Continued Exploration: Music And the Fictive Dream - Hamilton
Hamilton, which is a 2 hour and 40 minute American musical and consists of only sung and rapped-through lyrics. The musical has a very wide variety of musical styles incorporated into it, such as: rap, hip-hop, pop, soul, and R&B music. Composed and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton is the second most watched live performances on broadway (following right behind the Lion King)! Hamilton tickets sell upward of $1000 for each show, making it the second highest grossing show. It has won 11 awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and also the award for Best Musical at the 2016 Tony Awards.
The idea for the show came from Miranda's inspiration after reading the 2004 biography of Alexander Hamilton written by Ron Chernow. Miranda wanted this musical to have an overarching idea of "America then, as told by America now." The cast of the musical consists of all non-white actors giving them the roles of the Founding Fathers and several other historical figures. Hamilton did not start out performing on the broadway stage; when it first premiered on February 12, 2015 it was 'Off-Broadway' and was at the Public Theater. After a few months and performances on this stage, it eventually began to gain major popularity and public engagement which then allowed it to move to the big stage on Broadway on August 6, 2015.
Satisfied
Sang by Renee Elise Goldsberry and accompanied by the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton, Satisfied, is the eleventh song sang in the first act of the play. With the help of the lighting technicians, the lyricist, the actors, and the passion that is poured into the words, this song has the ability to portray a beautiful mix of emotions from one characters emotions towards another. Sung by the character Angelica Schuyler, this scene begins with Angelica giving a wedding toast to her sister, Eliza and her new husband Alexander Hamilton. The scene then 'rewinds' to retell the order of events from the previous song, "Helpless" which gives further insight on how Angelica truly felt towards her sisters new husband.
Attached below is a short clip from the Satisfied scene. The whole video cannot be shown because it can only be found on Disney plus which requires a paid subscription.
Satisfied
Vocalist: Renee Elise Goldsberry, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton
Premier Date: 2015
Musical Elements
Vocals
Similarly to the rest of the Hamilton cast and production, the vocals within this song are truly phenomenal. Goldsberry, specifically had a tremendous performance during this song which helped her to win the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. The vocals within this song would be interpreted and felt completely differently if they had been sung by anyone else. Goldsberry was able to effectively pour her heart and emotion into the song, giving it a whole new meaning on what it means to be in love with someone that you shouldn't be. The main voice within the song is Goldsberry, but she is accompanied by the rest of the cast which helped to create an echo-effect and worked to deepen the parts of the song that were considered to be more 'important'. At the beginning of the song, the echo's also helped to add to the 'rewind' effect and make it feel more real.
Lyrics
The best way to describe the lyrics within this musical masterpiece is "heart-tugging". Without actually seeing the performance, it can be difficult to understand the deep emotion that is portrayed through the lyrics. However, thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creativity and structure of the lyrics is effective enough in being able to properly understand how they are supposed to make you feel.
"I know my own sister like I know my own mind. You will never find anyone as trusting or as kind.
If I tell her that I love him she'd be silently resigned.
He'd be mine.
She would say 'I'm fine'
She'd be lying."
Specifically this set of lyrics is one of the most popular pieces of the song because of it's ability to properly portray how it feels to be in love with someone even when you know it would absolutely break someone else's heart. For Angelica, this section of lyrics shows that her and her sister are so similar that if she were to tell her sister, Eliza, that she is in love with Hamilton, Eliza would break her own heart for Angelica to be happy even if it meant that Eliza was completely devastated. Angelica knows this because as she states in the song, she knows Eliza like she knows her own mind.
Personal Aesthetic
I chose this song from this musical production because personally it is my favorite. The scene is just so incredible and emotion-tugging that it leaves an unforgettable imprint on your mind. Ever since this musical was released on Disney Plus, my family and I have watched almost every week. There is always something knew to be found with each viewing, and the soundtrack is just phenomenal. The actors play their characters so well and with such real emotion and devotion that you truly do feel like you're reliving the past. Miranda did an incredible job at fulfilling his mission for this musical to reveal America's past using America's today, and upon watching this musical you will truly understand this.
References
Wikipedia contributors. “Hamilton (Musical).” Wikipedia, 9 Apr. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_(musical).
Schmeling, Laurie. “Broadway: The American Musical, and: The Rise and Fall of the Broadway Musical, and: Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time (Review).” Theatre Topics, vol. 16, no. 2, 2006, pp. 193–94. Crossref, doi:10.1353/tt.2006.0024.
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