Sacred Sound and Secular Space in Mendelssohn’s Instrumental Music

2020 ◽  
pp. 330-345
Author(s):  
Lawrence Kramer
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Music ◽  
The Other ◽  
Slow Movement ◽  
Religious Music ◽  
Piano Trio ◽  
Material Form

This chapter examines instances in Felix Mendelssohn’s oeuvre in which religious music arises in an otherwise secular context, specifically in the slow movement of the ‘Italian’ Symphony and the finale of the C minor Piano Trio. In Mary Douglas’s famous definition, dirt is matter out of place, but what is spirit out of place? Why, in these two movements by Mendelssohn, does it lose its place? The answer turns on the idea that each movement, in its own way, transfers the value of the sacred from its ‘own’ place to a foreign one—in one case, literally so, to an Italian landscape that even in its material form appears in nostalgic quotation marks, and in the other case, to the music (or a certain historically emergent music) itself. Both instances suggest an ecumenical change in the very category of the sacred, its absorption into a repertoire of expressive acts not limited to the articulation of creed.

Interrelationship of Jatharagni and Dhatvagni in context to Dhatvagni Pradoshaj Vikaras.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kishor G. Satani ◽  
Hemang Raghvani ◽  
Kunjal Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Basic Concept ◽  
Functional Relationship ◽  
Structural Relationship ◽  
The Other ◽  
Proper Function ◽  
One Step ◽  
Material Form

The concept of Agni is basic concept of Ayurveda. Agni is believed to be the agency for any kind of transformation. Maharshi Vagbhatta says that each of the Dosha, Dhatu, Mala etc. have their own Agni. This is how the number of Agni cannot be limited. Though each and every Agni has its own importance, Dehagni or Jatharagni is the most important one as all other Agnis are depended upon Dehagni. Acharya Vagbhatta says that proper function of every Dhatvagni is depended on the Jatharagni. Increase or decrease of Jatharagni directly affects the function of Dhatvagni. Thus, Maharshi Charaka established functional relationship among Jatharagni and other Agnis. Maharshi Vagbhattta goes one step ahead of Maharshi Charaka by using word “Amsha” means; moieties of Kayagni, located to in its own place, are distributed to and permeate to all the Dhatus. A decrease of it (below the normal) makes for an increase of the Dhatus, while an increase of it (above the normal) makes for a decrease of a Dhatus. This shows structural relationship too, between Jatharagni and Dhatvagni as “Amsha” always indicates Murtatva or material form. Further more all these Agnis are connected with each other and due to this relationship, vitiation of Jatharagni results in vitiation of all the other Agnis.

Musical training improves memory for instrumental music, but not vocal music or words

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-159
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. P. Wilbiks ◽  
Sean Hutchins
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Vocal Music ◽  
Verbal Material ◽  
The Other ◽  
Musical Experience ◽  
Facilitative Effect ◽  
Musical Excerpts ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Brain

In previous research, there exists some debate about the effects of musical training on memory for verbal material. The current research examines this relationship, while also considering musical training effects on memory for musical excerpts. Twenty individuals with musical training were tested and their results were compared to 20 age-matched individuals with no musical experience. Musically trained individuals demonstrated a higher level of memory for classical musical excerpts, with no significant differences for popular musical excerpts or for words. These findings are in support of previous research showing that while music and words overlap in terms of their processing in the brain, there is not necessarily a facilitative effect between training in one domain and performance in the other.

scholarly journals A Historical Perspective of Mangalavattiyam

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Suganya Aravinthon
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Vocal Music ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Musical Instruments ◽  
The Other ◽  
Historical Study ◽  
Solo Music ◽  
Musical Genres ◽  
Over Time

From the earliest days of the Tamil music tradition, music was considered to be a combination of vocal music, instrumental music and dance. Each of these musical genres is closely intertwined. Knowledge of one helps to know about the other. Instrumental music has been interpreted as accompaniment to solo music and dance and as a solo specialty. In Bharata's book 'Natyashasthram', musical instruments are generally divided into four categories as nerve (tata) hole (kasira) ¸ skin (avanatta) ¸ kana (kanja). In this context, it is a research paper on the history and use of the Nagaswaram and thavil instruments, which are referred to today as the Mangala Vaathyam, which the Tamils ​​have merged with their culture.  This article also examines in detail the ideological changes that have taken place over time in the use of these two musical instruments. At the same time, the use of these instruments in the sociological context is taken into account. Finally, this article is a historical study of the lineage of musicians who have mastered these instruments.

