Lituus Envy

I am listening to the latest podcast of PRI's The World, which features music in the Geo Quiz. Apparently some crazy Scots have recreated a lituus and performed Bach with it! In reading up on this ancient Roman war-trumpet, I discovered that the Romans used different trumpets for different signals (according to Wikipedia):

The late Roman writer Vegetius briefly describes the use of trumpets in the Roman legions in his treatise De Re Militari:

“The legion also has its tubicines, cornicines and buccinatores. The tubicen sounds the charge and the retreat. The cornicines are used only to regulate the motions of the colours; the tubicines serve when the soldiers are ordered out to any work without the colours; but in time of action, the tubicines and cornicines sound together. The classicum, which is a particular signal of the buccinatores or cornicines, is appropriated to the commander-in-chief and is used in the presence of the general, or at the execution of a soldier, as a mark of its being done by his authority. The ordinary guards and outposts are always mounted and relieved by the sound of the tubicen, who also directs the motions of the soldiers on working parties and on field days. The cornicines sound whenever the colours are to be struck or planted. These rules must be punctually observed in all exercises and reviews so that the soldiers may be ready to obey them in action without hesitation according to the general’s orders either to charge or halt, to pursue the enemy or to retire. For reason will convince us that what is necessary to be performed in the heat of action should constantly be practised in the leisure of peace.”^[13] (De Re Militari, Book II.)

Like the Greek salpinx the Roman trumpets were not regarded as musical instruments. Among the tems used to describe the tuba’s tone, for instance, were horribilis (“horrible”), terribilis (“terrible”), raucus (“raucous”), rudis (“coarse”), strepens (“noisy”) and stridulus (“shrieking”). When sounding their instruments, the tubicines sometimes girded their cheeks with the capistrum (“muzzle”) which aulos (“flute”) players used to prevent their cheeks from being puffed out unduly.

This is the type of signal music Daniel meant in his comment to Saturday's post. However, while these trumpets were not intended to produce music themselves during Roman times, they were both reappropriated for musical use by Bach's time, and of course were the inspiration for those crazy trumpet parts in Respighi's Pines of Rome. Here is a video that includes pictures and audio of the litui used in Bach's "O Jesu Christ, meins lebens licht":

FriPod: Earth

Early this morning my bed started shaking, and not in a good way. Apparently I can blame the Earth for my disturbed sleep. Perhaps it is reminding us about Earth Day.

1. "Dances of the Ancient Earth" from Ancient Voices of Children by George Crumb, performed by Jan DeGaetani, Machael Dash, Contemporary Chamber Ensemble.

2. "For Behold Darkness Shall Cover The Earth" from the Messiah by George Handel, performed by Samuel Ramey and the Toronto Symphony, Andrew Davis conductor.

3. Das Lied von der Erde by Gustav Mahler, performed by Christa Ludwig, Fritz Wunderlich, Otto Klemperer, Philharmonia and New Philharmonia Orchestras.

4. "On Earth as it is in Heaven" by Ennio Morricone from The Mission soundtrack.

5. "Heaven's Here on Earth" by Tracy Chapman on New Beginnings.

6. "The Good Earth" by N. Hefti, performed by Woody Herman on The Thundering Herds 1945-1947.

7. "L'adoration de La Terre" from Le Sacre Du Printemps by Igor Stravinsky, performed by (a) Igor Stravinsky conducting some French ensemble, (b) Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

8. "A la terre" from Chateau de l'ame by Kaija Saariaho, performed by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra; Members of the Finnish Radio Chamber Choir; Esa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor; Dawn Upshaw, soprano.

9. "Day 1 - Recit & Chorus: Im Anfange schuf Gott Himmel und Erde / Und der Geist Gottes schwebte auf der Fläche der Wasser" from The Creation by Franz Joseph Haydn, performed by John Eliot Gardiner with The Monteverdi Chorus and The English Baroque Soloists.

10. "Day 3 - Recit: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde Gras hervor" from The Creation.

11. "Day 6 - Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde hervor lebende Geschöpfe" from The Creation.

