One of my favourite books when I was a kid was The Borrowers, by Mary Norton.
It’s the story of a family of miniature people who live in the walls of a big house in England, and in order to survive they borrow everything they need from the much, much bigger ‘human beans’ who also live in the house. Think matchboxes as furniture, stamps as pictures, thimbles as mixing bowls, and you’ll get the idea.
“...Borrower's don't steal."
"Except from human beings," said the boy.
Arrietty burst out laughing; she laughed so much that she had to hide her face in the primrose. "Oh dear," she gasped with tears in her eyes, "you are funny!" She stared upward at his puzzled face. "Human beans are for Borrowers - like bread's for butter!”
from The Borrowers, by Mary Norton, 1952
There’s a rich history of borrowing in the world of music. Musical borrowing typically involves taking elements from an existing piece of music— melody, rhythmic pattern, a particular harmony or harmonic progression—and transforming or reworking them into something new that is still reminiscent of the old, sometimes very obviously so and sometimes not.
Borrowing is found in all kinds of music. Mozart borrowed the tune that eventually became Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and used it in one of his own compositions. For years, it was thought he’d written it when he was a kid for his older sister, but the same tune has popped up before and after his composition! For more, go to Mozart, and for one particular use of the same tune, go to Marvellous Mnemonics.
In pop and rock music there are oodles of examples of borrowing, some that have got the borrowers in trouble—and rightly so— for not acknowledging a very clear borrowing of something from the original.
The Verve's ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ (1997), for example, borrowed a sample from an orchestral version of The Rolling Stones' ‘The Last Time’ without permission, leading to a legal dispute and a change in songwriting credits.
Inspiration for musicians has come from pop, jazz, rock, and classical, and here are just a few (of very many) examples:
The Beatles' ‘In My Life’ (1965) features a piano solo inspired by J.S Bach's Prelude in C Major, as a tribute to the Baroque composer.
Lady Gaga's ‘Born This Way’ (2011) includes elements reminiscent of Madonna's ‘Express Yourself’ (1989) as a tribute to one of Gaga's main musical influences.
‘All by Myself’ (1975) by Eric Carmen, borrows the melody and structure from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, as a tribute to the Russian composer.
In jazz, borrowing is a fundamental element of improvisation, which is the spontaneous creation of melodies, rhythms, and harmonies. For a more detailed explanation go to Improvisation (and stay tuned for more in an upcoming edition of Discovering Music).
A great example is the saxophonist and composer John Coltrane's interpretation of ‘My Favourite Things’ from the musical ‘The Sound of Music’. He transforms the sweet version sung by Maria/Julie Andrews in the musical/movie into something quite different, yet still recognisable.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
excerpt from My Favourite Things, by Rodgers and Hammerstein, 1959
Here’s the original from the movie and the John Coltrane version so you can compare:
But of course it’s not always straightforward, as shown by the recent court case in which Ed Sheeran was accused of copyright infringement, and alleged to have copied elements of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get it On’. He managed to prove that while there was definitely some similarity, the elements he was accused of copying were not specific to either song.
It’s a great example of how the line between borrowing and the use of—and deriving of inspiration from—common and beloved elements can be blurred.
But there are so many musical elements that have been used by musicians for hundreds of years, and across all genres, resulting in compositions and songs that are bound to sometimes sound similar, even if only fleetingly. You only have to think of all the pop/rock songs that use the same chords but sound different.
What’s crucial is that musicians continue to have the opportunity to create and innovate, transforming these shared elements into something unique.
And musical borrowing? Well, I see that as an extension of this, as long as there’s a balance of the old and the new and full credit is given when appropriate. Plus there’s the added bonus of the opportunity to add to such a rich heritage and to pay homage to all the wonderful music already created.
I think Mary Norton sums it up very nicely:
‘Borrowing is an art, a delicate dance between need and opportunity’
from The Borrowers, by Mary Norton, 1952
To hear me sing and pay tribute to some of my favourite musicians, go to Kate Paine Sings 🎵
Let me know if you enjoyed this post! And let me know if there's anything you're curious about or would like me to explore further. You can comment on this post or send me a message at katepainediscoveringmusic@substack.com ❤️