DOCSLIB.ORG

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Program Notes A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Program Notes A CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE Program Notes A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Music in Music, Performance By Timothy Lewis December 2019 The thesis of Timothy Lewis is approved: _________________________________________ ______________ Dr. Arthur J. McCaffrey Date _________________________________________ ______________ Dr. Gayle Kowalchyk Date _________________________________________ ______________ Dr. Dmitry Rachmanov, Chair Date California State University, Northridge ii Table of Contents Signature Page ii List of Examples iv Abstract v Chapter 1: W.A. Mozart’s Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333 1 Chapter 2: J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E Major, Well-Tempered Clavier Book II, 6 BWV 878 Chapter 3: Claude Debussy’s Préludes 9 Chapter 4: Franz Liszt’s Ballade No. 2 in B Minor, S. 171 13 Works Cited 17 iii List of Examples Example 1: Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-flat Major, K. 333: I. Allegro, mm. 1-10. 1 Example 2: Mozart, K. 333: I. Allegro, mm. 23-31. 2 Example 3: Mozart, K. 333: I. Allegro, mm. 50-54. 2 Example 4: Mozart, K. 333: I. Allegro, mm. 39-40. 3 Example 5: Formal diagram of Mozart, K. 333: I. Allegro. 3 Example 6: Mozart, K. 333: II. Andante cantabile, mm. 28-32. 4 Example 7: Formal diagram of Mozart, K. 333: III. Allegretto grazioso. 5 Example 8: des Prez, Missa Pange Lingua, Kyrie eleison, mm. 17-21. 7 Example 9: Froberger, Ricercar IV, subject and countersubject, mm. 1-7. 8 Example 10: Bach, Fugue in E Major, WTC II, BWV 878, subject and 8 countersubject, mm. 1-3. Example 11: Debussy, Les collines d’Anacapri, Préludes Book 1, mm. 51-53. 11 Example 12: Liszt, Ballade No. 2 in B Minor, S. 171, mm. 1-2. 14 Example 13: Liszt, mm. 24-26. 14 Example 14: Liszt, mm. 92-98. 15 iv Abstract Program Notes By Timothy Lewis Master of Music in Music, Performance This paper serves as a listening guide to works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, Claude Debussy, and Franz Liszt. By mapping out the forms of each piece and giving a clear explanation of significant harmonic and motivic events, I hope to give listeners and readers a deeper understanding of the music. While much of my discussion regarding Mozart’s Sonata No. 13 in B-flat Major and Bach’s Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier Book II is primarily rooted in theoretical analysis, I give a significant amount of attention to program in regard to Debussy’s Préludes and Liszt’s Ballade No. 2 in B Minor. This is because the composition of these unique pieces was driven in some part by an extra-musical program. In the case of Debussy’s Préludes, I explore how the composer used an abstract concept or image to shape his musical gestures and harmonies. In contrast to this, I interpret Liszt’s Ballade as a dramatized retelling of the Greek myth of Hero and Leander by analyzing his use of motivic elements as stand-ins for specific plot elements. v Chapter 1: W.A. Mozart’s Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his thirteenth Piano Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333 in 1783, most likely while stopping in Linz on his way back to Vienna.1 However, the piece was not published until April of the following year. In the first movement, Mozart establishes a clear Primary Key Area (PKA) in the tonic B-flat major in the opening measures of the exposition. Example 1: Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-flat Major, K. 333: I. Allegro, mm. 1-10. After some elaboration on the opening descending motif, we are presented with the Secondary Key Area (SKA) in the dominant F major at bar 23. 1 Cliff Eisen and Stanley Sadie, “Mozart, (Johann Chrysostom) Wolfgang Amadeus,” Grove Music Online. 