12. "Day 6 - Gleich öffnet sich der Erde Schoss" from The Creation.

13. "Choral/Recitativo (Soprano, Basso): Er ist auf Erden kommen arm" from the Christmas Oratorio by J.S. Bach, performed by Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Wiener Sängerknaben & Hans Gillesberger.

Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll, without the first two

I just read an article about John Covach in the latest University of Rochester Review. The focus of the article was on the History of Rock and Analysis of Rock classes that Covach teaches at the U of R's River Campus. It sparked a thought that perhaps I could teach a History of Rock class for Winter Term this coming year. I had been thinking about teaching a course on Music in the Lord of the Rings. This course would include the myriad songs Tolkien includes in the books, settings of these songs by various composers, and the music of the films. It would fit nicely with the experiential focus of Winter Term courses, where we could sit around listening to music and discussing the settings, watching the films and discussing the use of music, and perhaps even having the students compose their own settings of LOTR songs. The issue would be in making it academically rigorous enough, finding articles and other sources to guide the students and myself in digging deep into the poetry and music.

John Covach has written a textbook for History of Rock classes, which has been well reviewed. And this course would still allow for experiential learning through field trips to live acts in Bloomington and Indianapolis. The problem with this course is that I am not well versed in Rock music past about 1990. I have been slowly educating myself through various blog references, but the average pop music post by Chad Orzel leaves me way in the dust.

My third choice would be to have an interactive reading of Gödel, Escher, Bach, which could possibly include meeting Hofstadter in person since he lives in Bloomington. And that book ties together all sorts of liberal artsy ideas: cognition, computer science, music, art, mathematics, philosophy. But it doesn't sound as exciting as the other two courses.

So, which course do you think I should teach, and why?

FriPod: Priests and Bishops

The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, is visiting Indianapolis right now. Tonight I had dinner with her husband, along with the spouses and partners of many clergy and postulants in the diocese. This week's FriPod is in her honor.

1a. J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion, performed by Mark Padmore, Deborah York, Etc., Paul Mccreesh; Gabrieli Consort & Players: "Da Versammleten Sich Die Hohenpriester"
1b. "Und Der Hohepriester Antwortete Und Sprach Zu Ihm"
1c. "Des Morgens Aber Hielten Alle Hohepriester"
2a. J.S. Bach's St. Mark Passion, performed by The Choir Of Gonville And Caius College, Cambridge: "Recit - Und der Hohepriester"
2b. "Recit - Aber die Hohenpriester"
2c. "Recit. Evangelist - Desselbengleichen die Hohenpriester"
3a. Heinrich Schütz's Matthaeus-Passion SWV479, performed by Schreier, Polster, Lorenz, Kreuzchor, and Flaemig: "Hohepriester und Schriftgelehrte"
3b. "Hohepriester und Aelteste"
3c. "Hohepriester und Pharisaeer"
4. J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio, performed by Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Wiener Sängerknaben & Hans Gillesberger: "Evangelista: Und ließ versammeln alle Hohepriester"
5. "Separate Lives," by Stephen Bishop, performed by Phil Collins on Serious Hits ... Live!
6. "Woodchopper's Ball," by J. Bishop and W. Herman, performed by Woody Herman on The Thundering Herds 1945-1947.

Be prepared for lots of 20th century stuff next week, as I started my summer class at IU today.

Stuff Online

First, a new online music journal, Radical Musicology. Unlike many other journals, RM provides a blog for discussion of the articles, an update on the email list that talks about Music Theory Online articles. The first volume of RM looks interesting, if beyond my area of expertise. The closest would be Gustavo Azenha's article on the affects of e-commerce on the music industry, something I've blogged about several times.

