Do-Re-Mi: Difference between revisions

"Do-Re-Mi"
"Do-Re-Mi"
Song
Released	1959 in The Sound of Music
Genre	Show tune
Composer(s)	Richard Rodgers
Lyricist(s)	Oscar Hammerstein II

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"Do-Re-Mi" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. Each syllable of the musical solfège system appears in the song's lyrics, sung on the pitch it names. Rodgers was helped in its creation by long-time arranger Trude Rittmann who devised the extended vocal sequence in the song.

The tune finished at #88 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of the top tunes in American cinema in 2004.^[1]

Background[edit]

Within the story of The Sound of Music, it is used by the governess Maria to teach the solfège of the major musical scale to the Von Trapp children, who learn to sing for the first time. According to assistant conductor Peter Howard, the heart of the number—in which Maria assigns a musical tone to each child, like so many Swiss bell ringers—was devised in rehearsal by Rittmann (who was credited for choral arrangements) and choreographer Joe Layton. The fourteen note and tune lyric—'when you know the notes to sing...'—were provided by Rodgers and Hammerstein; the rest, apparently, came from Rittmann. According to Howard, "Rodgers allowed her to do whatever she liked. When we started doing the staging of it, Joe took over. He asked Trude for certain parts to be repeated, certain embellishments."^[2]

In the stage version, Maria sings the song in the living room of Captain von Trapp's house shortly after she introduces herself to the children.^[3] However, when Ernest Lehman adapted the stage script into a screenplay for the 1965 film adaptation, he moved the song to later on in the story. In the film, Maria and the children sing this song over a montage as they wander and frolic over Salzburg.^[4]

Word meanings[edit]

(For the actual origins of the solfège, refer to Solfège.)

The lyrics teach the solfège syllables by linking them with English homophones (or near-homophones):

Doe: a deer, a female deer, alludes to the first solfège syllable, do.
Ray: a drop of golden sun, alludes to the second solfège syllable, re.
Me: a name I call myself, alludes to the third solfège syllable, mi.
Far: a long, long way to run, alludes to the fourth solfège syllable, fa.
Sew: a needle pulling thread, alludes to the fifth solfège syllable, so.
La: a note to follow so, alludes to the sixth solfège syllable, la.
Tea: a drink with jam and bread, alludes to the seventh solfège syllable, ti.

As the song concludes, "When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything."^[5]

Author Douglas Adams noted in his article "Unfinished Business of the Century" that, while each line of the lyric takes the name of a note from the solfège scale, and gives its meaning, "La, a note to follow So..." does not fit that pattern and should be considered a placeholder. Adams humorously imagined that Oscar Hammerstein just wrote "a note to follow So" and thought he would have another look at it later, but could not come up with anything better.^[6]

Foreign language versions[edit]

Since the song features wordplay with English words that sound like the solfège syllables, foreign versions of the song do not translate the English lyrics. Instead, they use the local solfège and associate each syllable with a meaning in the native language. In most countries, the note B is represented by si instead of ti.^[7]

Austrian version with letters[edit]

When The Sound of Music was translated to German in 2005 for the Vienna Volksoper, the song "Do-Re-Mi" was rewritten as "C wie Cellophanpapier".^[8] The solfège syllables were replaced with the letters C through H,^[a] and the mnemonics were words that began with each letter. However, when the musical finally premiered in its setting of Salzburg in 2011, it was performed with a German version of Do-Re-Mi that kept the solfège.^[9]^[10]

Notes[edit]

^ H is German letter notation for the English note B.

References[edit]

^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs". American Film Institute. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
^ Suskin, Steven (2009). The sound of Broadway music: a book of orchestrators.
^ "Visions and Voices: The Sound of Music: The Plot". University of Southern California. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
^ "Sound of Music – The film locations". SalzburgerLand. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
^ "The Sound of Music" (PDF). Secureservercdn.net. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
^ Adams, Douglas (September 1999). "Unfinished Business of the Century". h2g2. BBC.
^ "How music theory works in different countries". Classic FM. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
^ "C wie Cellophanpapier" (PDF). Volksoper Wien. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2021-12-19. Der Song heißt im Original „Do-Re-Mi", da dort die sog. Solmisationssilben (Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-LaTi-Do) verwendet werden. Diese bezeichnen die Tonstufen. In der deutschsprachigen Übersetzung werden hingegen die deutschen Notennamen (c-d-e-f-g-a-h-c) verwendet.
^ Salzburger Landestheater: Trailer "The Sound of Music" on YouTube
^ "The Sound of Music" - A Musical Is Coming Home - Salzburger Landestheater on YouTube

External links[edit]

"Do-Re-Mi" - THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) on YouTube, Rodgers and Hammerstein

[9] H is German letter notation for the English note B.