1 Example 2: Mozart, K. 333: I. Allegro, mm. 23-31. The exposition ends with a closing theme that is still in the SKA of F major. Here, a descending chromatic motif in the left hand is counter-balanced by a rising sixteenth-note line that seems to teeter on the ledge of the high register before gracefully descending to the middle of the keyboard to resolve in F major. Example 3: Mozart, K. 333: I. Allegro, mm. 50-54. In the excerpts above one can see the repeated use of accented suspensions. This melodic device is perhaps one of the defining traits of this movement as it appears in every motif in the two key areas. While the flowing lyricism of the melody gives the movement an undeniable 2 elegance, these suspensions bring an almost child-like quality that keeps the music light and not- too-fancy. Perhaps the most glaring example can be heard in the SKA when repeated V7 (C7) / V (F) marked fortepiano are interrupted by a hiccup-like motif: Example 4: Mozart, K. 333: I. Allegro, mm. 39-40. It could be that Mozart was recalling his time trying to keep himself entertained while at court! The remainder of the first movement follows what one would expect in a typical Sonata- Allegro movement. The Development begins in the dominant F Major and, in a pre-Beethoven style, quickly returns to the tonic B-flat major by the beginning of the Recapitulation. Here we revisit the thematic material from the PKA and SKA, however now everything is stuck in the tonic B flat. Example 5: Formal diagram of Mozart, K. 333: I. Allegro. The second movement is interesting formally – like the first movement, it is also written in sonata form – but also harmonically. Following an exposition in the sub-dominant key of E-flat major, the development begins with what could be one of Mozart’s greatest dissonances: following a string of V7 - I - V7 chords that are moving away from each other, the hands 3 continue moving chromatically in the same direction and land on a viio7 / ii (F minor) by way of a suspension on F# and A: Example 6: Mozart, K. 333: II. Andante cantabile, mm. 28-32. The tonal clash is not fully resolved until three bars later where we get a clear PAC on F minor. This sets the tone for the next 16 bars as the harmony shifts from F minor to C minor and then descends down a series of chromatic mediant modulations: A-flat major, F minor, and D-flat minor. D-flat minor gives way to a dominant extension (Bb7) that lasts for three bars before the opening theme in the tonic E-flat major returns at bar 51. From here, the themes from the exposition return in highly embellished forms that evoke Mozart’s coloratura operatic style. While it is the most technically demanding of the three movements, the final movement of the sonata is the most straight-forward in terms of form and harmony. The movement is a rondo in the tonic B-flat major with an A theme that has the feeling of an early Classical concerto – the first statement of the theme is marked piano and features a simple melody and sparse accompaniment. This is immediately taken up by the imagined orchestra as it is restated, now forte, with a more active accompaniment and embellished melody. Mozart exploits this dynamic throughout the movement, oscillating between different texture densities and levels of activity to mimic the back-and-forth of the soloist and orchestra. This chart outlines the remainder of the movement’s sections and their respective key areas: 4 Example 7: Formal diagram of Mozart, K. 333: III. Allegretto grazioso. 5 Chapter 2: J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E Major, Well-Tempered Clavier II, BWV 878 Johann Sebastian Bach’s Das Wohltemperierte Klavier stands as one of the most important collections of keyboard works written in all twenty-four keys.2 Composed in two volumes, the first written in 1722 and the second in 1740, the work comprises forty-eight pairs of Preludes and Fugues, beginning in C major and progressing chromatically while alternating between major and minor, i.e. C major is followed by C minor, then C-sharp major and C-sharp minor, and so on. The Preludes in the set are a written testament to Bach’s remarkable improvisation skills – during his tenure as the Kapellmeister for Prince Leopold of Cöthen and as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, he was known to perform incredibly complex improvisations on the keyboard and organ.3 Many of the Preludes, like the Prelude in C Minor from the first book, exploit a single texture or rhythmic motif to explore winding harmonic avenues, the only real cadences occurring when the music suddenly comes to a halt be it at the end