West Side Story: How Music Creates Tension

Summary

In this video, the script explores how Leonard Bernstein's 'West Side Story' uses music to portray racial conflict, drawing parallels to Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'. It discusses the evolution from an initial concept of religious conflict to one of racial tension, reflecting societal issues of the time. The analysis highlights the use of jazz and Latin dance music to represent the American Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks, respectively, and how these musical styles are manipulated to underscore themes of love, hate, and identity. The video also delves into the characters of Anita and Maria, examining their representation of Latin American women and the tragic consequences of racial and sexual violence within the narrative.

Takeaways

• 🎭 West Side Story is a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, focusing on racial conflict between American Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks.
• 🎵 The music in the musical serves to highlight the racial tension, with different styles representing each gang and their cultural backgrounds.
• 🇺🇸 The Jets are associated with jazz and blues, representing an American musical language, while the Sharks are linked to Afro-Cuban rhythms and percussions, symbolizing their 'otherness'.
• 💃 The dance sequences, such as the gym scene, use various ethnic dance styles to represent the cultural clash and unity between the two gangs.
• 🎶 The Mambo and ChaCha dances allow the Sharks to express their identity and emotions through music and movement.
• 🎵 The song 'America' provides a platform for the Puerto Rican characters to express their views on the greatness of America, using traditional Puerto Rican music styles.
• 🚫 The disturbing portrayal of the rape scene uses the previously Puerto Rican-identified music to dehumanize and objectify the character Anita, highlighting the Jets' view of the Sharks.
• 🎶 The transformation of the 'America' song during the rape scene underscores the loss of Anita's dignity and the perversion of the Sharks' musical identity.
• 👩‍❤️‍👨 The character of Anita represents a dichotomy of Latin American women as both sexually liberated and victims of male dominance.
• 🤔 The musical leaves the audience with an unresolved question about whether different ethnic identities can coexist peacefully or if conflict is inevitable.
• 🎥 The script analysis aims to deepen the appreciation for the musical's portrayal of complex themes like racial conflict and identity through music.

Q & A

What is the original inspiration behind 'West Side Story'?

The original inspiration for 'West Side Story' is Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', with the story adapted to focus on a racial conflict between Americans and immigrant Puerto Ricans.

Why did Bernstein change the initial concept of 'East Side Story' to 'West Side Story'?

Bernstein changed the concept due to the fresh memories of World War II and anti-Semitism, prevalent news of gang violence and juvenile delinquency, and the exciting dance forms emerging from Latin America.

How does the music in 'West Side Story' represent the racial conflict between the Jets and the Sharks?

The music represents the racial conflict by associating the Jets with jazz blues, an American musical language, and the Sharks with pitched percussion and bongo drums, framing them as a threat and the 'racial other'.

What is the significance of the 'hate motive' in the music of 'West Side Story'?

The 'hate motive' with its distinctive Tritone is used to musically frame the Sharks as a threat and to represent the racial animosity between the Jets and the Sharks.

How does the 'America' song serve as an ironic expression for the Puerto Rican characters?

The 'America' song uses a tempo disease genre and traditional Puerto Rican instruments like the güiro, but it is performed in an ironic manner, highlighting the Puerto Ricans' complex relationship with American identity.

What role do the Mambo and ChaCha dances play in expressing the Puerto Rican identity in 'West Side Story'?

The Mambo and ChaCha dances are used to allow the Puerto Rican characters to express their identity and angst through dance, rather than speech or violence, showcasing their cultural heritage.

How is the character Anita portrayed in 'West Side Story', and what does her portrayal signify?

Anita is portrayed as a sexually liberated and socially free character, representing a challenge to both white and male dominance. Her character is contrasted with the innocent and virginal Maria.

What is the impact of the rape scene on the musical themes of 'America' and the Mambo in 'West Side Story'?

The rape scene perverts the original meanings of the 'America' song and the Mambo, using them to mock and intimidate the Puerto Rican characters, highlighting the dehumanization and objectification of Anita.

How does Bernstein use music to explore the possibility of peaceful coexistence between different ethnic identities in 'West Side Story'?

Bernstein explores the possibility of peaceful coexistence through the convergence of American blues and Latin American rhythms in songs like 'Maria', suggesting a temporary resolution of the binaries of love/hate and American/Puerto Rican.

What message does Bernstein seem to convey about racial conflict through the music in 'West Side Story'?

Bernstein portrays racial conflict as complex and multifaceted, leaving the audience with ambivalence about whether peaceful coexistence is possible, reflecting his advocacy for peace and unity while acknowledging the reality of ongoing conflict.

What is the purpose of the channel discussing 'West Side Story' and how does it aim to enhance appreciation for music?