[1] "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs". American Film Institute. Retrieved 6 May 2022.

[2] Suskin, Steven (2009). The sound of Broadway music: a book of orchestrators.

[3] "Visions and Voices: The Sound of Music: The Plot". University of Southern California. Retrieved 6 May 2022.

[4] "Sound of Music – The film locations". SalzburgerLand. Retrieved 6 May 2022.

[5] "The Sound of Music" (PDF). Secureservercdn.net. Retrieved 19 March 2022.

[6] Adams, Douglas (September 1999). "Unfinished Business of the Century". h2g2. BBC.

[7] "How music theory works in different countries". Classic FM. Retrieved 6 May 2022.

[8] "C wie Cellophanpapier" (PDF). Volksoper Wien. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2021-12-19. Der Song heißt im Original „Do-Re-Mi", da dort die sog. Solmisationssilben (Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-LaTi-Do) verwendet werden. Diese bezeichnen die Tonstufen. In der deutschsprachigen Übersetzung werden hingegen die deutschen Notennamen (c-d-e-f-g-a-h-c) verwendet.

[10] Salzburger Landestheater: Trailer "The Sound of Music" on YouTube

[11] "The Sound of Music" - A Musical Is Coming Home - Salzburger Landestheater on YouTube

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[2]

[3]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{About|the song from ''The Sound of Music''|the syllables of the major scale| Solfège |other uses|Do Re Mi (disambiguation)}}
-{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}
 {{Infobox song
 | name     = Do-Re-Mi
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 | studio   =
 | venue    =
-| genre    = [[Showtune]]
+| genre    = [[Show tune]]
 | length   =
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 | producer =
 }}
-"'''Do-Re-Mi'''" is a [[show tune]] from the [[1959 in music|1959]] [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]] [[Musical theatre|musical]] ''[[The Sound of Music]]''. Within the story, it is used by Maria to teach the [[solfège]] of the [[Major scale|major musical scale]] to the [[The Sound of Music#Main characters|Von Trapp children]] who learn to sing for the first time, even though their father disallowed frivolity after their mother's death.  Each syllable of the musical solfège system appears in the song's lyrics, sung on the pitch it names. Rodgers was helped in its creation by long-time arranger [[Trude Rittmann]] who devised the extended vocal sequence in the song. According to assistant conductor Peter Howard, the heart of the number &ndash; in which Maria assigns a musical tone to each child, like so many Swiss bell ringers &ndash; was devised in rehearsal by Rittmann (who was credited for choral arrangements) and choreographer [[Joe Layton]]. The fourteen note and tune lyric &ndash;  'when you know the notes to sing...' &ndash; were provided by Rodgers and Hammerstein; the rest, apparently, came from Rittmann. Howard: 'Rodgers allowed her to do whatever she liked. When we started doing the staging of it, Joe took over. He asked Trude for certain parts to be repeated, certain embellishments.'<ref>{{cite book |title=The sound of Broadway music: a book of orchestrators|author=Suskin, Steven|year=2009}}</ref>
+"'''Do-Re-Mi'''" is a [[show tune]] from the [[1959 in music|1959]] [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]] musical ''[[The Sound of Music]]''. Each syllable of the musical solfège system appears in the song's lyrics, sung on the pitch it names. Rodgers was helped in its creation by long-time arranger [[Trude Rittmann]] who devised the extended vocal sequence in the song.
+The tune finished at #88 in [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]] survey of the top tunes in American cinema in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-songs/ |website=American Film Institute |access-date=6 May 2022}}</ref>
-In the stage version, Maria sings this song in the living room of Captain von Trapp's house, shortly after she introduces herself to the children. However, when [[Ernest Lehman]] adapted the stage script into a screenplay for the [[The Sound of Music (film)|1965 film adaptation]], he moved the song to later on in the story. In the film, Maria and the children sing this song over a [[montage sequence|montage]] as they wander and frolic over [[Salzburg]]. Later on, in both the film and stage versionsh, a more intricate reprise of the song is sung in the style of a Bach cantata, showing the audience how versatile they were at multi-part choral singing.
+==Background==
-The tune finished at #88 in [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]] survey of the top tunes in American cinema in 2004.
+Within the story of ''[[The Sound of Music]]'', it is used by the governess Maria to teach the [[solfège]] of the [[Major scale|major musical scale]] to the [[The Sound of Music#Main characters|Von Trapp children]], who learn to sing for the first time.  According to assistant conductor Peter Howard, the heart of the number—in which Maria assigns a musical tone to each child, like so many Swiss bell ringers—was devised in rehearsal by Rittmann (who was credited for choral arrangements) and choreographer [[Joe Layton]]. The fourteen note and tune lyric—'when you know the notes to sing...'—were provided by Rodgers and Hammerstein; the rest, apparently, came from Rittmann. According to Howard, "Rodgers allowed her to do whatever she liked. When we started doing the staging of it, Joe took over. He asked Trude for certain parts to be repeated, certain embellishments."<ref>{{cite book |title=The sound of Broadway music: a book of orchestrators |author=Suskin, Steven |year=2009}}</ref>