of the Prelude, or, in the C Minor Prelude, to begin a virtuosic cadenza. This freely improvisatory character was typical of the genre, and anyone studying a keyboard instrument in the eighteenth-century would have been expected to improvise to some degree. The Prelude in E Major from WTC II, BWV 878 is one of the few in the set that has a clear binary form with an A section that moves from the tonic E Major to the dominant B Major followed by a B section that moves in the reverse direction, beginning in the dominant key returning to the tonic. The Prelude contains three distinct voices: an upper and middle voice that take turns carrying the melodic line while the other provides contrapuntal support, and a bass line 2 Maurice Hinson, Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire 4th ed., Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2014: 61-64.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Rhythmic Foundation and Accompaniment
    Introduction To Flamenco: Rhythmic Foundation and Accompaniment by "Flamenco Chuck" Keyser P.O. Box 1292 Santa Barbara, CA 93102 [email protected] http://users.aol.com/BuleriaChk/private/flamenco.html © Charles H. Keyser, Jr. 1993 (Painting by Rowan Hughes) Flamenco Philosophy IA My own view of Flamenco is that it is an artistic expression of an intense awareness of the existential human condition. It is an effort to come to terms with the concept that we are all "strangers and afraid, in a world we never made"; that there is probably no higher being, and that even if there is he/she (or it) is irrelevant to the human condition in the final analysis. The truth in Flamenco is that life must be lived and death must be faced on an individual basis; that it is the fundamental responsibility of each man and woman to come to terms with their own alienation with courage, dignity and humor, and to support others in their efforts. It is an excruciatingly honest art form. For flamencos it is this ever-present consciousness of death that gives life itself its meaning; not only as in the tragedy of a child's death from hunger in a far-off land or a senseless drive-by shooting in a big city, but even more fundamentally in death as a consequence of life itself, and the value that must be placed on life at each moment and on each human being at each point in their journey through it. And it is the intensity of this awareness that gave the Gypsy artists their power of expression.
    [Show full text]
  • Eastman Chorale Eastman Repertory Singers
    Upcoming Concerts Events are free unless otherwise noted. Monday, November 23, 2020 Eastman Wind Orchestra Music of Susato, Strauss, and Sierra David Baker and Mark Davis Scatterday, conductors Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre • 7:30PM Eastman Chorale William Weinert, conductor Eastman Repertory Singers Gilbert Donohue, Anna Lenti, and James Wolter, conductors Information about upcoming Eastman concerts and events can be found at: www.esm.rochester.edu/concerts/calendar.php Kodak Hall fi re exits are located along the Supporting the Eastman School of Music: right and left sides, and at the back of the hall We at the Eastman School of Music are grateful on each level. In the event of an emergency, you for the generous contributions made by friends, will be notifi ed by the stage manager. If notifi ed, parents, and alumni, as well as local and national please move in a calm and orderly fashion to the foundations and corporations. Gifts and grants nearest exit. to the School support student scholarships, performance and academic facilities, educational Sunday, November 22, 2020 Restrooms are located on each level of Kodak initiatives, and programs open to the greater Hall at Eastman Theatre Our ushers will be happy Rochester community. Every gift, no matter the to direct you to them. size, is vital to enhancing Eastman’s commitment Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre to excellence. Please note: The use of unauthorized photo- For more information on making a gift, please 3pm graphic and recording equipment is not allowed visit www.esm.rochester.edu/advancement in this building. We reserve the right to ask anyone or contact the Advancement Offi ce by calling disrupting a performance to leave the hall.