The channel aims to pass on an appreciation for art music, including film and orchestral music, by covering well-known and lesser-known pieces. It seeks to educate viewers on why music is great and how to appreciate a broader range of musical works.

Outlines

00:00

🎭 West Side Story: Music and Racial Conflict

This paragraph discusses how the musical 'West Side Story', inspired by Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', uses music to depict racial conflict between American and Puerto Rican characters. Initially conceived as 'East Side Story' dealing with Catholic-Jewish tensions, it evolved to address gang violence and racial issues, influenced by Latin American dance forms. The Jets are associated with jazz blues, symbolizing American music, while the Sharks are introduced with Afro-Cuban percussion, suggesting a threatening 'other'. The 'hate motive' with a distinctive tritone is highlighted as significant. The paragraph also delves into the 'Dance at the Gym' sequence, where the two gangs' potential for conflict is portrayed through contrasting dance styles like jazz and mambo, reflecting their ethnic identities and tensions.

05:02

🎵 Exploring Identity and Conflict Through Music

The second paragraph continues the exploration of racial conflict in 'West Side Story', focusing on how music is used to represent the Puerto Rican characters' identity and their struggle. It discusses the song 'America', which allows the Puerto Rican characters to express their perspective on the 'greatness' of America, using traditional Puerto Rican music styles like the salsero and huapango. The paragraph also examines the character Anita, who represents sexual freedom and defiance against white and male dominance. The disturbing use of music during the attempted rape scene is analyzed, showing how the Sharks' music is stripped of its original meaning and identity, mirroring Anita's loss of dignity and autonomy. The paragraph concludes with an examination of how Bernstein's portrayal of racial conflict is both subtle and complex, leaving the audience with an ambivalent view of reconciliation and conflict.

10:03

🎼 The Legacy of West Side Story and Bernstein's Message

The final paragraph reflects on the broader implications of 'West Side Story' as a musical masterpiece that explores racial conflict through music. It acknowledges Bernstein's advocacy for peace and unity, yet points out the unresolved question of whether different ethnic identities can coexist peacefully. The paragraph concludes with a call to appreciate the depth and complexity of music in art, film, and orchestral pieces, and invites viewers to subscribe for more content that delves into the appreciation of music across various genres and composers.

Keywords

💡West Side Story

West Side Story is a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet,' set in the context of racial conflict in 1950s New York. It portrays a love story amidst tensions between American and Puerto Rican gangs, focusing on themes of identity, belonging, and social divisions.

💡Racial Conflict

Racial conflict is a central theme of the video, referring to the tensions between the American Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks. The musical uses this conflict to explore larger societal issues of race, power, and prejudice, as highlighted in the way the music differentiates the gangs and underscores their differences.

💡Jets

The Jets are the American gang in 'West Side Story,' representing the white, American working class. Their musical identity is linked to jazz and blues, underscoring their cultural dominance and their position as the ‘insiders’ in the racial dynamic of the musical.

💡Sharks

The Sharks are the Puerto Rican gang in 'West Side Story.' Their music, represented by Afro-Cuban percussion and Latin dance forms like Mambo and ChaCha, symbolizes their racial 'otherness' and frames them as outsiders in American society. The music emphasizes their cultural identity and struggle for recognition.

💡Mambo

Mambo is a Cuban dance form used in 'West Side Story' to musically express the Sharks’ identity. It plays a crucial role in the dance-off between the gangs and later in the attempted rape scene, where its meaning shifts from one of cultural expression to a symbol of domination and dehumanization.

💡America (Song)

The song 'America' in 'West Side Story' is a key moment for the Puerto Rican characters to express their views on the American Dream. It uses Puerto Rican and Mexican musical forms like seis and huapango to represent the cultural voice of the Sharks, but is also layered with irony, as it highlights their ambivalence toward life in America.

💡Diegetic Music

Diegetic music refers to music that characters within the story can hear, such as the Jets playing the Mambo on the jukebox during the attempted rape of Anita. This use of diegetic music serves to intensify the emotional and narrative tension by making the music a part of the characters' reality.

💡Hate Motive

The hate motive is a recurring musical phrase characterized by a tritone, symbolizing conflict and tension. It represents the racial and gang-related hatred that drives much of the drama in 'West Side Story,' contrasting with the 'love motive' that appears later in the narrative.

💡Anita

Anita is one of the two main female characters in 'West Side Story,' symbolizing sexual and social freedom, contrasting with the virginal Maria. Her character represents a challenge to both male and white dominance, but her power and autonomy are stripped during the rape scene, mirroring the musical's larger themes of identity and oppression.

💡Musical Identity

Musical identity in 'West Side Story' refers to how different musical elements represent the characters' cultural and social backgrounds.

Highlights

West Side Story is a love story based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, with a focus on racial conflict between Americans and Puerto Rican immigrants.