Second, Dan Brown (no, not that Dan Brown) has written an online book about Bach, entitled, Why Bach? He sent me a password, essentially an Advanced Review Copy of the book, and I've been slowly reading it. Brown uses the online format well, with links to MIDI-produced excerpts and scores peppered throughout the text, and color-coded text describing these examples. As an example, he talks about an embedded appoggiatura within an appoggiatura. In the text, the smaller figure is in red, matching the red bracket of the example, while the larger figure is mentioned in green to match the green bracket of the example. The MIDI examples are sometimes annoying, particularly the faux voice sound for the chorales. But they still help get the point across, with an engaging text intended for "the lay music lover [...] though I'd like to think there are things in it that will interest the expert as well." (from the Foreword) Dan Brown is selling this e-book for $7.95, which can be paid via PayPal. Pop scholarship of music has reached Azenha's internet age.

FriPod: Slava

Today the sad news of Mstislav Rostropovich's death has swelled out in the blogosphere and the mainstream media. In honor of the great 'cellist, conductor, and human rights advocate this week's FriPod will look at the recordings I have of Slava, plus some tracks that have "Slava" in the title.

1. String Quintet in C Major, Franz Schubert, performed by the Emerson String Quartet with Slava. I love this piece and I love this performance. I transcribed the first movement for brass choir, though I never really captured the energetic drive of the closing theme in the transcription. The second movement still haunts me, especially the minor dominant chord that almost made me swerve off the road when I first heard it (2:51 in the recording). One fond memory is of singing this movement in the large second floor hallway of the Eastman School, as a group of us were trying to do a Schenkerian analysis. We were too lazy to go find a piano, so we assigned parts (I was second cello, just like Slava). The third and fourth movements have such verve. I can picture the five musicians swaying and bouncing in their seats as they communicate joy, tenderness, tension, anger, beauty.

2. Suite No. 1 in G major for unaccompanied 'cello, J.S. Bach. Many of the obituaries being published today mention Slava's memorable performance of this suite at Checkpoint Charlie as the Berlin Wall was torn down. They don't reveal that he had only recently started playing the suites, and did not record them until 1995, the collection I have. His tone is so wonderful, clear yet full of character. The phrasing is sparkling, letting the dances have the proper rhythmic character while also giving a larger shape to the movements and the entire suite.

3. Suite No. 2 in D minor for unaccompanied 'cello, Bach. Slava shows he understands the counterpoint behind the complex compound melodies of these suites. The Prelude sings as he gives a subtly different color to each contrapuntal line. The Allemande explodes with multistopped fireworks.

4. Suite No. 3 in C major, etc. I agree with Allan Koozin's description of Slava's suites: "His graceful accounts of the Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello illuminated the works’ structural logic as well as their inner spirituality." The Sarabande of Suite No. 3 is full of the trembling terror and awe that humanity feels as it faces God and the infinite. The unknowable is beautiful, but also humbling and frightening.

5. Suite No. 4 in Eb major, etc. I use the Bourees from this suite often as aural examples of the composite ternary form. It is so perfect, from the formal design down to the local motives as they drive to the essential cadences.

6. Suite No. 5 in C minor, etc. From Wikipedia:

Suite No. 5 was originally written in scordatura with the A-string tuned down to G, but nowadays a version for standard tuning is included in almost every edition of the suites along with the original version. Some chords must be simplified when playing with standard tuning, but some melodic lines become easier as well.

The Prelude is written in an A-B form, and begins with a slow, emotional movement that explores the deep range of the cello. After that comes a fast and very demanding single-line fugue that leads to the powerful end.

This suite is most famous for its intimate Sarabande, which is the second of the two movements throughout the suites that doesn't contain any chords. The fifth suite is also exceptional as its Gigue is in the French style, rather than the Italian form of the other five suites.

7. Suite No. 6 in D Major, etc. Slava plays the Prelude as if it were a 20th century work, with awesome echo effects. This suite has the longest track, with the Allemande clocking in at 10:31. That's impressive, especially given the extremely high notes required in this suite.

8. Slavonic Dances, Antonín Dvořák, performed by the New York Philharmonic. Okay, I'm cheating, as I didn't have any tracks with the complete "Slava" so I went with "Slav." I have three of the dances: "Dumka" op. 72, no. 6/14; "Sousedská" op 46, no. 6; and "Furiant" op. 46, no. 8. These dances capture the Slavic passion, the split between refined civilization and raucus barbarity.

