Developing quadrature themes

2021 ◽  
Vol 105 (564) ◽  
pp. 458-466
Author(s):  
John D. Mahony
Keyword(s):  
Johann Sebastian Bach ◽  
Goldberg Variations

Readers will most likely be aware of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach in the field of music, particularly of his Goldberg variations and the changes that can be rung, wherein aesthetically appealing alterations to structure produce a raft of colourful sounding themes. Similarly in the field of quadrature it is possible to revisit and re-establish well-known formulae by developing variations on the theme of a three-point interpolating quadratic formed to represent a function that is to be integrated.

An Exploratory Pilot Study of Brain Activation and Functional Connectivity Induced by the “Goldberg” Variations 276 years after their Commission

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 191-197
Author(s):  
Christof Karmonik ◽  
Makiko Hirata ◽  
Saba Elias ◽  
J Todd Frazier
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Johann Sebastian Bach ◽  
Technical Development ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Goldberg Variations ◽  
The Brain

Around 1741, composer Johann Sebastian Bach published a long and complicated keyboard piece, calling it Aria with diverse variations for a harpsichord with two manuals. It was the capstone of a publication project called German Clavier-Übung (Keyboard Practice) where Bach wanted to show what was possible at the keyboard in terms of technical development, virtuosic finesse and compositional sophistication. The music is meticulously patterned, beginning with a highly ornamented Aria, the bass line of which fuels the 30 variations that follow. The piece is clearly divided into two parts with the second half beginning with an overture with a fanfare opening, in variation 16. The piece ends as it begins, with the return of the Aria. Here, we present an investigation into activation and connectivity in the brain of a pianist, who listened to her own recording of the “Goldberg” variation while undergoing a fMRI examination. Similarity of brain connectivity is quantified and compared with the subjective scores provided by the subject.

The Effects of Instrumentation, Playing Style, and Structure in the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach

1985 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Gotlieb ◽  
Vladimir J. Konečni
Keyword(s):  
Random Sequence ◽  
Johann Sebastian Bach ◽  
Original Version ◽  
Original Order ◽  
Goldberg Variations

Different recordings and arrangements of the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach were evaluated on cognitive, emotional, and perceptual dimensions. In Study 1, eight different renditions of the piece were classified as Classical or Romantic interpretations. Both harpsichord and piano versions of each style were included. Only minimal differences were found in subjects' appreciation for the harpsichord versus the piano recordings. Comparisons between the Classical and Romantic styles also revealed only slight differences in subjects' ratings. In addition, no differences were found in subjects' enjoyment of different recordings made by a single artist at different points in his career. In Study 2, the structure of the piece was modified by rearranging the order of the variations. A preference for the original version over the modified arrangements was indicated on only 1 of the 15 dimensions measured. In Study 3, specific triplets of variations were played to subjects in their original order and in a random sequence. No differences were found in subjects' appreciation for the original versus the modified versions.

An artistic portrait of Glenn Gould based on the analysis of his recordings of “The Goldberg Variations” by Johann Sebastian Bach from 1955 and 1981. Part 1

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
pp. 137-160
Author(s):  
Michał Stupski
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Johann Sebastian Bach ◽  
Interesting Fact ◽  
Fourth Part ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Goldberg Variations ◽  
Musical Preferences

The article presents the profile of Glenn Gould, one of the most prominent and popular pianists of the 20th century, whose great career was closely connected with his two recordings of The Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach. The first recording dated 1955 became his ticket to international fame whereas the second one (from 1981) is one of his last recordings, so it sort of symbolises the end of his musical adventure. A very interesting fact is that these two recordings are very different – both in terms of interpretation and performance. The first part of the article focuses on the biography of the Canadian pianist and it attempts to answer the question what happened in Glenn Gould’s life that might make him change his approach towards The Goldberg Variations and such diversified attitude towards music. Apart from that, it describes Gould’s style and his unusual musical preferences. The second part of the article presents the origin and characterisation of The Goldberg Variations as this piece includes numerous references to symbolism and numerology, which for ages has been a subject of interest of not only performers and audiences, but also scholars. The article presents the circumstances how The Variations (which constitute the fourth part of the Clavier Übung cycle) as well as other parts were written. It also touches on the construction and division of that piece plus two interesting yet controversial 19th century theories connected with The Variations.

An artistic portrait of Glenn Gould based on tHe analysis of his recordings of the Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian bach from 1955 and 1981, part 2

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (13) ◽  
pp. 161-184
Author(s):  
Michał Stupski
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Johann Sebastian Bach ◽  
Main Subject ◽  
Previous Issue ◽  
Goldberg Variations

The article is the continuation of the text on the artistic profile of Glenn Gould based on the analysis of recordings of The Goldberg Variations from 1955 and 1981. The first part of the article, published in the previous issue of “Notes Muzyczny”, describing the life and style of the Cana- dian pianist and also the origin, construction and general characteristics of The Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach, was sort of an introduction to the detailed analysis of both recordings, which is the main subject of the author’s deliberations. Additionally, apart from the mentioned analysis, the article presents general characteristics of each variation plus the circumstances when both versions of The Goldberg Variations were written. An important part of the article is touching on the problem of performance and perception of this great composition – as it had been believed for centuries that The Variations were challenging not only for a performer but also for a listener. For that reason, both versions of The Variations performed by Glenn Gould, which are commonly considered as masterpieces, are worth knowing.

