In the Broadway show, The Scarlet Pimpernel, the hero, Percy, inspires his crew the Bounders with a song celebrating the importance of their mission, and the joy they should take in pursuing it. It's all about the danger they face, and the courage they'll need to face it.
By contrast, the villain, Chauvelin sings about his mission. But instead of taking joy in his work, it's a grim business, he knows it. It's about survival of the fittest, which he intends to be. And it's about bitterness and pitilessness, and he compares himself to a "Falcon in the Dive."
Percy's song is in a major key. Chauvelin sings in a minor key. And that's all you need to know about the two characters.
You take on a challenge, and you need to be Percy. You need to attack the problem with joy and pleasure and not give in to your darker impulses. You need to keep it in a major key.
UPDATE: It has been suggested that I have slighted approximately half the musical key wheel with this post.
Look, I'm Jewish. Minor key is the soundtrack of my life. Almost every Jewish tune worth singing is in a minor key. A minor key can add solemnity, urgency, sadness, maybe some humility, sir knight. A little bitter to go with the sweet. There's a whole range of serious emotions available to the minor that the major just can't approach.
But, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the difference between bittersweet and bitter is the difference between lightning and lightning bug.
Comments
Ever hear about Frank Foley who was something of a real life Scarlet Pimpernel?
http://soccerdad.baltiblogs.com/archives/2007/05/08/the_quietest_hero.html
Posted by: soccer dad | June 27, 2008 10:27 AM