Experimental Music and Video Resource

Contemporary Electronic Music

2011-04-17T21:37:00.030-05:00

What is MIDI?

MIDI: Musical Instrument Digital Interface

The MIDI language allows different electronic instruments and computer interfaces to "talk" to each other. Before the invention of MIDI, musicians had a difficult time syncing up their instrument set-ups because the instruments were not compatible with each other. MIDI was developed in 1982 and was shared freely as open source. Today most music studios and professional software programs operate off of MIDI. At first MIDI sounds were limited to 127 specific sounds that you would most likely recognize from some of the earliest video games of the 1980s.

Ghostbusters Atari Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJDjALoIeKU

Composers like Laurie Anderson took MIDI and found new ways to express music and art through technology like the Drum Suit, samplers, CD-Rom, vocoder, and video.

Puppet Motel CD Rom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPYOSLqN5Ns

O Superman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd7XnOnSkkA

Pamela Z BodySynth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLDUQs7mkVQ

Contemporary Electronic Music

Technology, the Internet, computers, microchips, virtual reality, sensors, etc. have all revolutionized music technology and electronic music. Composers from all around the world use technology to compose and perform their works. There are a variety of new musical styles in the contemporary electronic genre.

Electronic instruments and music technology in general has helped composers and musicians create many musical sounds in a variety of situations:

Film composers can create entire orchestras and choirs using computer software
MIDI instruments like the Malletkat and electronic drum sets allow a percussionist to become a string orchestra
Dancers can "compose" music through their dance movements in a live concert through sensors using MIDI data
Composers can have a computer transcribe their music and send copies to an orchestra with a single click of the button
Indie musicians can share their newest album without having to worry about an agent through the internet
Music students can listen to music from all over the world without leaving their home
Musicians can collaborate internationally with musicians across the ocean
Music teachers can create fun music activities with music education software
Difficult to find instruments like bagpipes or full organs can be played on a keyboard in live performance
Video, video games, and audiovisual technology is combined with electronic music in a variety of hybrid arts.

Where does classical music end and technology begin?

You can read more about the importance of Music Technology in this article: http://iawm.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/in-defense-of-music-technology-adapt-or-die/

Eric Whitacre Virtual Choir Piece: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7o7BrlbaDs

Interactive MIDI Sequencer using MaxMSP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O70FrnH2JU&feature=related

Turing Machine Opera: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jPlIvoS1t8&feature=BFa&list=PL270BA342E9103AD8&index=10

The Manekin "I'm Table Live": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdcEJFHId1I&feature=related

Synthesized work: h ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh0jZisqUeg

iPhone Orchestra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADEHmkL3HBg

laptop orchestra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUeBXRWg0pA

Musical Tesla Coils: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEj6nSpD778&feature=related

Here is a sample of a vocal synthesizer singing using Vocaloid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rsBLRFONEs&feature=related

The animated character singing is called Miku Hatsune, and she is actually a virtual music superstar!

The You Tube Symphony Orchestra is only one example showing how the internet has changed the classical world. Comprised of 100 members who auditioned online through YouTube, the You Tube Symphony Orchestra premiered at Carnegie Hall with a work by composer Tan Dun (composer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Beijing Olympics).

"Internet Symphony" by Tan Dun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZhXMA62eNA&feature=relmfu

A Brief History of Early Electronic Music

2011-04-17T19:36:00.042-05:00

When does electronic music history begin?

Many argue that the history of electronic music began with the invention of the record player in the 1870s. Certainly the invention of the phonograph by Thomas Alva Edison. Yes, the same Edison who invented the lightbulb. The record player allowed music lovers to enjoy a concert without leaving their living room! Of course, the music establishment worried that the record player would reduce overall sales, but instead record players allowed further expression of ideas. Not only could music be distributed internationally, for the first time in history, music could be preserved and archived for study.

Phonograph Recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv7i-gkSWn0

Early Electronic Instruments

There were a number of early electronic instruments from the 1900s. Among them were the Theremin (still in use today), the Ondes-Martenot, the Trautonium, and the Hammond Organ. Each of these instruments brought musicians one step closer to digital explosion of the late 20th century.

Theremin plays Legend of Zelda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJYho56INKU

There were a number of notable electronic composers during the early part of the 20th century. Many of these composers embraced the concept of noise equals music. Often cited as one of the founders of electronic music, composer Edgard Varese experimented with percussive sounds to create the work "Ionisation" in the 1920s, which set the musical groundwork for experimental sound and composition.

As you listen to Ionisation, think about the similarities between electronic sound, timbre, and the sounds of the percussion instruments.

Ionisation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9mg4KHqRPw

Notable Electronic Composers of the Early to Mid-20th Century

Karl Stockhausen (Cologne. Germany at Northwest Broadcasting Studios) "Gesang der Junglinge" 1950s (Song of the Youths)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XfeWp2y1Lk

Elektronische Studie II—the first electronic piece to be published as a score.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXqvBvOXV3U

John Cage "William's Mix"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ql4Ophbt7k

Musique Concrete: Music composed by mixing samples.

Composer Pauline Oliveros "Bye Bye Butterfly" 1960s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFaoCfCiEh0&feature=related

Sonic Soundscape

Deep Listening Institute

Vladimir Ussechevsky (Columbia-Princeton Studios) NY

"Sonic Contours"

Combination of traditional instruments with electronics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og3QDR-gMWY

Iannis Xenakis

Famous for electronic work, but most famous work was for orchestra "Metastasis" which had many electronic music components and sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZazYFchLRI

Much of his work was based on mathematical principles or

If it seems that much of this music sounds "sci-fi" to you, this is directly due to the fact that the evolution of electronic music correlated with growing excitement for the space race, aliens, and science fiction movies like Forbidden Planet, which had an electronic score by Louis and Bebe Barron.

Forbidden Planet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIuc1_Qg4A8

1970s Nam June Paik: Electronic Opera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIBEaszndLA

Atonal Theory and Matrix

2011-03-17T20:39:00.004-05:00

For students who want to find an easy online matrix generator, you can check out:

http://composertools.com/Tools/matrix/MatrixCalc.html

The atonal system was a large break from the traditions of before. Western music first began with simple intervals in the time of Pythagorus. His system marked intervals like a unison and an octave as the most tonal (and pleasing to the ear). In the middle ages, musicians used church modes (Gregorian Chant ex.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MbDqc3x97k). In the Baroque Era, composers began to use what is now considered major and minor scales. True western harmony was born.

When Arnold Schoenberg experimented with atonality, he developed a complex musical (and mathematical) system. Essentially, a composer would arrange the twelve notes of a scale in a specific row, and then compose using those rows (in that order alone) to eliminate any sense of tonality. The retrograde, retrograde inversions, etc. of the tone row were created using a matrix like the one shown above.

Eventually, composers began incorporating nonpitch elements like rhythm, dynamics, and expressions into the matrix. Schoenberg's works were revolutionary. However, while contemporary composers learn this style of composition, generally, most composers do not use strict atonal music theory in their works in the United States, while other nations, such as Taiwan, Japan, and Korea still actively use the atonal system.

Brief video on Schoenberg:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5dOI2MtvbA

Free Music Relaxation Album

2010-12-09T17:56:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone,

As we get ready to take a break for Christmas, I thought I would share one of the projects I worked on this semester. It is a relaxation album specifically for mothers and children, but it also is very relaxing for just about anyone.

There is a free download of the entire album here:

http://www.easyeartraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/RelaxationPlayer/

Angels Take FlightThe flowing rhythms and melodies of the marimba embrace you and your child in a warm auditory embrace. Fluid melodies, repeating, enclosed within circles of luscious synthesized chords, send you into a heavenly realm of sweet slumber.
Eva Sleeps TonightThe simple melody of the lullaby, sparse and innocent, conjures up feelings and emotions associated with sleep and childhood. Single notes play together like children.
Before the DawnSoothing arpeggios and orchestral strains greet your ears with pleasing chords and a melody that wanders and wavers. Sounds of nature bring up images of a more innocent time, before the hustle and bustle of daily life eclipsed peaceful rest. Close your weary eyes and journey into the quiet land of slumber.
Mermaid SongSimplicity of melody and song, plaintive and sweet, calms the mind through joyous song. Slow and sparse, flute and harp create an imaginary dreamland welcoming even the most stressed of minds. Focus on each single note and allow your pains and sorrows to float away.
Brown NoiseWhile in the womb, your child enjoyed the constant beating of your heart, the rush of fluid around her ears, and the muffled voices from the world outside. This always active environment is recreated through the sounds of simple "brown" noise, which soothes and calms both mother and child.

I hope you enjoy this early gift for your ears for the holidays!

Smiles,
Mami Mozart

Call for Electronic Music!

2010-11-19T15:32:00.001-05:00

Vox Novus is inviting composers/sound artists to submit recorded works 60 seconds or less in length to be included in its ninth annual 60x60 project. 60 compositions will be selected to be played continuously in a one-hour concert.

60x60 is a one-hour-long show made by sequencing 60 pre-recorded pieces by 60 different composers, each piece a minute in length or shorter. Highlighting the work of a great many composers, 60x60 testifies to the vibrancy of contemporary composition by present a diverse array of styles, aesthetics, and techniques being used today (http://www.voxnovus.com/60x60). 60x60 has received thousands of submissions from over 30 countries, produced radio shows, created multimedia and multidisciplinary events, and released several albums.

During the concert each of the 60 pieces selected will begin precisely at the beginning of the minute, this will mark the end of one piece and the beginning of another. There will be no pause between the pieces. Works may be less than 60 seconds in length, but may not exceed 60 seconds. Works selected that are less than 60 seconds long will be “padded” with silence either before, after, or surrounding the composition. Please note that the total duration of the work including silence may NOT exceed sixty seconds.

