Module 5 Reflection Post: Social Aspects of a Music Performance

In homage of the upcoming Super Bowl, I decided to re-watch opera singer Renee Fleming's performance of the National Anthem. My experiences with sporting events are limited to my time as the designated National Anthem singer in middle school/high school and the occasional sporting event I can attend as an adult. I have to say that my least favorite part of a sporting event is having to sit through a (usually) botched version of the National Anthem. 

I still remember how shocking it was to hear the announcement that an opera singer would be singing the National Anthem instead of the latest pop-star. For this assignment, I decided to watch other National Anthem performances from Super Bowls in order to compare how Fleming's performance differed. 

Thinking about the type of people who attend the Super Bowl, we have to admit that it's generally men. These men must have some wealth because the cost of these tickets, in my opinion, are outrageous. Even though most of the people at the actual sporting event are made up of predominately upper class males, the event is televised all over! Meaning, people of all races, SES, and cultures are watching. 

The first thing I noticed in the video was how noisy the audience was at the beginning. You can hear shouts and yells even as the color guard is performing. The noises become louder whenever the camera pans over to a football player. I was quite surprised to hear the audience members "hoot and holler" when the announcer introduced Fleming. During the performance, the camera panned across various football players. Some were closing their eyes, perhaps in meditation, or praying aloud. Some others were singing along. Most players were respectively standing at attention. I have to say, I was surprised to see one football player (at 1:46) talking! Most people know how disrespectful that is! 

Again, more "hoots and hollers" during the word "free" and at the end when Fleming added her own coda. In comparison to other videos I have seen, this audience sounded the most tame. I personally think it was because Fleming didn't add a lot of vocal melismas, she sang it straight. I've heard some people just go crazy whenever the singer does vocal trills and embellishments throughout the Anthem. 

I'm guessing that this is probably the only time the audience listens to "classical music." Perhaps they realized that this was not the type of performance for constant cheering - they could save it for the game-play. Or maybe they just weren't sure how to react. Either way, I think the audience members were very respectful... if only some of the players were a little more focused on the beauty of the music.