Music and the Fictive Dream 

            Mary Poppins and "A Spoonful of Sugar"

I believe almost everyone has heard of the delightful musical Mary Poppins. A family favorite since its production by Walt Disney in 1964, Mary Poppins is based on the book series by P.L. Travers, directed by Robert Stevenson and won 13 Academy Awards. It was Walt Disney's first live-action film, and something I found so interesting, is despite the setting of the fantasy-comedy musical being London in 1910, the entire production was filmed at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California using painted London background scenes.

The musical is a story of and Depression-Era family in London who is in search of a nanny for their two children, Jane and Michael Banks. After many interviews, Mary Poppins, played by Julie Andrews, magically appears from the sky and tells their stern father, Mr. Banks, she will accept the job. This was to his surprise because he never offered her the job! Mary Poppins is strict, but kind, and the children come to love her. She takes them on some enjoyable outings, which entail an abundance of fun fantasy scenes- from meeting Mary's friend, Bert (Dick Van Dyke), and jumping into his sidewalk chalk painting for a magical carnival horse race adventure to tea parties on the ceiling with an uncontrollably laughing uncle of Mary Poppins, Uncle Albert.

Throughout the musical, the children learn to love and respect Mary Poppins. She also has an influence on Mr. Banks, who at first is very angry at all the nonsense outings the children have had with Mary, but then softens and realizes that his answer to the problem of having happy, healthy children is spending  more time with them like laughing and taking them to the park. It concludes with Mary feeling her job is done (the wind changes) because Mr. and Mrs. Banks are out with their children flying kites and enjoying each other as a family should.

Mary Poppins is the perfect example of a musical in that it tells a story using songs and exhibits the talent of the writers and performers. From the very first song, "The Perfect Nanny", sung by Jane and Michael, which gives an example of the type of care-giver they really need as opposed to their parents' caregiving, to Mrs. Banks' pro-suffrage song "Sister Suffragette", to "I Love To Laugh" demonstrating that there can be too much nonsense to be had, they all  carry a  prominent moral or value.

One of the most well known songs from Mary Poppins is "A Spoonful of Sugar" performed by Julie Andrews. In this upbeat song, Mary shows the children how to tidy the nursery with a magical snap of the fingers showing the children that when you add an element of fun to a daunting task it is made more pleasant. It is delightful to watch the nursery get tidied up when the children learn to snap and the audience sees the tasks completed quickly without any real work from Jane and Michael. The message in the song is of having a good attitude while completing your work. 

Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman composed all of the songs in the musical and "A Spoonful of Sugar" was written after Julie Andrews was offered the role as Mary Poppins but didn't really want to accept it because she was not happy with the original song that was composed for her. She wanted something more catchy, so Walt Disney asked the Sherman Brothers to write another song that might better appeal to Andrews. Robert Sherman got the idea from his son who had just taken his polio vaccine and had told his dad that it wasn't a shot but medicine placed on a sugar cube that he then swallowed. The next day he gave the lyric "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down" to his brother Richard who came up with a melody and eventually they had a song that Andrews though was acceptable.

The song is in the F# Major key with three major chords,  and resembles the one-step, a ballroom dance popular in the beginning of the 20th century. There are two instrumental bridges with Andrews whistling as if it were the animatronic bird in the film singing.  

Julie Andrews performs the song perfectly in my opinion and it really helps the musical take a fun turn from its anxious beginning. It has become so popular that that many musicians have used it as a cover song, such as Burl Ives in 1964, Harry Connick, Jr. on his album Songs I Heard in 2001 and Kacey Musgraves on We Love Disney in 2013. I love the part in the movie, Shrek The Third,  when Queen Lillian, who is played by Andrews, hums the melody after breaking out of prison. What a throwback!

 

So how about you? Do you have a favorite Mary Poppins song? Maybe it's time to have a musical movie night and enjoy this old favorite. It's sure to be 

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious !

“Musical Theater in America.” The Kennedy Center, www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/theater/musical-theater-in-america/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Atkins, Jamie. “Disney’s Heroes and Their Defining Songs.” uDiscover Music, 9 Mar. 2023, www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/disney-hero-songs-feature/.