The 60x60 project’s definition of a record work is as follows: any work created as a musical composition which is captured on recorded media, which does not require live performers for its production in broadcast at concert halls, radio, multi-media, etc. Its creation can include but not limited to acoustic instruments, voice, environmental sources, and computer (Sampling, MAX MSP, MIDI, C Sound, ProTools, etc.)

All works submitted should be with the understanding that it is their recording that is of prime importance and is what will be used to determine its selection.

60x60 is a project of “signature works” and short works created specifically for the 60x60 project. Excerpts of larger works are strongly discouraged. Works generated from procedures (i.e. mathematical matrices, organizational systems, or computer programs,) remixed works, or themes and motives recomposed from other of the composer's own work are acceptable.

In addition to the 60x60 International Mix, Vox Novus and the Athena Festival are joining forces to create the 60x60 Athena Mix. This special 60x60 Athena Mix will be comprised of 60 electronic compositions 60 seconds (or less) in length by 60 women composers and sound artists. All women composers will be considered for both the 60x60 International Mix and the 60x60 Athena Mix.

The call is open to composers of any nationality, age, or career stage.

Deadline for 60 second compositions for 60x60 is December 31, 2010.

There is no admission fee.

All submissions must be uploaded online at:

http://www.voxnovus.com/60x60/submission

Audio submissions must be in either AIFF or WAV file format.

Multiple submissions are accepted from a single composer/sound artist; however, only one submission will be allowed per email address submitted.

All submissions must be uploaded by December 31st, 2010 12:00 AM

Works selected for the 2011 60x60 project will be announced on February 15th, 2011.

Composer will be notified of the results by email or they can visit http://www.VoxNovus.com

Any questions regarding the call for works can be addressed to Support@VoxNovus.com

Robert Voisey

RobVoisey@VoxNovus.com
60x60 Director
Living Music Foundation Vice President
Founder of Vox Novus
http://www.VoxNovus.com

New Music Concert in America's Heartland Saturday

2010-11-19T10:20:00.001-05:00

Murray State University will be presenting an exciting night ofacoustic andelectronicworks from emerging composers this Saturday at 6pm.

Where

Murray State University, Western Kentucky

Performing Arts Hall (PAH)

Time

Saturday, 6pm

Free Admission!

Share and Bring a Friend

Contemporary works by emerging classical composers Kyle Dixon and Alan Manning, new sound artists Daniel Apple and Corona Jiang, and additional student compositions from Cornelius Hocker, Ben Shelby, Barry S. Sharp, and Matt Grimsley.

Works will cover everything from pop to piano, from techno to trios. You don't want to miss it!

Bring a friend to the New Music Concert at Murray State!

20th Century Parte 3: Electronic Music History According to YouTube

2010-11-18T01:33:00.001-05:00

Image via WikipediaElectronic Music History, according to U2B

Electronic music history spans well over a century. While many music history courses never even hit upon the basics of electronic music (ex. theremin or synthesizers), music technology has overtaken the globe.

Composers need music technology to print their music, distribute their music, contact other composers, set up concerts, promote their music, and even to compose their music.

Here is just a taste of electronic music, from the theremin to today. There are so many ways that technology and electronics have affected classical music in our time. The internet alone has revolutionized the music industry, making big music producers a dinosaur of the past and giving individual artists total control over their destinies.

Enjoy this video venture into electronic music! You might never want to come back!

Theremin

Ondes Martenot (Olivier Messiaen "4ème Feuillet Inédit")

Precursor to Electronic Music: Ballet Mechanique

From WIKI: In 1924, Ottorino Respighi composed The Pines of Rome, which calls for the use of a phonograph recording of nightingales. However, at the time of composition, phonograph players were acoustical, not electric, and this is actually more along the lines of using a sound effect, and therefore cannot be considered an electroacoustic element in the composition.
The following year, Antheil first composed for mechanical devices, electrical noisemakers, motors and amplifiers in his unfinished opera, Mr. Bloom, as a response to the "art of noises" of Luigi Russolo, Marinetti and the other Futurists.[citation needed] And just one year later in 1926, was the première of Antheil's Ballet Mécanique, using car horns, airplane propellers, saws, and anvils (but no electronics).

1951 "The Day the Earth Stood Still" Bernard Hermann

1955 Stockhausen ""Gesang der Junglinge" (Song of the Youths) (1955-56)"

1957 Forbidden Planet - Louis and Bebe Barron

Beach Boys use of Theremin

1977 Brian Eno and Cluster

20th Century Parte 2: The isms of the 20th Century

2010-11-18T01:03:00.022-05:00

There have actually been many new music movements in the last half century of classical music. While technology has made many aspects of composition much, much easier (I don't have to sit by candlelight and transcribe fifty parts by hand for the next orchestra rehearsal) and has led to a lot of laziness (especially for those that are not well-trained), classical composers that have been formally trained and use the technology to better their music (and not just substitute for bad music) have forged new musical ideas.

Here are a few of the musical movements in the last half century:
• Minimalism (Kamien pg 486)
• Neo-Romanticism and Neo-Classicism
• Computer Music and Electroacoustic Music (pg 498 Kamien)
• Intermedia, Multimedia, Mixed Media
• Chance Music (Kamien pg 485)
What is exciting is that technology is constantly opening up new doors to sound and music. Everything has not been invented. There are new technologies, hybrid instruments, computer languages, world fusion forms, and contemporary jazz styles being incorporated into new music each day. It is almost impossible to keep up with!

Schoenberg's technique, albeit very unpleasing to listen to generally, gave birth to a compositional style that influenced all composers after him. His atonal theory is still studied today by composers. Even though strict serialism is not practiced very often any more (except in Japan and in some computer music), the techniques are used by almost all major composers in some way or another.

Atonality and Serialism

The atonal system was a large break from the traditions of before. Western music first began with simple intervals in the time of Pythagorus. His system marked intervals like a unison and an octave as the most tonal (and pleasing to the ear). In the middle ages, musicians used church modes (Gregorian Chant ex.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MbDqc3x97k). In the Baroque Era, composers began to use what is now considered major and minor scales. True western harmony was born.

When Arnold Schoenberg experimented with atonality, he developed a complex musical (and mathematical) system. Essentially, a composer would arrange the twelve notes of a scale in a specific row, and then compose using those rows (in that order alone) to eliminate any sense of tonality. Eventually, composers began creating complex matrices to develop these rows. Schoenberg's works were revolutionary. However, while contemporary composers learn this style of composition, generally, most composers do not use strict atonal music theory in their works.

(For those musicians that want to try making a matrix, check out this site: http://www.dancavanagh.com/music/matrix.php)

Arnold Schoenberg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6LyYdSQQAQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YCoAhBhXcA&feature=fvw

Alban Berg
Wozzeck
An opera
Atonality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shu_ZlPn9v8&feature=related

William Grant Still

"A Black Pierrot" from Songs of Separation Art song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhZyJCambnA

Nationalism

Aaron Complan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VvvAp-2v4o

Charles Ives

Ives was quite an unusual composer. He knew his music was a bit whacked out, so he opted to hold down a day job while composing in his free time. Because he was so isolated from the music world, his style was most certainly different. He incorporates many quotes from famous and popular compositions. Some of his works require multiple conductors performing separate ensembles performing simultaneously! He was an absolute genius, even if his music was not understandable. He was eventually recognized for his work, but not till 1947 when he won a Pulitzer prize.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aJtkve8jeE

Many composers in the 20th century continued with the nationalism of the 19th century and also incorporated "folk" music into their compositions:

American Aaron Copland "HoeDown" (Yes, its the song from the Beef Commercial)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqah1rucyRg

Charles Ive's "Putnam's Camp" (This piece is supposed to be the sound of several marching bands converging on the same spot as they played different popular patriotic sounds in the town square).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aJtkve8jeE

British Composer Benjamin Britten "Frank Bridge Variations"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeyGDOLJUmM

Cuban Composer Tania Leon "Tumbao"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lt0kORNEn8

African-American Composer William Grant Still "Afro-American Symphony"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3JnMapsJMo

Each of these composers incorporated music from their homeland and culture into their compositions.

Minimalism

Composers like Terry Riley and Philip Glass borrowed musical ideas from the Far East. This gave birth to what is called minimalism in music. Minimalism involved taking small musical and rhythmic ideas and repeating them over and over again. There is less concern for harmony or even melody, and more concern regarding the rhythmic lines.

Terry Riley, "In C"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjR4QYsa9nE

This work consists of twenty or so melodic figures written in the key of C. The performers chose which figures that they wanted to play and then repeated several times. As you can hear, its a bit repetitive.

Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFBijDU8PpE

Einstein on the Beach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmX_GgozpQs

Chance Music & Experimental Music

John Cage
Imaginary Landscape for 12 radios
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0BNsBlzQII

Fluxus

Nam June Paik and Charlotte Moorman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuTGMata9Lc&feature=related

Neo Classicism

Sonate pour harpe - Germaine Tailleferre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlYJFT32FFM

20th Century Parte 1: Impressionism, Jazz, Musicals, Film Music

2010-11-18T00:08:00.033-05:00

Major Characteristics of the 20th Century

Impressionism

One of the most famous works that sound like the ocean is Claude Debussy's "La Mer." Debussy was a French impressionist, largely influenced by Eastern music. In fact, much of the music that he wrote incorporated musical elements from the East. For example, Debussy used the whole tone scale (a particularly "spacy" sounding scale") when he wrote.

Close your eyes when you listen to "La Mer". You can hear the sound of the waves crashing, of thunder, and of giant ships being tossed about. Debussy created these sounds by using clever orchestration. Orchestration is simply choosing which instrument should play a certain part. For example, a melody might sound better with the flute than with the tuba.

Listen to Debussy's "La Mer." What instruments make the wave sounds? What do you think about when you hear this piece?

Listening Link: Debussy's La Mer performed by the London Symphony

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoRSTRwGUSY

Modernism

Igor Stravinsky

Rite of Spring

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0xNo2894Fw

Technology

1877 Edison Invented the Cylinder disk, and by 1897, records began to radically change the way music was heard by listeners. Eventually, radio, TV, computers, and the internet all changed the way that music was heard, sold, distributed, and stored.

Diversity and Globalization

The 20th Century saw the world grow much smaller, and greater acceptance of cultural diversity. From the World Fair in 1889, which inspired Impressionist Composer Claude Debussy to write music based on the Javanese Gamelan, to increased technological wizardry through live cross-Atlantic electronic video concerts with Pauline Oliveros, the world grew increasingly smaller as technology and transportation improved.

Another exciting development in 20th century included increases in women's education, which allowed many talented women to pursue their love of music professionally. Previous to this time period, a talented musician (like Mozart's equally talented sister Maria or Mendelssohn's sister Fanny) was not allowed to pursue her musical career because her duty was to marry well. There are notable exceptions to this rule (Barbara Strozzi or the nun Hildegard von Bingen), but generally, women are not recognized for their musical achievements until the late 1800s.

Amy Beach "Gaelic Symphony"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc6dCsmKxXM

Jazz

African-American music in the US gave birth to an exciting new musical style: Jazz, a unique blend of European and African musical styles. Borrowing from the spirituals, ragtime, blues, and traditional European art music, Jazz took the 20th century by storm, with talented composers like Scott Joplin, Duke Ellington, Gershwin, and Leonard Bernstein creating classical works with jazz influence.

Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin

Satin Doll by Duke Ellington

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDDCzb3dv_Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkdP02HKQGc&feature=related

Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEpdXgj94xE&feature=related

Gershwin Porgy and Bess

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7-Qa92Rzbk

MUSICALS & Film

As we are exploring the 20th century and beyond this week, it would be remiss not to mention the importance of the musical in the 20th century. A musical and an opera, while both large musical productions, can sometimes be difficult to distinguish. The American Musical actually finds its birthplace more in vaudeville than in classical music. How? The innovation of adding sound to film suddenly allowed popular vaudeville acts to gain a new audience through film. Now they could perform for thousands of people without having to travel as extensively. Because of this, the first musicals in the US often were closer to variety acts than actual performances with plots.
However, as time (and film) brought the genre to the forefront, the plots became more substantial and attempted to make a statement, instead of just provide mediocre entertainment.

Contemporary musicals, like Rent, attempt to combine great music with a message. Cartoons helped with the resurgence of musicals. Disney especially had a series of musicals like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast (which won an Oscar for best film) that experienced great success. And film reprisals, like the award-winning Chicago, have helped keep the genre alive.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera remains to be one of the most impressive musicals of our time. It stands along with other great musicals like Les Miserables, Porgy and Bess (sometimes considered an opera), and Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story.

Chicago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Spy3Nd2D6w

Shower Scene from Psycho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUcOaGawIW0

MUS 105 Final Exam Review

2010-11-17T23:46:00.012-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Introduction to Music History Final Exam Review 1

We have covered the following periods of Classical Music in depth:

Middle Ages/Renaissance
Baroque Era
Classical Era
19th Century
20th Century

For the Exam, you will be expected to know the following from each time period:

3 Major Composers
1 Major Composition w/composer
5 Musical Characteristics of the Time Period

You will need to describe in essay form from a selected time period:

The History
One major composer
One major composition

Listening List:

You will need to identify and briefly describe five musical works from the following list:

Gregorian Chant
Pachelbel Canon in D
Bach Toccata and Fugue
Mozart Symphony 40
Beethoven Symphony 5
Mussorgsky Night on Bald Mountain
Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture
Debussy La Mer
Steve Reich Clapping Music
Bernstein "West Side Story"
John Cage 4'33''
Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin
Scott Joplin Maple Leaf Rag
Laurie Anderson O Superman

Romantic Music : Classical Music Video Excerpts

2010-11-15T21:50:00.045-05:00

Image by drhenkenstein via FlickrRomantic Music

Brief Characteristics of the Romantic Era:

Larger Orchestra
Program Music
Nationalism
More complicated texture, rhythm, tone color, form, dynamics

Social status of composer as artist increased from the measly "servant" position of earlier eras. The populace began enjoying music, too, in greater numbers, due largely to the increase of manufacturing of the pianoforte.

Composers of the Romantic Era

Nationalist Composers

Created music which glorified their culture and homeland.

Jean Sibelius (Finland)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgwr3wrenkQ

Louis Gottschalk, America

The Banjo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKDyYiCXlOg

Dvorak, Czech

New World Symphony 4th Movement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yctfXIqugXc

Frederic Chopin (Poland)
Polonaise in A Flat Major (the Heroic)

The Polonaise was a popular dance of his native Poland. He wrote these works to decry Poland's occupation by the Russians and Prussians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFvqvZOtCF0

Brahms Hungarian Dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCBsR4lO730&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFPFo1B8fT4&feature=related

Romantic Era Composers

Franz Schubert and the Lied (German word for Song)

Who rides so late through night and wind?
It is the father who's holding his child;
He's tucked the boy secure in his arm,
He holds him tight and keeps him warm.

My son, why hide you your face in fear?"
See you not, father, the Erl King near?
The Erl King in his crown and train?"
My son, 'tis but a foggy strain."

Sweet lovely child, come, go with me!
What wonderful games I'll play with thee;
Flowers, most colorful, yours to behold.
My mother for you has garments of gold."

My father, my father, and can you not hear
What Erl King is promising into my ear?"
Be calm, stay calm, o child of mine;
The wind through dried leaves is rustling so fine."

Wouldst thou, fine lad, go forth with me?
My daughters should royally wait upon thee;
My daughters conduct each night their song fest
To swing and to dance and to sing thee to rest."

My Father, my father, and can you not see
Erl King's daughters, there by the tree?"
My son, my son, I see it clear;
The ancient willows so grey do appear."

I love thee, I'm aroused by thy beautiful form;
And be thou not willing, I'll take thee by storm."
My father, my father, he's clutching my arm!
Erl King has done me a painful harm!"

The father shudders and onward presses;
The gasping child in his arms he caresses;
He reaches the courtyard, and barely inside,
He holds in his arms the child who has died.

The Elkonig (or the Elf Child)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOiMVPSzr7E

Fanny Mendelssohn
Larghetto from "Song without Words"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhcyUL7QSb4

Program Music

During the Romantic Era, composer began creating music called "program music". In program music, the music directly related to nonmusical art, literature, places, stories, mythology, etc. This was different than Absolute music, which was essentially "music for music's sake". For example, music of the Baroque era, such as a fugue, did not relate directly to any sort of poem, literature, or painting.

Modest Mussorgsky

Night on Bald Mountain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Ca_edg6RE

Pictures at an Exhibition: The Old Castle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1umZ-_5_Rlw

Felix Mendelssohn

The Gnome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Ndkdan9oo&feature=related

Midsummer Night's Dream (from Shakespeare)
Wedding March
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDr8Q7lDW8o&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU_zqgoAcUs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzyyvw3YV_I&feature=related

Berlioz

Hector Berlioz wrote the semi-autobiographical Symphonie Fantastique after being rejected by a young actress whom he adored (and stalked). Unable to gain the young woman's unrequited love, the composer wrote this symphonic poem, fantasizing his adored beloved as a witch, in the end killing her and marching to the scaffold for his own beheading. Quite a morose fantasy, supposedly the story of a drug-crazed "artist", who could only be Berlioz himself.

Symphonie Fantastique

March to the Scaffold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwCuFaq2L3U

The Love Triangle: Brahms, Clara, and Robert

Composer Robert Schumann fell in love and married the lovely Clara, the daughter of a family friend. They had a family together. The young Brahms visited Robert and Clara, and soon became warm friends with Clara. As time wore on, and Robert Schumann's mental state worsened, eventually landing him in an asylum where he spent his last days, Brahms grew closer to Clara. Eventually, after Robert's death, he came to care for her and her family for several years. Eventually they broke off their close relationship, burned their letters, but remained close friends to the end of their days.

Robert Schumann
Traumeriei, Reverie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHlfNYY1YIY&feature=related

Clara Schumann

Piano Concerto in A Minor Allegro Maestoso

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bANWdzQPchQ

Brahms Lullaby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFQcQKWgTQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t894eGoymio

Ballet

Tchaikovsky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW_LNxEt8QU&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8fI-dGWT74

"V for Vendetta" ending with 1812 Overture
Destruction of Parliament

Opera
(We will cover opera in the next section)

Giuseppe Verdi
Rossini
Puccini
Wagner

Electronic Music : Straight Talk

2010-11-15T21:24:00.007-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Music Technology: The Great Democratizer

Lecture from the November 9th Lecture/Recital

Murray State University

IAWM Electronic Music Concert 2010

Today I had several different routes I could follow for this electronic music concert.

1) Number 1. I could hum, hah, and harangue about the injustices in the world. I could give you one example after another about how difficult it is being a composer who is also a woman, who is also young, who is also Latina. I could whine and weep and exhort you to understand the plight of young girls and talented women who face adversity each day when they attempt to convince professional orchestras and opera companies to play their music.

But the truth is: who cares about the few hundred women who have difficulty having a symphony performed when there are billions of women being denied basic inalienable human rights, even the right to be born. Their only crime? XX not XY.

2) Option Number 2. I could give you a historical overview of electronic music. We could sit here and trace the birth of electronic music, from the record player and ondes martenot and theremin all the way through the whacked out 80s with MTV and Laurie Anderson's drum suit. We could talk about France's IRCAM electronic Studios and the contributions of women like composers Pauline Oliveros and Alice Shields. I could mention younger generations of electronic music composers like Kristine H. Burns and Alex Shapiro. But to be honest, you can Google or Wiki almost anything I have to say about electronic music history.