9. Marche Slave, Op. 31, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, performed by Claudio Abbado and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Perhaps a funeral march for Slava?

10. Danse slave (Le Roi malgré lui), Emmanual Chabrier, performed by Ernest Ansermet and L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande. French schlock, after glorious Russian pathos. Sigh.

Bell's Hell?

Via Justin Davidson I found this incredible article in the Washington Post by Gene Weingarten. The basic premise sounds trite: let's have Joshua Bell pose as a busker at a subway stop and see if people notice his talent. But the conclusions Mr. Weingarten makes are wonderfully complex, investigating all possible angles and tossing out philosophical angles by Kant, Leibniz, and Hume. He also includes a great description of Bach's Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor, the history of Bell's Stradivarious, and other magical bits of trivia and insight. Go read this article now, and then beg Mr. Weingarten (not a music critic) to write more about music.

FriPod: What Passion is Missing?

As I ponder during this Good Friday, I realized that I don't own any Passions. Before getting too worried about my emotional health, I assure you that I do have passions, just no recordings of the Passion of Christ according to . So instead of listing those I have, I will list those compositions I'm aware of, and ask readers to recommend particular performances or other compositions that I haven't listed.

1. J.S. Bach - St. Matthew Passion BWV 244
2. J.S. Bach - St. John Passion
3. J.S. Bach (apocryphal) - St. Luke Passion BWV 246
4. J.S. Bach (reconstructed) - St. Mark Passion BWV 247
5. Sofia Gubaidulina - Johannes-Passion (2000)
6. Arvo Pärt - Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Joannem (1985)
7. Heinrich Schütz - St. John Passion
8. G.F. Handel - Brockes Passion HWV 48
9. Krzyzstof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion (1728)
10. G.P. Telemann - St. Matthew Passion (1766)
11. G.P. Telemann - St. Luke Passion
12. Tan Dun - Water Passion after St. Matthew
13. Johannes Mattheson - Brockes Passion
14. Johann Thiele - St. Matthew Passion
15. Mauricio Kagel - Sankt-Bach-Passion (1985)
16. Gottfried Stölzel - Brockes Passion
17. Carl Loewe - Passion Oratorio
18. G.F. Handel (spurious) - St. John Passion


So, which of these do you highly recommend, and which recordings? And what other Passions are out there that I should know about?

FriPod: Heavy lifters

After missing the FriPod for the last two weeks, I thought I'd make up for it by listing the longest tracks on my iTunes.

1. Bach's Mass in B minor, Gloria, performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with Robert Shaw conducting. 37:15. I got to experience the entire mass performed in Bach's own church, St. Thomas in Leipzig. The whole orchestra was in the balcony and my seat was directly underneath, so the only visual connection I had with the performers was seeing the conductor's shadow moving around and then at the end when I moved out to the aisle to applaud them. I took this opportunity to reflect on the space, though I wasn't yet far enough on my spiritual journey to truly appreciate that aspect. I also paid attention to the immediacy of the live performance, divorced from the visual distractions.

1a. Bach's Mass in B minor, Symbolum Nicenum. This Lutheran Credo has no violas. I'm not sure what Bach was trying to say about violists and their beliefs. The trumpets, however, get the last word on the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

2. Pahi Sri Sundhara Raja, performed by Chitravina N. Ravikiran. 33:11. I purchased this CD after hearing M. Ravikiran perform at the SMT conference in Boston. I know I still don't hear many of the subtle nuances of classical Indian music, but I find this track soothing on occasion.

3. Mahler's Symphony No. 3 in D minor, I. Kraftig; Entschieden, performed by Levine with the CSO. 32:46. I also purchased this CD in Boston, but back in 1990. My theory professor, Allen Gimbel, was leading us through a massive Schenkerian analysis of the entire symphony, which inspired me to purchase this recording while visiting my brother during spring break. There is a charming or frustrating moment in this movement where the trombone soloist (Jay Friedman) really blats a note. I'm sure he wishes a different take had been chosen, but the imperfection makes the performance more alive.

