Lawrence M. Zbikowski
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195140231
- eISBN:
- 9780199871278
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195140231.003.0008
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This chapter begins by exploring static and dynamic models of musical form that emerged in the 18th century and the way these models were transformed by changes in ideology and music education that ...
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This chapter begins by exploring static and dynamic models of musical form that emerged in the 18th century and the way these models were transformed by changes in ideology and music education that took place beginning late in that century. It then considers two models of musical hierarchy that were initially developed to apply to domains other than music. It was only in the early 19th century that they were applied to music, and then to two rather different aspects of musical organization. The first model views hierarchy as a matter of control: each level in a hierarchy (with the exception of those at the extremes) controls the next-lower level and is itself controlled by the next-higher level. This model stretches back at least to the Middle Ages and is most often used to account for tonal organization. The second model of hierarchy relies on a more componential approach: the elements of level A of the hierarchy combine to make up individual elements at the next-higher level (level B of the hierarchy); the elements of level B then combine to make up individual elements at the next higher level (level C of the hierarchy), and so on, until the account of structure is exhausted. This model emerged during the 17th century and is most often used to explain music's metrical structure.Less
This chapter begins by exploring static and dynamic models of musical form that emerged in the 18th century and the way these models were transformed by changes in ideology and music education that took place beginning late in that century. It then considers two models of musical hierarchy that were initially developed to apply to domains other than music. It was only in the early 19th century that they were applied to music, and then to two rather different aspects of musical organization. The first model views hierarchy as a matter of control: each level in a hierarchy (with the exception of those at the extremes) controls the next-lower level and is itself controlled by the next-higher level. This model stretches back at least to the Middle Ages and is most often used to account for tonal organization. The second model of hierarchy relies on a more componential approach: the elements of level A of the hierarchy combine to make up individual elements at the next-higher level (level B of the hierarchy); the elements of level B then combine to make up individual elements at the next higher level (level C of the hierarchy), and so on, until the account of structure is exhausted. This model emerged during the 17th century and is most often used to explain music's metrical structure.
Lawrence M. Zbikowski
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195140231
- eISBN:
- 9780199871278
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195140231.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This book shows how recent work in cognitive science, especially that developed by cognitive linguists and cognitive psychologists, can be used to explain how we understand music. The book focuses on ...
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This book shows how recent work in cognitive science, especially that developed by cognitive linguists and cognitive psychologists, can be used to explain how we understand music. The book focuses on three cognitive processes: categorization, cross-domain mapping, and the use of conceptual models, and explores the part these play in theories of musical organization. The first part of the book provides a detailed overview of the relevant work in cognitive science, framed around specific musical examples. The second part brings this perspective to bear on a number of issues with which music scholarship has often been occupied, including the emergence of musical syntax and its relationship to musical semiosis, the problem of musical ontology, the relationship between words and music in songs, and conceptions of musical form and musical hierarchy.Less
This book shows how recent work in cognitive science, especially that developed by cognitive linguists and cognitive psychologists, can be used to explain how we understand music. The book focuses on three cognitive processes: categorization, cross-domain mapping, and the use of conceptual models, and explores the part these play in theories of musical organization. The first part of the book provides a detailed overview of the relevant work in cognitive science, framed around specific musical examples. The second part brings this perspective to bear on a number of issues with which music scholarship has often been occupied, including the emergence of musical syntax and its relationship to musical semiosis, the problem of musical ontology, the relationship between words and music in songs, and conceptions of musical form and musical hierarchy.
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.
Roger Scruton
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198167273
- eISBN:
- 9780191598371
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019816727X.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
Develops an account of the formal aspect of musical structure and the kind of understanding that it permits and satisfies. Argues for the untenability of the theories developed by both Schenker and ...
