Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Curtis @ GAMP. Chat with the Composer.


Historical events can cause 
psychological and emotional trauma.

Hear the composer's thoughts and listen to "Call to Prayer."

How can Weinberg’s “The Prayer” help us connect to the lived experience of Trauma in the Iraq War? How can MUSIC makes us more thoughtful historians?

24 comments:

felicity walton said...

Reading nonfiction books about events that took place during Iraq War people can understand/visualize what the soldiers are going through.
Even though we may not have experienced the war, but by reading the books I can get a sense or idea of some of the horrible thing they had to take in. Friends of the family have been in the military and have shared some of the things they have experienced when they were in they were in the war.
Music is a great way to make us more thoughtful historians because there is messages in the lyrics. In Jamaica, a musician named Bob Marley shared information about what was going on in there country through his music.

Kaci Coles said...

I feel that the combination of the book and "The Prayer" is more effective in helping someone who is trying to fully understand how one would feel in this situation. The story gives you a glimpse of the horrors viewed but "The Prayer" it almost pushes emotion on you. Music is a great way to express emotion and "The Prayer" it makes you feel sadness, desperation, and longing for better things. So I believe it is a great way to help you understand how the people in that situation felt.

Anonymous said...

Emotion is a very powerful thing that we all have. It is something that helps us to connect with one another. The book helps to try to tell us about what it is like to go through the war, but the music does something different. The music, "The Prayer", helps to explain the emotion throughout the war. It gets our minds thinking about the feelings of those who are going through the war. Music makes us more thoughtful historians by showing us the different effects of different life events through the sound of music. Music is something that speaks to everyone and is a good way to tell people a story.

Robert McCormick said...

Speaking is not always the best technique to express your opinions and feelings upon a certain topic. Sometimes it takes writing a story or composing a song to truly express how you feel about something. Weinberg’s “The Prayer” and Kevin Powers’ “The Yellow Birds” are perfect examples of this. Weinberg’s “The Prayer” is a beautiful composition that expresses many feelings, some of which are anger, fright and loneliness. This can help us connect to the lived experience of people in the Iraq War in so many ways. It allows us to feel the pain and the frightfulness that people had gone through during their time in the Iraq War. We as people who have not been through the battles and situations of this war would not be able to connect to it by listening to a person speak about it. We would be informed on the situations but that is about it. If a person who has been through this war said; “I was frightened everyday,” we would feel bad for them and try to understand their experience but it would be hard to relate to them and truly understand them. With this piece, I feel as if I am going through a journey. A journey that has struggles in it and make me feel as if I am trapped and helpless. This is the kind of journey that I feel soldiers in this war have gone through.

Kevin Powers’ “The Yellow Birds” has also shed a light upon the topic of the Iraq War. Even though I have not personally read the novel, Powers’ interview was very interesting. As a soldier who fought in the Iraq War, he was able to describe his feelings very vividly in the novel. Watching the interview allowed me to realize that sometimes you can lose control of everything around you. You can lose all sense of being a part of a certain situation because you may feel as if the situation has a mind of its own. That to me is a very scary thing. Even so, the novel seems very intriguing.

Music can allow us to be more thoughtful historians in so many ways. One way is the sense of feeling music can portray. Depending on how the music is composed, that is the sense of feeling that will be expressed. Music can take us on a journey and allow us to feel certain things that cannot be felt through lectures or speeches. This transfers into us being more thoughtful historians because once we have a sense of feeling towards a certain situation, we are able to relate to it and can connect to it. Overall, music definitely has the potential of allowing us to be more thoughtful historians.

alex grey said...

I think that music can really tell a deep story.In particular when you here the prayer you hear one man's story just in a matter of seven minutes. when you hear this peace of art you hear a testimony and you can compare that with what a person in Iraq has expierienced going through emotional and physical trama as they fight for what they believe in.I really think that the prayer can be interpreted as a9/11 testimony to. Because when the planes hit the tower there was alot of comotion and bythe time the day was over it ended in some kind of peace.So really it can be compared to all kinds of situations but especially war and other tragedies.

James Nicholson said...

I Believe that music definitely connects with people. The piece the "prayer" tells a story of Weinberg such a great composer. When I listened t the piece I could feel his emotions and his story during the music. That's one of the great things about music is the ability to connect with a broad base of people. Music is another great way to share your story without words and people feel the empathy of that musical story.

Jeffrey Beres said...

I feel that music connects with us and touches us in ways which nothing else can. When I listened to the prayer I got a feeling of anxiety. I think that can relate to how people felt during the war. Reading the book may help me visualize how drastic and grotesque the Iraq War is. I definitely believe if I read the book I would get a deeper understanding of the composition. I think without the book you get to experience it in totally different way. It's kind of like listening to a song without knowing the lyrics. Once I know the lyrics I lose a certain feeling of creativity. You don't get to interpret the song in your way. Which I believe in some ways makes the song boring, and loses it touch with the listeners. In the end I feel the song branches off from the book, and becomes a masterpiece of its own. -Jeffrey Beres

Nazir Ebo said...

