Beneath the Surface: A Day in the Life of a Geophysics Undergrad

               Basic Information:  Specific Work: "The Ring Theme" (also known as "The History of the Ring") Larger Work: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Composer: Howard Shore Country of Origin: New Zealand / United States Date: 2001 Link:  https://youtu.be/Dw6BCAZqkaQ?si=q60k12IpT2oAmaJD           Biographical Information:      One of the most monumental composing undertakings in cinematic history was assigned to Canadian composer Howard Shore for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Shore had a background in jazz and rock before making the transition to film scores. By utilizing a system of leitmotifs—recurring musical themes associated with a particular character, place, or idea—Shore approached the score as a massive, through-composed opera, rather than a collection of isolated cues. Among these leitmotifs, "The Ring Theme" stands out as the most im...

Featured Performances: "Someone to Watch Over Me" (Composed by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, 1926, United States) Listen to Ella's recording here:      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olC33bjtnhw&list=RDolC33bjtnhw&start_radio=1 "How High the Moon" (Live in Berlin, 1960) (Composed by Morgan Lewis, lyrics by Nancy Hamilton, 1940, United States) Watch the legendary performance here: https://youtu.be/Zf_yECTnuko?si=ciZ7sxgn64h-I9tm A Voice Forged in Song Through her musical journey, Ella Fitzgerald demonstrates the power of interpretation. Despite having a challenging upbringing (she was born in 1917), she began her professional singing career in 1934 after winning a competition at the Apollo Theater. She was quickly promoted to lead vocalist in bandleader Chick Webb's group after he found her. After Webb's death, she became the band's new leader and went on to have a successful solo career.  Throughout her life, Ella aimed to becom...