Another great report, this time from Tabitha, gave us a new appreciation for the music of Sibelius. Remember that he is known for his Romantic layering of sounds, long phrases, strength of orchestration, and national spirit of the country of Finland. It has been said that he quit writing music due to not being able or maybe not liking the "new" sounds of the 20th century. In spite of his being a late romantic, and lacking in some originality, he remains in a league of his own for his Orchestral suites and tone-poems. A remarkably gifted and expressive composer, his music continues to find favor with concert audiences everywhere.
We then did a little more work on 12-tone. There are several ways to understand the 12 tone row, from basic numbering to a more advanced system. Modern analyses tend to label the first note as number 0, following the chromatic scale upward to number 11. The matrix is the built on numbers which correlate to the notes. This makes for a cleaner understanding of 12-tone music and serialism in general. For sheer complexity, and depth of expression, 12-tone serial music remains intriguing and wonderfully fascinating for its magnitude and musical force. While the genre has never caught on as the ultimate expression of music, it has influenced countless composers and given us sound and music that remains in the repertoire. I would urge you to do further study on serialism and various techniques. I especially ask that you remain open-minded to this music and seek out opportunities to experience it.
We are not done with 12-tone, but do need to press forward with our reports. It is time to take some practice tests for the MFAT. Some of these will be done in class on the screen, others may be given for homework. Also, we need to do some more listening of music in class for identification purposes.
Our brief visit with Messiaen with his bird sounds, modes of limited transposition, and expansive use of the orchestra, maybe gave us a new perspective of music. While his music does not seem to be performed much (perhaps due to its difficulty and complexity), it does have a particular following. My awareness of the rhythmic and melodic qualities of bird calls has been quite keen lately? Have you noticed the amazing sounds of birds in the environment?
Up to this point, what has been the most interesting thing you have learned in class? Has there been anything that you just haven't liked? Do you think that our "conservative" traditionalism in music programming is a result of general preference or deep-rooted philosophy?
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I enjoyed hearing Tabitha's report. I had never heard very much (if anything) about Sibelius.
ReplyDelete12-tone is something that boggles my mind. It is so strange to me that it works out with just a random mix of notes...maybe not so random, really.
Messiaen. Wow. I had never heard of him before. Now I can't hear a bird without thinking of him! What an interesting idea. Mr. Beaumont mentioned that he does not consider all sound music, but rather the arrangement of that sound becomes music. I would like to know what he thinks of Messiaen.
While the musical theatre section of the class was a highlight (simply because of my passion for that genre), I have not had one particular thing that has really stood out. I think something I have enjoyed a lot (and no, I am not sucking up!), is Dr. Tuckers passion for what he is teaching. It is 100% evident in the lectures, and it makes class a lot more interesting!
After being confused for a second about our discuassion.... I would like to agree with cara. I also didn't know very much about Sibelius. I enjoy 12-tone, but I know that it is incredibly difficult.
ReplyDeleteAbout the whole birds and music thing. I didn't really notice until after we had this discussion, but since then I have definatly heard it. I notice it most when there is a lot going on and the sounds over lap one another.
Signed...
Nail biters anonymous
I think our conservative programming is the product of a vicious cycle that the music world is stuck in. We're so in love with our "pretty" sounds like that of Mozart and Bach, that while we study more adventurous music, we think it is not really fit for normal people to listen to. We don't play/perform newer music very often simply because we think most people won't like it. Sure, most "civilians" lets call them, would probably think Schoenberg is a little freaky the first time they listened to it, but only because we've associated that sound with scary movies. Like anything, if people were exposed to it more often, their ears would learn to hear it the same as any other type of music and be able to see the beauty in it. It's as if we as trained musicians are closet lovers of this music; we're so afraid to let anyone else hear it. There is so much more to music than can be expressed with our "pretty" tonal boundaries (and even at that, the majority of our commercially popular pieces are mostly diatonic). This newer world of music has so much to offer with a broad palette expressions, colors, and textures. It's really a shame that we have limited it to our little private circles
ReplyDeleteI agree Kris. I think that on a broader level that is what is happening with Jazz/Classical music. There are plenty of people that listen to it, just not a lot of new people. It's becoming a rarefied phenomenon, even among people that are involved in music, to listen to "classical" music for enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't a down against pop music though. Obviously the listeners of contemporary music outnumber those listeners of Classical music. I just think that music is moving from high art/enjoyment to just hobby/enjoyment. This is driven by the fact that the main element in most new music is lyrics not harmony. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just wonder where we'll be 100 years or 200 years from now. Will our studies be centered around how people used music? or will we study only the people that make music because our tonal language and understanding withered.
This last bit was written by Stockhausen. It's weird but interesting. It's from the liner notes of a CD Dr. Tucker probably made ya'll listen to.
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I’m referring to the time in which we live, time in an extraterrestrial sense. I’m referring to the twelve universal months, each lasting approximately 2,100 years. I’m referring to our coming from the bimillennium of Pisces, which goes from 150 BC to 1950, and which is the sign of Christ, preceded by the sign of Aries. The era of Aquarius began in 1950 and will end in 4050. I’m referring, of course, to a characteristic trait of this sign: Aquarius gradually circumbscribes the radiating force of the arts inherited in the era of Pisces. So, the artist, deprived now of every individual or public defense, limits his activity to a kind of esoteric expression, and ends up performing in fringe clubs, as a rarefied phenomenon intended for the select few.
- Karlheinz Stockhausen
I love the class (I dislike that it's at 8:30am...I hate it when a class is scheduled before 9:00am).
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that there is nothing that can or will be done about the "private circles" that form within each genre of music. Will the general masses ever like 12 Tone Music? Heck, will anything considered "cultivated" reach the top ten chart on I-Tunes?
No.
Well, not unless the NWO is true and people are forced to listen to it (I believe in that stuff, by the way...wake up, Sheeple!).
My point is that I believe that so-called "Classical Music" (I don't include music theater, movie scores, or Kenny G in that category) will NEVER overpower vernacular music, because
A. The different time periods and genres of "classical music" are already associated (incorrectly) with specific settings (i.e. 12 tone music and its supposed association with horror film scores)...
...and the even BIGGER reason
B. The majority of those who are privileged with being "classically-trained" will continue to reject the masses, clinging tightly to their beloved music that they selfishly covet instead of discovering ways create a bridge between the cultivated and the vernacular.
I almost said something about those that try to bridge the classical divide with newer music. I think one band that has some really cool harmonies and is pretty popular is the group Muse. Their song "Take A Bow" from their album Black Holes and Revalations pays homage to Philip Glass. That's probably why it's featured on the movie The Watchmen, along with Philip Glass's music. Remember that movie Dr. Tucker? ;)
ReplyDeleteI think that people conversation within the class has been very interesting, and I think that Dr. Tucker is good for leading the discussion. I've liked everything, but the only thing that I had trouble listening to at first was the Stockhausen (though I have listened to his music since, and have developed my own taste for the sound). Our curriculum is based, I believe, on how it has created the music that we listen to beyond that. It stands as a basic structure (since the majority of music has structure and form).
ReplyDelete