My Blog

2008-05-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

Listening Journal One, Two, Three, "Four"

I was dreading this listening assignment. I tend to become conflicted and full of confusion when listening to music written past 1945. It is sometimes hard for me not to laugh at some of the “music” that composers of this timeframe create. Questions begin to brood in my mind. What is music? Is this piece written seriously or in a mocking tone? What drugs are the composers using? I am becoming better at understanding that music is not just melody, but it involves dynamics, colors, and rhythms. I am starting to look at pieces with objectivity. I am starting to ask questions like “what aspect of music is the composer trying to develop?” “What statement is the composer trying to make?” I now believe that all music is legitimate until proven otherwise.
It is with this open mind that I began listening to Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach. Wow. One quickly hears that this work is unlike anything ever created. Einstein on the Beach has no plot or “drama.” Instead it is filled with visual and aural symbols that are supposed connect the viewer / listener to Albert Einstein as a historical figure. “Knee Play 1” opens the opera and includes a repetition of a harmonic progression played on an electric organ. A chorus joins in counting eight beats occasionally skipping “1” and then two female voices join in repeating poetry simultaneously but jaggedly. It is sensory overload. I found it hard to focus on any one part without missing the other stuff. Perhaps this is commentary on what Einstein’s thinking process must have been like. A constant repetition of numbers and ideas all mixed together waiting to be sorted.”Knee Play 1” does capture interest and encourages further listening.
“Train,” the first scene of Act one, follows. I happened to be listening to this with my cats and they went crazy. The foundation is constructed by a saxophone quickly repeating a circular pattern. Wind instruments and voices repeating sequences form the top. Musical accents are played with in an ever-changing fashion. Seven minutes into the act, the music changes slightly when a melodic motif is repeated in a slightly minor mode. Eleven minutes into the act I realized the singers were singing the solfege syllables of the pitches they were using.
“Train” is a little excessive. The harmonic patterns turn into noise and it become redundant. Without seeing the visual media used in the staging of this opera, it is easy to become frustrated and lost with the music found in this scene. I am mentally exhausted. The repetitive sounds of this scene allow the music to become stuck in the mind, grotesquely battling any logical thought processes.
Flutes and the note “Mi” and “La” begin the next scene of Act one, “Trial.” “This court of common pleas is now in session,” is uttered by an old man and young child. A chorus of men sings “Do-La” and a lady repeatedly calls “Mr. Bojangles.” A violin (Einstein played the violin) provides a sort of continuo throughout the scene. A couple of children softly count 1-2-1-2-3. Ladies sing “Mi.” A flute plays some melodic motif.
At eighteen minutes, the violin stops and an electric organ takes over and a man talks about Paris, France. I have no idea what the French city has to do with Einstein. I see no reasoning for it, but then again I see no reason for twenty-three minutes of musical repetition. Although pleasing at first, the sounds become noise- the sounds lose their importance and I lose touch. I am surprised by the use of tonality in the first Act. I expected it to be somewhat atonal and harsh. I also noticed that everything time a rhythmic pattern or note changes, I welcome the change. It is interesting to note a how a little change in any aspect of the music makes it bearable to continue listening. Maybe Glass is trying to encourage special attention to detail in his music and to a larger extent the sounds around us.
“Knee Play 2” combines the violin solo found in “Trial” with the text-reading women found in “Knee Play 1.” There is consistent but barely noticeable change between major and minor modes. My favorite part occurred when the woman in my left ear spewed words that rhymed with “atch.” The beat counting (1-2-3) is persistent.
The first scene, “Dance 1,” of Act 2 begins with same motives found in the first scene of Act 1. It could just be my imagination but the length of the repetitions seems to grow ever so slightly, as if Glass just kept adding one more repetition before switching to another motif. It is really bizarre. This music sounds like it could be found in a techno club with its forward motion and pulsing beat. The electric instruments also give it the club-ish feel. It seems like mind-altering substances would be useful in dancing to this music. The music abruptly ends and quickly transitions into “Night Train,” the second scene of Act 2. An organ provides a continuous motivic foundation and a man and woman alternate solfege-singing and count-singing. The tempo gradually gets faster and a choir is slowly added to the mix.
“Night Train” greatly exemplifies Glass’s compositional style. He uses simple compositional tools such as substituting numbers and solfege for “real” words and slowly builds and enlarges his textures by using repetition and small components (melodic, rhythmic, harmonic motives). His simple compositional tools create some of the most complex and difficult music known to man. His compositions require mentally-strengthened musicians. The amount of concentration it takes to play repetitive passages and somewhat boring (the constant repetition makes it uninteresting) music is enormous. The music is tricky because after much repetition there is always a minute change that occurs that must be precisely and accurately played.
