Transcript M100: Music Appreciation Discussion Group Tuesday January 29

M100: Music Appreciation
Lecture on the 20th Century
Ben Tibbetts, T.A.
Thursday April 18, 2013
Welcome! Please sign the attendance at the back of the room.
Welcome! Please sign the attendance at the
back of the room.
Make sure to sign for your section.
A Friendly Reminder About
CLASS ETIQUETTE
Class ends @ 2:15pm or until dismissed
A Friendly Reminder About
CLASS ETIQUETTE
Class ends @ 2:15pm or until dismissed
~ and ~
A Friendly Reminder About
CLASS ETIQUETTE
Class ends @ 2:15pm or until dismissed
~ and ~
Cell phones should be silenced and put away
TODAY’S AGENDA
• Introduction to music in the 20th century (p.
335-359)
TODAY’S AGENDA
• Introduction to music in the 20th century (p.
335-359)
• Claude Debussy
TODAY’S AGENDA
• Introduction to music in the 20th century (p.
335-359)
• Claude Debussy
• Listening Log: Voiles
TODAY’S AGENDA
• Introduction to music in the 20th century (p.
335-359)
• Claude Debussy
• Listening Log: Voiles
• Additional supplemental listening, videos
and material
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Perhaps the single most remarkable aspect of music in
the 20th century is…
INTRODUCTION
Perhaps the single most remarkable aspect of music in
the 20th century is…
…for the first time, listeners could hear music
whenever and wherever they wanted to, without
going to concerts.
INTRODUCTION
• Thomas Edison invented the cylinder disk in 1877.
The recording quality was very poor.
INTRODUCTION
• Thomas Edison invented the cylinder disk in 1877.
The recording quality was very poor.
• In 1897, the 78 rpm disks were introduced.
INTRODUCTION
• Thomas Edison invented the cylinder disk in 1877.
The recording quality was very poor.
• In 1897, the 78 rpm disks were introduced.
• Radio stations appeared in the early 1920's.
INTRODUCTION
• Thomas Edison invented the cylinder disk in 1877.
The recording quality was very poor.
• In 1897, the 78 rpm disks were introduced.
• Radio stations appeared in the early 1920's.
• Tape cassettes, CD’s, etc. all eventually appear in the
20th century.
INTRODUCTION
Today, we take this ability for granted. In the course of human
history, sound recording is recent.
INTRODUCTION
Today, we take this ability for granted. In the course of human
history, sound recording is recent.
Earliest complete musical composition from the ancient
world: “The Song of Seikilos” carved on a grave pillar
between 200 BC and AD 100
INTRODUCTION
Today, we take this ability for granted. In the course of human
history, sound recording is recent.
Earliest complete musical composition from the ancient
world: “The Song of Seikilos” carved on a grave pillar
between 200 BC and AD 100
Around 2000 years of recorded music history, recorded sound
only been in existence for 100 years
INTRODUCTION
• Pace of musical change, like pace of life itself,
increased dramatically
INTRODUCTION
• Pace of musical change, like pace of life itself,
increased dramatically
• People had more access to more music and
greater musical diversity
INTRODUCTION
• Pace of musical change, like pace of life itself,
increased dramatically
• People had more access to more music and
greater musical diversity
• More composers began composing in more
diverse styles.
