1. Introduction
Rush is a Canadian rock band that formed in Toronto and was active for 50 years, from 1968 until 2018. As a teenager, I was one of those people who you’ll hear about in this week’s lecture who never liked Rush’s music because of the distinctive high shrieking vocals of the lead singer Geddy Lee. His voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. However, I eventually dated and later married a HUGE Rush fan and have since listened to my fair share of Rush over the years. Familiarity has lessened my dislike of the band, and I have to admit that there are times when I even choose to listen to the band by choice. I am impressed by both the virtuosity of all three band members, as well as their commitment, flexibility and support for each other that kept them together for over 50 years.
Dr. Chris McDonald is an ethnomusicologist and musician who teaches about music and culture at Cape Breton University. He is the author of Rush, Rock Music, and the Middle Class: Dreaming in Middletown (2019), and many scholarly articles about popular culture, the music of Atlantic Canada, and singer-songwriters. Dr. McDonald, or Dr. Rush, as he is also known, presents this week’s lecture. The reading is a chapter from his book.
As you’re reading and listening please take note of the following:
– How does Dr. McDonald describe the music (not the lyrics, but what the sound sources, or instruments, are doing)? Jot down these descriptors as you hear them. Do they communicate to you in ways that make sense in listening to the music yourself?
– How does Rush relate to “the city” (either Toronto, other cities, or the city as opposed to places that aren’t cities) and how does the city (either Toronto, other cities, or the city as opposed to places that aren’t cities) relate to Rush?
The theme for last week and this week is how music constructs/strengthens/maintains social relationships within the city. It is admittedly not the focus of Dr. McDonald’s lecture, but he does address ideas of social relationships in relation to a contrast between the city and the suburbs, as well as in relation to fans (American vs. Canadian) and the band. There is much to be said about how the band’s fans construct social relationships through their fandom, but that would be a different lecture. Maybe one we should add for next year.
2. Reading
Please read the chapter by Chris McDonald posted for this week’s lecture.
3. Powerpoint Lecture
Dr. Chris McDonald provides an analysis of Rush’s relationship to the city in this powerpoint lecture. Please be sure to pause and listen to the songs for which he has provided links.
4. Quiz
You’re ready now to take the quiz on this lecture. Remember you can do the quiz up to three times and eclass will take the highest grade you earn.
5. 3-2-1 Forum
1. Choose one musical examples from this lecture. Listen to it THREE times. Each time listen to one of the following sound sources (instruments and voices): a) bass, b) percussion (drums and other mallet/stick instruments), c) guitar, d) synthesizer or e) voice (consider the voice as an instrument). (So the first time you listen, it might be to the percussion, the next time to the bass and the last time to the voice, for example.) For each listen (and therefore each of three sound sources) listen for the following:
– What does it sound like? Does the sound change throughout the piece? Describing the sound, also called timbre, is often difficult. Be creative with your adjectives, but also think about what might communicate the “sound” to someone else. For example, one of the adjectives that Dr. McDonald uses for Geddy Lee’s vocals is “shrieking.” Are they shrieking through the whole song?
– What does it do? Is it playing a singable melody? Is it keeping time, and how do you know? Is it playing long, held notes? Is it high, low, quick, slow? Does what it does change throughout the piece?
– How do you hear it in relation to the other sound sources? Is it low in the mix/in the background or high in the mix/in the foreground? Is it in the lower range of the sound sources, medium or high? Does it seem to work with another instrument? How? Are they playing the same melody or rhythm? Are they passing a melody or a rhythm back and forth?
2. Part of this week’s lecture is about the relationship between Rush (their songs and lyrics) and the city (in some cases, specifically Toronto). Discuss TWO examples of how Rush’s relationship to the city (either Toronto, or some other city, or the idea of the city in opposition to suburbia or small towns) is explored or expressed through their music.
3. Choose ONE idea from the lecture that you find to be complex or difficult to understand. Explain the idea in your own words as if you are explaining it to a friend who is not in the course.