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14 May 12 - 08:10 PM (#3350923) Subject: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 For a while I've been listening to songs from the operetta [i]The Desert Song[/i] (Yeah, I'm a musical geek) and was curious about one sequence in the 1929 movie. (It's on YouTube) In the Azuri's Dance sequence, what is the exact title of the song that starts "Soft as a pigeon lights upon the sand?" Some references to it I've found through Google suggest that it's just called "Soft as a Pigeon Lights", but I can't find any lyrics or music for it. Also, does anyone know what the lyrics are? I can't puzzle them out. Here's what I have so far: Soft as a pigeon lights upon the sand, Swift as a tiger she will ??? his hand, ????? with fury, So is the maid Azuri. Can anyone help? |
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14 May 12 - 08:15 PM (#3350927) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 here's the sequence on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWIngMc8lSM. (The song starts at 3.39) |
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14 May 12 - 08:41 PM (#3350934) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 ETA: This song, with the nearly-incomprehensible lyrics, is one of the songs written for a male character in a musical that I can pull off (I can just sing The Riff Song, as well. I've got a feeling it's not [i]too[/i]far down in a woman's typical low range, but then I've [i]never[/i] seen any sheet music for it listed in any of the Romberg songbooks) |
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14 May 12 - 10:22 PM (#3350953) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 Just on a hunch, searched for "soft as a pigeon lights" in the script of The Desert Song on Google Books. Found nothing. |
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15 May 12 - 04:43 AM (#3351023) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 refresh. Can anyone help me out? |
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15 May 12 - 08:58 AM (#3351088) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: GUEST,leeneia I'm sorry, Morwen. I listened, but it is totally incomprehensible. The singer is obviously more interested in producing tone than in enunciating the words. Perhaps you can make some words to fit. Thanks for the link to an enjoyable old film, by the way. |
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15 May 12 - 03:08 PM (#3351216) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: GUEST I just looked in my Desert Song score and the lyrics are: Soft as a pigeon lights upon the sand, Swift as a tiger she will grip his hand, Claws of a tiger sharp with fury, So is the maid Azuri. |
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15 May 12 - 05:16 PM (#3351267) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 Thanks, leeneia! (and GUEST) |
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15 May 12 - 05:35 PM (#3351275) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 Leeneia, you're welcome. The movie [is] good, mainly because of the songs. The acting and dialogue is a bit old-style Victorian melodrama, and it's a bit racist in its depiction of its Moroccan characters (as if [i]all Moroccan/Arab men want to have multiple wives[/i] And Azuri, in particular, is evil because she's "native." And the Red Shadow/Pierre-- well personally, here what I think about the Shadow: "why did he have to be a Frenchman?" I get that's so that Margot can recognise Pierre's other side, but the way it plays out is sort of like "The locals are helpless without a white man." |
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15 May 12 - 05:44 PM (#3351279) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 sorry: "here's". And sure, if you changed the Shadow's ethnicity to have him be an actual local, (as I'm doing in a story I'm working on, which is a twisted version of the plot), you get rid of the whole secret identity thing and so it's not The Desert Song anymore, but the whole "White man saves the natives because he's so much better than them" is just.. ugh. Unfortunate implications. |
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15 May 12 - 05:46 PM (#3351281) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: Jack Campin I find it hard not to imagine the song is about one of the odder delicacies in Chinese cooking. |
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15 May 12 - 05:50 PM (#3351284) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 ha ha, Jack. Anyone want to discuss the whole "white saviour" aspects of the operetta's plot? |
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15 May 12 - 05:52 PM (#3351287) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MightyWhitey |
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15 May 12 - 07:11 PM (#3351327) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 To make it clear what I mean when I talk about the depiction of the Moroccans being a bit racist, I'm not saying the operetta is bad or that Harbach, Mandel and Hammerstein were necessarily racist as such, it's just that the mighty-whitey, foreign saviour plot has a lot of unfortunate implications. Especially when it's implied that the foreigner is better than the locals at doing what the locals do, and that the White woman is attracted to the man she believes is non-White because he's exotic and "savage". And that "the natives" take multiple partners because it's "their way". |
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15 May 12 - 11:01 PM (#3351406) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 refresh. Is anyone else interested in discussing the operetta? |
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16 May 12 - 05:42 AM (#3351505) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 refresh |
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16 May 12 - 11:01 AM (#3351613) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: GUEST,leeneia I agree with your Morwen. However, to discuss it fairly, I'd have to watch the entire movie, and that's just not feasible at this time. I do think that Azuri would be a dangerous character to have in your life or your family no matter what race she was. Let's just say she didn't get where she is by being tender, scrupulous and compassionate. |
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16 May 12 - 06:08 PM (#3351764) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 Yeah, leeneia. Basically, she's a 'dragon lady." And Hammerstein and Harbach made every single Muslim male character oversexed- they support polygamy because they want to have lots of partners, not because of necessity. Ewww! But the music's great. |
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17 May 12 - 05:54 AM (#3351930) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 ETA: And the lyrics! What earworms! |
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17 May 12 - 08:41 AM (#3351992) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: GUEST,leeneia "Dragon lady!" The perfect term for her. It sounds threatening without actually specifying anything about her. I'm glad you like the music. With traditioal music, I find it's often helpful to focus on the melody and to "lose" bad lyrics or political ramifications. Sometimes I can do it, sometimes I can't. As you say, lyrics can sometimes be real earworms. I'm off now to help a friend who has had surgery. Good luck with your 'Desert Song' project. |
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18 May 12 - 08:24 AM (#3352388) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: JJ "The Desert Song" (1926) was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riff in Morocco -- one of the few musicals even vaguely connected to current events. (See "Bye Bye Birdie.") The idea of the "barbaric but noble" desert son of Islam had been around for centuries (anyone for Mozart?) but had been given a recent boost by the 1921 Valentino silent, "The Sheik." And lest we think the trope of the Helpless Natives Led By Renegade White Man is over and done with, look at "Avatar." |
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18 May 12 - 08:31 AM (#3352396) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 I knew that about the Riff uprising, JJ. Actually, Abd-el Krim had been fighting his campaign against France since at least 1920. But the campaign news really started to take off around the time the operetta premiered, when he was exiled. |
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19 May 12 - 12:18 AM (#3352721) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 Could someone with the score from the operetta and who can read music tell me what the lowest note in the song is? (I haven't been able to find sheet music for this song.) |
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19 May 12 - 11:53 PM (#3353095) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 Refresh. |
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20 May 12 - 12:56 AM (#3353106) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 What are the lowest and highest notes of this song? |
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20 May 12 - 07:39 PM (#3353484) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 Anyone know? |
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21 May 12 - 05:39 AM (#3353658) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 Can anyone help me with the notes? |
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22 May 12 - 12:27 AM (#3354123) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Soft as a Pigeon Lights? (Romberg) From: MorwenEdhelwen1 Refresh. |