Monday, July 30, 2007
Question of the Day
Here is a question that came up in class today, when we were discussing Varèse's Poeme Électronique: what is the difference between "music" and "organized sound?" One possibility is that there is no difference. Some students felt that structure was involved, or the appeal to authority (if an "expert" says it's music, it's music). What say you?
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Mini vacation
That's what the last bit of blogging silence was, a mini vacation. On Wednesday I took my daughter up to Chicago to be whisked away by her grandparents for five days of intensive spoiling. On Thursday I listened to student compositions, so no lesson prepping was needed. Friday I actually had to work, cramming in Varèse's Hyperprism, Berio's Sequenza III, Ligeti's Atmospheres and Lux Aeterna, and Penderecki's Threnody for a 1.5 hour lecture. It became mostly lecture to get through all the pieces and compositional strategies, but there were some good student discussions, including one statement that Penderecki out-Varèsed Varèse by creating more discernible soundmasses. Saturday I ran in my first 4-mile race, starting too fast for my pace but finishing strong at 35'40" (unfortunately none of my splits matched Penderecki's 8'37"), pretty good for a very hilly trail and very muggy weather. Then the remainder of the family went up to Chicago to tour the Shedd Aquarium and Ikea before picking up the princess-ified daughter today and zipping home. I then marked all of my Bloglines feeds as read, so I have no idea what the bløgösph¥re wrote about this week. So, what's been happening?
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The Deathly Hallows
Not that I'm a fan or anything, but I purchased and read the final Harry Potter book this weekend. I won't spoil it for anyone, I'll just say that it is a satisfying ending to the series. Anyone who wants to discuss the book more in detail should visit this thread. WARNING: spoilers abound at this thread, including when Dudley wielded the light saber and....
Friday, July 20, 2007
Get that person a fellowship!
Peter Kaye introduces us to the academia of the streets, the musicology of the masses. Of course, such excellent scholarship uses movable Do solfege as is right and proper.
Journal Club: Math and Ozzy Osbourne
This post was originally written on November 4, 2004. I've reposted it so Guy can correct my ass to the amusement of you readers.
Chad Orzel has been writing up reviews of research articles in a weekly feature he calls Journal Club. Inspired by this, I'm offering my own music theory/music cognition journal club, starting with an article in the latest Music Theory Spectrum, "Neo-Riemannian Theory and the Analysis of Pop-Rock Music" by Guy Capuzzo. In the last 10 years it has become quite acceptable for theorists to write about popular music, using tools of voice-leading analysis, block-chord analysis, and other analytical methods originally designed for Baroque/Classical/Romantic/20th-century art music. Guy continues this tradition with the use of Neo-Riemannian operations to explain why Pop-rock musicians use the chords they use.
First, what the hell are Neo-Riemannian operations? They are mathematical transformations of chords to make other chords. There are seven operations, which can be used together to make compound operations. The first, Identity (I), leaves the chord as it is, just as any decent mathematical identity function does. The Leading-tone exchange (L) moves the bottom note of a major triad down a half-step, so a C major triad (C E G) becomes an E minor triad (B E G -> E G B). If the starting chord is a minor triad, the top note is moved up a half step to reverse the process (E minor becomes C major again). The opposite of this operation, L', moves the top two notes up a half step. The C major triad woud become an F minor triad (C F Ab -> F Ab C). The Parallel operation (P) moves the middle note of the triad so a major triad would become a minor triad, or a minor triad becomes a major triad. With C major, the E becomes Eb under the P operation to create the C minor triad. The opposite operation, P', moves the top and bottom notes to shift the mode from major to minor or vice versa. With the C major triad, C and G are moved up a half step to create a C# minor triad (C# E G#). The C minor triad would become a Cb major triad under the P' operation. Finally, the Relative operation (R) flips a chord between relative relationships. This is done by moving the upper note of the major triad up a whole step, so C major becomes A minor (C E A -> A C E), and A minor would become C major by moving the bottom note down a whole step. The opposite operation, R', shifts C major to G minor by moving the bottom two notes down a whole step (C E G becomes Bb D G).
