Remembering Prince

Last Thursday, as news broke of the untimely death of Prince, we were all reminded of his enormous contributions, both as a cultural icon and as one of contemporary pop music’s most innovative songwriters. His work drew upon a wide variety of styles, including “funk, rock, rhythm and blues, soul, psychedelia, and pop.” In songs such as When Doves Cryfrom the 1984 album Purple Rain, he turned the traditional structure of the pop song on its head. In addition to the vocals, he played all of the instruments on the track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYVOrzv61Yg

Prince created a host of songs that we associate with other artists. For example, he wrote The Bangles’ 1986 hit, Manic MondayCompare the verse of Manic Monday to Prince’s euphoric 1999released in 1982, and you’ll notice a striking similarity.

Pop Life, from the 1985 album Around the World in a Day, is another song that set Prince apart. Listen to the distinctive bass line and harmonic structure and the swirling layers of electronic sound. One of my favorite moments is the cascading vocal line around 2:20.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBKikjTHo-g

  • Prince’s complete discography: iTunes

About Timothy Judd

A native of Upstate New York, Timothy Judd has been a member of the Richmond Symphony violin section since 2001. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he earned the degrees Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, studying with world renowned Ukrainian-American violinist Oleh Krysa.

The son of public school music educators, Timothy Judd began violin lessons at the age of four through Eastman’s Community Education Division. He was a student of Anastasia Jempelis, one of the earliest champions of the Suzuki method in the United States.

A passionate teacher, Mr. Judd has maintained a private violin studio in the Richmond area since 2002 and has been active coaching chamber music and numerous youth orchestra sectionals.

In his free time, Timothy Judd enjoys working out with Richmond’s popular SEAL Team Physical Training program.

3 thoughts on “Remembering Prince”

  1. I’ve alway been a huge fan of Prince since I was a teenager in the 80’s. His musical influences can be heard throughout his extensive catalogue if you’re a careful listener. One of his most under appreciated albums is the soundtrack to, “Under the Cherry Moon” entitled,”Parade”. My favorite track on the album is a short 1:40 interlude called, “I Wonder You”. To me its a tribute to Stravinsky’s ,”Le sacre du printemps”. If you listen carefully you can pick up echoes of it’s 4th section,”Spring Rounds”. For those of you who know both works i’d love to know if you hear it as well.

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