Kevin C. Karnes
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195368666
- eISBN:
- 9780199867547
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368666.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter examines Schenker's analytical reviews of Brahms's songs, Op. 107, and choral pieces, Op. 104 (1891–92), in light of the disciplinary debates considered in the previous chapters. It ...
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This chapter examines Schenker's analytical reviews of Brahms's songs, Op. 107, and choral pieces, Op. 104 (1891–92), in light of the disciplinary debates considered in the previous chapters. It argues that Schenker adopted a hermeneutic approach to analysis and criticism in an attempt to elucidate the structure and significance of Brahms's work, and invoked theories of musical structure and meaning that are distinctly Wagnerian. The chapter suggests that this pairing of critical agenda and analytical strategy was inspired by Schenker's desire to illuminate the effects of Brahms's genius in his work, and, more broadly, by his sense that his fellow critics' fascination with scientifically inspired modes of musical inquiry had hindered their appreciation of that genius and limited the broad cultural relevance of their work. In Wagner, it concludes, Schenker found a theoretical foundation for his self-consciously subjective explorations.Less
This chapter examines Schenker's analytical reviews of Brahms's songs, Op. 107, and choral pieces, Op. 104 (1891–92), in light of the disciplinary debates considered in the previous chapters. It argues that Schenker adopted a hermeneutic approach to analysis and criticism in an attempt to elucidate the structure and significance of Brahms's work, and invoked theories of musical structure and meaning that are distinctly Wagnerian. The chapter suggests that this pairing of critical agenda and analytical strategy was inspired by Schenker's desire to illuminate the effects of Brahms's genius in his work, and, more broadly, by his sense that his fellow critics' fascination with scientifically inspired modes of musical inquiry had hindered their appreciation of that genius and limited the broad cultural relevance of their work. In Wagner, it concludes, Schenker found a theoretical foundation for his self-consciously subjective explorations.
Kevin Karnes
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195368666
- eISBN:
- 9780199867547
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368666.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This book provides a first look at the ideological dilemmas and methodological anxieties that pervaded the discipline of musicology (in German, Musikwissenschaft, encompassing music theory, analysis, ...
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This book provides a first look at the ideological dilemmas and methodological anxieties that pervaded the discipline of musicology (in German, Musikwissenschaft, encompassing music theory, analysis, and the study of music history) at the time and place of its academic institutionalization. Engaging in close readings of key contributions by Eduard Hanslick, Heinrich Schenker, and Guido Adler, all leading pioneers in the field, it argues against the widely held assumption that German musicology of the period was characterized, first and foremost, by a positivist endeavor to transform the discipline after the model of the natural sciences. Instead, it suggests that the work of its three central figures was shaped not only by progressivist ideologies of scientific positivism but also, and just as profoundly, by the skeptical pronouncements of Richard Wagner, Friedrich Nietzsche, and other critical observers of modern culture. It furthermore suggests that some of the most pressing questions regarding musicology's disciplinary identities in the present day—about the relationship between musicology and criticism, the role of the subject in analysis and the narration of history, and the responsibilities of the scholar to the listening public—have points of origin in the discipline's conflicted and largely forgotten beginnings.Less
This book provides a first look at the ideological dilemmas and methodological anxieties that pervaded the discipline of musicology (in German, Musikwissenschaft, encompassing music theory, analysis, and the study of music history) at the time and place of its academic institutionalization. Engaging in close readings of key contributions by Eduard Hanslick, Heinrich Schenker, and Guido Adler, all leading pioneers in the field, it argues against the widely held assumption that German musicology of the period was characterized, first and foremost, by a positivist endeavor to transform the discipline after the model of the natural sciences. Instead, it suggests that the work of its three central figures was shaped not only by progressivist ideologies of scientific positivism but also, and just as profoundly, by the skeptical pronouncements of Richard Wagner, Friedrich Nietzsche, and other critical observers of modern culture. It furthermore suggests that some of the most pressing questions regarding musicology's disciplinary identities in the present day—about the relationship between musicology and criticism, the role of the subject in analysis and the narration of history, and the responsibilities of the scholar to the listening public—have points of origin in the discipline's conflicted and largely forgotten beginnings.
Michael Tenzer
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195177893
- eISBN:
- 9780199864843
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177893.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This introductory chapter provides an overview of music analysis and theory in universal and cross-cultural contexts, including: Analysis: Definitions and Perspectives; Choosing Perspectives for this ...
