Two women musicans compared

Two women musicians compared

fiction
edward w pritchard


Jung Lin performs Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2 [ see u tube} with beauty, grace and precision. The performance is incandescently enjoyable to anyone familiar with the piece. While this critic denies his expertise to judge such a complicated piece there seemed to be few if any performance mistakes by Miss Linn to the ear of this reviewer; and it seemed a spirited performance comparable to the classic presentation by Horwitz [1953}.

Jung Lin as a performer is in her twenties, an Asian American, is a beautiful young woman, and that beauty does not detract but enhances the performance with the zealous movements of her arms and hands. The style and faithful conforming to Liszt original piece were noted and appreciated by this classical music lover.

Of course the primary accolades for the Hungarian Rhapsody #2 go to Liszt but Miss Linn who is also a composer presented an honest arrangement of Liszt' masterpiece and it bears repeating that despite advances in recording technology, viewing a live production, albeit on u tube is an exhilarating, incomparable experience.

Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton is best known for her original recording of Hound Dog, later covered by Elvis Presley. Her most original and moving piece of blues music is Ball and Chain written and recorded by her but again another singer, that time Janis Jopin, recorded the hit version of her song.

The lyrics to ball and chain unfold as a mournful digression into the song writer's pain and suffering over her treatment at the hands of her lover and as the listener concludes life itself. The song, lyrics and Big Mama's voice are perfectly matched for the presentation.

Working as a solo song writer Mama Thornton has written the consummate blues song and it is the finest blues song recorded by a woman in this critic's opinion.

Willie Mae Thornton's work on Ball and Chain is significant primarily because she has recorded and sung her own composition. One hopes we will hear more of the composing and recording of Miss Linn so we may someday be privileged to hear her entire opus.