Note that all these operations involve moving notes by step only, and at least one note is held in common through any operation. To explain chords that don't have any notes in common, a combination of operations is needed. So moving from C major to B major involves two operations, PP'. P(C E G) = (C Eb G) P'(C Eb G) = (B Eb F#) Eb and D# are the same pitch on the piano, so the final result can be written as (B D# F#) for the B major triad.
These operations are used to model chord progressions. The author shows examples from Depeche Mode's "Shake the Disease," Ozzy Osbourne's "Flying High Again," Frank Zappa's "Easy Meat," Radiohead's "Morning Bell," Bob Dylan's "Lay, Lady, Lay," Beck's "Lonesome Tears," King Crimson,'s "Dinosaur," "The Council of Elrond" from The Lord of the Rings: FOTR soundtrack, and a full analysis of Soundgarden's "Blow Up the Outside World." Patterns of operations, including the basic operation of transposition, create networks of connected chords, which can be used to trace the progression of harmonies.
The argument is that clearly defined networks for chord progressions explain the logic of the progression, why it works well. The weakness of this model is that it is too flexible. Any two chords can be linked by countless compound operations. C major to D major can be reached by RR', R'L', or PP'PR, among many others. There should be some type of cognitive restraint, that only a certain number of operations can be combined and still provide a salient progressional logic. Guy does stick with single or double operations for most of his analyses, with the exception of three three-operation compounds in the network for the introduction to "Dinosaur." This progression is theoretically more complex, because it involves seventh chords and triads together. This needs an extra operation, the inclusion operation, to shift from a three note chord to a four note chord. I don't believe this extra complexity required for the model reflects the complexity of the progression, since shifts between triads and seventh chords is a normal activity in all tonal-based music. Thus the inclusion operation could be considered negligible in the judgement of model complexity.
The analyses are all determined both by mathematical logic and by musical logic. The musical logic, comparisons of the given progression to expected tonal or blues progressions to judge the "functionality" of a given chord pair, helps to limit the NR operation possibilities. Guy often doesn't explain these applications of musical logic, since all theorists reading the article have these logical rules ingrained in their musical souls. The main conclusion: most progressions involve very small movements of notes from chord to chord, called parsimonious voice-leading. The small motions give the aural impression of closely connected chords, and hence logical chord progressions.
Chad Orzel has been writing up reviews of research articles in a weekly feature he calls Journal Club. Inspired by this, I'm offering my own music theory/music cognition journal club, starting with an article in the latest Music Theory Spectrum, "Neo-Riemannian Theory and the Analysis of Pop-Rock Music" by Guy Capuzzo. In the last 10 years it has become quite acceptable for theorists to write about popular music, using tools of voice-leading analysis, block-chord analysis, and other analytical methods originally designed for Baroque/Classical/Romantic/20th-century art music. Guy continues this tradition with the use of Neo-Riemannian operations to explain why Pop-rock musicians use the chords they use.
First, what the hell are Neo-Riemannian operations? They are mathematical transformations of chords to make other chords. There are seven operations, which can be used together to make compound operations. The first, Identity (I), leaves the chord as it is, just as any decent mathematical identity function does. The Leading-tone exchange (L) moves the bottom note of a major triad down a half-step, so a C major triad (C E G) becomes an E minor triad (B E G -> E G B). If the starting chord is a minor triad, the top note is moved up a half step to reverse the process (E minor becomes C major again). The opposite of this operation, L', moves the top two notes up a half step. The C major triad woud become an F minor triad (C F Ab -> F Ab C). The Parallel operation (P) moves the middle note of the triad so a major triad would become a minor triad, or a minor triad becomes a major triad. With C major, the E becomes Eb under the P operation to create the C minor triad. The opposite operation, P', moves the top and bottom notes to shift the mode from major to minor or vice versa. With the C major triad, C and G are moved up a half step to create a C# minor triad (C# E G#). The C minor triad would become a Cb major triad under the P' operation. Finally, the Relative operation (R) flips a chord between relative relationships. This is done by moving the upper note of the major triad up a whole step, so C major becomes A minor (C E A -> A C E), and A minor would become C major by moving the bottom note down a whole step. The opposite operation, R', shifts C major to G minor by moving the bottom two notes down a whole step (C E G becomes Bb D G).