+In the stage version, Maria sings the song in the living room of Captain von Trapp's house shortly after she introduces herself to the children.<ref>{{cite web |title=Visions and Voices: The Sound of Music: The Plot |url=https://libguides.usc.edu/c.php?g=388611&p=2636483 |website=University of Southern California |access-date=6 May 2022}}</ref> However, when [[Ernest Lehman]] adapted the stage script into a screenplay for the [[The Sound of Music (film)|1965 film adaptation]], he moved the song to later on in the story. In the film, Maria and the children sing this song over a [[montage sequence|montage]] as they wander and frolic over [[Salzburg]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sound of Music – The film locations |url=https://www.salzburgerland.com/en/the-film-locations/ |website=SalzburgerLand |access-date=6 May 2022}}</ref>
 ==Word meanings==
@@ Line 33: / Line 34: @@
 The lyrics teach the solfège syllables by linking them with English [[homophone]]s (or near-homophones):
-#'''''[[Deer|Doe]]''': a deer, a female deer,'' alludes to the first solfège syllable, '''do'''.
+#'''[[Deer|Doe]]''': a deer, a female deer, alludes to the first solfège syllable, '''do'''.
-#'''''[[Ray (optics)|Ray]]''': a drop of golden sun'' [i.e., a narrow beam of light or other [[radiant energy]]], alludes to the second solfège syllable, '''re'''.
+#'''[[Ray (optics)|Ray]]''': a drop of golden sun, alludes to the second solfège syllable, '''re'''.
-#'''''[[Personal pronoun|Me]]''': a name I call myself'' [i.e., the objective first-person pronoun], alludes to the third solfège syllable, '''mi'''.
+#'''[[Personal pronoun|Me]]''': a name I call myself, alludes to the third solfège syllable, '''mi'''.
-#'''''[[Distance|Far]]''''': ''a long long way to run'', alludes to the fourth solfège syllable, '''fa'''.
+#'''[[Distance|Far]]''': a long, long way to run, alludes to the fourth solfège syllable, '''fa'''.
-#'''''[[Sewing|Sew]]''''': [the verb form] ''a needle pulling thread,'' alludes to the fifth solfège syllable, '''sol'''.
+#'''[[Sewing|Sew]]''': a needle pulling thread, alludes to the fifth solfège syllable, '''so'''.
-#'''La''': ''a note to follow '''so[l]''''' and represents the sixth solfège syllable, '''la'''.
+#'''[[La (musical note)|La]]''': a note to follow '''''so''''', alludes to the sixth solfège syllable, '''la'''.
-#'''''[[Tea]]''': a drink with jam and bread'' [i.e., the popular hot beverage made by steeping tea leaves in boiling water], alludes to the seventh solfège syllable, '''ti'''.
+#'''[[Tea]]''': a drink with jam and bread, alludes to the seventh solfège syllable, '''ti'''.
-As the song concludes, "When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything."<ref>https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.96/p2z.144.myftpupload.com/pdf/TheSoundOfMusic.pdf</ref>
+As the song concludes, "When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most anything."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.96/p2z.144.myftpupload.com/pdf/TheSoundOfMusic.pdf|format=PDF|title=The Sound of Music|website=Secureservercdn.net|access-date=19 March 2022}}</ref>
-Author [[Douglas Adams]] noted in his article "Unfinished Business of the Century" that, while each line of the lyric takes the name of a note from the solfège scale, and gives its meaning, "La, a note to follow So..." does not fit that pattern and should be considered a placeholder. Adams humorously imagined that Oscar Hammerstein just wrote "a note to follow So" and thought he would have another look at it later, but could not come up with anything better.<ref>Adams, Douglas: Unfinished Business of the Century - [https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A171839 h2g2, Sep. 1999'']</ref>
+Author [[Douglas Adams]] noted in his article "Unfinished Business of the Century" that, while each line of the lyric takes the name of a note from the solfège scale, and gives its meaning, "La, a note to follow So..." does not fit that pattern and should be considered a placeholder. Adams humorously imagined that Oscar Hammerstein just wrote "a note to follow So" and thought he would have another look at it later, but could not come up with anything better.<ref>{{cite web| last= Adams | first= Douglas| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A171839 | work=h2g2| title= Unfinished Business of the Century| date= September 1999| publisher= [[BBC]]}}</ref>
 ==Foreign language versions==
+Since the song features [[wordplay]] with English words that sound like the solfège syllables, foreign versions of the song do not translate the English lyrics. Instead, they use the local solfège and associate each syllable with a meaning in the native language. In most countries, the note B is represented by ''si'' instead of ''ti''.<ref>{{cite web |title=How music theory works in different countries |url= https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/music-theory-different-countries/ |website=Classic FM |access-date=6 May 2022}}</ref>
