Role of the Performer - Brooklyn Duo

Hi Friend!

My little sister is getting married on our late grandparents wedding anniversary this year on August 21. As her maid of honor, I sat and tried to help her find a song to walk down the aisle to and we stumbled upon the Brooklyn Duo. She really likes, "The Scientist" by Coldplay and the Brooklyn Duo has a beautiful cover. I really struggled helping her finding something that wasn't cheesy. When we heard it, we both looked at each other and said, "this is it!" It's absolutely perfect. (My sister, Shannon and her fiancé Richard below, aren't they adorable?!)

Brooklyn Duo Bio:

Patrick and Marnie Laird of the Brooklyn Duo play classical covers of popular songs to help bring attention to classical music by their listeners. The couple met in 2006, were married in 2012, and founded the Brooklyn Duo on a whim in 2014 by uploading a cover of John Legend's, "All of Me" and Shakira's, "Empire" to YouTube. Once the songs were shared on YouTube and went viral, Shakira re-posted their cover and gave them kudos leading to the beginning of their success. 

Prior to the Brooklyn Duo, Marnie worked as the principal pianist of the New World Symphony in Miami. She also has her Master's Degree in Collaborative Piano from Juilliard School. Patrick is a founding member of the popular rock cello band Break of Reality. He also has a Bachelor's Degree.

Today, the Brooklyn Duo shares their powerful and passionate covers through YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, and more platforms. They have over 100 videos uploaded onto YouTube and over one million followers! They've even been featured on hit television shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Pretty Little Liars.

The Scientist:

Patrick and Marnie create beautiful harmony through their cello and piano. The Scientist is just one of the beautiful songs they've covered so perfectly. Originally written by the band Coldplay in 2002, this song was already so beautiful and emotional. I know this song will bring tears to my eyes watching my sister walk down the aisle this fall. In this particular song, I notice they start the subtle piano, exactly the same as the original song. The tempo is exactly the same as the original, which I like. The cello takes on the role of the singer and really makes an impact through the varying dynamics throughout the cover. The timbre of the cello is phenomenal and I almost prefer it over the original singer, it's piercing and passionate.

Creep:

Creep, originally performed by the band Radiohead was released in 1992. I thought it was interesting to find out that Radiohead took elements from another song called, "The Air That I Breath" by the Hollies. So Radiohead also played the role of the performer for this song as well in terms of melody. 

This song is a bit different for the Brooklyn Duo as they performed this song featuring the Escher String Quartet. My personal opinion is that the importance of the entire band in the original song needed to come through in this cover. This cover was played in a slower tempo than the original. The quartet and Marnie start the song off with the melody and Patrick comes in playing the singer's part. Marnie plays the original piano piece that can be heard in the original for most of the song. She also takes over the singer's part in the second verse as well. 

The importance of vibrato in this song was clear, it helped create the haunting sound that this song brings through. I do notice that Patrick played most of this song in fourth position on the A string and I found the sound to be such an important part of this cover. The sound was so rich by all of the musicians.. In the middle of the song, the cello and second violin of the quartet begin to play pizzicato and I believe that is to mimic the sound of the drums steady beat in the original song. 

As in the original song, the quartet and duo play into forte' for the chorus and goes back to a quieter level for the verses. I notice the entire quartet and Marnie all watch Patrick to lead them and follow the down notes throughout the song. 

Overall, they did a great job. 

Creep is one of my favorite songs and this cover does it justice. 

What role does the performer serve?

I think the role of the Brooklyn Duo is important. They bring a presence of classical music to younger generations through their covers of popular songs. They also cover many songs that can be used in weddings, baby showers, funerals, etc. I think that's important. I'm so excited for my sister to walk down the aisle to one of their songs. The song is familiar, beautiful and passionately played by Marnie and Patrick and provides quality music for those who maybe don't want the original song played with lyrics. I personally enjoy listening to their music while studying. I don't think I could handle Thom Yorke yelling at me through "Creep" while I study.

My Opinion:

The amazing thing about watching the Brooklyn Duo perform is that they are a couple and you can visually see the passion they have for music and each other as they collaborate and perform together. The quality of their music is better than most covers I've heard with strings/piano involved. The duo puts a lot of effort into creating their own sheet music and it shows through the quality of their pieces. Playing in an orchestra for so long, I always struggle with quartet covers and finding a powerful piece that I actually like - The Brooklyn Duo satisfies my need for each song I've heard them cover.

Sources:

Stelaus, Licha. "The Brooklyn Duo." Licha Stelaus.

https://www.lichastelaus.com/post/the-brooklyn-duo. 2020, August 20.

The Brooklyn Duo. 2021 by Brooklyn Duo, Inc. Web 21 March 2021. https://www.brooklynduo.com.

Martin, Chris. Buckland, Johnny. Berryman, Guy. Champion, Will. "The Scientist." A Rush of Blood to the Head. Parlaphone. 2002.

Brooklyn Duo. "Coldplay - The Scientist (Cello + Piano)." YouTube. Brooklyn Duo, 2 November, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eIPllih7Qg.

Radiohead. Hammond, Albert. Hazlewood, Mike. "Creep." Pablo Honey. Chipping North Recording Studios. 1992. 

"Creep (Radiohead song)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 20 March 2021. Web 21 March 2021.

Brooklyn Duo feat. Escher Quartet. "Creep - Radiohead (Cello + Piano + String Quartet Cover. YouTube, uploaded by Brooklyn Duo, 26 November, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTcBnxxuAls.