tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10645564808056278812024-03-18T20:36:23.320-07:00Pondering Music from a Global PerspectiveA place for informal discussion about music regarding scholarly topics. Here, we hope to discuss a broad range of issues including music history, culture and ethnomusicology. Your insights are welcome and appreciated.Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-8863384719419729362023-03-24T12:08:00.003-07:002023-03-24T12:08:22.323-07:00Artist Interview: Dr. Guthrie Ramsey<div>Hello CMT readers - we've got quite a treat for you today. This week's interview features Dr. Guthrie Ramsey who's just released the book "Who Hears Here?"</div><div> </div><div>MW: Dr. Ramsey, it's an honor to be talking to you. Thank you for making the time.</div><div> </div><div>GR: Thank you for having me.</div><div> </div><div>MW: First thing I would like to do is to express my gratitude for a short book title, or better put, not including a colon followed by a long explanation on the front cover.</div><div> </div><div>GR: Yes, indeed. Titles can be tricky. They need to say what the book is about plus be provocative and catchy. Tough to do, sometimes. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmwEfHWGCcAN_pdk_yAQeNQInqQbjKMjcEvQAVfY9eiD0FpNG73uoHfKyamAqqnUGBp2V5WYfhK0Ri5Ig1FpBJvEqeHN8WhhWYGA6Bts1H4dPn9QMZhOCXcaplBze5ZY5eFWKw8hLEVPXipRQvTsb0kvC2Yp9F-0y5LTD8ADnKAr3lrZGCAvMDSLXsg/s350/71tsPSHoXnL._AC_UF350,350_QL50_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="233" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbmwEfHWGCcAN_pdk_yAQeNQInqQbjKMjcEvQAVfY9eiD0FpNG73uoHfKyamAqqnUGBp2V5WYfhK0Ri5Ig1FpBJvEqeHN8WhhWYGA6Bts1H4dPn9QMZhOCXcaplBze5ZY5eFWKw8hLEVPXipRQvTsb0kvC2Yp9F-0y5LTD8ADnKAr3lrZGCAvMDSLXsg/s320/71tsPSHoXnL._AC_UF350,350_QL50_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>MW: OK, let's get right into things, what prompted you to write "Who Hears Here?"</div><div> </div><div>GR: The book collects essays that I’ve written through the years as a music scholar and critic. I wanted to bring the work together in one place. </div><div> </div><div>MW: Could you talk about some of the major findings over your decades of work in this field?</div><div> </div><div>GR: One the most important thing I’ve learned is how crucial African American music has been to America’s musical profile, and how crucial it is to understand this for our society. </div><div> </div><div>MW: Generally, what do you feel is the state of scholarship when it comes to Black music, and Black culture?</div><div> </div><div>GR: We are experiencing a robust surge in the types of topics scholars are researching. It’s truly exciting.</div><div> </div><div>MW: I'd like to switch gears to talk about <a href="https://themusiqdept.bandcamp.com/album/a-spiritual-vibe-vol-1-2" target="_blank"><span style="color: #fcff01;">"A Spiritual Vibe,"</span></a> which for my ears is quite a departure from the new compositions coming from the academy. Could you talk a bit about the history of that project?</div><div> </div><div>GR: Funny, I don’t look at my music as “coming from the academy,” but from a more personal place. The project represents my experimenting with new blends in digital and analog music making combined in a project based on spiritual music. The music was arranged and written a challenging time in my life as a dealt with serious health concerns. I believe music has the capacity to help us heal. </div><div> </div><div>MW: I'm very taken with the vocal parts of the album - how did you accomplish such tight harmonies fitting so snuggly into the mix?</div><div> </div><div>GR: The singers on the album, my daughter Bridget Ramsey Russell and musical collaborator, WAYV WILSON have a great blend and superb use of their vibratos. With their level of expertise, I was able to write close harmonies without worrying if they could make them work. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCLKnwxoUfWWeOyXCBBcl4oGsan9IABYY5oWwqcnqpo2n5d5naJNFbcW_c3ueaMhsnxlqapYHeZKzpIKLjPQ0mJFCWQ8bhG4dGOCwKKvLsF0R_BaakzEbbY4jtcCCEvbiLNbnKTu3dFTwbBu2DHpju9u_77-ROl5i906gxOHYjXqjYuA96AMJDZMOEA/s600/vcgvh703kssljehtchmrcstegh._SY600_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCLKnwxoUfWWeOyXCBBcl4oGsan9IABYY5oWwqcnqpo2n5d5naJNFbcW_c3ueaMhsnxlqapYHeZKzpIKLjPQ0mJFCWQ8bhG4dGOCwKKvLsF0R_BaakzEbbY4jtcCCEvbiLNbnKTu3dFTwbBu2DHpju9u_77-ROl5i906gxOHYjXqjYuA96AMJDZMOEA/s320/vcgvh703kssljehtchmrcstegh._SY600_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>MW: Your primary instrument is the piano - did choosing that instrument shape how you approach compositions?</div><div> </div><div>GR: I always compose at the piano, so, yes, of course, that’s how I hear music. </div><div> </div><div>MW: Is there any chance it affected your writing/research?</div><div> </div><div>GR: Being a musician has always shaped how I approached my research. It informs how I think about the music I write about, how I hear it, and what I’d like others to know as they read my work. </div><div> </div><div>MW: Maybe you could talk a little bit about the reception of both your book and your album?</div><div> </div><div>GR: I’ve been so pleased how many people are buying and teaching my book and the music in their courses. It’s been very gratifying—surprising even. </div><div> </div><div>MW: Do you ever see the academy and the pop world merging in a meaningful way?</div><div> </div><div>GR: I came into the field in the early 1990s at a time when popular music study was beginning to become one of the most exciting areas of study. It’s only grown since that time, and I expect that to continue. </div><div> </div><div>MW: Is anything new on the horizon for you?</div><div> </div><div>GR:I’m looking forward to writing more music—a follow up to A Spiritual Vibe, vol. 1. I’m also writing a new history of African American music for a wider public audience titled, Sound Proof. </div><div> </div><div>MW: Thank yo so much, again, for this - it's really special to have someone of your caliber interview for this humble blog. Where can people find out more about you?</div><div> </div><div>GR: You can follow me on Facebook at Guthrie Ramsey, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/musiqologymediagroup/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #fcff01;">IG @musiqologymediagroup</span></a> and my websites, <a href="http://GuthrieRamsey.com"><span style="color: #fcff01;">GuthrieRamsey.com</span></a> and <a href="http://MusiqologyMedia.com"><span style="color: #fcff01;">MusiqologyMedia.com</span></a></div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-73441891053859799042023-03-10T21:47:00.002-08:002023-03-10T21:47:35.447-08:00The Arpeggione and Viola da Gamba, a Guitarist's Next Step?<p>Seeing ads on YouTube for guitar picks that double as mini bows ought to lead us to a logical question: If bowing is something desirable for guitarists, why not simply learn one of the many fretted bowed instruments available, namely the arpeggione and Viola da Gamba?</p><p>Learning to play the arpeggione and viola da gamba can expand a guitarist's musical vocabulary and offer unique sonic capabilities. The history and cultural significance of these instruments is important, and studying their musical literature can improve a musician's ear training and music theory knowledge.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dTO5tmCiN8H-DPtOsFLcjHOg1365qZXzCKKMhVXHkhSYRAQzoHFtrAhGorf_SDvfwQxPnlmXDcBR3do-nfRMQJJCbAGkseVzi2ZPmeuTw-QvlTeYPmubZqExU5dJ0FO0G5WFufIsoU1iRvRuy-AHX80mQhBpCHJOTiKT1AKCelYRH9_lmhNvlKiA3g/s2362/arpeggione2011_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2362" data-original-width="2362" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dTO5tmCiN8H-DPtOsFLcjHOg1365qZXzCKKMhVXHkhSYRAQzoHFtrAhGorf_SDvfwQxPnlmXDcBR3do-nfRMQJJCbAGkseVzi2ZPmeuTw-QvlTeYPmubZqExU5dJ0FO0G5WFufIsoU1iRvRuy-AHX80mQhBpCHJOTiKT1AKCelYRH9_lmhNvlKiA3g/s320/arpeggione2011_06.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The arpeggione, or guitar-violin, was invented in the early 19th century by a Viennese guitar maker named Johann Georg Stauffer. Its unique design combines features of both the guitar and cello, with six strings tuned like a guitar and a fretboard like a cello. The arpeggione enjoyed a brief period of popularity, with several notable composers including Franz Schubert and Johann Nepomuk Hummel writing works for it. Despite this brief moment of fame, the arpeggione eventually fell out of use altogether.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRC0_yvU3OMmfMGNNKRxNVjpJ13jAMDbk0nSOIP2t2GFdK3SbwKOCxrGwEa9q5FO2hERuYfjnVtlhhuMdkwg6p0hOLQCkPyi4gyPdiudgVe4zqcLaROZ6Ft7__Ii6Az90I6iZ96tXULYo-Otx3oFMjjOwTUa3wn7k-6pstEZMb5ey4tTYHbquDAgXlA/s2560/150413_r26377.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="2488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRC0_yvU3OMmfMGNNKRxNVjpJ13jAMDbk0nSOIP2t2GFdK3SbwKOCxrGwEa9q5FO2hERuYfjnVtlhhuMdkwg6p0hOLQCkPyi4gyPdiudgVe4zqcLaROZ6Ft7__Ii6Az90I6iZ96tXULYo-Otx3oFMjjOwTUa3wn7k-6pstEZMb5ey4tTYHbquDAgXlA/s320/150413_r26377.webp" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p>In contrast, the viola da gamba has a long and rich history. It is a bowed string instrument that was popular in the Baroque period, often used to accompany vocal music. The viola da gamba comes in several different sizes, from the tiny treble viol to the large bass viol. Its unique timbre is often described as warm, rich, and expressive. Many great composers wrote music for the viola da gamba, including Johann Sebastian Bach, Marin Marais, and Tobias Hume.</p><p>The arpeggione and viola da gamba offer unique sonic capabilities, which are worth exploring. Bowed instruments, in general, have a unique sound that is difficult to replicate with other instruments. The way that the bow interacts with the strings creates a rich, complex sound that can be used to create a wide range of textures and moods. The arpeggione, with its hybrid guitar-cello design, offers a unique timbre that is quite different from either of those instruments. It can be used to play both fast, virtuosic passages and slower, more expressive melodies.</p><p>The viola da gamba, on the other hand, has a warm and expressive sound that is perfect for accompanying vocal music. Its lower register gives it a rich and powerful sound that can be used to create a sense of gravity and depth in a piece of music. The viola da gamba is also capable of playing fast, virtuosic passages and can be used to create intricate and complex textures.</p><p>Studying the musical literature for these instruments can improve a musician's ear training and music theory knowledge. Learning to play these instruments can also improve a musician's understanding of music theory and composition. Because these instruments have unique tunings and playing techniques, they can open up new possibilities for chord progressions, melodic lines, and harmonic textures.</p><p>The arpeggione literature is quite small, but there are several notable works. Franz Schubert's Sonata in A minor for Arpeggione and Piano is the most famous work for the instrument, and is often performed on other stringed instruments such as the cello or viola. The sonata features a combination of virtuosic passages and expressive melodies, showcasing the arpeggione's unique timbre.</p><p>The viola da gamba, on the other hand, has a rich and diverse musical literature. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote several works for the instrument, including six suites for unaccompanied viola da gamba. These suites are considered some of the most challenging and rewarding works for the instrument, featuring complex harmonies and virtuosic passages.</p><p>Marin Marais is another notable composer for the viola da gamba. He wrote several works for the instrument, including the famous Suite in D minor. This work features intricate and complex melodies, showcasing the viola da gamba's ability to create intricate textures.</p><p>Tobias Hume, an English composer from the early Baroque period, also wrote several works for the viola da gamba. His music is notable for its use of unconventional techniques, including strumming the strings with the right hand and using harmonics.</p><p>By studying the musical literature for the arpeggione and viola da gamba, guitarists can gain new insights into music theory and composition. These instruments have unique tunings and playing techniques that can inspire new ideas for chord progressions, melodic lines, and harmonic textures. By exploring the works of great composers such as Schubert, Bach, Marais, and Hume, guitarists can gain a deeper understanding of how music is constructed and how different musical elements can interact with one another.</p><p>Learning to play the arpeggione and viola da gamba can also improve a musician's ear training. Both instruments require a high degree of precision and control, particularly when it comes to intonation. Because these instruments do not have frets like the guitar, the musician must rely on their ear to play in tune. This can be challenging at first, but with practice, it can greatly improve a musician's ability to hear and adjust to different pitches. This, in turn, can improve their ability to improvise, compose, and play by ear.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhtkIPs8HyeT1GWrNRb4eCyOYBj7rLBKRpNMitsQc91KLvFoU6XGJVH6eKAuI93mV_1biV8SvlG0TYYKCWbB9gXtFfwEh68zzN2mcX1teIsw8JxCVMtdGKKeNbmdipXXc9ygQJRSgGzb_7QTKhRbE6SIGXFF0UOchrR_SNsf6AxvDm0uauABChT0v5g/s1280/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhtkIPs8HyeT1GWrNRb4eCyOYBj7rLBKRpNMitsQc91KLvFoU6XGJVH6eKAuI93mV_1biV8SvlG0TYYKCWbB9gXtFfwEh68zzN2mcX1teIsw8JxCVMtdGKKeNbmdipXXc9ygQJRSgGzb_7QTKhRbE6SIGXFF0UOchrR_SNsf6AxvDm0uauABChT0v5g/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>In addition to improving a musician's ear training and music theory knowledge, learning to play the arpeggione and viola da gamba can expand a musician's musical vocabulary. These instruments offer unique sonic capabilities that can be used to create new textures and moods in music. By incorporating the arpeggione and viola da gamba into their playing, guitarists can explore new sonic possibilities and expand their musical horizons.</p><p>While learning to play the arpeggione and viola da gamba may require a different set of skills and techniques than the guitar, the rewards of learning these instruments are many. Guitarists who take the time to explore these instruments can gain a deeper understanding of music history, theory, and composition. They can also improve their ear training and expand their musical vocabulary, opening up new possibilities for musical expression.</p><p>Both the arpeggione and viola da gamba offer unique sonic capabilities and a rich cultural history that guitarists can explore by studying their musical literature. Learning to play these instruments can improve a musician's ear training, music theory knowledge, and musical vocabulary. By incorporating the arpeggione and viola da gamba into their playing, guitarists can gain a deeper understanding of music history and theory, as well as expand their musical horizons. The arpeggione and viola da gamba may not be as well-known as the guitar, but they offer a wealth of musical rewards for those willing to explore them.</p><div><br /></div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-38192042214547225332012-04-05T11:38:00.000-07:002012-04-11T13:30:46.994-07:00An Open Response to "The Death of Classical Music?" Segment from TV-2 News<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am very troubled by misinformation, and when that misinformation is dissemination through lack of understanding and education, I feel it falls upon the public to correct that which is false. This is especially true when it appears in the form of a news-broadcast. Below are my responses to a TV-2 segment titled; "The Death of Classical Music?" which I felt warranted some comment. The critique is not meant as a detraction against those responsible for the broadcast, it is simply directed at the broadcast itself.</div>
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<i>Classical music has had a steady decline in the past decade. Major record labels have gone from pumping out hundreds of records a year to a mere 2 dozen. TV-2 reporter Jeannette Reyes tells us what may be killing Classical music.</i></blockquote>
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Like many things posted on the internet, this statement is presented as fact without citing any sources whatsoever. For the sake of discussion, however; let us assume that record companies are indeed cutting down on their proliferation of “classical” music CDs (the report makes no effort in defining what exactly “classical” music is). Did the writer even consider the numerous possibilities that might have contributed to this “fact?” For example; if we are discussing “classical” music in its broadest sense, we would usually say that it is western (predominantly European) art music produced between 1600 at its earliest to roughly 1940-1950 with the final abandonment of “tonality.” This represents a finite amount of material, if record companies were producing hundreds of albums a year, simple arithmetic will inform us that it wouldn’t take very long to have the entire cannon of material at the disposal of listeners everywhere. New interpretations are always welcome, however; I feel a cogent argument could be made against having 500-plus recordings of the Well Tempered Clavir. Another simple explanation is that <b><i>all</i></b> record companies, not just classical labels, have produced fewer and fewer albums. Part of this has to do with digital media being so prevalent making sites like YouTube a very popular refuge for classical music lovers, who want to see playing as well as simply hearing. It doesn’t seem as if any consideration went into the introduction of this at all.</div>
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<i>Mozart, Chopin and Debussy have all long passed away. But their music did anything but. until [sic] now.</i></blockquote>
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I’m not even sure where to start with this sentence. The horribly cliché and redundant intro aside, it is simply not true. The camera pans away to show the Alfred Masterwork editions of the aforementioned composers – I can tell you confidently, as an instructor of piano, that these books are selling just fine. I will not state so brazenly that music education in the United States is any place where it should be. I personally feel that the public schools should have music, dance, drama, and art at least every other day, or better yet, part of the core curriculum. But the fact that people so readily recognize the names of these individuals speaks to their enduring popularity. I would also like to interject that the audio heard during this intro is Beethoven and not Mozart, Chopin or Debussy.</div>
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Many musicians believe the glory days of classical music may soon be over. Music Professor Dr. Jerry Wong believes Classical music is having difficulty fitting into today's fast-pace lifestyle.</blockquote>
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It is very common for musicians playing older styles of music to lament the changing times, this can be traced through music history as long as the record exists. During the days of Palestrina there were intense debate over the usurpation of counterpoint over the simpler chant forms, this culminated in the Council of Trent (where counterpoint was thankfully saved). Another example was the outcry against the early Baroque opera’s use of recitative, now a mainstay of formal opera. True, times are changing, but times have always been changing. <br />
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<i>Orchestras are trying to catch up to the changing times to fill up empty concert halls but with 75 percent of the countrys [sic] top orchestras posting a deficit in 2002 it seems to be failing miserably.</i></blockquote>
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It isn’t just orchestras that are failing miserably, many organizations, people and companies are struggling financially – I don’t understand why arts groups, and particularly orchestras are singled out. But what is more problematic; is again, the author seems to know nothing about the history of western classical music, and it’s a shame too. If she had some awareness to the way this music was originally funded she would understand that historically (with the exception of Romantic Italian opera) the attending public has never really been called upon to be the primary source of revenue. In its development, it was the obligation of the ruling princes or other aristocracy to see that composers and performers were funded. Even still, most city orchestras receive some state/government support as well as private donations. If there is less money in circulation, then it stands to reason there would be less tax revenue and also less liberal giving on the part of the wealthy elite. <span style="text-align: left;"> </span>
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<i>SOME ORCHESTRAS HAVE SHORTENED THEIR PIECES AND INTRODUCED WHATS CALLED CLASSICAL LITE OR CASUAL CLASSICS FOR THOSE WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE GENRE. BUT MANY ORCHESTRAS REFUSE TO DO THIS AND MAYBE THEY DONT [sic] HAVE TO BECAUSE OF A PROGRAM HERE AT KENT STATE CALLED THE TEACHING INSTITUTE PROGRAM. WHICH MAKES YOUNG KIDS AWARE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC EARLY ON.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What a bizarre segue.</span></div>
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<i>He believes the future of classical music may lie in our children.</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This statement is completely erroneous. The future of everything related to our species lie in our children. Again, the writer has composed something that is superfluous and redundant, not to mention overly pedantic as it assumes profundity where none exists. </span></div>
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<i>THE YOUNG KIDS AND GETTING MUSIC INTO THE SCHOOLS, GETTING THEM TO STUDY IT. BUT IF THE KIDS GET INTO THE MUSIC THEN IF THEY SEE A PIANO RECITAL THAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO GO AND CHECK OUT. YOU KNOW, IT GETS PEOPLE INTO THE CONCERT HALL. IT'S THE AWARENESS. UMM AND THAT'S HOW IT'S GOING TO SURVIVE.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As this is a quote, I won’t be too harsh in my critique. I will go so far as to say I am very pleased with Kent State’s commitment to exposing young people to western art music - however; what they ignore is an aspect of cultural relevance. European western classical music, as much as we Americans would like to think otherwise, is somewhat culturally removed from our society. It would be very difficult to engage children in understanding this music unless there were some reinforcement in the home or elsewhere. A silly notion to have, indeed, would be that simple exposure to Mozart, Debussy or Bach will institute a desire for life-long orchestral attendance, which is what the broadcast insinuates. </span></div>
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<i>Either way, classical music must make the decision to either reinvent itself or face the grim reality of becoming a part of history.</i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Again, the ignorance of the writer to the history or developments of western classical music is staggering, which I suppose, could be some argument in and of itself for increased music education in public schools. Classical music has reinvented itself with every generation. This is why composers no longer write in ancient organum, using neumes. It is why the imperfect consonance came to be favored by the British and later the French leading finally to the revolution of harmony. It is why tonality was expanded to include dissonance as a descriptive element in music and finally, it is why tonality was abandoned all together. Modern composers draw from electronics, from distant cultures, from the distant past and an imagined future – they are always (the good ones, anyway) attempting to produce something new and of merit. I will also add, that everything which happened in the past is "a part of history" and therefore seems an odd way to say what I can only assume is supposed to imply; "without a future."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>For TV-2 News, Im [sic] Jeannette Reyes</i></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>ANCHOR TAG:</i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Although Classical music is losing its popularity in the states, it has become a popular genre in countries like China, India and Japan.</i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All in all, the most problematic aspect of this piece is its overarching assumptions and blanket oversimplification of the issue of musical taste and patronage in the United States. In the final analysis we must also face the fact that we are moving further and further away from the time-period in which these composers produced. No one is terribly lamenting of the fact that ancient Greek theatrical chants are not regularly performed and attended by the masses. The reason for this is that its interest to us is really, strictly historical. Ancient Greek theatrical chants bear virtually no cultural relevance to our current lives. And this is really the point, more than any other – if the wealthy are unwilling to support orchestras, and if taxpayers are likewise unwilling to be the patrons of western classical music, then perhaps we might conclude that European art music has lived through its usefulness in the United States. A sad and tragic ending to be sure, but life teaches us that things are impermanent. But this end, has nothing whatsoever to do with western classical music’s ability to “reinvent itself” – whatever that means – it is simply at an end of its life cycle.</span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><br /></i></div>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">
</span></div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-13593463691846528642012-02-19T15:49:00.001-08:002012-02-19T15:49:58.393-08:00Electronics in Art and Popular Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Trying
to choose just one aspect of electronic music is difficult for me. When I was
20 years old I decided that I would pursue the life of a pop musician, I had
taken piano lessons for a long time and therefore I decided that my instrument
would be keyboards. My first was a Korg Z1 then I moved to an MS2000, Yamaha
DX27, and Rhodes Piano and Roland Hammond organ emulator. I learned to use
recording and synthesis software (Sonar and plug-ins, usually Kontakt but also
EastWest platforms, Vocaloid and Reason). I mention all of this because with
the advent of music recording in the home, I think there is a tendency on the
part of younger people to think that electronic music has only to do with their
generation. It was very interesting to
me, to read about the long developments in the art world on the part of
Stockhausen and Babbitt which contributed greatly to the development of
electronic music studios where a great deal of groundbreaking research had been
done. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I
suppose if I have to define “electronic” music, it would be music in which some
kind of electronic synthesis was involved. It would be easy to define
compositions for tape as electronic pieces because there is a mechanical device
being used for music which operates on electricity. But electricity is the
workhorse in this relationship and not the focus. In other words, electricity
provides the means for an analogue sound to be transmitted, but the sound being
produced is not electronic, it is simply a reproduction of a non-electronic
origin. For this reason, I have to lump all samplers into the same category,
therefore; the Melotron is not a focus for consideration because it was a tape
machine that could be played like a piano. So, it appears as though I am left
with the Theremin, the Odes Martinot, and the synthesizers of Buchla, Robert
Moog as well as those of RCA. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Almost
everyone who does Hip-Hop, Slowcore, Trip-Hop, Funk, House, Techno, Jungle and
every other genre of popular electronic music owns a T-shirt that says “moog.”
This is a lasting testament to the legacy of Bob Moog. It is interesting that
the company which bears his name is still producing analog synthesizers, except
the new models are complete with modern
digital interfaces that make it simple to sync up to a computer (about 7 years
ago, retrofitting an old moog with a new midi patch was all the rage, it seems
like the company got the hint). What is truly interesting is that very rarely
are stand-alone keyboards and synthesizers being used any more. For the most
part, computers have become so powerful that the software emulators are almost
every bit as versatile and pristine as the old models but in a very manageable
form. Now, electronic musicians can access the sound of an old moog or vintage
Korg by simply routing a plug-in to their sequencer of choice. This was
unthinkable only 10 years ago (perhaps even 5 years ago) but now is common
place. This is probably a byproduct of computers reaching upwards of 2 TB of
hard-drive space, with 4-8 GB of RAM and multiple CPU. With all of this in
mind, I find it miraculous that composers such as Stockhausen and Babbitt were
able to do the kind of work they did on those old machines. I also feel a
little saddened that Varese did not live to see an age that I truly think he
would have enjoyed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-35937808147972016792012-02-19T15:47:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:47:19.959-08:00Reich and Glass Techniques in Composition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
process of composing the phase pieces of Stephen Reich were, according to the
composer, discovered by accident while trying to create a spoken canon using
dual tape players. What Reich found out was that slowly the two audio tracks
would drift apart until it became a reverb, then an echo, then a canon and
finally the two would merge again. When I first read about this technique in
regards to human performances, my first thought was one of impossibility and I
marveled at the musicians (sometimes as many as 18 or more) able to achieve
this effect. It reminded me immediately of Cowell and the Rhythmicon and later
the pieces which originally Cowell believed were unplayable by human musicians
became possible. Today, I attempted this on my own by recording a simple bell
loop into Cakewalk Sonar and then trying play with the sound slightly faster,
this proved very difficult the first couple of tries, then I managed to achieve
a phase shift by playing slightly slower. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
main thing that can be said about Reich’s music since the 1960s is that he has often
increased the number of musicians he has used as he has gained more notoriety.
The recent composition The Daniel Variations is for a sizeable ensemble with
recognizable tonalities and triadic harmonies (as opposed to early tape
compositions or percussion pieces that were melodically tonal but did not have
any formal harmonic structure). The incorporation of Reich’s music into modern
electronic music is notable and his commission of DJ’s to remix his pieces says
something about Reich’s view of the viability of contemporary popular music. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To
my knowledge, Philip Glass has not employed any phase techniques in his compositions
and furthermore it appears as though the music of Glass has always employed a
tonal melodic and harmonic foundation without the heavy emphasis on percussion
(as is present in the music of Reich). Philip Glass has also contributed greatly
to the theatre, film and especially Opera (Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha
and The Beauty and the Beast are three successful Glass operas).</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Both the music of Philip Glass and Stephen
Reich weave long pieces out of very simple melodic or harmonic material but the
approach seems to be a fairly different one. Philip Glass’s compositions seem
to rely primarily on the chord progression, or chord alternation. In a Glass
composition it is not uncommon for there to be two repeated chords and chord
arpeggios built off the pattern that go on for an incredibly long time. The
music of Reich, more than anything seems to be centered on the melody
(especially during his phase pieces) and if harmony is able to come out of the
melodic material than all the better, but the pieces are not lesser if no
distinguishable harmony emerges.</span></div>
</span></div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-8472515426631980672012-02-19T15:45:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:45:37.756-08:00The Determined Indeterminate; Cage and Company<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I think it is safe to say that for most
people, in late 20<sup>th</sup> century, the most famous indeterminate piece
would be John Cage’s 4’33”. It is, however; difficult to say how indeterminate
that piece really is, the sounds that occur during the musician(s) stillness
changes from performance to performance, but the action (or non-action) of the
musicians(s) remains consistent regardless of who is “playing” the piece. It
lasts for a set amount of time and I think that modern audiences are inclined
to honor the concept of “silence” although I don’t believe that absolute
silence was ever Cage’s goal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I mentioned in the previous
discussion that I feel that new notation styles cannot really (in my mind) be
talked about separately from indeterminacy. It seems to me that the scores of
the American composers were far more concerned with the esthetic beauty of what
was on the page rather than the sound produced. The best example of this is
Earle Brown’s piece December 1952 which looks very much like a modernist
picture that might hang in a museum. Morgan notes that the sound/music produced
by musicians interpreting this score is really just guided by whatever they
feel the page is telling them to do, but it is mostly a “free improvisation.”
When this kind of what might be called “ultra-indeterminate” writing was done
by the European composer Stockhausen, instead of graphic representations he
used verbal. The score for Intensity consists of directions for improvisation
that take the form of a poem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These two pieces might give some insight into the differences
in thinking regarding indeterminacy, the American visual versus the European
poetic, but this is very difficult when citing individual works by individual
composers. Morgan mentions that Cage’s manuscripts had been put on display as
visual works of art, and it doesn’t appear that this is true of any of the
European composers. On the other hand,
if we examine the score for the String Quartet by Lutoslawski, what we see are
numerous text comments on how to interpret and perform the manuscript, so it
appears that while the pitches and rhythms are displayed in the notation, the
true direction comes from the words written by the composer. There are, of course, many pieces that have a
profound visual aesthetic with regards to score which were innovations of
European composers, the best among these appear on page 377 and is
Bussotti’s Siciliano. Morgan notes that
there are no directions for interpreting the score but that the use of numbered
parts might give some indication. Pieces like this seem as though the composer
was setting forth a musical puzzle and the solving of that puzzle is related to
the aesthetic power of its performance, as if to say that in figuring out how
to play the piece the game is won on the part of the performer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I would like to make mention of an area with which I have a
fair amount of experience, that being Hindustani music. In realizing a Raga,
there are essentially musical notes that are available for improvisation
(especially in the beginning of the piece) usually there is an indication of
which patterns will sound the most pleasing and therefore should be repeated a
number of times. There are also two “most important” notes in the Rag which the
melodies should gravitate towards. The middle section of a composition tends to
be more structured but there is always room for interpretation. The idea is to
make a piece individual to each performer as opposed to western conceptions of
the traditional score. To me, this is a
prime example of indeterminacy going back a thousand or so years. We see
similar notions in the music of the Arab people (although I am not very well
versed on that system of music). Morgan mentions that virtually all of the
Minimalist composers studied Indian music of some kind, but it is interesting
that in this aspect of performance of pieces that there was not as much
interest on the part of the indeterminists. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-58411732991444384102012-02-19T15:43:00.001-08:002012-02-19T15:43:22.883-08:00Thoroughly Modern Schoenberg<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> An argument for Schoenberg’s
serialistic style being an extension of classical tradition could be made in
various ways, I don’t presume that this will be an exhaustive list; they are
merely thoughts that have surfaced in my study. One possibility is regarding
the mathematics involved in 12 tone composition, it is completely feasible that
one would be capable of composing a piece of music without “hearing” it at all,
they could simply follow the agenda for churning out “chords and melody” until
the row is used a specific number of time. The same could be said of western
common practice harmony where chords move through stages of stability and
instability based on their tonic, subdominant, and dominant relationships.
There is also the more robust influence of science on music in the classical
period. Common ideas regarding music’s influence on the human state were being
changed from the “affections” of the Baroque period to an emphasis on complex
relationships in the classical period. Dr. Margaret Hanning (the author of <i>Concise History of Western Music</i>) has
argued that this stems from the emphasis for empirical study and scientific
reform. Again, with the technological age advancing during the lifetime of
Schoenberg, it was easy to see various classical ideas creeping up in the
beginning of the 20<sup>th</sup> century. From these vantage points, the music
of Debussy is considerably more “modern” than that of Schoenberg. Therefore, the music of the post WWII
composers could be seen as a logical extension of the Schoenberg tradition in
that there was frequently a mathematical basis for the compositional style,
there seemed to also be a distancing of the general emotional state which was
often attempted to be conveyed. This is
not to say the pieces were devoid of any aesthetic purpose, it’s just that the
pieces represented a much more intellectual aspect than the Romantics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> With serial-note composition being
so fertile for compositional innovation, it was only a matter of time before
other aspects of music was to become numbered. In the music of Messiaen and
Boulez not only pitches were serialized but also rhythms, dynamics and
articulations. This gave way to exciting passages full of variety in sonic
possibilities but also came with a great deal of rhythmic complexity. The music of Stockhausen was something of a
departure from the strict serialism of the above mentioned composers as he
began thinking in terms of “whole” sounds made up on individual parts that
would become another whole, Stockhausen did offer some classical input as he
often sought contrast which Morgan likened to the practice of writing
antecedent and consequent phrases. Milton Babbitt was a composer who did a
great deal of work with rhythmic values in serial composition, creating
disjointed rhythms which added small segments to otherwise pulse-driven music,
an example of this kind of complexity can be seen in the Quartet No. 3 which is
pictured in the textbook on page 353. Morgan notes that this kind of
hyper-serialism was somewhat short lived, but its influence would be felt for
generations, especially in younger composers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> It might be that the greatest aspect
of serialism’s validity in the classical tradition was its adoption by Igor
Stravinsky as a compositional tool. Morgan notes that with Schoenberg’s passing
serialism belonged to the past and therefore was fair game as inspiration for
the composer who always seemed to draw from folk traditions and venerated
musical styles. In this respect, serialist came full circle, from being a
revolutionary idea based on continuation of classical functional techniques, to
being adopted and revised as a legitimate compositional method, to being
studied “post-mortem” by music historians as a style that belonged to a valid
past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-32613960062454410702012-02-19T15:40:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:40:22.373-08:00Gershwin, Partch and Cowell; American Masterpieces?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I
was a bit disappointed in the textbook </span><span style="background: #441500; color: #ffeedd; font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">("Twentieth-Century
Music: A History of Musical Style in Modern Europe and America")</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
for not spending more time on Gershwin, I have always regarded “Rhapsody” to be
a masterpiece, however; if it is not, I would say that Porgy and Bess is. I
feel that as far as tapping into a native American vernacular and making it
into something artistic; Porgy is about as far as we have come (I know this is
something of a sweeping statement and should you want to discuss this further,
I can elaborate). But for that matter, I also feel that the musical “Show Boat”
by Kern and Hammerstein is a work of considerable achievement that warrants
some consideration. This led me
naturally to Marc Blitzstein (another popular music and Broadway composer) as I
am very familiar with his works from both a musical theatre background and from
the 1990’s film by Tim Robins (although the film was very “Hollywood” in its
approach to the way the story worked out). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Harry
Partch was very interesting to me, I think something must have been in the air
regarding the “old instruments” with the way both him and Varese fantasized
about more and more exotic sounds. The main difference is that Partch sought to
do something about it by actually creating new instruments to fulfill his needs
for compositions. I viewed the documentary from the link you posted and enjoyed
it very much (I wish the sound quality was better) in part 2 (also on YouTube)
an ensemble plays the composition: Daphne of the Dunes, which I found to be a
quite enticing and elegant piece of music. In some ways it had something in
common with Gamelan music (probably the emphasis on pitched percussion and flocculating
rhythms so common in that music). With regards to the Varese, his portion of
the textbook left me somewhat depressed, thinking about an old man who was just
borne a little too early to see the innovations in electronics that were just
on the horizon. On another hand, I came to the conclusion that I would view
Varese less as a composer and more as a musical philosopher (this is in fact
how I view Jon Cage). I listened to Ionization but much prefer the piece
Hyperism (which is available in score form in the accompanying anthology to the
Morgan textbook) for it’s more pronounced use of pitched instruments and (to my
ears) greater dynamic realization. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I
would be fascinated to hear the piece for Koto and Orchestra by Cowell; I
looked for a recording of the piece on Amazon.com but came up with nothing. I
study the Guzheng (which is the parent instrument [sort of, really the Tse has
a more legitimate claim as the parent] of the Koto). I also share very much
Cowell’s affinity for eastern music, including that of Persia (I also study the
Sitar and Dilruba, and while those instruments have become purely Hindustani
over time they have some lineage from Persia – as does all Hindustani music).
What I did listen to was, of course, The Banshee and the trio for harp, flute
and violin. This music was actually my favorite because it resembles the kind
of dreamy melodicism that appeals to my ears so much. The international aspect
of his compositions is an absolute selling point for me; do you know if he
included any Hindustani or Carnatic music theory in his pieces? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-68531381009994841882012-02-19T15:38:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:38:00.304-08:00Thoughts on Musical Censorship in the Soviet Union<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Society,
and especially the ruling class (which to a large degree tends to speak on society’s
behalf) has always had something of a dictatorial prescription when it comes to
what can be created in terms of art. Plato and Aristotle’s writings on which
modes should be played for young boys and the risk of feminizing men have
survived through millennia (though not in regular practice anymore,) the
Catholic Church (the great ghost of the Roman Empire) sought on very many
occasions to limit the creativity of composers writing sacred works (the one
that first comes to mind being the council of Trent) and protestant churches in
the Americas sought to limit the amount of “passion” present in worship tunes
(especially the “fuging” hymns so popular in colonial America). Even Haydn
worked for a court where the aim was to please the aristocrat for whom he
worked (still managing to produce profound works of beauty). Before recent
history, on the whole, it seems that the only artists who were able to break
free completely from public and ruling class sentiment were the artists who in
fact members of that class of society. In this case, the censorship during the
years of the Soviet Union, was not really anything new. What set it apart was
on one hand, the degree to which the censorship was carried out and the other,
the hypocrisy that went along with the “dictatorship of the proletariat” being
ruled by a few individuals with what some might consider very selfish motives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> We
should consider though, that Lenin wrote about capitalist nations rising
against a socialist state (in the pamphlet “Left Wing Communism, an Infantile
Disorder” now published by International Publishers) and the need to insulate
culture as one step against such attacks. Therefore; from a soviet perspective,
it is not too hard to see why some prescriptions needed to be made. If in fact,
they were to produce the greatest and most efficient state the world had ever
seen, they should be able to display the intellectual and artistic merit to
match. Morgan talks about this in somewhat remorseful terms when discussing
Prokofiev and </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Shostakovitch</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> saying that the repressive nature of the communist
leadership was a hindrance to their compositional output, and in fact he may be
correct. I would submit that reasonable and rational limits placed on art can
in many ways help the medium. For instance, we could examine 20</span></span><sup style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">th</sup><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">
century music for film; film music is not a symphony, or a tone poem or any
other genre associated with instrumental music, it is there to support the
plot, therefore shining melodies and intricate melodies must be reserved for a
time in the film where they are absolutely necessary. This in fact has helped
the medium of composition by allowing composers the freedom to not be the sole
pillar of the audience’s attention. In some ways social prescriptions on art
can act in the same way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I
read the article on Niezvestny which was a very compelling story. I would
contend that the article was written from a stridently anti-communist perspective
with something of a propagandist purpose. It isn’t to say that I believe there
were any outright lies written in the piece, but the artist’s clear views on
Christianity are consistent with the long held belief that a socialist state
seeks to ban religion. It is worth noting that Soviet Union envisioned by
Lenin, and that state that came to be under Stalin and Khrushchev were very
separate things. Lenin was a fan of current art and many other avenues of
intellectualism (as noted in <i>The Life and
Death of Lenin </i>by Robert Payne) and I don’t think it stretches the
imagination too much to think that there would have been some liberalization of
ideas had he not died so soon after the founding of the state which he had such
a hand in creating. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-52108734231701830592012-02-19T15:33:00.001-08:002012-02-19T15:33:49.824-08:00Thoughts on Neo-Classicism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
term “classical” could have many connotations, it could refer to something
being timeless (as in; “that song is a classic”), something plucked from
antiquity (“classical” Greek sculpture) or more specifically to the musical
period lasting roughly 1750-1820. When dealing in purely musical terms it seems
the most likely association would be with the last of the possible definitions.
Yet Morgan himself states that the “neoclassical” music of Stravinsky was much
closer to being neo-Baroque, and many of his pieces including Pulcinella and
the opera: “The Progress of the Rake” used harpsichord and not piano. This
aligns it much closer to the styles and sounds of Scarlatti and Vivaldi much
more so than Mozart or Haydn. This point is further emphasized with
Stravinsky’s use of ornate ornaments in his 1924 piano sonata which sounds a
great deal like Baroque harpsichord music. With all this in mind, it appears as
though the first definition tempered by the second might be the best hope of
stating the idea of “neoclassicism” in a concrete way. By taking the most
timeless aspects of older styles of composition and coupling them with newer
compositional techniques (such as polyrhythms or bitonality) an updated version
of the timeless might ensue. The ballet Pulcinella is a solid example of this
idea as it was not originally written by Stravinsky but arranged, reworked and
orchestrated by him. To illustrate this point Morgan writes: “Although Pulcinella
has the unmistakable flavor of eighteenth century music, the original has been
subtly transformed so that it takes on a new and unexpectedly Stravinskyian,
character.” (Morgan p 171) In this example, we see that in some way the first
two definitions have been met, the music is indeed timeless (as has been proven
by its many performances) and the original material was plucked from antiquity.
The piece might have met all three definitions were it not so baroque in
nature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
other side of the “neoclassical” discussion is Morgan’s pages spent on Cocteau,
Satie and Les Six. It is interesting that at this point in time, virtually none
of the “classical” definitions seem to work for the music of this period of
French development. The music of Satie was not considered timeless (during the
period we are discussing) it was not antiquated in style or substance and Satie
(the hero of the movement as ordained by Cocteau) lived into the 20<sup>th</sup>
century far removed from the late 18<sup>th</sup> century. It seems as though
European composers as a whole were starting to embrace a compositional style
much more adverse to the musical laymen. This led to understandable concern on
the part of many members of the intellectual community and caused them to call
for a “simpler” and more listenable style. In this respect it is neoclassicism
in the way that older music was perceived as simpler and more beautiful (the
phrase “back to Bach” was quoted several times in the textbook – although there
is really nothing simple about the music of Bach). So in this respect, perhaps
a better title for Les Six and Satie would have been “neosimpleism” it would,
however; be difficult to remove the derogatory stigma from the term “simple”
music and therefore it looks like “neoclassicism” will stay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-88922001281710393332012-02-19T15:28:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:31:24.061-08:0020th Century Art Music Giants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> For
the most part, my listening through chapter 6 </span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">("Twentieth-Century Music: A History of Musical Style in Modern Europe and America")</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #ffeedd; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">began as a review of many of the
pieces I loved as a composition student. Beginning with composers such as
Mahler, Debussy and Scriabin then moving on to Schoenberg and Stravinsky, of
course Ravel and Satie had to be accounted for as well as Bartok and Janacek. I
was delighted in reacquainting myself with this music as there was so much more
available through technology such as YouTube or MP3 downloads through
Amazon.com than there ever was 8-14 years ago. Because of this (as well as your
remarks and guidance) I was able to hear a much more in depth survey of
examples.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
first listening was intended for setting up a context for the music of the 20<sup>th</sup>
century primarily as experimenting with sounds either prohibited or unavailable
to earlier composers. When we look through the more experimental music of
Mozart or Liszt, it is easy to see that both the Classical and Romantic periods
had their share of writing dissonances. Indeed, if we search back further back
to the music of Don Carlo Gesualdo or very early counterpoint of the Middle
Ages we see that dissonance is really nothing new but rather something that has
been examined by every generation in one way or another. What seems to have
happened with the music of Mahler, Debussy and Scriabin (as well as many
others) was that the late Romantic notion of challenging “traditional” tonalism
was finally the norm rather than the exception. What is so interesting is that
music from this period is still particularly popular. Whenever I have an adult
student wanting to learn the piano the goal is often to play some sort of late
Romantic piece or often Satie and Debussy (the Gymnopodies and Clare de Lune
are common goals) very rarely does someone come in and request learning Alberto
Ginistera’s Twelve American Preludes or Schoenberg’s Six Little Piano Pieces. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Prelude
to the Afternoon of a Faun was a piece that was especially moving, not only did
the choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky break many norms in dance, the whole
concept of the through composed music moving through lush beautiful themes
seemed very liberating. I tend to think of things in a very compositional
mindset and I am the personality type who easily gets bogged down in
considerations such as form or modulation (I am actually a pretty traditional
writer in many respects) and the idea of being able to justify movement in a
piece based on the music telling a story seems like a large weight off the shoulders
of the composer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Debussy’s
“Prelude” naturally led me to listen to Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe which I have
always felt was a monument of orchestration. The use of choir achieved a sense
of the outer-worldliness that seemed very natural yet foreign. Again, this was
program music but tempered by the fact that it was meant to accompany dancers
(as much of this very forward looking music was). The orchestra itself was
employed in a way where the fluttering flutes and largely voiced strings worked
to achieve what many must think of as the height of “romantic” music
composition. I found your comment very interesting about La Valse being a “slap
in the face to the Viennese who had just lost the war. I have listened to that
piece more times than I could possibly recollect and have never thought of it
in that context. I wonder if it were possible for you to expand on that point
as I always thought that Ravel had not expressed any sincere hatred toward the
German people and even went so far as to not participate in the signing of a
German music boycott (this I read in the Ravel biography <i>Man and Musician </i>by Arbie Orenstein published by Dover 1991). I
would be very interested if Ravel had any political leanings to cause him to
mock the German waltz.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Moving
on to the Schoenberg and Webern pieces, the character of the listening experience
changed drastically. Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony was not only “so tonal it
hurts” but to be honest, the disconnected phrases just “hurt” in general. It is
very difficult for me to come out against a composition by an individual so
beloved by many of my colleagues, in many ways Schoenberg has become a very
mythical figure for many musicians and to criticize his works is to almost blatantly
label yourself as an unsophisticated music lover. In considering the music of
Schoenberg (in general) I considered the notion that perhaps my friends and
fellow music students were able to hear something in his pieces that I was not
able to hear, a special beauty available only to those with some heightened
intelligence or ability in music which, alas, was lacking in me. I have given
this period of Schoenberg’s output repeated opportunities to move me and it has
not, I must therefore reconcile myself that I will never find works such as the
Chamber Symphony beautiful or moving. I would have appreciated this music very
much with some kind of visual stimulus though, I believe as a film score or
ballet, this could be very effective at drawing an audience in, but as it is,
it is completely forgettable (for me). I did find the very pointalistic
approach of Agamemnon somewhat more captivating to my ears, somehow when the
abstract melodic lines are freed from the constant clusters of sound they are
much easily more appreciated. The brevity of Webern’s music in general makes it
much more palatable as it is able to be experienced and left behind in a
relatively short period of time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
main Schoenberg piece for which I have always made an exception to my previous
criticisms has been Pierrot Lunare. This was a piece which I admired so much I
often listened to it on long drives out of town. This leads me to an
interesting point regarding the use of the human voice. Once a piece of music
that would otherwise be a very challenging listen is codified with use of a
singer, it all of a sudden takes on a different context. The addition of the
singspiel in Lunare was probably the most brilliant aspect of its creation,
fusing poetry with the new surrealistic sound was a way of tapping into the
commonly held interest in psychology and Freud that would have been lost on an
audience in a purely instrumental work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> I
don’t think that it is too far of a stretch to say that Stravinsky is best
known for The Rite of Spring (on YouTube there is an excellent rendering of the
ballet with the original Nijinsky choreography), as an orchestration it is an
incredible achievement in the way he manages the almost obscene complexity of
many of the portions. I very much enjoyed the ER analogy for the way his
musical “phrases” are set up, it is probably the best one I have heard. I
always tried to liken it to a flip book of related photos, all of the photos
make up the one “book” but they are also individual ideas all their own. I like
the television show idea better though. In terms of pieces by Stravinsky other
than The Rite of Spring, the other ballets stand out as very good examples of
his orchestral voice. Petrushka as well as the Firebird are standards for
students of orchestration. The Firebird is especially memorable for its Lullaby
and Finale as themes that are very effective and repetitive; it is not
difficult to hear an audience humming the final fanfare upon leaving a
performance of that piece. As far as Stravinsky’s non orchestral music, one
section of his compositions with which I was not familiar was his works for
piano. I was unable to locate the piece that was discovered after his death but
I did spend some time listening to the 1924 sonata as well as a handful of
others. I found them to by varying degrees of interesting, especially the
dramatic and forceful use of ornaments which sounded very Baroque to me (as
noted in the Morgan text, the term neo-classical could very well have been
called neo-baroque). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> This
final listening for this portion of the reading dealt with the composers Bartok
and Janacek and their contributions to both the string quartet form and opera.
The Bartok String Quartet in C# minor sounded (as was noted by both you and the
video) very similar to the contrapuntal style of Beethoven. This is not so surprising
to me, as the legacy of Beethoven is something that seems quite inescapable (we
only have to consider that the textbook; <i>Concise
History of Western Music </i>By Dr. Margaret Hanning devotes a full chapter to
Beethoven while other great composers such as Monteverdi, Bach, Mozart and
Haydn must share chapters with each other).
Therefore any comparison to Beethoven, I imagined worked in Bartok’s
favor. On the subject of Janacek, I found the Opera Jenufa to be very moving
and the lyrical speech-like patterns in the soprano voice were very enjoyable
to hear. The Morgan text did not include any mention of the murder of Janacek’s
classmate and the possible psychological effects it had on him or his
compositions, it would have been interesting if this event were noted in the
textbook to give a more complete picture to this composer’s life and works. The
Cunning Little Vixen cartoon was absolutely fascinating and I did a little
research on the project and Amazon.com turned out to have a few really good
write-ups in the order section for the DVD.
I read that it originally aired on the BBC to relatively high acclaim
and itself was based off of a 1920’s cartoon strip. This stylization was very evident
in the clip on YouTube and I think I might order the video as I have many young
students who might benefit from seeing this kind of accessible art especially
since it only last for about an hour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> It
goes without saying that many pieces had to be omitted from this discussion
paper. I tried to stay with the works that sparked the most thoughts from me
and would therefore make the most interesting points. I feel as though the
repertoire that I have heard thus far will enable to make very detailed
comparisons with the music in the next 6 chapters including thoughts and
reflections on political circumstances and how they affect composers and their
craft. It is very interesting to me though, that when we consider music of the
20<sup>th</sup> century many CD compilations what feature that title stop with
the composers mentioned above. It is perhaps due to the fact that it appears we
are moving farther and farther away from what many would consider “listenable”
music. It could also be symptomatic of the intrusion of “popular” music into
the art music world. It would also be foolish to think that these two
circumstances (among many others) were unrelated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-2036565090322830202012-02-19T15:22:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:22:27.423-08:00Politics and Ideology in England's Art Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Socialism
is an easy term to use as an all encompassing descriptive for the global left.
In Great Britain there were strong calls for improved labor conditions and
worker rights and a very easy argument could be made that the Communist Party
would not have had the strength to become a world ideology were it not for
contribution made by the English in the 19<sup>th</sup> century. Thus, the
Labor Party became the popular party of the British Isles (it’s a drastic
oversimplification, I know, but I have to remind myself that this isn’t a
political science class). But the “socialism” of England was always tempered by
a fantastical obsession with the traditions of the Monarchy which still exists
in that country. We can see this contradiction in the music of both Benjamin
Brittan and Michael Tippett, in many ways these composers were able to bring
out through their music very liberal ideologies (fair treatment of humans and
the working class) while working in a very tonal medium and in many cases
continuing the traditions of Vaughan Williams, Holst and Elgar to incorporate
aspects of their native music. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Peter
Grimes, the opera by Benjamin Brittan with libretto by Montagu Slater tells the
story of a violent unstable fisherman who has had one apprentice die (but is
somewhat vindicated from any wrongdoing) and takes on another who meets the
same fate. In some ways this can be read as an attack on the conditions of the
poor as it seems the characters are somewhat doomed from the outset of the
piece. In subject matter, the work is quite modern; this point is emphasized by
Morgan: “the somber, pessimistic subject matter, presenting a sadistic title
character combining characteristics of a romantic ‘outsider’ and a psychotic
social misfit, is decidedly modern in flavor.” (Morgan p 276) The arrangement
of the prologue and acts also has the influence of Alban Berg’s operas. There
are, however; many aspects of Peter Grimes which are both vernacular and
traditional with the inclusion of a drinking song and church hymns says
something about the appreciation for music that might not fall strictly insider
the modern art music repertoire. From this vantage point Peter Grimes is a
prime example of the new living alongside the most cherished aspects of the
past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Michael
Tippett’s oratorio: A Child of Our Time is full of social commentary, as Morgan
writes: “…in content an impassioned statement of man’s inhumanity to man, set
within the context of the Nazi persecution of the Jews.” (Morgan p. 279) Once
again we see a very modern viewpoint of international fraternity and minority
class rights (although the argument could easily be made that the Enlightenment
era was concerned with human fraternity, this notion very rarely manifested
itself in terms of works of art with an outright political message [perhaps
with the exception of Beethoven’s 9<sup>th</sup> Symphony). Another way this
work is novel is that the composer and librettist are the same individual, few
other composers delve into the lyric writing (the first exception I can think
of was Roger Quilter). Morgan writes that A Child of Our Time owes much to the
Bach Passions but when I listened to the example you recommended I really heard
George Fredric Handel more than J.S. Bach. This would seem to make more sense
to me as Handel has had an enduring reputation in Great Brittan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-6941711320349732852012-02-19T15:19:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:19:52.958-08:00Folk and "Exotic" Sounds in European Art Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In
response to the questions posed as to which individuals and their compositional
methods are varying degrees of traditional or contemporary, I found myself with
the same answer for each, and that was dependant on the use of folk music. In many ways, folk music represents the most
traditional of all genres of music and yet it existed largely unappreciated in
the concert halls for a long period of history. As mentioned earlier, Mozart’s Turkish
Rondo, Haydn’s “Gypsy” Trio, Beethoven’s arrangements of Russian songs for
pedagogical purposes and pieces like that did include both folk music and
exotic elements, but it seems as though this was (in the Classical/Romantic
period) as a quaint ornament to otherwise strict Germanic compositional styles.
It seems, however; that the boldness of Stravinsky, Bartok, Kodaly, Janacek and
others to outright say “folk music was my inspiration for this melody” or to
write in a folk music style was to bring traditional national cultural music
into popular perception. It is interesting that similar experiments in
recording and cataloging music of the Native American’s were happening around
the same time that Bartok was doing his research (according to the text <i>An Introduction to America’s Music </i>by
Richard Crawford). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the
sense that concert hall music is traditional, to me, no figure stands out more
than Rachmaninoff. Here is an individual that lived well into the 20<sup>th</sup>
century, enjoyed a great deal of success and is still regularly performed today
(the Van Cliburn competition which wrapped up recently featured many pianists
playing the 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> piano concerto to a very
enthusiastic audience). The concertos
are indeed beautiful expressions of grand writing for the piano and orchestra,
as are the Variations on a Theme by Paganini. These pieces are often melodically
lyrical, moody with sections that tend to tap into that part of an audience
that is looking for a rush. The greatest example of Rachmaninoff’s writing that
shows his traditional, yet contemporary side is the very well known Prelude in
C Sharp Minor. In many ways the harmonies of this piece are very Romantic
recalling remnants of Chopin’s Prelude in C minor. On the other hand, the piece
seems to have a clear ABA form with much more variation than many classical
preludes tended to have (admittedly, many Romantic preludes do though, again,
Chopin comes to mind in the way his “Raindrops” prelude changes as well as
several others). In the end, it seems as though Rachmaninoff’s most novel
aspect was the fact that he maintained what was becoming seen by his
contemporaries as an “antiquated” style. However, the pieces’ enduring
popularity against his contemporizes perhaps means that Rachmaninoff was (and
still is) in line with popular trends.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The
final figure, for this discussion, is Ravel. In the interest of full
disclosure, growing up as a young music student, Ravel was my favorite composer
and I worked very hard trying to imitate his style (eventually my composition
teacher began to scold me for doing this).
Ravel was hardly the only composer to write music for the left hand
alone, however; the Concerto for left hand stands out as a remarkable
achievement, especially when pitted against the massive chord voicing in
Rachmaninoff. In a very profound way though, this is an incredibly traditional
method as many of the first keyboard instruments (such as the portative organ)
were often played with only one hand.
Ravel was also very novel in his use of Jazz aspects in his pieces,
however; the aspects of Jazz which were incorporated into his works (such as
the sliding and saxophone use in Bolero were in practice and common in the 19<sup>th</sup>
century in the Americas. The piano concerto in G has a great deal of bitonality
and incredible virtuosity but it remains a Classical Concerto that follows a
fast-slow-fast format. This is probably the biggest point above all the others;
regardless of the use of dissonance, or dissonant sounds, odd meters or any of
the exploited techniques used by composers of the 20<sup>th</sup> century,
often these individuals were still writing titles such as “symphony” “concerto”
and “prelude.” To be fair, there were
some free-formed pieces being written, but it would have been impossible for
the new composers to completely sever ties with the previous 3 centuries.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-26539091472575652822012-02-19T15:17:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:17:03.075-08:00Schoenberg, Beethoven and Bach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> It
is difficult to say exactly what parallels Morgan could draw between Schoenberg
and Beethoven (or Brahms, Mozart etc.) In some respects the author goes to some
length to demonstrate the transpositional characteristics seen in the music of
Scriabin and that kind of motivic development could be seen as making “every
note count.” The best example of this being<i>
Das Buth der Hangenden Garten, No 7</i> on p. 70 which shows the same voice
leading of an augmented chord to an essentially quartal chord (with one
augmented fourth present. To me, what makes Beethoven Beethoven was his ability
to “emancipate” the motive and free it from the confines of a melody. The 5<sup>th</sup>
symphony is a fantastic example of this practice, in the whole piece there is
virtually no melody to speak of, only groups of four notes brilliantly
arranged. To our modern ears, this practice is quite tame, but for an audience
that was used to the eight bar antecedent and consequent phrases this was
revolutionary. Therefore, if the motif could be liberated from the melody, then
it is not too far a stretch to say that tone could be liberated from key, thus
we have Schoenberg’s famous quite about the “emancipation of dissonance” (which
appears on p. 67 of the Morgan textbook). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> In
the documentary on the famous 20<sup>th</sup> century pianist; Glen Gould
titled <u>The Alchemist </u>Mr. Gould goes out of his was to describe the
relationship between Bach and Schoenberg. Mr. Gould stated that “both were
puzzles that needed to be figured out.” It is both amazing and understandable
to me how idealized Bach is in the theory world as his music represents an
unmatched architectural complexity but still stands up to be beautiful.
Schoenberg’s music and study of theory (not to mention his writings on the
subject and influence on his pupils) deal, to a great extent, with that same
architectural standard, there is a high degree of craftsmanship but the
popularity seems (like Bach) to not have arose in the same way enjoyed by his
contemporaries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Schoenberg’s
writings on the subject of music theory and practice could by themselves
warrant a comparison with the Romantic masters. As mentioned in the text,
Liszt, Wagner, Brahms and Berlioz all wrote on the subject of music and many of
them published texts on the philosophy of music (or in Strauss’s case the <i>Treatise on Instrumentation </i>revised by
Berlioz, I own the Dover publication edition of this text). In many ways we can
see this aspect of Schoenberg’s personality and output as a natural extension
from the 19<sup>th</sup> century’s emphasis on the written word and philosophy
of all things that have to do with existing as a human. The only major
difference in the circumstances between this period of Schoenberg’s output and
his earlier counterparts was that Schoenberg lived in an age of established
industrialization and urbanization which was still somewhat novel in 19<sup>th</sup>
century. Other comparisons could be made, but these stand out as the most
prominent to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-57975554237071571102012-02-19T13:35:00.000-08:002012-02-19T15:31:15.264-08:00Debussy in the Transition to Our Modernity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Out of the transitional composers
listed in the Morgan text,</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span>("Twentieth-Century Music: A History of Musical Style in Modern Europe and America") </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">the two that have been featured the most in concert
halls and NPR play would probably be Mahler and Debussy. Out of these two, it
seems that Debussy is still the most popular especially for works such as Clare
De Lune and many of the other tonal piano pieces. While reading the opening
chapters of the textbook, I found it interesting that so many composers left
their native home and found refuge in distant countries (Rachmaninoff,
Schoenberg and Stravinsky to name a few). These composers seemed to always
think back to (and draw inspiration from) native music of their homeland, in
contrast to Claude Debussy, who lived his life in France, seemed to look
everywhere but his home (although it should be noted that the nuances of
Gregorian chant do have history in the all of the countries of Europe,
including France, also the influence of older contemporaries such as Faure and
others should also be included).</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
most popular pieces of Debussy seem mostly to be tonal modern interpretations
of either ancient or some kind of “exotic” music.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> In a way, I get the impression that
Robert Morgan seems to make an association between dissonance and modernity (I
write this while keeping in mind the statement made by many theorists about the
12 tone system of music not being dissonant because dissonance ceases to
exist). In truth, there is a great history in music with close and chromatic
intervals, the world over, only the perception of “pleasing” versus
“unpleasing” sounds seems to change. If we examine the Japanese court
traditional music <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN3d6NfKFac">Gagaku</a>,
what we hear is a cacophony of piercing flutes reed tone clusters and slow
pulsating rhythms of seemingly un-tuned drums; this is music that goes back
hundreds of years. I mention this because we know from the Morgan text that
Debussy had an interest in eastern music, both Gamelan and Japanese sounds had
a profound influence on his compositions (and indeed the greater artistic community
such as Van Gogh pulled a great deal of inspiration for his painting from
traditional Japanese artwork and writings on “the floating world.”) This fact
is corroborated in the book <i>Rediscovering
the Orient </i>by Andrew Gerstle, which goes into great detail about eastern
influences in European arts. Gerstle states that Debussy’s interpretation of
Japanese music was very a misunderstood one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Either Debussy’s interpretation of Japanese music was
misunderstood or the composer was putting an individual “take” on the music,
either way it is too hard to tell. The fact still remains that innovations in
travel, opening of trade and Europe’s prominence in the world was leading to
increased communication with other cultures which by itself is a symptom of
modernity. History shows us that art and
cultures tend to be very pliable things and interaction of any kind often
results in some new hybrid not belonging immediately to either. This is the
case with the “eastern” influences in Debussy’s music, the pieces bear influences
of pentatonic scales and eastern melodies but they are not themselves
renditions of music from those cultures. It is much more the case, as Morgan
puts it, that “Debussy favored a more generalized poetic evocation of moods,
impressions, and atmospheric landscapes.” And it is fair to say that some of
those landscapes included exotic places. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-26634603870763568902012-02-12T13:48:00.000-08:002012-02-12T13:48:20.131-08:00Opera in England<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">England’s relationship
with opera has existed at angular intervals in history. The first major star
being Henry Purcell with his Dido and Aeneas, followed by a gap, and later
George F. Handel followed by a longer, more significant gap. Of course, it
should be mentioned that music in the theatre did not disappear as there was
the incredibly successful “Beggar’s Opera” which spawned many adaptations and
revisions as well as international tours. But as far as works for the stage
that were continuously sung on which one composer was responsible, this did not
fully return to Great Britain until the composers Ralph Vaughn Williams, Gustav
Holst, Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett all of which lived and worked almost
entirely in the 20<sup>th</sup> century. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Both Ralph
Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst produced a hand full of pieces, Vaughan
Williams winning out with a total of 5 operas whereas for Holst the situation
is difficult due to the fact that he wrote several works for stage, but many of
them are incredibly short pieces. The
most successful of the Vaughan Williams operas (or the one that is written on
the most in historical websites) seem to be The Pilgrims’’ Progress (1951) an
allegorical story about a pious Pilgrim who encounters sinful situations he
must fix. As far as Gustav Holst is concerned; his only full-length opera is;
Sita, which is a retelling of the epic poem The Ramayana from classical
Carnatic mythology. This might go some
way to being a precursor to Michael Tippett’s interest in Indian music and
Hindustani music theory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Michael
Tippett was born in London but spent most of his childhood in Suffolk. In many
ways he was fortunate that his parents lived abroad in France and Corsica due
to the fact that he could visit them and thus gave the young Michael a very
worldly view very early on in life. Tippett was a graduate of the Royal College of
Music and also studied counterpoint under R. O. Morris. His first major success
in terms of music for the theatre was his oratorio A Child of Our Time which
was first performed in 1944 (the text was written by the composer, an important
trend since the time of Wagner). As far
as “pure” opera is concerned, the most important work of Tippett’s output was
The Midsummer Marriage (1955). Midsummer tells the story of two couples, one
royal and one common (much in the way of Die Zauberflote), the challenge in the
piece is what characters have to go through before their union is complete, the
author of chapter 9 in the Oxford text, Paul Griffiths writes: “The Midsummer
Marriage concerns a pair of lovers, each of whom has to achieve a psychical
completeness before their union is possible, she has to learn earthliness, he
spirituality…” The work relies heavily on dance in order to get across the
process to the characters. There are a few notable things regarding the
composition of Midsummer, first that it was written/composed one act at a time
and second that Tippett, in the libretto did not shy away from the fantastical
nor use of contemporary slang in language.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Benjamin
Britten was one of those composers who showed an immense talent for music at a
young age. In his youth he studied piano and viola as well as composing as
early as age 5. Like Tippett, he
enrolled at the Royal College of Music but found success hard to come by as a
composer in an academic setting. Where Britten did find substantial success was
in the film industry, first scoring documentaries and later motion pictures. He
would take the dramatic side of his film compositions into other corners of his
compositional output including opera. It should be noted that Benjamin Britten
was a homosexual who spent a fair amount of his life with his partner the
singer Peter Pears. Many older history texts shy away from this fact, as an
example, the “Dictionary of Composers” published 1977 refers to Pears simply as
“friend.” This is important due to the fact that not only did Britten
frequently write for, and with Pears’ voice in mind it also adds clarity to the
notion of persecution present in so many of Britten’s works for stage,
especially Peter Grimes (1945). Peter Grimes was a landmark piece, it was a
British opera that was significant internationally (really the first to be so
since G.F. Handel). It is a largely tonal opera that tells the story of a
fisherman who is under constant suspicion from his fellow townsfolk. The piece
is a tragedy and used large orchestral color and even polytonality to aurally
describe the stage scenario. Of course, Peter Grimes was not the only opera of
Britten. He would go on to compose The Rape of Lucretia (1946) which is a story
of a faithful woman who is raped by the prince of Rome and later kills herself
for fear that she will never recover from the ordeal. A fascinating subject
matter for the 20<sup>th</sup> century, especially when one considers the taboo
nature of the subject of rape happening to live characters on stage (although
it was not graphically shown in its production), and when we think of the
censorship of the film industry going on at the same time in the United States it
is a wonder that this piece was staged at all. Britten also wrote the comic
piece Albert Herring (1947) which is a thankfully less repulsive tale revolving
around a May-day celebration and townsfolk involved in tame debauchery. Britten through his compositions of not only
opera but also works for film, orchestra and chamber ensembles was able to aid
in the reestablishment of Great Britain as a cultural center for innovation in
music, especially that of music for the theatre. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-56012985375318683202012-02-12T13:45:00.001-08:002012-02-12T13:45:49.676-08:00Opera in Russia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According to the Oxford
text, Russian courts hosted opera as far back as the innovations of Opera Buffa
in the 18<sup>th</sup> century. Domenico
Cimerosa composed <u>Il Matrimonio Segreto</u> for a Russian court and was very
well received during its lifetime. This was, to be sure, not native opera; in
fact, the first libretto in the Russian language was written in 1755 but was
also written by an Italian imported composer to the region. Rather, the
subjects were set in Italian language as they were in a great deal of Europe
during the 1700’s, but it does provide a lineage to the more native styles that
would emerge later in the 19<sup>th</sup> century with the likes of Glinka,
Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky and later Shostakovich and Prokofiev. The reasons for non-indigenous opera in the
Slovak countries seems a simple enough problem to solve, after all, it was an
Italian import into the rest of Europe, but it wasn’t until after the adoption
of European culture and style (particularly French and German) under Peter the
Great, that Russia began to emerge as a cultural center partially out of
assimilation (as in Tchaikovsky) and partly out of Rebellion (Mussorgsky). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The first
opera that was sung continually in Russian was A Life for the Tsar (1836) by
Mikhail Glinka. The story is a relatively simple one, essentially it is the
tale of a young married couple, the Juvenile is charged with leading invading
Poles away from the newly elected Romanoff sovereign. The young man is successful
but because of his deception he is killed.
Glinka went on to write another great opera in the piece Ruslan and
Lyudmila (1837-1842) which was very Russian in its origins of being adapted
from a poem of Pushkin, but bears a great deal of relationship to the fantasy
operas of Romantic Germany as it contains wizards, fairies and other sorts of
magical characters and prophecy. While
Glinka held fast to many Italian styles of opera including the recitative/aria
format, he did generate certain validity for opera in the Russian language on
Russian subjects that would be inherited by younger composers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The Later
developments in Russian opera that unfolded in the 19<sup>th</sup> century were
linked to Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky and Mussorgsky. Rimsky-Korsakov was the most prolific of the
three, composing a total of 15 operas, however; his is best known for The
Golden Cockerel (1909) which was another fairly tale opera that contains within
it the famous “Flight of the Bumblebee.” As far as Tchaikovsky is concerned, he
is seen as something sort of backwards from the history of opera in Russia,
whereas the beginning of the genre had to do with foreign styles influencing
native stories, Tchaikovsky looked elsewhere for settings for his stage-works. Many of his operas take place outside of
Slovak countries and even his most well known work Evgeny Ongen is only
partially set in Russia and was successful for its more profound examination of
character relationships. John Tyrrell
writes; “In the latter two operas [The Enchantress and Evgeny] the Russian
element penetrates no further than Act 1, but where the Enchantress, like so
many of Tchaikovsky’s operas, fails, and where Onegin triumphantly succeeds, is
in the level of personal engagement.”
Finally the discussion in the Oxford text turns to the issue of realism
in Russian opera, the principal figure here is Modest Mussorgsky who believed
very strongly in speech-rhythms being represented in song. Mussorgsky had a terrible time completing
operas as he attempted several but was only able to finish one; Boris Godunov
(1874) which is notable for its prose settings of text that avoids too much in
terms of song-structure in the original, (later in a revised version solo songs
and duets were added). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The 20<sup>th</sup>
century would see many changes to the Russian landscape, the Soviet Revolution
had deposed the royal family of Russia and now a new “dictatorship of the
proletariat” was established. Originally under the direction of V.I. Lenin the
fledgling nation of the USSR would seek to relegate art to artists and
intellectuals, art was also a low priority with the government due to the
bloody civil war that was sweeping the nation. It wasn’t until the death of
Lenin that the ineptly educated Joseph Stalin ascended to total power over the
country. Stalin’s narrow idea of artistic ability lay with only precision in
realism and during that period both the visual and performing arts would enter
a much prescribed scenario. The two
major composers writing at this time were Shostakovich and Prokofiev.
Shostakovich is known best (in terms of opera) for his Lady Macbeth of the
Mtsensk District (1934) musically very successful but mostly infamous for the
ban of its performance directed by Stalin after seeing a production of the
piece. Lady Macbeth did challenge
conventions on moral grounds as well as the role of women in society (being
married to man when she is in love with another) but it is the work’s central
place in the history of censorship that makes it so notable from an historical perspective.