Syncopation is most obvious in “Knee Play 3.” I am impressed by the flexibility of the choir member’s tongues. The choir has two beautiful moments of harmonic solfege singing in the middle of all their rapid count singing. I especially like the tenor part.
There is one note in the first scene of Act 3 that sounds like an annoying low-pitched car alarm. The syncopated count-singing enters underneath a woman talking about her experiences in a “prematurely air-conditioned supermarket.” The woman slowly disappears and a different woman replaces her, talking about “Mr. Bojangles.” Then the listener is reminded that “bank robbery is punishable by twenty years in federal prison.” An explosion of flute and organ suddenly occurs cutting the woman off. The fury of organ and flute continues until interrupted by saxophones and a woman who “feels the earth move under her feet.” The melody in the higher-voiced sax is hauntingly beautiful. The woman concludes the scene with a broadcast program listing.
“Field with Spaceship” is the second scene of the third act. It is similar to the first dance but this one includes “Re-Mi” and some wild organ playing. It is important to point that Glass uses simple intervals in his music. Instead of using minor sevenths or augmented fourths, he sticks to seconds. I wonder if this is an intentional choice or purely coincidental. One thing that is certain his intentional use of “Re-Mi” singing for seventeen minutes. The movement is debilitating- it is hard for the brain to process so much repetitive sound.
“Knee Play 4” continues his count-singing in the lower voices accompanied by violin and organ. Seven minutes later it transitions into the first scene of the last act, “Building/Train.” “Building/Train” is composed of motives in the organ with saxophones carrying the “melody.” It is reminiscent of the music found at the end of the first scene of Act 3. The male chorus sings train-horn like chords on the Ah vowel. I imagine a train proceeding uninterrupted through space.
My favorite music has to be the one found in the beginning of “Bed.” The organ does some scalar arpeggiations and the organ melody turns funky. Four minutes into the music, a wonderful soprano eerily sings a wordless aria. The Rachmaninoff Vocalise comes to mind. Another wonderful moment occurs four minutes into “Spaceship” (Scene 3, Act 4). The organ and saxophones have this incredible circular pattern that sounds like an engine trying to get started. This has to be one of the most virtuosic moments in Einstein on the Beach. The saxophonist plays rapid passages never losing air. This moment goes on four minutes never reaching a climax. I was stunned.
“Knee Play 5” brings the piece full circle with same harmonic progression found in “Knee Play 1.” The only difference being that female voices start the count-singing. The women return reading the “Frankie” text. A man and a violin enter the sound spectrum and reads a text about lovers. It is a weird but touching moment.
Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed Einstein on the Beach despite its obscene usage of repetition. I think I would have enjoyed it more had I seen the visuals that Robert Wilson created for the opera. Listening to the music is somewhat enjoyable. It becomes sort of a game to see how far Glass can extend the music using comparably tiny motives. It has some great syncopated moments and the count-singing makes for some toe-tapping times.
Written in 1976, Einstein on the Beach was performed later that year at the Metropolitan Opera House. It seems to be an extremely hard piece to market because of its length and its lack of plot. Audiences like operas that are relatively short and have extremely sad or extremely happy endings. Then there’s the main character, Albert Einstein. While a genius, his story is not one an audience would relate to an intriguing plot.
However, I would not discount the piece yet from being in the Canon. I think it is still too early to tell how big of an impact Einstein on the Beach will have on future generations. I think hardcore musicians need to be exposed to it and I think the piece is a huge product of its times. Disco, trance, and popular dance music seemed to have evolved from this minimalistic style with its short, repetitive melodic phrases and untiring beat. It is also can be found in hip-hop music and to some extent pop music.
Historically, Einstein on the Beach fits in the minimalist movement. Although Glass hates the word minimalism, he is considered a minimalist composer. The work exemplifies qualities associated with minimalism: repetition, steady beat, harmony, stretching of time. The opera also has a sense of form and has cohesion similar to music of the Classical era. It has four acts, three of them with two scenes. It uses sequences as well as harmonic progressions that can be found in most of the scenes. It is well organized.
I was expecting to like Einstein on the Beach as much as I did. I am thoroughly impressed with Glass’s commitment to his music. I liked that the music was tonal and I feel that has already impacted the world’s popular music. If it is not in the Canon in the future I would be surprised. Maybe someone will edit it and make it more accessible to audiences without losing its point. It truly is a remarkable piece.