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This introductory chapter provides an overview of music analysis and theory in universal and cross-cultural contexts, including: Analysis: Definitions and Perspectives; Choosing Perspectives for this Book; World Music as a Context for New Music; Categorizing Music; Periodicity and the Composer's Toolbox; Qualities of Periodicity; and Universals and a Future Music Theory.Less
This introductory chapter provides an overview of music analysis and theory in universal and cross-cultural contexts, including: Analysis: Definitions and Perspectives; Choosing Perspectives for this Book; World Music as a Context for New Music; Categorizing Music; Periodicity and the Composer's Toolbox; Qualities of Periodicity; and Universals and a Future Music Theory.
Michael Tenzer and John Roeder (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195384581
- eISBN:
- 9780199918331
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384581.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This collection of essays analyzes diverse musical creations with reference to the contexts in which the music is created and performed. The authors explain the music as sound in process, through ...
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This collection of essays analyzes diverse musical creations with reference to the contexts in which the music is created and performed. The authors explain the music as sound in process, through prose, diagrams, transcriptions, recordings, and (online) multimedia presentations, all intended to convey the richness, beauty, and ingenuity of their subjects. The music ranges across geography and cultures—court music of Japan and medieval Europe, pagode song from Brazil, solos by the jazz pianist Thelonius Monk and by the sitar master Budhaditya Mukherjee, form-and-timbre improvisations of a Boston sound collective, South Korean folk drumming, and the ceremonial music of indigenous cultures in North American and Australia. Thus the essays diversify and expand the scope of this book’s companion volume, Analytical Studies in World Music, to all inhabited continents and many of its greatest musical traditions. An introduction and an afterword point out common analytical approaches, and present a new way to classify music according to its temporal organization. Two special chapters consider the juxtaposition of music from different cultures: of world-music traditions and popular music genres, and of Balinese music and European Art music, raising questions about the musical encounters and fusions of today’s interconnected world.Less
This collection of essays analyzes diverse musical creations with reference to the contexts in which the music is created and performed. The authors explain the music as sound in process, through prose, diagrams, transcriptions, recordings, and (online) multimedia presentations, all intended to convey the richness, beauty, and ingenuity of their subjects. The music ranges across geography and cultures—court music of Japan and medieval Europe, pagode song from Brazil, solos by the jazz pianist Thelonius Monk and by the sitar master Budhaditya Mukherjee, form-and-timbre improvisations of a Boston sound collective, South Korean folk drumming, and the ceremonial music of indigenous cultures in North American and Australia. Thus the essays diversify and expand the scope of this book’s companion volume, Analytical Studies in World Music, to all inhabited continents and many of its greatest musical traditions. An introduction and an afterword point out common analytical approaches, and present a new way to classify music according to its temporal organization. Two special chapters consider the juxtaposition of music from different cultures: of world-music traditions and popular music genres, and of Balinese music and European Art music, raising questions about the musical encounters and fusions of today’s interconnected world.
David Lewin
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195317138
- eISBN:
- 9780199865413
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195317138.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This book is recognized as the seminal work paving the way for current studies in mathematical and systematic approaches to music analysis. The author, one of the 20th century’s most prominent ...
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This book is recognized as the seminal work paving the way for current studies in mathematical and systematic approaches to music analysis. The author, one of the 20th century’s most prominent figures in music theory, pushes the boundaries of the study of pitch-structure beyond its conception as a static system for classifying and inter-relating chords and sets. Known by most music theorists as “GMIT”, the book is by far the most significant contribution to the field of systematic music theory in the last half-century, generating the framework for the “transformational theory” movement. Appearing almost twenty years after GMIT’s initial publication, this Oxford University Press edition features a previously unpublished preface by the author, as well as a foreword by Edward Gollin contextualizing the work’s significance for the current field of music theory.Less
This book is recognized as the seminal work paving the way for current studies in mathematical and systematic approaches to music analysis. The author, one of the 20th century’s most prominent figures in music theory, pushes the boundaries of the study of pitch-structure beyond its conception as a static system for classifying and inter-relating chords and sets. Known by most music theorists as “GMIT”, the book is by far the most significant contribution to the field of systematic music theory in the last half-century, generating the framework for the “transformational theory” movement. Appearing almost twenty years after GMIT’s initial publication, this Oxford University Press edition features a previously unpublished preface by the author, as well as a foreword by Edward Gollin contextualizing the work’s significance for the current field of music theory.