Initially conceived as East Side Story about conflicts between Roman Catholics and Jews, it was changed due to the social context of the time.

The Jets are represented by jazz blues music, symbolizing American musical language.

The Puerto Rican Sharks are introduced with pitched percussion and bongo drums, framing them as a threat.

The hate motive with its distinctive Tritone is used to emphasize the racial otherness of the Sharks.

The dance at the gym sequence showcases a blend of musical styles representing both gangs, including jazz and the paso doble.

The Mambo is used as an aggressive dance-off between the gangs, allowing the Sharks to express their identity through dance.

The ChaCha and the return of the Paso Doble music emphasize the cultural clash and the tension between the Jets and Sharks.

Tony's song 'Maria' converges American blues with Latin American rhythms, symbolizing the temporary resolution of racial binaries.

The song 'America' provides a ironic commentary on the Puerto Ricans' experience in the United States.

The use of traditional Puerto Rican music in 'America' is contrasted with its later use in the disturbing rape scene.

Anita's character represents a dichotomy between the innocent virginal Maria and the sexually liberated woman.

The rape scene perverts the original meanings of the Mambo and 'America', using music to dehumanize Anita.

Bernstein's portrayal of racial conflict is subtle and complex, leaving the audience with ambivalence about reconciliation.

The musical serves as a study of how racial conflict can be represented in music in a refined and meaningful way.

Bernstein was a proponent of peace and unity, but West Side Story raises questions about whether ethnic identities can peacefully coexist.

The channel aims to pass on an appreciation for art music, covering lesser-known pieces to help listeners discover new music worlds.

Transcripts

but you would one here that's all that

you need you are in American us why West

Side Story is by all means a love story

based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

the core of the drama revolves around a

racial conflict between Americans and

immigrant predatory cleaners it wasn't

always going to be this way

in its first inception Bernstein

accorded East Side Story in visiting a

conflict between Roman Catholics and

Jews a number of things made him change

his mind

world war ii and anti-semitism were

fresh in the minds of the public matters

of gang violence and juvenile

delinquency were prevalent in the news

and with the wealth of exciting styles

and dance forms that were emerging from

latin america bernstein settled on West

Side Story as we know it today

the racial conflict emerges in the music

in a number of ways some quite clear and

others more subtle right from the

beginning the American Jets are labeled

with a kind of jazz blues music jazz

being understood as an American musical

language

when the puerto rican sharks first

appear what we hear instead is pitched

percussion evoking bongo drums an

afro-cuban instrument this music seems

to frame them as a threat to the

Americans

accompanied by what I think of as the

hate motive with its distinctive Triton

and this will become important later the

Sharks here are musically the racial

other the show Bolton in a sense more

musically primitive when we see them

through the Jets eyes and this idea of

the Sharks our sub Alton is on the

lowest rung of the racial hierarchy is

reflected throughout the drama was

thinking peace day that's just the

beginning

one of the greatest examples of

different musical styles representing

racial conflict comes in the dance and

the gym sequence the two gangs go to a

community dance and anticipate the

possibility of a fight here Bernstein

uses an array of styles that ethnically

represent both gangs the first music we

hear is jazz played by a full big-band

as the American Jets Turner

[Music]

[Music]

then as the dance begins we hear a

promenade based on the paso doble a

Hispanic line downs well-known in Mexico

however Burnside makes this into a kind

of parody while it should fall into a

flat major it crashes into F major the

wrong key as if by mistake and then with

the weight of the bass drum and

trombones it becomes a heavy footed

grotesque caricature of itself instead

of the graceful light dance that it

should be then comes the Mambo a Cuban

dance form here fully orchestrated and

written with breakneck intensity though

Bernstein does remain fairly true to the

man-bat style this number is used as an

opportunity for an aggressive dance-off

between the gangs we could say that here

is one of the few opportunities the

sharks have to musically express

themselves communicating their identity

and their angst through dance rather

than speech or violence the cries of

descend directly from the flamenco

tradition where dancers are urged on by

enthusiastic onlookers the Mambo flows

into a delicate ChaCha another Cuban

dance as the world freezes around the

lovers and when they begin speaking they

are accompanied by an American film X

tile of music then as the world around

them begins to re-emerge Bernstein

brings back the Paso Doble music again

as a caricature of itself starting in

slow motion and with the room gradually

whirring back to full speed

[Music]

as the gym empties and focus returns to

the Jets we get another jazz number in a

swung blue style finally Tony sings

Maria a kind of convergence of the

American blues harmonic language with

the Latin American Brissac language

we'll never be the same

[Applause]