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Develops an account of the formal aspect of musical structure and the kind of understanding that it permits and satisfies. Argues for the untenability of the theories developed by both Schenker and Meyer but tries to rescue the Schenkerian concept of prolongation from its theoretical abuse. Argues for a fundamental connection between musical form and human gesture and movement.Less
Develops an account of the formal aspect of musical structure and the kind of understanding that it permits and satisfies. Argues for the untenability of the theories developed by both Schenker and Meyer but tries to rescue the Schenkerian concept of prolongation from its theoretical abuse. Argues for a fundamental connection between musical form and human gesture and movement.
Kathryn Marsh
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199214389
- eISBN:
- 9780191594779
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199214389.003.0003
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology, Music Psychology
This chapter examines the ways in which school-aged children construct meaning through the generation and performance of musical play forms, both drawing on and transforming cultural influences. It ...
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This chapter examines the ways in which school-aged children construct meaning through the generation and performance of musical play forms, both drawing on and transforming cultural influences. It addresses issues of appropriation, transculturation, and identity as manifested in musical play. The interactive pedagogy of the playground, through which children's agency is fully realized in processes of mutual learning and teaching, is also demonstrated.Less
This chapter examines the ways in which school-aged children construct meaning through the generation and performance of musical play forms, both drawing on and transforming cultural influences. It addresses issues of appropriation, transculturation, and identity as manifested in musical play. The interactive pedagogy of the playground, through which children's agency is fully realized in processes of mutual learning and teaching, is also demonstrated.
Eric Salzman and Thomas Desi
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195099362
- eISBN:
- 9780199864737
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195099362.003.0003
- Subject:
- Music, Opera
This chapter discusses the evolution of instruments and the orchestra in the theater — onstage, offstage, in the pit, and in the theatrical space — along with issues of musical form in theatrical ...
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This chapter discusses the evolution of instruments and the orchestra in the theater — onstage, offstage, in the pit, and in the theatrical space — along with issues of musical form in theatrical music. It ends with a discussion of the breakdown of the stage/audience barrier, the use of live electronics, and the introduction of digital technology to transmit, transform, and create sound.Less
This chapter discusses the evolution of instruments and the orchestra in the theater — onstage, offstage, in the pit, and in the theatrical space — along with issues of musical form in theatrical music. It ends with a discussion of the breakdown of the stage/audience barrier, the use of live electronics, and the introduction of digital technology to transmit, transform, and create sound.
David Manning
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195182392
- eISBN:
- 9780199851485
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182392.003.0100
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
The musical form known as “passacaglia,” which is first cousin to the “chaconne” and “ground” of Henry Purcell, has always been a favorite device with composers. The violin chaconne and the organ ...
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The musical form known as “passacaglia,” which is first cousin to the “chaconne” and “ground” of Henry Purcell, has always been a favorite device with composers. The violin chaconne and the organ passacaglia of Johann Sebastian Bach are well known. The Variations in C minor of Ludwig van Beethoven and the Finale of Johannes Brahms' Fourth Symphony are also in the passacaglia form, though not so called. The device consists in a melodic or rhythmical pattern that persists without interruption throughout the piece, usually in the bass, surrounded by simple or complex figuration as the composer desires. The “well-known” theme on which Gordon Jacob founds his passacaglia is the tune “Oranges and Lemons,” whose bell-like character is well suited to contrapuntal treatment.Less
The musical form known as “passacaglia,” which is first cousin to the “chaconne” and “ground” of Henry Purcell, has always been a favorite device with composers. The violin chaconne and the organ passacaglia of Johann Sebastian Bach are well known. The Variations in C minor of Ludwig van Beethoven and the Finale of Johannes Brahms' Fourth Symphony are also in the passacaglia form, though not so called. The device consists in a melodic or rhythmical pattern that persists without interruption throughout the piece, usually in the bass, surrounded by simple or complex figuration as the composer desires. The “well-known” theme on which Gordon Jacob founds his passacaglia is the tune “Oranges and Lemons,” whose bell-like character is well suited to contrapuntal treatment.
Jason Stanyek and Fabio Oliveira
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195384581
- eISBN:
- 9780199918331
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384581.003.0003
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter analyzes a live recording of the iconic song “Sorriso Aberto” (“Open Smile”) by Guará in order to bring out some of the principal sonic characteristics of pagode, a radical reformulation ...