4. Frederic Rzewski's De Profundis, performed by Rzewski. 32:42. I took my kids to see Lisa Moore perform this work, which was quite the experience for all of us. Based upon Oscar Wilde's letter from prison to his homosexual lover, the pianist makes gasps at various points that my kids found very amusing. Fortunately they are young enough to not ask what the gasps were for.

5. Peter Maxwell Davies' Trumpet Concerto, performed by Hakan Hardenberger. 31:16. When I got this CD in college (Endless Parade) I didn't listen to it much because the two concerti were so long, with no break between movements. I've slowly lost some of my impatience for long continuous works, though I still don't listen to this concerto nearly as much as others.

6. Toru Takemitsu's "From me flows what you call Time" (1993), performed by the BBC Orchestra with Andrew Davis. 30:47. To be honest, I haven't listened to this one since I ripped this CD, so I can't offer any immediate reactions. I have it playing at this moment, but I don't have time (heh) to listen to the whole work right now. It is full of exotic timbres, very spacious and transparent.

7. Sir Maxwell Davies is in this spot as well, with his Eight Songs for a Mad King, performed by the Fires of London. 30:12. This is somewhat cheating, as all eight songs are on a single track. I wish I had a DVD of this work. I have not had a chance to see the theatrical aspects connected with the music, except for some still photos. Though now that I revisit the composer's website I see that two video clips have been put up.

8. Mahler's Symphony No. 9 in D major, I. Andante Comodo, performed by Pierre Boulez with the CSO. 29:27. Mahler is somewhat like Philip Glass. Both composers need large swathes of time to lay out their musical ideas. In Glass' case, it is (was, mostly) so he could make subtle changes at any given time and yet still travel far enough to be satisfying. Mahler needs all of this room because he has so many ideas that he needs to juxtapose. Interestingly, my Bruno Walter recording of this movement is five minutes shorter.

9. Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, "Der Abschied," performed by Christa Ludwg with the Philharmonia and New Philharmonic Orchestras (Fritz Wunderlich, cond.) 29:25. The final movement of this quasi song-cycle/quasi symphony is very long, but it needs this time to adequately paint the text. The last line, ending with "eternally... eternally..." requires us to travel a long musical road to truly feel this mix of sadness and hope.

10. Michael Blake Watkins' Trumpet Concerto, performed by Hakan Hardenberger. 28:16. This is the other really long concerto on Hardenberger's Endless Parade CD. The title track by Birtwhistle is shorter, a mere nineteen minutes long, one that I listened to far more than the others. I don't know much about Watkins, other than that he is Welsh. The concerto is lush, with a certain insistence in its mood. There is a lot of continuous variation of kernel motives, mostly diatonic.

So, what are your longest tracks, and how long is too long for an uninterrupted piece? Next week I'll talk about the shortest tracks. Be prepared for lots of recitatives!

FriPod: Weddings and Funerals

Lt. Kijé Suite op. 60; Wedding - Prokofiev
Wedding & Troika (from "Lieutenant Kijé") - Empire Brass arrangement
Cantata n 202, Hochzeit / Wedding - Bach
Wedding Chorale/Beggars At The Feast - Les Misérables Original Broadway Cast
Wedding March (Midsummer Night's Dream) - Mendelssohn
The Golden Cockerel - 2. Wedding March - Rimsky-Korsakov
Russian Funeral for brass and percussion - Benjamin Britten
String Quartet No. 3 - Some Aspects of Peltoniemi Hintrik's Funeral March - Aulis Sallinen
Maurerische Trauermusik, K.477 (K.479a) "Masonic Funeral Music" - Mozart
Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 ("Funeral March") - Chopin

Speaking of "humor"

Galen H. Brown has written the theory geek's version of The Night Before Christmas, entitled "A Visit From J.S. Bach". I think I will start using these various jokes as tests in theory classes, since that is the purpose of education anyway.