The Musical Crematorium

Tritone Paradox

2004-12-08T04:20:00.000-05:00

Hello my name is Joshua Perez, and today I will be presenting a report from a scientific music journal

The name of the journal entry is Speech Patterns Heard Early in Life Influence Later Perception of the Tritone Paradox. It was written by Mark Dolson, Diana Deutsch, and Trevor Henthorn. They did experiments to test the theory that perception of the tritone paradox is influenced by speech heard early in life.

The journal explains of experiments conducted to test the theory of the tritone paradox. The tritone paradox occurs when two tones that are a 4+ or 5° apart are heard in secession. But the pitches are heard in such a way that pitch classes are clearly heard but the placement of the octave is vague. This paradox is an auditory illusion because the listener could perceive the notes to be descending or ascending.

There were many experiments that tested this tritone paradox. Dolson personally worked on the aspect of pitch ranges in speech. Throughout his studies he discovered that each language, dialect, and sub-dialect had its own pitch class. Meaning that each had specific note ranges where in which voices inflections fell. There was also the discovery that the physical being did not affect the pitch ranges in speech. This study showed that the pitch template, range of pitches during speech, is acquired through early interaction with the parental units.

To further study this phenomenon, Deutsch studied the perception in two groups. The two groups tested were from California and England. The study found that while the Californian’s perceived the tritones to be ascending, the English found it to be descending. This strengthened the hypothesis that pitch class template is acquired through the culture. Most of the testing done for their later experiments was on younger children and their parents. Further studies have been discussed one in particular belongs to the authors of the article. The following experiments were conceived to test if the childhood template survived into adulthood.

In experiment 1 there were three different groups tested the Vietnamese Late Arrival which contained 6 men and 10 women from South or Central Vietnam who moved to the United States when they were adults, and spoke only Vietnamese.

Another group tested was the Vietnamese Early Arrival which consisted of 3 men and 13 women from South or Central Vietnam. This group moved to the United States when they were infants or young children they primarily spoke English but had exposure to Vietnamese.

The final group tested was the Californian English. This group had University students, 6 men and 4 women, who were born and raised in California, spoke only English and had little or no exposure to Vietnamese.

The purpose of the experiment was to test whether or not each group tested perceived the tritone paradox to be ascending or descending. The results from this experiment showed that the perception of ascending/descending was influenced by each groups, own pitch template. They also observed that the perception of the tritone paradox varied significantly based on the first language to which the experiment participants were exposed.

Experiment two focused more on the fluent Vietnamese speakers. The participants included 2 men and 5 women, 6 of which had participated in the previous experiment.
This experiment tested the tritone paradox and how the pitch template range affected the perception of this. The findings showed that the pitch range of speaking, in which a person was exposed to first, is strongly influences the perception of the tritone paradox.

In conclusion; the findings from both experiments showed that there was a direct and strong link between speech and music perception. The findings also showed that the perception of the tritone effect is heavily influenced by the speech heard early in life.

Music Perception Spring 2004, Vol. 21, No.3, 357-372

Script...

2004-12-07T22:04:00.000-05:00

Is Recognition of Emotion in Music Performance an
Aspect of Emotional Intelligence?

When musicians perform, they are expected to play a piece in different ways, to show happiness, sadness, anger or fear, and the listeners should be able to identify these emotions and recognize them throughout the performance. Through studies of Juslin we can see that emotions can be brought out or communicated very effectively through music performance. Also in Juslin’s studies, it was found that people even with little musical training still has the ability to recognize emotions in music. Mayer and Salovey describe this ability as emotional intelligence. Recently Mayer and Salovey have found a way to test emotional intelligence. This test measures four different aspects of emotional intelligence: perceiving emotions, using emotions to show thought, understanding emotions, and managing emotions. The actual purpose of this study or test, was to show whether or not the recognition of emotions in music performance is related to emotional intelligence.
In this experiment there were twenty-four undergraduate students and their musical training ranged from 0 to 15 years of music lessons. They were asked to listen to three different short piano pieces composed by Bach, Bartok, and Persichetti. Each piece was recorded by a classically trained pianist five times, first with the expression that was appropriate for the music (or the “normal” way), and then with four different emotional intentions: happiness, sadness, anger, and fearfulness. The happy and sad performances seemed to have a faster tempo than sad and fearful performances, and angry performances were louder than happy performances. After each performance, all of the participants were told to rate it on how happy, sad, angry or fearful it was. Also realize that none of the participants said that they were familiar with any of the pieces.
The results showed that the normal performance of the Bach piece was rated as sad, which is consistent with it being slow in tempo and in a minor key. The Bach performance that was intended as happy (the 2nd time it was played differently) was rated only slightly more happy, but rated much less sad and more angry than the normal performance. The performance that was intended sad had basically the same ratings as the normal performance, which showed that there was a limit to how sad this piece could actually sound. Finally, the performance intended to be angry was rated only a little less sad but not as fearful. Overall, the Bach performances were not very successful in showing the intended emotions. The Bartok piece performances overall, were more successful in showing the intended emotions. The Persichetti piece performances were the most successful in showing the intended emotions, as each emotion was rated exactly what was supposed to be intended by the performer. The Bach performances really only successfully showed two of the four emotions, the Bartok performances showed three of the four emotions, and the Persichetti showed all four of the emotions.
This study or test, showed that individual differences in sensitivity to emotion showed by the music performance are related to individual differences in emotional intelligence. Although recognizing or noticing emotion in music performance is less important in everyday life, it probably requires a lot of the same processes and sensitivities as recognizing emotion in speech. This would be entirely consistent with evidence the the emotional cues in music performance are very similar to those in speech.
There are many things such as mode, pitch register, range, consonance and dissonance, rhythm, tempo and dynamics that help people recognize the emotion in music performance. This shows that the Bach piece used in this study is a somewhat sad piece because of its minor key and slow tempo, whereas the major-key and moderate tempo Bartok piece makes a quietly happy impression, and the Persichetti piece is kind of neutral, not having a strong tonality. These characteristics were shown in the participants’s ratings of the “normal” performances, which also showed the performer’s certain responses to the respective musical structures. In the end, a performance is only able to show happiness, sadness, or any other emotion only if the music is actually being played happy or sad or any other emotion.

Sited Work:

Music Perception, Joel E. Resnicow & Peter Salovey.

Music in Everyday Life

2004-12-07T21:56:00.000-05:00

Music surrounds us wherever we go. In the past two centuries the times, places, and ways in which people listen to music has incredibly changed. Before mass media and the technology of today, people heard music only in concert halls, social gatherings, and occasionally at home, and when they heard music it was usually because they were purposely setting out to hear it. Today, music sets up the background of our lives. So arguably, it is less prized than before. Before music was a treat, a treasure, a profound method of communication. Now music is packed up and shipped just like any other household item. Music is so widely available today in so many different formats and of so many different styles. People of today now use music much more often than before and in everyday situations. They can control it in their homes, and their cars while doing everyday tasks. Music is now a resource not just a commodity.
Because of these changes, the role of music in everyday life has also changed. There have been several different approaches to way this role has been studied. One way is the how music affects an individual's identity. Studies have also been done on how music was used in various contexts including shopping malls, and karaoke bars. In this study music was regarded more as a process and not just an object, helping the various activities along. Another study focused upon self-proclaimed music lovers and how they developed individual personality traits based upon this. Studies have also been done on the music industry's effect on personal musical tastes. Although these studies are all interesting they lack defining the reasons for everyday musical listening.
Research has been done on these reasons however. Social psychologists have adopted the approach known as "uses and gratifications." Participates are placed in a laboratory setting and asked to choose from a preset list the functions music serves for them. Most of these style studies have produced extremely inconsistent results. The most important thing these studies proved was that music fulfills completely different functions for each individual person and each individual situation. Similar studies have shown that the choice of the function of music is determined by social and interpersonal context.
The problem with the aforementioned studies is that they lack a focus upon the participants. The experiments have often chosen the music, the situations and the possible responses.
A participant centered approach conducted in 2001 involved giving each of the participants' electronic pagers and paging them once every two hours. When they received a page they were asked to document the last time they had heard music and the way in which they experienced it. They were also asked to describe who they were with, what emotions they felt, and the type of music. This type of experiment has potential for error in the participants' reports. Also this study was only done with 8 participants so it limits the amount of different responses.
The study that we will be focusing upon today asks five main questions; Who are people with when they listen to music? What do they listen to? When do they listen? Where do they listen? and Why do they listen?
The predictions of the study believe that people previously listened to music primarily on their own but due to technological changes that people are more likely to listen with others. Also that when listening alone people are more involved in actively listening while with others music serves as a background. Also that music listened to alone is probably more liked since the listener has stronger control of the musical choice.
In the regards of what music is heard the study predicted that because of technology the responses will be more widespread. The study predicted that the choice of type of music will also depend upon their motives for listening.
The when question was predicted as having fairly predictable patterns, such as that during the day music serves as background for other work while at night and on weekends it fulfills other functions. At different times of the day and on different days of the week, music fulfills different functions as well.
The predictions in regard to where people hear music is that responses will be largely widespread, including the home, cars, and commercial situations.
All of the above questions will effect why people listen to music.
The study had 346 volunteer participants who were recruited from universities and business throughout Britain. The participants were of ages between 13 and 78 and of various cultural backgrounds. Everyday for 14 days the participants were sent text messages on their mobile phones. When they received this message they were asked to fill out a short questionnaire about the music they could hear when they received the text message. The questionnaire consisted of five sections. The first section asked demographic information of the participants, the time they received their message and whether or not they could hear any music at the time. If they couldn't hear any music they were asked to fill out the questionnaire based upon the last time they had heard music. The second section consisted of questions concerning who they were with when they heard music. The third section asked the type of music they heard by choosing from a list of styles, whether they had any choice in listening to the music, the volume of the music and their liking of it. The fourth section asked where the music was heard. The fifth section consisted of two separate parts. The first part was for participants who had chosen to hear the music. It asked the function of the music. The second part was for people who had not chosen to hear the music. It asked the effect the music had on them.
The results of the study produced many interesting findings. That data collected regarding the "who" shows that most of the listening episodes occurred when the participant was with other people. These findings go along with the notion that technology has made it easier to access music thus making it easier to hear music with others. The data also proves that people had the most liking for music they could hear when they were on their own, while the lowest amount of liking was experienced with strangers. The function of music changed with who the person was listening with. Contrary to the predictions music did not serve as a background while with others and move to the foreground while alone. The greatest amount of attention was paid to the music when participants were with a boy pr girlfriend. Music was liked more when it was heard alone, but it was not necessarily more important at the moment.
Data collected regarding the "what" shows that pop music was the type of music most heard and that classical was the least. When people chose to hear music they used different types for different reasons. When people did not choose to hear music it still had some effect upon them, but they were less likely to enjoy the music.
Music was most often heard in the evening, which is consistent with the hypothesis. The lack of daytime music listening can be accounted for through work and non-leisure opportunities. However there is no link between being able to choose to listen to music and the time of day. Increased leisure time only increased the chances that a person would hear music and not their ability to choose to listen to music. The same applies to the link between the ability to choose and the day of the week. Data collected about the "when" shows that listening during leisure time is for pleasure and that listening during the workday is to help some other function.
Just as predicted, music was heard in many different places, the most popular being the home with half of reported incidents, others include restaurants, shops, gyms, nightclubs, and places of religious worship. Music was usually not the central focus and participants listened to music in different places for different reasons.
The reasons people listened to music has been mentioned in most of the aforementioned questions. Music generally served as a background both when people chose to listen to it and when then didn't choose to listen to it. The number one answer as to why people listened to music was that it was for enjoyment and that it helped pass the time. Other responses as to why people were listening to music is that it was habit, it help create the right atmosphere, it helped concentration and that it helped create an emotion. When people did not choose to listen to music, they had a generally unengaged attitude towards it.
In conclusion, the findings of this study actively prove that people use music as a resource in everyday life. This has happened recently due to the increase in access to music because of technology. People tend to view music passively and it seems that because it is so accessible that they take it for granted. People use music in different places, for different reasons, and experience it in different ways. But people use music. Music is in peoples lives now more than ever and much more research is to be done concerning the way in which it affects us all.

North, Adrian C., David J. Hargreaves, and Jon J. Hargreaves "Uses of Music in Everyday Life" Music Perception Volume 22, Number 1, Fall 2004

Vowel Modification

2004-12-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

"Vowel Modification Revisited"- John Nix

The idea of vowel modification is actually a relatively new one. Singers used to train without “cover” or modification, but this changed with the career of a famous tenor named Tito Schipa. Tito Schipa modified his vowels where no other singer had before. The results were enough to revolutionize the vocal world. Today, teachers all have different philosophies about vowel modification and when and where it is appropriate. However, it is universally accepted that cover is an integral part of singing classically.
There are many bad facts floating about cover among singers. Sometimes, cover or vowel modification is associated with singing to darkly. Other times it is used to describe voices that are darker naturally, or those that aren’t placed correctly. The idea of cover comes from the Italian concept of Chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro literally means light and shadow. Classical singers must find a careful balance between these two elements to sing freely. The scuro or shadow is achieved by vowel modification or cover. For those who have listened to brighter singers, it is easy to imagine the problems with a voice that is all light to sing the classical repertoire. High notes would simply sound pinched. Coloratura would be next to impossible to negotiate. Cover is an integral part of healthy and beautiful singing. It should not be thought of as necessarily a bad thing.
The idea behind vowel modification is to not only unify the voice, but also to maximize the formants, which are what give the voice carrying power. Acoustically, singers need these formants to carry over an orchestra. The formants occur in sound ranges where few other instruments vibrate. The result is the “big” operatic voice that can fill an opera house. Vowel modification also helps unify the voice because it makes it easier to negotiate the various breaks and shifts in register. In classical singing a unified voice is a necessity. Perhaps most importantly, modification allows singers greater flexibility and dynamic contrast.
The article “Vowel Modification Revisited” talked of six important concepts key to understanding vowel modification and when and why it is used by singers. First, the formants are different in each singer because of anatomical differences. Second, different voices require different amounts of modification and this depends on size and the actual song being sung. For example, a tenor singing an art song that lies mainly below an E probably would not need as much modification as would a baritone. Some singers even say that the amount of vowel modification they use depends on the time of day and how much they have warmed up. Third, vowel formants have to do with a band of frequencies rather than a specific pitch. Fourth, it is impossible to tune each note absolutely when singing. Fast songs with lots of moving notes simply do not allow a singer enough time to tune absolutely. In these cases the movement among the notes becomes more important than the actual individual notes. Five, men and women tune differently. Men generally try to match the formants while women usually tune to the fundamental. Six, there are six guidelines for vowel modification: as the vocal tract lengthens the frequency of the formants decreases. The same phenomenon is seen when the lips are rounded while the frequencies are raised by lip spreading. Singers can lower the frequencies of first formant and raise the second one by fronting and arching the tongue. By backing and lowering the tongue, the opposite occurs. Also, lowering the jaw raises the frequencies of the first formant and lowers those of the second.
In the discussion of vowel modification it is also important to touch on the sub glottal formants. These formants unlike those in the vocal tract are not changed by altering the position of the tongue, lips, jaw, etc. Also, they do not change from vowel to vowel. Rather, only the laryngeal position has an effect on these formants. Scientists studying these formants noticed that their intensity decreased in certain pitch areas. Part of the process of unifying the voice is learning to compensate for these different pitch areas. The change in intensity accounts for the changes in pitch intensity in different areas of the voice.
Another important use of vowel modification is to negotiate the passagio. By adding cover, tenors for example are able to shift from tuning mainly to the first formant to the second which produces the brighter, freer color seen in singers such as Alfredo Kraus and Luciano Pavarotti. Other singers choose instead to continue tuning to the first formant. An example of this style of singing is the tenor Placido Domingo.
Tuning directly to a formant, however, can be detrimental to a singer. It is better to tune slightly below the formant. This allows the vibrato to be freer and allows its cycles to follow the formant itself which prevents the classic out of sync vibrato that sounds too fast or too wide. To do this a singer must sing a slightly more open vowel. Examples of singing this more open vowel are when a soprano is required to sing an [i] vowel on a high note, such as a Bb5. The frequency of the vowel and the note do not match, so the singer picks a more open vowel with a higher frequency to match the higher frequency of the note. In this case, the vowel sung will not be a pure [i] but a more generic sound.
The idea of covering the vowels actually aids in the ease of production and helps the vocal tract to work as little as possible in producing notes. In classical singing it is always more important for a note to sound beautiful than for the words attached to it to be understood. In other styles such as the Musical Theater belt, singers tend to focus more on the words than the beauty of the vowels; however, by focusing simply on the vowels and the acoustics of singing the diction of a singer will improve.
After all is said and done, the amount of cover that a singer should use depends on both their sense of aesthetics and the tessitura of their instrument. Some singers prefer a more covered sound and they tend to focus on the heavier repertoire. It would not be pleasing to hear the Rossini repertoire, for example, with the same amount of cover as Verdi or Puccini operas. Tessitura has to do with where a singers breaks lie and where their voice sits comfortably. A tenor that easily negotiates Fs and Gs, for example, would not need as much cover as a baritone that struggles to obtain a G. The best advice to a singer is to consult your teacher about this issue.
In conclusion I would just like to talk about what teachers can do to better teach the idea of vocal cover. Some singers respond better to images. For example, giving a singer a color or an analogy to brighten or darken the sound can help a teacher find the proper amount of modification. Still, other singers respond better to physiological examples such as “raise your soft palette” or “elongate that vowel.” Whatever tactic is chosen by the teacher, it is important for the student to get to know their own voice and understand the idea of cover.
Singing is about producing the most natural and beautiful sound that the body is capable. Singers will find that an understanding of cover will actually help their natural voice come out more and that the pitfalls of breaks and difficult vowels will be neatly avoided.

Source: Journal of Singing, November/December 2004

"Is Recognition of Emotion in Music Performance an Aspect of Emotional Intelligence?"

2004-12-07T20:15:00.000-05:00

This experiment measured the relationship between the ability to recognize emotion in music and an individual’s emotional intelligence, or their ability to understand, “read”, and manage emotions. I want to start out with some psychology background and definitions that aren’t in the article so you can understand the article better.

There are many theories about emotions, the two main being that there are fundamental emotions (this is the dominant approach) and the other is that there are no basic emotions, there are just dimensions (a continuum). Focusing on the theory of fundamental emotions, experts have suggested a variety of basic emotions from happiness to contempt. These theories overlap on six basic emotions: happiness (joy), fear, surprise, sadness, anger and disgust. This study focused on four of these: happiness, sadness, anger and fear.

Two other terms used throughout the article, are the “significance” and the “correlation” of results. When results are significant, it simply means that they could not have been caused by chance alone. The correlation of two factors determines their significance. There are three types of correlation. A positive correlation occurs as the number gets closer to +1, this means that as one variable goes up, the other goes up. A zero correlation occurs when the number gets closer to -1 (as one goes up, the other goes down). Positive and negative correlations are equally strong. A negative correlation means that the two variables aren’t related at all. If the correlation is above +.50 or below -.50, the results are significant. This will make more sense as I get more into the experiment. Keep in mind however, that if two variables are correlated, this does not mean that one caused the other.

As stated before, this study focused on the relationship between emotional intelligence and the ability to recognize emotion in music performance. Twenty four undergraduate students participated in this study. They took an emotional intelligence test called the MSCEIT (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test). This test measures four things: “perceiving emotions, using emotions to facilitate thought, understanding emotions, and managing emotions.” These factors are measured using pictures, generating emotion and then matching sensations to it, being able to identify combinations of emotions, etc. The researchers compared these results to the results of the musical test.

The musical test was made of three piano pieces that were played with the four different emotions. The pieces were Prelude No. 6 in D minor by Bach, Bartók’s “Children’s Song” in C major, and Persichetti’s “Dialogue” No. 3, Andante. These pieces were selected because of their length, they are all contrasting styles, and the natural emotions contained within each piece is relatively neutral. Author and amateur pianist, B.R performed the pieces.

The participants took the MSCEIT test at least twenty four hours before they came to the lab to hear the recordings. The performances stayed in the same order- Bach first, Persichetti second, and Bartók third. The “normal” performance was always first and the four emotions were played randomly afterwards. The participants rated on a scale of 1-10 the emotional content. This table, shows the difference between the emotions played and the normal performance in the duration of intervals, and loudness (show figure 1).

The results of the MSCEIT test scores ranged from 78-142. A man held the highest score, but there was a tendency for women to score higher. The difference between men’s and women’s scores was only .14- not significant. The results of the music test were similar, women tended to score higher on this as well, with a correlation of .21- also not significant. Each piece had different results. This figure shows the differences between each piece (show figure 2).

The Bach piece had the least success in conveying the emotion. The normal performance was rated as sounding sadder, which makes sense because it is in a minor key at a somewhat slower tempo. The Bach was only successful in showing two of the four emotions- happiness and anger.

When played normally, the Bartók piece was rated as being relatively happy which also makes sense because it is in a major key and has a quicker tempo. This performance was slightly more effective than the Bach, conveying three of the intended emotions- everything but happiness. This could be because the normal performance was rated as happy.

The Persichetti was the most successful, conveying all four emotions. The normal performance was rated as a little sad but this didn’t effect any other emotions as it did in the other two.
The level of musical training varied greatly in participants as well, ranging anywhere between zero to fifteen but the correlation between years of musical training and scores on the musical tests was a mere .08. Also, the correlation between the total scores of the two tests (MSCEIT and music test) was significantly and positively related (.54) As I said before, this means that as one score rose, the other did as well. The MSCEIT test was split into a few different categories, two of which were the experimental score and the strategic score. The experimental score was significantly and positively related to the score on the music test.

The results tell researchers that an individual’s ability to read emotion in real life and in music performance is related. There is a difference between recognizing emotion in music performance and recognizing the emotion of the way the music is built, its structure. This includes “mode, pitch register, range, and contour, dissonance, harmonic progression, and rhythm…”
As any performer would know, playing a piece involves a lot of emotional involvement. It wouldn’t seem right to play an inherently happy or even neutral piece, sadly. This experiment on one hand tests an individual’s emotional recognition. One the other hand, it is “somewhat like changing one’s tone of voice or facial expression in order to disguise one’s true feelings.” What the performer is playing and what is natural for the music are conflicting in this experiment. What this all means, is that in this experiment, the performer was trying to play the piece a certain way. In a real performance, it would take a lot more emotional intelligence to detect the emotion the performer is using.

Much more research needs to be done on this topic for a couple reasons. The sample of participants was so small, the experiment needs to be done with more people. Also, the music was played by an individual author. There might be a difference in the results if the performer was a professional.

This experiment provides a lot of insight to how musical performance and emotional intelligence are positively and significantly correlated. The results encourage us to pay more attention to auditory events as we can interpret the emotions involved.

Music and Language: A Developmental Comparison

2004-12-07T15:34:00.000-05:00

Music and Language: A Developmental Comparison
Erin McMullen & Jenny R. Saffran

The basic idea of this article is to compare music and language and the links between them. It experiments using infants and adults to discover how each develops music and language differently.
The first section of this article talks about the structures of language and music and what we learn. They compare both of them by saying that they are developed from a limited set of sounds (notes or letters), that come out of a larger possible set of sounds. Sounds in both music and language are subject to being interpreted into categories. Musical materials can be grasped categorically, even by nonmusicians; adults that were taught labels for musical intervals, like “Here Comes the Bride” for a perfect fourth, recognize those intervals categorically. The article then goes on to describe how infants from other countries hear things differently. An example of this would be Japanese babies treating “r” and “l” as the same thing. Also, they say that infants prefer certain sounds over others like consonant sounds over dissonant sounds. They held an experiment with monkeys and the monkeys too preferred consonant sounds over dissonant sounds. The article then goes into great detail dealing with statistics on infants and at what age they begin to learn the language in their environment. They learn the sounds and get used to them before they can even talk. Basically this portion of the article focused on how babies heard letters and sounds and at what age they started to remember a melody that was played.
The next section of the article gets into the particular structure of language and music. Patterns of rhythm, stress, intonation, phrasing, and contour most likely drive the early learning in both language and music. It talks about how newborn infants prefer their mother’s voice and recognize it because of when they were in the womb. Fetal learning happens because the fetus hears the mother’s native language and the rhythm of it , allowing the infants to detect the differences between languages. It is likely that infants learn about musical rhythm if the mother sings to the baby while in the womb. Even after birth, infants continue to learn about rhythms both musically and spoken, due to learning in the womb. When mom’s and dad’s play lullaby’s for the babies or sing them nursery rhymes it helps them learn and the infants prefer the child like nature of the songs. The article then goes on to describe more experiments that deal with how infants react to songs played in different pitches, or musical passages that pause at the ends of phrases rather than in the middle of phrases. It remains an open question whether infants are using the same mechanism to detect these parallel cues across domains, or whether instead they have learned about these properties independently.
The third section of the article explains the grammatical structure of language and music. The major theoretical position in human speech has been that infants come prewired with a “universal grammar,” a dedicated speech system containing a combination of standard knowledge and toggle switches for certain aspects of native languages. Marcus and colleagues showed that infants exposed to a collection of short sentences following a simple pattern, such as AAB, will prefer it over a sentence that fails to conform to a pattern, such as ABA, indicating that by age 7 months, humans are capable of pattern recognition. The article describes more experiments done with infants showing that infants prefer grammatical sentences over ungrammatical sentences. They also mention that Western listeners preferentially end pieces on the tonic, less frequently on other notes in the tonic chord, still less frequently on other notes within the scale, and rarely on notes outside of the diatonic context. Through many more experiments dealing with brain reaction, they lead into emotions that music has on someone.
Meaning in language and music is the next section of this long article. It talks about how music can and does often bring about strong, predictable emotional responses from people who may vary by culture. In the case of music, the “meaning” that adult listeners give to phrases is most strongly related to the emotional responses they generate. One of the basic building blocks for this is present from early infancy; several studies have found that infants as young as 2 months old, like adults, prefer consonance to dissonance. In addition, research has demonstrated that infants prefer higher-pitched music, which often brings about positive thoughts. However, adult responses to specific pieces of music are complex and most likely influenced by a variety of other factors as well. For instance, many adults report having strong reactions to certain musical pieces and to particular sections within them, including tears, heart acceleration, and “chills” or “shivers down the spine”. In the case of the “chills” reaction, the emotion is linked to increased blood-flow in brain regions associated with emotion, motivation, and arousal. Adult western listeners often associate the major mode with being happy and the minor mode with being sad. While conducting an experiment, Nawrot found that infants looked longer at happy faces while listening to “happy” music, but did not look longer at sad faces while “sad” music was played. In a nut shell, infants and adults prefer “happy” music to “sad” music because it makes them feel better.
The next section talks about memory for language and music. For successful learning to occur, the article says young learners must be able to represent musical experiences in memory. An experiment is described in this section of the article that describes how infants were exposed at home to CD recordings of Mozart piano sonata movements, played daily for 2 weeks. Following a 2-week retention interval, during which the infants did not hear these musical selections. It demonstrated that the infants were not merely remembering snippets of the music, but instead had represented aspects of the overall structure of the piece. In yet another experiment, six-month-old infants remember the specific tempo and timbre of music with which they are familiarized, failing to recognize pieces when they are played at new tempos or with new timbres, although recognition is maintained when pieces are transposed to a new key.
As you can see, learning begins at a very young age. We’re learning even though we may not know it. This article has described many experiments and examples that this is true. It also mentioned how metaphors play a powerful role in directing our thinking and suggesting new insights. Whether or not music and language share common ancestry, thinking about them as related functions may still be quite helpful in generating hypotheses that can help us to better understand them as separate domains.