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This chapter analyzes a live recording of the iconic song “Sorriso Aberto” (“Open Smile”) by Guará in order to bring out some of the principal sonic characteristics of pagode, a radical reformulation of samba initiated in the 1970s in Rio de Janeiro’s Zona Norte. Rather than reducing pagode performance to a set of characteristic patterns, it proceeds from the notion that pagode is a set of practices that subsists on the micro-nuances of continual variation. The recording has a dense profile—instruments blend together, and subtle sounds are covered over—raising questions about audibility that this chapter addresses. It provides an overview of the history of “Sorriso Aberto,” and recounts the particular circumstances of this performance. The song’s lyrics and its melodic and harmonic structure are analyzed. The final part of the chapter analyzes studio “re-recordings”, assembled into an audiovisual “virtual roda” that allows the reader to listen to any combination of instrumental parts. The chapter thus proceeds from general history to a particular analysis of the micro-level sonic details of a single performance.Less
This chapter analyzes a live recording of the iconic song “Sorriso Aberto” (“Open Smile”) by Guará in order to bring out some of the principal sonic characteristics of pagode, a radical reformulation of samba initiated in the 1970s in Rio de Janeiro’s Zona Norte. Rather than reducing pagode performance to a set of characteristic patterns, it proceeds from the notion that pagode is a set of practices that subsists on the micro-nuances of continual variation. The recording has a dense profile—instruments blend together, and subtle sounds are covered over—raising questions about audibility that this chapter addresses. It provides an overview of the history of “Sorriso Aberto,” and recounts the particular circumstances of this performance. The song’s lyrics and its melodic and harmonic structure are analyzed. The final part of the chapter analyzes studio “re-recordings”, assembled into an audiovisual “virtual roda” that allows the reader to listen to any combination of instrumental parts. The chapter thus proceeds from general history to a particular analysis of the micro-level sonic details of a single performance.
John Sloboda
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198530121
- eISBN:
- 9780191689741
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198530121.003.0014
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology
This chapter treats six connected issues of musical expertise. It examines the difficulties associated with characterising expertise in a way that offers a genuine foothold for cognitive psychology, ...
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This chapter treats six connected issues of musical expertise. It examines the difficulties associated with characterising expertise in a way that offers a genuine foothold for cognitive psychology, and suggests that expertise may not, in fact, be ‘special’ in any cognitively interesting sense. It goes on to review some experimental studies of music, which suggest that most members of a culture possess tacit musical expertise, expressed in their ability to use high-level structural information in carrying out a variety of perceptual tasks. This expertise seems to be acquired through casual exposure to the musical forms and activities of the culture. The chapter then provides two detailed examples of exceptional musical expertise that apparently developed in the absence of formal instruction, suggesting that normal and ‘exceptional’ expertise may be parts of a single continuum. It finally discusses that musical expertise requires an apprehension of a structure-emotion mapping.Less
This chapter treats six connected issues of musical expertise. It examines the difficulties associated with characterising expertise in a way that offers a genuine foothold for cognitive psychology, and suggests that expertise may not, in fact, be ‘special’ in any cognitively interesting sense. It goes on to review some experimental studies of music, which suggest that most members of a culture possess tacit musical expertise, expressed in their ability to use high-level structural information in carrying out a variety of perceptual tasks. This expertise seems to be acquired through casual exposure to the musical forms and activities of the culture. The chapter then provides two detailed examples of exceptional musical expertise that apparently developed in the absence of formal instruction, suggesting that normal and ‘exceptional’ expertise may be parts of a single continuum. It finally discusses that musical expertise requires an apprehension of a structure-emotion mapping.
Robert Morris
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195177893
- eISBN:
- 9780199864843
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177893.003.0010
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This chapter provides an analysis of a multi-section South Indian classical composition, covering: Indian Classical Music and Carnatic Music; Performance Contexts for Carnatic Music; Raga, Tala, and ...