Adam Ockelford
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199607631
- eISBN:
- 9780191747687
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199607631.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology, Developmental Psychology
Although research in music psychology, education and therapy has expanded exponentially in the 21st century, there is something of a ‘black hole’ around which much of the discourse circles: music ...
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Although research in music psychology, education and therapy has expanded exponentially in the 21st century, there is something of a ‘black hole’ around which much of the discourse circles: music itself. While writers have largely been occupied with what people think about musical engagement, the little musical analysis that exists has tended to be at a low level compared to the sophisticated non-musical exploration that is present. This highlights the tenuous connection between musical enquiry in the context of the humanities and that occurring within the social sciences, the one exception being the partial intersection of music theory and psychology. Here, however, progress has largely been in one direction, with something of the objectivity that characterizes psychological research reading across to music analysis, and taking the form of what has been called ‘empirical musicology’. This book takes a further, reciprocal step, in which certain of the techniques of empirical musicology (in particular, the author’s ‘zygonic’ theory) are used to inform thinking in the domains of music-psychological, educational and therapeutic research. A new, interdisciplinary sphere of endeavour is sketched out, for which the term ‘applied musicology’ is coined. The book adopts a phenomenological, inductive approach, using the analysis of hundreds of real-life examples of musical engagement and interaction to build new theories of musical intentionality and influence, and to shed new light on our understanding of aspects of music perception and cognition. This book is intended to lay the foundations upon which a new category of interdisciplinary work will be built.Less
Although research in music psychology, education and therapy has expanded exponentially in the 21st century, there is something of a ‘black hole’ around which much of the discourse circles: music itself. While writers have largely been occupied with what people think about musical engagement, the little musical analysis that exists has tended to be at a low level compared to the sophisticated non-musical exploration that is present. This highlights the tenuous connection between musical enquiry in the context of the humanities and that occurring within the social sciences, the one exception being the partial intersection of music theory and psychology. Here, however, progress has largely been in one direction, with something of the objectivity that characterizes psychological research reading across to music analysis, and taking the form of what has been called ‘empirical musicology’. This book takes a further, reciprocal step, in which certain of the techniques of empirical musicology (in particular, the author’s ‘zygonic’ theory) are used to inform thinking in the domains of music-psychological, educational and therapeutic research. A new, interdisciplinary sphere of endeavour is sketched out, for which the term ‘applied musicology’ is coined. The book adopts a phenomenological, inductive approach, using the analysis of hundreds of real-life examples of musical engagement and interaction to build new theories of musical intentionality and influence, and to shed new light on our understanding of aspects of music perception and cognition. This book is intended to lay the foundations upon which a new category of interdisciplinary work will be built.
Peter J. Martin
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719072161
- eISBN:
- 9781781701492
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719072161.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
This book explores the interface between musicological and sociological approaches to the analysis of music, and in doing so reveals the differing foundations of cultural studies and sociological ...
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This book explores the interface between musicological and sociological approaches to the analysis of music, and in doing so reveals the differing foundations of cultural studies and sociological perspectives more generally. Building on the arguments of his earlier book Sounds and society, the author initially contrasts text-based attempts to develop a ‘social’ analysis of music with sociological studies of musical activities in real cultural and institutional contexts. It is argued that the difficulties encountered by some of the ‘new’ musicologists in their efforts to introduce a social dimension to their work are often a result of their unfamiliarity with contemporary sociological discourse. Just as linguistic studies have moved from a concern with the meaning of words to a focus on how they are used, a sociological perspective directs our attention towards the ways in which the production and reception of music inevitably involve the collaborative activities of real people in particular times and places. The social meanings and significance of music, therefore, cannot be disclosed by analysis of the ‘texts’ alone, but only through the examination of the ways in which music is a constituent part of real social settings. This theme is developed through discussions of music in relation to processes of social stratification, the collaborative activities of improvising musicians, music as language, music as a ‘cultural object’ and music in everyday social situations.Less
This book explores the interface between musicological and sociological approaches to the analysis of music, and in doing so reveals the differing foundations of cultural studies and sociological perspectives more generally. Building on the arguments of his earlier book Sounds and society, the author initially contrasts text-based attempts to develop a ‘social’ analysis of music with sociological studies of musical activities in real cultural and institutional contexts. It is argued that the difficulties encountered by some of the ‘new’ musicologists in their efforts to introduce a social dimension to their work are often a result of their unfamiliarity with contemporary sociological discourse. Just as linguistic studies have moved from a concern with the meaning of words to a focus on how they are used, a sociological perspective directs our attention towards the ways in which the production and reception of music inevitably involve the collaborative activities of real people in particular times and places. The social meanings and significance of music, therefore, cannot be disclosed by analysis of the ‘texts’ alone, but only through the examination of the ways in which music is a constituent part of real social settings. This theme is developed through discussions of music in relation to processes of social stratification, the collaborative activities of improvising musicians, music as language, music as a ‘cultural object’ and music in everyday social situations.