I feel like when I listened to the prayer i could image events that could of been happening as the piece played. The book gives us facts as to whats happening. With "The Prayer" when we listen its all about emotion. In my opinion seeing the prayer in person gave me a better understanding of the point she was trying to get across. Music is all about emotion. Whether your playing music or listening. Music makes us more thoughtful historians by showing us the different emotions and thoughts through music. Thank you for bringing in "The Prayer" to Gamp for us to see!

Neary Narom said...


This piece seems to convey a very haunting and alarming sound. It generally illustrates this image of being trapped in a nightmare that continues on forever and ever repeatedly with no escape because often times during the piece, the cellist seems to come back to the same phrase over and over unexpectedly while creating a moment of abrupt silence then suddenly he jumps right into the phrase that he was in before. This creates an image that makes you assume that the nightmare is over but suddenly, there is always more for you to hear which can very much be related to the horrific journey of the being caught in a sense of trauma.

This piece can very well be connected to the Trauma that is caused by the Iraq war because the brain of someone going through a traumatic experience leads someone to a sense of constant danger and it may take the person a while in order to feel safe again which, once again, illustrates this image of being mentally caught and trapped in this reoccurring nightmare with no possible escape.

Music gives us the ability to make us more thoughtful historians because it is a language that can be internationally spoken. Through music, you can express how you may feel through the dynamics and accents that can often be utilized in replacement of the normal human speaking language. Personally for me, music gives me the ability to translate how I may feel when there is simply no word existent to the human language that has the capability to translate what I am trying to convey.

Anonymous said...

"The Prayer" really moved me. The first time i listened to it, it didn't really affect me emotionally. But after I recieved some backround knowledge on what it directly it was written for, I began to really understandand feel for the Iraqie people. When you start to associate the music with your former knowledge of the Iraqie War, it really starts to get to you. Without the music I don't think I would have though about it as critically as I did. Music really adds a different view on historical thinking and empathy. It puts you in that first person mindset and really makes you feel like you were there. Lastly, when you make things personal and tie it more close to home you feel more strongly about it, and makes it easier to talk about. I believe we should try to tie music into as many topics that we can.

Brandi Graham said...

I think that Weinberg's the prayer is a great connection to the experience lived in iraq. The prayer is a very mournful , frightening and mysterious piece. When you think about how many lives were lost in the Iraq war it's very mournful and sad. When your in the war it's like your being taken on a journey though darkness. It takes so much bravery and courage risking your life everyday for your country. I know of a great quote it says "When words fail music speaks". I've learned through life experience that quote is very much true. Music makes you think more critical and you can feel it more than just someone talking to you. I tend to understand people's perspective more when music is involved. That's how you can become a more thoughtful historian because music hits on many topics. What the writer was saying in the video about the Iraq war really touched my heart. To know how much they had to go through is really sad . He expressed in the video how he wrote down how he felt about the war everyday. That's why he was able to write such a book which was titled "The yellow BIrds". That's how "The Prayer" helped me to understand the Iraq war.

Andrew D'Alessandro said...

How Weinberg's "The Prayer" help us get a better understanding of the trauma of the Iraq war is getting us connect to how it feels to lose someone. What I mean by this is a lot of people probably lost someone they love or a very dear friend to them, and by listening to "the prayer" it help us get a better understanding on how they felt during and after the war. How music can help us be more thoughtful historians is the lyrics or just the sound of any instruments playing in any piece of music it help us get a better understanding of any historical event that could be happening around the world right now.

Ashley B. said...

I believe music expresses emotion more than words do, with that being said in " The Prayer " you can feel the emotion. It's moving. While listening to " The Prayer " you have no choice but to feel and hear the emotions of the piece.

Unknown said...

"The Prayer" is a frightening and mysterious piece. It's express the emotion of the trauma of the Iraq war. Music connect to you more than word and i think "The Prayer" piece does good job of express the emotion and i also able to understand how soldiers felt during the war.I could feel the sadness,desperation and fear in this piece.

Jada Cooper said...

I thought that Weinberg's "The Prayer" was a magnificently moving piece. The prayer represented the Trauma in the Iraq War in many ways. The way that the piece was composed to me represented a journey during a certain place and time. During this place and time you could obviously catch the feelings of misery and lonesome. You could also feel the mixing of emotions and the piece is just so moving that it pulls you into that time and place almost makes you feel as if you are there. I also thought that this piece showed a journey just by the way it was written and moved. In the piece when it was quieter I got that the sense that during whatever time it was it was calmer and not as hectic but during the times when it was louder I sensed that more than one thing was happening at a time.

I think music is very essential to historians. Music has a way of showing things like emotions that sometimes we cant always sense from certain people or situations. When I listen to a piece I know the exact emotion and vibe that is being felt during this time but say if you are talking to a person you never know what they are hiding or what they are feeling at that time. Music is very helpful to me because no matter what Im feeling there is a song that appeals to you. In a way music speaks to you when you feel like there us nothing or nobody else that is there. There was once a quote I heard from an anonymous either that said ," Music is what feelings sound like."