Music and Language: A Developmental Comparison, Erin McMullen & Jenny R. Saffran. Musical Perception Spring 2004, Vol. 21, No. 3, 289-311

Perceiving Acoustic Source Orientation in Three-Dimensional Space

2004-12-07T14:04:00.000-05:00

Experiment conducted by John G. Neuhoff from the College of Wooster – Department of Psychology

Many studies have been done that indicate listeners can identify the where a sound is coming from, yet there have been relatively few studies that show that we as listeners can decipher which direction the sound is projecting from a given source. This experiment tries to prove just that – whether or not the human ear can perceive which direction the sound is projecting without visual clues. Assuming that the loudspeaker (refer to drawing) will not move other than in a 360 degree rotation pattern, listeners are asked which direction the speaker is pointing in relation to themselves. Obviously, Neuhoff, the conductor of the experiment, wanted to remove the ability of the listener to watch the speaker as it rotated, so he decided to blindfold all of the listeners. Essentially what they were measuring was the ability of the auditory system to spatially take over for the visual system. So many studies have been done identifying the sound source because it is the auditory system that initializes the visual system when you hear something. This is the localization part. By the time that the projection comes into play, the visual system has already taken over. You see what is making the sound and then which direction the sound is projecting. This experiment attempts to eliminate the visual system to see if the auditory and spatial systems can take over for the visual system. The auditory system is very unused to identify the source of sound without this orientation that the visual system allows and this experiment was designed to show how well it can adapt.

The subjects for all of the parts of the experiment were 18 to 25-year-old undergraduate students. They all said that they had normal hearing.

The experiment they designed tested the listeners on their accuracy for determining the facing angle of the loudspeaker. In this experiment, facing angle (point at the HELPFUL HINTS sheet) can be defined as the direction that the loudspeaker is facing in relation to the listener. In this experiment, they hoped to measure two main variables. The first was how much the distance from the loudspeaker affected the listener’s ability to gauge the facing angle of the loudspeaker. The second thing that they were trying to measure was the ability of the listener to identify the facing angle of the loudspeaker with either a constant sound as the loudspeaker rotated or only having the loudspeaker sound at the start and finish of the rotation.

The first variable had to do with this part of the experiment (point to the first row on the EXPERIMENT sheet). The listeners were placed at two different differences away from the speaker (point at the EXPERIMENTAL SETTING sheet). The first group of listeners was seated at .91 meters away from the loudspeaker while the second group was seated twice as far away at 1.82 meters from the loudspeaker. Their findings were not surprising. They found that listeners were much better at identifying the facing angle when they were closer to the loudspeaker. The only hard part from there was explaining why this occurred. Neuhoff proposed that this was because of the interaural level differences, also called ILDs. These are usually stronger as the sound source gets closer to the listener. This combination of the facing angle and how indirectly or directly the sound is reaching us is how Neuhoff explained the fact that the people that were closer were more accurate in their estimates of the facing angle. The second part – the indirect versus direct measure of sound – is believed to be caused by changing the ratio of direct sound to reflected sound. For example, if you had speakers pointed directly at you, very little of the sound that you would hear would be bouncing off of the wall behind the speaker, however if the speaker was faced 180˚ away from you, the majority of the sound that you would hear would be first reflected off of the wall before coming to you. Neuhoff believes that it is this synthesis of the ILDs and the ratio of direct-to-indirect sound that enables us to tell what angle the sound is coming from.

Then, they split this previously described experiment addressing the distance at which the listener is sitting, into two more separate experiments (point at EXPERIMENT sheet). This experiment measured the ability of the listener to identify the facing angle when the sound source was constant or not. The first part of this subdivision of the experiment measured the listener’s ability to guess the facing angle when given dynamic rotation cues while the second section of the experiment used only static directional cues. Dynamic rotation cues, which were part of the first experiment, means that the loudspeaker was sounding the entire time while it was rotating. Using static directional cues, like in the second section of the experiment, means that loudspeaker sounded only after it had already been rotated. The speaker was sounded at the beginning and at the end of the rotation only. As you would probably be able to guess, the listeners were better able to identify the angle of the loudspeaker with the constant sounding of the dynamic cues, especially when the speaker passed directly in front of the listener at some point.

The experiment also found another interesting finding, however they did not expect to measure when they first designed the experiment. Usually the error were no more than 60 degrees, however, they found that the number of reversals spiked around 180 degrees. For this experiment, a reversal (point at the HELPFUL HINTS sheet) means that the listener made an error of over 165 degrees. The interesting part of this finding is that it was the highest when the speaker was facing 180 degrees away from the listener. The most common mistake made by listeners was that the speaker was facing directly at them. This was interesting because common sense would tell us that the position 180 degrees – as indirect a sound as you can get from the speaker – was often mistaken for the speaker pointing straight at the listeners. Neuhoff hypothesized that this may be due to the lack of a direct sound coming from a specific direction, either left or right. Essentially, having the loudspeaker facing directly at you is 100 percent direct sound whereas having the loudspeaker faced 180 degrees away from the listener would be 100 percent indirect sound.

Revision

ILDs (interaural level differences) the inequity between the intensities of sound entering each of the ears. In theory, this would help your mind figure out where the sound is coming from by this degree of inequality between your two ears.

I don’t know where my last paragraph disappeared to (perhaps it took an early holiday break…however, it is more probable I accidentally erased it ☺ ), but here is a new one for all of you to enjoy.

Throughout the experiment, Neuhoff manipulated two different variables. The first was the distance between the listener and the loudspeaker. He found that the listener was much more accurate in their predictions about which direction the loudspeaker was facing when the subject was closer. He attributed this to the IDLs and the ratio of direct to indirect sound that the listener hears. Secondly, he changed the loudspeaker setting to sounding constantly or sounding in the stopped position only. His results were not surprising; he found that giving the listener to hear the speaker as it rotated really aided them in identifying the facing angle of the loudspeaker. This was especially true when the loudspeaker passed directly in front of the listener. This experiment was successful at measuring the auditory system's ability to identify the projection angle of a particular noise in the absence of a visual system.

Origins of Absolute Pitch

2004-12-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

Absolute pitch, the ability to name or produce a note of an isolated pitch, is very rare in our culture. Less than 1 in 10,000 people of the general population have this rare ability. Characteristics of absolute pitch are a mystery, and its origin is unknown. Today, I will discuss the features of absolute pitch, experiments to explain absolute pitch, and discuss the framework proposed for the origin of absolute pitch based on the experiments.

Evidence shows that people who are unable to name isolated pitches still have a partial form of absolute pitch. An experiment conducted by Terhardt and Ward in 1982, found that musicians who did not have absolute pitch were able to judge whether a song they knew was played in the correct key. Likewise, in 1989, Halpern asked subjects with no musical background to hum the first few notes of familiar songs on different occasions. Their pitches were surprisingly consistent each time. Another experiment in 1994 was conducted by Levitin, in which subjects choose two songs, which had only been performed by one musical group, and were asked to hum, whistle, or sing the melody. Levitin found that 44% of the subjects came within two semitones of the accurate pitch for both songs.

Although absolute pitch is most common among highly accomplished musicians, they usually lack the ability to perform other musical tasks. For example, judgments of musical intervals and registers are not always accurate. Studies have shown that pitch is related to the languages or dialects individuals have been exposed to. The pitch range of a person’s speaking voice is related to that person’s dialect rather than to physiological characteristics, such as height and weight. In 1995, Schlaug, Jancke, Huang, and Steinmetz were the first to document that musicians with absolute pitch tend to exhibit a different brain structure, most commonly leftward asymmetry, than those without absolute pitch.

Lennenberg pointed out that adults and young children acquire absolute pitch in different ways, like learning a second language. If a second language is acquired after puberty, it is frequently spoken with a “foreign accent” and contains grammatical errors. Lennenberg included that there is a critical period, which extends to puberty, and is a crucial time for acquiring speech and language. Studies of second language acquisition have proven Lennenberg’s theory to be true. Individuals who were first exposed to a second language in early childhood were found to be more proficient in that language than children ages 4 to 6 and adults. Relating this to music, absolute pitch can be acquired in adulthood; however this occurs only through extensive training. When young children acquire absolute pitch, they do it unconsciously without specific training. Also, absolute pitch that is acquired as an adult does not have the same ease or preciseness than if it was acquired earlier in life.

There is also evidence that absolute pitch is related to the age of musical training. In 1998, a survey of musicians and music students was conducted by Baharloo, Johnston, Service, Gitschier, and Freimer. Figure 1 shows the results of the survey.

Figure 1

Age training began	4 and under	4-6	6-9	9-12	12 and over
Percentage of those with absolute pitch	40%	27%	8%	4%	2.7%

Clearly, there is a decline of those with absolute pitch as the beginning training age increases.

The link between absolute pitch and speech becomes even clearer when evidence from tone languages, such as Mandarin, Thai, and Vietnamese are considered. In these languages, words’ meanings are different based on the tones in which they are pronounced. For example, in Mandarin, the word “ma” means “mother” when spoken in first tone, “hemp” in the second tone, and “horse” in the third tone. Likewise, when a person with absolute pitch hears the note G, and identifies it as “G”, the person is also associating a certain pitch with a verbal description.

Which features of pitch are critical to conveying meaning in tone language? One hypothesis is that absolute pitch is treated by tone language speakers as a critical feature of speech. Three experiments were conducted to test this hypothesis.

Seven native speakers of Vietnamese, who had been living in the United States for periods ranging from a few months to 17 years and had received minimal or no musical training, were the subjects of the first experiment. Each subject was tested individually in two sessions. Each session they would read a list of 10 Vietnamese words in a microphone at a rate of one word every two seconds. The words covered the range of all of the tones in Vietnamese speech. All subjects produced pitch difference scores of less than 1.1 semitones, and two of the seven subjects produced pitch difference scores of less than 0.25 semitones. Therefore, the subjects must have been referring to stable absolute pitch patterns when enunciating the list of words.

The purpose of the second experiment was to test the results from the Vietnamese subjects to speakers of a different tone language. It was also conducted to see the differences in pitch if the same words were in enunciated on different days. Fifteen native speakers of Mandarin were asked to speak a list of 12 Mandarin words, which consisted of three words in each of the four Mandarin tones, put together so that the same tone did not occur two times in a row. In contrast to the first experiment, each subject was asked to read out the word list twice in each session with readings separated by 20 seconds. Consistencies were once again achieved. For all comparisons, 1/3 of the subjects produced difference scores of less than 0.25 semitones. The results backed up the hypothesis that the subjects were referring to stable absolute pitch templates when enunciating the words. Although the pitch differences found in comparing the readings from different days were very small, they underestimated the accuracy of the subjects’ absolute pitch pattern.

The first two experiments examined the performance of tone language speakers only. However, the third experiment was designed to see if speakers of an intonation language, such as English, would display the same pitch consistency. The experiment was the same as the first two, except native speakers of English were the subjects, and a list of 12 English words were used. The Mandarin and English speakers showed the same degree of pitch consistency in enunciating their word lists twice in succession, but the English speakers showed less pitch consistency across days.

The results of the three experiments support the hypothesis that absolute pitch is treated by tone language speakers as a critical feature of speech. English speakers were very consistent in the pitches which they articulated on different days. This may be related to the previous studies which showed that those who do not possess absolute pitch can still have a partial form of it. From the studies, we can now expect that speakers of tone language would acquire absolute pitch for music best in early childhood, and this ability would decline with increasing age.

For the rare cases of absolute pitch among people who haven’t been exposed to tone language, Deutsch hypothesized that the critical period for acquiring absolute pitch is unusually long. This unusually long critical period could be genetically determined and could also be associated with an unusual form of brain organization.

The results from the three experiments suggest that parts of the brain underlying absolute pitch originally evolved to help speech, and that it is now involved in processing absolute pitch for both speech and music.

Deutsch, Diana, Mark Dolson, and Trevor Henthorn. "Absolute Pitch, Speech, and Tone Language: Some Experiments and a Proposed Framework." Music Perception Vol. 21, No. 3 (2004): 339-356.

Abstracts

2004-11-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

Journal of Singing-"What not to sing"

The author compared choosing a repertoire to choosing a wardrobe. Some topics discussed were choosing songs from appropriate time periods and of proper length. Like the texture of a fabric, the texture of a song should fit a singers voice. Specific pitfalls mentioned included the fact that certain instruments might sound bad with a singers timbre. Secondly, some songs are too big for a particular singer's voice. Finally, it is important to choose songs from appropriate time periods.

Journal of Singing-"how to sing Recitative"

Recitative is difficult to sing; this is a commonly accepted fact. To make recitative easier, there are several things a singer can do. First, singers should treat recit like a monologue and make it as speech like as possible. Recitative is the musical expression of speech, so it also helps to understand the language being sung. To actually memorize the notes, a singer should study the underlying harmonies. Finally, it always helps to study good performers and learn from them.

More stuff about being a singer

2004-11-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

"Pursuing the Wrong Dream" By: Heather Antonissen
Classical Singer, November 2004

A singer's life is filled with conflict and struggle. Most of this struggle comes from within the singer as they face challenges. These challenges include staying healthy, having a fulfilling career and enjoying loving relationships. Often these desires are tainted by the attachment of a deeper emotional need. When the desire is obtained the emotional need is still unsatisfied or when the desire is obtained the emotional need grows even stronger. To ultimately find happiness, a singer must look within and examine their motives.

"What Not to Sing" By: Sharon Mabry
Journal of Singing, Volume 61, No. 2, November/December 2004

Compares the popular TV show What Not to Wear and the selection of attire with the singers selection of vocal repertoire. Explores date consciousness, fit, length, texture of material, color, appropriateness, and style. Just as an individual body must be taken into consideration when choosing attire so must an individual voice by taken into consideration when choosing repertoire. Choosing appropriate repertoire leads to a better vocal self image, self-confidence, and a clearer career direction.

Abstracts...

2004-11-30T20:32:00.000-05:00

"The First Year of Lessons"
-Beverly Strathmann
("The Clavier"- September 2004 Issue)

In this article, the author talks about the great joys of teaching a person how to play the piano who has never had any experience at all. The teacher begins the first lesson with a parent-student interview, and how practicing at home and lessons will work.
Before the student plays a note he/she is shown different pianos and compares them while they study the piano inside and out. Soon the student can't wait to play the piano and the teacher will demonstrate how to play their first complete piece. At the end of their first lesson, which is normally about 45 minutes, the student and teacher will review the practicing assignment. The begginner will recieve a foam ball to help the hand shape while playing. The student will leave with a smile and a look of anticipation as they begin piano lessons.
The author enjoys teaching these children and feels that being a student's first piano teacher is a rewarding responsibility.

"Practice Can Be A Pleasure"
-Jan Mittelsteadt
("The Clavier"- September 2004)

In this article the author discusses many practice methods that can be fun, but at the same time very helpful!
It begins by explaining that certain "jumps" in pieces are sometimes hard for students. The way to fix this is having the student practice the jumps silently. This can become a game; if the student does the jump five times in a row perfectly, then he/she gets to play the notes out loud. Sometimes in a piece the melody will pass between the two hands. When this happens, the student should practice the accompaniment parts slightly touching the keys, while playing the melody loud and with arm weight. One of the many other ways to teach good technique and practicing methods, is through accompanying and ensemble playing. To help students feel rhythm, the teacher will sing while they play the tunes.
All of these practice techniques and more, are only effective if the student practices consistently. A simple reward system may motivate young students to set aside time to practice everyday. The auther believes that teachers who develope a practice plan will help students to develope coordination, muscle control and a feel for rhythm. In the end, they will be helping students to learn music independently, which should be the goal of good teaching.

The Horn Call and The Instrumentalist

2004-11-30T18:23:00.000-05:00

Playing! With Ease

Based on hornist Arthur Krehbiel’s theories on horn playing, tips are offered to students hoping to increase the ease with which they play the horn. His technique is mastered only when the embouchure is able to consistently buzz with little drain on the lips. Krehbiel advises his students to focus first on the music and the technique will effortlessly follow. In regards to minimizing embouchure movement, he suggested simply whistling through the horn instead of shaping each note with the embouchure. Not only will this technique create more ease in playing, but it will also increase the student’s endurance. In addition, this technique will reduce the amount of warm-up and practice time needed by the student. Krehbiel’s teachings encourage creating a musical line with relative ease in playing.

Coping with Stage Fright

Much of the stage fright experienced by performing musicians stems from early or mid-life negative feedback regarding their performances. This negative stress often originates from the disapproval of individuals close to the performer by constantly striving for the elusive “perfection” in playing. It is emphasized that the first and most important step in overcoming stage fright is uncovering the underlying cause for each individual. Before this is completed, little permanent progress can be made for the performer. Also, the visualization of tense performance situations or use of Inderal, a beta blocking drug, is suggested for some. All musicians who have mastered the art of performing are ale to enter a “Zen-like state” while on stage. The conclusions were based on the author’s performance anxiety and his consequent degree researching the physiological and psychological repercussions of stage fright for the individual.

Goode, Michael. “Coping with Stage Fright.” The Instrumentalist. June 2004: 25-27.

Stevens, Paul. “Playing! Wth Ease.” The Horn Call. Feb 2004: 94-95.

My two abstracts

2004-11-30T13:55:00.000-05:00

Listen to the Fans
By Peter deVries

In this article, “Listen to the Fans”, popular music can be a great teaching technique. In it, it tells stories of teachers’ experiences with children and how popular music such as, the Spice Girls, can help teach important lessons in the classroom. Letting kids listen to what they want gets them in the mood to learn more about music. This article also gives tips to teachers on how to help children appreciate music and learn more about the different varieties out there. One teacher used the song, “When I Get You Alone” by the performer Thicke and compared it to the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The children listened to both and began to notice the differences as well as the similarities. The article demonstrates the fact that you can effectively teach with popular music and work in some classical every once in a while. In a nut shell, if you are a “fan” of a certain type of music, you are more likely to be interested in learning more about it, as are many elementary children.

Teaching Problem Solving in Practice
By James L. Byo

This article, “Teaching Problem Solving in Practice”, examines problem solving in instrumental music practice and is based on the notion that too many students, too much of the time, look and feel inadequate when they attempt to problem solve. For example, when practicing, a student comes to a difficult point in the song and instead of stopping and fixing it, he goes right on and ignores the problem. In the article, the author says practicing the difficult part over and over again at a slower tempo will help. The author also gives more advice on how to overcome problems in practicing. Problem solving is a learned skill and this article looks at both the effective and ineffective ways of teaching it. It also includes a list of a few things to help students face challenges in practicing. A few examples would be: choose a section of the piece that is challenging and play it through a few times perfectly and then move on. The article also gives many ideas to teachers on grading a practice session and lesson plans. Students shouldn’t feel inadequate and get down on themselves when they come to difficult parts in music. By teaching them how to effectively work at it, the student will have more confidence and will get a lot more out of their own practice time.

Saxophone Journal and Keyboard Companion

2004-11-30T11:17:00.001-05:00

Saxophone Journal
"The Baritone Saxophone: Playing Techniques and Recommended Repertoire"
By: Jay C. Easton

The baritone saxophone is the larger relative of the tenor and alto saxophones. There are many important techniques and tips on learning how to play the baritone saxophone.

The differences between playing the baritone versus tenor and alto saxophones is addressed right away. On the baritone, low notes are more responsive and a softer reed is often needed. The issue of using sufficient air flow and support is a pertinent concern as well. These characteristics are critical to a good tone. Advice on how to improve a player’s support is suggested through exercises to stay relaxed among a variety of other tips. It is also important to be physically comfortable while playing and the article advises a player on the type of strap support that produces the best effect.

Finally, transposition and solo pieces for the baritone saxophone are introduced. How to transpose and which instruments work best as well as a list of over fifteen recommended solos is given. Each piece is graded on a scale of three to six with levels ranging from the advanced high school to first year college student material to very difficult pieces. There is also a one sentence summary of each of the pieces. In addition, a web address is provided to give the curious player even more suggestions in solo repertoire.

Keyboard Companion
"Let’s get Physical: Technique"
By: Stephen Cook, Christy Dolan, and Peter Mack

This article compiles the advice from three separate authors so that the reader can experience a variety of styles on how to teach technique in a fun way. The first author addresses the repetitiveness of practicing technique. This is related specially to scales and how changing the way they are practiced and performed makes it more interesting. Hanon exercises are also useful in developing quick fingers. These exercises can explore rhythmic variation, chromatic elements, key changes, etc. Finally, Schmitt exercises are suggested for developing “independence in the fingers.” It might make the exercises more interesting if the student must transpose the exercise to a different key or register.

The next author takes the reader through a chronological view of teaching technique. It begins with addressing technique at the very first lesson with how the piano works and the names of the keys. This teacher requires all technical exercises to be memorized so that the students can watch their own hands. Then, the teacher explores learning major keys and the circle of fifths. Finally, the issue of technique books and the pros and cons each possesses is addressed.

The final author covers how to use rewards or incentives, attitudes, and other devices to get the student excited about technique. Technical exercises must be performed at every lesson and the teacher’s attitude can determine how a student will respond. Another helpful tip is to relate the exercises to the repertoire being studied. Finally, a teacher must remember that it is ok to use “gifts” as incentives to improve. Oftentimes, metaphors about certain technique make it more fun to practice. Keep in mind, however, that what succeeds with one student doesn’t guarantee it will succeed with another.

Lip Care and Orff

2004-11-30T10:59:00.000-05:00

Teaching Music
Oct.2004;Vol.12:2
"Orff Techniques to Freshen Up Band Rehearsal"
By Dale Misenhelter

A traditional approach from the general music class room offers fresh possibilities for ensemble directors and provides a variety of methods for effectively teaching music concepts. The general music idea was created by Orff Schulwerk and is often associated with younger students and pitched percussive instruments. Orff-Schulwerk strategies can help band students understand advanced rhythm patterns, explore beat and meter, enlarge melodic and harmonic vocabulary and improvement of improvisation. One way to work on rhythm is to develop a layered, ostinato-based improvisation using only body percussion. Many other strategies are given about beat, meter, harmony, melody, composition, and improvisation. Focusing on these fundamental concepts will improve a students understanding and performance of music.

The Instrumentalist
Nov.2004;Vol.59:4
"Take Care of Your Lips"
By Heather Rentz

For brass and woodwind players chapped lips and colds sore can impede good tone quality and comfort while playing. Cold sores can be triggered by stress, a weak immune system, overexposure to sunlight and chapped lips. It can take up to three weeks for a cold sore to heal. This may be very troublesome if the wind player if they have an audition or recital while they have a cold sore. There are a variety of lip balms and ointments available for coping with chapped lips and cold sores. When choosing a lip ointment or balm one should ask this question: Is this product for chapped lips or cold sores? The reason for this question is because cold sores need to be dried out and chapped lips need to be moisturized. Using the wrong product can cause your specific problem to become worse; drying your chapped lips or moisturizing your cold sore. Suggested brands for cold sores include Carmex, Super Lysine Plus, and Campho-phenique. There is also a recipe for a lip balm that has proven very useful for moisturizing dry, chapped lips.

Abstracts!!

2004-11-29T21:22:00.000-05:00

Keyboard Companion
"Developing habits of good listening"
By Scott McBride

According to Robert Schumann, "The most important thing is to cultivate the sense of hearing. Take pains early to distinguish tones and keys by ear. The bell, the windowpane, the cuckoo-listen to the sounds they make." The first step to proper musicianship is to listen carefully as opposed to just hearing. An ear training exercise to encourage listening is to have students remain silent and make a list of all the sounds they hear during a four minute time span. Students are always shocked by how many sounds the silence contains. Another exercise is to play a middle C on the piano, and students will sing the pitch back every 15 minutes. Over time, students gradually develop a pitch memory of the note and are able to sing it voluntarily.

Tone is linked with legato and dynamics. Good posture, a rounded hand position, and free use of the upper arm are important for tonal smoothness which produces correct tonal matching. There are also three factors that influence the sound of every note: attack, duration, and release. A note attacked too slowly will result in no sound and likewise a note attacked too fast will sound too percussive. Rachmaninoff believes that natural motions, arm weight, and gravity are important in tone production. He believes that the hands should feel as if they are "growing into the keyboard." Most importantly, careful listening is important in maintaining proper tone.

Teaching Music
"Successful Sight-Reading at Your Next Festival"
By Cheryl K. Newton

Sight-reading does not have to be the most frightening or unmanageable aspect of festival performance. There are techniques that can be taught and rehearsed to prepare for an accurate sight-reading performance. The key to successful sight-reading is consistent practice throughout the year. Choose a selection that is one or two grade levels below the performance level of your band. Select music that includes changes in meter or challenging matter. Knowing all of the major scales is imperative for successful sight-reading. This helps one feel comfortable in all keys. Being prepared can help ease nervousness when sight-reading. Packing extra percussion instruments, stopwatches, and post-it notes for marking repeats or codas will make the day less stressful. New terms should not arise during the sight-reading at a festival; all material should be learned ahead of time in the class room.

Above all, a trustful relationship between the conductor and students is the most important factor of successful sight-reading. Sight-reading is a challenge but plenty can be learned, and it is possible to be fun and enjoyable.

Stravinsky and Le Sacre du Printemps

2004-11-21T23:39:00.000-05:00

from Stravinsky; His Life and Works

History of Stravinsky and Le Sacre du Printemps

Le Sacre du Printemps was one of the most controversial ballet and orchestral pieces of the 20th century. Stravinsky's idea for this piece came in a dream: a scene showing a pagan ritual in which a chosen sacrificial virgin danced herself to death. He met with Nicolas Roerich to plan the story line of Le Sacre du Printemps. On his way to Princess Tenichev's estate, he missed his train and convinced a freight train to take him there. Once there he saw Russian ethnic art. The inspiration for the scenarios came from the Russian ethnic art owned by Princess Tenichev. The titles of the movement were thought of in only a few days. The original name for this ballet was Vesna Sviaschennania--Sacred Spring/Holy Spring.

After returning home Stravinsky wrote the entire piece utilizing a muted-upright piano in a room that was 8x8 feet. Stravinsky began writing the piece in the summer of 1911 and completed writing it in early 1912. By late spring, the instrumentation had been put in score form. Le Sacre du Printemps was choreographed by Nijinsky and was staged at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris on May 1913. Najinsky's choreography was able to match the music of Stravinsky with something equally original and startling.

Neither the music nor choreography was proved acceptable to the general public on the first performance. At the first public performance there was chaos, as members of the audience took sides for or against the piece. There were boo’s and hissing as the piece began and continued through out the entire piece. Through the deafening and violent objects from many of the audience members, the dancers and musicians continued playing to the end, although the music was impossible to hear. Stravinsky recalls the events of the evening;

“Mild protests against the music could be heard from the very beginning of the performance. Then, when the curtain opened on the group of knock-kneed and long braided Lolitas jumping up and down, the storm broke. Cries of ‘Ta guele’ came from behind me………I left the hall in a rage; I was sitting on the right near the orchestra, and I remember slamming the door. I have never been that angry. The music was so familiar to me; I loved it………people who had not yet heard it wanted to protest in advance. I arrived in a fury backstage…………the rest of the performance I stood in the wings……”

In 1914, one year after the incident, the score was played by itself and was accepted with good grace. At the end of this performance the entire audience jumped to their feet and cheered. Instead of jeers, they were celebrating the great piece Stravinsky had written. Audience members rushed back stage and placed Stravinsky on their shoulders. After Le Sacre du Printemps, composers were free to write more dissonant and complicated music.

Here are some images of Le Sacre du Printemps with current and original costume ideas.