SOME COMPOSERS…
SOME COMPOSERS…
• ...wrote for an increasing mass-market audience
SOME COMPOSERS…
• ...wrote for an increasing mass-market audience
• ...created novel approaches to music by writing
works without a tonal center and without a clear
sense of meter or regular rhythm
SOME COMPOSERS…
• ...wrote for an increasing mass-market audience
• ...created novel approaches to music by writing
works without a tonal center and without a clear
sense of meter or regular rhythm
• ...incorporated sounds from music of non-Western
cultures
SOME COMPOSERS…
• ...wrote for an increasing mass-market audience
• ...created novel approaches to music by writing
works without a tonal center and without a clear
sense of meter or regular rhythm
• ...incorporated sounds from music of non-Western
cultures
• ...wrote works that called into question the nature
of music itself
SOME COMPOSERS…
• ...wrote for an increasing mass-market audience
• ...created novel approaches to music by writing
works without a tonal center and without a clear
sense of meter or regular rhythm
• ...incorporated sounds from music of non-Western
cultures
• ...wrote works that called into question the nature
of music itself
• ...opened up the realm of timbre by using
electronically generated sounds
SOME COMPOSERS…
• ...wrote for an increasing mass-market audience
• ...created novel approaches to music by writing
works without a tonal center and without a clear
sense of meter or regular rhythm
• ...incorporated sounds from music of non-Western
cultures
• ...wrote works that called into question the nature
of music itself
• ...opened up the realm of timbre by using
electronically generated sounds
• ...did something else
MODERNISM
Modernism - A spirit that took hold in all the
arts in the early 20th century, representing…
MODERNISM
Modernism - A spirit that took hold in all the
arts in the early 20th century, representing…
• …a quest for novelty that far exceeded any
such drive in the past
MODERNISM
Modernism - A spirit that took hold in all the
arts in the early 20th century, representing…
• …a quest for novelty that far exceeded any
such drive in the past
• …a disregard for tradition
MODERNISM
Pablo Picasso's "Violin and Grapes" (1912)
MODERNISM
Pablo Picasso's "Violin and Grapes" (1912)
• Retains elements of representation--one can
recognize certain aspects of both a violin and some
grapes
MODERNISM
Pablo Picasso's "Violin and Grapes" (1912)
• Retains elements of representation--one can
recognize certain aspects of both a violin and some
grapes
• But the sense of perspective is heavily distorted:
we see the violin from several different angles all at
once.
MODERNISM
Pablo Picasso's "Violin and Grapes" (1912)
• Retains elements of representation--one can
recognize certain aspects of both a violin and some
grapes
• But the sense of perspective is heavily distorted:
we see the violin from several different angles all at
once.
• This style of painting is known as “cubism”.
Painting  next slide
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE WILL PROBABLY COVER / MENTION
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE WILL PROBABLY COVER / MENTION
• Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE WILL PROBABLY COVER / MENTION
• Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
• Charles Ives (1874-1954)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE WILL PROBABLY COVER / MENTION
• Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
• Charles Ives (1874-1954)
• Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE WILL PROBABLY COVER / MENTION
•
•
•
•
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Charles Ives (1874-1954)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE WILL PROBABLY COVER / MENTION
•
•
•
•
•
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Charles Ives (1874-1954)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
John Cage (1912-1992)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE WILL PROBABLY COVER / MENTION
•
•
•
•
•
•
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Charles Ives (1874-1954)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
John Cage (1912-1992)
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE WILL PROBABLY COVER / MENTION
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Charles Ives (1874-1954)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
John Cage (1912-1992)
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)
Philip Glass (1937-present)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE PROBABLY WON'T COVER
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE PROBABLY WON'T COVER
• Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE PROBABLY WON'T COVER
• Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
• Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1982)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE PROBABLY WON'T COVER
• Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
• Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1982)
• William Grant Still (1895-1978)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE PROBABLY WON'T COVER
•
•
•
•
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1982)
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE PROBABLY WON'T COVER
•
•
•
•
•
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1982)
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Ruth Crawford (1901-1953)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE PROBABLY WON'T COVER
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1982)
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Ruth Crawford (1901-1953)
Tania Leon (1943-present)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE PROBABLY WON'T COVER
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1982)
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Ruth Crawford (1901-1953)
Tania Leon (1943-present)
Tan Dun (1957-present)
SOME 20TH-CENTURY COMPOSERS
WE PROBABLY WON'T COVER
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1982)
William Grant Still (1895-1978)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Ruth Crawford (1901-1953)
Tania Leon (1943-present)
Tan Dun (1957-present)
And hundreds more… (these are just some of the
names listed in the book)
THE TONIC & TONALITY
THE TONIC & TONALITY
Tonic - a single note
THE TONIC & TONALITY
Tonic - a single note
• The note around which a key or scale is
centered.
THE TONIC & TONALITY
Tonic - a single note
• The note around which a key or scale is
centered.
• When played in context, it sounds like "home
base".