Steven Rings
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195384277
- eISBN:
- 9780199897001
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384277.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, History, Western
Chapter 1 offers an introduction to transformational thought and situates it with respect to Schenkerian analysis. After a brief overview of transformational theory in Section 1.1, Section 1.2 ...
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Chapter 1 offers an introduction to transformational thought and situates it with respect to Schenkerian analysis. After a brief overview of transformational theory in Section 1.1, Section 1.2 introduces Generalized Interval Systems (or GISs), addressing both their technical and conceptual aspects. This section includes a model GIS-based analysis of the opening of Bach's Cello Suite in G, BWV 1007. Section 1.3 treats transformational networks, using a model analysis of the Andante from Schubert's Piano Sonata in A, D. 664 for demonstration. In Section 1.4 the GIS and transformational methodologies are contrasted with Schenkerian theory. It is argued that transformational and Schenkerian methodologies are not competing versions of the same kind of music theory but distinct styles of analytical thought, which may interact dialogically in practice.Less
Chapter 1 offers an introduction to transformational thought and situates it with respect to Schenkerian analysis. After a brief overview of transformational theory in Section 1.1, Section 1.2 introduces Generalized Interval Systems (or GISs), addressing both their technical and conceptual aspects. This section includes a model GIS-based analysis of the opening of Bach's Cello Suite in G, BWV 1007. Section 1.3 treats transformational networks, using a model analysis of the Andante from Schubert's Piano Sonata in A, D. 664 for demonstration. In Section 1.4 the GIS and transformational methodologies are contrasted with Schenkerian theory. It is argued that transformational and Schenkerian methodologies are not competing versions of the same kind of music theory but distinct styles of analytical thought, which may interact dialogically in practice.
John Roeder
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195384581
- eISBN:
- 9780199918331
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384581.003.0000
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
The growing interest in music of diverse cultures, and the growing awareness of the methods and approaches that are needed to compare it, motivate this collection of more analytical studies in world ...
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The growing interest in music of diverse cultures, and the growing awareness of the methods and approaches that are needed to compare it, motivate this collection of more analytical studies in world music. This introduction explains how the book is organized to juxtapose studies of music from divergent cultures that nevertheless share important features, bringing out some recurring themes. Methodological questions about music representation and the purview of music analysis are considered. It is argued that comparison of different musics is most appropriate when made with reference to basic perceptions of musical temporality—grouping, meter, and periodicity—that seem to be universal. Such rhythmically oriented analysis brings out both similarities and differences, and helps explain the role of music in defining the identity of the culture and of the groups and individuals that it comprises.Less
The growing interest in music of diverse cultures, and the growing awareness of the methods and approaches that are needed to compare it, motivate this collection of more analytical studies in world music. This introduction explains how the book is organized to juxtapose studies of music from divergent cultures that nevertheless share important features, bringing out some recurring themes. Methodological questions about music representation and the purview of music analysis are considered. It is argued that comparison of different musics is most appropriate when made with reference to basic perceptions of musical temporality—grouping, meter, and periodicity—that seem to be universal. Such rhythmically oriented analysis brings out both similarities and differences, and helps explain the role of music in defining the identity of the culture and of the groups and individuals that it comprises.
Adam Ockelford
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199607631
- eISBN:
- 9780191747687
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199607631.003.0002
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter considers the place of zygonic theory in the broader field of music theory and analysis, and notes that it is ‘psychomusicological’ in nature. The zygonic conjecture is introduced by ...
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This chapter considers the place of zygonic theory in the broader field of music theory and analysis, and notes that it is ‘psychomusicological’ in nature. The zygonic conjecture is introduced by considering how language functions as a medium of human communication, and then noting the differences and similarities between this and music. The perceived capacity of musical sounds for self-imitation lies at the heart of the theory, and this is placed within a broader framework, which takes into account the wider environment in which music-structural cognition resides. This enables a definition of ‘music’ to be generated, which underpins the thinking in the chapters that follow, in which the theory is applied in educational, therapeutic, and psychological contexts.Less
This chapter considers the place of zygonic theory in the broader field of music theory and analysis, and notes that it is ‘psychomusicological’ in nature. The zygonic conjecture is introduced by considering how language functions as a medium of human communication, and then noting the differences and similarities between this and music. The perceived capacity of musical sounds for self-imitation lies at the heart of the theory, and this is placed within a broader framework, which takes into account the wider environment in which music-structural cognition resides. This enables a definition of ‘music’ to be generated, which underpins the thinking in the chapters that follow, in which the theory is applied in educational, therapeutic, and psychological contexts.