and at the same time that try turn of

the hate motive is resolved into a love

motive I just kissed a girl

so in this amazing song these two

binaries love hate and American puerto

rican are temporarily conflated resolved

brought into unity but there's another

more disturbing and subtle way in which

bernstein portrays racial conflict in

the music first let's take the song

america probably the only other chance

the puerto ricans get to have their own

expressive musical voice so they use it

mostly ironically this thing about the

greatness of america the beginning of

this song is in tempo disease genre that

was fairly popular in puerto rico in

fact the only genre of puerto rican

origin in the whole musical bernstein

uses Spanish guitar Clovis and guiro to

adhere to the traditional style

Bernstein's choice of the sades means he

can allude to the sales de bomba or the

seis de controversy which were used for

the delivery of sly insults and

argumentative exchanges

[Music]

the main body of the song adopts a tempo

the huapango the huapango originated in

Mexico and is recognizable by its

constant hemiola patterns other moments

such as this musical gia allude to

Mexican mariachi bands whatever the

musical origins this song gives the

Puerto Ricans the opportunity to express

their own musical voice as they sing and

dance together even if it is a pan

latin-american voice and not

specifically played it with you so

dramatically both the Mambo and America

afford the puerto ricans a chance to

express themselves and affirm their

identity through music and dance and yet

both songs later become stripped of

their identity and become tools in the

disturbing rape scene where we're

reminded again that to the Jets the

Sharks are closer to objects than humans

to understand the depth of this scene

let's have a quick look at Anita's

character the two main female characters

in the plot anita and maria form another

kind of dramatic binary jenny rivera not

the singer has said how Latin American

women tend to be portrayed as both

innocent virgins and sexy vixens and in

this musical these ideas are split

between the two characters there's the

innocent virginal Maria dressed in white

to symbolize purity conforming more to

Western ideals of marriage and even

played by a white American actress in

the film perhaps making the interracial

love affair more palatable to audiences

of the time and then there's the raunchy

sexually liberal anita who enjoys the

freedom to express herself socially and

sexually here her sexual ideas are

accompanied by saxophone glissandi

reminding us of the blues women such as

Bessie Smith and moraine E these blues

women and Davis rights were emblematic

of female sexual and social freedom and

were tough resilient and independent

women unafraid of defending their right

to be respected as autonomous human

beings

so perhaps Anita represents more than

just the sexually exotic she represents

freedom from both white and male

dominance so what happens when her

freedom and ideals are stripped and

crushed by white males when the Jets

overpower and attempt to rape her the

scene begins with the Jets playing the

Mambo on the jukebox this is what's

called diegetic music meaning the

characters on stage can hear it too

what was once a music for the Puerto

Ricans to freely express themselves is

now used to mock

intimidate them in this sense the

music's original meaning is stripped

from it and its identity is belittled

just as the Jets want to strip an eater

of her humaneness and pass her around

like an object without a voice the music

that once allowed Anita to assert her

freedom and sense of self

now reinforces social division and here

emphasizes her position as an unwelcome

outsider the music on the jukebox fades

and is replaced by non-diegetic music

resembling the huapango sounds of the

song america and exciting anticipation

builds with shimmering strings and muted

trumpet creating a disturbing

uncomfortable relationship between what

we hear and what we see when the main

riff finally appears its perverted out

of form in an irregular time signature

with heavy dissonant punctuation when

the America theme returns a second time

it's more harmonically true to itself

and in the right time signature but this

time completely overwhelming an over

orchestrated with its use of cross

rhythms extreme dissonance fortissimo

dynamics and immense orchestration Anita

is treated not as a human but as a piece

of meat and just as she is stripped of

her dignity voice and independence the

tune to America is stripped of its

original significance no longer the

Puerto Ricans musical voice as it is

overpowered by the dominance of the

immense forces of western classical

music West Side Story is in so many ways

an amazing musical and it gives us a

study of how something as complex as

racial conflict can be portrayed in

music in a way that is refined and

meaningful without being obvious and

outlets throughout his career whether in

his teachings his concerts or his music

Bernstein was a great advocate for peace

and unity across mankind and yet here

beneath the surface of the musical he

seems to ask the question can these

different ethnic identities ever truly

combine peacefully or will there always

be conflict yet Bernstein is perhaps too

intelligent to provide an answer to this

question and instead we are left at the

end with ambivalence reconciliation

[Music]

contrasted with Maria's newfound hatred

when I can kill too because now I have

it all under pinned by this ambiguous

Triton which once represented both hate

and love

[Music]

I hope you enjoyed this now what I

wanted to do with this channel is pass

on an appreciation for art music with a

film musical orchestral anything of that

kind

I might cover pieces that aren't so well

known and the point of that is to pass

on an appreciation for why that music is

so great where the Tchaikovsky Beethoven

or a lesser known living composer and

through this you might learn how to

appreciate a whole new world of music so

if you like this and want to see more

then subscribe give this a like and

thanks for watching