Harmonic tension as meaning

A study published in Cerebral Cortex may be of interest to those who followed the recent harmonic theory bruha. The junior research group at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences measured the electric response potentials of listeners' brains when harmonic expectation was violated, combined with another factor of syntactic or semantic language violation. They found that both types of language violation affected different locations of brain waves, a strong argument that harmonic tension-resolution is a grammar, but also has associated meanings. The study does not reveal whether these meanings are universal, merely that individuals do interpret harmonies beyond a syntactic level. The authors presented preliminary research of this at the Neurosciences and Music conference I attended in 2005. And Dave Munger has written about this line of research.

Steinbeis, N. and S. Koelsch. "Shared neural resources between music and language indicate semantic processing of musical tension-resolution patterns." Cerebral Cortex 2007 (eprint).

"I just let gravity pull me down, I don't give a ****"

I have survived the Reach the Beach Relay, and have the medal to prove it. Our team, Go Swim, finished 197 out of 350 teams, and 70th out of 154 Mixed Open teams. We ran 203 miles in 29 hours and 30 minutes, giving a pace of 8:36 per mile. My personal pace was a little slower, though still faster than my predicted 10 minute-mile. I ran 14.8 miles in three separate legs of 3.5, 4.5, and 6.8 miles, with times of 30, 40, and 60 minutes (surprisingly these times do not involve rounding beyond a few seconds). So my overall pace was 8:47 per mile. I ran at three in the afternoon, one in the morning (50 degrees with a light rain), and eleven that same morning (just after a heavy rain, slightly warmer).

The atmosphere was crazy, about 700 vans driving around the highways and backways of New Hampshire. The vans were decorated with horses, kangaroos, shaggy dogs, lewd sayings, etc. Some running teams wore pirate hats, or tutus, or capes. You would expect that runners who agree to run 15-25 miles on three hours sleep would be more sane. And now my sore calves and I are going to bed.

*The title was a quote from one of my teammates, giving advice on how to run down hills.

AMS Midwest Chapter

Those in the Chicago vicinity can see musicology in action on October 6-7 at National Lewis University. The program includes a roundtable on teaching music history with Matthew Balensuela, my office neighbor, participating. He has developed an interesting series of activities for students based on compositional treatises and pedagogical sketches that are often included in music history textbooks. I think it's a great integration of theory and history, and must think of a way to repay the favor. The cost of the conference is $10, which also gets you a membership in the Chapter.

The Robe and Crown

A reader from Dublin wrote me to ask if I knew about the connection between "Down to the River to Pray" and the Underground Railroad. A friend of hers said that the person who wore the robe and starry crown was next to be freed from slavery via the Underground Railroad. I found some sources on Gospel songs used for secret communication, but I couldn't find anything that confirmed this story. Does anyone out there know more details?

FriPod: Feel the Spirit

Today I had a meeting with my rector, in which spirituality was discussed.

1. Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 73, 4th movement, Allegro con spirito. Johannes Brahms, performed by George Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

2. Canzon I "La Spiritata." Giovanni Gabrieli, performed by (1) Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort & Players; (2) American Brass Quintet.

3. Con spirito from Heldenmusik. Georg Phillip Telemann, performed by the Empire Brass

4. Concerto For Trumpet, Bassoon & String Orchestra; 1. Allegro Spiritoso. Paul Hindemith, performed by Jouko Harjanne et al.

5. Concerto for trumpet in E Major I. Allegro con spirito. Johann Nepomuk Hummel, performed by (1) John Wallace; (2) Wynton Marsalis (performed in E-flat).

6. "Possente spirito e formidalbil Nume," from Orfeo. Claudio Monteverdi, I don't remember who performs this.

7. Sonata for Trumpet and Piano - III. Spiritual. Jean Hubeau, performed by Thierry Caens, Yves Henry.

8. Sonata for trumpet In D - Spiritoso ed adagio. Arcangelo Corelli, performed by Crispian Steele-Perkins.

9. Sonata for trumpet in D Major: I. Spirituoso (Allegro). Georg Phillip Telemann, performed by Stephen Burns.

10. Symph. #103 E Flat Maj "Drum Roll": I. Adagio - Allegro Con Spiritu - Adagio. Franz Joseph Haydn, performed by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic.

