Song of the Day - Golliwogg's Cakewalk

I remember as a child reading fictional books with a character called The Golliwog. As a child reading those books, this Golliwog did seem like a scary doll and I wondered why would a child possibly want to own a doll like that. But I guess that could be because I read about this Golliwog in the stories written by Enid Blyton who mostly portrayed Golliwog as a naughty thieve who once pinched Noddy's car. But the person who created Golliwog, Florence Kate Upton had no such intention. She gave the name to a an old battered black-face rag doll that she found in the attic, of her aunt's house where she was staying in England.

So when I did some research on this piece by Debussy, originally written for the piano, it brought back memories of my childhood. Little did I know at that time, that this doll created a lot of controversy. The African people looked at this doll as something that insulted them and something just outright racist. I guess that could explain why we don't see these dolls on sale anymore..not surprising. Who would think such an innocuous toy could have caused so much controversy.

The cakewalk was actually a game played by the slaves in the 19th century. It was a game where the slaves poke fun of their masters as a way of bridging the gap between masters and slaves. The couple who wins will get a cake, hence the name Cakewalk. I hope it was a big piece of cake :-) This game was usually hosted by the plantation owner. Obviously this game didn't really bridge the gap between master and slave as it made masters feel even more powerful. So here we have a piece by Debussy depicting 2 very sensitive and controversial topics. Debussy was inspired to write this piece probably because his daughter had a Golliwog doll. Perhaps Debussy's intention to compose this piece could have been something just as innocent as Miss Florence Kate Upton intention when she created this doll? Maybe yes and maybe no...there are some who say that Debussy could have been racist..

But that's not important and it doesn't really matter as this piece really does take the cake! (pun intended)

pic from greenleft weekly,Australia

It's so much fun to listen to, more so when it's played by these two outstanding virtuoso guitarist, John Williams and Julian Bream! This piece was taken from the book by Debussy called Children's Corner, a 6 movement suite written for the piano. It is dedicated to Debussy's daughter, Claude-Emma (known as "Chou-Chou"), who was three years old at the time. It was meant to be reminiscing of some of the toys that she had in her collection.
Please watch this performance..It's sure to bring a smile on your face!