    [Show full text]
  • Josquin Des Prez: Master of the Notes
    James John Artistic Director P RESENTS Josquin des Prez: Master of the Notes Friday, March 4, 2016, 8 pm Sunday, March 6, 2016, 3pm St. Paul’s Episcopal Church St. Ignatius of Antioch 199 Carroll Street, Brooklyn 87th Street & West End Avenue, Manhattan THE PROGRAM CERDDORION Sopranos Altos Tenors Basses Gaude Virgo Mater Christi Anna Harmon Jamie Carrillo Ralph Bonheim Peter Cobb From “Missa de ‘Beata Virgine’” Erin Lanigan Judith Cobb Stephen Bonime James Crowell Kyrie Jennifer Oates Clare Detko Frank Kamai Jonathan Miller Gloria Jeanette Rodriguez Linnea Johnson Michael Klitsch Michael J. Plant Ellen Schorr Cathy Markoff Christopher Ryan Dean Rainey Praeter Rerum Seriem Myrna Nachman Richard Tucker Tom Reingold From “Missa ‘Pange Lingua’” Ron Scheff Credo Larry Sutter Intermission Ave Maria From “Missa ‘Hercules Dux Ferrarie’” BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sanctus President Ellen Schorr Treasurer Peter Cobb Secretary Jeanette Rodriguez Inviolata Directors Jamie Carrillo Dean Rainey From “Missa Sexti toni L’homme armé’” Michael Klitsch Tom Reingold Agnus Dei III Comment peut avoir joye The members of Cerddorion are grateful to James Kennerley and the Church of Saint Ignatius of Petite Camusette Antioch for providing rehearsal and performance space for this season. Jennifer Oates, soprano; Jamie Carillo, alto; Thanks to Vince Peterson and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for providing a performance space Chris Ryan, Ralph Bonheim, tenors; Dean Rainey, Michael J. Plant, basses for this season. Thanks to Cathy Markoff for her publicity efforts. Mille regretz Allégez moy Jennifer Oates, Jeanette Rodriguez, sopranos; Jamie Carillo, alto; PROGRAM CREDITS: Ralph Bonheim, tenor; Dean Rainey, Michael J. Plant, basses Myrna Nachman wrote the program notes.
    [Show full text]
  • Flamenco Music Theory Pdf
    Flamenco music theory pdf Continue WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:1) Andalusian Cadence is a series of chords that gives flamenco music its characteristic sound: In Music, a sequence of notes or chords consisting of the closing of the musical phrase: the final cadences of the Prelude.3) This progression of chords consists of i, VII, VI and V chords of any insignificant scale, Ending on V chord.4) The most commonly used scale for this chord progression is the Harmonic minor scale (in C minor: B C D E F G))5) The most common keys in flamenco are the Frigian, known as Por Medio in flamenco guitar, and consisting of Dm, C, Bb. Another common key is E Phrygian, known as Por Arriba on Flamenco guitar, and consisting of Am, G, F, E. E Phrygian (Por Arriba) is often used in Solea and Fandangos Del Huelva.THE ANDALUSIAN CADENCE: Today we will discuss really common chords and sound in flamenco: Andalus Cadens! Learning more about this sound will help the audience better appreciate flamenco music, provide flamenco dancers with a better understanding of the music that accompanies them, and non-flamenco musicians some basic theory to incorporate flamenco sounds into their music. At this point, if you want to skip the theory and just listen, go to LISTENING: ANDALUSIAN CADENCE IN THE WORLD. I would recommend reading the pieces of the theory just for some context. MUSIC THEORY: CHORD PROGRESSIONThic series of four chords is so ubiquitous in flamenco that anyone who listens to it should know it when they hear it.
    [Show full text]
  • Beethoven Quartet Opus 59 #2
    ! Reprintable only with permission from the author. Beethoven Quartet opus 59 #2 Beethoven’s friend and student Carl Czerny reported that the second movement of the master’s e minor string quartet, Op. 59 No. 2, was inspired by contemplation of the starry firmament and the music of the spheres. Increasingly alienated from quotidian society, hermetically trapped by his increasing deafness, Beethoven by 1808 considered that his artistic mission would be fulfilled only in conscious transcendence of the physical and the mundane. One can easily imagine how thoughts of the supernal music would feed his sense of awe, beauty and possibility in contrast with the earthly woes of mankind. A symbol of looking beyond, the Molto adagio evokes wonderment and songful rapture in its long, spun-out melodic arches and the radiance of its E Major tonality. Alongside the sustained singing is an evocation of the rotating celestial spheres as a sort of musical clock, a mechanical ticking away underlying the pulchritudinous harmonies.This trochaic rhythm appears in multiple guises, both machine-like and human, ranging from objective to hyper-expressive and vulnerable. It is as if Beethoven cannot help being in awe at once of the infinite grandeur of it all and of the clockmaker himself, of the power and precision of creation. The quartets of Op. 59 belong to the period of Beethoven’s expanding forms, his experimentation with the creation of universes of his own. These are structured so as to cohere not organically but rather by design, labyrinthine explorations steered by conscious reasoning, a human counterpart to the music of the spheres.