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This chapter provides an analysis of a multi-section South Indian classical composition, covering: Indian Classical Music and Carnatic Music; Performance Contexts for Carnatic Music; Raga, Tala, and Musical Form in Carnatic Music; Introduction to Valachi Vacchi; and Analysis of Valachi Vacchi.Less
This chapter provides an analysis of a multi-section South Indian classical composition, covering: Indian Classical Music and Carnatic Music; Performance Contexts for Carnatic Music; Raga, Tala, and Musical Form in Carnatic Music; Introduction to Valachi Vacchi; and Analysis of Valachi Vacchi.
Peter J. Martin
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719072161
- eISBN:
- 9781781701492
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719072161.003.0003
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
This chapter suggests that it is somewhat ironic that some of the ‘new’ musicologists have adopted a distinctly ‘old’ version of sociology, in which musical forms somehow articulate or represent ...
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This chapter suggests that it is somewhat ironic that some of the ‘new’ musicologists have adopted a distinctly ‘old’ version of sociology, in which musical forms somehow articulate or represent ideological formations. Despite their fondness for the ‘social’ analysis of music, the work of the ‘new’ musicologists shows little awareness of the contours of the contemporary sociological landscape. There is much of interest in the revived concern with the ‘social’ analysis of music, but the new musicologists should be aware of the very considerable gap between their work and the discourse of contemporary sociology.Less
This chapter suggests that it is somewhat ironic that some of the ‘new’ musicologists have adopted a distinctly ‘old’ version of sociology, in which musical forms somehow articulate or represent ideological formations. Despite their fondness for the ‘social’ analysis of music, the work of the ‘new’ musicologists shows little awareness of the contours of the contemporary sociological landscape. There is much of interest in the revived concern with the ‘social’ analysis of music, but the new musicologists should be aware of the very considerable gap between their work and the discourse of contemporary sociology.
Ethan Mordden
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199892839
- eISBN:
- 9780199367696
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199892839.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, Popular, History, American
This chapter focuses on the musicals of the first two decades of the twentieth century, when musical forms were both consolidating and evolving. Musicals were either romantic or satiric, but the two ...
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This chapter focuses on the musicals of the first two decades of the twentieth century, when musical forms were both consolidating and evolving. Musicals were either romantic or satiric, but the two extremes borrowed from each other so casually that at times it became difficult to tell comic opera from musical comedy. Sometimes even the manager—or, as he was often called now, the producer—did not know which of the two forms he was producing.Less
This chapter focuses on the musicals of the first two decades of the twentieth century, when musical forms were both consolidating and evolving. Musicals were either romantic or satiric, but the two extremes borrowed from each other so casually that at times it became difficult to tell comic opera from musical comedy. Sometimes even the manager—or, as he was often called now, the producer—did not know which of the two forms he was producing.
Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199990825
- eISBN:
- 9780199357871
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199990825.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Psychology of Music
Superficially similar instances of repetition can be perceived dramatically differently. Chapter 2 scrutinizes this transformation from acoustic to perceived repetition. It surveys theoretical work ...
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Superficially similar instances of repetition can be perceived dramatically differently. Chapter 2 scrutinizes this transformation from acoustic to perceived repetition. It surveys theoretical work on musical repetition, ranging from Formenlehre, semiotic, and phenomenological traditions, to work on non-Western and pop musics by writers like Turino and Middleton, to very recent accounts, such as Hanninen’s theory of recontextualization. The juxtaposition of these diverse accounts produces a new perspective about the ways that repeating elements in the acoustic signal can work to engender divergent percepts and experiences.Less
Superficially similar instances of repetition can be perceived dramatically differently. Chapter 2 scrutinizes this transformation from acoustic to perceived repetition. It surveys theoretical work on musical repetition, ranging from Formenlehre, semiotic, and phenomenological traditions, to work on non-Western and pop musics by writers like Turino and Middleton, to very recent accounts, such as Hanninen’s theory of recontextualization. The juxtaposition of these diverse accounts produces a new perspective about the ways that repeating elements in the acoustic signal can work to engender divergent percepts and experiences.