Sergey Prokofiev was the composer of a
handful of operas including The Fiery Angel, the Gambler and Semyon Kotko. The
Oxford text notes; The Love for Three Oranges for the fact that it “unlooses
the ostinatos from any psychological purpose, and instead has them spinning the
wheels of a comic fantasy.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> It should
be noted that during any discussion of the Soviet Union, there is sometimes a
tendency to lump the Lenin/Stalin legacy together when it comes not only to art
but also to political policy. According to the biography by Robert Payne, Lenin
was willing to leave artistic matters to the artists and rather wanted to focus
on overall education, Lenin himself was an avid fan of Beethoven’s music as
well as many other classics. This in some ways is to be expected as in his
youth, the young Vladimir had a very liberal education and was a practicing
lawyer (in-between his revolutionary activities). Stalin, by contrast, did not
receive the same kind of liberal education; he was a staunchly conservative man
who was notoriously rude. This is not meant to oversimplify the situation in
the USSR, this is simply to point out that there was a great difference in the
visions of the two men for what the Soviet Union was to become. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-34995973327397784362012-02-12T13:44:00.000-08:002012-02-12T13:44:28.141-08:00Czech Opera<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Turmoil in countries can
have many effects on the output of art. Sometimes wars of national liberation
can be an amazing catalyst for the development or validation of national
styles. By the same token, political unrest, cultural repression (especially in
language) and of course uncertain economy can have a very retardant effect on
the arts. The Czech-speaking people have
lived under several rulers since the late Renaissance. While they were included
in the Hapsburg Empire, their native culture was to be tempered by more
Germanic elements including language, music and dance. This issue was coupled with the fact that
there was no Czech aristocracy who would normally be responsible for the
funding and patronage of the arts, particularly opera. Therefore; it is not surprising that Czech
opera is seen as a “late-comer” to the theatrical world, with its true
beginnings in the establishment of the ‘Provisional Theatre’ with a handful of
works by Skroup, reaching maturity with Smetana and achieving world wide
notoriety with Janacek. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> It should
not be thought that opera was absent from Czech-speaking lands. An Italian
opera company occupied the Estates Theatre for some time before it was
disbanded in 1807. Even then opera did not disappear, as a German company came
in to replace the scattered Italians, in fact; the composer Skroup served as
the second music director for the Estates in 1827. But aside from the composer; Skroup and a few
of his contemporaries, Czech language opera was largely displaced by the works
of Mozart’s Italian pieces as well as later Wagnerian operas and musical
dramas. It was to eventually be the
Czech middle class theatre-goers who “held sentimentality for rural life” that
would seek to bring out genuinely Czech culture both as a means of preserving
national identity and aligning themselves with their national proletariat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Internet
information on the composer Frantisek Skroup is frustratingly limited. Most of
the reputable biographical cites are written in Czech and Google’s language
tools are still not sufficient enough to render an intelligible narrative. The parts of the biography that are readable
do seem to corroborate the Wikipedia article that contained two paragraphs on
the composer as well as a listing of his works by genre. Skroup is most well
known for composing the piece “Where is My Home” which is now used as the Czech
national anthem. He was born in Osice and educated in Prague where he earned a
living as a choir-boy and flautist while studying music with the choirmaster
Franz Volkert. He was the composer of
several Singspiels as well as a handful of operas, many of them in German. Skroup
did write opera on Czech themes, the piece <u>Libusin Snatek</u> (Libuse’s
Marriage, a subject very popular in Europe which inspired many works) is cited
as an early vernacular piece to achieve some acclaim, but as the author John
Tyrrell points out: “The early history of vernacular opera tens to centre not
on quality but on claims for primacy.” Therefore; Skroup is notable for his
role in the musical development of the Czech speaking lands, but as far as a
nationalistic style is concerned; he was far too submerged in the Wagnerian
revolution to produce anything truly native. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
composer Bedrich Smetana would be the composer to really occupy history’s
notion as the first nationalistic composer of the Czech-speaking territories.
His first opera <u>Branibori v Cechach</u> (The Brandenburgers in Bohemia) is
ripe with political messages to the middle class. The piece is set in the Middle
Ages and tells the story of a rioting mob that expels the foreign Burghers from
the land. While the political message was well received it did not establish a
national style, this was accomplished with his next and most well known piece <u>The
Bartered Bride</u>. <u>The Bartered
Bride</u> is notable for its ease of hearing on the part of the listener, using
uncomplicated counterpoint and mostly singable tunes easily digested by the
“unsophisticated listener.” The opera has a heavy reliance on popular dances,
namely the polka and slow waltz. Smetana opposed the use of directly quoting
folk-songs for his opera (although there are a few instances of this) but he
did use folk-style melodies during his pieces. Though Smetana went a long-way
to the development of a national style, at his heart he still possessed a
German education (which was evidence by the number of Fairy Tale operas he
composed) and his journey to the composition of Czech works was a long one. It
is in the composer; Janacek that we see a fully developed Czech-style. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Leos
Janacek was born in 1854, and although he received most of his musical
education from a monastery, he also pursued his musical education through
Prague as well as Vienna (in the hopes of bettering himself as an educator for
his own music college). Like other
nationalist/ethnomusicologists such as Bartok and Kodaly, he was an ardent
student of folk music. He composed a great deal before turning to opera, but it
was not until his most well known piece; <u>Jenufa</u> that he became such a
dominating figure in the canon of Czech composers. <u>Jenufa</u> is a gruesome story about
lovers, a woman’s disfigurement and the murder of an infant. It originally
appeared in a censored version that seemed to appeal to the audiences, who
heard it, later it was performed in its original form. Through the international success of <u>Jenufa</u>,
Janacek emerged from being seen as just an ethnomusicologist to a legitimate
composer on the level of Sibelius, Mussorgsky and Bartok. Janacek would go on to write some very
successful operas such as <u>Osud</u> (1904), <u>The Cunning Little Vixen</u>
(1924, which was featured in the Robert Morgan text on 20<sup>th</sup> century
music) and <u>From the House of the Dead</u> (1927). It is very interesting that opera, with
essentially Italian origins, could be used as such an instrument of national
pride for countries all over Europe. Of
course, this is a theatrical style that had to be tempered with the regional
folk song and studies of rural music. Still, the success of composers like
Janacek and his ilk is a testament to the power of indigenous style. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-57537649619077675672012-02-12T13:42:00.000-08:002012-02-12T13:42:08.461-08:00Lesser Known Cornelius and Wolf<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wagner cast a
considerable shadow over the German composers of the 19<sup>th</sup> century,
in fact; it could be said that he cast a considerable shadow over the whole of
the Romantic Era. Younger composers such as Peter Cornelius and Hugo Wolf were
in some ways charged with displaying individuality and independence from
Wagnerian style in the same ways that composers of the early 19<sup>th</sup>
century tried to assimilate Beethoven’s style while creating an individual name
for themselves. It is a curious thing that the text notes these composers
working so hard to separate their works from Wagner, after all, Wagner
displayed a heavy influence from Berlioz, Liszt and Beethoven (as well as
others), the question must be asked, why was it so important?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Peter
Cornelius is not a particularly well known composer, trying to find any
biographical information on him was somewhat difficult. Only a devoted
Wikipedia article showed up on Google and my “Dictionary of Composers” was
little help. From what I read, he played violin, wrote prolifically on the
subject of art (like many Romantic composers) and composed Lieder early in
life. As far as the text is concerned, he was a composer of some ability but
felt swamped by Wagner and therefore decided to try and separate himself
through means of writing comic opera. This was a short lived solution as
eventually Cornelius became an assistant of Wagner and also began writing
fantastical German opera sometimes based on Norse legend. All of this was to no
avail, however; because he was constantly pushed aside in favor of operas such
as <u>Tristan</u> and <u>Parsifal</u>.
Cornelius did in 1874 at age 50.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> While
Cornelius might be somewhat obscure, Hugo Wolf is a well known individual to
anyone who has studied classical voice. Wolf was a prolific composer of Leider,
possibly the most well known since Franz Schubert. Wolf was able to combine the best aspects of
reoccurring motif as well as the melodic development present in Wagner but
distilled into a more palatable song-form. Hugo Wolf did in fact compose an opera close
to the end of the 19<sup>th</sup> century; the piece was titled Der Corregidor
(finished in 1896) and was based off the “light hearted libretto” by Rosa
Mayreder. Barry Millington detracts from the piece based on its flawed text
stating that “Act 4 has an excessive amount of recapitulation of preceding
events.” This was somewhat amusing to me as we need look no further for
excessive recapitulation and unnecessary declamation than that of Wagner. In
fact, the passing comment about Anna Russell prompted me to look up her videos
where one of the big punch lines is her poking fun at Wagner’s bombastic
nature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-13157207553645607072012-02-12T13:40:00.000-08:002012-02-12T13:40:26.504-08:00Reflections on “The Staging of Opera”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I am
relatively confident that this section of the Oxford text could be re-titled
“The Staging of Theatre, in General” as many of the aspects discussed (often jokingly)
could easily be applied to any production.
In order to really understand staging, I think it is important to
understand a decisive moment in the history of theatre; that being the stepping
away of Thespis from the Greek chorus (this could also be seen as an overall metaphor
for the development of stagecraft). Prior to Thespis asserting himself as an
“actor” the chorus was little more than an amplified story-telling group. In
this respect there is little difference between the classical Greek chorus and
listening around a campfire. With Thespis stepping away, there is a far
different demand on the audience, no longer are we hearing a story we are
witness to it. From that standpoint, nothing is more important than maintaining
the illusion of seeing a reality happen, in real time, on stage and everything
that cast, crew, director and stage manager must do to maintain that illusion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The author
of chapter 10 in the Oxford text, Robert Savage, cites a number of
dramaturgical works in order to explain the science of effective staging,
focusing primarily on the directions for Othello and Dafne. These two operas
span over 200 years between them and therefore a directional look at both of
them provides some notion of the evolution of the art form. These documents include ingenious means of
getting around problems that might arise in the course of a production, such as
a battle scene that is followed by an aria, where the singer might be out of
breath. This could be solved by having an extra actor for the battle where the
singer can wait patiently in the wings. Another example is given for the murder
scene in Othello, the dramaturges recommends that Desdemona powder her face
while the pillow hides her from the audience so that she can appear ghost-white
when Othello retracts the suffocating device. There are also illustrations of minor
suggestions for getting an onstage choir to be able to act together and not
obstruct the principal characters and for scenery to be set up and painted with
continuity and realism. Of course some of these aspects change as theatre
evolves, for instance, in the 20<sup>th</sup> century avant-garde pieces, the
issue of realism is not what it is for an opera such as Othello, however; I
think it is safe to say that for the majority of opera’s history, the emphasis
has been consistently representational of an identifiable world on stage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Perhaps the
most amusing aspect of this chapter was the section that cited Benedetto
Marcello, who was “a Venetian Lawyer, administrator, poet and composer who felt
he was a cut above the personnel of most of the companies.” Savage quotes him
at length giving ironic advice to various members of a production stating such
things as: allowing actors to gesture
and make entrances wherever and whenever they like, that painters should arrange
the stage with no idea of perspective or horizon, singers should sing with
their mouths half-closed and muffled, and that divas should be concerned with
their outfits and looking pleasing rather than acting and singing well. Of course this is a “what not to do” type
tirade, however; I myself have been to a number of productions where I could
cite at least one of these theatrical fallacies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I believe I
mentioned this a long time ago, but I grew up doing community theatre which
involved mostly musicals. Except for the music director (who was also my
private piano teacher) all the cast and crew were volunteers, some were
students hoping to learn necessary skills for a professional career after
graduation, others were working adults who enjoyed acting/singing as a way of
spending their free time and all manner of
people in-between these two extremes. I was particularly amused while
reading this chapter because I tended to flash back to all of the back-stage
antics and ill-prepared performers, the set that wasn’t completed until 3 hours
before dress rehearsal, the director who shouted constantly and the number
late-entrances, forgotten lyrics and out-of-tune orchestral cues. I started to think to myself that I am so
glad there were no on-stage fires (the type of which discussed in the text)
because I can’t say for certain that the whole theatre wouldn’t have burned
down. What’s amazing, is that through all of its potential faults, involving
stage and crew, that incredible performances can and frequently do happen on
stage, which I suppose wraps back around to my initial point about Thespis,
things do go wrong in the staging of theatre, but those are not the things the
audience is privy to, what the audience sees is a real-time story, and when it
works, it is an incredible thing to see. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-43266411180863171442012-02-12T13:35:00.000-08:002012-02-12T13:35:41.121-08:00Wagner's Politics and Polemics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Romantic Era saw
many individuals who were not only of music, but also wrote a great deal on the
subject of music and sometimes general philosophy. This was true of Berlioz,
Liszt and of course Richard Wagner. Wagner, the composer who is known
infamously as the author of the anti-Semitic tirade; <span class="apple-style-span"><i>Das Judenthum in der Musik </i>(Jewish Influence in Music)
written in 1850, also wrote several other, more tame polemical works including;
<i>Die Kunst und die Revolution </i>(Art and Revolution), <i>Das Kunstwerk der
Zukunft</i> (Art of the Future) and <i>Oper und Drama </i>(Opera and Drama).