So if you are interested in electronic music history, here is a quick list (quick, write them down):

Electroacoustic

Electronica

Theremin

Ondes Martenot

Pauline Oliveros

EIS System

MAX/MSP

Supercollider

Multimedia

Intermedia

Mixed media

Dick Higgins

Tape Music

John Cage

Sound

Silence

O Superman

Wendy Carlos

Louis Barron

Alice Shields

Alicyn Warren

Alex Shapiro

Recording

Char Davies

Beth Anderson

Mixing

Brenda Hutchinson

Joan La Barbara

Ione

Laurie Anderson

Laurie Spiegal

Rebecca Allen

IRCAM

Virtual Reality

Bell Labs

Fluxus

Futurist

Performance Art

Forbidden Planet

Graphic Notation

Yoko Ono

Noise

Synthesizer

Science Fiction

Moog

Njinga

So. What are we going to talk about today?

Electronic music? Yes.

Technology? Yes.

Women? Maybe.

We are going to talk about YOU. What is happening now in technology, where it's going, what you can do with it.

Technology is the great Democratizer. If I don't want someone to judge me based on my appearance, gender, or age, I can create a new avatar, an identity, all linked to a valid e-mail account and website which tout my achievements without giving away a single personal detail. I can contact someone across the ocean (or even just two blocks away) via text or FB or Twitter, collaborate on a project, distribute it, and never have to meet a living, breathing soul.

What is beautiful about this? If you, or you, or you want to create a great piece of art, whether it is music, or visual art, or an ebook, all you have to do it create it and hit SEND. It doesn't matter if you are ten, or twenty, or one hundred and ten. It doesn't matter if you speak Spanish, or Mandarin, or Arabic. If the music is good, if you know what you are doing, you can share your creations with the world.

Heck, even if your music is bad, someone is bound to like it out there. (Look how many idiots love Kesha and Katie Perry's garbage).

So here is the crux of today's talk:

Five Practical Tips from Someone Who Knows Their Sh*t (stuff)

1. Say Something

Seriously, there is a massively huge world out there. In case you didn't get the memo, the economy sucks, people around the world are starving to death, corporations are raking in billions, and the media keeps shoving expensive crap down our throats.

So say something. Don't waste your talent, whether its in music, or art, or writing, or math, or whatever. Don't waste it. Use it. And make a freaking difference.

Musicians, there are thousands of songs out there about dum tweeny bop crushes and partying. Are we really that lame? There are tens of thousands of string quartets, thousands of symphonies, and tens of thousands of piano solos. Is that what we are about? Tiny little notes on scraps of tree bark?

Make a difference with your music, your art. Change the world one note at a time.

2. Get with the program.

Which program? Garageband, Audacity, Acid, Fruity Loops, Cubase, Cakewalk, Ableton, Logic, ProTools, Finale, Sibelius, PC, Mac, or Linux...it doesn't matter. The program is just the tool, the creator of great music is you. And don't worry if you can't read a note, never wrote a lyric in your life, or don't know a major dominant from a majordomo. Music is sequential and exponential. You learn one new skill today, you will know two tomorrow, and four the next.

I wish I could tell you that I have a top of the line studio back home. That I run everything on only the best equipment in the world, and that I have tens of thousands of dollars of engineering goods at my disposal. Truth is, my studio used to be the most ghetto of studios. For years I composed using a crappy kid's keyboard hooked to a decade old MOTU and used a demo version of Pro Tools. The tools didn't matter. During that same time, one of my film scores made it to the NY International Independent Film Festival, another was a finalist in Miramax's Greenlight Competion, and another was chosen for an international sound festival. My studio was garbage. I am not.

So don't stress what program, just get the program. Any program, and start making music.

3. Get it out there

What's the point of writing the most amazing symphony, love song, or beat in the world if you keep it all to yourself? Get the music out there. You don't need to wait for a contract or someone's permission. Get your music out there.

How are you going to know if it is good or bad or just plain ugly if you keep it safe at home? Set your music free, and wait to see where it lands (or crashes), then write some more. One day you will find that you actually are good at what you do, and you won't even realize it until people start asking you for advice.

4. Keep at it

Figure out why you do what you do. And I am not just talking about music. Why do you study what you study? Find what you are passionate about, whatever it is, and pursue it like a starving wolf hunts its prey. Thirst and hunger for what you do. If you don't care about what you do (what you write), then no one else will care about it. Be passionate, and screw everything else.

5. Share the wealth

Once you get to the point where you are doing what you love and actually living your dream, and you will if you work hard, then share the wealth. Share your knowledge and your experiences. Help those around you get to where you are. It makes you a better person, it helps someone else, and it makes this crazy world just that much more livable.

Now we are going to listen to experimental electronic music by several talented women. These women share nothing but their love of music. They are from different countries with different backgrounds, use different tools, and have entirely different approaches to music.

As you listen, close your eyes and immerse yourself in the sounds. Forget that you are sitting in a lecture hall at Murray State, and enter into an altered state of mind.

Nov 9 Free Electronic Music Concert at Murray State University

2010-11-06T10:25:00.004-05:00

Murray State University will be hosting the "Acousmatic Evening" as an informal lecture/recital in FAH Room 623 Tuesday November 9th. Admission is free. Concert starts at 3:30. Limited seating available. Sabrina Peña Young will be hosting the lecture/recital. This is an ideal event for classes interested in electronic music, music history, feminism, and women's studies. We invite you to come out.

"An Acousmatic Evening" will provide the audience a selection of curated electronic music including fixed media sound diffusion and video projection.

The International Alliance for Women in Music is a global network of women and men working to increase and enhance musical activities and opportunities and to promote all aspects of the music of women.

The program of six electroacoustic compositions has been selected from 22 entries from seven countries for the IAWM 2010 Annual Concert. The official performance of these works takes place in the Musée des moulages de l'Université de Lyon II inLyon, France, on Friday, Oct. 22, in conjunction with the Music Season of GRAME, National Center for Music Creation. The concert will include pieces by the following composers: Magdalena Dlugosz, Poland; Ida Helene Heidel, Norway; Judith Ring, Ireland; Carrie Leigh Page, USA; Bernard Marie-Hélène, France; and Veronika Krausas, Canada (video by Quintan Ana Wikswo, USA).

An identical program of these winning pieces will also played in Maryland, Massachusetts, Kentucky, California and Taiwan, in addition to Lyon and Montana, as part of a global celebration of electro-acoustic music created by women.

More information about IAWM can be accessed at www.iawm.org.

Brief History of Joseph Haydn

2010-11-03T21:22:00.014-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

(Text in Large Print for Classroom Projection)

Joseph Haydn

Born in Austria in 1732 (lived till 1809). His father was an amateur musician who encouraged the young Hadyn to cultivate his obvious musical talents. Hadyn sang in the Cathedral of St. Stephen as a young boy until he reached puberty. Once he aged out of the choir, he struggled over the next decade to make ends meet. He taught lessons, performed, and eventually got a great gig with the famous Esterhazy family, a Hungarian family of nobles both powerful and extremely wealthy. Haydn's position as composer was considered a servant position. He was employed by his patron and had to compose music that his patron wished, as well as manage the usual music director duties of conducting, teaching music, and basic music management.

Haydn "Creation" The Heaven's Are Telling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-Jkktpp9QI

The Esterhazy family lived in a magnificent estate. There many palaces also had a private opera house, concert halls, and even a theater and gave the composer hundreds of opportunities to have his works performed. Hadyn gained fame all throughout Europe and influenced other Classical Era geniuses like Mozart and Beethoven with his work. Mozart and Hadyn cultivated a wonderful friendship. Although Mozart was significantly younger than Hadyn, they each admired and respected each other's works. (At one point, Hadyn gave Beethoven lessons. However, the two clashed badly and the relationship ended quickly).

When the Esterhazy family ascended to the throne of Hungary, Hadyn regained his fame and remained content the rest of his years to compose large scale choral works.

Hadyn wrote 104 symphonies, which he mastered, as well a possibly being the creator of the string quartet. He wrote string quartets, symphonies, concertos, oratorios, masses, piano sonatas, and operas throughout his illustrious career.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkse1g9ibnM

Source: Roger Kamien "An Appreciation of Music"

Beethoven

2010-11-03T20:56:00.015-05:00

Cover of Ludwig van Beethoven

(text in large print for classroom projection)

Born in Bonn, Germany in 1770, lived until 1827. Moved to Vienna as a young adult, originally to study with Joseph Haydn. However, the two clashed, and the relationship fizzled. Unlike Haydn or Mozart, Beethoven refused to be treated as a servant, and remained in Vienna only after several noblemen promised to pay him a regular stipend for composing in Vienna. Everything was looking up until he neared his 30th birthday and found that he was losing his hearing.

There are many stories about Beethoven's dedication after losing his hearing. Beethoven lived a hard life. He cared for a nephew who had nervous breakdown and began suffering hearing loss (and eventually vision loss) at an early age. Stories abound about the composer placing his piano directly on the floor (he had the legs taken off) to hear the vibrations of the notes better, supposedly becoming blind after composing the Moonlight Sonata by the light of the moon, conducting orchestras like a madman because he could not hear the music, and even not being able to hear the applause after a work of his was completed. How much of this was truth, myth, or maybe tall tale is hard to surmise. In any case, Beethoven continued creating some of his best works well after his deafness was complete.

Beethoven was also considered bad tempered and quite moody, although some historians point out that it may have been directly related to the loss of hearing and the issues with his nephew, which frustrated and depressed him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd0gptJlWBw

Beethoven never did marry. However, he did have a string of love affairs, which seemed to keep him busy. He also loved and cared for his nephew. He fought for the boy's custody from his sister, who he thought was unfit. However, I don't know if being with the very moody bachelor Beethoven (especially as he started losing his hearing around age 30), was healthy for a growing boy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd0gptJlWBw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRgXUFnfKIY

Unlike Mozart who could quickly write and compose a symphony in no time at all (it was as natural as breathing to him), Beethoven worked exceedingly hard at creating his work. He was a perfectionist, his home covered in scratched out scores and manuscripts. Beethoven strove for ultimate perfection in his work. It is amazing that Beethoven, even after deafness had claimed his hearing forever, still produced incredibly symphonies and works, is quite a feat!