THE TONIC & TONALITY
Tonic - a single note
• The note around which a key or scale is
centered.
• When played in context, it sounds like "home
base".
Example: the tonic of a piece in Ab major
would be Ab.
Tonal (adjective) or tonality (noun) –
generally, a style of musical writing that
Tonal (adjective) or tonality (noun) –
generally, a style of musical writing that
• establishes a tonic as a harmonic and
melodic center of gravity
Tonal (adjective) or tonality (noun) –
generally, a style of musical writing that
• establishes a tonic as a harmonic and
melodic center of gravity
• thus creating potential for a strong sense of
resolution and closure
VIDEO:
HEARING THE TONIC / BOBBY MCFERRIN
(Bobby McFerrin known for "Don't Worry, Be
Happy".)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gjreHt0t
RI
ATONALITY
ATONALITY
Atonal (adjective) or atonality (noun) - A style
of writing
ATONALITY
Atonal (adjective) or atonality (noun) - A style
of writing
• establishes no harmonic or melodic center of
gravity
ATONALITY
Atonal (adjective) or atonality (noun) - A style
of writing
• establishes no harmonic or melodic center of
gravity
• in which all notes are of equal weight and
significance.
ATONALITY
Atonal (adjective) or atonality (noun) - A style
of writing
• establishes no harmonic or melodic center of
gravity
• in which all notes are of equal weight and
significance.
In atonal [or non-tonal] music, there is no clear
tonic.
VIDEO: THE RITE OF SPRING
(STRAVINSKY) - FANTASIA
Stravinsky's well-known ballet, "The Rite of
Spring", is largely atonal because the music
does not establish a clear tonic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3VqcTDf6l4
MODERNISM
Like Wagner’s music, Stravinsky’s
early music was controversial
for its use of dissonance.
MODERNISM
Like Wagner’s music, Stravinsky’s
early music was controversial
for its use of dissonance.
In Paris, May 1913, some of the
novel harmonies and sounds in
Igor Stravinsky's ballet "The
Rite of Spring" were so
shocking, they caused a riot in
the concert auditorium.
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
(1862-1918)
French composer
CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Along with Maurice Ravel (1875–
1937, seen right), was one of the
most important figures associated
with “impressionist” music
CLAUDE DEBUSSY (1862-1918)
Along with Maurice Ravel (1875–
1937, seen right), was one of the
most important figures associated
with “impressionist” music
You may have heard his famous solo
piano piece Clair de Lune
"VOILES"
Listening Log: Debussy’s Voiles (1909) for solo piano, from a
set of twelve preludes.
(pronounced “vall”; translates to “sail” or “veil”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrVyQhUM5C4
Performance by Arturo Michelangeli
Italian pianist
We will listen to this piece
again later on today.
IMPRESSIONISM
"Voiles" is a good example of impressionist music.
IMPRESSIONISM
"Voiles" is a good example of impressionist music.
Impressionism (noun) or impressionist (adjective)
- An artistic movement
 focused on sensations, perceptions, and light
IMPRESSIONISM
"Voiles" is a good example of impressionist music.
Impressionism (noun) or impressionist (adjective)
- An artistic movement
 focused on sensations, perceptions, and light
 less focus on the direct representation of objects.
IMPRESSIONISM
"Voiles" is a good example of impressionist music.
Impressionism (noun) or impressionist (adjective)
- An artistic movement
 focused on sensations, perceptions, and light
 less focus on the direct representation of objects.
 In music, term was used by critics to describe
harmonies, melodies, and forms they considered
indistinct.
IMPRESSIONISM
"Voiles" is a good example of impressionist music.
Impressionism (noun) or impressionist (adjective)
- An artistic movement
 focused on sensations, perceptions, and light
 less focus on the direct representation of objects.
 In music, term was used by critics to describe
harmonies, melodies, and forms they considered
indistinct.
 characterized by a blurring of elements.
IMPRESSIONISM
In Claude Monet's painting "Impression:
Sunrise" (1872), a few objects are
recognizable—two boats and the sun, for
instance—but Monet's emphasis is on
capturing the mood of early morning on the
water.