Part I: Adoration of the Earth

Introduction
Auguries of Spring (Dances of the Young Girls)
Mock Abduction
Spring Khorovod (Round Dance)
Games of the Rival Clans
Procession of the Wise Elder
Adoration of the Earth (the Wise Elder)
Dance of the Earth

Part II: The Sacrifice

Introduction
Mystical Circles of Young Girls
Glorification of the Chosen Victim
The Summoning of the Ancients
Ritual of the Ancients
Sacrificial Dance (the Chosen Victim)

Listen to Le Sacre du Printemps

Hear Performance Today's host Lisa Simeone and commentator Thomas Kelly discuss the scandalous premiere of Stravinsky's great score and how it changed music forever.

References:

Expositions and developments
Conversations with Igor Stravinsky
The Music of Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky by Michael Oliver
Naxos Music Library

Life and Death United; An Intimate Portrait of a Man named Miles Davis

2004-11-21T19:35:00.000-05:00

"The very first thing I remember in my early childhood is a flame, a blue flame jumping off a gas stove somebody lit.... I remember being shocked by the whoosh of the blue flame jumping off the burner, the suddenness of it....That stove flame is as clear as music is in my mind. I saw that flame and felt fear, real fear, for the first time in my life. But I remember it also like some kind of adventure, some kind of weird joy, too....The fear I had was almost like an invitation, a challenge to go forward into something I knew nothing about. That's where I think my personal philosophy of life and my commitment to everything I believe in started, with that moment....In my mind I have always believed and thought since then that my motion had to be forward, away from the heat of that flame." -Miles Davis.

Life.
Miles Dewey Davis III was born on May 26th, 1926 in Alton, Illinois. A year later his family moved to East St. Louis, a city full of racism, deep seeded and still smoldering from the race riots of 1917. Miles had an older sister named Dorothy born in 1924 and a younger brother named Vernon born in 1929. Miles father, Miles Dewey Davis II was a successful dentist and earned three college degrees. His mother, Cleota Henry Davis, was beautiful and dignified.
Miles grew up with relative ease. His family had plenty of money and they lived in a white neighborhood. One of the most painful memories of Miles childhood was when a white man had chased him and called him a nigger. His father went looking for the man with a loaded shotgun, but he never found him.
Miles received his first trumpet for his 13th birthday. He immediately took to the trumpet. His father spoke highly of Miles' talent by sighting his family's history. "By genetics and breeding Miles is always going to be ahead of his time. Historically way back into slavery days, the Davis's have been musicians and performed classic works in the homes of the plantation owners." Just as his ancestors, Miles continuously fought racial prejudices. His father speaks of this unfair treatment. "In school competitions he was always the best, but the blue-eyed boys always won first and second prizes. Miles had always to settle for third. The officials, Miles and everybody else knew he should have had first prize. You can't treat a kid like that and tell him to come out and say the water wasn't dirty."
The events in Miles childhood against his race left a deep impact on him and most likely fuelled his anger for years to come.

Death.
Miles Dewey Davis died on September 28, 1991 in Santa Monica, California. He entered St. John's Hospital and Health Care Center there in early September. He was suffering from bronchial pneumonia. Doctors noticed laborious breathing and wanted to insert a tube to deliver oxygen. Miles refused. However the doctors were insistent. Suddenly, Miles flew into a rage and turned purple with anger. Anger. Anger the emotion deep routed in his childhood. Anger led to Miles death. He suffered a massive stroke and entered into a coma from which he never would awake.
"The tragic irony consisted in the fact that Miles Davis was perhaps for the first time in his life, in the right psychological and physical condition to enjoy a relaxed, healthy, and carefree retirement, secure in the knowledge that he had given his utmost to music, and created what had been called 'one of the greatest musical legacies of the twentieth century.'" says Ian Carr in Miles Davis; a Definitive Biography.

Life and Death.
"The very first thing I remember in my early childhood is a flame, a blue flame jumping off a gas stove somebody lit....I remember being shocked by the whoosh of the blue fame jumping off the burner, the suddenness of it...."

Suddenly, Miles flew into a rage and turned purple with anger.

"That stove flame is as clear as music is in my mind."

Miles had always to settle for third. The officials, Miles and everybody else knew he should have had first prize.

"I saw that flame and felt that hotness of it close to my face. I felt fear, real fear, for the first time in my life."

One of the most painful memories of Miles childhood was when a white man had chased him and called him a nigger.

"But I remember it also like some kind of adventure, some kind of weird joy, too....The fear I had was almost like an invitation..."

Miles received his first trumpet for his 13th birthday. He immediately took to the trumpet.

"...a challenge to go forward into something I knew nothing about."

Miles Dewey Davis died on September 28, 1991 in Santa Monica, California.

"That's where I think my personal philosophy of life and my commitment to everything I believe in started, with that moment....In my mind I have always believed and thought since then that my motion had to be forward, away from the heat of that flame."

Bibliography

Miles the Autobiography
Milestones; The Music and Times of Miles Davis
Miles Davis; The Definitive Biography

Arnold Schoenberg

2004-11-21T13:28:00.000-05:00

“Whether one calls oneself conservative or revolutionary, whether one composes in a conventional or progressive manner, whether one tries to imitate old styles or is destined to express new ideas -- one must be convinced of the infallibility of one's own fantasy and one must believe in one's own inspiration.”
-Arnold Schoenberg

It is not usually the lyrical melodies that we remember in Arnold Schoenberg’s music, but rather his contribution to the development of 20th century music through his work. It would almost seem as if his life were mirrored in his music; they were quite unconventional and often rubbed societal in slightly the wrong direction, often producing trial after trial for the musician that just wanted to live as he desired.

His Childhood
Arnold Franz Walter Schoenberg was born to Samuel Schoenberg and Pauline Nachod on September 13th, 1874 in Vienna, Austria. His mother was an orthodox Jew while his father, an anarchist at heart, did not have a strong religious preference. His lower- to middle-class family had difficulties at times providing a quality education for their children. Although both of his parents that were avid musicians, it was really his mother Pauline who encouraged music within their household and ensured they were taught music as well as their small budget would allow. At the age of eight, Schoenberg began taking violin lessons regularly. From this base and his extraordinary music application abilities, he taught himself how to play cello and yearned to play with the youth chamber ensembles. His brother, although his name is not as household today, was a fairly well-known bass singer with the German Opera in Prague.

His First Challenge
Schoenberg’s first real challenge came when he was just fifteen years old. His father suddenly died and he was forced pick up a job as an apprentice at a local bank to support his family. It was at this time that all activities even slightly resembling a formal education came to an end. The more meager their income became, the worse his chances looked for getting an opportunity to focus on his music.

Then, in 1895, Schoenberg, to his delight, looses his banking job after the bank was forced to declare bankruptcy. This opened the door for the first time to truly give him the opportunity to pursue his musical career seriously. By the next year, he composed six pieces for piano. Alexander von Zemlinsky, who acted as his only formal composition teacher, encouraged Schoenberg to become more educated about the field of music. Although Zemlinsky was only three years older than Schoenberg, he was far more advanced musically than Schoenberg. Six years after Zemlinsky and Schoenberg become very close friends, Schoenberg married Zemlinsky’s sister, Mathilde von Zemlinsky. The next year, they brought their first child, Trudi, in to the world. Little did he know how hard a world it would be for her to grow up at this time in Europe…

Anti-Semitism in Europe and His Music
When it rains, it pours…Within a span of two years, two major events happened that would change Schoenberg’s life forever. One was his father’s death in 1891 that changed his family economic situation and forced him to put his music aside for half a decade. The other was the birth of Adolf Hitler in Austria. Although he did not know at the age of thirteen what Hitler would do in the following years, Hitler’s birth would greatly affect everything and everybody around him from his country to his family to his music.

Despite the fact that he had converted to Lutheranism in 1898, he was still labeled as a Jew throughout Hitler’s reign. In disgust, he reconverted back to Judaism in seeing the atrocities committed for “Christian ideals.”

It was not until 1920 that Hitler directly affected Schoenberg’ life. In 1921, Schoenberg was forced to leave his home in Mattsee where Jews were no longer welcome. This was also the same year that Hitler revealed his plan to send all Jewish people to concentration camps. In 1923, his wife died and he remarried a year later to Gertrud Kolisch. In this same year that was marked by so many changes for Schoenberg, Hitler was writing Mein Kampf while incarcerated.

His Life in America
The same year that the United States entered the war and the first gassings and mass executions of Jews occurred in Europe, Schoenberg received his United States citizenship. In 1936, he had joined the faculty at the University of Southern California (USC). Most of his teaching in America was at UCLA starting that same year. There he turned out many exceptional musicians, not the least of which was John Cage. It was in Los Angeles, California – his home away from home – that he died on the thirteenth of July in 1951 from a heart attack.

Bibliography

Political and Religious Ideas in the Works of Arnold Schoenberg

Arnold Schoenberg by H.H. Stuckenschmidt

Arnold Schoenberg’s Journey

A Schoenberg Reader

Arnold Schoenberg The Composer as Jew

On Classical

Biography of Arnold Schoenberg

The Arnold Schoenberg Center

Arnold Schoenberg

Jacques Offenbach

2004-11-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

Jacques Offenbach

Born the seventh child of Isaac Erbst, a Jewish cantor, Jakob Weiner entered this world on June 20, 1819. His family lived in Cologne, Germany. He was a child prodigy, learning the violin and composing small pieces at age 6. He was secretly studying the cello as well, and when this was discovered, his father was immensely pleased. The family formed a trio, including Jakob, his older brother and sister Julius and Isabella. The three played at a variety of restaurants around Cologne. Jakob learned so quickly on the cello that he had soon learned everything there was to learn around Cologne and his family realized they would have to send him elsewhere. In 1833 when he was just fourteen years old, his father, brother Julius and he traveled four days to the Paris Conservatoire. Their father remained three months with them in Paris and then returned home. The two soon changed their names, being in France to Jacques and Jules.

Offenbach left the Conservatoire after only a year of studies. He joined the Opera- Comique in 1834. He played there for three years in the orchestra and he wrote that the whole time, he was “discontent and unhappy.” He also wrote a few pieces while working for the Opera Comique. As his career started to pick up, there was also a large increase in the demand for dance music. He wrote a lot of dance music around this time, especially for the cancan.

In 1837, he quit the Opera and spent time developing his career as a cello soloist. He was hired as the conductor of the Theater Francais in 1850. During this period, he also began to write operettas. In 1855, he rented his own theater called Bouffes Parisiens and performed his own works there. Even though Offenbach’s plays were successful in theaters, his own theater didn’t make any money. He went so far into debt, that he had to hide, moving between friend’s houses and writing as he went. The only hope he had, was in the operetta he was in the process of writing: Orpheé aux Enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld). If this was a hit, he could return to his normal life style.

Orpheus in the Underworld was written as a satire on the gods of Olympus. In the months it took to put the work together, many, many things went wrong. Among others, the piccolo player was sick opening night, Eurydice (played by Mlle. Tautin) wouldn’t play her part unless she received a real tiger- skin, and the gas pipe in the street in front of the theater broke. The first performance of Orpheé aux Enfers, on October 21, 1858, wasn’t as successful as Offenbach had hoped. The audience was amused, but completely missed the overall point and it wasn’t the favorite of the critics. This went on for a few performances.

Over a month after opening night, a journalist named Jules Janin paid a visit to Bouffes. He hurled insults left and right about the theater and especially about Orpheus in the Underworld which he thought was a “holy and glorious antiquity.” Offenbach immediately responded to his column and got the last word. This was exactly what the operetta needed. By the eighteenth performance, crowds were streaming in to see it. This is what saved Offenbach. It was performed two hundred and twenty eight times after which Offenbach was forced to remove it because of the exhaustion of the performers. It was re-staged in 1860 and the whole house was sold out within hours after the announcement.

After his success with Orpheus in the Underworld, he proceeded to write more operettas, his more famous including La Belle Hélène (1864), La Vie Parisienne (1866), La Grande- duchesse de Gerolstein (1867), and La Oerichole (1868). Offenbach grew tired of being famous merely for his operettas and he wanted something more. It was at this time that he had the idea of producing The Tales of Hoffmann, which turned out to be his last work. The original play, Les Contes fantastiques d’Hoffmann, was produced in 1851 and Offenbach had spoken with the author before about turning it into an opera. This first theater version was written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. The opera was in it’s final stages. The date for opening night was picked- it would be the first week of the winter season. Offenbach was getting older and his name hadn’t been heard for a decade or so. The only comment he would make of his new work was, “I would give everything only to be present at the first night.” This was the only thing keeping him alive. He lived as if in a dream and was so frail that he would lie motionless at all times. In the middle of July, he kept the shades drawn in fear of the drafts. He was failing fast. He traveled to Paris one last time to check on the progress. The musical arrangements were complete and as he looked over them, he had a “suffocation attack.” After this attack he said to his family, “I believe tonight it will be over.” He didn’t wake up. The date was October 5, 1880. Opening night occurred February 10, 1881. When the opera opened in Vienna in December 1881, a fire broke out in the second performance and for years after this, there was much superstition about the play.
Over one hundred years later, Offenbach’s works are still performed, and he is known as the father of our common operetta form.

Sources:
www.classicalarchives.com/bios/codm/offenbach.html
www.quadrant.net/LaVie/noframes/lup/offenbach.html.

Mendelssohn...

2004-11-20T15:59:00.000-05:00

Felix Mendelssohn
-As a child prodigy

Childhood
Felix Mendelssohn’s actual full name is Jacob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, but is always known as Felix Mendelssohn. Felix was born in the city of Hamburg, on February 3rd, 1809. Unlike many other famous composers, he grew up in a privileged environment and a wealthy family. As a child he studied piano with his mother, but soon took lessons from Carl Zelter in Berlin. Mendelssohn was soon composing trios, quartets and operettas, and was making his mark as a pianist. At the age of nine, he made his public debut, playing the piano in a trio for two horns and a piano by Joseph Wolfl. When Felix was just 10 years old, he was getting up at 5am every day to a very fulfilling day. Every moment of each day was purposeful. In a letter he once wrote he says, “ I have six hours of Latin a week: two for Caesoar, two for Ovid, one for grammar, and one for exercises. In mathematics I am reading the 5th book of Euclid, which seems to be much more difficult than everything else I have described. In addition, I have two hours of history, two of arithmetic, one of geography, and one of German speaking. I have two violin lessons a week and am playing etudes by Kreutzer. My schedule is so organized, that I prepare tasks in the evening that I have received in the morning.”
Early in Mendelssohn’s development as a composer, he and other musicians, such as his sister, would perform his own compositions at a series of Sunday musical gatherings. Not only would friends and invited guests come to these performances, but also musicians from the royal chapter and singers from the opera. Felix performed many times at the piano, but he also conducted and took turns at the violin. Some his first works that were all completed by 1821, (Piano sonata in G-minor, first six string sinfonie, the Singspeil, Die Beiden Padagogen) were known as works of astonishing polish. At the age of just 13, Mendelssohn wrote his first piano quartet, and at 15 he wrote his first symphony. By the time that Mendelssohn was 17, his fame as a musical prodigy was spreading. Also when he was seventeen, one of his first great compositions, the overture to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was produced.
Like all child prodigies Mendelssohn showed many signs of a true genius from childhood. Mendelssohn is known as one of the most gifted composers the world has ever known. People that don’t know his specific works, or that can’t name them, have still heard it, as his “wedding march” from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, which has accompanied a bride down the aisle. It is difficult to decide which quality Mendelssohn excelled at the most – whether composer, pianist, organist, or conductor of an orchestra. He was very accomplished at each of these at such a young age.

Major Works:

-Solo Piano works including a few sonatas, some Preludes and Fugues, and 49 Songs Without Words:
Song Without Words: Venetian Boat Song No. 1 Op. 16 No. 6
Song Without Words: Folk Song Op. 53 No. 5
Song Without Words: Spinning Song or Bee's Wedding Op. 67 No. 4
Song Without Words: The Adieu Op. 85 No. 2 Song Without Words: Faith Op. 102 No. 6
-Songs and Hymns, either stand-alone or from larger works, including: Christmas Carol: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and "On Wings of Song"
-Overtures: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage (after 2 poems by Goethe), Athalia (the incidental music for this includes the well-known "War March of the Priests"), Son and Stranger, Ruy Blas, Fingal's Cave or Hebrides overture, A Midsummer Night's Dream (This was composed in his teans, and then augmented in later years with full incidental music for Shakespeare's play, including the famous Wedding March).
-Oratorio: Elijah, including the song "Oh for the Wings of a Dove" later remixed by Madness!
-A Total of 5 mature Symphonies (3rd The Scottish, 4th The Italian, and 5th The Reformation) and a number of String Symphonies composed in his youth.
-Violin Concertos, particularly the popular mature one in Em (Mendelssohn was a violinist as well as a pianist)
-2 Piano Concertos
-Chamber music including String Quartets, String Qunitets and Piano Trio
-String Octet (highly regarded and composed at age 16)

Sources:
Nichols, Roger. Mendelssohn Remembered. 1997.
Mercer-Taylor, Peter. The Life of Mendelssohn. Combridge University Press, 2000.
http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/mendelssohn.html
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/3486/mend.html
http://www.mfiles.co.uk/Composers/Felix-Mendelssohn.htm

The Sound of Silence

2004-11-20T15:01:00.001-05:00

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Darling Lili, and The Princess Diaries; these are just a few of the shows/movies Julie Andrews has performed in. Throughout her career as a movie star, broadway star, recording artist, mother, and wife, Miss Andrews has always enjoyed singing and acting on stage. Who knew that in 1997 she wouldn’t be able to sing again. Because of all of her years singing day in and day out, Julie,68, developed non cancerous polyps on her vocal chords. She decided to have them removed through a routine procedure so she could continue with her career in the spotlight. The surgery went horribly wrong when the doctor left a huge hole in her vocal chords after removing one of the polyps. For five days after the surgery, Julie couldn’t even speak. She was devastated.

“Somehow, the operation went wrong," she says. "It shouldn't have. It was a matter of time, I was told. So I waited patiently. And waited. Its' affected the middle register singing voice. My speaking voice has come back, but I still can't sing a song."

"If you heard her voice, you'd weep," her husband Blake, 77, told a magazine. "I don't think she'll sing again. It's an absolute tragedy."

"That just about sums it up," admits Andrews, frankly. "Thank God I wasn't younger. I mean, at least I've had a wonderful career ………"I'm still hoping it will reverse itself," she continues. "But it's been a long time now. My doctors don't hold out much hope, but say that I should continue practicing."

And so she vocalises at home for about half an hour morning and night, apparently without much improvement. "Not to sing with an orchestra or not to be able to communicate through my voice - which I've done all my life - and not to be able to phrase lyrics and give people that kind of joy is totally devastating," she says.

After the tragedy, Julie decided to sue the doctors. It means that Andrews' lawyers are busy with a massive suit over what she claims was a “botched operation to remove non-cancerous polyps from her vocal cords.” She is seeking, says the lawsuit, "substantial damages to compensate for loss of past and future earnings." "I'm still very optimistic," says Andrews with that familiar, sweet smile. "I have to be. I can't think of the alternative. But it's very definitely a major setback."

Dame Julie remains positive. "I don't know what I'm meant to learn from this but I've never been busier and I must say life is very good right now."

Aside from acting in such recent movies as The Princess Diaries, and The Princess Diaries II, Julie has written many best-selling children’s books such as: Dragon (Hound of Honor), Dumpy’s Apple Shop, Dumpy to the rescue, Dumpy and the Firefighters, Simeon’s Gift, Dumpy and the Big Storm, Little Bo in France, etc. Along with writing children’s books herself and with her daughter Emma, Julie is very active in community service, and loves to keep busy.

“I remember those earlier years, very very well and I think they're probably more interesting. In any event, it will be a challenge. It's easier for me to take risks as I grow older. I'm getting braver, maybe because I have less to lose. But I don't feel ready to retire or anything. Like that. I don't see why it should be considered. I seem to be as busy as ever."

Sources: http://www.julieandrews.co.uk/
http://www.worldmoviemag.com/

RICHARD RODGERS (1902-1979)

2004-11-19T15:27:00.000-05:00

Richard Rodgers is considered one of the greatest writers in American musical theatre. Born in New York City in 1902, Rodgers was the youngest of two children. Rodgers’ father was an amateur singer and physician, and his mother was a pianist. As a child, Rodgers preferred to play piano by ear and refused to take piano lessons. In 1916, at age 14, Rodgers’ copyrighted his first song, “Auto Show Girl”. The next year, Rodgers completed the music and lyrics for his first musical, One Minute Please, the first of 14 amateur shows throughout the next eight years.

From 1919 to 1921, Rodgers attended Columbia University where he was introduced to lyricist Lorenz Hart, who for the next 24 years became Rodgers’ exclusive partner. Together they produced over 26 Broadway Shows and 9 films. During the early 1930’s Rodgers and Hart spent most of their time in Hollywood producing three film musicals, songs for popular film stars, and an unused song which became a huge success, “Blue Moon”. The duo returned to Broadway with Jumbo and over the next eight years produced nine musicals, mostly winners. In 1942, By Jupiter became Rodgers and Hart’s last show due to Hart’s personal and alcohol problems.

Rodgers and Hart

Rodgers married Dorothy Feiner on March 5, 1930. Rodgers loved how she was attentive to the smallest details. An old friend of Dorothy once told this story about her: “I remember taking her to a musical. From the first row balcony she was able to detect that the third chorus girl on the left was wearing shoes slightly different from those worn by the other chorus girls.” Rodgers and Dorothy had two children, Mary and Linda.

After Hart's death, Rodgers joined Oscar Hammerstein II, a former fraternity brother whom Rodgers had known for a while. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first project, Oklahoma!, produced a record-breaking run of 2,212 performances. In the first eight years of Rodgers collaboration with Hammerstein, they created four out of their five major successes: Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and the film musical State Fair. Rodgers songs written with Hammerstein lacked the jazz essence and varied the forms, instead of using the 32-bar patterns he used with Hart. After Flower Drum Song, in 1958, and The Sound of Music, in 1959, Hammerstein died of cancer.

Rodgers and Hammerstein

However, this was still not the end of Rodgers. In 1962, he became his own composer and lyricist of one last successful show, No Strings, which won him two Tony awards for music and lyrics. Rodgers also collaborated with Stephen Sondheim, in 1965, for Do I Hear a Waltz?, Martin Charnin, in 1970 and 1979, for Two By Two and I Remember Mama, and Sheldon Harnick, in 1976, for Rex. These shows were not as successful for there were conflicts with the actors and other workers.

Rodgers death in 1979, due to cancer of the jaw and other health problems, did not bring an end to his masterpieces. Revivals of many of his musicals are still present today.

Update: When Rodgers was young, he was given some piano lessons from his aunt Tily Rodgers, but did not enjoy theses lessons because he would rather play "by ear". Later in Rodgers' life, after he acheived Broadway sucess, he took piano lessons and improved his playing significantly. In 1919, Rodgers attended Columbia University to write Varsity shows, but in 1921, enrolled in the Institute of Musical Art, now known as Julliard School of Music.

Works Cited

Somewhere For Me- Meryle Secrest

The Richard Rodgers Reader- Geoffrey Block

Richard Rodgers- William G. Hyland

The immortal genius of Luciano Pavarotti

2004-11-18T23:35:00.000-05:00

Luciano Pavarotti has redefined what it means to be a tenor. Gifted with a fabulously large yet wonderfully beautiful voice, Pavarotti sang for 40 years. Critics have hailed him as one of the greatest tenors of all time. He certainly has earned a place among the legends such as Caruso. Pavarotti has not only attained immortality in the opera world, but he also has brought opera to the masses. By collaborating with artists such as Whitney Houston and Sting, Pavarotti has helped reach listeners normally devoted to pop music. This has greatly contributed to the success of such cross-over artists as Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, and Andrea Bocelli. Before Pavarotti, opera singers felt that pop music was beneath them.
Luciano Pavarotti was born in Modena, Italy in 1935. At a very young age, Pavarotti began singing in choruses with his father Fernando, who was also an operatic tenor. These choral experiences fired his desire to become a singer, and he began to train as a tenor under the tutelage of Arrigo Pola and later Ettore Campogalliani. Originally he trained to be a teacher, but that changed when he won the Concorso Internazionale competition in 1961. From there, Pavarotti went on to his operatic debut at the Theater of Reggio Emilia that same year in the role of Rodolfo in La Boheme. Following this performance, he sang at most of the houses throughout Italy, and within a few short years, he had went on to achieve immortal fame. In fact, he even holds the world record for the longest curtain call ever, and he has released recordings representing almost every phase of his career.
In this biography, I will focus on Pavarotti’s contributions to the world of singing and his own personal insights into the fine art of singing opera. Like all singers Pavarotti had many difficult barriers to scale while attempting to break into the professional opera world. He lost numerous competitions and was turned down at every audition. Italy is a country that has a high concentration of talented singers, so Pavarotti essentially was in the most competitive area of the world when it came to singing opera.
Secondly, Pavarotti himself stated that he studied voice for six years seriously, and that during that time he struggled with many of the same pit-falls that affect all voice students. He especially noted his difficulty with learning to negotiate the passagio or the breaks in the voice. He said that the breaks must become like “the automatic transmission of a Cadillac.” Secondly, he also talked of the discouraging losses he experienced at vocal competitions. He actually considered giving up his dream at one point and simply becoming a real-estate salesman. However, luckily for us, he went on to win that one key vocal competition and from there his career was launched within an incredibly short period of time.
Pavarotti gave wonderful advice to would be singers in his book. He discussed never giving up and truly working hard. Also, he pointed out that opera is not for those who are not willing to suffer for their art initially. Secondly, he encouraged young singers to stay in shape so they could increase their chances of being cast, since especially today, opera directors more and more prefer to cast the thin or athletic singer. Qualities he said were important for a singer to have were a willingness to work with others, humility, belief in one’s own talents, genuine emotional engagement, and connection to audience members.
Pavarotti was able to sing a vast range of operas during his long career including everything from some Mozart and Rossini all the way to the very dramatic Puccini and Verdi roles. Perhaps his ability to negotiate these vastly contrasting styles was what made him so famous. Pavarotti began his career with lyric favorites such as Rodolfo (La Boheme) and Nemorino (L’Elisir D’amore). However, he quickly moved into some Spinto repertoire such as Mario (Tosca) and even Prince Calaf (Turandot). In fact, Calaf’s famous aria “Nessun Dorma” became one of his calling cards. Throughout his career, Pavarotti strived to maintain the light, brilliant lyric quality of his voice. He never pushed his voice for more dramatic power than it was able to give, and although he possesses a large instrument Pavarotti’s voice is still essentially lyric. He maintained that even the role of Calaf was too heavy for his voice.
His voice itself follows the traditional Bel Canto teachings of producing effortless high notes and legato lines. Unusual is the brilliance and piercing nature of his voice that perhaps help it to have its enormous size. Pavarotti definitely has a bright instrument, but not to the point of being strident. His technique is highly polished, and many will claim close to perfect. He became famous for his effortless high Cs and Ds. In fact, he performed La Fille du Regiment including Tonio’s aria with nine high Cs without any cuts and without any bugs in the final performance. At the same time Pavarotti was able to hold his own in Spinto to almost Dramatic roles. He lent power to the Verdi and Puccini heroes.
In his career Pavarotti performed all over the world and at almost every big house among them the Metropolitan Opera, the Glynebourne opera, the Bastille, La Scala, Covent Garden, and The Vienna staatsoper. Somehow, he managed to always maintain freedom no matter what climate he sang in, or how difficult the role. Pavarotti always approached each role the same way, and often shipped in his old voice teacher to help him perfect a new role. In my opinion because he never stopped learning, Pavarotti was able to solidify every role and achieve consistency in every role he sang. His voice did not even begin to show wear until he was in his 60s which is also a testament to his technique.
Pavarotti has also taken opera to new audiences like no singer has ever done. Through his collaboration with Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo to form the Three Tenors, he was able to reach stadiums full of eager listeners, not to mention those who watched from their home televisions. Pavarotti also possesses an amazing ability to talk to people and win listeners over with his confident yet charming personality. Some attribute his huge popularity as much to his charismatic personality as to golden voice. In an age where classical music has been said to be dying, this legacy left to the opera world was priceless. He brought countless new people, uncultured in the ways of opera, into the classical fold. Also, he helped bridge the traditional gap between Pop performers and classical singers. Another contribution worthy of note, are the vocal competitions that he has sponsored to find the future opera talent in the upcoming generations.
In conclusion no singer in this century has done more than Pavarotti in giving back to the art form of Opera. He took opera to millions of new listeners and he helped to nurture upcoming stars. Pavarotti will go down in history as probably not only the most famous tenor, but also as the most widely known singer. Even non-opera people have heard the name Pavarotti. Although many singers criticize him for singing such a dangerously wide range of repertoire and for his lack of acting ability at times, I feel that Pavarotti still deserves the respect of all singers.

