Alice Jenks
"Singin’ in the Rain"
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| (Photos by Patrick Fraser) |
Umbrellas and rain remind me of Gene Kelly singing and dancing in one of my favorite movies, “Singin’ in the Rain” from 1952.
While Gene Kelly’s umbrella is black, I chose a more whimsical interpretation of this classic song and movie. I wrote the text in longhand on a paper circle and traced it onto shimmering iridescent fabric with a chalk marker. I then appliqued a crocheted mix of fibers to spell out the first two phrases. In deference to my 2 bass-playing grandchildren, the musical notation has one phrase in treble clef and one in bass clef.
A little research told me that the song, written in 1929 with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown, is Number 3 in the American Film Industry’s list of 100 Years - 100 Songs. (#1 is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz and #2 is “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca.)
Although the song has been recorded in many languages and appeared in many movies over its long history, I prefer the Gene Kelly rendition of it. It shows such a cheerful approach to a potentially depressing circumstance.