    [Show full text]
  • Mathematical Analysis of the Music of Johann Sebastian Bach
    East Texas Baptist University School of Fine Arts Department of Music The Two-Part and Three-Part Inventions of Bach: A Mathematical Analysis Honors Project By Jennifer Shafer Dr. Randall Sulton, Project Supervisor Committee Members: Dr. Virginia Lile Boaz, Dr. Melissa Reeves Marshall, Texas March 2010 1 Introduction Benoit B. Mandelbrot‟s book The Fractal Geometry of Nature was published in 1983. This publication updated and replaced two earlier works from 1975 and 1977 and codified his theory of fractal geometry as a new branch of mathematics. As a result of the creation of fractal geometry in the world of mathematics, music theorists have since created new techniques for analyzing music. These methods include study of fractal structure, fractal dimension, strange attractors in music, and Fourier analysis of musical lines. For my own research in this area, I chose to analyze the fifteen Two-Part Inventions and fifteen Three-Part Inventions of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).1 Each of these pieces can “be defined as a short contrapuntal work centering around the development of material from one or two motives”.2 While each piece has a unique motive, the compositional technique is the same, making all thirty pieces musically and technically different but similar in style. I based my analysis on two primary sources: “Fractal Geometry of Music,” a 1993 article by Kenneth J. and Andreas J. Hsu, and Fractals in Music: Introductory Mathematics for Musical Analysis, published in 2007 by Charles Madden. Both sources suggested new methods of musical analysis, some of which I chose to use in my research.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution and Structure in Flamenco Harmony
    Evolution and Structure in Flamenco Harmony By Peter Manuel The unprecedented vogue and revitalization of flamenco since the early 1960s have generated a considerable amount of scholarly literature on the subject, written primarily by Spaniards. These studies, while contributing greatly to our understanding of flamenco in its historical and social context, have tended to avoid less overtly humanistic subjects, including any analyt­ ical discussion of the structural aspects of flamenco as music per se. Hence, such a topic as the structure of flamenco harmony has received only passing mention in flamenco studies or oblique reference in guitar manuals. While flamenco musicians themselves are generally uninterested in theo­ rizing about their music, flamenco harmony is one of the most crucial expres­ sive aspects of the genre and certainly merits some study in this regard. On a broader level, an inquiry into flamenco harmony may reveal some of the-­ processes by which musical acculturation and instrumental idiosyncracies can generate a syncretic and highly distinctive harmonic system. This article addresses certain aspects of the development and present form of flamenco harmony. In brief, it advances two hypotheses: first, that flamen­ co harmony is a syncretic product of Arab modal practice and European harmony, and second, that many of the most distinctive features of the har­ monic system, and in particular the use of altered chords, have arisen in direct connection with idiosyncratic characteristics of the guitar. The first of these theses, although difficult to document, is hardly original, and indeed, is widely taken for granted among flamenco scholars. Before proceeding direct­ ly to these arguments, some introduction to flamenco harmony and style may be appropriate here.