2008-04-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

2008-04-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Music is for self-discipline and not for entertainment.

Korean Composer

2008-04-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Listening Journal Numero Tres

I have long dreamed about this moment in my listening experience. Frankly, I never thought I would have the opportunity to discuss music that relates to my heritage so closely. Being a Hispanic American, I seldom listen to classical Hispanic music. I am not aware of the Great Nicaraguan or Mexican composers that have greatly influenced and changed the direction of Western music history. Excited about what I would soon discover, I dived into the first recording: Mexican Orchestral Music.
The recording begins with a Sonata by Antonio Soler. I immediately wonder, “What sounds Mexican/exotic about this?” Growing up in a Hispanic environment, I became used to listening to different Latin-American and Carribean styles such as “meringue”, “salsa”, and “cumbia.” The music was unlike anything I heard on American English radio and completely different than the music of my dad’s Beethoven and Mahler CDs. Sonata does not sound authentically Mexican. It does not have funky rhythms or energy of its own. It almost sounds like it belongs in the Classical period. It follows the strict form of a sonata-allegro. The harmony is predictable; the chord progressions are fairly ordinary. The violins carry a pretty melody in the second movement. “IV-V-I” seems to be Soler’s favorite musical tool. The piece in general is safe- it does not break any musical boundaries or move beyond traditional, simple harmony.
Curious about Soler, I researched him on Grove Music online, He was born in Spain in 1729 and died in 1783. It makes sense that the sonata he wrote sounds Classical. I did not find any mention of him going to “Mexico” and composing there. I guess because a Mexican orchestra plays the piece it belongs in Mexican Orchestral Music. Maybe the piece is included to portray the Mexican orchestra’s ability to play in a Classical style or perhaps it is to contrast Spanish classical music to Mexican classical music.
Disappointed, yet not discouraged, I pressed forward to the next piece, Sensemaya by Silvestre Revueltas. It opens with an awesome rhythmic percussion beat followed by horns. In a way, it sounds like it belongs in Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. The music is fast paced and quickly builds. The meter is hard to place. It is surprisingly melodic. Revueltas, a native Mexican composer, wrote this piece in 1938 based on a poem Nicolas Guillen about killing a snake. Regardless of how exciting the piece is, it is not original. It was inspired by Stravinsky, however, unlike Stravinsky, it keeps a sense of tonality and melodic line. The composer might have been trying to infuse early 20th century music with a little tonality to make it more acceptable to general audiences.
Speaking of tonality, Sones de Mariachi by Blas Galindo, is full of it. Finally, Mexican music at its best. This piece reminds of when I visited my grandparents in Nicaragua and they had a mariachi band entertain us. The rhythm, the grotesquely happy melodies, and the instruments (marimba, trumpet, maracas) make this piece Mexican. Uniquely, this piece has moments of brief but noticeable dissonance. Mariachi songs are full of simple harmonies and beautiful melodic line. By adding small dabs of dissonance Galindo connects a traditional Mexican art form with worldly modern 20th century style.
On a side note, it is hard for me to characterize what makes something sound Mexican or Latin in general. Being surrounded by that kind of music as I grew up, I never thought about instrumentation or rhythms. I did not care. I just knew it was upbeat and sounded good; even the sad music had life to it. It’s hard to describe something that envelops your life.
Estrellita by Manuel Ponce is a well-known piece. I have heard a lot of big bands play it and it sounds American to me. It does not include any traditional Mexican instruments and the melody belongs in a sad 1940’s musical. I expect Mexican music whether classical or popular to sound Mexican. I do not expect it to sound European or American. Perhaps I imagine Mexican music to sound a little less polished and a little more organic. I think I have pigeon-holed Mexican or Latin-American music in general into some weird standard that even I have trouble explaining.
Compared to Estrellita, Obertura Festiva, op. 21 is completely different. Written by Rodolfo Halffter, it has strange harmonies with weird melodies. The piece consistently sounds like something is missing. It is very fragmented and oddly constructed. Janitzio, by Revueltas, follows in suit and is another attempt at melodic atonal music by the composer. I liked this one less than Sensemaya because it lacks spirit. Much like Janitzio it seems poorly glued together. Tripartita, op. 25 has no musical worth to it. I have heard Stravinsky before and do not care to listen to copycats. According to Grove, Halfftner was the first Mexican composer (he was born in Spain, but moved to Mexico) to write in 12-tone serialism. It is evident.
I think serialism was and is dangerous to music. The music is limited and everything sounds wrong and not to mention the same. I realize that that is a rather bold comment to make considering I have little experience with serialism. Yet to my amateurish ears that is what it sounds like. It was not progressive in my opinion. Nothing sounds specific to a continent or a composer. I equate it to George Orwell’s language of Newspeak. Everything starts to lose its meaning because the language of music is restricted to a matrix.
A work that would not have been possible because of a matrix, Ocho Por Radio is a truly an entertaining work that boastfully starts with a trumpet solo. Strings join the trumpet and one of the stringed instruments sounds of key. Revueltas manages to keep melodic passages over dissonant material, imitating an amateur mariachi band. The dance-like, folkloric music could be found being danced at a “quinceañera” in traditional garb. Another dance, the “vals,” whose popularity drips into all cultures can be found in Vals Poetico by Felipe Villanueva. It is just another typical example of a waltz.