Musical Exegesis in the Transylvanian Style, Composed by Dimitrie Cuntanu, at Our Lord’s Birth Catavasia

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-216
Author(s):  
Daniel Mocanu
Keyword(s):  
Oral Tradition ◽  
The Other ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Religious Music ◽  
Musical Structures ◽  
Musical Heritage ◽  
The Way

"The Orthodox religious music in Transylvanian tradition has a unique history. It gained an important place in the Romanian musical heritage, by the way it managed to adapt to Romanian, in its own style, the psaltic musical repertoire, of Byzantine tradition. Build from the oral tradition, which, in its turn blended with folklore, cult music, and the other co-existing cults, and from psaltic tradition, Dimitrie Cuntanu’s work fairly represents, the first Transylvanian religious musical monument of Romanian root. The Byzantine musical origin of this paper can be detected, together with other works, from the musical structures of the first Katavasia established by Cuntanu, at Lord’s Birth Feast. Transformed to Romanian by different anonymous protagonists of the Transylvanian music, the Lord’s Birth Catavasia represents a Hrysantic exegesis reference of Byzantine music, in a Transylvanian style. Keywords: Catavasia, Byzantine music, Anton Pann, Cuntanu, Romanian adaptation "

The Action of the Eyecup Muscles of the Crab, Carcinus, During Optokinetic Movements

1968 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-250
Author(s):  
M. BURROWS ◽  
G. A. HORRIDGE
Keyword(s):  
Large Amplitude ◽  
Optokinetic Nystagmus ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Muscle Tension ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fibre Types ◽  
Muscle Fibres ◽  
Exact Form ◽  
Slow Movement ◽  
The One

1. The actions of the nine eyecup muscles of the crab during horizontal optokinetic movements are described. 2. Each muscle includes a wide spectrum of fibre types, ranging from phasic, with sarcomere lengths of 3-4 µm., through intermediate, to tonic fibres with sarcomeres of 10-12 µm. Each muscle receives at least one slow and one fast motoneuron, but no inhibitory supply. The slow axons predominantly innervate the tonic muscle fibres while the fast axons innervate the phasic ones. 3. Slow movement and the position of the eyecup in space are controlled by the frequency of slow motoneuron discharges. All muscles collaborate at every position. The phasic system is recruited during rapid eyecup movements of large amplitude. 4. In optokinetic nystagmus the exact form of the impulse sequences are described for each muscle. They are the consequence of a visually driven central programme which takes no account of the movement which it generates. Movements in opposite directions involve different central programmes; the one is not merely the reverse of the other. There is no effective proprioceptive feedback from the eyecup joint or from muscle tension receptors.

scholarly journals Analysis of traditional Pedi religious songs for curricular application in primary school

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Morakeng E.K. Lebaka
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Traditional Music ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
The Other ◽  
Religious Music ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Creative Talent ◽  
Religious Songs

The Bapedi is an ethnic group in South Africa whose traditional music is not well documented. For this article, 31 traditional Pedi religious songs from 11 elderly Bapedi women in Sekhukhune, Limpopo Province, South Africa were collected and analysed. They were analysed using religious, musicological and contextual perspectives, and two choruses were selected. Eight Sepedi-speaking children from a school choir at Baxoxele Primary School in Soshanguve were observed whilst learning these two choruses. Repetition was used as a powerful, rhetorical and expressive device, skilfully employed to express and internalise faith and to impart dominant emotions. Informal discussions with teachers indicated that the children showed an improvement in their concentration and attitude to schoolwork. Learning these two choruses also unlocked some creative talent and improved their social skills. The joyous nature, rhythmic foundation, harmonic simplicity, and combination of intellect and emotion as well as the repetitiveness and briefness of these songs appealed to both children and adults. It was concluded that for the preservation of traditional Pedi religious music and culture there is an urgent need for the collection and documentation of traditional Pedi religious songs. In recognising their identity, such songs could contribute to the attitudes and cultural values of Sepedi-speaking children. Similar projects are suggested for the other 10 language groups in South Africa.Analisering van tradisionele godsdienstige Pedi-liedere vir gebruik in die laerskoolkurrikulum. Die Bapedi is ’n etniese groep in Suid-Afrika wie se tradisionele musiek nie goedgedokumenteer is nie. Vir hierdie artikel is 31 tradisionele godsdienstige Pedi-liedere van 11 bejaarde Bapedi vroue in Sekhukhune, Limpopo Provinsie, Suid-Afrika, ingesamel en ontleed.Hierdie liedere is volgens godsdienstige, musiekwetenskaplike en kontekstuele perspektiewe ontleed en twee kore uit die liedere is daarna gekies. Agt Sepedi-sprekende kinders van die Baxoxele Primêre Skool in Soshanguve se skoolkoor, is waargeneem terwyl hulle hierdie tweekore aangeleer het. Herhaling is gebruik as ’n kragtige, retoriese en betekenisvolle hulpmiddel,vaardig toegepas om uitdrukking aan geloof te gee en ’n verdieping daarvan te bewerkstellig sowel as om grootliks emosie daaraan te verleen. Informele gesprekke met onderwysers het aangedui dat die kinders se konsentrasie en hulle houding teenoor skoolwerk verbeter het. Die aanleer van hierdie twee kore het ook hulle kreatiwiteitstalent ontsluit en hulle sosiale vaardighede verbeter. Die vrolike en ritmiese aard, harmoniese eenvoud, die kombinasie van intellek en emosie sowel as die herhaling en bondigheid van hierdie kore het ’n effek op kinders sowel as volwassenes gehad. Die gevolgtrekking was dat daar ’n dringende behoefte is om soortgelyke liedere te versamel en te dokumenteer met die doel om tradisionele godsdienstige Pedi-musiek en -kultuur behoue te laat bly. Deur erkenning te gee aan die aard van sulke liedere kan bygedra word tot ’n positiewe houding van Sepedi-sprekende kinders teenoorkulturele waardes. Soortgelyke projekte vir liedere van die ander 10 taalgroepe in Suid-Afrika word voorgestel.

