Neil Diamond

Legend of Adult Contemporary Music

Neil Diamond

Table of Contents:

Biography ………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

Hits ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5

Jonathan Livingston Seagull Album ………………………………………………….. 6

Listening Guide: The Odyssey ………………………………………………………….. 8

Listening Guide: Anthem ………………………………………………………………… 10

Sources: ………………………………………………………………………………………...... 12

3

Biography

Source: http://www.factbook.org/wikipedia

4

• Born in Brooklyn, New York on 24 January 141

• Parents Rose and Akeeve “Kieve” Diamond were Jewish

• Started writing songs when he was 16.

• Went to New York University as a premed major, on a fencing scholarship.

• Starting hawking songs at Tin Pan Alley.

• First hits were “Solitary Man,” “Cherry Cherry,” and “I Got the Feeling (Oh No No.)”

• 37 Top 40 hits, Ten of which hit Number One on the charts.

5

Number One hits in the U.S.

• “America”• “Heartlight”• “I’ve Been This Way Before”• “If You Know What I Mean”• “Song Sung Blue”• “Longfellow Serenade”• “Yesterday’s Songs”• “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” (w/ Barbara Streisand)• “Cracklin’ Rosie”• “Desiree”

6

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

(Soundtrack)

Number Two Album in the U.S. (1973)

Source: http://images-eu.amazon.com/.

7

Tracks:

“Prologue” And here begins our story – the sky, the sea, the flock.

“Be” Introduction of Jonathan – his flight and fall.

“Flight of the Gull” Jonathan is carried to the heights of ambition, and to near catastrophe.

“Dear Father” Battered, and near death, Jonathan asks for reasons.

“Skybird” Returning home to show what he has learned, his acrobatics only serve to anger the flock elders. He is put on trial, and forever…outcast.

“Lonely Looking Sky” Alone and adrift.“The Odyssey” And so begins a journey, an odyssey, a test

of the spirit.“Anthem” “Transcend, purify, glorious.”“Be” Jonathan returns to teach the flock.“Skybird” The lesson“Dear Father” Rebuked again by the elders, Jonathan

attempts to rally the flock.“Be” Recapitulation and farewell to Fletcher.

8

The Odyssey: Be, Lonely Looking Sky, and Dear FatherLiner notes: And so begins a journey, an odyssey, a test of the spirit.

0:00 IntroductionThe music begins with strings playing in harmony.0:10 Trombone enters on a single note representing, “Be….,” in Common time/ Compound division - retrograde.0:25 Flutes enter0:35 Strings jump back in0:50 Brass and woodwinds take the melody1:13 “Lonely Looking Sky” segment begins in common time/simple

division with guitar playing background and French horn - playing melody.

2:26 Strings enter with “Be” melody, while “Lonely Looking Sky” continues.

3:45 Bridge of silence3:50 Dear Father segment begins with violins and cellos , alternating.

(Continued on next slide.)

9

(Continued from previous slide.)

4:47 Horns pick up melody, while violins continue downward runs.4:54 Crescendo, all instruments on melody until..4:56 Cymbals and resumption of melody and retrograde5:24 Diminuendo, then cymbal indicates transition5:30 “Be” rhythm begins again5:44 Cymbal, brass and woodwinds signal buildup6:00 Violins signal another transition – music begins to fall6:13 Piano – consonance6:31 dissonance6:42 Piano signals relaxation again in intro to “Dear Father”6:55 Strings begin melody of “Dear Father”7:26 Minor, Inversion-retro7:37 Bridge8:20 Intro to “Lonely Looking Sky”8:35 “Lonely Looking Sky” muted, strings9:03 “Dear Father,” piano melody, violins9:24 Transition9:29 Dissonance and fadeout, no resolution

10

AnthemLiner notes: “Transcend, purify, glorious.”

0:00 Introduction0:06 Melody begins with violins/violas, repetition imitative counterpoint0:36 Transition, buildup1:26 Single violin1:30 Harpsichord phyrgian1:33 “Transcend” spoken1:40 “Purify” spoken1:46 “Glorious” spoken1:49 Fast bridge – duple compound

(Continued on next slide.) Source: http://www.filminamerica.com

11

(Continued from previous slide.)

1:53 Boys’ choir begins with “Sanctus” (syllabic)1:57 “Kyrie”2:01 Sanctus, kyrie, sanctus kyrie2:04 “Kyrie, Gloria, Gloria, holy, holy”2:11 “Holy”2:16 “Gloria”2:22 Repeat “sanctus, kyrie…”2:26 Add on, round2:36 Voices join together on Gloria again (homophony)2:41 Instrumental bridge2:46 Transcend2:53 Purify2:58 Glorious3:00 Violins fadeout

12

Fong-Torres, Ben. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-importance-of-being-neil-diamond-19760923 23 Sep 1976. Retrieved 23 Feb 2013.

http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/neil-diamond/albums Retrieved 23 Feb 2013.

http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/neil-diamond/chart-history/4456 Retrieved 23 Feb 2013.

http://www.neildiamond.com/pages/disc/54 Retrieved 23 Feb 2013.

http://www.inthe80s.com/covers2.shtml Retrieved 23 Feb 2013.

http://webcom3.grtxle.com/musicapprec/index.cfm?pageid=15233 Retrieved 23 Feb 2013.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070248/ Retrieved 24 Feb 2013.

http://music.yahoo.com/news/neil-diamond-married-154058232.html Retrieved 25 Feb 2013.

Sources