I was astonished to find out that Dieterich Buxtehude was Mexican seeing how the final piece on Mexican Orchestral Music is his Chaconne in E minor. (I kid.) Carlos Chavez’s orchestration of Buxtehude’s organ work is the final piece of this recording. The orchestral version sounds very Romantic. The orchestration is heavy and Chavez makes powerful statements in his tempo and dynamic markings. It really is beautiful.
Carlos Chavez is an important Mexican composer who founded the “Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional” or the National Symphonic Orchestra. His orchestral works have colored the perception of what constitutes as Mexican music. Chavez was interested in traditional Mexican music as well as music of his contemporaries. He premiered works by Stravinsky, Millhaud, and Satie in Mexico. Knowing this, I chose to listen to Southwest Chamber Music’s recording of Carlos Chavez’s complete chamber works.
Xochipilli, an Imaginary Aztec Music is simple in orchestration. The first movement includes a flute-like solo instrument over rhythmically engaging percussion. The instrument is joined by a similar instrument and they have a musical conversation. The melody becomes less melodic as the piece progresses through its use of dissonant intervals. The music is primal and does sound indigenous to the Yucatan peninsula. The third movement includes some war-drum like music with a bugle horn and flutes. It ends abruptly.
Toccata for Percussion follows continuing the war-drum feel. The first movement is filled with different drums and woodblocks playing similar rhythmic motives. It is hard to describe since all I hear is drums. It stays in mezzo forte for most of the times. The second movement has pitched percussion and seems like an experiment with colors. The music does not go anywhere. Marimba-like percussion in slowly-hit in quarter note rhythms. It includes a pianissimo drone underneath. The third movement has some energetic percussive parts. The work as a whole is interesting to listen to but really offers nothing of interest to write about.
Cuatro Melodias Tradicionales showcases four Ecuadorian Indian songs with light violin and pan-flute accompaniment. It sounds like contemporary art song. Tambuco for Percussion is more of the same percussive experimentation found in Toccata for Percussion. I simply do not know how to describe it; perhaps zipper music, with a rice-in-a-can shaker and falling metallic utensils.
Lamentaciones changes the pace. It is an art song filled with wood block, drum, and piccolo. It is incredibly hard piece for the singer to perform because it is rhythmically intense and there is no help from an orchestra. It is a little scary to think about. Immediately following it is a Native American war song of Cantos de Mexico, a work with three movements. The third movement is the most intriguing because one hears the distant mariachi band melody and instrument over loud percussion. The percussion takes the focal point. Antigona shows a little more experimentation with orchestral colors, particularly in the horns. It seems as though Chavez is just putting instruments together to see what sounds they create.
Tres Exagonos is another art song work. It is quite melodic and atonal at the same time. The voice seems to remain in the same tessitura and the chamber ensemble that accompanies follows the singer harmonically well. Instruments include strings, oboes, and flutes. I do not know how hexagons relate to the work. The work loses Chavez’s Mexican influence and sounds very European. Tres Exagonos was written in Europe in 1923 on one of his trips there. I can hear the piece being performed today at the Conservatory and presented as a newly composed piece.
Otros Tres Exagonos is more of the same.
The recording ends with Partita for Solo Timpani. The effect that the first movement of this work produces can be manufactured with an eleven-year old child banging on a couple of different timpanis randomly. The same could be said of the second and third movement. The fourth movement picks up in intensity with a slightly louder dynamic and faster tempo as if the child became bored with the instrument and was craving more attention.
I expected Chavez to maintain true to his identity as a Mexican and write mostly in a nationalistic style with native instruments and folk-like melodies. I tend to forget that more important than being Mexican, he was a musician who was writing music according to his 20th century surroundings. He did experiment with percussion quite often as evident in his music. Percussion plays a big a part in Latin-American music. Chavez also did write music that depicted his heritage. Based on the recordings I listened to, it seems that melody and tonality were equally important to serialism, coloristic values, and atonality. Some how they managed to combine the best of both worlds and create a few original gems.
I still am a little underwhelmed by the lack of originality I found in some pieces. I believe in composing in different styles and adding some local flavor. There is a treasure trove of many different things that could have been done with serialism and still make it Latin-influenced.
I understand why most of these works are not in the Canon. I think it is hard for Europeans and Americans to take Latin-American classical works seriously. Latin America is a completely different world culturally and monetarily. There is an air of superiority in America and Europe and it leads to trivializing classical Mexican works. I also think it would be hard to accept Latin composers who compose in European styles. I am guilty of it and I am Hispanic.
Also while most of the works presented in these listening are of good quality, nothing is surprising or demands attention. It has all been done before. Chavez’s works are more about experimentation than concrete ideas. I think audiences favor concrete musical ideas rather than abstract. Music should have reason behind it. What is the point of randomly banging a timpani?
As cool as it may sound, when does music just become noise?