11. Symphony No. 8 in E flat "Symphony of a Thousand": 1. Hymnus: Veni, Creator Spiritus. Gustav Mahler, performed by Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

May the shouter rest in peace*

Most people who are interested in classical music already know that Luciano Pavarotti died this morning. It was interesting seeing how students reacted to the news. The ones that were saddened were also horrified when other students said "who?"

WGBH has posted a 1972 interview with Luciano on their website. They also sent a press release with details of the interview:

On Monday, April 10, 1972 during the radio program Morning pro musica hosted by Robert J. Lurtsema, WGBH 89.7 in Boston featured an interview with a rising opera star named Luciano Pavarotti. The interview was recorded from a phone conversation between WGBH 89.7 host Ron Della Chiesa and the tenor that took place on March 14, less than a month after Pavarotti's now legendary 1972 New York Metropolitan Opera appearance. This was a pivotal point in the tenor's career. He was making musical history at the Met, singing the role of Tonio in Donizetti's "Daughter of the Regiment". The role includes the demanding aria "Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!" Often called the "Mount Everest" for tenors, the aria features 9 exposed, high Cs in rapid-fire succession--requiring monumental vocal dexterity. According to the Kennedy Center biography for Pavarotti, he made history by being the first tenor to sing those 9 high C's loudly, musically, in full voice (i.e. not falsetto.) As Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and cultural critic Manuela Hoelterhoff described the triumph, "Pavarotti stepped to the footlights and sang all nine as if he were flipping pancakes into his mouth. The crowd roared." This is when he was crowned the "King of the High C's". In this historic interview, Ron Della Chiesa speaks with the tenor about his childhood in Modena, his thoughts about the great tenors of the past, his plans for future recordings, and --of course-- the unprecedented musical accomplishment that launched him to international superstardom.

*The title comes from an appearance Luciano made on David Letterman. He was explaining to Dave how to sing, and said it was basically controlled shouting.

What's out there

A colleague in the math department sent me this link to a great explanation of violin acoustics.

Stephen Casales has finished the Unfinished Symphony.

Composer, teacher and critic Stephen Casale studied theory and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music and musicology at New York University. The project to realize a performing version of the Scherzo movement of Schubert's "Unfinished" symphony based on Schubert's piano sketch for the movement took shape in Martin Chusid's graduate course on Schubert at NYU, where it was performed in 1978. A studio recording of the Scherzo was subsequently made by the Czech Radio Symphony under Vladimir Valek in 1995. The present performance by the Toronto Philharmonia is the first professional concert presentation of this realization of the movement.

A new e-company is trying to connect music instructors with students at ClickForLessons. I have no idea how effective it is.

This Saturday there is a symposium celebrating John Cage's 95th birthday at the University of New Hampshire.

John Cage in 2007: Reception, Performance Practice, Analysis

Symposium, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., M-223, Paul Creative Arts Center, UNH

Our Memory of What Happened is Not What Happened: Cage and the Power of Myth
Brent Reidy, Ph.D. candidate, Musicology, Indiana University

On John Cage's Late Music, Analysis, and the Model of Renga in Two2
Rob Haskins, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Music, UNH

Interdeterminacy and Performance Practice in Cage?s _Variations_
David P. Miller, Boston, MA

Thinking About Cage and Nature, Back Then and Right Now
David Andrew, Ph.D., Professor of Art History, UNH

Concert, 8:00 p.m., Bratton Recital Hall, Paul Creative Arts Center, UNH

Music for One
Margaret Herlehy, Oboe

Four6
Rob Haskins, David Miller, Laurel Karlik Sheehan, and Brent Reidy, performers

Two2
Rob Haskins and Laurel Karlik Sheehan, pianos