    [Show full text]
  • Stile Antico Josquin
    Boston Early Music Festival in partnership with The Morgan Library & Museum present Stile Antico Josquin: Father of the Renaissance Ave Maria…virgo serena Josquin des Prez (ca. 1450–1521) Kyrie from Missa Pange lingua Josquin Vivrai je tousjours Josquin El grillo Josquin Inviolata, integra et casta es Maria Josquin Gloria from Missa Pange lingua Josquin Mille regretz Josquin Salve regina a5 Josquin O mors inevitabilis Hieronymus Vinders (fl. ca. 1525) Agnus Dei I and III from Missa Pange lingua Josquin Dum vastos Adriae fluctus Jacquet de Mantua (1483–1559) Friday, February 26, 2021 at 8pm Livestream broadcast Filmed concert from All Saints Church, West Dulwich, London, England BEMF.org Stile Antico Helen Ashby, Kate Ashby, Rebecca Hickey, soprano Emma Ashby, Cara Curran, Eleanor Harries, alto Andrew Griffiths, Jonathan Hanley, Benedict Hymas, tenor James Arthur, Will Dawes, Nathan Harrison, bass This concert is organized with the cooperation of Knudsen Productions, LLC, exclusive North American artist representative of Stile Antico. Stile Antico records for Decca. PROGRAM NOTES Our program tonight is devoted to the wonderful music of Josquin des Prez, marking 500 years since his death in 1521. Josquin was unquestionably a star in his own time: no lesser figure than Martin Luther praised him as “the master of the notes,” while for the theorist Glarean, “no one has more effectively expressed the passions of the soul in music…his talent is beyond description.” So what is it about Josquin that exerted such a spell on the generations that followed—and which still speaks so eloquently to us today? Much about Josquin’s biography and career remains shadowy: it isn’t always possible to pin down where he was working, and—with a few exceptions—the chronology of his works can only be attempted on stylistic grounds.
    [Show full text]
  • Mendelssohn Songs Without Words Mp3, Flac, Wma
    Mendelssohn Songs Without Words mp3, flac, wma DOWNLOAD LINKS (Clickable) Genre: Classical Album: Songs Without Words Country: US Released: 1993 Style: Romantic MP3 version RAR size: 1868 mb FLAC version RAR size: 1379 mb WMA version RAR size: 1530 mb Rating: 4.3 Votes: 593 Other Formats: ADX DTS DMF ADX DMF WMA MP4 Tracklist Book I, Op. 19 (16:45) 1-1 No. 1 In E Major "Sweet Remembrance" 4:34 1-2 No. 2 In A Minor "Regrets" 2:08 1-3 No. 3 In A Major "Hunting Song" 2:22 1-4 No. 4 In A Major "Confidence" 2:12 1-5 No. 5 In F-Sharp Minor "Restlessness" 2:37 1-6 No. 6 In G Minor "Venetian Boat Song" 2:31 Book II, Op. 30 (18:11) 1-7 No. 7 In E-Flat Major "Contemplation" 4:38 1-8 No. 8 In B-Flat Minor "Unrest" 2:11 1-9 No. 9 In E Major "Consolation" 2:09 1-10 No. 10 In B Minor "The Wanderer" 2:50 1-11 No. 11 In D Major "The Brook" 2:20 1-12 No. 12 In F-Sharp Minor "Venetian Boat Song II" 3:41 Book III, Op. 38 (14:57) 1-13 No. 13 In E-Flat Major "The Evening Star" 1:57 1-14 No. 14 In C Minor "Lost Happiness" 1:41 1-15 No. 15 In E Major "Poet's Harp" 2:10 1-16 No. 16 In A Major "Hope" 2:17 1-17 No. 17 In A Minor "Passion" 2:23 1-18 No.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Alternative Musical Scales
    Finding Alternative Musical Scales John Hooker Carnegie Mellon University October 2017 1 Advantages of Classical Scales • Pitch frequencies have simple ratios. – Rich and intelligible harmonies • Multiple keys based on underlying chromatic scale with tempered tuning. – Can play all keys on instrument with fixed tuning. – Complex musical structure. • Can we find new scales with these same properties? – Constraint programming is well suited to solve the problem. 