Romantic Listening Journal

2008-03-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

I did not know what to expect when I listened to Anthony Heinrich’s The Ornithological Combat of Kings. The name was intriguing and I had images of huge pterodactyls flying around, attacking each other. To my surprise and delight, as I usually expect pieces not to live up to their title, it is an extremely exciting piece of music. The piece sounds quite contemporary at some points. The beginning measures of the first movement sound like some sections of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, especially in the percussion. It seems to be written for a chamber orchestra primarily composed of strings and horns.
The titles of the different movements are descriptive. My favorite movement, “The Repose of the Condor,” contains beautiful, lulling music with slower momentum. Through out the entire work, it is easy to hear the birds resting, flying, and circling- waiting to cast the final blow. Heinrich astonishingly writes wonderful passages of chromaticism. His movements tend to focus more on the development than exposition of new material. The music is varied with moments of dance-like passages, march-like passages, and moments of tension with great release. The passion of the Romantic era is evident.
A great characteristic of this piece is its forward motion. The momentum never dies. The final movement is unique in that includes theme and variations. However the ending is somewhat awkward- it does not sound terminative; the strings play a continuous chord while a flute seems to cadenza over it.
After listening to John Bray’s The Indian Princess, I did not expect much from American music. I was completely mistaken. The Ornithological Combat of Kings is a beautiful and moving work, masterfully written. Long enough to constitute a symphony, it is short enough to catch attention and to keep interest. The music paints a wonderful story from the conflict of the condors to the resolution and victory of one of them.
I am dumbfounded that the work is not in the Canon. The work pushes boundaries through the use of its chromaticism. It follows the form of the symphony; however it plays with the length of expository and developmental sections. It is entertaining and has some grand moments. Written in 1847, in America during the pre-Civil War era, the work probably had to compete with better known works from better known European composers. Verdi was composing at that time and certainly had more money and a bigger audience than Heinrich could ever dream to have.
During this time in America, there likely were not many orchestras or musicians that could do justice to the piece. Had it been written in Europe, it might have stood a better chance of becoming in the Canon. While it does not compete with or compare to a Beethoven symphony, it is still a great demonstration of young American talent. One can definitely hear the Romantic passion through Heinrich’s use of dynamics, orchestration, modes, and chromaticism. It is a valid example of a Romantic symphony. I think it should be exposed more to American audiences in order to show how American music developed.
Historically, the piece is important because it is an overlooked Romantic American symphony. It shows the evolution of American music and its connection to popular European forms. The fact that is a tone poem based on condors from the Andes Mountains is important. It is unique that it focuses on South American nature. It makes the piece exotic and adventurous as well as educational. How many Europeans knew of or could even picture the Andes ranges?
After listening to Heinrich’s piece, I felt encouraged to listen to Samuel Coleridge, another composer of American music, and his different works. The first work, Hiawatha Overture, starts of beautifully with a harp introduction. The melodic theme is then introduced in the strings. Next, the piece moves into a slower middle section and the melody returns in the horns at the top of the third section. A dramatic conclusion follows. The piece is in ternary form.
Petite Suite de Concert, the next work I listened too, starts off with a bang. The first movement, “La Caprice de Nanette,” starts off full orchestra with a syncopated rhythmic motive, the strings then take charge in creating a beautiful melody. The horns signal the return of the motif and it starts all over again. The movement is heroic sounding. “Demand et Reponse,” the second movement, begins piano with a string melody played over string tremolo. Horns slowly come in and add to the mixture. This movement contains some Puccini passages. Once again, ABA form is applied.
I found the third movement, “Un Sonnet D’Amour,” a little boring. Flutes begin the movement and that puts it at a disadvantage. Regardless, the couplets of a sonnet are heard throughout the piece and it ends on a happy note. “La Tarantella Fretillante,” the fourth movement, is the opposite. The piece seems to whirl with descending scales and wave-like melodies. It is quite short.
Overall, Petit Suite de Concert, thrives with energy. Coleridge follows the form of a suite, in the sense that his pieces have a dance-like quality, but he deviates by throwing in exotic dance forms like the tarantella or non-dance forms like the sonnet. I noticed two things in this work: his detailed attention to form and that each movement is not connected to another. Even as a suite, I expected that some themes would come back or that little moments would remind of others in separate movements. Coleridge kept true to the form.