Britta Sweers
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195174786
- eISBN:
- 9780199864348
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195174786.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
In order to highlight the variety of the individual fusion styles, this chapter undertakes a deeper musical analysis. A central focus is set on Fairport Convention which, despite numerous line-up ...
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In order to highlight the variety of the individual fusion styles, this chapter undertakes a deeper musical analysis. A central focus is set on Fairport Convention which, despite numerous line-up changes, still developed a recognizable folk-rock fusion style. The analysis particularly addresses the period with Sandy Denny (1967-1969), which ended with the recording of Liege & Lief. Steeleye Span, in contrast, developed a more rock-oriented approach, despite the stronger focus on traditional material, while Pentangle's acoustic jazz fusions were distinguished by a more transparent sound. The chapter also analyses the British guitar or “Folk Baroque” styles of Martin Carthy, Davy Graham, and Bert Jansch, and addresses the early music experiments of Shirley and Dolly Collins, and John Renbourn. Touching briefly on concept albums and progressive rock, the chapter is completed by a broader discussion of traditional elements in modern songwriting.Less
In order to highlight the variety of the individual fusion styles, this chapter undertakes a deeper musical analysis. A central focus is set on Fairport Convention which, despite numerous line-up changes, still developed a recognizable folk-rock fusion style. The analysis particularly addresses the period with Sandy Denny (1967-1969), which ended with the recording of Liege & Lief. Steeleye Span, in contrast, developed a more rock-oriented approach, despite the stronger focus on traditional material, while Pentangle's acoustic jazz fusions were distinguished by a more transparent sound. The chapter also analyses the British guitar or “Folk Baroque” styles of Martin Carthy, Davy Graham, and Bert Jansch, and addresses the early music experiments of Shirley and Dolly Collins, and John Renbourn. Touching briefly on concept albums and progressive rock, the chapter is completed by a broader discussion of traditional elements in modern songwriting.
Adam Ockelford
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199607631
- eISBN:
- 9780191747687
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199607631.003.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology, Developmental Psychology
Studies of music education, therapy, and psychology have tended to comprise a second-level metanarrative: they are about what people think about music, rather than being directed at the human ...
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Studies of music education, therapy, and psychology have tended to comprise a second-level metanarrative: they are about what people think about music, rather than being directed at the human perception of the sounds themselves. While this may, to a certain extent, be appropriate—inevitable even—in research hybrids of the arts and social sciences, there is nonetheless an epistemological lacuna, which this book aims to fill. This chapter sets out the challenge of developing a shared musical understanding, of identifying just what it is we want to talk about when we seek to describe and analyze music, issues of ecological validity, and of using music analysis to address extra-musical concerns.Less
Studies of music education, therapy, and psychology have tended to comprise a second-level metanarrative: they are about what people think about music, rather than being directed at the human perception of the sounds themselves. While this may, to a certain extent, be appropriate—inevitable even—in research hybrids of the arts and social sciences, there is nonetheless an epistemological lacuna, which this book aims to fill. This chapter sets out the challenge of developing a shared musical understanding, of identifying just what it is we want to talk about when we seek to describe and analyze music, issues of ecological validity, and of using music analysis to address extra-musical concerns.
David Lewin
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195182088
- eISBN:
- 9780199850594
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182088.003.0019
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This chapter explores music theory as a source for analytic metaphors. Overworked terms create problems for us in describing conceptual sound-structures, and the pursuit of these problems can be ...