2 Simple Ratios • Acoustic instruments produce multiple harmonic partials. – Frequency of partial = integral multiple of frequency of fundamental. – Coincidence of partials makes chords with simple ratios easy to recognize. Perfect fifth C:G = 2:3 3 Simple Ratios • Acoustic instruments produce multiple harmonic partials. – Frequency of partial = integral multiple of frequency of fundamental. – Coincidence of partials makes chords with simple ratios easy to recognize. Octave C:C = 1:2 4 Simple Ratios • Acoustic instruments produce multiple harmonic partials. – Frequency of partial = integral multiple of frequency of fundamental. – Coincidence of partials makes chords with simple ratios easy to recognize. Major triad C:E:G = 4:5:6 5 Multiple Keys • A classical scale can start from any pitch in a chromatic with 12 semitone intervals. – Resulting in 12 keys. – An instrument with 12 pitches (modulo octaves) can play 12 different keys. – Can move to a different key by changing only a few notes of the scale. 6 Multiple Keys Let C major be the tonic key C 1 D#E 6 A C major b 0 notes F#G
    [Show full text]
  • The Healing Power of Music
    Dissonance Dissonance means without sonic alignment or to "beat against". Our first reactions to dissonance, whether in music or life, are to label them undesirable and something to be avoided. According to John Beaulieu “During the Middle Ages the Catholic Church determined what musical tones and intervals were spiritual. New musical sounds were usually introduced through heresy and thought to be the work of the devil. As hard as it is to believe, many people were executed and tortured for playing the "wrong note.” (John Beaulieu - Dissonance) When Igor Stravinsky premiered 'The Rite of Spring' in 1913 many listeners rioted. The complex music and violent dance steps depicting fertility rites first drew catcalls and whistles from the crowd. At the start, the audience began to boo loudly. There were loud arguments in the audience between supporters and opponents of the work. These were soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience eventually degenerated into a riot. The Paris police arrived by intermission, but they restored only limited order. Chaos reigned for the remainder of the performance. “A commonly used word for dissonance is stress. Dr. Hans Selye defines stress as adaptation to change. Those that resist change will perceive stress as distress. Those that accept change may experience the same stress as euphoria. In other words what is distress for one person may be euphoria for another. This may explain from a scientific perspective why the dissonance of a music composition like Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring' may be terrible for one person and beautiful for another." (John Beaulieu - Dissonance) "The Nobel Prize winning physicist, Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Modulation: Pivot Chords
    MODULATION: PIVOT CHORDS APPLICATIONS OF THE HARMONIC WHEEL CONTENTS 2 The Modulation consists in changing from one Key to another. To do that, it is common to use a Pivot Chord, which is a chord that belongs to both keys, and then the new key is affirmed by a Cadence, which may consist, simply, in the chords V7 I. In this presentation, an explanation is given on how to obtain the pivot chords between two keys, using the Harmonic Wheel. For the sake of simplicity, only consonant pivot chords are considered, that is, Major or minor. © 2009 www.harmonicwheel.com CHORDS OF A GIVEN KEY 3 Every Major or natural minor key contains 6 consonant chords: 3 Major and 3 minor. On the Harmonic Wheel, these 6 chords are inside a curved rectangle and they are placed taking into account their affinity. For example, in the C Major / A minor key these 6 chords appear in the following arrangement: Dm Am Em F C G © 2009 www.harmonicwheel.com CHORDS OF A GIVEN KEY 4 © 2009 www.harmonicwheel.com CHORDS OF A GIVEN KEY 5 Remember that the scale tonic is indicated with and the rest of the notes with . Traditionally, the modulation is studied with the aid of the cycle of fifths, where the keys are sorted according to their key signatures. On its own, the Harmonic Wheel is a much more complete representation than a cycle of fifths, since it gives a panoramic view of chords and keys, as well as the existing relationships among them. © 2009 www.harmonicwheel.com MODUL.
    [Show full text]