It is evident that Coleridge was fascinated by dance forms because the next work I listened to was 4 Characteristic Waltzes. The first waltz, “Valse Bohemienne,” immediately reminded me of Bizet’s Carmen. The orchestration and the descending passages were “juicy.” This waltz was filled with “schmolz.” It conjures images of images of nomadic Gypsies dancing around a fire. “Valse Rustique” was slower and filled with passages reminiscent of countryside. The waltz sounds like it belongs on a soundtrack of a sappy dog movie such as Homeward Bound.
“Valse de la Reine” begins in stately fashion. It does not require thought. “Valse Mauresque,” the fourth waltz, is filled with descending chromatic passages. It does not feel like a waltz. It is in a fast three-four. It has more of a one feel. Sometimes the downbeat is not the strongest. The waltz ends rather abruptly.
At this point in the listening, all of Coleridge’s pieces seem to sound the same. The only distinguishing features of his music are his affinities with form, descending passages, and dance music. All of his pieces have been interesting with the exception of a few boring moments. Originality is noticeably lacking. Hopefully, the Gypsy Suite shows otherwise.
For being a lament, the first movement of the Gypsy Suite, “Lament and Tambourine,” is quite jovial. It has a couple of moments that reek of Mahler and Klesmer music and the tambourine overwhelms as the title suggests. “A Gypsy Dance” follows and it is not what I expected. If I were a Gypsy, I would not dance to it. I imagine Gypsy dances to be in the minor mode with more exotic sounds. I hear no Gypsies dancing; I hear an American drinking or folk song. The title of the next movement would have been appropriate, “A Gypsy Song.” In “A Gypsy Song,” a single horn carries a beautifully depressing melody. Honestly, the melody sounds like one found in a Gilbert & Sullivan female’s aria with a little more “butter” and better accompaniment. Not surprisingly the last movement is a waltz entitled “Waltz.” The tambourine comes back and the music is similar to the “Lament” but a miniscule darker.
A lighter work, Romance of the Prairie Lillies starts off with a slow waltz-time feel and moves into a faster three-four. The theme returns over and over again with little change. Coleridge makes use of drums in a non-exciting way. The piece is “cute” but trivial.
At this point in time, Coleridge’s music is becoming frustrating. None of it is badly written and he shows amazing talent. However, it all seems to have been done before or improved upon. His use of flute is sticking out like sore thumb. It is disheartening that there is another suite to listen to, however that means the end of the work is near.
The Othello Suite begins in a hurried fashion. “Dance,” the first movement, does make use of momentum and keeps pressing forward. I am reminded of the “Dies Irae” from Verdi’s Requiem. The movement seems to be ablaze. The “Children’s Intermezzo” follows in stark contrast. It is slow and emotive. The music seems suited for Zoloft Commercial with an announcer asking the question, “Are you depressed?” “Willow Song”, the third movement, is not much different. The music is would perfectly fit in movie soundtracks at the ending credits. It is surprisingly modern in that way. “Military March”, the final movement, is exactly what its name describes. Though preferably, I would listen to Elgar or Sousa any day. I also do not know how this music relates to “Othello” in any way.
At the start of Hiawatha Overture, I wondered why Coleridge is not in the Canon. As I continued to listen to his works, it became evident that while his music is well-written and interesting, it always brought to mind something else. There are two possible reasons for this: he either invented the forms he wrote in or someone else composed for the forms better. After reading about Coleridge through several sources such as Grove Music Online and Webster’s New World Dictionary of Music, I found that Coleridge was English by birth, African by descent, was a contemporary of Elgar and became known as the “Black Mahler.” He is important because he was an educated Black man capable of producing works of significant quality, overcoming racist stereotypes held by many in his surroundings.
I wish I had the opportunity to listen to his African-inspired pieces. I would love to know if he used African rhythms, melodies, instruments, and stories in his music. Perhaps his music would have been in the Cannon. The music I listened to does not push boundaries; it is quite safe. Coleridge seems encumbered by form and rules. I do not see growth in his music, I see a plateau.
I thought both recordings were great. I enjoyed the expressivity that was displayed with Adrian Leaper’s and Christopher Keene’s orchestras. They did their best with the material that was given to them. I did not find the conductors’ musical choices to be weird or different. There were many beautiful moments in both recordings.
Heinrich’s The Ornithological Combat of Kings merits its place in the Canon because of its American background. The piece is never dull or boring. It pushes boundaries and exposes its audiences to new frontiers. It is a shining example of American music. On the other hand, Coleridge’s pieces, while skillfully written, are mere ordinary examples of the Romantic era. They lack originality and uniqueness. It is a reminder that all good music does not merit its place in the Canon. It should have something special. Coleridge’s works do not, they lack bravado.
My disposition on listening to works outside of the Canon has greatly improved. After being somewhat sidelined by the blatant awfulness of John Bray’s compositions in the Classical period, I did not expect to find anything worth hearing twice on the list. I was pleasantly surprised to find two talented composers. If one of their works is never allowed in the Canon, at least one will be allowed in mine.