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This chapter explores music theory as a source for analytic metaphors. Overworked terms create problems for us in describing conceptual sound-structures, and the pursuit of these problems can be enlightening. When we describe the ways in which musical sound seems conceptually structured, categorically prior to any one specific piece, we nevertheless intend our conceptual sound-worlds to be rich in potential metaphors for analyzing specific pieces. Marion Guck and others have been drawing our attention for some time now to metaphorical discourse for music analysis. But it is not generally appreciated how deeply and necessarily metaphorical a music theory becomes when it is used as the basis for an analysis. It is not a question of our intending metaphorical discourse or not when we bring a theory to an analysis. A spectacular example is afforded by the opening of Milton Babbitt's Philomel. John Hollander's text for Babbitt's piece depicts only Philomel's transformation, but he writes that he had earlier had a particular interest in the weaving scenes for a possible opera.Less
This chapter explores music theory as a source for analytic metaphors. Overworked terms create problems for us in describing conceptual sound-structures, and the pursuit of these problems can be enlightening. When we describe the ways in which musical sound seems conceptually structured, categorically prior to any one specific piece, we nevertheless intend our conceptual sound-worlds to be rich in potential metaphors for analyzing specific pieces. Marion Guck and others have been drawing our attention for some time now to metaphorical discourse for music analysis. But it is not generally appreciated how deeply and necessarily metaphorical a music theory becomes when it is used as the basis for an analysis. It is not a question of our intending metaphorical discourse or not when we bring a theory to an analysis. A spectacular example is afforded by the opening of Milton Babbitt's Philomel. John Hollander's text for Babbitt's piece depicts only Philomel's transformation, but he writes that he had earlier had a particular interest in the weaving scenes for a possible opera.
David Bard-Schwarz and Richard Cohn (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199844784
- eISBN:
- 9780190228323
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199844784.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This part of the book presents an inaugural publication of David Lewin’s 1974 essay on Schubert’s “Morgengruß.” Examining a series of analytical decisions about form, hypermeter, and harmonic ...
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This part of the book presents an inaugural publication of David Lewin’s 1974 essay on Schubert’s “Morgengruß.” Examining a series of analytical decisions about form, hypermeter, and harmonic function, the essay advances a set of analytical readings that are mutually incompatible, and then declines to choose between them, arguing that each reading captures a significant aspect of the song and its experience. Accordingly, it embeds an explicit reflection on the analytical process: how we come to intuitions and how we come to problematize them; what sorts of inquiries yield evidence; what sorts of evidence make an analytic argument. And it explores and demonstrates aspects of representation and communication: what gives analytical evidence persuasive force, and why; how to organize and order an analytical argument; how to explore and assert through graphs, and how to coordinate graph with text.Less
This part of the book presents an inaugural publication of David Lewin’s 1974 essay on Schubert’s “Morgengruß.” Examining a series of analytical decisions about form, hypermeter, and harmonic function, the essay advances a set of analytical readings that are mutually incompatible, and then declines to choose between them, arguing that each reading captures a significant aspect of the song and its experience. Accordingly, it embeds an explicit reflection on the analytical process: how we come to intuitions and how we come to problematize them; what sorts of inquiries yield evidence; what sorts of evidence make an analytic argument. And it explores and demonstrates aspects of representation and communication: what gives analytical evidence persuasive force, and why; how to organize and order an analytical argument; how to explore and assert through graphs, and how to coordinate graph with text.
Victor Svorinich
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781628461947
- eISBN:
- 9781626740891
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628461947.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
When Bitches Brew was released, it was not just another jazz album, but a major single event, with ramifications rippling over the next forty-plus years. Not only did Miles Davis change the face of ...
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When Bitches Brew was released, it was not just another jazz album, but a major single event, with ramifications rippling over the next forty-plus years. Not only did Miles Davis change the face of jazz once again by launching the entire jazz-fusion movement, he changed all of modern music. Listen to This looks in detail at the making of Bitches Brew, exploring the inner workings of Davis at his creative peak, and provides resolution to many of the controversies that have plagued this record since its inception. It revisits the mysteries surrounding the album and places it into both a historical and musical context using new interviews, original analysis, recently found recordings, unearthed session data sheets, letters, musical transcriptions, scores, and other associated data. Listen to This is not just the story of Bitches Brew. It reveals the legend of Miles Davis, his attitude, his relationship to the masses, his business and personal etiquette, and his response to extraordinary social conditions determined to bring him down. Listen to This unveils this iconic figure’s complex psyche and his impact on both the fine arts and popular culture through one of the greatest recordings ever made.Less
When Bitches Brew was released, it was not just another jazz album, but a major single event, with ramifications rippling over the next forty-plus years. Not only did Miles Davis change the face of jazz once again by launching the entire jazz-fusion movement, he changed all of modern music. Listen to This looks in detail at the making of Bitches Brew, exploring the inner workings of Davis at his creative peak, and provides resolution to many of the controversies that have plagued this record since its inception. It revisits the mysteries surrounding the album and places it into both a historical and musical context using new interviews, original analysis, recently found recordings, unearthed session data sheets, letters, musical transcriptions, scores, and other associated data. Listen to This is not just the story of Bitches Brew. It reveals the legend of Miles Davis, his attitude, his relationship to the masses, his business and personal etiquette, and his response to extraordinary social conditions determined to bring him down. Listen to This unveils this iconic figure’s complex psyche and his impact on both the fine arts and popular culture through one of the greatest recordings ever made.