Sources:
http://www.grovemusic.com/shared/views/article.html?from=search§ion=music.21122
http://www.lucianopavarotti.com
L. Pavarotti: My Own Story (London, 1981)

The Bel Canto Tenor

2004-11-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

Before I discuss the nature of the Bel Canto tenor, I must first give a little background on the term itself. Bel Canto is used to denote a style of singing in which breath control is used to produce an even tone. High notes sound easy as well as florid lines under the Bel Canto school. The technical Bel Canto period was from the 17th century through the 19th, but the term has come to have multiple meanings. Basically, today, Bel Canto especially denotes the lyric, fluid repertoire of composers such as Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini. These three composers are the “Bel Canto” composers, and they are the ones I wish to focus on in my discussion of the Bel Canto tenor.
The tenor voice part encompasses an incredible range of possible voice types. There are several types of lyric tenors, the spinto, and the dramatic/heldentenor, not to mention character and buffo tenor roles. The Bel Canto tenor falls under the lyric tenor category. Lyric tenors are expected to be able to easily handle high tessituras and sustained high Cs and Ds. Lyric tenors generally have a light, bright color along with a fluidity of voice that allows them to negotiate high moving passages. The heavier types of tenors, helden for one, generally focus on power and weight rather than float and lightness in the upper register.
The Bel Canto tenor, more specifically, is expected to be able to handle coloratura and ungodly tessituras. Rossini, for one, demands an absolutely florid instrument since all of his tenor roles are riddled with high coloratura, unlike the Baroque and Classical composers. The Bel Canto tenor generally has a brighter color also to bring energy to the florid lines. A close relative to the Bel Canto tenor, the French lyric, is more interested in a slightly more mellow color, and often a lyric tenor may sing them both. However, ideally, the Bel Canto roles should be sung by an instrument with a little more resonance.
Another important characteristic of the Bel Canto tenor is the ability to easily produce high notes and make it sound easy too. Hence, Bel Canto tenor’s strive for more lyricism in the high rather than sheer power, however, it is important to add that the Bel Canto composers included dramatic moments in their arias where some power is required. Again, I come back to the comparison between the French lyric tenor: the French style is lighter than the Bel Canto style with more sustained highs rather than the florid passages of the Bel Canto style.
It is also important to add a little about the physical appearance of a Bel Canto tenor. Since the roles being portrayed are always romantic leads and often younger men, it is important that the Bel Canto tenor is believable physically as a romantic lead. This means that a Bel Canto tenor should ideally be somewhat athletic and usually sadly dramatic, even in the more comedic roles such as Ernesto from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale.
As I have previously stated, Bel Canto tenors must have an extensive upper range. Specifically, Bel Canto Tenors should be able to sustain Bs and As with relative ease, and be able to hold high Cs for quite a while. Bel Canto arias often have multiple Cs and even Ds, whereas almost every other type of opera has at max 3 high Cs for an entire role. One aria from La Fille du Regiment has nine high Cs alone.
Now that we have covered the technical aspects of what makes a Bel Canto tenor, it is important that we cover the repertoire of a Bel Canto Tenor. As I have previously stated, Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini are the most important Bel Canto composers. Donizetti’s L’elisir D’amore is a must for the Bel Canto tenor. The role of Nemorino from this opera is done by almost all Lyric tenors and even some Spintos, such as the great Pavarotti. Nemorino’s famous aria, Una Furtiva Lagrima, is a must have in every Bel Canto tenor’s repertoire. Another important role is Edguardo from Lucia Di Lammermoor, also by Donizetti. This role, although not as famous as Nemorino, is also an important one since the opposite Soprano role is a timeless favorite of opera audiences.
The second Bel Canto composer, Rossini, was thought to be dying, but recently, his operas have been performed again. Among the host of Rossini roles, the most important are Count Almaviva from Il barbiere di Siviglia. Almaviva’s aria Ecco Ridente in Cielo is a favorite among lyric tenors, although the second aria from this opera is often omitted because of its technical difficulty. Also, the role of Lindoro from Il Italiana in Algieri is a must in every Bel Canto tenor’s repertoire. The last Bel Canto composer is Bellini, and his most famous operas are Norma and I Puritani. The tenor roles from these operas are Arturo (I Puritani) and Flavio (Norma) . Also of note is the opera La Sonnambula, which includes the tenor role of Elvino.
In conclusion, the Bel Canto tenor is one endowed with a florid upper register and effortless high notes. The Bel Canto repertoire tends to focus on brilliance of tone, rather than power or a mellow quality.

Bibliography: Don Randel. The New Harvard Dictionary: “Bel Canto”
http://mama.essortment.com/belcantotechni_rgwg.htm
http://italian.about.com/library/weekly/aa042501a.htm

Horn Excerpts--Tutti Horns

2004-11-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Horn Students Preparing for Orchestral and College Auditions

Solo Horn
Horn Duets
Horn Trios
Horn Quartets
Tutti Horns
Soli Horn

This section of the book deals with the Horn tutti's found in many orchestral pieces. There are many different selections, Some are fortissimo, others are piano. What they all have in common is that the entire horn section is playing as a whole. Tuning is very important when the horns are playing in unison or in octaves. The following excerpts are good to know if you plan on playing in an orchestra in the future. Each of the following excerpt will have an audio and visual attachment, as well as a small explanation of how each excerpt should be approached.

Brahms Symphony No. 4, op. 98
Horn 3+4 have very exposed parts. Unison horns in the first 4 measures. Woodwinds enter in the second measure. Tuning is of the utmost importance. Play the excerpt with a full sound. Articulations have a legato tongue. Pay special attention to the diminuendo at the end of measure 3.

Mahler Symphony No. 1--excerpt 1
Horns 1,3,6 and 2,4,7 in octaves. 2,4,7 horns in very low octave. Make sure you begin on the correct note. To get a clearer sound on the 2,4,7 horn part try playing it on the Bb side of the horn(may be a little sharp) Legato tongue for this area to but do not lose control of the tone quality.

Mahler Symphony No. 1--excerpt 2
Have an extremely pointed attack for each note. Played fortissimo, but 1,3,5,6 horns pace yourselves you have the higher octaves, no need to play extremely loud. Though this section is loud, tuning in the octaves are still extremely important. Any note that is dotted release it early for space. This is the Finale of the symphony, play extremely heroically.

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, op. 47--excerpt 1
Low horn unison in all horn parts. Very eerie, mysterious and imposing. Tuning here is very important due to the unison. Do not play too quietly. The notes are not slurred together. Hold each note for its fullest length.

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, op. 47--excerpt 2
This excerpt is extremely difficult. The entire orchestra is playing in unison at this point. Rhythmic integrity is especially important in this passage. The proper articulations are a must. Tuning is a must here because if you one players' inntonation is off then the unison effect will not occur.

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 excerpt--1
Horns are in unison octaves in the beginning. Fortissimo because only part going on in the beginning. 1,3 + 2,4 are respectively in unison at the start. As with all horn tutti tuning is a must.

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
Horn tutti exposed, strings and woodwinds in background. Very simple to rush the rhythms. As always remember your tuning. Articulations should be very light. Use a "ta" tongue not "da". Seperation between each note keeps it moving foward while at the same time prevents rushing.

Remember these rules for playing tutti horn:
1)Watch the your intonation
2)Keep the same articulation
3)Keep rhythmic integrity

NEXT CHAPTER: SOLI HORNS

Reference: www.hornexcerpts.org

MUSIC OF THE 1920’S

2004-11-14T22:30:00.000-05:00

“Music of the 1920’s” was written not only for a music history course, but anyone interested in the influential Jazz age.

Chapters
I. Introduction of the Jazz Age
II. American music in the 1920’s
III. How music affected culture in the 1920’s
IV. World music in the 1920’s
V. Impact of music from the 1920’s on generations to follow

How Music Affected Culture in the 1920’s

The “Jazz Age” of the 1920’s is the only decade to be nicknamed after the style of music of its era. This is due to the huge relationship between the culture of the 1920’s and jazz music. Also, due to the impact of the “Jazz Age” on American culture, phrases such as the word jazzy have become a common adjective when describing the flair or manner of a person or event. “All that jazz” is also a popular term used to describe miscellaneous events in life, maybe having the same characteristics as jazz music.

In the 1920’s, jazz was entertainment, but it also represented rebellious behavior and biracial culture. Saxophonist Sonny Rollins stated that “jazz has always been a music of integration.” A small number of white listeners enjoyed the styles of Armstrong or Ellington. Likewise, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman rarely visited black nightclubs. Most musicians in Harlem and on Chicago’s South Side worked for little money while white bands in downtown Manhattan and Chicago made comfortable livings playing black jazz standards. As for the rebellious behavior, the 1920’s was the time of Prohibition. The Prohibition amendment of the 1920s was ineffective because it was unenforceable, it caused the explosive growth of crime, and it increased the amount of alcohol consumption. The crime rate increased because prohibition destroyed legal jobs, created black-market violence, diverted resources from enforcement of other laws, and increased prices people had to pay for prohibited goods.

Jazz was not just music; it was a form of communal expression. In the 1920’s jazz music provided a freedom of expression, musical individuality, and cultural freedom. Jazz music lead to new dances in the 1920’s such as The Charleston, One Step, and Black Bottom. "Moral disaster is coming to hundreds of young American girls," reported the New York American, "through the pathological, nerve-irritating, sex-exciting music of jazz orchestras."

Not only was listening to music in the 1920’s and going to nightclubs popular many people owned pianos, played sheet music, and listened to records. From the drinking, racial issues, dancing, to the freedom of expression, the music of the 1920's impacted peoples lives greatly and influenced their behaviors.

Random Fact: The peanut butter and jelly sandwich became famous in 1922.

Works Cited
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0231104499/002-6288710-7255258

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1566631432/002-6288710-7255258

Little Shop of Horrors...

2004-11-14T22:04:00.000-05:00

Musical Theatre
Chapter: Little Shop of Horrors

-Back Round Information-

Little Shop of Horrors was the most internationally successful Broadway musical. It began its career at the little WPA Theater in New York. It is a musical in 2 acts based on the film by Charles Griffith. The first performance of Little Shop of Horrors took place on May 6th 1982, in New York. It was transferred to Orpheum Theater, on July 27th 1982 with 2209 performances and in London (Comedy Theatre) on October 12th 1983 with 813 performances.

-Important People (Cast, Music, Etc.)-

Lyrics – Howard Ashman
Music – Alan Menken
Book – Howard Ashman, based on the script of the film by Charles Griffith

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
Seymour – A poor and nerdy guy
Audrey – His beloved
Orin – An evil dentist
Mr. Mushnik – A florist and owner of the store
Audrey II – A carnivorous plant

ORIGINAL NEW YORK CAST
Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Franc Luz, Hy Anzell, Ron Taylor/Martin P. Robinson
ORIGINAL LONDON CAST
Barry James, Ellen Greene, Terrence Hillyer, Harry Towb, Anthong B. Asbury/Michael Leslie

-Plot or Summary-

On September 21st, creatures from outer space invaded our galaxy with the plan of taking over our world. Some of them took the form of plants which happened to land in Mr. Mushnik’s flower shop on skid row. Seymour finds this plant very interesting and takes care of it. He names it Audrey II after his assistant Audrey, who he is secretly in love with. Seymour seems to never please the owner of the store, Mr. Mushnik, until this plant of his draws a major crowd. Everyone that walks by the shop seems to be interested in this strange yet amazing looking plant, which gives Mr. Mushnik the business he’s always wanted. The problem that Seymour finds is that Audrey II doesn’t drink water. He has to feed this plant blood in order for it to grow. In the beginning it is only a drop or two, but soon the plant needs more and more.
Audrey has a sadistic boyfriend, Orin, who is a dentist. He is very mean, rude, and even physically abusive to Audrey. Seymour hates to see this, but doesn’t feel that he deserves anything as beautiful as her. Soon Audrey II is getting bigger and bigger and even talking to Seymour, screaming “Feed ME”. Seymour does not want to kill anyone but is soon temped by Orin as he treats Audrey VERY bad in front of him. Audrey II gets his way soon, as Seymour chops up Orin and feeds him to the hungry plant.
About this time, Mr. Mushnik, knowing the success of this plant and Seymour, asks Seymour to be his son and partner of the shop. Seymour soon says yes and is starting to live a dream lifestyle, as Audrey is starting to fall for Seymour too. The plant is getting very big and needs more blood (killings). Unfortunately Mr. Mushnik starts to suspect what’s going on and becomes the next victim of Audrey II. Although Seymour is starting to become more and more famous, he is starting to have doubts about this plant.
One late night, Audrey goes to the shop to find Seymour, but instead encounters Audrey II. In attempt to eat Audrey the plant asks her for a glass of water. She questions it, but decides to just give the plant a drink of water. As she reaches her arm out to the plant, Audrey II grabs her in its mouth and is trying to eat her! Seymour arrives soon and pulls her out of its mouth, however he is too late. As she is dieing, he tells her his secrets of the killings he has done. Audrey tells him that she wants him to feed her to the plant so she will always be apart of Seymour. She tells him, “If I’m in the plant…then I’m part of the plant! And that means I’ll always be a part of you!”. Seymour does indeed feed her to the plant but then decides that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with this anymore. He realizes that this was all part of the plant’s plan to have world conquest. He tries to kill the plant, but is pulled into its heart.

-The Critics-

“Wow! Totally entrancing…totally hilarious” – New York Post
“Zany, fun-filled and thoroughly delightful…a winner” – Variety
“A musical comedy that is both musical and comic…and that hits just the right tone of mockery without ever slipping into camp…with a witty book and witty lyrics” – The New Yorker
“Madly entertaining, full of side-splitting laughs…the show’s a hoot” – Gannett Wetchester Newspapers

Sources:

Kennedy P., Michael & John Muir. Musicals. HarperCollins Publishers, 1997.

Ganzl, Kurt. The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre: 2nd Edition. Schirmer Books, 2001.

Bel Canto Singing for the Developing Soprano

2004-11-14T20:23:00.001-05:00

BEL CANTO SINGING FOR THE DEVELOPING SOPRANO

Vibrato
One important characteristic of great Bel Canto singing is a smooth sound. This quality of voice is directly related to the component of vibrato. Many Bel Canto pieces have a sostenuto section followed by section of movement. Vibrato is not only important for agility and movement but also for sustained singing. According to Richard Miller, author of Training Soprano Voices, "No matter how sizable or dramatic a soprano instrument, it needs to flexibly perform rapid movement. If a singer is unable to freely move the voice in swift melismas, there will be a corresponding lack of freedom in slow, sustained passages." A natural, free style of singing almost always results in the production of vibrato.

DEFINED
Vocal vibrato is hard to define, just as many other aspects of the vocal instrument. Bel Canto; Principles and Practices goes so far as to say that vibrato is a mystery, "The physiological and neurological origins of the vocal vibrato are not yet fully understood."
The New Harvard Dictionary of Music defines vibrato as "A slight fluctuation of pitch used by performers to enrich or intensify the sound...Vocal vibrato is more difficult to define [than instrumental.] What is often termed vibrato and widely cultivated is at least as much a fluctuation in intensity as in pitch; some authorities maintain that it is entirely a fluctuation in intensity."
Vibrato is most likely a result of the "larger phenomenon of neuromuscular tremor which affects all the musculatures of the body," according to Bel Canto; Principles and Practices. This is the natural work-rest cycle in which muscles alternately contract and relax as a means of protecting against fatigue."
Therefore, vibrato is a natural phenomenon. This is extremely important for young singers to understand.

GOOD VIBRATO
Vibrato develops naturally with proper voice training. It is not something to work for, but rather something to expect as a product of working towards other good vocal habits. Cornelius L. Reid says that "vibrato must never be trained or cultivated." Rather a singer should be aware of vibrato and yearn for natural healthy singing.
Although singers will never have full control over their vibrato, eventually they may gain indirect control. This indirect control comes with the ability to regulate intensity or other similar emotional effects.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart offers up his view of vibrato in a letter to his father dated June 12, 1778, "The human voice quivers of itself-but in such a way and to such a degree that it is beautiful-that is the nature of the voice... As soon as you over do it, it is not beautiful anymore-because it is against nature."
Trying to alter the vibrato is against nature and when singers try to regulate their vibrato, wobbles or tremolo is created. These are unpleasant sounds in which the actual pitch is hard to determine.

BEAUTY
When comparing a tone that has vibrato with one that doesn't, it is easy to hear the difference between the two. The straight tone sounds cold and rigid, while the tone with vibrato sounds warm and natural.
Vibrato helps to maintain a continuous legato as well as helping to ease singers into the passagio. It gives life, vibrancy, and buoyancy to singing.
Professor of Psychologist, Carl Seashore says "We shall find that musical beauty in the vibrato consists primarily of three elements; enrichment of the tone, flexibility of tone and the expression of tender feeling through instability."
Ultimately vibrato provides regularity, smoothness and ease to singing.

SOURCES

Moens-Haenen, Greta. “Vibrato.” Grove Music Online (Accessed 14 November 2004)
http://www.grovemusic.com

Reed, Cornelius L. Reid. Bel Canto: Principles and Practices. The Joseph Patelson Music House 1950.

Miller, Richard. Training Soprano Voices. Oxford University Press 2000.

Stark, James. Bel Canto; A History of Vocal Pedagogy. University of Toronto Press 1999.

The Harvard Dictionary of Music; Fourth Edition. Ed. Don Michael Randal. “Vibrato.” The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2003. pp. 946-947.

Der Ring des Nibelungen: Wagner’s The Ring Cycle

2004-11-14T18:51:00.000-05:00

Target Audience: Background Information for the opera goer interested in Wagner written at the pre-college level

Wagner’s Operas: Table of Contents

Chapter I: Die Feen
Chapter II: Das Liebesverbot
Chapter III: Rienzi
Chapter IV: Der fliegende Holländer
Chapter V: Tannhäuser
Chapter VI: Lohengrin
Chapter VII: Der Ring des Nibelungen
Chapter VIII: Tristan und Isolde
Chapter IX: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Chapter X: Parsifal

“Der Ring des Nibelungen:” About the Opera

Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelungen) is a compilation of four consecutive full length operas written by Richard Wagner. He completed the operas in 1876 after fleeing to Switzerland due to his political activism in Germany. Wagner based his opera on a 12th century epic poem entitled "Nibelungenlied". "Des Nibelungen" are defined as “subterranean dwarfs” according to dictionary.com.

The four operas within the larger work are entitled Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung. After writing the last opera Götterdämmerung, Wagner realized that a prologue was needed and wrote the other three operas, each as a preface to previous. The entire work Der Ring des Nibelungen takes from 15 to 24 hours to perform. Usually not shown in one sitting, the audience was required to come back four nights – one night for each of the operas -- to see the entire work.

Richard Wagner: The Mastermind

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) is considered one of the most influential composers German opera. When Wagner was just six months old, his father died of typhus. The next year, his mother married a close family friend, Ludwig Geyer, who moved the family to Dresden. After Geyer died, the family moved back to Leizpig.

As respected as his works are today, he had very little formal training in music. He was quite involved in theater from an early age, however was compelled to write music as well. He had very little formal training in music outside of the six months that he spent studying in Leizpig. He had a fair number of opportunities within theatrical directing, however not any in opera. Despite his lack of formal training, his ability to mimic the sounds of other composers such as Beethoven or Rossini to create his own masterpieces was nothing short of astounding.

After participating in radical politics for a period of time in Germany, he fled to Switzerland. It was during this period of time away from Germany that his approach to opera changed dramatically. The Ring Cycle was his first work after this time and it was by far his most large-scale work. Upon his return, he divorced his wife and married Cosima von Bülow, the daughter of his close friend, Franz Liszt.

In 1882, Wagner started to develop some health problems. He moved to Venice, but he suddenly died there within a year.

The Ring’s Continuing Influence in the 20th Century

The Ring Cycle’s plot and characters sound very familiar to today’s audience since the creation of “Star Wars” and “The Lord of the Rings”. In fact, both of the makers of the movies drew parts and symbols almost directly from Wagner’s masterpiece. Below are some striking similarities between Wagner’s work written in 1876 and the works of these 20th century film writers.

Wagner’s The Ring Cycle
1. Became a tetralogy only after realizing that needed a prologue
2. Took 28 years for the whole work to reach audiences
3. The heroine, Brunhilde, sacrificed herself to save the humans and gods
4. In the beginning, the leader of the gods, Wotan, is a relatively average god. The lust that Wotan, the leader of the gods, has for power drives him to obsess over the ring
5. The two long lost twins of Wotan find each other as adults and fall in love
6. Wotan’s son, Siegfried, shatters his father’s sword
7. Siegmund had his all-powerful sword, however it failed him and he was killed

George Lucas’ "Star Wars"
1. Became a trilogy after adding a prologue and become a tetralogy after Episode I: The Phantom Menace
2. Took 28 years for the whole work to reach audiences
3. Both Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi sacrificed themselves to save the galaxy
4. Anakin Skywalker’s lust for power encourages him to join the dark side as Darth Vader.
5. The two long lost twins of Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) as adults and sort of fall in love
6. Darth Vader, Luke’s father, chops off Luke’s arm, however Luke returns for revenge and does the same to him
7. Luke had his all-powerful light saber, however it failed him when he got his arm cut off

The story was different for “The Lord of the Rings”. It has been said that Tolkien believed that Wagner had done a disservice to Norse and Germanic mythology by not accurately portraying it. He said of the difference between himself and Wagner, “Both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceases!”

Wagner’s The Ring Cycle
1. Midgard (Middle Earth in English)
2. Nibelungen finds first finds ring in river
3. The Rhinegold ring enslaves the owner and is desired by others
4. Tarnhelm turns person who possesses invisible
5. Mysterious person reveals himself (Odin)
6. The characters are from Norse mythology

Tolkien’s "The Lord of the Rings"
1. Middle Earth
2. Ugly little creature first finds the ring in a river
3. The ring enslaves the owner and is desired by others
4. Ring turns the person who possess it invisible
5. Mysterious person reveals himself (Gandalf)
6. The characters are from Norse mythology

Bibliography

http://www.island-of-freedom.com/WAGNER.HTM
http://www.jitterbug.com/origins/lotr.html
http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/classes/winter9
http://users.utu.fi/hansalmi/ring.html8/lcc3412l/ring.html
http://www.npr.org/programs/attheopera/archives/000325.ato.html
http://www.trell.org/wagner/starwars.html
http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/opera/a/aatheringcycle.htm
http://www.geocities.com/viennaonline/feature/starwars.html

Richard Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen: A Companion
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=Richard+Wagner+Der+Ring+des+Nibelungen%3A+A+Companion&userid=y65093x9Kt&cds2Pid=946

Ring of Power
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0892540435/qid=1100473092/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/103-0980899-1083811

Swing Music in the 1930s

2004-11-13T20:45:00.000-05:00
Jazz History for the Non-Music Major

Each chapter will cover approximately one decade of the history of jazz music, including the different styles of jazz, famous composers, how the music affected the culture and vice versa and what factors led to its demise (or lack thereof).

Chapter One: Jazz: 1900- 1920
Chapter Two: 1921-1930
Chapter Three: 1931-1940
Chapter Four: 1941- 1950
Chapter Five: 1951-1960
Chapter Six: 1961-1970
Chapter Seven: 1971-1980
Chapter Eight: 1981- 1990
Chapter Nine: 1990- present

Chapter Three
The Swing Era began

Beginnings
The Swing Era began in the 1930s. It was derived from New Orleans style jazz. Many jazz scholars date the beginning of the swing style to 1935 and Benny Goodman (also known as the “King of Swing”). Henderson, Ellington, and Count Basie were some artist that laid the framework for swing, but Goodman was the one who popularized it. Another reason swing was so successful, was because it was known for being one of the most “democratic” styles of music . It united the country because all people could relate to it, young and old, black and white, male and female.
The swing era was the last time that American popular music and jazz were one and the same. This occurred because swing was a completely new and energizing jazz style. The beat changed from two beat bars (in New Orleans style) to four beat bars in swing. Improvisation was also more restricted in the swing style.
Big Bands
“Big Bands” was the term coined for bands that played mostly swing style music. “Swing” and “big band” are terms that are often used interchangeably, but incorrectly so. There is a myth that these two terms mean the same thing, but on the contrary, “swing” refers to the style or technique of the music while “big band” refers to the format or arrangement.
These big bands were bigger for a few reasons. Microphones were not widely used until the mid-1940s so a band that needed more sound to fill a larger hall needed more people. Band numbers boosted from 8-10 in New Orleans style jazz up to 12-16 in the Swing style. A band usually consisted of 3-4 saxophone players, 2-3 trumpets, 2-3 trombones, a piano, guitar, bass violin, and a drum set.
There were two types of big bands during this period. The “swing” or “hot” bands played rhythmically stimulating pieces with extensive solos. People like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and Andy Kirk all had these swing big bands. On the other hand, “sweet” bands had less swing feeling and shorter solos. The bands of Glenn Miller, Wayne King, Freddy Martin and Guy Lombardo were sweet bands.
Composer and Arrangers
The King of Swing
As mentioned earlier, Benny Goodman is credited with popularizing the swing style music. The King of Swing was born in May 1909 and grew up in the Chicago ghetto. He began taking clarinet lessons from Franz Shoeppe at a young age. His teacher despised jazz. When he was fourteen his father died and he had to go to work to help support his family. At seventeen, he made his first recording and his career began when he was nineteen when Ben Pollack heard his recording and hired him. He played with different bands throughout the country. In 1938, his was the first band to play at Carnegie Hall. He wasn’t completely focused on jazz, however. He spent time on classical works by people including Bela Bartok and Aaron Copeland to name a couple. He remained well known in the jazz world from 1930s well into the 1980s as a clarinetist, composer, and arranger. For many years, a clarinet player was considered to be playing incorrectly unless they were playing “Goodman style”.
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy Ellington was born in April 1899 in Washington D.C. He began taking piano lessons when he was seven years old but was more into baseball than anything else at that age. As he grew older, his piano lessons became a thing of the past. But then one summer while on vacation, he heard of an amazing ragtime pianist by the name of Harvey Brooks. He sought Brooks out and Brooks taught him some piano tricks and shortcuts for playing jazz piano. When Duke got home, he said it was the first time he’d “been able to get off the ground.” He finally had a passion to play and thus, his career was born. Duke Ellington passed away in 1974 but his legend lives on in the hundreds of compositions that are still around.
Count Basie
William Basie was born in August of 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey. When he was younger, he originally wanted to play the drums but there was too much competition between him and another friend so he chose the piano instead. He toured with different and acts and groups until he joined the Blue Devils. He stayed with them until the early 1930s when they broke up. Soon after that, he joined Bennie Morton’s band. In 1935, Bennie Morton died, and Basie along with a few members from that band, came together with a few others to form Count Basie’s band. Basie’s band was known all over the country for their ensemble capabilities. They were a model for “ensemble rhythmic conception and tonal balance.”
Fletcher Henderson
James Fletcher Henderson was born in December 1897. He lived in a middle class family and received a degree from Alabama University in Chemistry. He moved to New York City soon after graduation and formed his own band in 1922. This band was soon known as the best “colored” band in the New York. He was not very interested in managing the band so it fell apart. In 1939, he joined Goodman’s band as a pianist and arranger and soon as a full time arranger. Henderson had a stroke in 1950 and lost partial control of his body. This paralysis forced him to give up piano and he died in 1958 in New York.
Demise of the Swing Era
The Swing style of jazz was the first music style to be commercialized. It was this commercialization along with World War II, and the American Federation of Music’s ban in 1942 that led to the demise of swing into the bebop era. This ban forced the members to stop making records until the record company agreed to pay each time a song was played on the radio or juke box. It took two years for some cases to settle and musicianship to return to normal.
Thus, as the swing music declined, so did the popularity of big bands. Another type of swing followed the decline of the big band era. Progressive swing, otherwise known as “rebellious swing” came into play. This type of swing was characterized by a darker sound than their big band counterparts. There were also fewer people in the group. After the swing era ended, jazz bands decreased in record sales and in popularity. There was a revival of the swing period in the mid 1990s, but nothing has been able to top the period of glory for the swing
musicians.

