"It's Late September, and I really should be back at school"

MusicwithIvy
Sep 3, 2020
3 min read

Guess the lyric? Song and artist? (answer at bottom of post)

News from Ferryview,

Welcome to the Partridge Family! Apologies to David Cassidy fans, I am really talking about the Partridge Family, North Queensferry and their animals!!🤣

Meet Teddy - A cute toy poodle and he lives in Glasgow with Dougie & Claire.

Hello to lovable Nico - this little kitten lives with Ruth & Luke in Dunfermline.

Susan the snail .....lives in our garden 😃

Remembering (Cass Elliot) Mama Cass

(born September 19th, 1941 died July 29th, 1974)

What a dame!!! Mama Cass - One of the most prominent members of the American folk group The Mamas and the Papas. Had she still been alive, she would have been 79 on September 19th. Her voice had an untrained purity – no-auto tune required!

The group had a number of memorable hits during their short time together (1965 – until early 1969)

Monday Monday

Dream a Little Dream of me

Dedicated to the One I Love

…Plus, the unforgettable California Dreamin’ – Their hit debut single

Watch the song here - and join in!

https://youtu.be/N-aK6JnyFmk

Like a number of creative groups, The Mamas and the Papas had turbulent relationships within the band. From day one there were many issues – image, sound, tangled romances, creative differences and of course, drugs.

Mama Cass was born in Baltimore. After a short acting career, Cass became a folk singer. She married twice and had a daughter, Owen born in 1967.

Sadly, in July 29th, 1974 after performing at the London Palladium and receiving standing ovations, Mama Cass died of heart failure at the age of 32.

A talent taken too early.

There are a number of interesting features about Mama Cass and the group The Mamas and the Papas in print and online:

Mama Cass Elliot Biography – 36 minutes, YouTube

https://youtu.be/d_6AYNIGvqk

Behind the Music The Mamas and the Papas – 43 minutes, YouTube

https://youtu.be/NAiS620Y9EY

A simple outline of the story of

Mama Cass

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Little-Me-Life-Elliot/dp/B0052VJ4KE/ref=pd_sim_14_1/260-7959235-3856205?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0052VJ4KE&pd_rd_r=9a295bcb-a106-4019-9631-

California Dreamin’ is a song about longing to be in another place. Written by band members John & Michelle Phillips who were living in New York and the time. It is basically a dreamy song reminiscing about warmer Californian times while sitting in a grey winter's day in the New York.

Subscribers will be able to download California Dreamin’ to play on ukulele.

Johann Pachelbel was Born 1st September 1653

(died March 1706)

In my lecture on Baroque Music, I visit one of the most popular works of the period –

Canon in D major by the German Composer Johann Pachelbel. This composition has a Ground bass (basso ostinato) and the composition has a harmonic ostinato.

Johann Pachelbel was popular when alive. He was a kind man, a good boy who didn’t do too much womanising! His musical output contained church music and in particular organ compositions. He was considered one of the greatest organ masters of the generation before J.S Bach. Today, in my opinion he is unfairly labelled as a “one hit wonder” for his Canon in D. Love it or hate it, it is one of the most listened to and performed Classical music pieces.

Ground Bass – A ground bass is a short theme/melody played in the lower part, which is then constantly repeated. Here is the notated Ground Bass from Pachelbel Canon. It is played on the cello in performing.

Harmonic Ostinato – A repeated harmonic pattern. The chord progression in the composition is in a repeated pattern: Here is the chord progression. These 8 bars are repeated 28 times. The roman numerals give the chord numbers.