All of these essays provide a textural foundation for understanding what
Richard Wagner was hoping to accomplish. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> While it might be
considered to be an overly-discussed topic in the subject of Wagner’s legacy,
his essay ‘Jewishness in Music’ has come to be part and parcel to his historical
identity. In the essay, Wagner not only attacks Jewish composers but also those
who are simply citizens, Wagner writes “</span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Although
the peculiarities of the Jewish mode of speaking and singing come out the most
glaringly in the commoner class of Jew, who has remained faithful to his
fathers' stock, and though the cultured son of Jewry takes untold pains to
strip them off, nevertheless they shew an impertinent obstinacy in cleaving to
him.” (Quote as it appears on Wikipedia) Statements like these form the
foundation for the unofficial ban on Wagner’s music in the state of Israel and
fuel the debate between academics and conservatives on the appropriateness of
playing works by Wagner. </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> It is very interesting
that in the essay ‘Art and Revolution’ that Wagner has joined the 19<sup>th</sup>
century bandwagon on labeling capitalism something of a social retardant. Barry
Millington writes: “[it was written] in the wake of the Dresden uprising of
1848-1849, Wagner insisted that art be taken out of the realm of capitalist
speculation and profit making.” Millington goes on to note that Wagner, like so
many of his predecessors looked to the idealized, lost Eden of ancient Greece
for artistic integrity. Wagner proposed bringing back this integrity by uniting
all aspects of arts into a single work for stage. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Wagner later
elaborated on the idea of artistic unification in his later essays; ‘Art of the
Future’ and ‘Opera and Drama.’ This is where we see, for the first time the
term Gesamtkunstwert (a total work of art), Millington writes; “…combining
music, poetry and dance on a basis of equality, and simultaneously allowing
architecture, sculpture, and painting to regain their authentic classical
status.” It was in these writings that the stage was set for Wagner to attempt
something like The Ring, to compose a “musical drama” which was a term coined
by the composer and later rejected.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-61341391142893884512012-02-12T13:32:00.001-08:002012-02-12T13:32:55.779-08:00Middle Wagner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With respects to the
three operas <u>Der Fliegnde Hollander</u> (1843), <u>Tannhauser</u> (1845),
and <u>Lohengrin</u> (1848) by Richard Wagner, Barry Millington writes: “All
three operas are transitional within Wagner’s oeuvre, forming a kind of Rainbow
Bridge to Valhalla of the fully through composed music drama.” Millington also notes that while these operas
represented a quintessential apex of German romantic opera, there were several
aspects of foreign (Italian and French) influence. It was clear though, that
Wagner was venturing with these pieces towards his fully mature style that
would manifest itself in <u>The Ring cycle</u>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <u>Der
Fliegnde Hollander</u> was composed in 1843 and performed the year it was
finished. Like he would for <u>The Ring Cycle</u>, Wagner also wrote the
libretto for this work. It is essentially a ghost-story that contains a
redemptive element, to summarize; a ship captain meets with a cursed boat
filled with a ghost-crew, unless the ghost captain is able to find a faithful
wife he will be doomed to sail forever. The living captain on the ship plans to
set up the dead captain with his daughter, after a few scenes and acts
strangeness ensues when the girl throws herself into the sea (she was supposed
to be true to the ghost-captain until her death) which breaks the curse and the
spirits are allowed to ascend into heaven.
It is very interesting how many operas we have seen in Romantic Germany
that requires the sacrifice or steadfastness of a woman in order to enact supernatural
scenarios. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <u>Tannhauser</u>
was composed and performed in 1845; it was a successful opera in part due to
its more uplifting story line. The legends of the roaming knight Tannhauser
existed as separate stories but Wagner combined them into one piece. <u>Tannhauser</u>
is notable for its use of tonal center representing characters, Millington
writes; “That polarity is reflected directly in the music, for the key of E
major is identified with the Venusberg, while E flat major is associated with
the pilgrims, holy love and salvation.
There are also novel takes on standard ideas such as the “Venus music”
which “breaks free from the constraints of traditional word-setting.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <u>Lohengrin</u>
was begun by Wagner in 1845 and completed in 1848; it was first performed in
1850 and is seen by the author in the Oxford text to be an advancement in
Wagnerian style. The work is somewhat
traditional for its use of recitative as well as “minster, organ, fanfares and
bridal processions.” It is from this
opera that the traditional bridal chorus comes.
Wagner capitalizes on what has now become mainstream in German Romantic
opera; a knight, the need of a virtuous woman and some kind of hidden identity
which cannot be discovered and is “the forbidden question.” All of which are
aspects that we have seen from previous works for the stage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Though
successful and masterful works for the stage, these operas do not represent the
Wagner that contributed so fruitfully to the modern music landscape, that
Wagner would come in the form of the composer of <u>The Ring Cycle</u> (to be
discussed next). Millington writes that: “The technique of the leitmotif is
neither prominent nor pervasive in these three Romantic operas.” The leitmotif
being one of the hallmarks of Wagnerian composition and an expected aspect of
his mature style. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-88783760165026662492012-02-12T13:28:00.000-08:002012-02-12T13:29:58.866-08:00Wagner's Early Important Works<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> There were
three early operas of Richard Wagner that display a diversity of style and
influence as well as hints of what was to come with the composer’s later
compositions, especially in terms of the musical-drama. Evidently, the operas
from early in the 19<sup>th</sup> century were beginning to wan on the public
and German opera was falling out of fashion. According to Barry Millington: “by
the time Wagner secured his first professional appointment in 1833, the genre
of German Romantic opera… had already begun to decline” Millington then goes on
to say that “saving” German opera was something of a quest for the young
Wagner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Wagner’s
first opera; <u>Die Feen</u> (1834) is in the tradition of Weber and Marschner;
it follows the pattern of aria, recitative, ensembles… ect, are all present and
dealt with in a skillful manner. <u>Die
Feen</u> is another story of the supernatural and man’s dealings with it,
essentially it is the story of a man who travels to the underworld to see his
beloved who is a half-fairy, the two are permitted to marry so long as the main
character not ask a forbidden question for eight years. As is often the case
with these kinds of stories, the mortal gives in to impatience and his beloved
disappears along with her magical world.
It is pointed out in the book that this is pretty-much another retelling
of the Orpheus myth, except including local folklore instead of Greek models. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The second
opera written by Wagner was <u>Das Liebesverbot</u> (1836) and was the result
of a contemplative period during which Wagner wrote the essay “German Opera” in
1834. In this essay he praises the Italian lyricism in their operatic works.
Das Liebesverbot is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s <u>Measure for Measure</u>
and features very Italian-style long finales as well as having a military band
on stage. Perhaps the most significant thing about <u>Das Liebesverbot</u> is the fact
that for first time there is “sustained use of what was later to be called the
‘leitmotif.’” A leitmotif is a melody, motif, timbre or even a complete piece
can be associated with a character or situation. The modern example I always
hear from music teachers is the Darth Vader theme from star wars. This is among
aspects of Wagner’s compositional style that were most quintessential and innovative
in his works. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The third opera was <u>Rienzi</u>
(1842) which had aims at being a profound commercial success by appealing to
Parisian ideals of large showy numbers with dramatic stage effects in the style
of Meyerbeer and Spontini. <u>Rienzi</u> was significant for the role of the
orchestra being something of an extra voice that could convey emotions and
situations outside of spoken language.
The completion of this piece, in some ways, represents the beginning of
Wagner’s mature period of writing operas where it seems as though he was able
to slough off some of the expectations for stage. It is interesting that
Meyerbeer was once someone admired by Wagner and later disdained for his
“Jewishness and cosmopolitan” approach to music. </span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-30865402620073268672012-02-12T13:25:00.000-08:002012-02-12T13:25:59.946-08:00Wagner and 19th Century Drama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wagner truly dominates
the 19<sup>th</sup> century as far as German opera is concerned. Indeed, a very
logical argument could be made that he dominated 19<sup>th</sup> century music
in general. Wagner, however; did not spring
out of thin air – devising his system of Lietmotifs and theories of
Gesamtkunstwerk without any artistic forerunners. Some of these composers include Beethoven (of
course), Weber, Louis Spohr, E.T.A. Hoffman and Heinrich Marschner. All of
these composers contributed to the theatrical landscape that Wagner would
eventually take over as well as plant seeds of compositional styles that would
profoundly impact later music making. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> In the
early 19<sup>th</sup> century Germany, there was a proliferation of what might
be called “horror operas,” these dealt with the supernatural world in a way
that usually led to death and torment of the human characters. One such piece
is <u>Undine</u> (1816) by Hoffman and Fouque, in which a water spirit is given
a human soul when she is married to a knight Huldbrand. Undine warns that
Huldbrand must always be faithful to her or she will have to kill her, the
knight ignores her and goes astray which leads to his final death by water in
the final scene of the opera. Another is the opera <u>Der Vampyr</u> (1828) by
Marschner. Evidently there were many plays, books and stories about Vampires as
a craze was sweeping German-speaking lands, and I could not help myself but
laugh about the current craze of teenage girls with their face nose deep in <i>Twilight</i> books. <u>Der Vampyr</u> is not so romantic though,
it is the story of a vampire let go of hell to find Satan three virgins to
extend his stay, sadly (or happily, depending on one’s outlook) there are not
that many virgins around which provides for some comic moments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Barry
Millington, </span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">contributor</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> to the Oxford text, states that Carl Maria von Weber was
“not quite the first to write a through-composed opera” in a discussion on the
piece; </span></span><u style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Euryanthe</u><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (1823). This work did not use spoken dialogue and
therefore was taken out of the Singspiel genre. Also musically dramatic, traces
of the sound are found in </span></span><u style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Lohengrin</u><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> and </span></span><u style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Siegfried</u><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">. Another
through-composed opera of the same time was Spohr’s </span></span><u style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jessonda</u><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (1823)
which told the story of a widow of a rajah, set to perform an act of
self-immolation to join her husband in the afterlife. She is saved by the “civilized”
forces of the west, anthropomorphized in the Portuguese general Tristan. I
imagine that this type of production played well to the audiences who had been
told of Europe’s responsibility to civilize the rest of the world as the
French, British and Spanish military continued to march all over the globe
stamping out individual cultures in the name of profit and religion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1064556480805627881.post-62272533438841782432012-02-12T01:39:00.000-08:002012-02-12T01:39:13.041-08:00Casting a Great Shadow in Opera; Giuseppe Verdi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Giuseppe Verdi was born in Le Roncole in 1813; he was the son of an inn-keeper in the small village near Parma. Like Donizetti and Bellini he displayed a talent for music at an early age and was sent by his family to study music in Busseto where the young Giuseppe stayed with a merchant and worked for his business. During this time Verdi began composing marches and short instrumental pieces for the town philharmonic society. He had hopes of studying at the conservatory in Milan but as he was four years older than the maximum age allowed for entrance he was denied a place at the conservatory. Instead he studied music privately with Vincenzo Lavigna who was a conductor at La Scala. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Verdi’s first two works for the stage were Oberto (1939) which was a mildly successful piece, and Un Giorno di Regno (1840) which saw only one performance. Like Bellini Verdi’s true success would come with his third opera; Nabucco (1842). Nabucco is a religious story of Bible-age conflicts involving the Jew’s longing for freedom and a homeland in Israel. The opera is notable for the chorus “Va, Pensiero” (although it was not much mentioned in early reviews) and the soprano-baritone duet in Act 3.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Verdi exists as a monolith in the history of opera composition and it is something of a task to narrow down his most important works. Certainly the piece Rigoletto (1851) deserves praise for its large array of very memorable songs contained within. His setting of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is also worthy of a permanent place in the opera repertoire as should all his Shakespearian settings such as Falstaff and Othello. Finally Il Trovatore (1853) is a work that is very frequently seen surfacing in opera houses around the world, popular for its “finely crafted melodies” and the originality of the characterization of an old “gypsy” woman. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> If I had to narrow down Verdi’s most important opera (a task that I usually wouldn’t attempt to do) I would have to say that La Traviata (1853) is the work that stands out the most. La Traviata contains the famous baritone solo “Di Provenza il Mar” as well as “Alfredo’s Aria” which is a spectacular showing of frantic declamation and elegant melodicism. Essentially, the opera is about a fickle society and social morals. One shocking aspect of the work is that it shows lovers’ living together out of wedlock, the father is a character who is constantly intervening in the affairs of the two lovers making for something of a forbidden love affair, always successful with theater audiences. The main character is Violetta, a woman who is ill for the vast majority of the opera, eventually she dies in the final scene immediately after being reunited with her love interest Alfredo. The music in La Traviata is very engaging and there are very few moments of dullness in sound which goes some way to showing why this has been such an enduring piece. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Michael Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14112088823516722516noreply@blogger.com0