I am hereby resolved!

This weekend I was listening to Terri Gross's interview with Steven Sondheim, and was struck by a very amazing claim that the musical master made: harmonies can resolve, but melodies cannot. He really said that. Gross was asking about the ending of a song in Sweeny Todd, and asked how Sondheim had picked the final note to sound so unresolved. Sondheim replied that the note couldn't sound unresolved by itself, it was because the harmony was unresolved that the note stuck out. This should be of immense surprise not only to the countless theory text authors who have distinguished between Perfect Authentic Cadences and Imperfect Authentic Cadences, or to every theorist who is an advocate of voice-leading, but also to Carole Krumhansl and her followers who showed through probe-tone experiments that melodies do indeed create expected resolutions. I think Sondheim is relying too much on his piano background, and not enough on the things he learned from Milton Babbitt.

Earlier in the interview he told Gross that "discordant" meant "incorrect" and was not synonymous with "dissonant." Not according to my dictionaries and thesaurus! I got the feeling that Sondheim was really making these statements to act as a high priest of music, creating barriers to the sacred mysteries of melody and harmony through insistence on idiosyncratic jargon. He was putting the layperson in her place, making clear that only a trained adept could comprehend how "Send In the Clowns" was structured.

Sondheim safety

Chad Orzel points to an Inside Higher Ed article on the fallout from the recent tragedy at Northern Illinois University: Arkansas Tech banned a production of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins and insisted that the one dress rehearsal allowed "so the cast could experience the play" had to be done without the prop guns (which had to be cut in half).

As one of Chad's commenter's says: "When musical theater is outlawed only outlaws will have musical theater." Methinks the college president was more concerned about presidential assassinations than the welfare of his students. Also, it is an easy "look I'm doing something" stunt that will only offend the theater crowd, a much smaller percentage of alumni than football fans. "Further frustrating faculty members, there have been reports of gun shots — and a recent shooting injury — at parties organized by Arkansas Tech students, but the students organizing those parties were reportedly football players, not thespians."

Hopefully DePauw won't cancel The Abduction of Figaro this coming week, even though the opera is invaded by a pirate who may or may not have a sword. But then, DePauw had a much more productive response to the NIU tragedy, so no pointless gestures are necessary.

Into the Woods

Last night and today I watched my latest Netflix movie, Stephen Sondheim's musical Into the Woods. I was deeply engrossed by the Broadway production, with fabulous performances and great scene design. I would've kept watching last night through the whole two acts, but held to my Lenten discipline of getting to bed at 10:30. I didn't start watching the DVD until 9:30, after finishing comments on all my students blogged analyses and grading their figured-bass realizations. So I watched more this morning after a nice 6.4 mile run and then finished it this afternoon while the kids were making Valentines. Sondheim used a musical language that was very reminiscent of Sunday in the Park with George or Sweeney Todd, with lots of quick Aaron Sorkin-esqe patter, pointillistic orchestration, and descending minor sevenths and diminished fifths to end vocal phrases. But that language works well for him, and served the story well.

I'd welcome Netflix recommendations of other musicals or operas. I've already seen A Love for Three Oranges, The Rake's Progress, and Rasputin. In my queue are waiting Tales of Hoffmann, Fidelio, Eugene Onegin, and Mlada. I've performed in the pit for the Offenbach, but have never seen the others.

FriPod: Be the Beginning

1. "BE JUST!" by Martin Bresnick, performed by the Bang on a Can All-Stars on The Essential Martin Bresnick.

2. "Be with you" written and performed by U2, a cool live version with guest artists (including a choir!) joining in.

3. "Beatam Me Dicent a 6" by Heinrich Finck, performed by the Copenhagen Cornetto & Sackbutts with Vocal Group Ars Nova on Winds and Voices 1: at the Court of King Christian III.

4. Beatrice et Benedicte: Overture by Hector Berlioz, performed by Yuri Temirkanov and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

5. "Beats Brand X" by Alex Temple, 12 March 2007 performance.

6. "Beautiful" by Steven Sondheim, performed by Bernadette Peters the actress who plays George's mother on Sunday in the Park with George original Broadway cast.

7. "The Beautiful Galathea" by Franz von Suppé, performed by the John Foster Black Dyke Mills Band on Overtures.

8. "Before I Gaze At You Again" by Frederick Loewe, performed by Arleen Augér on Arleen Auger, American Soprano.

9. "Begin The Beguine" by Cole Porter, performed by Art Tatum on Solos (1940).

10. "The Beginning of a Friendship" by John Williams, on the E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - Remastered & Expanded soundtrack.

FriPod: Every thing

I stole this idea from Fred Clark, but it works well for personal reasons.

1. "Every Little Bit Hurts" by Ed Cobb performed by The Spencer Davis Group on The Best of the Spencer Davis Group.
2. "Every Mornin'" by M. Longo, performed by Dizzy Gillespie on New Faces.
3. "Everybody Loves Louis" by Steven Sondheim, performed by Bernadette Peters on the Sunday in the Park with George original Broadway soundtrack.
4. "Everybody's Jumpin'" by Dave Brubeck, performed by The Dave Brubeck Quartet on Time Out.
5. "Everything Happens When You're Gone" composed and performed by Michael Brecker on Don't Try This at Home.
6. "Everything I Said" composed and performed by The Cranberries on No Need To Argue.
7. "Everytime We Say Goodbye" by Cole Porter performed by John Coltrane on My Favorite Things.
8. "You're My Everything" by Harry Warren, Joe Young, and Mort Dixon; performed by the Miles Davis Quintet on Relaxin' With Miles.

FriPod: Think of the Children!

1. "Children's Song," Chick Corea on Works.
2. "Children and Art," from Sunday in the Park with George by Steven Sondheim, Original Broadway Cast recording.
3. "For Unto Us a Child is Born," from Messiah by George Handel, performed by Andrew Davis and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
4. "Sweet Air," from Child by David Lang, performed by Sentierri Selvaggi.
5. Ancient Voices of Children, by George Crumb, performed by Jan DeGaetani, Machael Dash, and the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble.
6. "Godchild," by George Wallington, performed by Miles Davis on Birth Of The Cool.
7. Kindertotenlieder, by Gustav Mahler, performed by Agnes Baltsa, Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic.
8. "Wiegenlied am Lager eines kranken Kindes," by Robert Schumann, performed by Dorothea Röschmann, Ian Bostridge, and Graham Johnson.
9. Kinderszenen, by Robert Schumann, performed by Claudio Arrau.
10. "Jolie Fille," by Joaquin Turina, performed by the Empire Brass.
11. "La Fille aux Cheveux De Lin," by Claude Debussy, performed by the Empire Brass.
12. "Scene Et Legende De La Fille Du Paria," from Lakme by Léo Delibes, performed by Maurice André.