The State of Education (Towards the end of the video)

2008-02-13T13:38:00.001-08:00

http://music.clevver.com/video/132404/soulja-boy-tell-em-yahhh--report-card.php

2008-02-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

For my first Classical listening, I decided to listen to John Bray’s The Indian Princess and to Make a Joyful Noise, a collection of sacred hymns. I thought it would be interesting to hear an opera composed in the New World. Bray’s opera deals with the story of the love between John Smith and Pocahontas. It is a relatively short opera, not through-composed, and reminiscent of early Gilbert & Sullivan without the comedy. The opera consists of ensemble pieces, arias, and folk songs. The pieces seem to be randomly selected and thrown together to try and form a cohesive work. It is similar to the English Ballad opera in that respect.
I found The Indian Princess to be boring, unoriginal, and unimaginative. I could hardly understand what the performers were saying and was quite surprised that first act ended after the fourth track. The first of the two parts that I understood occurred in the Dialogue quartetto where the tenor asks Alice to “taste the bliss” and Alice responds by saying “taste the bliss of this” and proceeds to slap him. I consider the scene to be the climax of the opera. Too bad it occurs in the first act. The writing does not seem to be of high caliber either. The second of the two parts I understood was the bass’ aria, Captain Smith. I, sadly, was more interested in the bass’ technique rather than the aria itself.
The music reminded me a little of an opera I did, Il signor Bruschino by Rossini. I researched the dates and found that The Indian Princess was written in 1808 and Il Signor Bruschino was composed in 1813. Having been written within five years of each other, it does not surprise me that the music and forms are similar. However, what makes The Indian Princess different is its lack of tuneful melodies and virtuosic passages. The only semblance of any virtuosity is found in Pocahontas’ aria, When the midnight of absence, when the soprano has a cadenza. Not a vigorous or imaginative cadenza, but a cadenza nonetheless.
Aside from said cadenza, The Indian Princess is not a memorable work. Seconds after I stopped listening, I could not recall a single interesting musical passage. I remembered Bray’s use of ritornello, similes, and terminative sections, all which are highly Classical in style. Bray also used simple harmonies and homophony but did not use basso continuo, features which strongly put it in the Classical period.
According to John Church, The Indian Princess was “the earliest American work that used the Pocahontas story.” While being important in that manner, it is easy to understand why The Indian Princess is not in the Canon. The music is lackluster and forgettable. The story lacks drama. The opera is just not a great or even good example of Classical opera. All one has to do is look at Mozart’s operas. Most musicians can probably hum tunes from The Magic Flute. There is more musicality, drama, excitement in the Queen of the Night aria than in the entire work of The Indian Princess.
Even if the Indian Princess had exemplary music, location still would probably negate any possibility of the music of entering the standard repertory. The stronghold of Classical music was predominantly in Western Europe and not in the burgeoning United States of America. Its lack of exposure in the European continent would have kept it from reaching popularity. Not to mention the love between a native and John Smith would have been seen as provocative in Europe and shunned. It is also hard to empathize with foreign characters in thirty minutes. Mixing a European style with an American setting would have been difficult to do. Some things would not translate.
The Indian Princess, while not particularly good music, is not bad music. It could have used some imagination and a little more flair. I am glad this opera is not in the Canon as it probably would have turned me away from Classical music.
After listening to The Indian Princess, I was a little weary of listening to Make a Joyful Noise. I was already bored out of mind and did not want to completely space out on this assignment. I also wondered why this collection of American Psalmody was included in the listening list. For me, the hymn is ageless. It has always been a part of my religious worship and most Christians. I never thought they could be classified under a certain time period. Most of the hymns that are sung today are unchanged from a hundred, two hundred, and five hundred years ago, i.e. Battle Hymn of the Republic (1862) or A Mighty Fortress is Our God (1527). Knowing this, I started listening with the attitude of “I wonder what is going to be different.” I was pleasantly surprised at the answer.
The collection of hymns gathered in this recording stems from the early 1800s American period. The hymn must have been become a popular American song form as the freedom of religious ideology began to take a hold on American society. It was a form that was easily accessible to the less educated and was an outlet for expressing one’s devotion to God. At first, the hymns on this recording seem to sound the same, however, after careful listening , clues as to why these hymns are considered Classical (outside of the year they were written) start to appear.
Unlike the chorales of Luther’s time which morphed into the Baroque chorales of Bach and eventually into the hymns which are sung today, the first thing that one notices is that the hymns are performed a cappella. I do not know if they were intended to be performed this way, but the lack of a continuo tells me they are not Baroque. The homophony and the fact the hymns (sacred texts) are written in the vernacular prove they are not from the Renaissance.