Sources:
www.jazzitude.com/histswing.htm
www.duke.edu/~eca/
Duke Ellington
Fletcher Henderson
Count Basie

Performance Anxiety

2004-11-13T16:02:00.000-05:00
As performers, we’ve all had to deal with being nervous. Your heart is racing, there are butterflies in your stomach, you start to sweat; these are all symptoms of performance anxiety. The first thing to understand is that fear is a natural and normal human ‘negative’ emotion. The purpose of negative emotions is to tell us that something isn’t quite right; an indication that we need to take some kind of action.

In the case of fear, the message is ‘danger’. We are born with fear of loud noises and fear of heights ‘pre-wired’ in our nervous systems, and all other fears are learned from experience. Although you have no choice of how you are raised, you can do something about how you deal with being nervous.

Four Steps for Managing Performance Anxiety

Step 1: Self Assessment: Getting to know yourself better, as a person and as a musician.
-Identify problematic thinking. Figure out whether you are a negative or positive thinker. If you are a negative thinker you are obviously going to be harder on yourself and be more critical of your performance than if you thought positively.
-What are your personal motives for performing? Think about what you want to achieve while performing (i.e. Do you want to make an impression? Do you want to use music? Do you want everything memorized?).
-What are your capabilities and limitations as a performer? If you are not capable of doing something, don’t try it or else your nerves will increase.
-Ask yourself: “What am I really afraid of?” Worst-case scenario-you run off the stage and everyone laughs hysterically. That’s highly unlikely, and might give you a perspective into the realities of what it is you are really afraid of.
-Try not to confuse self-assessment with self-criticism. When you assess yourself you should just evaluate how you did and what you can improve on for the future. Criticizing yourself doesn’t do anything but make you feel worse about yourself and your performance.

Step 2: Gradual Exposure and Preparation
-Look for opportunities for exposure to moderate levels of stress that challenge but do not overwhelm your coping skills, example: visualization of the performance. Other examples: practice performances, dress rehearsals, taping yourself and playing it back.
-Be thoroughly prepared. Nothing replaces adequate time spent in rehearsal and practice.
-Consider how the use of relaxation techniques can help “harmonize” the body. Meditation, yoga, and/or muscle relaxation can help the body and mind feel uplifted and balanced so you feel excited and prepared, but not overwhelmed. Using these techniques can help you avoid self-medicating with drugs and alcohol.

Step 3: During the Performance
-Rather than blocking out the audience, or seeing them in their underwear, try seeing them as allies who are generally supportive and want you to do well.
-Remember, most performers have to deal with anxiety-it comes with the territory. You are in good company!
-Feelings of anxiety are natural, and can be used to your advantage. For example, when your adrenaline is running, sometimes it causes you to have a better performance!
-Maintain your normal routine when preparing for a performance. Don’t do anything out of the ordinary that would make you lose your focus for your performance.
-Act calmly, even if you feel nervous. The more you dwell on anxiety, the more you are likely to remain preoccupied with it.
-Try to overlook minor errors when you perform. Overall impressions are more important to the audience than note-perfect performances.
-Consider performing as an opportunity by becoming immersed in the musical experience. For example: get out of yourself and into the audience. Try switching off the left brain’s critical words and switching on the right brain’s passive observation. This may help you escape self-criticism and stay in the moment.
-Enjoy what you’ve accomplished. Others are more likely to enjoy this way, too.

Step 4: After the performance
-Temper such external feedback with internal beliefs and expectations you have already established.
-Asking others afterwards, “how did I do” without asking yourself first might be depriving yourself of a significant source of valid information about your performance: YOU!

If you read all of these steps and try to apply them to yourself and your performance, your anxiety will lessen with time. Although if you do all of that and your anxiety for performing is still out of control then you could consider taking prescription drugs for the problem.

The only drugs that are prescribed with any degree of frequency for musical performance anxiety are the beta adrenergic blockers, such as nadolol, oxprenolol, and propranolol. The theory is that beta-blockers eliminate the physical symptoms of anxiety that may interfere with performance (e.g. butterflies, palpitations, sweating, unsteady hand or voice) while leaving the head clear for optimal performance. These may be a useful stop-gap but long-term dependence on drugs of any kind is best avoided.

Hopefully these steps will help you with improving your performance ability by coping with your anxiety. Always remember that you are not alone. Even professional musicians get bad cases of performance anxiety before a show or concert. It is a common thing and the best advice would be to know how your body reacts to nervousness and try and control it by using the steps above.

Sources:
The Social Psychology of Music. Edited by David J. Hargreaves & Adrian C. North. 1997.

Images

2004-11-11T08:52:00.000-05:00

This is an example of how to put a picture in the blog.

THE TITAN

2004-11-07T22:30:00.000-05:00
Symphony No. 1 in D minor, ``Titan''. Scored for 4 flutes (3rd and 4th doubling piccolo), 4 oboes (3rd doubling English horn), 3 clarinets (3rd doubling bass clarinet), Eb-clarinet, 3 bassoons, 1 contrabassoon, 7 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, tympani (2 players), triangle, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, and strings.

1 I. Langsam. Schleppend
2 Blumine: Andante (original second movement)
3 II. Kraftig Bewegt
4 III. Feierlich und Gemessen, Ohne zu Schleppen
5 IV. Stumisch Bewegt

Gustav Mahler was born in Kalischt, Bohemia on July 7, 1860. He received his diploma on June 1878 from the Conservatory of the Society of the Friends of Music in Vienna. Mahler’s First Symphony was premiered by the Royal Hungarian Opera Orchestra in Budapest. On May 18, 1911 Gustav Mahler died at the age of 51. Gustav Mahler is most widely known for his 10(?) symphonies, though he did write many other pieces, some of which include: a piano quintet, a sonata for violin and piano, and some lieder.

Yoel Levi was born in Romania, but grew up in Israel. He studied at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music and the Jerusalem Academy of Music. He also studied with Franco Ferrara, with Kiril Kondrashin in Holland. He became an assistant to Lorin Maazel at the Cleveland Orchestra for six years, serving as Resident Conductor from 1980 to 1984. Mr. Levi has made over 40 recordings with different orchestras. He has also made many appearances as guest conductor with many of world renowned orchestras some of which include Cleveland, London, and Paris. Mr. Yoel Levi is now music director emeritus of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

“Since its first concerts in 1945, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has grown from a local youth group to become one of America's major orchestras, noted for its impressive list of Grammy winning recordings as well as the excellence of its live performances. The foremost cultural organization in the southeastern United States, it serves as a cornerstone for artistic development in the region. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performs more than 200 concerts each year to a combined audience estimated at over half a million. In addition to its 72 concert main subscription season, the ASO presents light classical concerts, family concerts, annual summer festivals, outdoor summer pops concerts and free concerts in city parks. The "ASO Around Georgia" program was launched this year, which brings the Orchestra to Albany, Tifton, Perry and Rome.”

FIRST VIOLIN
Cecylia Arzewski - Concertmaster
William Pu - Associate Concertmaster
Jun-Ching Lin - Assistant Concertmaster
Willard Shull - Assistant Concertmaster Emeritus
Carolyn Toll Hancock
Martha Reaves Head
John Meisner
Alice Anderson Oglesby
Lorenz Ottzen
Christopher Pulgram
Carol Ramirez
Juan Ramirez
Denise Berginson Smith
Kenn Wagner
Lisa Wiedman Yancich

SECOND VIOLIN
David Arenz - Principal
Sou-Chun Su - Associate Principal
Jay Christy - Assistant Principal
Eleanor Arenz
Sharon Berenson
David Braitberg
Noriko Konno Clift
Judith Cox
David Dillard
Raymond Leung
Ruth Ann Little
Thomas O'Donnell
Ronda Respess
Sanford Salzinger
Karen Stovall
Frank Walton

VIOLA
Reid Harris - Principal
Paul Murphy - Associate Principal
Amy Leventhal - Assistant Principal
John Detrino
Enid Jones
Robert Jones
Marian Kent
Catherine Lynn
Lachlan McBane
Heidi Nitchie
Ardath Weck

CELLO
Christopher Rex - Principal
Daniel Laufer - Associate Principal
Dona Vellek Klein - Assistant Principal
Joel Dallow
Jere Flint
Karen Freer
Kathleen Kee
Larry LeMaster
Brad Ritchie Paul Warner

BASS
Ralph Jones - Principal
Gloria Jones - Associate Principal
Jane Little - Assistant Principal Emeritus
Michael Kenady
Michael Kurth
Douglas Sommer
Thomas Thoresen
Randolph Ujcich

FLUTE
Christina Smith - Principal
Robert Cronin - Associate Principal
Paul Brittan
Carl David Hall

PICCOLO
Carl David Hall

OBOE
Jonathan Dlouhy - Principal
Yvonne Powers Peterson - Associate Principal
Deborah Workman
Patrick McFarland

ENGLISH HORN
Patrick McFarland

CLARINET
Laura Ardan - Principal
Ted Gurch - Associate Principal
William Rappaport
Douglas Smith

E-FLAT CLARINET
Ted Gurch

BASS CLARINET
Douglas Smith

BASSOON
Carl Nitchie - Principal
Elizabeth Burkhardt - Associate Principal
Z. Mark Smith
Juan de Gomar

CONTRABASSOON
Juan de Gomar

HORN
Brice Andrus - Principal
Susan Welty - Associate Principal
Thomas Witte
Richard Deane
Bruce Kenney

TRUMPET
Christopher Martin - Principal
Mark Hughes - Associate Principal
Joseph Walthall
Michael Tiscione

TROMBONE
Colin Williams - Principal
Stephen Wilson
Donald Wells

BASS TROMBONE
Donald Wells

TUBA
Michael Moore - Principal

TIMPANI
Mark Yancich - Principal
William Wilder - Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION
Thomas Sherwood - Principal
William Wilder - Assistant Principal
Charles Settle

HARP
Elisabeth Remy - Principal

KEYBOARD
Peter Marshall
Beverly Gilbert
Sharon Berenson

LIBRARY
Robert O'Brien - Principal
Steven Sherrill - Assistant
Frank Walton
John Wildermuth

Information about orchestra taken from www.atlantasymphony.org
For reviews of this CD, click this

Stacey Erin Sands- Senior Voice Recital

2004-11-07T21:17:00.000-05:00
Sarah Harive Presents
Stacey Erin Sands, Soprano
With
Marilyn Libbin, Piano

1. Introduction
2. A Simple Song from Mass- Leonard Bernstein
3. O del mio dolce ardor- Christoph Willibald von Gluck
4. Porgi, amor from Le Nozze di Figaro- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
5. Ach, ich fü hl’s from Die Zauberflöte- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
6. Gretchen am Spinnrade- Franz Schubert
7. Beau Soir- Claude Debussy
8. Après un rêve- Gabriel Fauré
9. Green Finch and Linnet Bird from Sweeny Todd- Stephen Sondheim
10. American Lullaby- Gladys Rich
11. My Funny Valentine from Babes in Arms- Richard Rodgers
12. Monica’s Waltz from The Medium- Gian Carlo Menotti
13. Art is Calling for Me from The Enchantress -Victor Herbert

O del mio dolce ardor
O my sweet ardor, desired object,
The breezes which you breathe, at last I breathe
Wherever I glance I see your lovely features
Love, in dreams I hold you, my thoughts imagine you
I happily hope and in the longing which fills my bosom
I seek you, I call you, I hope and I sigh.
Porgi, amor
Grant, love, some relief to my sorrow, to my sighing!
Either give me back my beloved or just let me die!
Ach, ich fü hl’s
Ah I feel it; it has vanished- forever gone,
the happiness of love!
Never will you, blissful hours, come back again to my heart.
See, Tamino, these tears flow, beloved one, for you alone.
If you do not feel the longing of love,
then peace will come to me in death.
Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel)
My peace is gone, my heart is heavy;
it is finished forever and ever more.
Where he is not, I feel the grave, the entire world is soundless. I’ve lost my head, and my sense is gone.
I only go to the window to look for him.
I only leave the house to see him.
The way he walks, his noble face, his forceful eyes, his speech like an enchanted river, his hand in mine, and oh his kiss!
I long for him. Alas if I could grasp him and hold him.
And die with a kiss.
Oh if he could hold me. I could die with a kiss.
Beau Soir (Beautiful Evening)
When at sunset the rivers are rose tinted
And a warm breeze shivers across the wheat fields
A suggestion to be happy seem to emanates from all things
And rises toward the troubled heart.
A suggestion to savor the pleasure of being alive
While one is young and the evening is beautiful.
For we shall all go as the wave goes to sea, we go to the tomb.
Aprè s un rê ve (After a Dream)
In a sleep charmed by your image
I dreamed of happiness, a beautiful picture.
Your eyes were very soft
Your voice, pure and rich.
You were as radiant as a sky lit by the dawn.
You called me and I left the earth
to flee with you towards the light .
The heavens parted their clouds for us,
Splendors unknown, glimpses of divine light…
Alas, alas, sad awakening from dreams
I call to you, o night, give me back your illusions.
Return, return, in radiance, return, o night mysterious!

This recital was recorded live at Lakeside Presbyterian Church April 30th, 2004. I am very proud of this CD but I know I still have a long way to go in my artistic development.
Now for a few special thanks.

Mom and Dad you are amazing for all the years of driving me to and from rehearsals, lessons, concerts, and for spending huge amounts of money on lessons, instruments, music and whatever else I’ve needed along my journey. But thank you most of all for the support. You have always been there for me and assured me that I can do anything that I put my mind to. Thank you.

Sarah Harvie, you are an amazing teacher. Thank you for always pushing me to be my best. I will always have a special place in my heart for you.

My family, church family, teachers and friends, you have helped me to grow and become what I am today. Thank you all.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

2004-11-07T20:09:00.000-05:00
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany and baptized December 17, 1770. He had music published by the time he was twelve. In his late teens, he studied with Haydn, Schenk, Albrechtsberger, and Salieri. During this early period, he composed most brilliantly on his own instrument, piano sonatas and concertos, the first two symphonies and six string quartets. It was around this point in his life, where Beethoven learned that his hearing impairment was incurable and that it was bound to worsen. He was very depressed for a long time but over came this. In this middle period, he wrote pieces such as Symphonies 6-8, a few more piano concertos, sonatas and chamber works. After this period (around 1812), he was also severely depressed from his deafness but came out of this as well to write his more prolific music. His later period included seven piano sonatas, Symphony No. 9 and some operas in which the public was amazed. He died in early 1827 after receiving enormous public recognition as a composer, the first composer of his time to have this honor.

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
The Concertgebouw Orchestra began in 1888 and soon became one of the most established orchestras in Europe. In 1988 it received the Royal title. Today, the orchestra includes 120 of the best musicians from around the globe. Strauss, Mahler, Debussy, and Stravinski have all conducted the orchestra and other virtuosities like Bartók and Rachmaninoff have performed their works with the orchestra.

Pinchas Zukerman
Pinchas Zuckerman has been a recognized artist for over forty years. He was born in Tel Aviv in 1948. These days, he is working as the Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. (www.pittsburghsymphony.org) He plays with the premier orchestras of the day. For more information go to http://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/pghsymph.nsf/bios/Pinchas+Zukerman

Alfred Brendel
Alfred Brendel was born and grew up in Yugoslavia and Austria. He is currently living in London and has been since 1972. Apart from playing the piano, he writes poetry and essays in German, his native language. He is very well known for his interpretation of certain composers especially Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart and Liszt.

Claudio Arrau
Claudio Arrau was born in 1903. He grew up in Chile and was recognized as a prodigy from very early in his life. He had his Carnegie Hall debut when he was 20 years old on October 20, 1923. He had 30 dates in the United States that year and only played five of them. He played again at Carnegie Hall in 1941 and this time he said he felt “ready and mature.” The hall was completely full. One of the best reviews he has received was from the London Sunday Times: “One regards him as a sort of miracle; the piano is the most machinelike of instruments except the organ - all those rods, levers, little felt pads, wires, no intimate subtle human connection with it by breath, tongueing, or the string player's direct engagement with speaking vibrations. But Arrau makes it live, like God teaching Adam on Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel roof; liquid, mysterious, profound, alive.”

::THIS JUST IN::
O.K. Ya'll are right. the pieces on the CD are as follows:
1.) Symphony No. 5 1. Allegro con brio
2.) Violin Romanze No. 2 in F major
3.) Bagatelle in A minor "Fur Elise"
4.) Overture No. 3
5.) Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight Sonata) 1. Adagio Sustenuto
6.) Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral"
7.) Sonata No. 8 2. Adagio cantabile
8.) Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major 3. Rondo

Corinne Webb: Senior Recital

2004-11-07T19:47:00.000-05:00
Program

“Allegro” from Horn Concerto No. 3 in Eb Major, K447……W.A. Mozart

French Horn - Corinne Webb

Piano - Sonja England

“Gardens in the Rain” from Estampes………………...…Claude Debussy

Piano - Corinne Webb

Sonata for Horn.…………………………...…..……….Paul Hindemith

French Horn - Corinne Webb

Piano - Sonja England

“The Wanderer” from Songs without Words…………....Felix Mendelssohn

Piano - Corinne Webb

Excursions, No. 1, Op 20 ………...…………...………….Samuel Barber

Piano - Corinne Webb

Trio for Brass …………………………P. Koepke, P. Hall, V. Barvinsky

I. Prelude II. Winter III. A Light Rain

French Horn - Corinne Webb

Trombone - Andrea Webb

Trumpet - William Webb

The All-American Hometown Band….…………..Walter and Carol Noona

Piano - Corinne Webb

Piano - Andrea Webb

Claude Achille Debussy (1862-1918), arguably the most influential Impressionistic composer of his time, started his piano career at the age of nine. He was trained at the Paris Conservatoire and it was there that he quickly became frustrated with piano performance and decided to pursue composition. He married Rosalie Texier, but within ten years, left her and married Emma Bardac in 1908. The next year, he found out that he had cancer. Also complicating his life was World War I, dying on March 25, 1918 as the German artillery marched into Paris.
Much of his work was inspired by the impressionistic visual artists and poets of his time. In fact, one of his most well-known works, L’apres-midi d’un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of the Faun), was inspired by his close friend and impressionistic poet, Stephane Mellarme. Also, the works of Wagner inspired him greatly, however he rejected the works of other Wagner-inspired composers such as Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss, preferring “simpler” ideas. He also did not believe that music should or could be formally analyzed through a set criteria. He stated, “There is no theory. You have only to listen. Pleasure is the law.”
Jardins sous la pluie (Gardens in the Rain), one of Debussy’s numerous works for solo piano, was written in 1903. He felt inspired to write Gardens in the Rain after attending The Paris Exhibition in 1889, where he heard oriental music. After attending the Paris Exhibition in 1889, he felt inspired to write a collection of movements from this exposure to new international music. Although Gardens in the Rain Gardens in the Rain is part of the Estampes collection, the last of which is Gardens in the Rain in this collection.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was one of the most well-known musicians of his time throughout Europe and still is recognized as one of the leaders of the Classical music era. A child prodigy, he started composing at the age of five. By the age of three, when most are still learning to speak a language. Mozart was able to pick up tunes by ear and play them back on piano. His father and an accomplished musician himself, Leopold Mozart, immediately realized his son’s musical genius. At the age of seven, Leopold Mozart hoped to profit from his son’s talents and took him on a tour of Europe, playing for the courts in Paris and London among other places. He and his father had a very unique and somewhat unhealthy relationship. Wolfgang resented the amount of control that his father had over his childhook, yet he was the person that he grew up closest to while touring Europe as a young child.
Mozart, having been deprived of any and every part of a normal childhood, never seemed to outgrow his child-like behavior throughout his adult life. Although he was widely known as one of the most talented musicians in Europe, his lack of tact often kept him from attaining the highest paying jobs that he yearned for. Throughout the beginning of his adult life, Mozart lived in many different cities including Salzburg and Munich, however none of these cities were large enough for a man of his talent. He eventually moved to Vienna and lived there for the remainder of his life. His cause of death was a high fever, probably scarlet fever, and no poison as rumor would have it. He ironically left one of his largest works for the church, his Requiem, unfinished upon his death. He was buried outside Vienna in an unmarked grave.
Mozart’s Concerto No. 3, Mvt. 1 was written in 1783. Four out of the five works that Mozart wrote for horn were written for his friend and well-known horn virtuoso, Ignaz Joseph Leutgeb. Leutgeb, was then a part of the Archbishop’s orchestra in Salzburg before moving to Vienna. Although Mozart’s Concerto No. 3 was not specifically written to be played by Leutgeb, historians find no reason not to believe that it was not written for him as all of the others were.

Paul Hindemith (1895-1963), a native to Germany, is a highly-regarded composer, conductor, violist, educator, and theoretician of 20th century music.
In addition to music, he also had interests in medieval philosophy and early church documents. He was able to play of the modern instruments to some extent, but was known as one of the most accomplished violists of his time. He did not stop at playing all of the instruments and he eventually wrote concerti for all of the instruments that he was able to play. Apparent in all of his music is the influence of Bach, even writing a collection of pieces in which he refers directly to Bach’s
Brandenburg.
The sonata for Horn was written by Hindemith in 1939. He piece has been recorded by many people including a duo by Mason Jones on horn and Glenn Gould on piano. Hindemith, who was known for writing piano accompaniments that challenged even the best, certainly made no exception in this sonata. The piano part combines complex rhythmic pattern, changing time signatures, and unusual chords to the point where the prominence of the piano turns this horn sonata into a duet for piano and horn.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), a native of Berlin, was an accomplished pianist by the age of nine and had written symphonies, concertos, and sonatas by the time that he was thirteen. The member of his family, who were for the most part in bankers, were all moderately well-off and were great supporters of the artistic and intellectual community. Due to his family’s wealth, he did not suffer from the financial difficulties that so many other musicians of his time were forced to cope with, and was therefore able to concentrate on his music making. He was able to have a relatively normal life with a wife and five children despite the fact that he was a musician. He was greatly influenced by the works of Bach, Handel, Mozart and Beethoven. At the age of just 20, he was a recognized conductor of a professional orchestra and he went on to found the Leipzig Conservatory at the age of thirty-three. At the age of 38, he died suddenly of a stroke.
All of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words were originally published without titles at the Mendelssohn’s request. He felt that the pieces that he wrote did not necessarily have to be “programmatic” in nature and therefore wrote them without lyrics or titles. Publishers have since placed titles on many of them, such as “The Wanderer,” in order to help with identification.

Samuel Barber (1910-1981) was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, were he managed to write his own compositions by the time that he was eight. Soon following that, he made an attempt to write his first opera by the time that he was ten. He studied composition, piano, and voice at the Curtis Institute by the time he was fourteen. He won many prizes within his lifetime, including two pulizers. He also won the American Academy’s Prix de Rome, which allowed him to study in Rome. Trained in the European classical style of the Curtis Institute where he obtained so much of his education, his music often seems to oscillate between the European influence and his own “American” ideas. It was at Curtis that he met Gian Carlo Menotti who he later moved in with after leaving Curtis as a professor. Probably his most famous work would be his Adagio for Strings.
Excursions is an example of Samuel Barber’s synthesis of his European training and his fascination with “American” ideas. Each one of his three movements is based on a regional idiom from the US. Each of the movements is also based on a local instrument from each of the regions. The first of Barber’s Excursions is based on the jazz rhythms of the south.

Paul Koepke is known for brass arranging of many types. One of his most familiar works is Prelude and Fanfaronade, is arranged for trombone and piano.

Percy Hall is a composer, conductor, and arranger. He is currently the conductor of the Mansfield Symphony Youth Strings. He attended the University of Maryland and then joined an Army band. He then joined Westminster College where he received his music education degree. He also performs with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra.

Walter and Carol Noona are a married piano duo who have written numerous piano duets and ensembles. Walter studied at East Carolina University. He has been a finalist in the Steinway Centennial competition. He also is an orchestral conductor and has made guest conducting appearances with numerous major orchestras such as the Pittsburg Symphony and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Carol studied at the American Conservatory of Music and has taught piano since the age of fourteen. She is also interested in theory and pedagogy. Currently, they live together in Virginia and they have performed together at numerous workshops.

Corinne Webb has been playing the French horn for 6 years. She graduated from Edina Public Schools in 2004 and is currently attending DePauw University, studying with Robert Danforth. She studied with Ellen Smith of the Minnesota Orchestra and with Kathleen Van Doeren throughout high school. She has been a part of many ensembles including the Minnesota All-State Concert Band, Great Lakes Ambassadors of Music European Tour band, the Interlochen Arts Camp Symphonic Band, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Orchestra Symphony and numerous college honor bands. She has attended many festivals and camps such as the Bands of America summer music program, the Interlochen Arts Camp, the Kendall Betts Horn Camp, and the St. Olaf College Summer Music Program.

Sonya England is a resident of Edina, Minnesota, Sonya England has been musically active in the community for many years. She has taught in public schools and she quite successfully ran her studio in Edina for many years as a private piano teacher. Since retiring, she now solely accompanies students around the Twin Cities area. She was an accompanist for the Interlochen Arts Camp for about a decade. She graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minnesota with degrees in piano performance and education. She lives with her husband, John England, who is a professional trombonist and studio teacher in their home in Edina. Her two daughters, Karna and Elizabeth, both graduated from Edina High School and attended the New England Conservatory on trombone and oboe, respectively.

