
Grading scale: 1-10 (whole numbers only).
1. The Great Gatsby
Take me to Gatsby’s mansion today, old sport. What might I hear in a contemporary setting? I’m looking for something in the 21st century that would fit right in a party at East Egg.
2. Good Country People
Find me a good country song. That’s all, y’all. Be good country people.
3. Elmer Gantry
A silver-tongued evangelist who leads a secret life of indulgence? Unheard of! Find something with a musical mood that is belied by its lyrical content (or the other way around).
4. Of Mice and Men
Our best-laid plans oft gang awry. Choose a piece that reflects a personal failure in your own life, or, if you prefer, one that reflects on failure in general.
5. Thanatopsis
We should not fear death, as we return to that from whence we came and by which we were sustained. Find the inner Romanticist within and select a piece that highlights the importance or role of nature.
6. House of Sand and Fog
Conflict seems inevitable when cultures clash, especially where real estate is concerned. Show that such differences can coexist harmoniously- at least musically. Choose a piece that highlights elements of two or more ethnicities at the same time.
7. Snow Falling on Cedars
The path of moral responsibility is often cold and lonely. Provide something that depicts that frigidity and isolation.
8. The Waste Land
A monumental work dizzying in its depth, this multi-faceted poem displays the breadth of the author’s literary and historical awareness. Supply something musically complex. Interpret this however you like (unusual orchestration or instrumentation, key or time signature changes, odd rhythmic structures, studio effect trickery or anything else).
9. A Prayer for Owen Meany
“O God—please bring him back! I shall keep asking You.” YOU ARE TO SUBMIT A SONG FROM A MUSICIAN NO LONGER WITH US THAT YOU WISH STILL WAS AROUND.
10. Cathedral
Provide a piece that gave you an epiphany- a moment in which you attained a sudden understanding of something that had once eluded you. “It’s really something.”