A Spoonful of Sugar by Julie Andrews - Songfacts, www.songfacts.com/facts/julie-andrews/a-spoonful-of-sugar. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

TodayShow. “The Story behind ‘a Spoonful of Sugar’ from ‘Mary Poppins’ Still Resonates Today.” TODAY.Com, TODAY, 5 Dec. 2020, www.today.com/popculture/story-behind-spoonful-sugar-mary-poppins-more-meaningful-you-think-t202844.

“A Spoonful of Sugar.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 May 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Spoonful_of_Sugar.

“Mary Poppins (Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Nov. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Poppins_(film).

 Role of the Performer - Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire has been one of my favorite performers for a very long time. She has such a spunky, witty personality and her performances are so lively. It's easy to see how Reba rose to the top of Country Music charts and has has sustained success once you listen to a few of her songs. Although she does not write most of her songs, Reba is a magnificent singer and performer and has a gift at choosing songs that become hits.

As a child Reba learned to sing from her mother, who had wanted to be a country music singer, but instead taught her four children to sing and harmonize on long road trips of the rodeo circuits that her husband competed in as a steer roper. After high school, Reba attended and graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in Music. Soon after college, Reba was singing the National Anthem at the National Rodeo Finals in Oklahoma City in 1974, and she was noticed by Red Steagall, who invited her record demos for his music publishing company in Nashville. This eventually led to her signing with Polygram Mercury Records which was really the start of her career.

It took awhile before Reba was successful. Early on, she wrote some of her songs, but as her career progressed she performed songs written by others and one of her first Top 20 songs was her cover of Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams". Her first Top 10 hit was "(You Lift Me) Up To Heaven" in 1980 written by Johnny MAcRae, Bob Morrison, Bill Zerface, and Jim Zerface. "Can't Even Get the Blues" by Rick Carnes and Tom Damphier and "You're The First Time I've Thought About Leaving" by Kerry Chater and Dickey Lee were her first two No. 1 hits. 

Reba's cover song of Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams"

This success prompted her to sign with MCA Records and she was able to have more say in her song selections. Her success continued and grew steadily with hits such as "How Blue" from her album My Kind of Country which also featured cover songs originally by Ray Price, Carl Smith, and Faron Young. From here, she became a household name in Country Music and Country Music Association's Vocalist of the year for four consecutive years and in 1986 was named CMA Entertainer of the Year "that recognized her remarkable showmanship in concert".

In 2005, in an interview on CNN's Larry King Live, she shared that she is very active in the selection of her songs she records. She listens to the demos, and likes to listen to the process of completing the finished product. She shared that she looks for songs that have great melodies, are emotionally packed, and that speak to her heart. She acknowledges that it is a difficult process, but that she still loves the search for a really good song. 

Reba nailed her ability to choose country hits and today is considered one of the most successful female recording artists in history. Hits like, "The Last One to Know", "Little Rock", "Whoever's in New England", remake- "Fancy", and "Turn on the Radio" are just a few of many popular Reba songs.

"Fancy" (1990) is probably my favorite Reba McEntire song. The lyrics tell a dark story with a confronting truth and a window of hope for the girl in the story of the song. It has a medium tempo of 95 BPM, and a melody and chords that are more complex than the typical song. It's a song that quickly grabs your attention. This remake was originally written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry in 1969.

And, something I love is her diversity of songs she has performed. Reba has recorded  a remake of Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy",  and in 2017, she released her first ever Gospel Album. It debuted at #1 on both Billboard Country and Christian charts and she was awarded Dove and Grammy award for this album. 

Reba McEntire is truly an amazing performer. If you don't know much about her, I encourage you to check out some of her songs. You will most definitely find yourself swaying to the rhythm of her popular songs!

Rook, Katie. “Reba McEntire on What She Looks for in a Hit Song: ‘Emotionally Packed with a Great Melody.’” Showbiz Cheat Sheet, 25 Dec. 2021, www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/reba-mcentire-looks-hit-song-emotionally-packed-great-melody.html/. 

“About.” Reba McEntire, www.reba.com/about. Accessed 15 Nov. 2023. 