William Webb has been the director of bands at Edina High School since 1987. He is well-known as a conductor, educator, performer, and leader in music education. He was the president of the Minnesota Band Directors Association (MBDA). For the past 15 years, he has been the associate conductor of the Minnesota Symphonic Winds which is now directed by Timothy Mahr. Mr. Webb is past president of the Phi Beta Mu professional music fraternity and has served on the VanderCook College Alumni Board of Directors. He has been active in the Minnesota State High School League and has served on many selection committees for it. He has been involved in numerous groups that include the Music Educator’s National Conference, the National Band Association, Minnesota Music Educator’s Association, Minnesota Band Director’s Association, and the International Association of Jazz Educators. William Webb is a native of St. Paul, Minnesota and currently lives in Edina, Minnesota.

Andrea Webb is currently a senior at Edina High School (EHS). She has been involved in many activities within the school and in the arts. She is a leader for the “Transition Team” at EHS for the incoming sophomores and also is a leader for both fifth and ninth graders throughout the district. She is the captain of the top danceline and has been dancing for ten years. She is also a teacher’s assitant three of the lines at the studio. She is also heavily involved in music as a trombone student and piano player. She has gone on a Minnesota-based tour group to Europe for band and she will be traveling to California in January of 2005 to play in the BOA All-American National Honor Marching Band for the Rose Bowl Parade. She has also was selected and participated in the Minnesota All-State Symphonic Band for 2004. She is currently looking at attending Northwestern University, Duke University, St. Olaf College, Univeristy of Minnesota-Twin Cities, or the University of Wisconsin-Madison beginning next fall.

Juan Diego Florez-Rossini Arias

2004-11-07T19:33:00.000-05:00

Rossini:

Rossini was the king of Italian opera in the early 1800s. He wrote a grand total of 39 operas in his lifetime. His operas were for the most part comedic. Two of Rossini's most famous comedic operas are represented on this CD: Il Italiana in Algieri and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Others include an original rendition of "Ah Dove il cimento" from Semiramide and Rodrigo's angry speech to Iago from Otello. Sadly, most of Rossini's operas still have not been revived and brought back into the standard repertoire. This is largely due to the technical demand Rossini places on opera singers. Few singers have the brilliance and technical ability to handle the almost constant coloratura of a Rossini role. This burden is especially heavy on Tenors. All of the arias included on this CD lie in insane tessituras and require absolutely flawless agility. However, tenors such as the one on this recording are helping to bring back what was once thought a dying genre of opera.

Juan Diego Florez: :

The young Peruvian tenor featured on this CD has sung from a very young age. He began his musical studies at age 17 in the Peruvian National Conservatory. From there, Florez went on to study at Curtis and later under the tutelage of Ernesto Palacio. Florez is a tenor leggiero in every sense of the term. His voice is light and wonderfully agile. He handles the ridiculous tessituras and runs placed on tenors by the Bel Canto composers with ease. Only 32, Florez has already performed at La Scala, The Met, and the Vienna Staatsoper to name a few. Florez has received critical praise for both his technical polish and his simple yet genuine acting.

Aria 1: "Ah dov'e, dov'e il cimento"-Semiramide
This song is sung by the character Idreno in the opera Semiramide. He is about to enter a competition to win the love of Semiramide. This aria is perhaps the most challenging on the CD. It has Two High Ds. Yikes!

Aria 2: "Che Ascolto"-Otello
This aria is from Rossini's opera Otello based on the famous Shakespeare play Othello. This aria is sung by Rodrigo to Iago. Florez does an excellent job of this aria as well although it isn't as impressive as the first aria on the CD.

Aria 3: "Cessa di Piu resistere"-Il Barbiere di Siviglia
This aria is from the famous Il Barbiere di Siviglia, or as it is know in English, The Barber of Seville. Traditionally, this aria is cut from the opera because of its intensely challenging coloratura passages which Florez handled with ease.

Aria 4: "Vieni Fra queste braccia"-La gazza Ladra
This aria is also very challenging to negotiate, especially the second section which crosses over the passagio almost constantly. Florez does an excellent job of articulating every not in the second section. This aria is sung by the character Giannetto to his beloved Ninetta.

Aria 5: "Concedi, amor pietoso"-Il Italiana in Algieri
This delightful aria comes from the comedic Il Italiana in Algieri. It is sung by the character Lindoro. Although this aria lacks some of the technical brilliance of the others, it is quite challenging. Florez does an excellent job of singing an effortless High C at the end of the aria on a pure E vowel to boot!

Aria 6: "S'intessano agli allori...Terra amica"-Zelmira
This aria is sung by the character Ilo upon his return from war. He longs to see his wife and beloved son. I felt that of all the arias on this CD, that this was the least impressive. However, that is not saying much considering that it is still Rossini. Once again Florez did a fantastic job.

Aria 7: "Oh fiamma soave"-La Donna del lago
This particular aria adds a nice contrast to the rest of the CD. It is much slower and more languorous. Florez demostrates his ability to handle longer, sustained notes with ease and finesse.

Aria 8: "Si, ritrovarla io giuro"-La Cenerentola
With a simple translation, this opera's story suddenly becomes familiar: Cinderella. This aria is sung by the prince as he swears to find his beloved mystery woman. Only in this version, he finds a bracelet and not a glass slipper. This aria has lots of coloratura and makes an excellent closer for this CD. Florez does an excellent job of articulating every note, especially the last high C.

One Breath Closer To You...

2004-11-07T18:29:00.000-05:00
"ONE BREATH CLOSER TO YOU"- Rick Teepen

"One Breath Closer To You" was a single CD my dad made for all of our family. He wrote this CD after my grandfather (his dad) past away. My dad and his father were very close, as well as my grandpa was close to all of us grandkids. It was many months after his death that my dad told us about this CD. He then gave a CD to each one of our family members for Christmas in memory of my grandfather, Robert Teepen.
Rick Teepen, my dad, has had a passion for music since he was a kid. His parents never would let him have lessons as a kid, so he decided to teach himself. He would spend hours and hours working on piano/keyboard and singing. Although he can read music a little, for the most part he plays completely by ear. He has been involved and loved music since his childhood. He is currently the music ministry leader at our church and in charge of the praise band. He has also written two other CD's besides this one, including "Beacon - Rays of light" and "Feeling the Heat".

"One Breath Closer To You"

Written by: Rick Teepen - August 2001
Joe Auciello - Drums
Gary Campbell - Bass
Steve Witherbey - Acoustic and electric guitars
Connie Yoho - Vocals
Rick Teepen - Keyboards and vocals

Lyrics:
I remember the first time I saw him cry,
I couldn't have been more than two.
He just heard the news that his father had died,
There was nothing else he could do.
It was a special thing. It was a special think.

I remember the next time I saw him cry,
Broken nic nacs off a broken shelf.
Unplanned feelings he couldn't hide.
Tears not shed for himself.
It was a special thing. It was a special thing.

Now he's one breath closer to you.
A glimpse of heaven in view.
Now he's one step closer to you.
I'll savor the memories, till I get there too.

I remember the first time I cried out of fear,
A traumatic event facing me.
I cried out for help as I fought back the tears,
He was right by my side suddenly.
It was a special thing. It was a special thing.

I remember the first time I cried out of guilt,
The cruel things I said as a teen.
As a rebel, I destroyed all the bridges he built,
Two players on opposite teams.
It was a special thing. It was a special thing.

Now he's one breath closer to you.
A glimpse of heaven in view.
Now he's one step closer to you.
I'll savor the memories till I get there too.

I remember the first time they saw me cry,
I knew it was one and the same.
I just heard the news that my father might die,
I needed their love and it came.
It was a special thing. It was a special thing.

I remember the first time I saw him cry,
From father to son, to a son.
Side by side with heads held high,
We knew a new life had begun.
It was a special thing. It was a special thing.

Now he's one breath closer to you.
A glimpse of heaven in view.
Now he's one step closer to you.
I'll savor the memories till I get there too.

Thank you...Joe, Gary, Steve, and Connie for your help and God given gifts
Thank you...God for giving Dad to me for fourty-three years

Duets! Performed by Martha and Chrissy Young

2004-11-07T16:22:00.000-05:00
Martha Beights Young has enjoyed singing ever since grade school at Holy Cross. She toured Europe as a choir and orchestra member with the performing group “Sounds of Hope” and has faithfully served in church choirs since 1977. “Martie” currently sings with the St. Paul’s Adult Choir, the “Schola Cantorum” at Concordia Seminary, the “Bach Collegium” choir and is a soloist on the Lutheran TV ministry program, “Worship for Shut-Ins.”

Chrissy Young from early on as a toddler was destined to be a singer. She possessed an incredible sense of pitch as she sang along with her lullaby tapes from her crib at night. It was just the beginning of her journey into the world of choirs, solo spots, and musicals. Chrissy is a 2004 graduate of CLHS and attends DePauw University where she is studying vocal performance. For two years Chrissy and I have had the joy and honor of singing together for Sunday worship services at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, entertaining the elderly in nursing homes and supporting each other in our endeavor of serving our Lord.

The King of Love – Felix Mendelssohn, This duet is based on the familiar hymn in the blue hymnal by Felix Mendelssohn. In 1961, Carl Fredrickson arranged this hymn into a beautiful duet that we sing on Good Shepherd Sunday (second Sunday in May) every year at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

The Peace of God – John Rutter, Rutter is an English composer still alive today. He wrote this piece as a benediction to be sung at the end of a church service or at a wedding. We have performed this piece at many weddings and also during church.

Pie Jesu – Andrew Lloyd Webber, Webber is another English composer still alive today. Pie Jesu is the best known song from his Requiem and even made it to Britain’s Top Ten. He wrote this Requiem Mass in memory of his father who played a very important role in his life. We have not performed this song in public because it is not appropriate in our church setting.

I waited for the Lord – Felix Mendelssohn, Another beautiful piece by Mendelssohn, this duet talks about how we wait for the Lord’s coming; he hears our complaints; but blessed are they who fear and trust in the Lord. We perform this duet on the last Sunday of the church year before Advent begins.

The Flower Duet – Leo Delibes, This duet comes from the opera Lakme by Delibes. It is supposed to be sung in French but we decided to sing it on an “ah” to show off the beauty of the piece.

God So Loved the World – John Stainer, This piece is based on the Bible verse John 3:16-17 and we sing it for church during the Lenten season. It is a beautiful duet written by yet another great English composer.

Laudate Dominum – W.A. Mozart, This duet comes from Mozart’s Vespers (Vesperae solennes de confessore K.339) and can be sung any time of the year for the church. Whether it be sung for weddings, concerts, or just during a church service, this piece is a very beautiful, versatile piece.

How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place – Joseph Haydn, This piece is usually sung around All Saints Day since the text talks about “thy dwelling place” in heaven and it makes a reference to the Beatitudes. It’s a really beautiful piece that intertwines the two voices.

Sanctus – Gabriel Faure, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. The heavens and earth are filled with thy glory. Hosanna in the highest” are the English words to Sanctus. It is a very lovely duet sung during the church year.

The Father’s Love – Simon Lole, This song is based on John 15 which talks about the commandments and loving one another. Chrissy sang this song with her junior choir in grade school so Martie and Chrissy decided to record it because they loved it so much.

God has certainly blessed us with the ability to make beautiful music! We treasure those times together and wanted to create this lasting memento of a few of our favorite duets to share with you. Enjoy!

CLARA HASKIL- SCHUMANN

2004-11-06T22:36:00.000-05:00
Clara Haskil (1895-1960)
Romanian pianist, Clara Haskil was born in Bucharest and lost her father at the age of four. Clara studied at the Bucharest Conservatory, and at age 12, at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1910, at age 15, she was awarded primier prix, playing before a jury consisting of Faurè, Moszkowski, Raoul Pugno, and Ricardo Viñes. Clara made her Wignore Hall début in 1951 and gave a series of recitals for the BBC. In 1957, she was made a Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur in belated recognition of the expressiveness of her playing. Although her career as a performer was very successful, Clara was tormented by self-doubt and dissatisfaction throughout her life. Clara Haskil- Schumann was recorded in 1951-1955.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Robert Schumann was born June 8, 1810 in Zwickau, Saxony. Even though his father was encouraged him to pursue his music, Robert's mother sent him to study law at Leipzig. But when it was obvious that he had no gift or desire for law and was only happy only making music, she agreed to let him train as a concert pianist. Thus, in 1828, at age 18, Robert began to study with Friedrich Wieck in Leipzig, where he met Wieck’s 9 year old daughter Clara, who was a marvelous pianist. In 1837, Robert and Clara decided to get married, but Clara’s father refused to let them. However, they got married regardless. Robert’s composing began in 1828, when he moved to Heidelberg. In 1854, Robert lived in a private asylum in Endenich until his death in July of 1856.

Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Robert composed Piano Concerto in A minor in 1941, late in his life. The third and fourth movements weren’t written until four years after the first two, when the deterioration of his physical and mental condition were predominant. Although Clara was the soloist whenever the piano concerto was performed, she confessed later that she did not like it.

Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Also referred to as “Scenes of Childhood”, Kinderszenen consists of 13 small pieces which were written in a period where Clara and Robert were apart. In a letter written to Clara, Robert writes: “you will enjoy them- though you will have to forget that you are a virtuoso”. The pieces in Kinderszenen are addressed to adults and are “reminiscences of a grown-up for grown-ups”, stated Robert. Kinderszenen was published in 1839 and has no dedication.

Waldszenen, Op. 82
Waldszenen, written in 1949 consists of 9 pieces for piano. Fighting in Dresden on May 3, 1849 forced Clara, who was pregnant at the time, and Robert out of their home. Waldszenen was finished before their banishment.

Variations on the Name ABEGG, Op. 1
Written in Heidelberg in 1830, the “Abeg” Variations and the Papillons were Robert’s first published piano pieces. The title, “Abeg” is significant in two ways. “Abeg” is the name of a family in Mannheim, which Schumann had known. The title also spells out a sequence of notes, which in a waltz tempo, create the theme in which the variations are based.

Works Cited
Daverio, John. “Robert Schumann”. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Ed. Stanley Sadie. 2nd ed. Vol. 22. New York: Macmillan, 2001.

Morrison, Bryce. “Clara Haskil”. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
Ed. Stanley Sadie. 2nd ed. Vol. 11. New York: Macmillan, 2001.

Taylor, Ronald. Robert Schumann: His Life and Work. Granada Publishing Limited,
1982.

GREAT ACTING....disapointing singing

2004-10-31T22:37:00.000-05:00
A critical review of the Met's 1982 Production of La Boheme

As a young classical singer I desire to learn as much as I can about Opera and the art of singing. One of the best ways of doing this is by listening and watching the great opera singers. Viewing the Metropolitan's 1982 Production of La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini on DVD is a great opportunity to increase a young singer's knowledge of the opera world. This video teaches a great amount about action on the opera stage as well as classic opera sets and costumes; however this video should not serve as a young singers guide for good vocal technique.
Act I begins in a rundown Parisian apartment. The set is beautiful. The group of Bohemians living there get their land-lord drunk in order to escape paying the rent. I felt that the Bohemians were a little too clean cut to appear as authentic impoverished Bohemians. Rodolfo (Jose Carreras) stays behind to work on his writing while his friends go out to celebrate Christmas Eve. Rodolfo hears a knock on the door and opens it to find Mimi (Teresa Stratas), a beautiful creature who asks if she can have a light for her candle. Rodolfo introduces himself with the aria "Che gelida manina." I was shocked to hear that Carreras had this aria transposed down a half step so it would be easier to sing. Even with the transposition he struggled on the high notes. Mimi then sings "Mi chimano Mimi." I was disappointed with Stratas' high notes as well, however she had some wonderful dynamics throughout. The Act ends with the duet between Mimi and Rodolfo "O soave fanciulla." Once again both singers' high notes were disappointing. Although they both lacked the vocal splendor I was hoping for, their acting was convincing and touching. I was truly convinced that Rodolfo was in love with Mimi and Mimi's frailty was almost frightening at times. However, I did feel that Stratas' desire to create a realistic deathly Mimi occasionally hindered her singing.
The huge ensemble cast filling the stage during Act II creates great excitement. Act II is set on the streets of Paris. The Bohemians are at a sidewalk cafe when Marcello's (Richard Stilwell) ex-girlfriend Musetta (Renata Scotto) shows up with her new sugar-daddy. Scotto's high notes in "Quando men vo," like many others in the cast, are a little too screechy and tight for my tastes, but Scotto's stage presence was wonderful. She portrays the attention craving Musetta with extreme ease. I got chills at the end of "Quando men vo" when the whole cast was singing. Overall, Act II was full of opulence, including a live horse walking across the stage. Puccini marvelously crafted together the street scene; he blended together the sounds of children chasing the toy vendor, Mimi and Rodolfo falling even more in love, Marcello and Musetta flirting , a military parade and the sounds of Parisians on the streets to create an extremely exhilarating second Act.
In contrast to the grandeur and colorfulness of the previous, Act III is haunting and subdued. Act III is set at a toll-gate on the edge of Paris. The audience discovers that Rodolfo has left Mimi partly due to his jealousy but mainly due to Mimi's deteriorating health. As the snow fell upon the increasingly frail Mimi, I felt that Stratas started to truly emerge as a singer. Her voice seemed to free and warm up. I really started to empathize with her character. Rodolfo and Mimi's duet "Dunque è proprio finita!" was both beautiful and heart-wrenching simultaneously. Act III is when the audience learns that Mimi is doomed. Marcello doesn't want to watch Mimi die, but they decide to try to stay together until spring. When Marcello and Musetta join in at the end of the Act, it shows a powerful contrast between the two couples.
By Act IV both Rodolfo and Marcello have lost their girlfriends. The Act opens in their apartment with both talking of their exs. The rest of their Bohemian buddies show up and they have a grand ole time dancing and joking around. Suddenly the mood changes when Musetta comes, helping along a dying Mimi. Knowing that she is about to die, Mimi requests to be taken to see Rodolfo. The slow pulsing chords in "Sono andati? Fingevo di dormire " echo a death march and thus foreshadows the tragic ending of the opera. Mimi and Rodolfo's last duet revisits many of the opera's earlier highlights. When Rodolfo realizes that Mimi has died he sings two haunting "Mimi's" and collapses on top of her. The ending scene always manages to make me cry.
Overall this is a great visual performance of La Boheme. The sets throughout are breath-taking and the director Kirk Browning did an amazing job with close-ups. Also, all of the singers are great actors. I would definitely recommend this DVD for anyone that would like to see the way Opera should look. However if wanting to hear wonderful singing, I'd tell you to look else where. For a great CD recording I recommend the Berlin Orchestra's recording with Pavarotti as Rodolfo and Freni as Mimi.

Barbara Pare & John Clodfelter..

2004-10-31T21:18:00.000-05:00
Voice Recital
Barbara Pare
Soprano
&
John Clodfelter
Piano

This recital had many shining moments and was very well done by both performers. The audience showed their appreciation by a standing ovation after Pare and Clodfelter walked off stage and back on for a second applause.
As the first song started, Pare kept her character from the very start to the very end of the piece (Giulio Cesare – Handel). Clodfelter’s piano playing was practically flawless throughout the entire concert. The piano really helped set the mood of the first song with great contrasting dynamics. Her acting really made the performance more enjoyable too. I noticed right from the beginning of this song that she felt very comfortable on stage, and had lots of experience. Throughout the whole performance you could see the preparation going on in her mind before the music even began for each song. The first song was very pretty and she had great diction and pronunciation throughout it. Also, at the middle or end of the song, both the piano and voice had a great contrast of mood, dynamics, and intensity. There was great intensity by both of them. It was really nice and noticeable that their outfits matched.
One thing that I did notice was that their bows at the beginning and end were not together. Before one song, Clodfelter bowed before Pare was even set on stage. I also noticed during a few of the songs, that Clodfelter was singing to himself. He was saying the words to himself and you could tell if you watched his mouth. Another thing I found distracting was when she would use music for certain songs. I felt like she wasn’t acting out the songs near as much when she used music. When the music wasn’t there I really enjoyed her acting along with the singing. Her voice was beautiful, and I could have listened to her for another hour or longer! Jon Clodfelter’s piano playing was incredible. They really worked/performed very well together. They both had very good control through all of the pieces.
In the second act, I noticed again that using the music was distracting. She would look out to the audience and you would really feel the music, and then it would be gone when she would look away and back down at the music. During the 3rd song (Bunte Lieder, Op.2 – Szymanowski), together they were perfect on the breaks/rests and all of her jumps from high to low notes were very smooth and well done. Also, at the end of the song there was a great fade to nothing at the end, which was very musical and pleasant. In the next song, the music was gone, and she was in character throughout the entire piece. It was incredible to listen to her, and I really noticed her big voice in this piece. The next two pieces really showed how amazing both of their technique is. Also, you could really understand the words throughout the next piece.
The last piece of the performance(The Pocketbook – Cipullo) was really enjoyable, and from the reactions was many people’s favorite. Both performers did a great job of controlling the piece, and not letting it get to crazy. It was very funny to see, and when Clodfelter sang out in the middle of the piece the audience was hysterical! They were both very confident with the piece and I really enjoyed them interacting with each other throughout the piece. Overall, this was a great performance and I really enjoyed seeing/hearing it. It was very worth my time and a pleasure to be there!

The Guarneri String Quartet: "Has No Superior on the World's Stages" -The New York Times

2004-10-31T19:15:00.000-05:00
You know it is going to be a good concert if the first violin walks out with a polka dot tie. Just when you think life can’t get any better than trendy polka dot ties, a concert like this follows. The Miami Herald pretty much summed up all of my thoughts when they said, “Some things, like the Guarneri, are as good as it gets.” It is quite obvious that they have been together for quite sometime, for they are almost able to communicate solely through their music. At times, a reassuring gesture or glance could be caught, but it was as if they knew every next move of the other three.

Looking at their remarkable bios, all four members have studied with professors of the Curtis Institute of Music, arguably the most prestigious music school in the country. In addition to their successful careers with the Guarneri String Quartet, the members’ bios boast of performances with the highly regarded Beaux Arts Trio, professorships at top conservatories, and soloists with countless major orchestras around the world. At the end of a few of the musicians’ bios, he state the make of the instrument he plays, almost as if it is just as vital a part of his music-making as his education or previous experiences.

They started off their anything but “Bb” performance with Mozart’s String Quartet No. 22 in B-flat (no pun intended). The piece, written in a time of financial difficulty for Mozart in 1789, gave him a small amount of much needed money through a commission by the king of Prussia. The king, Frederick William, was himself a cellist and probably was the reason that Mozart placed an unusal amount of emphasis on this instrument that is all too often just used as a bass voice in the quartet setting. Within a couple minutes of the start of the piece, the cello’s prominence is first seen in a violin and cello duet followed by a relatively extensive solo.

A skip ahead of one hundred and fifty years in music, Richard Danielpour’s String Quartet No.5, which was made possible in part by a co-commission by DePauw, provided the much-needed contrast from the Mozart. Possibly the most exceptional part of the performance of this piece was the almost intuitive sense of balance that these musicians produce in their quartet while maintaining a healthy, full sound. In a piece that could easily become chaotic and nothing but rhythmic motifs, they definitely mastered the art of finding the melodic interest in the piece. The soloist was never covered despite the often technically difficult accompaniments as they seamlessly passed the melody between themselves.

Despite the seemingly endless intermission that pushed twenty minutes during which I had way too much time to visit the restroom…twice, Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major was definitely worth the wait. If you made a list of the all that was absolutely brilliant about Ravel’s writing – the sweet, yet heart-wrenching harmonies, the melodies that seem to simply float above the accompaniments, the countermelodies that often rightfully so supersede the melodic line in interest, Ravel’s instinctual awareness of the balance between the instruments, his understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each instrument – it was all wrapped up in this one, four movement piece. Granted I would have enjoyed this piece had it been played by a middle school group, however, the quartet’s musicianship and execution made this an absolute delight to listen to. It was the highlight of my night. You know it was a good concert when you come out giddy and with an inextinguishable urge to practice.

Besides the intermission that lasted looked as if it would last longer than the entire second half of the concert, I didn’t have too many complaints. I think that Thompson Recital Hall would have acoustically served this small ensemble better than Kresge Auditorium. At some points, their sounds seemed to get lost in the large room and it just didn’t have the resonance that Thompson would have more readily provided for them. Visually, you could tell that the amount of sound they were putting out just didn’t match the smaller sound that was heard out in the audience. I think that the occasional lack of full sound, especially in the top violin voice, and the occasional intonation problem was partly due to this hinderance. Although the ensemble would have been better suited in Thompson, I understand the number of people wishing to attend forced them hold the concert in Kresge.

Quarneri Quartet, a musical feast

2004-10-31T19:05:00.000-05:00
The Guarneri string quartet is a world famous performing string group. They are made up of violinists Arnold Steinhardt and John Dalley; violist Michael Tree, and cellist Peter Wiley. The chose to perform three contrasting quartets: a classical Mozart quartet, a late Romantic Ravel quartet, and a contemporary Danielpour quartet.
The Mozart quartet was surprisingly the weakest piece in the entire program. There were several moments where intonation was questionable, and I felt that the ensemble was not as together as they could have been for this piece. At times the balance seemed a little off as well. However, the tonal quality of all players was still excellent for this piece, and as the quartet progressed the musicians recovered nicely from their questionable moments. Especially good was the final movement of this quartet. The players seemed to really find themselves by this moment. My favorite parts of this quartet were the cello moments. In my opinion he was the man of the hour or at least the man of this quartet. His tonal production was fabulous, however, even during his solo moments, he never overpowered the rest of the quartet. There are always dangers when performing something as familiar as a Mozart piece. Mozart leaves the performer naked to the audience in many respects because of the simple elegance of his composition style. Perhaps the flaws of this performance would not have been apparent if the composer had been a less familiar one.
The next piece on the program was a contemporary quartet by Richard Danielpour. This quartet was the strongest for the Guarneri quartet. The ensemble felt far more together than during the Mozart quartet. The balance of the parts was fantastic, and the overall intonation lacked the glitches apparent in the first quartet. I felt that the first violinist really stole the show during this piece. His pianissimo highs were absolutely ravishing! His control was flawless. The ensemble as a whole exhibited fantastic contrast during this piece both dynamically and musically. The piece itself had very atonal moments all the way to some moments that were reminiscently romantic or classical. In conclusion I felt that the quartet itself connected better to this piece than they did to the Mozart quartet.
The final piece on the program was a Ravel quartet. This piece bridged the gap between the ultra modern Danielpour piece and the very classical Mozart quartet. This piece really drew in the audience more than the other two perhaps because it had the best elements of both quartets. The problem with the Danielpour quartet was the atonality that doesn’t always sit easily with audiences since it makes it harder to detect the overall direction in which a piece is moving. The problem with the Mozart concerto was its austere simplicity. The Ravel quartet combined the beautiful melodic moments with fire and passion seen in the Danielpour quartet. This combination made for an absolute show stopper. I felt that the playing while fabulous wasn’t quite as good as it was during the Danielpour quartet. Again there were the same balance problems. At times it was very difficult to hear the inner parts. However, all things considered, this piece was a dynamite performance for the quartet.
The Quarneri quartet is not overrated in any way. Their musical expression was fabulous. Their overall togetherness, though shaky at times, was quite good. I especially enjoyed the vastly contrasting repertoire of this performance. The pieces themselves really showed off the full dynamic and tonal ranges of the quartet.