Laurel Parsons and Brenda Ravenscroft
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- June 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780190236861
- eISBN:
- 9780190236892
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190236861.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western, Theory, Analysis, Composition
The collection’s introductory chapter situates the eight composers featured in this volume and their music in the twentieth-century environment of the female composer. The authors contrast the ...
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The collection’s introductory chapter situates the eight composers featured in this volume and their music in the twentieth-century environment of the female composer. The authors contrast the proliferation of compositional activity by contemporary women with the low representation of their music in creative and scholarly forums, arguing that a rich and varied repertoire remains to be discovered by scholars, performers, and listeners. Exploration of the links among the eight composers leads to consideration of the controversial question of whether there can be a distinctively female compositional voice. The chapter concludes with an invitation to scholars to contribute to a new phase of analytical discourse in which the compositions of women are regularly and proportionately included, and the label “woman composer” becomes obsolete.Less
The collection’s introductory chapter situates the eight composers featured in this volume and their music in the twentieth-century environment of the female composer. The authors contrast the proliferation of compositional activity by contemporary women with the low representation of their music in creative and scholarly forums, arguing that a rich and varied repertoire remains to be discovered by scholars, performers, and listeners. Exploration of the links among the eight composers leads to consideration of the controversial question of whether there can be a distinctively female compositional voice. The chapter concludes with an invitation to scholars to contribute to a new phase of analytical discourse in which the compositions of women are regularly and proportionately included, and the label “woman composer” becomes obsolete.
Laurel Parsons and Brenda Ravenscroft (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- October 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190237028
- eISBN:
- 9780190237059
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190237028.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This multi-author collection, the second to be published in an unprecedented four-volume series of analytical essays on music by women composers from the twelfth to the twenty-first centuries, ...
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This multi-author collection, the second to be published in an unprecedented four-volume series of analytical essays on music by women composers from the twelfth to the twenty-first centuries, presents detailed studies of compositions written up to 1900 by Hildegard of Bingen, Maddalena Casulana, Barbara Strozzi, Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre, Marianna Martines, Fanny Hensel, Josephine Lang, Clara Schumann, and Amy Beach. Each chapter opens with a brief biographical sketch of the composer, followed by an in-depth analysis of one representative composition or a small number of comparable compositions, linking analytical observations with broader considerations of music history, gender, culture, or hermeneutics. These essays, many by leading music theorists, are grouped thematically into three sections, the first focused on early music for voice, the second on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century keyboard music, and the third on lieder and piano music. The collection is designed to challenge and stimulate a wide range of readers. For academics, these thorough analytical studies can open new paths into unexplored research areas in music theory and musicology. Post-secondary instructors may be inspired by the insights offered here to include new works in graduate or upper-level undergraduate courses in early music, theory, history, or women and music. Finally, for performers, conductors, and music broadcasters, these thoughtful analyses can offer enriched understandings of this repertoire and suggest fresh, new programming possibilities to share with listeners—an endeavor of discovery for all those interested in music composed before 1900.Less
This multi-author collection, the second to be published in an unprecedented four-volume series of analytical essays on music by women composers from the twelfth to the twenty-first centuries, presents detailed studies of compositions written up to 1900 by Hildegard of Bingen, Maddalena Casulana, Barbara Strozzi, Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre, Marianna Martines, Fanny Hensel, Josephine Lang, Clara Schumann, and Amy Beach. Each chapter opens with a brief biographical sketch of the composer, followed by an in-depth analysis of one representative composition or a small number of comparable compositions, linking analytical observations with broader considerations of music history, gender, culture, or hermeneutics. These essays, many by leading music theorists, are grouped thematically into three sections, the first focused on early music for voice, the second on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century keyboard music, and the third on lieder and piano music. The collection is designed to challenge and stimulate a wide range of readers. For academics, these thorough analytical studies can open new paths into unexplored research areas in music theory and musicology. Post-secondary instructors may be inspired by the insights offered here to include new works in graduate or upper-level undergraduate courses in early music, theory, history, or women and music. Finally, for performers, conductors, and music broadcasters, these thoughtful analyses can offer enriched understandings of this repertoire and suggest fresh, new programming possibilities to share with listeners—an endeavor of discovery for all those interested in music composed before 1900.