Todd Decker
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520268883
- eISBN:
- 9780520950061
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520268883.003.0008
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
In 1952, Fred Astaire remarked that “jazz means the blues,” and this chapter examines this comment in practical terms by detailing Astaire's varied use of the twelve-bar blues progression as a ...
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In 1952, Fred Astaire remarked that “jazz means the blues,” and this chapter examines this comment in practical terms by detailing Astaire's varied use of the twelve-bar blues progression as a musical scaffold for dance making. All the important popular blues-based idioms turn up in his work, from boogie-woogie and swing blues (use of the blues progression by big bands) to 1950s rock and roll and 1960s soul jazz. Astaire danced to popular music, whose structural building blocks are straightforward: thirty-two-bar choruses built on eight-bar phrases in an AABA or ABAC arrangement, twelve-bar blues choruses, introductions, verses, vamps, and big finishes. There was nothing arcane or concealed about the musical forms he deployed: they can be heard easily if we attend just to the music—sometimes hard to do with all that dancing going on. Accompanied on-screen by a group of African American sideline musicians, Astaire created an extended solo dance to “Bugle Call Rag.” His final studio-era solo was a rock-and-roll blues number by Cole Porter.Less
In 1952, Fred Astaire remarked that “jazz means the blues,” and this chapter examines this comment in practical terms by detailing Astaire's varied use of the twelve-bar blues progression as a musical scaffold for dance making. All the important popular blues-based idioms turn up in his work, from boogie-woogie and swing blues (use of the blues progression by big bands) to 1950s rock and roll and 1960s soul jazz. Astaire danced to popular music, whose structural building blocks are straightforward: thirty-two-bar choruses built on eight-bar phrases in an AABA or ABAC arrangement, twelve-bar blues choruses, introductions, verses, vamps, and big finishes. There was nothing arcane or concealed about the musical forms he deployed: they can be heard easily if we attend just to the music—sometimes hard to do with all that dancing going on. Accompanied on-screen by a group of African American sideline musicians, Astaire created an extended solo dance to “Bugle Call Rag.” His final studio-era solo was a rock-and-roll blues number by Cole Porter.
Todd Decker
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520282322
- eISBN:
- 9780520966543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520282322.003.0008
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter considers the sonic representation of the helicopter in combat films set in Vietnam and the Greater Middle East. The sound of unseen helicopters has frequently been used as a kind of ...
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This chapter considers the sonic representation of the helicopter in combat films set in Vietnam and the Greater Middle East. The sound of unseen helicopters has frequently been used as a kind of effects-made music underlining tense narrative moments or dialogue. The sound of helicopter rotors in scenes set on or near helicopters has often been modulated (lowered in volume) or replaced entirely by music. Special attention is given to scenes of soldiers inside helicopters riding into battle and to how music has been used to shape the cinematic experience of helicopter-borne battle. Film form often follows musical form when helos take to the skies on-screen. The helicopter attack on a Vietnamese village to the supposedly diegetic sound of Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” in Apocalypse Now is analyzed in detail. The editor Walter Murch built the sequence on Wagner’s musical form, expressing an equivalence between musical pleasure and the pleasures of firing weapons.Less
This chapter considers the sonic representation of the helicopter in combat films set in Vietnam and the Greater Middle East. The sound of unseen helicopters has frequently been used as a kind of effects-made music underlining tense narrative moments or dialogue. The sound of helicopter rotors in scenes set on or near helicopters has often been modulated (lowered in volume) or replaced entirely by music. Special attention is given to scenes of soldiers inside helicopters riding into battle and to how music has been used to shape the cinematic experience of helicopter-borne battle. Film form often follows musical form when helos take to the skies on-screen. The helicopter attack on a Vietnamese village to the supposedly diegetic sound of Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” in Apocalypse Now is analyzed in detail. The editor Walter Murch built the sequence on Wagner’s musical form, expressing an equivalence between musical pleasure and the pleasures of firing weapons.