Paré and Clodfelter

2004-10-30T18:38:00.000-05:00
The performance of Barbara Paré and John Clodfelter was certainly one of diligent preparation. These two performers have been working together for over four years in different competitions around the nation and also have received many awards and accomplishments individually.
Paré received her Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from the Florida State University. She has past experience singing throughout the country with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, the Cincinnati Opera Summer Festival, the Des Moines Metro Opera, and Opera Iowa. She has also been a soloist for the Cincinnati Ballet.
Clodfelter graduated from DePauw University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Music. He also studied in Vienna with Hans Graf. He recently began his graduate studies at Indiana University. Clodfelter focuses his time and energy into vocal coaching and chamber music.
Paré and Clodfelter performed a large variety of songs. Some of these foreign works included from Giulio Cesare, Sieben Frűhe Lieder, and from Bunte Lieder. English pieces included "The Lament of Ian the Proud," "The "Astronomers," "Winter" from Six Elizabethan Songs , "Baby, Baby," and "The Pocketbook" from How to Get Heat Without Fire.
My first impression of the two performers as they walked onstage were quite favorable. They were dressed to match- red and black, and took their places on stage with the ease and confidence that marks professional performers. I must also note here, that this performance was a bit difficult for me to review, simply because I don’t have a particular affinity for opera music.This first impression, therefore, meant a lot.
The first thing I noticed during the performance, was that Paré was very good at portraying and keeping her character. She didn’t just sing the words, as many, even professional vocalists do. When she sang "Mountains silvery as in a dream loom large, silver paths of silver light into the valley from the hidden bosom…" even though this was in a German, a language in which I am not completely fluent, I could truly visualize the silvery mountains by the pure sound of her voice. The second thing I noticed was that the dynamics Paré used where relatively unfavorable. There were many sudden changes, from piano to fortissimo, but there was nothing leading one to the other. Personally, I prefer being led between dramatic dynamical changes. I feel that this adds to the intensity.
During this first half, I especially enjoyed Nacht the first part of the Sieben Frűhe Lieder. The piano part was very spooky and I thought Clodfelter did an amazing job introducing the piece. Paré’s voice came in and perfectly complimented and melded with the haunting piano melodies. She sang with immense but quiet power at some parts, and then her voice would explode into intense energy, soaring above the piano.
The second half of the performance, I enjoyed a lot more. In some of the pieces, including "The Lament of Ian the Proud," and "Winter" the words were hard to understand because of the register and speed at which they were sung, respectively. I really noticed in this part of the performance, that along with Paré being able to protray character very well, she was also able to change character easily. She moved from singing Handel and Berg into a lullaby by Bowles and then ended the performance with a bang, singing "The Pocketbook." This piece added humor and was a nice change.
Overall, the performance was very well prepared for. I believe that if the pieces were more diverse, it had the potential to be even more entertaining. The performance by Barbara Pare and John Clodfelter, was one I am glad I didn’t miss.

Perfect Collaboration

2004-10-30T16:45:00.000-05:00
Wednesday, October 27, 2004 was a night portraying perfect collaboration between two musicians as soprano, Barbara Paré teamed up with pianist John Clodfelter once again. Working as a singer/pianist team for four years, it was obvious from their perfectly matching elegant attire to their bows they were in sync.
Wednesday night’s program was filled with a variety of styles and languages. The beginning of the program was dramatic and set the mood with Non disperar, chi sa? from Giulio Cesare by Handel and ended in a humorous note with How To Get Heat Without Fire from The Pocketbook by Tom Cipullo. Works by Paul Bowles, Alban Berg, and Richard Hundley were also heard throughout the evening.
Both Paré and Clodfelter portrayed engaging facial expressions and played/sung with heaps of emotion. Also, they both changed moods splendidly between pieces. Paré’s tibre was consistent through the whole concert and her beautiful voice resonated throughout the room. However, it was shocking to me that music was used by Paré in a few of the pieces as it was distracting, unprofessional, and took away from her character at times. Clodfelter’s parts on the piano were very intricate and he surprised the audience in the final piece with some singing. From beginning to end, the audience was drawn in by the connection between Paré and Clodfelter and the enjoyable program they offered.

Concert Review

2004-10-29T14:52:00.000-05:00
Walking out onto the stage in their striking red and black attire, John Clodfelter(pianist) and Barbara Paré (soprano) start out their performance on a high note (no pun intended). Beginning the program, pieces from Giulio Cesare by George Frideric Handel(1685-1759) come alive. Paré, staying in her character through the long introduction, uses many hand gestures and facial expressions to portray the feeling of the songs. Non disperar, chi sa? is an aria about Cleopatra, who is vying with her brother for control of the throne, when she learns of Pompey’s assassination from Nirenus, her advisor. She decides to woo Caesar in order to gain his help. Ptolemy, aware of his sister’s ambition, derides her. Cleopatra sings this aria to her unattractive brother and leaves. The only thing I have a hard time figuring out in this song is the pitch when Paré hits the really high notes. I feel like her vibrato is overpowering the exact value of the pitch.

Piangerò la sorte mia, the second aria in this set, is when Cleopatra has been taken prisoner by Ptolemy’s soldiers and is told that Caesar is dead. She sings this expressive aria mourning her losses in contrasting passages of dignified resignation and unbridled fury. Paré, contrasting the two pieces very well, shows lots of expressiveness in her face and gestures. She doesn’t lose her composure at all. I do like, however, when she doesn’t use such a strong vibrato because it makes the sound purer. This piece has a lot of melismas, or runs, throughout, and the thing I notice is she braces the piano so she can get through them in one breath. It’s not really a bad thing to do, I guess it’s just a matter of personal opinion.

The second set of songs, Sieben Frühe Lieder, by Alan Berg, take on a new flavor. In my opinion, they are very bizarre pieces; very contemporary sounding. The notes seem to be all over the place with no real pattern. The set consists of seven songs, so it is rather lengthy both for Paré and for the audience. She does portray each song differently, however, with different facial expressions and hand gestures. Her diction is amazing. You can definitely tell she pays attention to detail in all aspects.

After a brief pause in the program, Paré and Clodfelter return to the stage for the second half of the recital. This half is my favorite because of the song selections. These songs aren’t nearly as serious, and I think she has more fun with these because they aren’t as taxing. I have two favorites, Baby, Baby, by Paul Bowles which sounds like a lullaby, and from How To Get Heat Without Fire, “The Pocketbook”, by Tom Cipullo. In this song she really shows off her humor, and Clodfelter even gets to take the limelight a few times in this song. Overall, I think she did a fabulous job with preparation and performance. Paré and Clodfelter certainly work well together and I saw it in their performances.

Beat out on that rhythm on the........hubcap?

2004-10-29T14:23:00.000-05:00
Review for “Stomp Out Loud”

Is food musical? Can regular household items become full of life with bountiful rhythms? What about scrap metal, can it be a musical instrument? Do keys, basketballs, and brooms have the potential to rival the triangle, timpani and glockenspiel? After seeing Stomp Out Loud I believe that you can make music with everything and the kitchen sink.

The DVD Stomp Out Loud is one that I enjoyed greatly. The special features in the beginning are one aspect that makes this DVD so enjoyable. In the special features there are six categories: general information and timeline, directors and cast, photo gallery, filmography, making of Stomp Out Loud, and awards. You should check out these special features, because they give you an excellent history of Stomp and some of its predecessors. Though there are not many pictures in the photo gallery and the cast does not have their biographies posted, I truly enjoyed viewing the special features that were on this DVD.

After seeing the many great accomplishments and awards this show has earned, I was ready to watch the actual show. During the first five minutes, I knew that Stomp Out Loud was going to be amazing. The first scene began with six people suspended from what used to be a billboard, swaying back and forth very rhythmically. On this billboard were scrap metal, hubcaps, street signs, pipes, and a plethora of other metal and plastic objects just waiting to be pounded upon. This was not your average toddler pot and pan banging though; rhythms flourished amazingly throughout the introduction. It was at this point that I realized why this show received the many awards that it did. These wonderful rhythms continued throughout the entire show.

One scene that particularly peaked my interest was the one in the kitchen. Knives were chopping furiously, dishes were clashing, pots were clanging, and pans were clanging. The most interesting instrument in this scene would have to be the blender. All were arranged to create rhythms (that were worthy of dancing). Near the end of the scene the rhythms died down into a soft whisper.

Each scene seemed to fit into one another like a crossword puzzle; each scene’s ending revealed an aspect of the next scene. The transition from scene to scene was seamless. There was never a time where nothing interesting was going on. Other scenes that may tickle your taste buds include a different assortment of “percussion” instruments such as basketballs, push brooms, buckets and poles.

There is a great amount of entertainment value in this DVD. Every scene has wonderful choreography that is visually stimulating and the multi-layered rhythms will make your ears ready to hear more. Overall, I was very impressed with this performance and hope more will come. I highly recommend renting or even buying this DVD because it would be an amazing addition to anyone’s movie collection.

Getting everything done....

2004-10-24T22:50:00.001-05:00
Well our end of unit test for the technology part was not necessarily hard, however it was hard to get everything done in the time allotted. This has been a theme of my life lately. I have a hard time fitting in the things I need to do and the things I want to do. One thing I need to do that I find I don't have enough time for is forming social relationships. Everyone on my floor is really close to one another and I'm having a hard time finding time to bond. Also I'm having a hard time fitting in all the school work along with practicing. College is hard.

The Rotation and becoming a professional musician

2004-10-24T04:01:00.000-05:00
I only wish we had more time to cover other areas of music. There is so much out there to learn about music. It's not all theory, diction, and lessons. Professor Randall sent her Italian diction classes an interesting email about being a professional musician. The article talked how colleges train excellent musicians but not always good professionals. There is more to music than just technique. This article talked about the necessary skills in the professional music world, such as the ability to interview, write a resume, and act professional around colleagues. Also, the article talked about the fiercer competition in the professional world, which includes people of many experience levels unlike college. I think that this rotation really imparted some of those skills necessary to be a good professional. I found the performance technique portion especially helpful. Another valid point that this article made was that in the professional world, the competition is for the next paycheck. Wow! That sure puts things into perspective, and I have definitely heard this said by several of the professors here at Depauw. I think that, so far, the first year seminar has been preparing us for these harsh realities by opening our eyes to the many areas in music.

MITC 2/ End of Rotation Period

2004-10-17T22:16:00.000-05:00
Well, this is it! I think that everything we learned in the MITC and else where is invaluable information, but I am definitely excited to be back in my 'home' seminar. I think that it's awesome we are able to do all that stuff with the computers... I didn't know that I could do all of it until our quiz on Thursday and then I put a piece in Finale, edited it, saved it as a few different file types and made a web page, all in about 40 minutes! of course, it was a very rough web page and whatever, but it will definitely make a difference in the long run.
All of the rotations we were in are going to benefit us. I have learned more in this one class in the last two months that I have learned in seven classes in a semester of high school. It's awesome. Thanks, everybody and have a great fall break!

Technology Blog (During Fall Break :) )

2004-10-17T20:36:00.000-05:00
Hi everyone. I hope that your fall breaks are all going well. I went up to the lake today which was very nice (quite chilly too I might add). Is anyone having trouble getting into their Tigermail from their home computer? If so and you have solved the problem, email me at corinnemwebb@aol.com (not Tigermail account for obvious reasons). Thanks.

Anyways, back to the topic of seminar. This past week of seminar contained a large amount of information that we will for sure need in the next four years and will probably also need in some form afterwards. It amazed me how much the Finale technology really has changed just in the past couple of years. I was joking around the other day about how the technology is improving so fast that is going to sounds better than live musicians in just a few years. I went to a 2004 Finale demo that Coda music was doing for the music educators at my high school. One of the many things he showed was the difference in sounds quality between the previous versions and this current one. The difference really did sound like night and day. It was absolutely astounding. There is no doubt in my mind that soon musicians, especially recording or pit musicians, could be replaced without much notice. It makes all of us as musicians really pretty nervous about what is in store for us, but at the same time, the new technology that comes out is very exciting for the music industry. It will be interesting in the next few years to see how music and technology combine in this rapidly changing industry.

http://www.goodthingwelearnedhowto makewebpages.com

2004-10-15T18:17:00.000-05:00
Everything is on the World-Wide Web nowadays. It is almost a necessity for any profession that one has the capabilities to design and create webpages. Webpages are used for numerous things varying from advertising a business, supplying information, or providing entertainment. For a webpage to be effective, proper training is required. For example, a key element of an effective webpage would be keeping things accessible and easy for visitors to the site. This is possible by creating tables and tables within tables. I had a lot of fun creating webpages and know this skill will come in handy in the near future. I wish we switched professors and topics in other classes every two weeks. It makes going to class enjoyable, because it never gets boring and we've been learning new and exciting things each week.

Saying goodbye to the rotations...it's so sad.

2004-10-14T16:22:00.000-05:00
These past couple of weeks have been so much fun! I love working with computers and learning about new things. I especially enjoyed learning how to make a webpage and learning about Finale. Except now that I know how to navigate my way through Finale, my mom is going to give me all her pieces she wants transposed so I can do them in my spare time. HA...spare time! Anyway, it's kinda sad that we don't get to experience any more Indian Ragas, or making instruments out of stuff we have at home, or performing for everyone. I love our mentor group and I had fun these past weeks learning with you guys. Now we have to crack down and read and write about stuff in our regular seminar. I did really enjoy the variety though. It spiced things up a bit! Have a great break everyone! I'll miss you!

WEb Page...

2004-10-13T14:38:00.000-05:00
We are now making our own webpage, which is very fun but also very difficult. There are MANY things you must remember when making a webpage the correct way. If you want to put a picture on your page, or a sound clip, it must be converted into the correct file. For instance, if you want a picture up, you have to first save it as a jif, then copy it onto paint, then save it there as a gif file, and then bring it up on your webpage as a gif file! There are also many steps to the recordings. However, once you have done all these steps, the effect is really cool. For my site, I have a section of a piece on sheet music and then under it you can hear what you're looking at! Another exciting thing this week, is the fact that we are getting the songs that we wrote put onto a CD. It really is incredible what all you can do with the programs in the MITC lab.
Think about this: I take a picture of my car 6 months ago. I put the picture of my car onto my computer. I then transfer that picture to the computer I have here at DePauw. I then send that to the computer I am working on in the MITC lab. Finally, we learn how to make a webpage and I put this picture of my car on it, for EVERYONE to see! Wow! Also as neat- I write a little piece of music that I enjoy. I record it onto the computer simply by playing it into finale. I do all of the confusing steps to transfer it to the right file. Now everyone can listen to my little composition!
I've really enjoyed this section of FYS.

I Have A Dog!!!

2004-10-10T23:53:00.001-05:00
That is the Name of the song that I wrote in the MITC Lab this week it was so cool. Ilearned so much about music technology that I would Have never dreamed of ever Knowing. We learned how to make sound files to put onto to web pages . There is no limit to what you can do with the amount of music technology available to all musicians. My favorite program now is ACID pro its so cool to make you own techno songs I LOVE ALL MUSIC TECHNOLOGY. It rocks my face off.

Music on the computer..

2004-10-10T20:04:00.000-05:00
Just like the other sections of this seminar, I have really enjoyed the technology part of the FYS. I have also used a little bit of Finale 2003, but never 2004. This version is great and is VERY helpful and pretty easy to use. One of the great parts about this is the fact that you can play music on the keyboard and it will just show up right on the screen. I have noticed that for some people it is hard to do this, because they don't have great piano skills, however, I think this is great for them also. Not only are they learning about the technology, but they are also getting better at playing the piano. There are many things to learn and take out of this class. I have also noticed with myself, that this has really made me compose more. Not only is it fun for me, but now it is so much faster. I really would like to get a keyboard and connect it to my computer in my room. It would be such a benefit for me, except maybe the fact that I wouldn't get sleep anymore.
In the acid program we have an assignment to compose our own piece using loops, which are small sections of music that repeat, and it has to have some kind of form (ex.- ABA). Although this takes lots of time, it is a really cool program. I myself, am composing a little bit of techno mixed with some strings. This is really a great experience, and I'm looking forward to another week of it!

MITC

2004-10-10T18:00:00.000-05:00
Well, this week was awesome. I really have an affinity for music technology and using programs like Finale and Acid to create music. I was familiar with the earlier versions of Finale- we used the 2002 addition in a class I took, but this 2004 has a lot more options and is more user-friendly. It's awesome that we took the time to learn about it in depth because we can use it for so many different things: composing, harmonic analysis, rhythmic dictation (as Stacey learned), making original, older scores look newer and easier to read, etc. Acid is just really fun to put all the different sounds together to make music. But it's insane how long it takes to do it! I took about 10 minutes or so to make 9.1 seconds of music in Acid. And then I forgot to save it.... Anyway, Music Technology is definitely very important in this world and I think that we are really lucky to have the opportunity to learn about it.

Music Technology...Week 1

2004-10-10T17:29:00.000-05:00
This past week has been spent in the MITC lab trying to learn just the basics of Finale and the ACID program. In my opinion, the importance of being familiar with it cannot be underestimated, even if it feels like it would still be faster by hand. Regardless of our major, we will need to be able to navigate through these programs. If you are music ed, you will need it for obvious reasons (rescoring, transposing, etc.), but the rest of us will probably need to use a notation program for one thing or another at some point in our hopefully long and prosperous music careers. My dad has been strongly encouraging me for the last two years to become comfortable using Finale. I took a Finale class with him about four or five years ago, but the program has changed drastically and very little of that knowledge applies to this newer version. I did make Finale a small part of my music independent study last year so that I could arrange a piece for our horn section, but that is really the extent that I have used it recently. I have never really had the time to sit down and figure it out, so I am very glad that we are getting the opportunity to learn it now.
Although we have only used it for one day so far, the ACID program seems really fun to work with also. I am by no means an avid composer, so perhaps this is just the tool that I need to get me to do even a little bit of it. Again, my dad has always encouraged me to compose, but I have never really taken an interest in it, but perhaps after using this program, I’ll give it another shot. I do know that I am very happy that we are being exposed to these programs now though because the technology is changing so rapidly and I usually don’t have the time to figure these programs out through trial and error. It is nice to have somebody explain the basics to us and let us continue to explore if we want to on our own.

Music Technology

2004-10-10T16:36:00.000-05:00
Wow! This week has been an eye opener to the power of technology in music. Finale really makes things so much simpler in musis composition. Before finale, composers had to notate everything by hand and this costs extra valuable hours that could have been used to compose more music. Also, finale makes reading the work of a composer simple for everyone, and it also facilitates the mass distribution of music via the internet. Composers can now easily share their work across thousands of miles in a second. In the days of classical composers, each composer had to hand notate an entire score, and then the score had to go to a publisher to be printed. This process was very time consuming and expensive. Also, technology allows musicians to easily edit sound files. This technology has greatly increased the quality of sound recordings. I think everyone has listened to an old recording with poor sound quality. Thanks to new digital technology, not only can sound engineers record high quality files, they can also remaster old recordings such as those of Caruso, and improve the sound quality.

Where did the hours go?

2004-10-09T14:15:00.000-05:00
I just got back from the MITC lab and what seemed like only 30 minutes passed was actually 3 hours. I barely even got anything accomplished and could have stayed many hours longer if I hadn't remembered to write a post. For this portion of our First-Year Seminar, each member of the class is composing pieces using loops with the program Sonic ACID. It is not complicated and a lot of fun. For our homework I started creating a jazz piece, but then saw many interesting loops and decided to experiment and ended up making an Indian piece. After being shown the exciting things in the MITC lab, I think I would be perfectly content spending a whole weekend there.
Speaking of Indian music, The Srinivas Krishnan Ensemble concert on Tuesday was amazing. The performers were so talented and entertaining. It was hilarious when Srinivas Krishnan started rapping. After taking the portion of our seminar on Indian music I really appreciated the concert, and felt it was an incredible opportunity--not every school has musician from India come and perform!

Losing Our Creativity?

2004-10-09T13:58:00.000-05:00
So while I was showering and refelcting upon my experencies this week in the technology portion of the first year seminar I had an interesting realization. With the new technologies that there are it has become easier for everyone to compose and create orginal music. I wonder if the ease of creating music has decreased it's quality. Have musicians lost some of their compositional talent? No longer do they have to labor for hours over scores, instead they can play a few notes on their midi keyboard and ta-da, their work is done. Of course it's not quite as simple as that, but it has become alot easier to put music on print. And I do wonder also if there are more composers now. The field of composing music has most likely grown so it is probably harder to find employment.
I know that to become a composer one must posess a great amount of talent, but techonlolgy still makes me wonder; is the amount of talent required lessening over the years?

MITC LAB

2004-10-08T13:42:00.000-05:00
This week in the MITC lab has been very interesting. I learned a lot about myself...one thing being that I'm terrible at playing piano and it takes me forever to enter data into Finale. Even though it takes me longer then everyone else, I still get it done which is good. Also, using the computer software Acid this morning was very fun. It allows you to be as creative as you want to be with composing some sort of musical piece. Although sometimes creativity comes easier to others....Like Shua who already has like 10 pieces he's composed (i'm exaggerating). Anyway, this week has been very interesting in learning about the different computer programs and how we will use them in the future. I wonder what next week will hold....?

The Rhythm of Searches

2004-10-04T15:21:00.000-05:00
In the last 100 referrals to this blog, 10 were google searches for "hemiola," 5 were for "imitative counterpoint," 5 were for some variant on "idiophones membranophones aerophones and chordophones," and one search each for "Antecedent and consequent," "understanding musical meter," "define nonmetric," (good thing you found it Jessi!), "Simple meter and compound meter," "ostinato," and "baliwood musical."(And so Shua takes over the internet.)

In addition, ~~Roger~~ Robert Gable has written an article for NewMusicBox about music blogging, in which he mentions The Musical Crematorium:
Already, blogs are subdividing into various specialties. Examples of the diversity include a personal view, a broad set of entertainment and culture criticism, life in a particular urban center, a geographic and personal view, an American heartland cultural focus, an English cultural focus, a classical music blog written in Italian, classical music news, CD release news, online contemporary music, a blog written by a college class describing musical terminology, a conversation of music critics (and others) , Elvis Costello news and gossip, and reviews (in order) of UK #1 hits since 1952. Specialized by utility rather than content, MP3 blogs provide (or link to), hopefully legal, MP3-formatted sound files of merit for download. Examples include older pop music, current art-pop music, or better yet, aggregated MP3 blogs.
The "blog written by a college class describing musical terminology" links directly to this blog. Several visitors have come to this site because of that link.

Good work, everybody.

Performance and Resumes...Week 2

2004-10-03T22:36:00.000-05:00
I really enjoyed hearing everyone perform this past week. Up to this point, we haven’t heard each other play beyond the practice rooms, so it was fun to see what people are working on towards their major. I think that performing is one of those lifelong skills that is necessary despite if you enjoy it or not. Some people actually live for and thrive on performing in front of others and these people usually make the best performers in the music field, however, this quality is unique. A few years ago, I read about a poll conducted that asked Americans what their greatest fear. You would think that death would be our greatest fear, but it isn’t. It came in a quite distant second. What, you ask, do Americans fear more than death? Speaking in front of others. The more you think about it, the more absurd it sounds that we get nervous about speaking or performing for people that are genuinely interested in what we are doing and yet most of us experience it at some point. Perhaps the reason that we fear it more than death is that it is a more present issue that we are forced to face than death is and it really is something that everybody needs to cope with regardless of their field. Throughout high school, I found that the best speakers were either debaters or musicians. The debaters were good for obvious reasons, but as musicians we have experience focusing all of our attention during intense performance situations. Although I am not a great speaker nor am I very comfortable performing, I found my ability to coherently convey my ideas for English speeches to be far greater than most students’ skills due in part to my performance experiences.
Throughout the week, we compiled our past musical experiences into resumes before our performance. Although I already had one pretty much completed from high school, it was good to update it with new information. Although it was the hardest part of writing the resume, the “objectives” section of the resume was quite important for me to complete. For me, who is not completely sure what I want to do with my double major, it was a good exercise to get me to think about what I really want out of my education. Like Prof. Foy said, although it may change by tomorrow, it is important to track your goals and to write them down. Although performance skills and improvisation are both broad subjects and rather difficult to get through in two weeks, we really got through a lot of useful information for the amount of time that we were given.

Divas/Divos at Depauw

2004-10-03T21:09:00.000-05:00
Wow! This week has been awesome in class. You guys are all divos and divas! I mean that in the sense that you are all amazing performers. This week has been a great learning experience, especially educating was watching others perform. I saw some people make some performance mistakes that I am guilty of, and I think this helped us all see some of our own performance weak points in clearer light. Also, we were able to see eachother's strengths. This helped us all to know what steps we can take to improve our presentation when performing. Lastly, Professor Foy's advice proved invaluable. He really helped me rethink some bad habits and how to overcome them. I never thought that looking at the audience and acknowledging them would actually help alleviate tension on stage, but it sure works wonders. No matter how good a person is technically, their performance is missing something without the necessary connection to the song being performed and the audience. These past two weeks have proved invaluable in showing us how to truly wow the audience with our performance rather than just our technique.

True Performers!!!

2004-10-03T19:32:00.000-05:00
I would just like to congraduate everyone one the tremendous job the past week. WOW!!
I didnt know how great of performers we were until this past week. I really have a new found respect for all of you. This past week gave us the chance to bond even more than ever before. Sure we all hang out but now we know why we are all in the music school, We are all Amazing perfomers. Though this week has ended we are now set on a new pathway to further increase our knowledge about music even further. I give every one a STANDING OVATION!! ENCORE!!!BRAVO!!!SUPERB!!!

Bonding

2004-10-03T18:48:00.000-05:00
This week was very important for three big reasons. First, I learned more about myself as a performer. I learned how to best present myself on paper by writing my resume. I also learned that it is important to perform often. Second, I learned more about my fellow classmates. By reading their resumes I learned that we all come from very diverse musical backgrounds. Through hearing their performances I was amazed at the talent that my first year seminar class possesses. Everyone did such a wonderfully job. Third, I learned that I have a long way to go in my musical education. Through my journey I must remember to practice hard, perform with confidence, and observe all that I can.
This portion of the seminar was very valuable because it helped me to think about my self as Stacey the soprano, the active performer, and the musician; and not just Stacey the singer.

Creative Performances

2004-10-03T16:33:00.000-05:00
I agree with everyone that has said that this FYS is vitally important to our growth as musicians. Two weeks ago, we were able to experience other cultures and their music. We grew an appreciation for all the differences in style and learned a lot of facts about Southern Indian music (and sang ragas together into the night). These last few weeks have been just as meaningful in that we learned so much about creativity. I had so much fun making all the instruments and performing rain storms and trains and just getting into the music we made with our ad hoc instruments. It's awesome how an audience can be just as captivated in our performances with the homemade instruments as they could be in a performance of piano duets or whatever. It's also amazing how I, as a performer, could be just as passionate about the performace on my water bottle as I am on the piano.
I think it was awesome that we got to see each other's resumes. I'm glad I had one written already and merely had to revise it, but I think it really helped having someone critique it and now I realize how far I have to go in the next four years.. it's a bit overwhelming but I think I'm up for the challenge.
Finally, performing for each other, really made my views of all the people in our group change. I no longer see Shua as simply a crazy kid that likes to bang pots and pans together, or Lindsay as the little quiet one that needs to talk more (not to pick on anyone imparticular), but I see everyone as a performer, as a horn, a pianist, or a vocal performer. I think that opportunity to perform for each other was priceless. I know I was insanely nervous, my hands were shaking so badly and I was only playing for the 8 of you. But it all turned out wonderfully. So thanks for another great 2 weeks!! I'm looking forward to this Technology Lab...

A Unique Oportunity

2004-09-30T23:06:00.000-05:00
This week has been quite an eye-opener. After talking to many other first-year students at DePauw, our first-year seminar seems to be the most rewarding. This week we have gained the necessary skills to start preparing for after college. We have done this by exploring different career opportunities, preparing resumes, and discussing goals. Students in the school of Liberal Arts have been refering to their seminars as "blow-off" classes and aren't learning anything. Who wants to pay tons of money for a class if you're not getting anything out of it? And, I highly doubt their professors are guiding them in preparing resumes. In conclusion, it is brilliant to require all of the School of Music students to take this First-Year Seminar.