Not all of the hymns found, in this collection are purely homophonic. The hymns Montague and New Jordan include parts of imitative polyphony. The harmony, however, is not sacrificed for the forward line (melody). The hymn Crucifixion includes attention to phrasing and dynamics that is characteristic of the Classical period. The simple harmonies and, by extension, the simple melodies also firmly place these hymns in the Classical style.
I really enjoyed listening to this recording because the music was easy to relate to and familiar because I have always liked hymns. The performance by the Oregon State University Choir was fantastic. Their diction was clear and precise and they really had a knack for paying attention to details. Ron Jeffers, the conductor, clearly is well versed in early Americana. The performance had momentum and variety.
I assume that Make a Joyful Noise is included in the listening list because the hymns within are not performed as much as other hymns like Amazing Grace. I have to question that these hymns are not in a canon. I do not know whether the tunes from these hymns are used in different versions. I am not of the opinion that there is a standard hymn canon. I believe that each individual church has its own favorite hymns that are sung on a regular basis. Some hymns are quite popular amongst several churches like Ode to Joy while, others, like Wade in the Water are centralized to specific churches.
The abundance of hymns and specific denominational usage are what makes a standardized Canon impossible. The variety of hymns available is astounding. Hymns may be purely chosen on the basis of how well the accompanist can play them. I think the hymns included in this collection have an equal chance of becoming popular assuming they receive the right exposure and the acceptance of the performing public (the congregation).
To say that these hymns were never popular because they are not located in a Canon is an exaggeration. The composer of Chesterfield and Washington, William Billings was a popular hymnodist during the late 1700s. His hymns were performed widely amongst the New England states. Oliver Holden (Macedonia) is also another popular hymn composer whose hymns rose to popularity.
Listening to this recording forced me to learn about a much-overlooked musical form. I spend so much time on operas, motets, and arias that I forget the smaller, yet equal contribution hymns make to music. It is intriguing that even a small, varied musical form can provide clues as to in which musical era they were written. I never expected to learn so much through hymns.
It is interesting to note that both recordings I listened to include American music. I never considered the fact that music was brought to the Colonies and that it even existed. It is a little surprising that students in an American conservatory are hardly exposed to American music, with the exception of Jazz. It would be beneficial to undergraduates to learn about their country’s musical history. I wonder how many styles are forgotten through history without ever being noticed.
It also begs the question of whether European music students learn about American music. I have trouble knowing what to classify as American Music. Without listening to The Indian Princess, I probably would have never found out that there was Opera written in America prior to that of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess written in the 1930s. Calling Porgy and Bess an opera still is controversial. Some people think that is an example of musical theatre. Some would call Samuel Barber’s Vanessa (1956) America’s first opera.
I also ponder about where the fine line lies between “classical” music and popular music. Will people a hundred years from now be learning about Britney Spears or John Denver? Will people go to their juries and sing songs like Stairway to heaven?
What about Canadian, Mexican, Central American, Caribbean, and South American music? I do not know much about their music. It should be taught in music schools around the country. Considering the United States are closer to Mexico and Canada than Europe, Americans as a whole know very little about their music, with the exception of Ricky Martin or Christina Aguilera’s CD released in Spanish. Why can vocalists not sing Mariachi ballads in a conservatory? Are they no considered art songs? I would like to know when songs became pop and no longer art.
After listening to both The Indian Princess and Make a Joyful Noise, I became inspired to make the rest of my listening assignment purely concentrated in American music. I want to learn as much as I can about what was occurring locally as European music moved forward. What was going on in Georgia when Beethoven was writing his sixth symphony? Who was writing songs in Bolivia while Hugo Wolf was popular in Germany? Is there any Chilean 20th century music?
I am glad that the listening assignment deal with works that are outside of the Canon. I question which Canon? Musicals are part of American culture and are widely known. I wonder how well Wicked would do in Dubai or even in Salzburg. Are there any musical theatre houses in Europe? What about South Africa? I would like to learn about Romantic opera in America. Was there any?
Listening to The Indian Princess and Make a Joyful Noise was great exposure to an unknown musical culture. The questions I will be asking will deal with why are the works not popular, not so much what makes them fit in a specific time period. Hopefully, I will find a composer better than John Bray.

2008-01-25T21:17:00.000-08:00

Lesson: Cues and solid accompaniment are invaluable tools when it comes to Opera.

2008-01-25T13:59:00.001-08:00

A little support from my friends.

Gabcast! Blog #2

2008-01-25T11:46:00.000-08:00

I am being forced to share my thoughts with world.

John Bray is a horrible man.

The Indian Princess ________!

Pipa is cool.