Painting  next slide
IMPRESSIONISM
Impressionist music tends to avoid clear
cadences and rhythmic patterns, and the
music often seems to ebb and flow with a
fluid sense of motion.
IMPRESSIONISM
Impressionist music tends to avoid clear
cadences and rhythmic patterns, and the
music often seems to ebb and flow with a
fluid sense of motion.
Emphasis on timbre as a compositional tool.
Looking more closely at Voiles.
But first, a quick review…
HALF STEPS AND WHOLE STEPS
HALF STEPS AND WHOLE STEPS
• Half step - The smallest distance between two
adjacent notes on a piano (white or black), such as
C to C#.
HALF STEPS AND WHOLE STEPS
• Half step - The smallest distance between two
adjacent notes on a piano (white or black), such as
C to C#.
• Whole step - Two half steps. On the piano, a whole
step skips exactly one key, white or black.
HALF STEPS AND WHOLE STEPS
• Half step - The smallest distance between two
adjacent notes on a piano (white or black), such as
C to C#.
• Whole step - Two half steps. On the piano, a whole
step skips exactly one key, white or black.
• Diatonic scale - A scale consisting of seven notes:
five whole steps (W) and two half steps (H). The
diatonic scale is arranged in this pattern:
W-W-H-W-W-W-H.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diatonic_scale_on_
C.mid
HARMONY IN "VOILES"
When listening to "Voiles", most people don't feel a
sense of any harmonic center. One of the reasons for
this is Debussy's use of the whole tone scale in this
piece.
HARMONY IN "VOILES"
When listening to "Voiles", most people don't feel a
sense of any harmonic center. One of the reasons for
this is Debussy's use of the whole tone scale in this
piece.
Whole tone scale - A scale with only whole steps, no
half steps
HARMONY IN "VOILES"
When listening to "Voiles", most people don't feel a
sense of any harmonic center. One of the reasons for
this is Debussy's use of the whole tone scale in this
piece.
Whole tone scale - A scale with only whole steps, no
half steps
• eliminates any sense of a tonal center.
HARMONY IN "VOILES"
When listening to "Voiles", most people don't feel a
sense of any harmonic center. One of the reasons for
this is Debussy's use of the whole tone scale in this
piece.
Whole tone scale - A scale with only whole steps, no
half steps
• eliminates any sense of a tonal center.
• Arranged like: W-W-W-W-W-W
HARMONY IN "VOILES"
When listening to "Voiles", most people don't feel a
sense of any harmonic center. One of the reasons for
this is Debussy's use of the whole tone scale in this
piece.
Whole tone scale - A scale with only whole steps, no
half steps
• eliminates any sense of a tonal center.
• Arranged like: W-W-W-W-W-W
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Whole_tone_scale_
on_C.ogg
MELODY IN “VOILES”
MELODY: Instead of clear themes, Debussy presents
what sound more like fragments of themes than
actual self-sufficient melodies.
MELODY IN “VOILES”
MELODY: Instead of clear themes, Debussy presents
what sound more like fragments of themes than
actual self-sufficient melodies.
Here is the notation of the opening to "Voiles". Notice
how short this "melody" is. It is comprised of a
downward contour, ending with a leap upward.
MELODY IN “VOILES”
None of the themes presented in this piece have particularly
sharp profiles: each is as fluid as a sail or veil, altered slightly
every time it returns. Instead of a kind of musical narrative,
Debussy is presenting something more like a succession of
slowly changing images.
DYNAMICS IN "VOILES"
DYNAMICS: Except for one
brief passage in the middle,
the entire work is written
at the level of piano (soft)
or pianissimo (very soft).
DYNAMICS IN "VOILES"
DYNAMICS: Except for one
brief passage in the middle,
the entire work is written
at the level of piano (soft)
or pianissimo (very soft).
This extremely low dynamic
reinforces the nonpercussive
timbre of the instrument, as the
pianist touches the keys lightly,
even wiping or caressing rather
than simply striking them for
greater dynamic control.
RHYTHM IN “VOILES”
RHYTHM: Although notated in duple meter,
"Voiles" provides the listener with almost no
sense of a fixed metrical pattern.