Note that all these operations involve moving notes by step only, and at least one note is held in common through any operation. To explain chords that don't have any notes in common, a combination of operations is needed. So moving from C major to B major involves two operations, PP'. P(C E G) = (C Eb G) P'(C Eb G) = (B Eb F#) Eb and D# are the same pitch on the piano, so the final result can be written as (B D# F#) for the B major triad.
These operations are used to model chord progressions. The author shows examples from Depeche Mode's "Shake the Disease," Ozzy Osbourne's "Flying High Again," Frank Zappa's "Easy Meat," Radiohead's "Morning Bell," Bob Dylan's "Lay, Lady, Lay," Beck's "Lonesome Tears," King Crimson,'s "Dinosaur," "The Council of Elrond" from The Lord of the Rings: FOTR soundtrack, and a full analysis of Soundgarden's "Blow Up the Outside World." Patterns of operations, including the basic operation of transposition, create networks of connected chords, which can be used to trace the progression of harmonies.
The argument is that clearly defined networks for chord progressions explain the logic of the progression, why it works well. The weakness of this model is that it is too flexible. Any two chords can be linked by countless compound operations. C major to D major can be reached by RR', R'L', or PP'PR, among many others. There should be some type of cognitive restraint, that only a certain number of operations can be combined and still provide a salient progressional logic. Guy does stick with single or double operations for most of his analyses, with the exception of three three-operation compounds in the network for the introduction to "Dinosaur." This progression is theoretically more complex, because it involves seventh chords and triads together. This needs an extra operation, the inclusion operation, to shift from a three note chord to a four note chord. I don't believe this extra complexity required for the model reflects the complexity of the progression, since shifts between triads and seventh chords is a normal activity in all tonal-based music. Thus the inclusion operation could be considered negligible in the judgement of model complexity.
The analyses are all determined both by mathematical logic and by musical logic. The musical logic, comparisons of the given progression to expected tonal or blues progressions to judge the "functionality" of a given chord pair, helps to limit the NR operation possibilities. Guy often doesn't explain these applications of musical logic, since all theorists reading the article have these logical rules ingrained in their musical souls. The main conclusion: most progressions involve very small movements of notes from chord to chord, called parsimonious voice-leading. The small motions give the aural impression of closely connected chords, and hence logical chord progressions.
FriPod: Sweets
This is inspired by Fred Clark's list, but I stay more generic.
1. "Come again, sweet love doth now invite" and "Come away, come, sweet love" by John Dowland, performed by the QuintEssential Sackbut and Cornett Ensemble.
2. "Come againe, sweet Nature's treasure" by Edward Johnson, performed by the QuintEssential Sackbut and Cornett Ensemble.
3. "Come Back, Sweet Papa" by Paul Barbarin and Luis Russell, performed by Louis Armstrong and the Hot Fives.
4. "Dear Sweet Filthy World" by Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet from The Juliet Letters.
5. "If Love's a Sweet Passion" by Henry Purcell, performed by Rolf Smedvig and Michael Murray.
6. "Sweet Air" by David Lang, performed by Sentieri Selvaggi.
7. "Sweet And Lovely" by G. Arnheim-LeMare-Tobias, performed by the Thelonious Monk Quartet.
8. "Sweet Emalina, My Gal" by Henry Creamer and Turner Layton, performed by Art Tatum.
9. "Sweet Georgia Brown" by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, and Kenneth Casey; performed by (1) Ella Fitzgerald, (2) Bud Powell.
10. "Sweet Lorraine" by Cliff Burwell and Mitchell Parish, performed by (1) Art Tatum, (2) Coleman Hawkins.
