Sound Beat

Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address was dedicated to preventing a Civil War. Four years later as that war dwindled, Lincoln spoke not of triumph, but of the nation’s division. He wondered aloud if the staggering loss of American lives were a part of a divine retribution for the ills of slavery.

Most college football fans will tell you this song is “Hail to the Victors”, the University of Michigan’s fight song. And they’d be partially right…the song is actually called “The Victors”, and was written in 1898 by student Louis Elbel. A last minute Michigan victory over then-rival Chicago gave the Wolverines their first Western Conference title, and would inspire Elbel to compose the tune. The very next year, none other than John Philip Sousa’s band debuted it at Ann Arbor. Sousa would later call the song the “best college march ever written”.

It’s been said that portions of the melody resemble “The Spirit of Liberty”, composed 7 months before Elbel’s anthem by George Rosenberg. Check out more right here.

This song was originally recorded by John Lomax in 1934 and featured Kelly Pace and Arkansas state prisoners. That’s not a cool band name; the father and son musicologist team of John and Alan Lomax often visited prisons to record inmates. On one such visit they met a young man by the name of Huddie Ledbetter, known to history as Leadbelly.

No one’s quite sure how he got the nickname: some say he took a round of buckshot to the stomach, some that it was a dialectical change from “Ledbetter”. Bluesman Big Bill Broonzy claimed it came from his…reluctance to engage in chain gangs, as if with “a stomach weighted down by lead”.

Find out more about Lead Belly’s prison exploits right here.

Image: “Rock Island E-8 #652 with E-6 #630 at Midland Railway, Baldwin City, KS“. Photo by Terry Cantrell and originally posted to Flickr.  This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

You’re on the Sound Beat…with Anna Canoni, the granddaughter of Woody Guthrie.

Woody once said “If you use more than two chords you’re showing off”. But the simplicity of the music provides the perfect backdrop for Guthrie’s lyrics.

(Interview)

Many credit Woody with inventing the “Talkin’” format, with it’s free-formish, rambling melody.  But Christopher Allan Bouchillon’s recording of “Talking Blues” was made 14 years earlier, in 1926.

Want to hear it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPrnbGm7jas

We’ve mentioned Dalhart a bit on the program, and that’s because the man sold millions of records…in the twenties.

The song concerns a soldier, so disfigured during battle, that he could not be positively identified. His’ remains were buried and marked by a tombstone with no name.

We honor our unidentified soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery, at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. Watch is held by Sentinel of the Old Guard, members of the 3rd United States Infantry the oldest active-duty infantry unit of the United States Army. It’s a tremendous honor to achieve Sentinel, making The Tomb of the Unknown badge the second-least awarded badge in the Army…number one being the Astronaut Badge.

For those who have not witnessed it, get more on this touching display right here.

This episode was written in part by Syracuse University student, Dennis Bitetti as part of the Sound Beat Class Partnership.

You’re listening to the Story of Star Wars, a 20th Century Fox LP from 1977.

After meeting Han Solo and Chewbacca in Mos Eisley, Luke, Ben and the droids persuade the duo to bring them to Leia’s home planet of Alderaan…which has been destroyed. Awkward…especially when they’re tractor-beamed onto Vader’s ship…which has one other special guest.

Check out more Star Wars episodes now.

Sound Beat is produced at the Belfer Audio Archive, Syracuse University Libraries.

I’m Brett Barry.

Image courtesy of Johnny Silvercloud used under Creative Commons license.

When Princess Leia stashed a message for Obi Wan Kenobi in an R2 unit, that’s D2 of course, he abandoned ship for the desert planet of Tattoine. Traveling with fellow droid C3P0, they’d meet up with a character George Lucas almost named Luke Starkiller. And, after surviving an ambush, they’d meet the man Luke called Old Ben.

Check out more Star Wars episodes now at Soundbeat.org

Sound Beat is produced at the Belfer Audio Archive, Syracuse University Libraries.

I’m Brett Barry.

Image courtesy of Tim Simpson used under Creative Commons license.

You’re listening to Syracuse University Libraries Cataloger Sophie Rondeau and…

You’re on the Sound Beat

Sound Beat is produced at the Belfer Audio Archive, Syracuse University Libraries.

I’m Brett Barry.

Photo: Courtesy of The Mary Baker Eddy Science Institute. (Lots of further reading contained therein!)

Long before the Greenwich village scene of the 1960’s, New York served as a folk music hotspot of another kind. Here’s Syracuse University Libraries Cataloger Jennifer Vaughn.

This episode was recorded in the studios of WAER at Syracuse University.

I’m Brett Barry.

A pretty little tune written by a couple-a fellas…just walking around…prison. You’re listening to Syracuse University Libraries Cataloger Sophie Rondeau and …

You’re on the Sound Beat.

This episode was recorded at WAER, Syracuse University.

I’m Brett Barry.