RHYTHM IN “VOILES”
RHYTHM: Although notated in duple meter,
"Voiles" provides the listener with almost no
sense of a fixed metrical pattern.
Most music in duple meter would follow a
pattern of 1-2 1-2 1-2 with a strong accent on
the downbeat, but this music resists any such
pattern.
RHYTHM IN “VOILES”
RHYTHM: Although notated in duple meter,
"Voiles" provides the listener with almost no
sense of a fixed metrical pattern.
Most music in duple meter would follow a
pattern of 1-2 1-2 1-2 with a strong accent on
the downbeat, but this music resists any such
pattern.
Instead, it seems to float or drift,
again evoking the images
suggested by the work's title.
FORM IN “VOILES”

All the elements discussed to this point--timbre,
dynamics, rhythm, harmony--combine to create a sense
of nondirectional form. The music never seems to be
moving toward a particular goal.
FORM IN “VOILES”


All the elements discussed to this point--timbre,
dynamics, rhythm, harmony--combine to create a sense
of nondirectional form. The music never seems to be
moving toward a particular goal.
There is a climax of sorts in the middle, when the music
becomes louder and more rhythmically animated for a
brief moment before returning to its original tempo
and dynamic, but this feels like just one more event in a
series of seemingly random events.
FORM IN “VOILES”



All the elements discussed to this point--timbre,
dynamics, rhythm, harmony--combine to create a sense
of nondirectional form. The music never seems to be
moving toward a particular goal.
There is a climax of sorts in the middle, when the music
becomes louder and more rhythmically animated for a
brief moment before returning to its original tempo
and dynamic, but this feels like just one more event in a
series of seemingly random events.
Even the ending seems inconclusive. The music stops,
but does not convey any strong sense of closure.
A SECOND LISTEN TO "VOILES"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrVyQhU
M5C4
REVIEWING TODAY'S
VOCABULARY
Modernism - A spirit that took hold in all the
arts, in the early twentieth century,
representing a quest for novelty that far
exceeded any such drive in the past. It was
characterized by a disregard for tradition.
REVIEWING TODAY'S
VOCABULARY
Tonic - The note around which a key or scale is
centered. (When played in context, it sounds
like "home base".)
REVIEWING TODAY'S
VOCABULARY
Tonal (adjective) or Tonality (noun) - A style
of writing that establishes a central note (the
tonic) as a harmonic and melodic center of
gravity, creating the potential for a strong
sense of resolution and closure.
REVIEWING TODAY'S
VOCABULARY
Atonal (adjective) or Atonality (noun) - A style
of writing that establishes no harmonic or
melodic center of gravity; all notes are of
equal weight and significance.
REVIEWING TODAY'S
VOCABULARY
Whole tone scale - A scale with only whole
steps, no half steps; this eliminates any sense
of a tonal center. In other words, the whole
tone scale is arranged in this pattern: W-WW-W-W-W.
REVIEWING TODAY'S
VOCABULARY
Impressionism (noun) or
impressionist (adjective) - An
artistic movement focused
more on sensations,
perceptions, and light than on
the direct representation of
objects. In music, the term was
used by critics of the early
twentieth century to describe
harmonies, melodies, and forms
they considered indistinct.
Questions?
FINAL REMINDERS & HOMEWORK
FINAL REMINDERS & HOMEWORK
• What is Music, Part 2 on Moodle—download,
complete the assignment, due next class
FINAL REMINDERS & HOMEWORK
• What is Music, Part 2 on Moodle—download,
complete the assignment, due next class
• Read pages 366-382 and 455-460
FINAL REMINDERS & HOMEWORK
• What is Music, Part 2 on Moodle—download,
complete the assignment, due next class
• Read pages 366-382 and 455-460
• Be thinking about / working on your final projects
FINAL REMINDERS & HOMEWORK
• What is Music, Part 2 on Moodle—download,
complete the assignment, due next class
• Read pages 366-382 and 455-460
• Be thinking about / working on your final projects
• Missed concerts/assignments?
Make sure you’re caught up.
Questions/concerns?
Talk to your T.A.
Have a good weekend!