Kate McQuiston
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199767656
- eISBN:
- 9780199369492
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199767656.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, Popular, History, Western
Music’s unique temporal qualities animate the supernatural and metaphysical themes in The Shining. The gradual precipitation of music in the film sounds the approach of danger and of Jack’s ...
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Music’s unique temporal qualities animate the supernatural and metaphysical themes in The Shining. The gradual precipitation of music in the film sounds the approach of danger and of Jack’s assumption of his role as caretaker. The structural continuities in the excerpts of modern music in the film provide the foundation for the film’s sense of consciousness and continuum.Less
Music’s unique temporal qualities animate the supernatural and metaphysical themes in The Shining. The gradual precipitation of music in the film sounds the approach of danger and of Jack’s assumption of his role as caretaker. The structural continuities in the excerpts of modern music in the film provide the foundation for the film’s sense of consciousness and continuum.
Jee Yeon Ryu
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199936182
- eISBN:
- 9780199361304
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199936182.003.0004
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, History, Western
For Beethoven and Bartók, the employment of contrast became a major part of their stylistic and structural vocabulary in the works of their middle and late periods. In Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op.101 ...
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For Beethoven and Bartók, the employment of contrast became a major part of their stylistic and structural vocabulary in the works of their middle and late periods. In Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op.101 and Bartók's Third String Quartet, the pairing of musical materials plays an important role in terms of formal process. Employing topical juxtaposition as a compositional technique to create larger-scale formal connections within and between movements, the two composers share a strikingly similar dualistic approach towards redefining traditional sonata form. The salient aspect of duality in Bartók's formal plan, however, was achieved as the composer strived to synthesize modernist ideals with dialectical thinking inherited from the Beethovenian tradition. While both composers used similar formal procedures in these works, Bartók ultimately responded to Beethoven's dialectical concepts by emulating and re-contextualizing the earlier composer's dualistic formal perception to reflect his own aesthetic goals. This chapter compares Beethoven's and Bartók's dialectical approach to musical form in the aforementioned works, illuminating their compositional strategies to integrate and juxtapose ideas of contrast/interruption, disunity/unity and beauty/essence, thereby underscoring Beethoven's profound influence on the Hungarian composer.Less
For Beethoven and Bartók, the employment of contrast became a major part of their stylistic and structural vocabulary in the works of their middle and late periods. In Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op.101 and Bartók's Third String Quartet, the pairing of musical materials plays an important role in terms of formal process. Employing topical juxtaposition as a compositional technique to create larger-scale formal connections within and between movements, the two composers share a strikingly similar dualistic approach towards redefining traditional sonata form. The salient aspect of duality in Bartók's formal plan, however, was achieved as the composer strived to synthesize modernist ideals with dialectical thinking inherited from the Beethovenian tradition. While both composers used similar formal procedures in these works, Bartók ultimately responded to Beethoven's dialectical concepts by emulating and re-contextualizing the earlier composer's dualistic formal perception to reflect his own aesthetic goals. This chapter compares Beethoven's and Bartók's dialectical approach to musical form in the aforementioned works, illuminating their compositional strategies to integrate and juxtapose ideas of contrast/interruption, disunity/unity and beauty/essence, thereby underscoring Beethoven's profound influence on the Hungarian composer.
Boris Gasparov
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300106503
- eISBN:
- 9780300133165
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300106503.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
This chapter examines Shostakovich's musical composition Fourth Symphony. It suggests that despite the controversy surrounding the composition, it was the composition that marked a watershed in ...
