The Avenging Angel │ Ed Sanders (Toby)

Ed Sanders, who was born in England, is a remarkable talent who seemed to have dropped off of the entertainment radar screen.  Which is a shame because he had such a beautiful voice.  When Ed auditioned for the role of Tobias Ragg (Toby) in Tim Burton's magnificent "Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street", he competed, literally, against hundreds of other boys to win that much coveted role.  It was a well deserved win, as I cannot imagine any one else playing that part.  Stephen Sondheim, the American composer who wrote  "Sweeny Todd" for Broadway, is considered to be a genius of the American musical theater.  Some of you may remember him as being the lyricist of "West Side Story", and the composer of the very special and enigmatic,  "Send In The Clowns" from the Broadway play "A Little Night Music".  Sondheim had the good fortune as a very young teenager, to be tutored personally, in the fine arts and craft of musical theater writing by the great Oscar Hammerstein II, who is also an iconic, American genius of the American musical stage, and screen.  "Sweeny Todd" is an incredibly violent movie, so that when Ed Sanders (Toby) sings "Not While I'm Around" to Nellie Lovett, played so excellently by Helena Bonham Carter, it is a brief, but well welcomed respite from all the killings that have transpired in the film.  It is a very difficult song to sing, as all of  Sondheim's songs are, because of its atonal nature and chords, that make it a challenge to ferret out the correct notes to sing.  To add to that difficulty, Ed sings "Not While I'm Around" in two key signatures, first in a high registry, than in a low.  Because of the extreme range of the melody, this is no small feat to accomplish.  The modulation that separates these two keys is very subtle, as a good modulation should be, so that one really does not notice it.  To put this in plain language, when Ed starts to sing the song, it sounds really high.  When he repeats it after Nellie Lovett's solo, it sounds low.  What a performance it is.  Ed's voice is so sweet, poignant, innocent, deeply moving, and so sensitive, that it is irresistible to the heart.  Whenever I listen to it, and I listen to it a lot, it puts me into a wistful, but deliciously melancholy mood.  I love this song.  I find it surprising though, that "Not While I'm Around" has not been discovered by more people.  It is a Twenty-First Century classic.  There are good reasons why I call this post "The Avenging Angel - Ed Sanders (Toby)", but it would spoil the plot for those of you who have not seen the movie as of yet, so I will not elucidate on it in this post.  "Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a must see movie.  Let's bring out the popcorn, drinks, and candy, and enjoy Ed Sanders wonderful performance of "Not While I'm Around".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.

Smile │ Libera

"Smile", sung by Libera, the extraordinary choir from England.  This song is simply beautiful!  Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.

Desiderata │ A Paraphrase

 Desiderata

A Paraphrase of Max Erhmann's "Desiderta", by Gilbert Martines

Go calmly amid the noise and the rush, and remember what peace there may be in silence.  Avoid loud and aggressive people, as they are very troubling to the spirit.  As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with everyone.  Speak your truth quietly and clearly.  Listen to others, including the dull and ignorant, even they have a story to tell.

Be yourself, do not fake affection and do not be cynical about love, for it is as lasting as the grass.  Take kindly to the counsel of time, and give up gracefully the things of youth.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself.  Enjoy your achievements, as well as your plans.  Be interested in your own career, no matter how humble, it is a real treasure in the changing fortunes of time.

Be gentle with yourself.  Sometimes we search too deeply within ourselves, and allow darkness to feed our fears.  Many of these thoughts are not real, but are merely the children of fatigue and loneliness.  Keep your spirit strong, and it will protect you in times of trouble.

Be careful in your business affairs, for the world is full of cheats and fakes.  But do not let this make you blind to the goodness in others.  There are still many people who are brave, and have high ideals.  Be cheerful.  Despite all its problems and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful World.  Try to be happy.

And whether or not it is clear to you, the Universe is unfolding as it should.  You are Child Of The Universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

(The "Desiderata" which means desired things, was written by Max Ehrmann in 1927.  It is now in the Public Domain.)

 Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.

Miserere Mei, Deus │ The Boys Air Choir

"Miserere Mei, Deus (Have Mercy On Me, O God)" composed by Gregorio Allegri, is probably one of the most remarkable musical compositions to come out of the Italian Renaissance.  It was written around 1630 during the reign of Pope Urban VIII, for the exclusive use in the Sistine Chapel during matins, as part of the Tenebrae services on Wednesday and Friday of Holy Week.  The Tenebrae (Latin for shadows or darkness), which started at 3 a.m., consisted mainly of Gregorian Chant, and this went on for hours on end.  One can just imagine how numbing this must have been to the ears and minds of the worshipers in the Sistine Chapel.  Well, an acoustical respite was in store for them during the last part of the service which usually occurred around 7 p.m.  First they would hear a G minor triad, the most lovely of all minor chords being sung, then the polyphony that followed all of the monophonic chanting of the day, and early evening, would melt away, and this ethereal music would resound from the walls of the Sistine Chapel.  The contrast between the Gregorian Chants and the "Miserere Mei Deus" was so drastic, that it caused the listeners to be spellbound.  It is no wonder that the Pope ordered the Sistine Chapel's choir master to protect the score of the "Miserere Mei, Deus" and it was reserved exclusively only for the Vatican's use.  During the rest of the year the score to "Miserere Mei, Deus" was kept under lock and key in the Vatican Archives, and secured under the Papal Seal.  Adding to the mystery surrounding the "Miserere Mei, Deus", transcribing it, or performing it elsewhere was punishable by excommunication from the Catholic Church.  But, as with most forbidden things, the score of "Miserere Mei, Deus" did not remain a secret.  The fourteen-year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was visiting Rome, when he first heard the piece during the Wednesday Holy Week service in the Sistine Chapel.  Later that day, he wrote it down entirely from memory which is a remarkable accomplishment, as the music is incredibly complex.  He returned to the Sistine Chapel that Friday to make minor corrections to his transcription.  Some time later during Mozart's travels, he met the British historian Dr. Charles Burney, who obtained the transcription from Mozart, and Burney took it to London where it was published in 1771.  Once the "Miserere Mei, Deus" was published and in the hands of the general music establishment, the Papal ban was lifted.  Mozart was summoned to Rome by the Pope because of this, but instead of excommunicating the boy, the Pope showered praises on him for his feat of musical genius.  In this edition of Klaatu Barada Nikto I am featuring an incredible performance of the "Miserere Mei, Deus" by the Boys Air Choir.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Klaatu Barada Nikto, wherever you may be.