Charles Hiroshi Garrett
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520254862
- eISBN:
- 9780520942820
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520254862.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
Identifying music as a vital site of cultural debate, this book captures the dynamic, contested nature of musical life in the United States. Using a blend of music analysis and cultural critique, the ...
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Identifying music as a vital site of cultural debate, this book captures the dynamic, contested nature of musical life in the United States. Using a blend of music analysis and cultural critique, the author examines an array of genres—including art music, jazz, popular song, ragtime, and Hawaiian music—and numerous well-known musicians, such as Charles Ives, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and Irving Berlin. The book argues that rather than a single, unified vision, an exploration of the past century reveals a contested array of musical perspectives on the nation, each one advancing a different facet of American identity through sound.Less
Identifying music as a vital site of cultural debate, this book captures the dynamic, contested nature of musical life in the United States. Using a blend of music analysis and cultural critique, the author examines an array of genres—including art music, jazz, popular song, ragtime, and Hawaiian music—and numerous well-known musicians, such as Charles Ives, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and Irving Berlin. The book argues that rather than a single, unified vision, an exploration of the past century reveals a contested array of musical perspectives on the nation, each one advancing a different facet of American identity through sound.
David Temperley
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- February 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780190653774
- eISBN:
- 9780190653804
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190653774.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, Popular
This chapter presents the scope, rationale, and approach of the book. Unlike much previous research on rock, the book is focused on musical rather than sociocultural aspects; it is primarily ...
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This chapter presents the scope, rationale, and approach of the book. Unlike much previous research on rock, the book is focused on musical rather than sociocultural aspects; it is primarily theoretical (focused on general features of the style) rather than analytical (focused on understanding individual works), though it is argued that developing a stronger theoretical foundation for rock will benefit analysis. Rock is defined broadly, to include a wide range of late twentieth-century Anglo-American popular styles. The chapter addresses some potentially controversial aspects of the book, such as the idea of rock as a musical “language,” the use of concepts from common-practice theory, the use of music notation, and the focus on purely musical aspects of the rock style. The chapter also describes the corpus of harmonic analyses and melodic transcriptions that is used in the book.Less
This chapter presents the scope, rationale, and approach of the book. Unlike much previous research on rock, the book is focused on musical rather than sociocultural aspects; it is primarily theoretical (focused on general features of the style) rather than analytical (focused on understanding individual works), though it is argued that developing a stronger theoretical foundation for rock will benefit analysis. Rock is defined broadly, to include a wide range of late twentieth-century Anglo-American popular styles. The chapter addresses some potentially controversial aspects of the book, such as the idea of rock as a musical “language,” the use of concepts from common-practice theory, the use of music notation, and the focus on purely musical aspects of the rock style. The chapter also describes the corpus of harmonic analyses and melodic transcriptions that is used in the book.
John Rink
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199679485
- eISBN:
- 9780191759994
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679485.003.0019
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology
This essay describes the experience of performing from the perspective of individual musicians—including that of the author—before proposing that “the music” one makes in performance not only emerges ...
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This essay describes the experience of performing from the perspective of individual musicians—including that of the author—before proposing that “the music” one makes in performance not only emerges from, but may constitute what one is as a performer. This is tantamount to saying that one’s identity as a performer may be shaped by one’s sense of identity with the music, and therefore that the musician’s individuality may be denied and realized at one and the same time in the act of performance. The discussion then turns to representative literature on performance, which though problematic, nevertheless casts light on the “identity as”/“identity with” relationship despite appearances to the contrary. One of the main aims is to explore impersonation in performance from the perspective of musicians’ own experiences and perceptions, rather than peering at it from the outside as in much of the literature on musical subjectivities.Less
This essay describes the experience of performing from the perspective of individual musicians—including that of the author—before proposing that “the music” one makes in performance not only emerges from, but may constitute what one is as a performer. This is tantamount to saying that one’s identity as a performer may be shaped by one’s sense of identity with the music, and therefore that the musician’s individuality may be denied and realized at one and the same time in the act of performance. The discussion then turns to representative literature on performance, which though problematic, nevertheless casts light on the “identity as”/“identity with” relationship despite appearances to the contrary. One of the main aims is to explore impersonation in performance from the perspective of musicians’ own experiences and perceptions, rather than peering at it from the outside as in much of the literature on musical subjectivities.