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This chapter examines Shostakovich's musical composition Fourth Symphony. It suggests that despite the controversy surrounding the composition, it was the composition that marked a watershed in Shostakovich's development as a composer and can be considered as the conclusion of his early period which was marked by a radical avant-garde style and bold experimentation with genres and musical forms. It also contends that Shostakovich's work is thick with dramatic tensions and oratorical pathos and discusses how his music became entangled in a Manichaean dual perspective which reduced its interpretation to a simple choice of labeling it either pro- or anti-Soviet.Less
This chapter examines Shostakovich's musical composition Fourth Symphony. It suggests that despite the controversy surrounding the composition, it was the composition that marked a watershed in Shostakovich's development as a composer and can be considered as the conclusion of his early period which was marked by a radical avant-garde style and bold experimentation with genres and musical forms. It also contends that Shostakovich's work is thick with dramatic tensions and oratorical pathos and discusses how his music became entangled in a Manichaean dual perspective which reduced its interpretation to a simple choice of labeling it either pro- or anti-Soviet.
Kathryn Lachman
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9781781380307
- eISBN:
- 9781781387290
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9781781380307.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
Borrowed Forms has shown how a critical engagement with music is essential to understanding the formal innovations and ethical commitments of the transnational novel. The conclusion extends the ...
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Borrowed Forms has shown how a critical engagement with music is essential to understanding the formal innovations and ethical commitments of the transnational novel. The conclusion extends the discussion of polyphony, counterpoint, variation and opera to consider the influence of concerto form on the work of Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier. Concerto form relies on the principles of opposition, contrast, and dialogue. In Concierto barroco, accordingly, Carpentier foregrounds the dynamic negotiation among Cuban, African-American, and Italian Baroque traditions. Carpentier's novella suggests that the resurgence of Baroque musical forms in transnational fiction cannot be regarded simply as evidence of neocolonialism nor of the entrenched legacy of Western cultural values. On the contrary, musical forms are always hybrid and impure: they are the product of encounters among multiple traditions, and constantly undergo creolization and transformation. The conclusion brings together the book's main arguments, while also pointing to the new musical strategies deployed by emerging writers and the critical challenges this presents.Less
Borrowed Forms has shown how a critical engagement with music is essential to understanding the formal innovations and ethical commitments of the transnational novel. The conclusion extends the discussion of polyphony, counterpoint, variation and opera to consider the influence of concerto form on the work of Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier. Concerto form relies on the principles of opposition, contrast, and dialogue. In Concierto barroco, accordingly, Carpentier foregrounds the dynamic negotiation among Cuban, African-American, and Italian Baroque traditions. Carpentier's novella suggests that the resurgence of Baroque musical forms in transnational fiction cannot be regarded simply as evidence of neocolonialism nor of the entrenched legacy of Western cultural values. On the contrary, musical forms are always hybrid and impure: they are the product of encounters among multiple traditions, and constantly undergo creolization and transformation. The conclusion brings together the book's main arguments, while also pointing to the new musical strategies deployed by emerging writers and the critical challenges this presents.
Jessica Wiskus
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226030920
- eISBN:
- 9780226031088
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226031088.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
This chapter presents and studies Debussy’s definition of music, according to which, music, in its essence, “consists of colors and rhythmicized time.” The “colors” may be taken to refer to the depth ...
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This chapter presents and studies Debussy’s definition of music, according to which, music, in its essence, “consists of colors and rhythmicized time.” The “colors” may be taken to refer to the depth expressed through harmony and timbre. On the other hand, “rhythmicized time” cannot simply refer to the use of musical meter, as the sense of rhythmic pulse in the Prelude is less that of a metronome than of a shifting beam of light. The concept of “rhythmicized time” transcends simple durational measurement between two notes or two harmonies and operates across multiple layers. The precise divisions of the musical form in the Prelude remain a subject of debate among contemporary music theorists.Less
This chapter presents and studies Debussy’s definition of music, according to which, music, in its essence, “consists of colors and rhythmicized time.” The “colors” may be taken to refer to the depth expressed through harmony and timbre. On the other hand, “rhythmicized time” cannot simply refer to the use of musical meter, as the sense of rhythmic pulse in the Prelude is less that of a metronome than of a shifting beam of light. The concept of “rhythmicized time” transcends simple durational measurement between two notes or two harmonies and operates across multiple layers. The precise divisions of the musical form in the Prelude remain a subject of debate among contemporary music theorists.
