Melissa Cecchini, Rutgers Class of 2020 (undergraduate) and Library and Information Science masters program Class of 2021
When selecting the instrumental music for this playlist I found myself asking, “If this piece could move, if it was a movie, what would it sound like?” With the vocal music, the question changed to, “If I was writing about this artwork, what would the story be?”
- Red Acrobat, George Segal, 1997 –
Escape by Hans Zimmer (instrumental)
This is actually the only one where my above thinking is flipped, because I imagine the first 45 seconds have nothing to do with the acrobat at all, they’re more like a child entering the big tent at a circus and waiting for the acrobat to come out. There’s anticipation and excitement in the strings. Then after that, the acrobat enters and I imagine her as the voice that kind of hums wordlessly along with the piece, soaring high overhead. Basically, the rest of this piece sounds like flying to me.
Sun by Sleeping at Last (vocal)
Like I said, my thinking flipped, because the “golden string” reminded me of the rope that the acrobat is holding. And the song in general just reminded me of the acrobat as she is, especially in the sunlight. She looks weightless and exultant.
- Night Owl, Charles Caryl Coleman, 1879 –
Gumo’s Hideout by Gareth Coker (instrumental)
For this piece I wanted something that was at the same time kind of light and, maybe, ethereal sounding. But also, something that was at the same time a little darker and deeper. Because the painting looks like both of those contrasted – the flowers and the color scheme is somewhat soothing, but the owl against the full moon is a little darker.
Human by Of Monsters and Men (vocal)
This one was a bit of a stretch, but I was thinking a lot about the quietude of the night, how it’s a time to unwind from the fast-paced lives we live during the day. The painting instilled a sense of calm in me that I felt echoed in the repeated chorus of the song: “Breathe in, breathe out. Let the human in."
- The Good Shepherd, Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1902 –
Nascence by Austin Wintory (instrumental)
I wanted a piece that would feel calm and serene but also dark to like the night. The change that comes around the 1-minute mark might reflect finally being found after drifting in the dark.
Dear Fellow Traveler by Sea Wolf (vocal)
I imagine this song as the narrator talking about meeting the Good Shepherd (perhaps God), and reflecting on that experience after he has returned home.
- The Street Vendor, Jerome Myers, undated –
Symphony No. 1 in E Minor: III. Juba Dance by Florence Beatrice Price (instrumental)
For this one, I wanted something that might reflect a busy market street. There’s the beat of foot traffic, the horns of passing cars, maybe. There’s a slide whistle that might belong to one of the children in the foreground. I wanted a piece that moved the way I’d imagine walking down this street would, different sections and sounds flowing into one another like passing different street vendors.
Daydreamer by AURORA (vocal)
I started thinking about the people within the painting itself, trying to give them lives. I kind of imagine this song beginning as the little girl in the foreground in the white-ish dress, and then expanding out to include all of the figures in the painting.
- Pentaptych No 2: Adam and Eve, Vladimir Yankilevsky, 1980 –
To The Ravine by George Fenton (instrumental)
I like this one because it’s like it’s trying to be a string piece in ¾, but it’s subverted by the percussion and synth sounds, the same way the art piece on the surface looks like two people entering a house, but it’s separated by these larger blue and white paintings, abstracting it.
Soldier by Fleurie (vocal)
This one is as much about the artwork as it is about soviet nonconformist art in general. I thought about the artists having to create their art in secret, under threat of imprisonment. Then I thought about the people in the artwork itself, how they too would have had to keep their heads down and try to survive, despite the hardships the faced (like overcrowded housing).
- Calm Before the Storm, Nikolai Nikanorovich Dubovski, 1889-1890 –
South Georgia Whaling Station by Jacob Shea (instrumental)
Whereas with Night Owl I wanted more light with a little dark, here I wanted the opposite. Something that sounded really foreboding and ominous, like waiting on the edge of something to happen. It starts with a percussion hit like thunder, and then you hear the strings that sound to me, like fading light being overtaken by dark.
Snakes by Bastille (vocal)
Starting from the top of the painting and moving can be sort of a foreboding experience, the bright light turning so dark that individual objects are hazy and unclear. It’s scary in a way, and might speak to a wish to stay in the light space, even though we know that the “storm” is inevitable. The speaker of the song is in the same position, doing everything in their power to avoid whatever “storm” is in front of them.
- Méphistophéles, Mark Antokolsky, 1880 –
Devil’s Prospects by Sarah McCoy (vocal)
My favorite theory about the character of Mephistopheles is that he is trapped in his own Hell by serving the Devil, and isn’t looking for men to corrupt but instead comes to serve and collect souls that are already damned. I chose this song because the speaker sounds like someone that Mephistopheles would be drawn to, already determined to find the Devil for their own gains.
- Pastoral Festival, Jules Chéret, 1890 –
Maybe Molly by The Fretless (instrumental)
This painting was one of the first ones I did, because I had the clearest image of what this would sound like. I wanted something that I could imagine them dancing too, preferably with strings since the central figure is holding some kind of stringed instrument.
Between Two Lungs by Florence + The Machine (vocal)
I chose this song for two reasons, the first being the beat. It just seems like the kind of upbeat tempo that would be found at a festival dance like this. The second was that the lyrics describe one moment of happiness, like a bubble that the speaker is desperate not to pop. The scene kind of reminds me of that happiness.
- L’Eté, Charlotte Gabrielle Besnard –
Saving Mr. Banks (End Title) by Thomas Newman (instrumental)
This one sounds to me like summer, like spending a day at the park with my friends or with my family. It’s warm but there’s a nice breeze, the sky is cloudless and the sun is bright. Around 1:30, I imagine a bike ride on a trail.
Sunlight by Hozier (vocal)
This feels like a love song to L’Eté. Her pose and smile look to me like she’s happy or she’s been flattered. The song is all about comparing the subject’s love to sunlight, getting at the personification of Summer that the statue represents.