Both Mozart and Beethoven were considered musical geniuses. Yet, their composition styles were drastically different. Mozart could hear an entire symphony in his head and compose it directly to paper without even touching a piano. In fact, Mozart "stole" music by sitting in concerts and dictating the music to paper as he listened (which was actually considered illegal at that time! Yep, and this was BEFORE P2P filesharing! ). Mozart did this as a musical exercise, but it just lends more credence to his incredible talents.

Beethoven, on the other hand, only composed nine symphonies, but they are certainly masterworks! He spent years perfecting his notes. He, too, could hear the music in his head (which is why he could compose even after going deaf and half blind). However, he constantly perfected and tweaked each and every note.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_cA22QfbMw

Beethoven created amazing symphonies, like his Third Symphony (Eroica, originally to be named after Napoleon, but then changed after Bonaparte declared himself emperor), and the Sixth Symphony (the Pastoral Symphony, which reflects Beethoven's love of nature). He only wrote a single opera, "Fidelio" and dozens of piano sonatas. He was a transitionary force between the Classical and Romantic Eras.

On Mozart: An Introduction to Music History

2010-11-03T20:54:00.022-05:00

(text in large print for class projection)

Besides training his young children (Mozart's sister Maria also composed and was extremely talented), Leopold Mozart definitely used his own influence to present the young musicians before royalty and influential patrons of the time. Mozart gained enormous fame as a child, which helped him throughout the rest of his life. (Maria discontinued studies once she reached marriageable age).

Without a doubt, Mozart was absolutely brilliant and there has yet to be a composer who had such an impressive and prolific output at such a young age. Yet, his father's influence helped bring him into the spotlight. Even if Mozart's father had not been a "stage father", Mozart would probably have excelled in music because of natural talent and growing up in a musical family. However, he might not have gained fame so quickly.

First, I would like to distinguish between a musical prodigy, a musical savant, and a musical genius:

Musical Prodigy: Typically a young child with inordinate intelligence and musical talent (and usually with parents who recognize and push the child's abilities). Mozart was a musical prodigy and musical genius.

Musical Savant: A severe mental disorder which allows for incredible musical talent in some cases

Musical Genius: A person (young or old) with exceptional musical talent that may have developed as a child or taken years (or even decades) to perfect. Usually of high intelligence. The majority of serious composers that I know personally and/or professionally fall into this category. I do not consider student composers part of this group.

In the day of YouTube, it is fairly easy to find hundreds of "musical prodigies". A recent example would be the young Jackie Evancho on the reality show America's Got Talent. Videos from a few years ago showed a young girl with some musical talent. Her parents recognized this talent, gave her professional vocal lessons, and the rest is history. (BTW, most vocal experts agree that a developed voice like Jackie's at that age will most likely destroy a child's vocal chords before she reaches adulthood. Hopefully her parents will look out for her and ignore the money signs if her voice begins to suffer).

Mozart and his sister Maria both were musical prodigies, pushed on by their father Leopold. Martha, expected to marry of course, did not have the advantages of the young Amadeus. (Similar stories accompanied many other talented girls like performer/composer Fanny Mendelssohn, sister of composer Felix Mendelssohn). However, Mozart had an amazing ear like very few musicians. He could compose a symphony in his head and dictate it exactly without even having to be by a piano. He was a musical prodigy in both composition and performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO3ll3SAZsg

I do differentiate between musical prodigies and musical genius because there are few musical prodigies (and even fewer that have their talents recognized at an early age) but there are millions of musical geniuses in the world.

I believe that to become a musical genius, one has to have the intelligence, creativity, obsessiveness, and diligence to succeed. I have many students who want to become amazing musicians. They might have lots of talent or little drive or they might have little talent and lots of drive, but it is perseverance and hard work that make the difference between the wannabes and the great musicians.

Haydn had drastically different relationships with Mozart and Beethoven. Mozart's primary influence was his father Leopold, who trained the young prodigy rigorously and sternly. Mozart and Hadyn did have a friendship, along the lines of a mentorship. Beethoven and Hadyn's working relationship was brief. Beethoven most likely learned more from Hadyn by listening to the works and studying his music than from one-on-one attention from Hadyn.

Mozart Opera "The Marriage of Figaro"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YF3vmqJLQQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGZSPDDzSz4&feature=related

Mozart's fame as a boy sadly did not last into his adulthood. His father's control over much of his life hindered Mozart's own ability to succeed on his own. Eventually Mozart became a freelance composer/musician in Vienna, and did very well. He wrote the operas "The Marriage of Figaro" and other great works. Don Giovanni was a master opera, but was too dissonant and unpopular with the audience.

Before his death, Mozart did regain some popularity. He wrote the "Magic Flute" (a comic opera) and worked on a mass for the dead, which he did not finish (a student completed the mass).

While Mozart did have a "pauper's" burial, during the that time, the reigning ruler Joseph II had "decreed that for reasons of sanitation, economy, and rationality, burial Masses would be celebrated in Viennese churches, and that the bodies would then be transported in (reusable) wooden boxes on special carts to mass graves outside the city limits." (Morris, pg 90). In other words, the situation behind Mozart's funeral services were not unusual for non-nobility at that time. Only the wealthiest had a more extravagant burial.

The Köchel Catalogue was created by the Mozart enthusiast Sir Ludwig von Köchel in the mid 1850s. Köchel catalogued every known Mozart work chronologically and published his findings. Others edited and published the catalogue over the following century and a half, including Albert Einstein! The reprints of Mozart's works (which have constantly been revised as more works have been discovered and reordered) were up to the eighth edition in 2008 under the K6 denotation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaUSkXQZZ_s

Source:
Morris, J. (1994). On Mozart. Cambridge, : Cambridge University Press.
Music at Virginia Tech. (2008). Köchel Verzeichnis. Retrieved from http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textk/Kochelverzeichnis.html
Hiles, D. (2002). Savant Syndrome. De Montfort University. Retrieved from http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant%20Syndrome.h

Music of the Classical Era Part 1

2010-11-01T21:20:00.026-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

(Text in large print for classroom projection)

Characteristics of Classical Era Music

Homophony and clarity of melody
Balance and proportion
"Naturalness"
Symmetry
Clarity
Elegance
More contrast
Melodies simplified and less ornate
Folk music influence

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Mozart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGln8LFA8Qw

"Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman" Twelve Variations by Mozart

Music was considered the "language of the heart"

Major Composers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-crzq1PX4A

Joseph Hadyn

Amadeus Mozart

Beethoven

Music was meant to reach the listener emotionally.

Composer Training:

Harmony
Theory
Performance

Opera

Characters were more realistic
Themes were often political in nature
Homophony

Opera Buffa (Comic Opera)
Real life characters in humorous situations

Mozart "Marriage of Figaro"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx5ixDUduvE

Mozart Opera by Victor Borge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKYzmtJ_Ueg

Humorous wrong translation of opera

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjeQtbKFlHc

Musical Developments in the Classical Era

Theme and Variations
Minuet Form
Symphony
Rounded Binary Form
Rondo Form
Sonata Form
Cadenza
Crescendo
Decrescendo
Harpsichord less used
More tone color

Style Gallant (musical counterpart to the rococo style in art. Used by composers in the late Baroque, like Bach's sons). Light and graceful (similar to rococo art's lighter touch and softer lines).

Contrast was increased greatly in the Classical Era. Contrasts in mood, dynamics, instrumentation, etc. Textures changed often.

The orchestra began to be standardized, with a set number of strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. The number of musicians in an orchestra could change.

Rhythm had more variance. Syncopations and pauses.

Music was primarily homophonic. The melody gained importance again. Polyphonic lines were rarely, if ever, used. No more improvisation on the basso continuo, instead music was written down completely.

Classical Forms

Had specific movements following a pattern of fast-slow-dance-fast generally. Introduced several themes in the same movement, often contrasting them greatly from one another.

The Symphony

1. Fast
2. Slow
3. Dance
4. Fast

The Sonata (one or two instruments)

(See text for details)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQVeaIHWWck

Composers

Joseph Hadyn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf61ufkwmMk

Amadeus Mozart

Requiem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi8vJ_lMxQI

Johann Christian Bach

Quartet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGtGcs0z-0c

Carl Philip Emmanual Bach

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik-gX_AgMwA

Ludwig von Beethoven

Ode to Joy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG16pfDZ3CM&feature=related

The Classical Era: An Introduction

2010-11-01T19:45:00.034-05:00

Image via Wikipedia(Text in LARGE print for classroom projection)

CLASSICAL ERA

1750-1820

Classical: Dealing with Roman and Greek Antiquity

The Age of Enlightenment (1720-1790)

The belief in reason and progress. An age where the middle class raged against the extravagance of the aristocracy and the hypocrisy of religious leaders. A push to end the privileges of the upper class and instead ensure fairness for the struggling middle class. Freedom from spiritual darkness and oppression. Critical thinking and the bettering of the mind. A turn away from the extravagant opulence of the Baroque Period. Ideals of democracy and independence took hold. The American and French Revolutions turned monarchies on their heads.

Music played an important role in the Age of Enlightenment. It was considered an integral and important part of a nation's culture. It helped unify troops, spread ideals of democracy, and rejoice in military victory. Operas had plots that mocked the aristocracy and songs like Yankee Doodle helped the Americans win their battle against a British tyrant.

Even musical audiences had become more democratic. Performances were not necessarily reserved for monarchs and the wealthy nobles and royal favorites. Wealthier working middle class members were able to attend performances, much to the chagrin of the uppity royals. Composers were just as likely to earn a living through private patrons as through church or court appointments (as Hadyn and Mozart did). Public concerts were arranged by the populace.

