It was quite plain that he must be abominable savage, but Queequeg was a creature in the transitory state - neither caterpillar nor butterfly.
8 Comments
3/20/2020 12:39:30 pm
Queequeg is the main character in the whole scenario, which Ishmael is the other character the builds up the story. in the middle of the conflict Queequeg ends up dead and i think movement 2 is where the whole story of Queequeg is being told and at the end of the movement is ends with his death.
Javier Cano
3/20/2020 01:11:17 pm
So I believe this movement represents Queequeg’s characteristics. This movement has a lot of fierce into it, especially with the crescendos going on in measure 6. So maybe this particular movement is showing that Queequeg is a ferocious and bold person.
Mr. Liska
3/20/2020 01:30:47 pm
I think you are close here. But remember that Queequeg is in a "transitory state" so do forget the gentle parts of the piece as well. The oboe solo and oboe/bassoon duet. The piece also ends very gently. Maybe that is him ultimately deciding what he wants to be.
Elizabeth Morales
3/20/2020 02:55:56 pm
I think that the whole movement is a blend of Queequeg being seen as a savage and also seen as civilized. The first couple measures of piece sound majestic, since he is the son of a king. In measure 23 to 39 its him being civilized. Moving forward, it keeps switching from being calm to forceful. Which is the transition from savagery to civilized. Ending with calm which can mean he choses civilized in the end.
Mr. Liska
3/20/2020 04:28:56 pm
Tying in the piece about how he is the son of a king is a key aspect to the transition and conflict within Queequeg. I wonder if there are more aspects to the music that also represent this conflict.
Daniela Velazquez
3/23/2020 11:58:20 am
This movement is a great representation of Queequeg because Queequeg is seen as a strange character through out the novel because of his color, religion, and culture and there are a lot of strange little elements littered around the piece. For example the intro starts off with some fun grace notes in the flutes that sound like they’re imitating crash cymbals and then the trumpets come in with mutes and create a playful feeling from A to B. There is also a back and forth type of fugue between the flutes and clarinets from A to B that goes from nice and smooth to articulated and smooth that creates a mischievous feel. There are also points of tension throughout the song that could be an omage to the awkwardness of Queequeg’s character in the story. The ending as well is like a little reminder that he’s a pretty friendly guy even though he looks and acts different.
Jennifer Brewer
3/24/2020 12:45:33 pm
Queequeg is an interesting character in himself. His introduction, appearance, and his way of speech--all of it work together to create this fascinating, unbelievable character. When first meeting Queequeg, Ishmael is spending the night at an inn and must share a bed with a harpooner. He hears from the innkeeper that the harpooner is a cannibal and will not be back to bed until late as he is selling human heads. This initial imagery of Queequeg before even the reader or Ishmael meet him is enough to have the reader wondering what the man could possibly be like. The reader begins to think he's uncivilized and crazy. The beginning of this movement shows the head whirling experience which is Queequeg and his enigmatic way of life. Eventually towards measure 23, there is an oboe solo soon accompanied by a bassoon. The way the oboe articulates this with so much in between gives this imagery of dancing around or away from something. It's almost like tip toeing or sneaking around. This is quite similar to Ishmael's initial meeting of Queequeg in which he tried to run away. In the background of the piece, the listener can hear more tribal or tropical type percussion. As the reader eventually learns, Queequeg is a sailor from a tribe in which he is soon to be king. His background is represented in the background of the piece wherein his new harpooner life takes the forefront in places such as 62 and 92. It demonstrates Queequeg's new and old life. It also paints how he is one that many typically fear and do their best to stay clear of him.
Christian Madera
3/25/2020 01:26:22 am
This whole movement seems to portray how queequeg was vied as a freespirited and outgoing type of person, much of the movement is fast and feels like something is being rushed but its tying back to how queequeg was independent and untamed in a way as he didn't want to be royalty and rather a harpooner, the whole movement seems to be a constant build of tension and it feels connected to the misunderstanding people have on queequeg because he is seen as half civilized and half barbarian which is why i believe the composer maintained this feeling of unease. Leave a Reply. |
Of Sailors and Whales BLOG PROJECTEach Movement of Of Sailors and Whales is a musical description of one of the main characters in the book Moby Dick. What I would like us to do is to learn about each character and then try to make connections between what we know about the character and what the composer, Francis McBeth, wrote in the piece. ArchivesCategories |
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