Performing

2004-09-29T20:47:00.000-05:00
This segment of the seminar has been so much fun. We have learned to let go of our inhibitions and just be ourselves. Also, just the fact that we get to listen to each other perform is awesome! I haven't had any chance to hear the other members of my mentor group play/sing before and it's such a treat! Everyone is so talented! I think it's a very important part of the learning process...just the fact that we can see others perform and then take away something that we can learn from. I also love the fact that we had to make our own resumes. I have never made a resume before and it gave me a chance to get it done so now all i have to do is revise it whenever something new comes along. I really have loved this rotation and I'm really going to miss it because i would love to learn more about performance anxiety and such. Besides, Professor Foy's laugh is priceless...gotta love it.

The Train!...

2004-09-27T13:30:00.000-05:00
Today, we created a train. Although we didn't prepare the train, it turned out quite well. We were told to create a machine with our instruments that we brought in from last week. Some of the instruments that we had were, coat hangers, bottles of water, a cardboard box, a halfway filled tin of cashews, etc.. Although we only put this performance together in about 5-10minutes, it turned out great! It was very unique that each individual instrument served its own purpose. Also, without one of the instruments it would not have sounded the same. "The Train" needed each sound to really deliver the whole event of the train routine. One thing that interests me is that each time we have tried to immate things that happen, we have done in the same way. We start slow or quiet, then progress to a faster speed and/or louder, and then eventually come back to nothing again. With the rainstorm, we started quiet and got really loud, then came back to nothing again. In some cases, this is what really happens, however, I have heard/seen many rainstorms that just randomly start hard.
It is very interesting to me that many objects just lying around can really serve as musical instruments. It all depends on how creative you can be. A great point brought up about this event that we did today was the fact that doing this performance really relates to a real musical concert. In an orchestra, there are many instruments and although some play more often than others, it does not make them more or less important. One might sit for half of the piece, but when they come in to play it is very important. In our train, if one person would have not played it would have really changed the sound. We needed each individual noise to complete the train. Everyone has to play together, and listen to eachother. In situations like these, you are performing as a group, NOT a soloist. Without the blend of eachother, you would not complete the sound/piece that you are trying to perform.

Child Geniuses

2004-09-26T21:28:00.000-05:00
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
-Pablo Picasso

I thought about this quote a few times while in seminar this week as we explored ways to portray events using our body or other household items. The activities that we have been doing, especially the rainstorm, have reminded me that it doesn’t take a doctorate in music to “get it.” I feel like this past week has taken us back to our roots as little children who simply enjoy making music with nothing more complicated than pots and pans. I think that is a good reminder every once in a while that it doesn’t take any musical training to enjoy music. This is sort of a tangent, but I am going into it anyway. I was reading an article this weekend and evidently researchers have discovered that newborns can identify people regarded as “beautiful” by society. From the time we are just a few months old, we know what beauty is. That simply blows my mind that babies can identify a beautiful person before they themselves can walk. We always think of “beauty” as a label that has developed within society and that is molded as we live our lives, but apparently that is not necessarily the case. We have this preconceived notion of beauty. Perhaps we also have a preconceived notion of what music should sound like too. I think that would be an interesting idea to explore. I wonder how much of our idea of what is “good” music was determined as infants or possibly before we are even born.

Lightning, and Thunder, and Rain...................Oh My!!!

2004-09-26T20:30:00.000-05:00
Who would have guessed that we would be making instruments, and rainstorms this week.
But even though it may have seemed a little awkward at first, I understand why we are doing this. As music students we must be able to express our feelings through whatever means possible. When we were making our rainstorms, it gave us the chance to not worry whether or not our voices, lips, or hands were ready to sing or play. I main focus was on using our own body on making raindrops. I believe Prof. Foy did this because we needed to realize that our creativity doesn't start when we sing or play. The creative side of us is always there and we just need to harness it into whatever we want to put it into.

Performance Savoir-faire

2004-09-26T20:29:00.000-05:00
I am excited about the Performance techniques part of our rotation! As first year music majors, we all have a great deal to learn in this area, and I for one have already learned many valuable things from Professor Foy. The information he gave us about performance resumes was absolutely vital. We will all have to apply for jobs after we graduate from the school of music, and most likely before then. The advice he gave us about being confident but not cocky, and about trying to get along with whomever we work is important for any profession. He also taught us the importance of setting goals, and giving a professional presentation of ourselves. Also, the improvisation exercises we have done have already taught me a great deal about conveying a musical idea. The most appealing aspect of any musician is their ability to convey the true meaning of a piece through musical expression, and these improvisation exercises have taught us all how to take an abstract idea and turn it into a musical concept. I am looking forward to seeing what this class will teach us in the upcoming week.

The Art of Performing

2004-09-26T01:18:00.000-05:00
So I am definitely all for this "first year seminar" thing. I am learning so much about myself as a person AND as a musician that I can hardly believe it! First with the ragas, I really didn't think things could get much better from there, but apparently they can. Some of my friends outside the Music School were commenting on how the projects we did in the Music School (like make homemade instruments) reminded them of first-graders. I guess that makes sense to me, but I think that all of us can learn something from remembering and repeating things we did when we were 6, 7, or 8. Children this age can teach us a lot about creativity. I thought it was amazing that the two groups, for both projects intrepreted things so differently, but the rain storm was definitely my favorite. The portrayals of the same event were completely different and both were completely correct, it was crazy! And like Prof. Foy said, it was just as easy to get immersed in the rain storm as it was to be immersed in a professional concert. Performing and practicing are both arts that we can all really improve on during our time here.
And it's also wonderful that we are able to put a professional spin on all this "first-grader-ish-ness" by talking about our performance and career goals and making resumes. I'm really excited for this coming week, and to perform for each other.

Creativity in the Performer

2004-09-24T17:13:00.000-05:00
I now understand why this seminar is mandatory for all School of Music students at DePauw. Our current rotation with Professor Foy provides us with the necessary skills required to further on our musical career. Thinking about our goals as a performer is a crucial aspect in order to pursue our goals in our years at DePauw. Creativity is also a vital characteristic of every performance. Without creativity a performance is not unique. This week we have been discussing our goals and experimenting with the creativity inside of each one of us. This creativity will hopefully emerge as we give performances next week. Starting a résumé now is also a good idea and I'm glad that we are getting a start on one now.

Instruments!!!

2004-09-24T15:08:00.000-05:00
Today we had to bring in our own made up instruments to first year seminar. It was fun because we had to use our instruments to create an event that happens on campus. We broke off into 2 groups and used our instruments and created music to an event on campus. My group was Jessi, Stacey, and Joshua. We decided to emulate the dinosaur stampede that the mentor groups did during orientation. It was the most fun I've had in this seminar so far!! We all pretended to be dinosaurs and we used our instruments to help us sound like dinos. We just charged into the room like maniacs!! It was a great time! I can't wait until next week when we get to perform for everyone!

My personal fridge time...

2004-09-23T22:54:00.000-05:00
No, I'm not referring to eating, nor cooling myself down on a hot day. The Depauw practice rooms oddly remind me of big refrigerators; they have lights, and the temperature is controllable.
Today in our new rotation of first year seminar, we talked about practicing. Well, here at Depauw, I've had a difficult time getting into the grove of practicing. Talking with Professor Foy made me seriously consider my efforts in the practice room. I realized that I don't only need to practice the music I must practice, but also practice the music I want to practice. So today, before I even started my serious work, I played around on the piano. I played through some pieces I had composed. I sang pop songs. I closed my eyes and loved the music. After my little "warmup" I had one of the best serious practice sessions that I've had here.
Dr. Irwin said something else to me in my lesson today that got me to think. He told me that I "have all three; the voice, the brain, and the heart." Well, it's great that I posses all of those skills, however if I don't cultivate all three, simultaneously, then I'll never fully grow as a musician.
So from now on when I enter into a "fridge," I must remember not only to sing well, but to actively learn, and love the music I am making. Practice rooms are like refrigerators in another way; they keep musicians from spoiling.

Creating a Storm...

2004-09-22T15:04:00.000-05:00
Well today in new section of FYS, we created a rain storm. We were divided into two groups and were given about 5 minutes to make a storm, using only our bodies in a creative way. In my opinion, both groups did an awesome job. While the other group was performing I closed my eyes and was really able to picture a storm going on. Some of us slapped our legs, or snapped our fingers, or made a yelling noise(joshua), but they all represented different sounds of a storm. We are learning all of the different ways to becoming a better performer. Dr. Foy made a great point today, that he was able to get into our five minute prepared storm just as much as he was at a concert that he paid to see. It was also cool to see that both of our groups created sounds like a storm, but were both very different from eachother. Both groups followed the same pattern of a storm beginning, getting very big, and then very light again, however we presented this in different ways. The first group performed in a circle and had kind of a A,B,A form. The second group (3 of us) performed in a line, and showed a kind of cannon form. Both musically, showed a storm! It is very easy to take some sounds for granted, but when you actually listen, they are all very unique in their own way.

WEEK 2

2004-09-19T23:17:00.000-05:00
Well, week 2 continued on quite the same as week 1. We had more reading to do to expose us to the Indian culture and much more raga singing! That was so fun! By the end of the week (exam time!!) I could sing straight through all 14 ragas on third kala, relatively accurately and I felt really accomplished. My favorite part was when we would be practicing upstairs in the PAC and the upperclassmen would walk by and just smile and nod and even sing along for a bit. Then the other freshman would walk up and just start laughing hysterically and we would just say "OH! you haven't had Prof. Johnsson (sp?) yet." I definitely enjoyed that experience. Some things would be really weird, like being so under the control of your parents to where they pretty much determind your future and your career and what type of person you are. That also happens in some European countries (I know it does in Ireland) and that would really bother me. I like being able to chose what I'm going to do in my life, I know for a fact that my parents wouldn't have chosen music or piano to be my career and my future. It's just so different and I think all of us are really fortunate to have been able to just get that little glimse of what life there would be like.

Indian Music: Week 2

2004-09-19T21:14:00.000-05:00
Rishi, one of my best friends from back in Minnesota is originally from Southern India. Although he is very much a part of the American society, it seems to me that there was about 10 percent of his life that none of us, although we were his friends, could really relate to. Some customs in his home were very foreign to us, such as his request that if we studied over at his house, he preferred it that we did not put our papers on the floor. He explained that papers and other academic resources were given almost holy status in India and that it would have made his parents nervous to have the books and papers on the floor where they could possibly be stepped on. I assure you that they had the most elaborate shelving and closets ever. Dr. Johnson talked about the newspaper, the Hindu, being at a whole different level in terms of reading difficulty and based on what I have seen, it really seems to be true that the Indian culture values education more than any other culture that I can think of. In music, we saw the same dedication to learning in their culture. The student will meet with their guru everyday and occasionally also live with them as a member of their family. This family connection also seems to be very important in the Indian culture. Rishi’s grandmother lived with them during the week and then went to live with his uncle for the weekends. That usually doesn’t happen in our society. Although he says it wasn’t a factor, I think that part of the reason that Rishi decided to attend MIT was due to the fact that his brother was attending MIT also and it was important to his parents that they be in the same area. There are many differences between the two cultures it seems and for me, it was really interesting to get to learn about the Indian culture in the form of music. We so often concentrate on just our music that we don’t always take enough time to see what we can learn from other cultures. The United States has been separated from the East by two large oceans for a long time, but as more people come here to from other countries, it is important to understand a bit of where they are coming from. Dr. Johnson – I don’t know if you read these blogs or not, but thank you for teaching this course and for making it very accessible to us.

Journey.......

2004-09-19T19:37:00.000-05:00
Wow, these past two weeks have been quite the journey. I can't beleive that this week is already over and we will start a new adventure this monday. These past two weeks have tought me a lot about the indiand culture and its music. From Baliwood to Ragas, and Tala to Tablas, I feel I have a greater appreciation for Indian music. Their music is so intricate, it takes years just to learn the parent ragas. In America we focus on many disiplines, but Indian's have one major focus. Their parents decide who they will marry and their future career. To me I think that is such a crazy idea, but Indians would say the same thing about some aspects of our culture. Being is this class was so overwhelming, learning about another culture is such a mind warp. When I read depauwdiva's blog it helped me to realize that these past two weeks have begun a journey in that will last a life time, a journey of continual learning and applying. So for one more time
.
SA.............RI......GA....MA....PA....DA....NI........SA.....

Missing the Class...

2004-09-17T14:04:00.000-05:00
I don't know about anyone else, but I personally will miss this portion of our First Year Seminar. I really enjoyed this class. Not only was singing these raga's at 9am fun, but it woke you up and warmed your voice up too! Keeping tala and singing at the same time was hard at first, but like anything else after you do it so many times it just comes natural. After doing my singing exam this morning, I found that even if I missed a pitch, I was still keeping perfect raga. My hand seemed to be in its own little world. For me its kind of like when I play the piano. When I first started it was hard to constantly sit straight up while playing. (This also can be compared to sitting indian style). However, eventually it was just a habbit. When I sat down to play, I sat straight up. While I was singing the ragas, my hand/fingers would automatically keep tala. Throughout this class there were times when I wished we could have had a few days just to listen to Dr. Johnson's experience of living in South India. I can't imagine the culture shock! I hope that we will be able to borrow the shruti box again, because I would love to show all of my Cincinnati friends the way of singing ragas!

Where do I go from here?

2004-09-16T22:49:00.000-05:00
So I just had a revelation; I don't know where to go on Monday! The Indian portion of the First Year Seminar is over and now I don't know where to go next. I guess I'll just follow the crowd on Monday.
When thinking about all of this I had another revelation. As American's we have to decide for ourselves where we are going in our lives. In Indian culture, if your father is a musician then you'll be one too. No one in my family is a musician. I'm going into uncharted territory. It's probably a lot easier in India because the family's of musicians are also musicians. I'm very lucky to have a supportive family, but I have a lot of friends whose family's are not so supportive of their musical endeavors.
While thinking about going places I thought of something that my voice teacher told me today. Dr. Irwin said to me, "Stacey you're going places." Okay...that's great. But where am I going? Where do I go? (as the legendary song from the musical Hair asks.) I yearn for a "normal" life. I want a husband, kids, and a nice little house in the suburbs. However there is a huge part of me that also wants so much more. I don't want to follow the crowd. I want to sing. I want to be on the stage and touch people with my art. I want to travel, and see the world. Hell, I want to change the world. Where do I go from here?
I mustn't spend too much time worrying however because I think, that maybe, I can do everything I want...and more.

Indians, the ultimate multi-taskers

2004-09-16T17:36:00.000-05:00
Has anyone else noticed how much Indian musicians have to multi-task? It's crazy! Indian singers keep tala with their hands and sing the syllables at the same time. Not to mention dealing with all of the noise in the background. A typical Indian concert has people going in and out, people keeping Tala with the musicians, and others just noisily having a good time. Can you imagine someone doing any of these things at a Western classical concert? They'd probably get thrown ou. Indian musicians also do oodle of improvising, which is challenging also, and they somehow manage to stay together throughout the craziest changes in pitch, rhythmn, and tempo. Indian musicians have amazing ears to be able to keep up with a vocalist who is just winging it. Before this class, I thought of Indian music as folksy and kind of primitive, but now I have a new found respect for these talented musicians.

Karnataka Sangeeta Sastra

2004-09-14T23:02:00.000-05:00
After studying the music of South India this week, I found it very interesting how a vaggeyakara (lyricist and songwriter) is so well-rounded. In The Illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music, Ludwig Pesch states that "a person who is recognized as being a genuine vaggeyakara would have undergone training in several allied disciplines, such as music theory, performance, poetry, and often dance or drama. Given the difficulty of mastering more than one among these ancient and highly developed art forms, it is understandable that a musician who has such variegated interests and experiences is regarded as belonging to the highest class of composers" (153).
It is fascinating how classical concerts of South India and Western culture contrast. Dr. Johnson's story about the classical South Indian concert at Indiana University really puts this difference into perspective. Dr. Johnson was thoroughly enjoying and keeping tala to the South Indian music at the concert, and the man next to him asked him if he would stop. The duration of concerts in South India is also intriguing. Concerts lasting two to three hours are a relatively recent phenomenon. Until a few decades ago, it was customary for a musician to treat his audience to five or more hours.
According to Pesch, "Karnatic music is literally 'learnt by heart' because first it needs to be listened to attentively, memorized faithfully, and ultimately rendered with feeling."

Indian Concerts

2004-09-14T19:36:00.000-05:00
Even though it's only been 1 week and 2 days in this class, i feel like i've learned so much. All of the ragas, and just listening to that twenty five minute piece was amazing! Then to learn that that was the shortest song Dr. Johnson could find. I can't believe those concerts go on for hours and hours...I don't know how the performers do it! Dr. Johnson also said that while at these concerts the people in the audience sit as close as possible to each other so there is no open space, and while the audience is listening and enjoying they keep tala (tempo) for the performers. It was also interesting comparing the Indian way of being an audience member and our way. If you went to one of our concerts and started slapping your leg to keep the tempo, or if you just got up and walked out then the performers would get very insulted. Although if you don't slap on your leg and wobble your head in India during a performance then that's considered insulting. I just love that I'm getting exposed to this type of music!

My Legs Still Ache.....

2004-09-12T22:37:00.000-05:00
Wow! This first week in the Indian music seminar was so cool. I would have never guessed that their music was so intricate and sophisticated. The first thing in class we did everyday was begin with a raga. We also learned about the many different types of Indian musical instruments. The part of India we are learning about is the southern half. Learning about their music has also given me a greater understanding of the many, many, many, many different types of music out there. It shows that what we learn in music is only a very small fraction of what there actually is to learn. Sitting "Indian style" was hard on my legs, but I ready for the next week to what it can.

UPDATE!!!!! I forgot to mention Baliwood. So according to our guru Baliwood music is their equivalent to our Brittany Spears, well sort of. The neat thing about Baliwood is that they come out with the sound track even before the movie comes out. So they know all the songs way before the movie comes out so if the movie has a bad sound track the movie will do very badly. If you are going to watch a baliwood film make sure you like musical interludes, because about one third of the movie is music and dancing, sort of like Broadway. Also Baliwood comes out with 4x's as many movies than that of Hollywood. Also the movies are about 3 hours long, this is because the Indians want their entertainment to last the entire night. So they wont have to worry about doing anything afterwards.

Indian Music: Week 1

2004-09-12T18:17:00.000-05:00
As entertaining as Matt’s wonderful renditions of the ragas that he broke into during orientation were, quite honestly I was a bit uneasy about what this part of the course entailed. I am by no means a vocalist and do not pretend that I am. Frankly, the combination of singing a completely different scale with different syllables in addition to the fact that most of the learning was done aurally made me a bit nervous. All music students have had quite a bit of experience either reading about a particular culture out of a textbook or playing music of another culture, but learning about a culture through their music is something that I am unfortunately relatively unfamiliar with.
For me, India’s culture is still quite foreign to me. I had a social studies teacher in seventh grade who told us on the first day of classes, “Virtually everyone here is has ancestors in Europe, therefore we will not be learning about any of the European countries throughout this year. We pick up a lot about those cultures in our own society. We study the countries that we are not familiar with because an understanding of these cultures is what your generation will need to function in this growing global society.” At the time, I didn’t know how true it was, nor have I figured out to what extent this will be true in the future. For me, this portion of the seminar has been most beneficial for me just to see a small part of what makes up the Indian culture. Ninety-nine percent of the culture is still left untouched by the end of the seminar, but I think that the best aspect of it is that it is through a medium that all music students can relate to. I know that there is so much of their music that I will never understand, but I am enjoying the opportunity to “test the waters” and to see part of another culture’s music that is very different from our own, yet they share the same passion for it that we do.

Indian Traditions

2004-09-11T19:38:00.000-05:00
I think that it is fascinating that Indian musicians have so much stamina. They will sing for hours without even complaining. It makes me wonder how much of the "tension" and "technical problems" we experience with our training are natural or if they are actually a result of environment. Perhaps the total freedom and confidence with which Indian musicians perform is the catalyst that takes them to this musical level. I think that the most important aspect of this class is the new thought patterns it can teach us. Some of our bumps might be smoothed over if we simply tried approaching things a different way. Also incredible is the incredible diversity of the pitch organization in Indian music. This course has been absolutely fascinating!

So doing all those definitions was good after all.

2004-09-10T13:27:00.000-05:00
So while reading the book about Southern Indian music I came across the words, idiophone, membranophone, and chordophone. I was very excited when I saw these words because I knew what they meant! Thanks to doing definitions I was able to understand the descriptions of Southern Indian instruments. So now for some deeper reflections.
This portion of the First Year Seminar has been extremely interesting. Sometimes as Westerners we forget about the rest of the world. We also sometimes feel that our way of doing things is superior. However, this week I have learned how beautiful and complex other types of music can be. I have learned that other cultures place just as much reverence and dedication upon their musicians. And I have learned that their is a huge world full of music for us to explore.

Update: Sept. 13th, 9:04 pm
I think that music could help solve a whole bunch of the problems in this world. Through music one could learn to appreciate another culture, thus losing the pompous attitude many people have. However many people are too closed minded to even think of the possibility of exploring another culture. Things that are unknown are scary and so many lose the opportunity to see beauty. And nothing is better than the beauty of this world, its peoples, and their creations.

South India and RAGAS

2004-09-09T22:24:00.000-05:00
So this week has been quite interesting. I must admit that I wasn't quite prepared for the craziness of the Indian culture. But i suppose "craziness" isn't the most PC word though. It's definitely different. I really like the idea of ragas instead of scales and the concept of having a guru is just awesome. That this person is basically your mentor, your protector, your companion and pretty much your life for the majority of your eduactional years is a completely new concept for us Westerners. By far, however, I think the instruments are the most enjoyable part for me. They are so different from the instruments that I have known my whole life. Even though some instruments are the same as our culture (the violin), that's the only thing that is shared- the instrument. It is tuned differently, held/played differently and doesn't even sound the same. It's kind of sad that now days all the instruments have to be amplified... Even the nadaswaram, which seriously doesn't need any amplification, AT ALL, gets amplified. Maybe some is needed with the larger sized concerts and such now, but it seems like it would take away from some of the history of... well, not being amplified- tradition, maybe. Another point I thought was interesting was that the Southern Indian culture prides the voice above all other instruments, but they don't judge voices the same as our Western culture does. There is no such thing as vibrato and people dont have any idea what good tone quality or anything is. My favorite instrument is the konnakkol, and the concept of learning an instrument by using the formation of your mouth is awesome. These percussionists learn how to make the different sounds of the drum with their voices before they actually play the drum and it sounds AWESOME. When I grow up, I'm going to become a famous konnakkol... player?

::THIS JUST IN::
If you want to learn more about specific Indian Instruments, click here
The instruments we've learned about include: Nadaswaram, Ghatam, Violin, Tabla, Kanjira, Tavil, Veena (on this site: any of the Vina), Tambura, Mridangam, and Morsing (vibrating metal... thing, looks like pair of pliers, and is played with the lips.)

Ragas are the coolest!!

2004-09-09T19:48:00.000-05:00
Wow...this class has been so much fun. I had no idea that the Indians were so talented. I find it very interesting that they just learn from hearing what their guru does and then they repeat it. I personally would like learning that way because it's easier for me to hear something then to try and figure it out on my own. Plus the instruments they use are so authentic and unique sounding that it makes our instruments seem boring.
Learning the ragas has been a lot of fun. With Josh carrying around the sruti box, we had no problem practicing and annoying others around us. No i'm just kidding. The sruti box is so neat to listen to. It just looks like a regular wooden box but really it's kind of like an accordian type thing that you pump with your hand to keep the pitch going. The sruti box acts like the drone to help you sing the Indian scale. The scale is so much fun to sing you have no idea.
This class has been very good for me because I haven't been able to experience any other culture then that of the U.S. Plus, listening to Dr. Johnson's stories has been very interesting and very educational.

First Few days of class...

2004-09-07T20:10:00.000-05:00
When I first realized I'd be taking this class, I had no idea what it would be like. Well now its started and I have to say that I'm loving it! We have already started singing some of the songs that they sing in South India. I find it informative and great for me, as a new singer, that when the indians are singing these songs/pieces, having a pretty voice has nothing to do with it. Whatever the sound of your voice, it is unique in its own way. When singing these songs, the indian's focus is on pitch, rather than tone color or having a beautiful voice. Hearing Professor Johnson talk about his experience with living in India was VERY interesting to me! I can't imagine such a culture shock! I really enjoy learning about how different their musical lifestyle is. The Indians will start very young, living with his or her Guru. The Guru will teach him by ear, with nothing written down(oral transmission). As the years go by he or she will learn more and more, and the hours will get more intense. He or she will spend LOTS of time with their guru.
Another thing that was very interesting to me was how they have their concerts. During a concert people will be walking around, talking, singing a long, tapping the beat, or yelling things at them such as, "nice!", "beautiful", etc. Also, there are no pieces written down on a program. Everything is just played by the musician on the spot. Sometimes people will also make requests.
Although we have just began this class I find it very interesting and really enjoy singing the raga exercises/scales. They have a VERY unique and cool sound to them and I am looking forward to learing and singing more!

Learning From a Guru

2004-09-07T13:26:00.000-05:00
Learning about music in other cultures is necessary to understand our own music and enhance our musical knowledge. Thus, I believe that learning about the culture and ragas of South India is very intriguing and is an essential part of our first-year seminar. After reading David B. Reck’s India/South India (pp. 209-226), it was apparent that the music of South India is very expressive and soothing. Reck describes the musician as “both an interpretive artist and a creator”. (223) The concerts of South India are very informal and the music is a mixture of precomposed songs and improvisation. This is quite different than concerts in Western society. Familiarizing our class with Indian culture is a unique opportunity, and I am very eager to see the results.

Cadence.....That's all Folks!!!

2004-09-02T20:27:00.000-05:00
A cadence is a set of chords that tell when a peice is finished. There are many types of cadences that happen in music. And Thats all folks

Yarn...opps I mean string quintet

2004-09-01T23:15:00.000-05:00
The string quintet consists of five members which play chamber music. The quintet is less common than the quartet, but none the less a great chamber group. Important quintet composers include Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak, Bruckner, and Brahms. The quintet is very similar to the quartet with 2 violins, viola and cello but with an added viola. Sometimes a quintet will have 2 violins, viola, cello and a double bass.

Thanks to The New Harvard Dictionary of Music editor Don Randal, 4th ed., "Quintet."

Duple Meter

2004-09-01T22:12:00.000-05:00
Duple meter is defined as two beats per measure. These beats within the measure serve as “the framework within which rhythm is established and perceived” according to Grove Music Online. Accents (strong-weak) determine the meter of the piece. Because of this variance in the accents groups, some pieces that have four beats can also be interpreted as duple meter. These accents that determine the meter may be stated explicitly be implied through the music.
Most marches and dances, such as bourees and gavottes, are in duple meter due to the fact that most people have two feet. Also, popular music tends to be in duple or quadruple meter. Within duple meter, there are two more categories: simple duple and compound duple. Most marches that you listen to are good examples of simple duple, such as Pomp and Circumstance. Pieces that are simple duple are usually in 2/2, 2/4, or 4/4. An example of compound double would be “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” If you listen, it should sound like two large beats subdivided into three smaller parts. Pieces in 6/8 are usually considered to be compound duple.

Tonal Harmony, Fifth Ed., Steven Kostka and Dorothy Payne, McGraw Hill

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