The Parisian Concert de Amateurs was formed to play popular works. Led by the composer Chevalier de Saint Georges. Le Chevalier de Saint Georges faced much opposition during his lifetime, even being denied a post of the local opera company because of his skin color. Despite opposition, he managed to perform for Marie Antoinette, fight in the French Revolution and premier several concertos and symphonic works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwPeyqjmSuw&feature=related

The center of the musical world at this time was in Vienna. Major composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven studied and played in Vienna. The aristocracy and the wealthy often hired composers to create works for private concerts. Music was again a status symbol, and many aristocrats could play and perform. Many did, in fact, and hired their own orchestras.

The American Revolution 1776

US Constitution in 1789

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmdVSDVlVoc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwWi0zdF7wk

The French Revolution 1789
Reign of Terror 1793-1794

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZtEsLMy5uQ

The Age of Napoleon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF4lPWU_qxY

An age of Liberty and Equality. Heroism and Patriotism.

Declaration of Independence

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1995399/the_declaration_of_independence/

Visual Art

The Late Baroque had given birth to the rococo style, a more intricate form of extravagant art. However, during the Age of Enlightenment, Visual Art returned to the simplicity of the classics in Neoclassicism. Visual art reflected the subjects of the Greek philosophers and the concepts of liberty with depictions of classical themes and historical scenes of the horrors of war.

Prominent Visual Artists

Spanish Artist Francisco Goya

Images:

http://www.goyatobeijing.org/gallery/images/goya.jpg

http://data.quenta.org/goya-saturn-son.jpg

The Disasters of War

http://www.tate.org.uk/images/cms/12572w_goya_disasterswarplate39.jpg

French Revolutionary Jacques-Louis David

Images:

http://www.softpedia.com/screenshots/Jacques-Louis-David-Screensaver_1.png
Napoleon

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/david/napoleon-study.jpg

http://daystarvisions.com/Pix/Masters/Full/Jacques-Louis_David-Napoleon_Alps-1801-edited_DC.jpg

English Painter William Hogarth
http://www.zeitlerweb.com/img/600px-William_Hogarth_028.jpg

Architecture

Symmetry

Classic, based on Greek and Roman architecture

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's Home
http://www.dl.ket.org/humanities/arch/images/monticello_.jpg

Technology

Cotton gin

Manufacturing

Steam engine

http://www.portlandfiremuseum.com/images/steam_engine.jpg

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/12327-the-industrial-revolution-the-steam-engine-video.htm

Growth of urban centers

The birth of industrialization

Free Halloween Music Download

2010-10-29T11:39:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Enjoy your special treat with a free Halloween music download called "Halloween Eve's Birthday Bash". It is available NOW at Easy Ear Training.com.

http://www.easyeartraining.com/2010/10/29/new-free-ear-training-download-happy-halloween/

I hope you enjoy this fun and utterly SPOOKY Halloween Track! Thanks for visiting the New Music Resource!

In case you haven't noticed, the New Music Resource now includes Music Appreciation course outlines, based on the Bonds, Stolba, and Kamien music history textbooks. These short outlines include large print text for visibility in classrooms, as well as excellent You Tube examples. Many of the You Tube links not only have excellent performances of classical works but also include more modern performances of works. And, of course, I always include links that involve technology. This series of Music Appreciation blogs will continue en force for the next two months. Then the New Music Resource will return to great blogs about contemporary music.

Feedback is always appreciated! How are you incorporating contemporary music and technology in your music history and music appreciation courses? Are there any links we should include here at the New Music resource for music appreciation or music history? Let us know!

And have a happy Halloween!

Smiles,
S. Young

Baroque Composers

2010-10-28T01:00:00.023-05:00

Image via Wikipedia(Text in Large Print for Classroom Projection)

Bach
DOB 1685-1750, German
Major Works: Brandenberg concertos, Toccato and Fugue, Well-Tempered Clavier, cantatas
Background: Part of a musical family. Even Bach's children continued with composition. Started as a church organist, later became a concertmaster in Weimer. His church position at St. Thomas was where he wrote many of his most famous works. He was a teacher and prominent organist. In fact, he was better known for his organ playing than his composition. It wasn't until the 1800s when Felix Mendelssohn rediscovered Bach that Baroque music again became popular. During his lifetime, Bach was only known in his own region. Wrote in every genre except opera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ9qWpa2rIg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXSp8Oi6vYc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ4Og9LNJpk

George Frederic Handel
DOB 1685-1759, Germany
Major Works: Messiah
Background: Child prodigy, violinist and harpsichord. First opera by the time he was 20. Moved to Italy and wrote many operas. Then moved to England where he became a court favorite (Queen Anne). He wrote operas and oratorios. His most famous is the Messiah, but he also wrote Israel in Egypt and Joshua. +

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76RrdwElnTU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIpXEVuiDDU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT1oTBSqR4E&feature=fvst

Monteverdi
DOB 1567-1643, Italy
Major Works: The Opera Orfeo
Background: Worked for two decades at the royal court in Mantua. Moved to St. Mark's after a nervous breakdown. Became the most important composer in Italy. First opera composer. He wrote a dozen operas, all in native Italian.

Orfeo: Gifted musician of Greek mythology. Orpheus goes into the underworld to find his blessed bride, who has been killed. He tries to rescue his Eurydice, but before he and she escape, he breaks the one rule "Do not look back". He looks at his bride and loses her forever. Composed in 1607 when he was working at Mantua.

Arias (Solo voice with orchestral accompaniment)
Recitative (Vocal line which attempts to imitate speech)
Chorus
Duet
Interludes (instruments)
Bass Ostinato (repetitive bass line)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7fhbKsdvBA&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhj0TY8ZpMo

Henry Purcell
DOB 1659-1695, England
Major Works: Opera "Dido and Aeneus"
Background: Organist. Worked at Westminister Abbey and for the king

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gyQWW_OC_4

Recitative
Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,
On thy bosom let me rest,
More I would, but Death invades me;
Death is now a welcome guest.

Aria
When I am laid, am laid in earth, May my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;
Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Remember me, but ah! forget my fate,

Dido and Aeneus
Short opera. Most roles are written for women (composed for a girl's boarding school). Based on Virgil's poem about the Queen of Carthage (Dido) and her failed romance with the King Aeneus (king of the Trojans). After he leaves her, because of evil witches conniving, Dido sings a lament and commits suicide.

Antonio Vivaldi
DOB (1678-1741), Italy
Major Works: The Four Seasons
Background: Called the Red Priest (he was a redhead). Taught at an orphanage for girls. Wrote many beautiful works for an orchestra of forty young women. Died in poverty. He is best known for solo concertos (soloist with orchestra) and concerti grosso). (pg 125 more info, Kamien).
Fun Fact

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Ja8SqMwM0

The Fugue and Canon

2010-10-28T00:01:00.019-05:00

Image via Wikipedia(Text Large for classroom projection)

Textbook recommendation: Roger Kamien Music: an Appreciation

THE CANON

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM

THE FUGUE

The Fugue was a major development in polyphony during the Baroque era. Other types of polyphonic forms were used, like the canon (ex. Pachelbel Canon in D). A Prelude often preceded a fugue (ex.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DeYQ5wJTEU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-abGDv-GMGk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax00vnsZPKE

In the fugue, the main theme typically comes in a single voice. This first appearance is called the subject of the fugue. (Sound example). After the subject is presented in the first voice, it is manipulated a number of ways by the composer. It does not necessarily have to return the same way.

After the subject is introduced, a second voice will echo the subject (called an answer), but in the dominant. Sometimes a countersubject (a melody unrelated to the first subject) will play at the same time as the subject. It counters the initial subject like a good fencer would in a match. They intertwine with each other.

At the same time, the composer must make sure that his or her lines of polyphony do not create too much dissonance, and that they follow a specific chord structure, usually some variation of I-V-I.

Transitions in a fugue are called "episodes". An episode gets you from point A to point B in the fugue, but is not part of the subject, countersubject, and repetition of the other musical lines.

A composer manipulates a subject several ways:

Inverted

Retrograde

Augmentation

Diminution

(Examples on the Board)

Both Handel and Bach wrote hundreds of fugues and preludes. Learning how to write canons and complicated fugues are a part of every composer's training, although the form in its purest state is generally dead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2JFgfc7c70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FXoyr_FyFw

Late Baroque Music Part 2

2010-10-27T23:48:00.031-05:00

Image via Wikipedia(Large text for class projection)

BAROQUE ERA (1600-1750)

Text: Kamien: A Music Appreciation

Review Major Characteristics of Baroque Music (pg 97)

Mood
Rhythm
Terraced Dynamics
Polyphonic Texture
Monophonic in Opera
Chords and Basso Continuo
Text and Music

Musical Form: How music is organized

Movements

Many compositions of the Baroque era had several movements. For example, a Bach suite had several movements, each representing a dance style popular in the Baroque Era. Usually there is a pause between movements. In a suite, the different movements usually contrasted. There might be a quick and happy movement, a slower movement, a rousing fast movement.

Musical expressions:

Concerto Gross0 and Ritonello (pg 103)

The concerto grosso usually had a small group of soloists musically pitted against the orchestra. (Remember at this time, the orchestra was made of roughly thirty players). The entire orchestra playing is called "Tutti". There were often three movements: fast, slow, fast. The entire orchestra would play, then the soloist/small ensemble. Different types of textures were created, and there was much contrast.

(See example on pg 103)

Bach's Brandenberg Concerto

Six works for the Musgrave of Brandenberg who had met Bach and requested music from the composer. The piece has a small ensemble of a flute, violin, and harpsichord playing with the orchestra. Possibly first time the harpsichord was used as a solo instrument.

(CD Example pg 104 Audio clip)

The Baroque Suite

The Baroque Suite essentially was the party music of the wealthy Baroque aristocrats, who enjoyed lavish balls and parties. Dances were from all around Europe, from the French Gavotte to the German Allemande. Contrast in movements was important. A suite could have movements in triple, duple, or quadruple meter, depending on the the dance style.