“You’re the First Time I’ve Thought about Leaving.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Nov. 2021, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27re_the_First_Time_I%27ve_Thought_About_Leaving. 

“Can’t Even Get the Blues.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2022, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can’t_Even_Get_the_Blues. 

The-Boot-Staff. “Listen: Top 20 Reba Mcentire Songs.” The Boot, 21 Apr. 2022, theboot.com/top-reba-mcentire-songs/. 

A Musical Trip ~ Athabascan Fiddle Music

I very much enjoyed taking this "musical trip" and learning about Athabascan Fiddle Music!

Athabascan Fiddle Music is its own style of music even though its beginning started when European fur traders came to Alaska 150 years ago by the Hudson Bay Company. These fur traders were from Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, and Metis descent and introduced the music to the Athabascans, but today's Athabascan fiddle music, with it's influence from gold miners, American southern fiddling, and traditional Athabaskan music, has developed into its own genre from solo fiddle to folk ensembles.

Although, the fiddle was introduced to the Athabascans in 1847, the music was boosted by the Great Folk Fiddle Revival of the 1970's with country music influence. Before this revival, the turn of the century brought influences of Aboriginal songs and dances, and melodies of choruses of hymns sung by the Anglican and Catholic missionaries.

The independent development of the music is evident because there are two types of traditional Athabascan Fiddle Music, each with their own style. The "high music" is from the Gwitch'in and Han Athabaskans near the Alaska-Yukon border, communities of the upper Yukon River. Traditionally this music was the fiddle and guitar, with the mandolin, mouth organ, and accordion eventually being added. There was often a "prompt caller", and as influenced by their traditional indigenous drumming songs, the fiddlers would stomp one foot and roll the other, heel to toe. 

 About fifty years later, downstream music evolved during the Klondike Gold Rush. These were the Koyukon, Lower Tanana, and Deg Hit'an Athabascans. A large country and western music influence with larger ensembles and sometimes with vocals and piano.

Since the Athabascan Fiddle Festival began in 1983, the two styles of music have come together. The festival is an annual event that brings Athabascans of all generations together and it's a way to pass down the older music to the younger generation, but also is a time where evolution takes place and learning new songs and styles are embraced. Violins, dances, music, and stories are passed down through not only the festival, but through social gatherings, fish camps, potlatches, and holiday celebrations of the Athabascan people.

Modern day Athabascan Fiddle Festivals contain high energy music with fast tempos and have more of rock-and-roll and modern country music in them. But there are still the traditional fiddle songs and sounds of earlier times. I really like the older fiddle music that the elders play because you can hear repeating rhythms.

As I watched and listened to videos, you can tell that the elders want younger generations to keep playing however the music evolves, but that they would like for some of the traditional music and songs to be remembered.  This music is their history and they would like to preserve and  share their history with the younger Athabascans.

In this video (above) at the 1 minute and 6 minute mark you can hear the more traditional sound being played. Bill Stevens is recognized as the best Athabascan fiddle player and you can hear him play here.

Here is a more modern example of the songs that are now being played at the Athabascan Fiddle Festival.

"Red River Jig" first published in 1867 by Alexander Begg is a favorite song of the Athabaskan fiddle players and above is Bill Stevens and Lisa Jaeger performing the song at University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

I now will be on the lookout for Athabascan Fiddle concerts to further my exploration of this wonderful genre of music that is native to the place where I live. I have learned so much and hope you have as well!

Hughes, Art. “Tuesday, October 30, 2018 – Traditional Fiddle Music Takes an Athabascan Turn " Native America Calling.” Native America Calling, 31 Oct. 2018, www.nativeamericacalling.com/tuesday-october-30-2018-traditional-fiddle-music-takes-an-athabascan-turn/.

Fiddle: Most up-to-Date Encyclopedia, News & Reviews - Academic Accelerator, academic-accelerator.com/encyclopedia/fiddle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2023. 

Engelhard, Michael. “Athabascan Fiddle Music.” Alaska Magazine, 25 Sept. 2020, alaskamagazine.com/authentic-alaska/activities/athabascan-fiddle-music/. 

“Red River Jig.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_River_Jig.