Unknown said...

When making a song whether composing or singing the idea is to tell a story. In "The Prayer" the story was clear or at least the idea was clear. It was obvious that something stressful was happening due to the dynamics in the piece. Something that showed this is when the cellist played the accents. And how there were crescendos and decrescendos which he played with much passion so we'd know they were there. This piece showed how the mind of the person from the war was. Through music you felt how chaotic things were in his life. And historically thinking you can begin to ask why? What does war do to ones mind for it to become so turbulent?

Unknown said...

The song "The Prayer" help us feel like we are Living through the trauma of the Iraq war. When the song starts you can already feel the war going on. Then when it slows down you can feel the depression and sadness of when the war is over. Throughout the song you feel like your actually going through the war. Music can help us with history because it we can listen to the setting of the emotion of the event and feel like we were there at that moment.

Anonymous said...

For some who cannot verbalize thoughts and feelings, music is an outlet. Music can be a voice that can communicate pain and suffering as well as happiness and joy. Different techniques such as (de)crescendos and changing the tempo at different times can anything the composer wants.
In this song it can express and help us connect to the trauma by using clashing tones and moments of power which can represent moments of battle, in which soldiers don't know if they will live through that time or they witness a resolve shattering event such as the gruesome death of a comrade. the Prayer helps us connect because the emotion of the composer is forcefully thrown at the listener from the beginning.
Music can make us more thoughtful historians by letting us see things through a different light. Now we see things as clouded because we cannot always show what we feel and what has happened but music can change history. People try to figure out what has taken place in the past but if we had recordings of music we could use voice inflictions and different types of other things to find out more about the past.

Unknown said...

I personally liked the piece “The Prayer” and it was even better listening to the cellist playing the piece in real life. The piece gave a sense of fear and trauma for it is like a never ending nightmare. At some moments it feels like there are also some suspense that builds up to a dramatic sound and that repeated several times. When I hear this piece, I could picture someone fearfully and desperately running through the woods trying to find a way out.

I think that “The Prayer” can help us connect to the lived experience of Trauma in the Iraq War or in any war by sympathizing with the feeling of never being able to forget what you have experienced. “The Prayer” can also be seen as telling a story of always being trapped one’s own traumatic thoughts. I think that through music, you can emotionally share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences of one’s story.

Anonymous said...

Music is a limitless gateway to expression. It is used to convey the feelings of another, whether it be happiness and wonder or grief and sorrow. Throughout Weinberg’s “The Prayer”, we are able to hear and feel the horrors, the sadness, and the mournful cries of the victims and their tragedies in the Iraq War. The raw, powerful emotions are nearly tangible through the sound of the instrument. Music binds us together; it is a bridge over all means of separation. It is a universal language. It connects us in a way that simple words on paper cannot.

Anonymous said...

Well music can make people have emotions depending on what genera of music it is. So if historians Listen to a type is music they can think more cleanly.

Unknown said...

The yellow birds was a novel by Kevin powers, who was a us army veteran in Iraq from 2004-2005. He wrote poems about the war. Also, i learned that a solider name murph dies.The story unfolds in John Bardles' head. John's feelings about the war was horrific that it terrified him. Bardle reflects on his grandfather's war had a destination and purpose. Kevin said, " We drive them out, we always had, we kill them, they shoot us and blow off our legs." Kevin also said that "Like every year it seems a new battle". Tim O'brian took time to write a book, it's seems that a he took a couple of decades to write the book.

MyJae Harris said...

We know what we know about the past because we read multiple perspectives. The author of Yellow Bird is the primary account of the war in Iraq and Ms.Weinberg had to interpret his thoughts and feelings to turn them into music and use that music to explain his feelings to the listener. Music effects people emotionally and allows people to connect more with the message that is being expressed. Not only music dose this poetry writing and other things can make this connection. For example the poem To This Day uses an emotional approach to connect with the listener and explain the message. Music makes us better historians because the message sticks when you can connect on a deeper level.

Gabriella Consello said...

Weinberg's "The Prayer" supplies us with feelings which words can not. We are given a suspenseful, and almost fearful feeling. We hear silence, and a plucking of a cello note like the sound of a panted breathe. We here soft, hush tones, like a we are creepily being lured in by a supernatural being. In this case, I feel as though the super natural being is the enemy of the 2003 Iraq war. The panted breathes are the soldiers running and running, scared for their life which is in the hands of the enemy and vise versa.

There is a propaganda technique, known as imagery. Quoting from Wikipedia, "Imagery, in a literary text, is an author's use of vivid and descriptive language to add depth to his or her work." Based on my comment and many others before me such as Robert and Nazir's, we can see that imagery is not only in literature, but in a song as unattackable but subtle as "The Prayer."

You can ask a little child,above the age of 11, well known of the topic of sadness, and allow him to listen to this song. S/he will tell you he feels sadness. S/he may also feel scared. If asking this same child that was to be a book or a story, such as in this case "The Yellow Birds," these descriptive words would be the first to be named.This is how "The Prayer" makes us more thoughtful historians.