Some popular dances of the Baroque Period (audio examples):

Irish Gigue
German Allemande
French Courante
French Gavotte
French Minuet
French Chaconne
Spanish Sarabande

Each of these dances has specific rhythmic, metrical, harmonic, and melodic characteristics which Baroque composers copied into their music. The beginning of a suite did not always start with a dance-like movement. Sometimes the work would start with an Overture.

(See next blog for info on fugues)

Late Baroque Music Part 1

2010-10-26T00:13:00.013-05:00

Image via Wikipedia(Text in Large print for classroom projection)

Classroom Text: Roger Kamien, Music: An Appreciation

Late Baroque Period

Rhythm repeated throughout
Polyphonic
Use of Harpsichord and the organ primarily
Works do not oscillate between happy and sad. Not much emotion is conveyed.
Opening melody often repeated with variation in different voices
Terraced Dynamics (piano to forte, vice versa, not gradual)
Correlation between music and text

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcUh-ggBfzI

Harmony

The Late Baroque Period (at around 1620) saw the use of chords and harmony using the major and minor scales. This included the use of the figured bass (or basso continuo). Essentially a composer would write a bass part and other instruments would play notes that complimented the chord progression. Numbers like I, IV, or V were used to denote the chords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzua7P_0Kec

The concept of the basso continuo actually is comparable to a lead sheet used by a band today. Chords are listed on top. The bass played creates a bass line based on the chords and the rest of the ensemble plays notes that work in with the chord structure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipzR9bhei_o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ9qWpa2rIg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Vkq5xKkHQ

Intro to Baroque Music

2010-10-25T23:51:00.020-05:00

Cover of Barbara Strozzi
(Text in Large print for classroom projection)

Intro to Baroque Music

Composers: Handel, Purcell, Corelli, Vivaldi, Monteverdi

Three periods of Baroque

Early period

Italian composers created the form of opera. Essentially opera involves a dramatic play entirely sung. It can be sung in a variety of languages. Often operas had lavish sets and costumes.

Review this version of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=23802943

And review this version of Monteverdi's Orfeo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb2TURdBeEQ

Early Baroque Composers wrote more in homophonic style than polyphonic style of the Renaissance. However, the later Baroque found a return to strong polyphony. Early Baroque composers used homophony to help the audience better understand the text spoken.

Early Baroque Characteristics

Homophonic
More dissonance
Contrast
Importance of text

Monteverdi
Monteverdi enjoyed financial support for his grandiose operatic endeavors like the work Orfeo. Monteverdi's post with the Mantuan court was a time of great music production. Monteverdi worked relentlessly, composing madrigals (vocal works) and two operas and a ballet. However, Monteverdi grew overworked and sought a new post in Venice at St. Mark's after the passing of his wife. Depression had nearly paralyzed the musical genius, and a change in scenery and work was what he needed.

Monteverdi did take a post at St. Mark's and continued to pursue his love of opera and ballet with works likeLa vittoria d'Amore. Monteverdi continued his work with madrigals and many of his sacred and secular works were published. Although in a church setting, Monteverdi did have the freedom to pursue operas and ballets in the secular realm (and later, once his fame had been established) he rejected a request from the Mantua Court to return. Although his earlier time at the court was a time of great creativity, he remained at his new post at St. Mark's until he died (and rejected an offer to return to the Mantuan court).

Clip from Orfeo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU681o8BlZs

Getting a church Gig
The churches in the Baroque Era used grandiose music that suited the styles of composers like Bach very well. You can read more in the Kamien text on page 133 about the use of Baroque music in church. Churches needed music not only for worship services, but also for ceremonies (ex. ordination, weddings, funerals). Because of the great need for large amounts of music (and remember, they couldn't just pop in a CD for worship), the role of the music director was extremely important.

A music director like Bach or Monteverdi not only wrote music for each service, but also trained musicians, directed musical ensembles, did their own copy work (copying of scores for the musicians), and kept visiting dignitaries happy with exciting new works through commissions. Some Baroque church music directors were fortunate enough to have assistants help with the copy work. Sometimes a score was not completed entirely. For example, Bach often created shorthand versions of his scores and improvised off of them on the organ. As a composer, I know from experience, that often what is improvised is much better than what is written down. For this reason, many musicians who perform Baroque music today embellish on the score and do not play what is strictly written on the page.

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme from Bach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHhuyhlSSiA

Baroque Women
Composition the Baroque Era was quite difficult if the composer was a woman. Unlike in other parts of the world where women actively participate in the creation of music, Western classical music has traditionally disregarded the music of women (who were essentially raised to breed heirs and not much else). There are notable exceptions throughout classical music. In the Baroque Era, for example, composers Barbara Strozzi and Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre succeeded in writing exceptional compositions with notable performances. The nun Hildegard von Bingen in the Middle Ages succeeded as probably the most prolific known composer of her time, largely because nuns were "allowed" to compose music and she had a choir readily available.

One barrier in particular involved the requirement that choir ministers be male (which still exists to this day in many churches). In other words, composers could not apply or work as prominent choral ministers in positions like Bach or Monteverdi during the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras. Women's education also was not important, and women who showed exceptional talent and were considered child prodigies (Maria Mozart and Fanny Mendelssohn, for example) were discouraged from pursuing music once they reached marriageable age.

Jacquet de la Guerra:
Vocal work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdNjK1eSc-A&feature=related

Cantata Prelude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69Ai_O-u7Fw&feature=related

Harpsichord
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPIw04cX-0g&feature=related

Vocal Work written by Strozzi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Y5ysmb73o&feature=related

Barbara Strozzi experienced scandal after scandal during her lifetime. Unfortunately her occupation and need of patrons left many people whispering about how she acquired performances.

Middle Period

Development of the Major and Minor Scales (piano example)
Music Instrumental

History of Baroque Orchestra (animation)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhnV8IQRpVE&feature=related

Intro to Baroque Era

2010-10-25T23:07:00.026-05:00

(Text in LARGE print for classroom projection)

BAROQUE ERA 1600-1750

Following the Protestant Reformation and the Renaissance, Europe experienced a time of absolute monarchy and luxury abandon referred to as the Baroque Period. "Baroque" has been associated with overly ornamental and elaborate art. Artists and musicians found that they had new patrons in the middle class, as well as royalty. The new middle class was made up of merchants, professionals, and successful businessmen.

Monarchs like Louis the XIV attempted to impress through lavish parties and ridiculously large castles like Versailles. Absolute monarchs enjoyed throwing lavish celebrations, commissioning works like ballets, operas, and plays. They employed musicians like Bach to create these works. Architecture of the time was extravagant to a fault.

Baroque Art
The Art of the Baroque period experimented with contrast of colors and light, as well as imbuing art with seduction and sexuality, even in regards to religious subjects.

Bernini
Bernini was influenced by opera when he created the Ecstasy of St. Theresa

Rembrandt
Dutch Golden Age (master of light)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnT46hwtQWo&feature=related

Rococo Art
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-J2jgm55B4&feature=related
Humorous video rendition of Rococo

Electronic Album Release: Unravelling Music

2010-10-24T17:57:00.003-05:00

I am excited to announce the release of my latest music project:

Unravelling Music: Introducing Intervals

This exciting new album is first in a series of fun and easy music training albums. Learn all about music just by listening to awesome tracks like Club Mango (a Latin Jazz tune based on my experiences at South Beach), Asylum (a heavy alternative rock tune), and Body Crash (electronica awesomeness).

Check out a sample here:

http://www.easyeartraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/IntroducingIntervalsDemo.mp3

The first 100 Customers will get a special introductory price of only $9.99!

I am so excited about this album! You will absolutely love the music!

Let me know what you think!

Renaissance Music

2010-10-20T22:44:00.036-05:00

Image via Wikipedia(Text in LARGE print for classroom projection)

The Renaissance

The Renaissance was an age of human discovery in the sciences, literature, arts, and music.

Renaissance composers wrote both sacred and secular texts. The Protestant Reformation (1517) brought about a conflict for many composers, who often had to write music for a patron that did not share the same religious faith. For example, Renaissance composer William Byrd, who was Catholic, had to write music that would please his Protestant patron, Queen Elizabeth I.

Catholic sacred texts continued to be written in Latin. The Protestant Churches, however, had music in various languages. Composers found that they could make a living creating music for the new Protestant church. During the Counter-Reformation, Catholic composers returned to writing music in Latin.

The Renaissance was an age of prosperity. Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World also helped the entire European continent. Goods and gold flowed everywhere. And where there is prosperity, there are lavish parties and celebrations. Composers alive during the Renaissance enjoyed high salaries and increased demand.

Key Characteristics of Renaissance Music:

Four to six voices
Polyphony (several voices of equal importance)
Secular music included instruments
Sacred music now sung in languages other than Latin (Protestant Reformation)
Counterpoint (Literally "note against note")
Word Painting
Dance Styles (pavane, gigue, sarabande, etc.)
More instruments
Modal
Syncopation
Flowing rhythm (due to counterpoint and independent lines)

Renaissance Composers:

Josquin de Prez ("The Cricket, secular song")

De Prez had great success during his lifetime. The new music publishing enterprise printed many of his works. He was in high demand and demanded a high salary. While little is known about him, he apparently was the best composer money could buy, and he knew it.

Word painting was used. The text and music are meant to represent the cricket. This work is in ternary form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKJgwLPjmlw

Tielman Susato ("Bergerette", secular dance)

Secular dance styles at this time, just like the Middle Ages, were often instrumental works based on popular dance styles. Some popular dances during the Renaissance included the sarabande, allemande, gigues, and pavan. Many of these dance styles remained popular into the Baroque Period and beyond.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN7QvYxjPa4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhDqAv6cd6U&feature=related

Thomas Weelkes ("Since Robin Hood", madrigal)

The Renaissance madrigal was a very popular secular vocal work, sung without instruments. The madrigal used counterpoint and imitation. Usually it was written for four to six voices. Madrigals are still popular today and are often an important part of vocal training and the repertoire of any university choir. The Madrigal started in popularity in Italy and then spread throughout Europe to England. The text and music were closely interlinked through the use of word painting.