-Since the song features wordplay with English words that sound like the solfège syllables, foreign versions of the song do not translate the English lyrics. Instead, they use the local solfège and associate each syllable with a meaning in the native language. In most countries, the note B is represented by ''si'' instead of ''ti''.
 ===Austrian version with letters===
+When ''The Sound of Music'' was translated to [[German language|German]] in 2005 for the [[Vienna Volksoper]], the song "Do-Re-Mi" was rewritten as "''C wie Cellophanpapier''".<ref>{{cite web |title=C wie Cellophanpapier |url=https://www.volksoper.at/volksoper_wien/kinder/JVOP-at-home-Sound-Cellophanpapier-Raetsel-Loesung.pdf |publisher=Volksoper Wien |quote=Der Song heißt im Original „Do-Re-Mi“, da dort die sog. Solmisationssilben (Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-LaTi-Do) verwendet werden. Diese bezeichnen die Tonstufen. In der deutschsprachigen Übersetzung werden hingegen die deutschen Notennamen (c-d-e-f-g-a-h-c) verwendet. |access-date=2021-12-19 |archive-date=2021-12-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219052657/https://www.volksoper.at/volksoper_wien/kinder/JVOP-at-home-Sound-Cellophanpapier-Raetsel-Loesung.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The solfège syllables were replaced with the letters C through H,{{efn|H is German [[letter notation]] for the English note [[B (musical note)|B]].}} and the mnemonics were words that began with each letter.  However, when the musical finally premiered in its setting of Salzburg in 2011, it was performed with a German version of Do-Re-Mi that kept the solfège.<ref>{{YouTube|phYdjcCT-Dk|Salzburger Landestheater: Trailer "The Sound of Music"}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|f_Pze7-qnj4|"The Sound of Music" - A Musical Is Coming Home - Salzburger Landestheater}}</ref>
-When ''The Sound of Music'' was translated to German in 2005 for the [[Vienna Volksoper]], the song ''Do-Re-Mi'' was rewritten as ''C wie Cellophanpapier''.<ref>{{cite web |title=C wie Cellophanpapier |url=https://www.volksoper.at/volksoper_wien/kinder/JVOP-at-home-Sound-Cellophanpapier-Raetsel-Loesung.pdf |publisher=Volksoper Wien |quote=Der Song heißt im Original „Do-Re-Mi“, da dort die sog. Solmisationssilben (Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-LaTi-Do) verwendet werden. Diese bezeichnen die Tonstufen. In der deutschsprachigen Übersetzung werden hingegen die deutschen Notennamen (c-d-e-f-g-a-h-c) verwendet.}}</ref> The solfège syllables were replaced with the letters C through H,{{efn|H is German [[letter notation]] for the English note [[B (musical note)|B]].}} and the mnemonics were words that began with each letter.  However, when the musical finally premiered in its setting of Salzburg in 2011, it was performed with a German version of Do-Re-Mi that kept the solfège.<ref>{{YouTube|phYdjcCT-Dk|Salzburger Landestheater: Trailer "The Sound of Music"}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|f_Pze7-qnj4|"The Sound of Music" - A Musical Is Coming Home - Salzburger Landestheater}}</ref>
-==In popular culture==
-{{In popular culture|date=December 2018}}
-[[Anita Bryant]] released a version as a single in [[1959 in music|1959]] which reached #94 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. Backing orchestrations were done by Monty Kelly, and Bryant was accompanied by a children's chorus. Her version also appeared on her eponymous debut album, which features covers of songs taken from Broadway shows.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
-The American rock band [[Sparks (band)|Sparks]] recorded a hard rock rendition of the song for their 1973 album [[A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing|''A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing'']].
-The religious suicide cult [[Heaven's Gate (religious group)|Heaven's Gate]] rewrote the lyrics to the song to describe their beliefs and would regularly perform this.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
-The song was included in season 1 of ''[[Chilling Adventures of Sabrina]].''<ref name="Shazam01">{{cite web |title=Do-Re-Mi |url=https://www.shazam.com/track/454057126/do-re-mi |publisher=Shazam |access-date=3 January 2021}}</ref>
-The song is sung at football matches by members of the [[Tartan Army]]. This originated during a [[Scotland national football team]] away fixture against [[Austria national football team]] during the Qualifying round of the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]] and has continued to be used since.
 ==See also==
+*[[Alphabet song]]
-* The [[alphabet song]], which is used to learn the letters of the alphabet.
-*[[Heaven's Gate (religious group)]]
 *[[Musical scale]]
 *[[Solfège]]
 *[[Solresol]]
-*[[Trapp Family]]
-*[[Ut queant laxis]]
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 82: / Line 66: @@
 ==External links==
 *{{YouTube|drnBMAEA3AM|"Do-Re-Mi" - THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)}}, [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]]
-*{{YouTube|WkBepgH00GM|Belgian train station video}}
 {{Rodgers and Hammerstein}}
@@ Line 98: / Line 81: @@
 [[Category:Songs with music by Richard Rodgers]]
 [[Category:Songs with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II]]
+[[Category:Football songs and chants]]
 [[Category:List songs]]
 [[Category:Songs about music]]