36. Practicing medicine and music II: Ophthalmology and music

2007 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
L. P. Hwi ◽  
J. W. Ting
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Johann Sebastian Bach ◽  
Active Member ◽  
Active Researcher ◽  
Silver Medal ◽  
Medical Career ◽  
The One ◽  
The University ◽  
Over 40 Years

Cecil Cameron Ewing (1925-2006) was a lecturer and head of ophthalmology at the University of Saskatchewan. Throughout his Canadian career, he was an active researcher who published several articles on retinoschisis and was the editor of the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. For his contributions to Canadian ophthalmology, the Canadian Ophthalmological Society awarded Ewing a silver medal. Throughout his celebrated medical career, Ewing maintained his passion for music. His love for music led him to be an active member in choir, orchestra, opera and chamber music in which he sang and played the piano, violin and viola. He was also the director of the American Liszt Society and a member for over 40 years. The connection between music and ophthalmology exists as early as the 18th Century. John Taylor (1703-1772) was an English surgeon who specialized in eye diseases. On the one hand, Taylor was a scientist who contributed to ophthalmology by publishing books on ocular physiology and diseases, and by advancing theories of strabismus. On the other hand, Taylor was a charlatan who traveled throughout Europe and blinded many patients with his surgeries. Taylor’s connection to music was through his surgeries on two of the most famous Baroque composers: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and George Frederick Handel (1685-1759). Bach had a painful eye disorder and after two surgeries by Taylor, Bach was blind. Handel had poor or absent vision prior to Taylor’s surgery, and his vision did not improve after surgery. The connection between ophthalmology and music spans over three centuries from the surgeries of Taylor to the musical passion of Ewing. Ewing E. Cecil Cameron Ewing. BMJ 2006; 332(7552):1278. Jackson DM. Bach, Handel, and the Chevalier Taylor. Med Hist 1968; 12(4):385-93. Zegers RH. The Eyes of Johann Sebastian Bach. Arch Ophthalmol 2005; 123(10):1427-30.

Performing the Mass in B Minor in an Age of Choices

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Melamed
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Johann Sebastian Bach ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Performance History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Compositional History

Every performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’'s Mass in B Minor makes choices. The work’s compositional history and the nature of the sources that transmit it require performers to make decisions about its musical text and about the performing forces used in its realization. The Mass’s editorial history reflects deeply ideological views about Bach’s composition and how it should sound, not just objective reporting on the piece, with consequences for performances that follow specific editions. Things left unspecified by the composer need to be filled in, and every decision—including the choice to add nothing to Bach’s text—represents an interpretation. And the long performance history of the Mass offers a range of possibilities, reflecting a tension between the performance of a work like the Mass in Bach’s time and the tradition inherited from the nineteenth century. Every performance thus represents a point of view about the piece; —there are no neutral performances.

The Musical Discourse of Servitude

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry White
Keyword(s):  
Johann Sebastian Bach ◽  
George Frideric Handel ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Imperial Court ◽  
Musical Works ◽  
Musical Discourse ◽  
Work Concept ◽  
Musical Genres ◽  
Church Service ◽  
Late Works

The Musical Discourse of Servitude examines the music of Johann Joseph Fux (ca. 1660–1741) in relation to that of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. Its principal argument is that Fux’s long indenture as a composer of church music in Vienna gains in meaning (and cultural significance) when situated along an axis that runs between the liturgical servitude of writing music for the imperial court service and the autonomy of musical imagination which transpires in the late works of Bach and Handel. To this end, The Musical Discourse of Servitude constructs a typology of the late Baroque musical imagination which draws Fux, Bach, and Handel into the orbit of North Italian compositional practice. This typology depends on two primary concepts, both of which derive and dissent from Lydia Goehr’s formulation of the “work-concept” in The Imaginary Museum of Musical Works (1992), namely, the “authority concept” and a revised reading of the “work-concept” itself. Both concepts are engaged through the agency of two musical genres—the oratorio and the Mass ordinary—which Fux shared with Handel and Bach respectively. These genres functioned as conservative norms in Fux’s music (most of Fux’s working life was spent in writing for the church service), but they are very differently engaged by Bach and Handel. To establish a continuity between Fux, Bach and Handel, and between the servitude of common practice and the emerging autonomy of a work-based practice in the early eighteenth-century musical imagination are the principal objectives of this study.

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