Weelkes was and English composer during the time of Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare. He was an educated man, with a degree from Oxford. However, his career suffered badly because of his disorderly conduct. Like other composers of his time, Weelkes used the great literature of the time when composing his works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM7SeqNUt3g&feature=related

William Byrd ("Sing Joyfully", sacred song)

The Renaissance motet was an important part of vocal music in during the Renaissance. Like the madrigal, the motet incorporated word painting and several voices singing in counterpoint. These were sung a cappella (no instruments) often with up to six voices.

"Sing Joyfully" has imitative counterpoint. It is polyphonic, with six separate parts. While this video shows women singing the higher parts, traditionally, the choir was an all-men choir, often with young boys singing the higher parts. This work would have been sung in church, where women were not permitted to perform.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiL4805W2B0

More Composers:

Thomas Tallis (England)

"If Ye Love Me"
Sacred text

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iupnv_lpgx8&feature=related

Martin Luther (Germany)

Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses starting the Reformation.

"A Mighty Fortress is Our God"
(Became the main anthem of the Protestant Reformation)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW1__ZF2064&feature=related (modern arrangement)

Johann Walter (Germany)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU5-Pm7mRfo

Palestrina (Italy)

Jesu, rex admirabilis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXQuOQccCWA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z3M1lxbkVw&feature=related

Te Deum laudamus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pckaD8eatz8&feature=related

Tomas Luis de Victoria (Spain)

Ave Maria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCN2xdYW9jY

MAGNUM MYSTERIUM and O VOS OMNES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFMxz0QkeCk&feature=related

Thomas Morley (England)

"April is in my Mistress's Face"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4vE2lZWZVU

Intro to the Renaissance

2010-10-20T21:32:00.034-05:00

(Text in LARGE Print for Class Projection)

Introduction to the Renaissance
(c. 1450-1600)

"Renaissance" is the French word for "Rebirth"

And rebirth it was. A new age of discovery and the exploration of what it meant to be human (humanism). A period of innovation and invention with greats like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Shakespeare. The spirit of humanism led to intellectual pursuits and study of the classics of Greek and Roman times. There was an explosion of talent in literature, the sciences, music, and fine arts.

The idea of the "Renaissance Man" or the "Universal Man" led to an education that was well-rounded in the sciences, philosophy, literature, art, and music. Music was an integral part of the Renaissance. William Shakespeare referred to music in his works well over three hundred times.

Quote from the Merchant of Venice:

"The Man that hath no music in himself
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds
Is fit for Treasons, Strategem, and Spoils"

Classicism: The study of Greek and Roman literature/philosophy (Written music was not available from Greek/Roman times. A return to the roots of Western Classical music did not occur until much later in the Classical Era (1750-1830)

Some famous artists of the Renaissance: Michelangelo, Cellini, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci

Art of the Renaissance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mgSPiAiBjU&feature=related

History of Painters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE7xfoh6rVw

Leonardo da Vinci

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_3qOFuheB4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQM0bfBQvDA

Art of Leonardo da Vinci
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PER5nWbX9GI&NR=1

The Renaissance brought new authors to light, as well: Shakespeare, Machiavelli, Thomas More

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9t11BsE0yk

Shakespeare and other dramatists created real life and blood characters for their plays (unlike the "symbolic" characters of the Devil and such in earlier dramas. For example, Hildegard von Bingen's morality play).

The most influential invention of this time was printing with moveable metal type around 1450. Instead of having to rely on handwritten copies of plays, music, sacred text, and political texts, now the words could go out to the masses relatively quickly and at a lower cost. By the turn of the century (1500) music publishing had become a profitable business for composers. Furthermore, now music could travel beyond the city walls and out to the world (or at least as far as the known world).

Basic Video on Printing Press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMbvT3rwI3M&feature=related

(Ok, so this has nothing to do with anything, but I can't believe someone came up with a musical for Gutenberg)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDH4mlluveI&feature=related

Gutenberg's invention paved the way for Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.

Protestant Reformation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h025a8GFlyI

Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePwNQ9o03ig&feature=related

Classical Musical Form Basics

2010-10-20T14:27:00.021-05:00

(Note: Text is larger for Projection in Class)

(Above Images from BaylisCourtMusic)

What is musical form?

Definition (From Britannica Online)

"The Structure of a Musical Composition"

Binary Form: AB

Ternary Form: ABA

Bar Form: AAB

Rondo: ABACA or ABACABA

Strophic: AAA

Arch: ABCBA

Sonata: Exposition, Development, Recapitulation

Sonata Rondo: ABA-C-ABA

Through-Composed: Composed from beginning to end with little repetition

Different musical forms:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/213672/musical-form

Why use Musical Form?

Musical form is important because it helps give a composition structure and continuity. Often, works that lack form seem aimless, without a strong beginning or end. The influence of nonwestern cultures, especially in the 20th century, gave birth to many forms of music which no longer depended on strict musical forms like binary and ternary. All the same, the study of musical forms is integral to any classical composer's training.

Ternary form example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7gxQpjezXA&p=155F2BC34FC5463E

Detailed information:

http://cnx.org/content/m10842/latest/

Images from: http://cnx.org/content/m10842/latest/

by Catherine Schmidt-Jones

Musical Form

Low Cost Music and Opera Performances

2010-10-20T14:26:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

If you have a university in your area, most music departments have at least one major musical or opera per year. These events are nominally in cost (usually free or between $5-10). Proceeds typically go towards the cost of the production or music scholarships. You have an opportunity to enjoy a great stage production as well as support the local music department.

Some high schools will also host musicals (especially now that musicals are so popular for the teen group). These are less formal (since everyone's little brothers and sisters will be in the audience). And they are usually low cost.

If having young children is an issue, you might want to contact the music department or even local opera company and ask if there are any educational programs for children (usually these are reduced or free) or if you can attend a rehearsal with the children. Most large scale professional ensembles have an educational program that is open to the public or to children (there might be age limits). These are low cost or free.

The local university may allow you to visit during dress rehearsal (when all the costuming and staging is complete) as long as the children can be relatively quiet. The benefit of attending a rehearsal (besides not taking place at night) is that you can leave whenever you wish, have bathroom breaks, and the children do not have to stay put in one seat the whole time.

You can enjoy amazing musical performances with a little ingenuity and little money.

Contemporary Classical Music Terms

2010-10-20T14:22:00.002-05:00

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Some Contemporary Classical Terms

The last half of the twentieth century to present day has been affected immensely by technology and globalization. In other words, the clearer definitions of the terms "classical music", "world music", "electronic music", "popular music", and "western music" have been blurred immensely. Typically, in the US at least, classical composers can usually be distinguished by their training and the medium they compose for the most.

Here are some different terms:

Contemporary classical music: Art music (of any country) that uses compositional practices from the last few decades
New Music: Art music from living composers
Electronic music: Any music using electronics (can be popular or classical music)
Electroacoustic music: Typically art music including electronic and live components
Film music: Music composed for film
Soundscape: Typically electronic music which imitates a specific sound environment, real or imagined (ex. nature)
World music: Antiquated term referring to nonwestern music
Digital Music: Electronic music using digital electronics (ex. computer)
Avant-Garde Music: Usually art music that is considered cutting edge and not mainstream
Experimental Music: Another name for avant-garde
New media: Visual art term that deals with television, film, video, web design, and any emerging type of media
Multimedia: Works often incorporating standalone audiovisual elements
Intermedia: Works often incorporating interdependent audiovisual elements
Interdisciplinary: Works crossing disciplines (ex. dance and video, music and paintings, etc.)

And this is just a small sampling of what is happening in the world of classical music. I consider my own work intermedia, where each element needs the other elements to work. Most of my works are either electronic with video or large scale electronic works with video and live performers. Occasionally I include actors or performance artists (visual artists who incorporate dramatic elements into their art). A few of my works have had dance. My first forty or so works were strictly acoustic, then I began experimenting with electronics and was hooked.

Check out the American Music Center. Thousands of living composers have their bios, articles, and music available on the AMC. You can find almost anything and they have some amazing insights into contemporary classical music.

http://www.amc.net/

Hildegard von Bingen & Machaut

2010-10-19T01:47:00.016-05:00

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

Germany

The Abbess of Rupertsberg

Mystic, visionary, poet

Treatise on science, medicine, theology

Healer, Herbalist

A "Renaissance Woman" well ahead of her time

Morality Play

"Play of the Virtues"

Ave generosa / Hymn to the Virgin

translated by Barbara Newman

In the pupil of chastity's eye

I beheld you
untouched.
Generous maid! Know that it's God
who broods over you.

For heaven flooded you like
unbodied speech
and you gave it a tongue.

Glistening
lily: before all worlds
you lured the supernal one.

How he reveled
in your charms! how your beauty
warmed to his caresses
till you gave your breast to his child.

And your womb held joy when heaven's
harmonies rang from you,
a maiden with child by God,
for in God your chastity blazed.

Yes your flesh held joy like the grass
when the dew falls, when heaven
freshens its green: O mother
of gladness, verdure of spring.

Ecclesia, flush with rapture! Sing
for Mary's sake, sing
for the maiden, sing
for God's mother. Sing!

MORE POEMS: http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/H/HildegardofB/OigneeSpirit.htm

"O Lerusalem"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irxG-GCV5Es

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taanHO13WXE

Machaut

monophony

polyphony

Play of Virtues

(morality play)

Organum

Intervals of a fourth and a fifth underneath, sometimes a drone

700-900

1150-1200 School of Notre Dame

Written notation and rhythm

Syncopation

Guillaume de Machaut

Notre Dame Mass

Kyrie

Gloria

Credo

Sanctus

Agnus Dei

Experimental Music and Video Resource

Contemporary Electronic Music

A Brief History of Early Electronic Music

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