v t e Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers Oscar Hammerstein II
Stage musicals	Oklahoma! Carousel Allegro South Pacific The King and I Me and Juliet Pipe Dream Flower Drum Song The Sound of Music A Grand Night for Singing State Fair Cinderella
Productions	I Remember Mama Annie Get Your Gun Happy Birthday John Loves Mary Show Boat The Happy Time Burning Bright
Films	State Fair (1945) Oklahoma! Carousel The King and I (1956 film) South Pacific Flower Drum Song State Fair (1962) The Sound of Music The King and I (1999 film)
Television	Cinderella Carousel Cinderella (1997) The Sound of Music Live! The Sound of Music Live
Songs	"Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" "Kansas City" "I Cain't Say No" "Many a New Day" "It's a Scandal! It's a Outrage!" "People Will Say We're in Love" "Lonely Room" "The Farmer and the Cowman" "All Er Nuthin'" "Oklahoma" "If I Loved You" "Soliloquy" "You'll Never Walk Alone" "It Might as Well Be Spring" "That's for Me" "A Fellow Needs a Girl" "So Far" "Some Enchanted Evening" "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" "Bali Ha'i" "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" "Younger Than Springtime" "Happy Talk" "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" "I Whistle a Happy Tune" "Hello, Young Lovers" "Getting to Know You" "We Kiss in a Shadow" "Something Wonderful" "I Have Dreamed" "Shall We Dance?" "No Other Love" "I Enjoy Being a Girl" "The Sound of Music" "Maria" "My Favorite Things" "Do-Re-Mi" "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" "The Lonely Goatherd" "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" "So Long, Farewell" "No Way to Stop It" "Edelweiss"
Related articles	"Something Good" The Sound of Music (1965 soundtrack) The Sound of Music: Music from the NBC Television Event

v t e Trapp Family
Members	Georg von Trapp Agathe Whitehead von Trapp Maria von Trapp Agathe Maria Franziska Johannes
Memoir	The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
Films	The Trapp Family (1956) The Trapp Family in America (1958) The Sound of Music (1965) The von Trapp Family: A Life of Music (2015)
Other adaptations	The Sound of Music (1959 musical) Trapp Family Story (1991 anime) The Sound of Music Live! (2013) The Sound of Music Live (2015)
Songs	"The Sound of Music" "Maria" "My Favorite Things" "Do-Re-Mi" "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" "The Lonely Goatherd" "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" "No Way to Stop It" "So Long, Farewell" "Edelweiss" "Something Good"
Albums	The Groovy Sound of Music (1964) The Sound of Music (1965 soundtrack) The Sound of Music: Music from the NBC Television Event (2013)
Related	Elisabeth von Trapp The von Trapps Trapp Family Lodge Trapp Family Austrian Relief