11. "Sweet Love, if thou wilt gaine a Monarches glory" by John Wilbye, performed by the QuintEssential Sackbut and Cornett Ensemble.
12. "Sweet Rain" by Mike Gibbs, performed by Stan Getz (on the album of the same name).
13. "There Is Sweet Music Here" by Stephen Chatman, performed by the Lawrence University Concert Choir.
1. "Come again, sweet love doth now invite" and "Come away, come, sweet love" by John Dowland, performed by the QuintEssential Sackbut and Cornett Ensemble.
2. "Come againe, sweet Nature's treasure" by Edward Johnson, performed by the QuintEssential Sackbut and Cornett Ensemble.
3. "Come Back, Sweet Papa" by Paul Barbarin and Luis Russell, performed by Louis Armstrong and the Hot Fives.
4. "Dear Sweet Filthy World" by Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet from The Juliet Letters.
5. "If Love's a Sweet Passion" by Henry Purcell, performed by Rolf Smedvig and Michael Murray.
6. "Sweet Air" by David Lang, performed by Sentieri Selvaggi.
7. "Sweet And Lovely" by G. Arnheim-LeMare-Tobias, performed by the Thelonious Monk Quartet.
8. "Sweet Emalina, My Gal" by Henry Creamer and Turner Layton, performed by Art Tatum.
9. "Sweet Georgia Brown" by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, and Kenneth Casey; performed by (1) Ella Fitzgerald, (2) Bud Powell.
10. "Sweet Lorraine" by Cliff Burwell and Mitchell Parish, performed by (1) Art Tatum, (2) Coleman Hawkins.
11. "Sweet Love, if thou wilt gaine a Monarches glory" by John Wilbye, performed by the QuintEssential Sackbut and Cornett Ensemble.
12. "Sweet Rain" by Mike Gibbs, performed by Stan Getz (on the album of the same name).
13. "There Is Sweet Music Here" by Stephen Chatman, performed by the Lawrence University Concert Choir.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
You've got a keyboard for radio
WGBH has shared the story of how they purchased a new piano for their performance studio:
A radio host, a classical pianist, and a highly trained instrument technician walk into an inconspicuous New York City warehouse, which just happens to be chock-full of prized Hamburg Steinway pianos, and begin taking one apart...
This was the scene when a small but remarkable faction of Boston's robust classical music set piled into a rental van and headed south to New York City. Their mission? To find the musical equivalent of a needle in a haystack: the perfect piano for WGBH 89.7's brand new state-of-the art performance studio. It had to be versatile: one that would sound dazzling to live audiences in the studio, brilliant when broadcast, and impeccable when recorded; an instrument that over the next decade and a half will be played by some of the world's finest musicians and heard by literally millions of people from Brighton, Masachusetts to Brighton, England.
It was no small task. In tow were WGBH 89.7 Program Director Jon Solins, WGBH 89.7 Classical hosts Cathy Fuller and Richard Knisely, BSO piano guru Jon von Rohr, and two renowned local pianists: Marc-André Hamelin and Mihae Lee. From Von Rohr's a-hoc tutorial in the van to the moment when the final decision was made over a platter of kung pao chicken, it was a fascinating day.
They eventually settled on a Hamburg Steinway that the musicians described like this:
"From my first experience playing this piano, I was immediately drawn in to its robust sound and broad spectrum of color. These are the qualities that I always seek in a piano, but it is rare to find an instrument that contains such a range from raw power and brilliant clarity to exquisite delicacy and shadings as this piano has. I can't wait to play it as it is reaching its full potential in your beautiful new studio.
-- Mihae Lee, pianist
"As I played it, it acted as an extension of my heart and fingers. There were no barriers between what I imagined and what I could play. This is the highest praise I can give any piano."
-- Marc-André Hamelin, pianist
Last week the piano arrived at our new studios in Brighton, Massachusetts. You can see pictures of the warehouse, the piano, and its arrival in our new sudios on our flickr page.
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