lead Vocals: Wesley
The Canakin Clink—English 9—Othello (2.3)
This setting demonstrates that a lyric can sometimes be the catalyst for a memorable melody, even if the lyric itself is rather slight. The words here are from Othello, as sung by the villain Iago in the Tavern scene, in which he attempts to get Michael Cassio drunk and disgraced. Our nameless English 9 student has put the lyric into an electronic setting that suggests our Cassio has become inebriated at the discotheque.
The Fee Simple—Media Arts 11/12—R&J (3.1.35-113)
While many students elect to set famous song lyrics from the plays, occasionally a group of students prefers to set a famous speech, soliloquy, or passage. In this case, three Media Arts 11/12 students—Ivan, Donna & Rosy—chose the death of Mercutio from Romeo & Juliet and put it into an industrial setting. For those unfamiliar with the play, Mercutio is a central character whose death precipitates the events that ultimately culminate in the tragedy. This setting begins with the lines “The fee simple” and ends with Mercutio's dying words “a plague on your houses.” Electronica, special effects and vocal processing are used very effectively here to add to the underlying feeling of dread and foreshadowing of impending doom.
Lead Vocals: Donna, Ivan, & Rosy Production/Engineering: Ivan
Romeo & Juliet Palmer’s Sonnet— Media Arts 11/12—R&J (1.5.104)
The Palmer’s Sonnet uses elaborate religious imagery to dramatize Romeo & Juliet’s love for each other on their first meeting at the Ball. This particular setting by Holly & Navid puts the words in an electronic soundscape that dramatizes the ethereal mood of the lyric.
Lead Vocals: Holly & Navid
He is Dead (Ophelia’s Song Version#2) — Media Arts 11/12—Hamlet (4.5.23-40)
This is another setting of Ophelia’s Song (How Should I Your True Love Know) from Hamlet . The music here—provided by Josephine, Dickson and Kelvin—is excellent and dramatizes the lyric effectively while also providing us with a memorable chorus in a modern R&B style. Comparing this song to the previous Band 8 setting illustrates how students can generate multiple arrangements and musical settings for the same lyric by choosing to focus on different parts of the same text.
Lead Vocals: Josephine BG Vocals: Kelvin Production: Dickson