[Trombone-l] Lassus again, what were the chances?

Tue May 2 14:36:15 CDT 2006

It is a sad fact of human history that racism used to be (and still is in 
some places) the cultural norm. Abraham Lincoln, great intellect that he 
was, still believed that Blacks were mentally inferior to Whites. He was 
smart enough to rise above those prejudices after meeting such learned and 
intelligent people as Frederick Douglas, but alas, most people of that time 
did not change so easily. Change comes slowly.

And racism was endemic in music of that time. Have you ever heard 'I've got 
a little list' or 'Let the punishment fit the crime' from Gilbert and 
Sullivan's 'The Mikado' sung with the original lyrics? Every performance 
I've ever witnessed or played in has changed these lyrics because of there 
endemic racism. But the music itself is not discarded. We must accept music 
for what it is-a historical document that tells us about ourselves and our 
history and view it as such. It would be absurd to minimize Al Jolsen's 
impact on the history of music just because he sung in blackface on 
occasion, just as getting upset about Lassus serves no one. We need to act 
in the here and now to stop racism. Lassus is over. Its been written. Its 
fun to play. Accept it and appreciate it for what it tells us about who were 
are and where we came from, and let us work to never go there again.

Matthew Stoecker

>From: "Eric Edwards" <eric at elsjledwards.net>
>To: "Trombone-L" <trombone-l at server5.samford.edu>,"zemry1" 
><zemry1 at bellsouth.net>
>Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Lassus again, what were the chances?
>Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 13:43:47 -0500
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>
>You have to kind of wonder how many people really know ANY of the history 
>of
>Lassus.  And do they care.
>
>Unfortunately,  if there are issues, there is bound to be someone around to
>get their panties in a wad over it.
>
>This is not directed at anyone in particular, just a general observation.
>"Just shut up and play!"
>
>
>Eric
>
>Eric, Leandra, Sara, Jared & Lily
>Edwards
>"The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low
>price has faded"
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: trombone-l-bounces at server5.samford.edu
>[mailto:trombone-l-bounces at server5.samford.edu]On Behalf Of zemry1
>Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 1:13 PM
>To: Bone List
>Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Lassus again, what were the chances?
>
>I don't think that it has been perverted to a racial slur. I think that 
>many
>people are finally starting to perceive the history behind the song.
>However, 99.999999999999999999999999999 percent of the population of the 
>USA
>don't know about Lassus trombone and don't care. I hardly think that Jesse
>Jackson or Al Sharpton are gonna consider this much of an issue to get
>involved in. So..........for those who still want to program this song for
>future concerts ,don't expect any massive protests!
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "John Burton" <John.Burton at JohnBurton.org>
>To: "Bone List" <trombone-l at samford.edu>
>Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 7:04 AM
>Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Lassus again, what were the chances?
>
>
> > Yea, it's a shame that what had once become known as "The National 
>Anthem
> > for Trombones" has now been perverted to a racial slur.
> >
> > Just goes to show ya.....
> >
> >
> > After all these years, and all the times I've done Lassus it's still fun
> > to play, and the crowd still seems to enjoy it.  I like the idea of
> > playing into the audience tho.  I don't think we've ever done it quite
> > that way.  Nearly always sitting/standing in front.  Hmm..  Wonder how 
>we
> > could wander into the crowd without the ensuing lawsuit...
> >
> >
> >
> > ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
> > john burton
> > Bach 50B3
> > Bass Trombone, Charleston NeoPhonic Orchestra
> > South Charleston, West Virginia
>
>
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