“I’m Flying In Winchester Cathedral, all religion has to have its day!” – CATHEDRAL – Crosby, Stills & Nash – Tempo, Meanspeed-Carlton Charts
The song Cathedral by Crosby, Stills, and Nash presents a mysterious tempo irony.
“Suite: Judy Blue-Eyes,” a song about the real life singer Judy Collins, was a rare instance in which multi-sectional tempo format was used by Crosby Stills and nash. multi-rhythmic? Of course – this is common and necessary. But multi-tempo: very rare indeed. You have to think: American Pie by Don McClean (“A LONG LONG TIME AGO/ICAN STILL REMEMBER WHEN THAT MUSIC USED TO MAKE ME SMILE”), Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (“MAMA JUST KILLED A MAN/PUT A GUN AGAINST HIS HEAD”) or Layla (“LAYLA, LAYLA, YOU GOT ME ON MY KNEES/LAYLA, I’M BEGGING YOU DARLING PLEASE!”) by Derek and the Dominoes (Eric Clapton’s solo Layla has one tempo range only). Years later on the album called simply ‘contemporary pop music. Music of this era that took on more than one tempo section was known as “progressive rock” or “symphonic rock,” featuring bands as Yes, Emerson, & Palmer, and early Genesis. CSN,’ “Cathedral” is similarly set it two tempo sections.
I measured tempo in 10-beat contiguous intervals, and the slower sections of the songs are in the meanspeed ranges in the area of Grace (70-76 beats per minute), where at times the tempo dips into the ceremony range, 63-69 beats per minute. During the fast sections, the speed range of Comfort, 98-105 beats per minute.
When the entire song is averaged, though, the average tempo is precisely 80 beats per minute, which the meanspeed conjecture predicts will emote Loneliness (79-84 beats per minute). This certainly did not seem to fit the theory!
altar high is a wonderfully wonderful concept, but, ultimately the band sings “TOO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN THE NAME OF CHRIST FOR ANYONE TO HEED THE CALL. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN THE NAME OF CHRIST THAT I CAN’T BELIEVE IT ALL!” In other words, we have a Crosby, Stills, and Nash protest song against the use of religion as an excuse for war. In a futile attempt to end war by singing a Side 2 unknown pop song is sort of a futile thing to do, it is lonely, and therefore in that way the overall speed fits the conjecture. It is up to the listener to decide that one. I buy my own rationalization – but it is not for me to Then I thought about the lyrics again, knowing that the song was written from a real experience the men had upon a visit to Winchester Cathedral. The lyrics say: the church is beautiful, tehmeanspeeddecide the bright line rule!
The double irony here is that when Crosby, Stills, and Nash played with Neil Young under Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, two protest songs were notable: “Southern Man, ” which spurred the song “Sweet Home Alabama,” in which the bands reminds us with a loud lonely anger to practice what you preach, “SOUTHERN MAN, BETTER KEEP YOUR HEAD/DON’T FORGET WHAT YOUR GOOD BOOK SAID/SOUTHERN CHANGE GONNA/COME AT LAST/NOW YOUR CROSSES ARE BURNING FAST. HEY! SOUTHERN MAN” and “Ohio,” a song written in 1970 immediately after Neil Young heard about 4 students being shot and killed by local police at Ohio State University during a Viet Nam [undeclared] war protest, “TIN SOLDIERS AND NIXON’S COMING/THIS SUMMER WE’RE ON OUR OWN/THIS SUMMER I HEAR THE DRUMMING/FOUR DEAD IN OHIO. FOUR DEAD IN OHIO!” Both of *these* protest songs are indeed found in the meanspeed conjecture range of Loneliness.
I invite Neil Young for a coffee to discuss this.
Meanpeed-Carlton Summary
song title=Cathedral
performer=Crosby, Stills & Nash
composer=Graham Nash
album=CSN
key=C# minor
average tempo=80 beats per minute
average beat measurement=750 milliseconds
meanspeed music conjecture emotive category=Loneliness (79-84 beats per minute)
Ian Andrew Schneider
July 9, 2008