Self-learned folk musician

2013 ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Iveta Dukaļska
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Folk Music ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Field Work ◽  
The Other ◽  
Single Individual ◽  
Musical Score ◽  
Music Making ◽  
Culture Environment

A folk musician is an important carrier of the folk music tradition. Most of the folk musicians are talented representatives of the musicians’ craft, highly appreciated in the 20th century by the countryside society. Music making is a must at different gatherings and family celebrations (birthday parties, weddings, seasonal festivities, etc.), and this secures a high social status for the musician within the culture environment, though this also gives rise to competition among the musicians. Along with the changes within the countryside culture environment at the turn of the 20th and 21st century, also the society’s attitude towards the folk music- making tradition has changed, on the one hand viewing it as some old-fashioned activity of elderly men (the musicians), while on the other it is viewed as an important object of study for the preservation of the tradition, its renewal and reintroduction into the culture environment of the 21st century. The present study traces the development of the notion “kaktu muzikants” (literally ‘corner musician’ – a busker; self-taught, amateur musician) in Latvia from both historical and contemporary perspective, performing the culture semiotic analysis of the symbolic and mythic meanings of corner. In the Latvian culture discourse the designation “kaktu muzikants” has the following semantic aspects: 1) in the macro space – opposition of the periphery and the centre; 2) in the micro space – a special location in the inner space (the location of the musician, while playing at the dance; the „red” corner); 3) the level of professionalism, its expressive belittlement (playing without the musical score). The present study characterises the importance of the “kaktu muzikants” in the Latvian culture in 1930’s-60’s and in the present day – in the context of the traditional instrumental music. This study also uses the field-work method in order to obtain the empiric material. During field-work the data are gathered in direct interviews, deeply or partially structured interviews, where the data are obtained from the original source in the presence of the interviewer; as the result a joint view of the culture environment of the period under study was formed, along with a view of the importance and place of a country musician in the aforementioned culture environment. In the 1930’s-40’s the folk music-making tradition is mostly a local tradition of some secluded culture environment – within the boundaries of a single family, village or parish. The first skills of music making as well as those of singing are acquired within the family, where these are inherited from the members of family belonging to the older generation. Each village and parish has its musicians. Usually within a parish a single group is formed of musicians having gained recognition by the community, with this group playing at all most important events within that community – like the weddings of the better-off families and the most important dances (e.g. the dance after the remembrance event at the local cemetery). All other musicians are peripheral musicians in relation to this main group, usually playing on their own or in duos. The situations when the music is played without a written score are self-explanatory and characteristic of folk - musicians’ technique. Lacking the knowledge of musical score, the folk - musicians mainly base on the auditory or musical memory and the song’s text, the latter taking the place of notes. In cases of purely instrumental pieces playing is based on musical hearing alone. Such a technique provides good opportunities for improvisation, and reveals the creativity of the musician, his sense of music and taste. Lack of knowledge of the musical score unites people for whom music is an important part of their lives, providing them with the experience of public performance and the sense of belonging to the group of musicians, simultaneously positioning themselves as musicians of lower status compared to those graduated from some musical education institution. The division by the level of professionalism into insiders and outsiders in relation to one or the other group of musicians was especially pronounced in 1950’s-60’s, but this division has still been retained. In any music playing situation the musician has a special place within the available space allocated to him, where this space can be either inside a house (a single room), some shed or place chosen for an open air dance as a relative space. According to the data gathered during the interviews conducted in the field, the musician most frequently is seated in the corner, that corner becoming the place of honour and the centre for the musician. The designation “kaktu muzikants” is not only current in the culture environment of the 20th century countryside, but is still retained. In 1920’s-40’s quite frequently the designation “kaktu balle” (local, less important or inferior quality dance-party) is used to indicate that the event is organised by the local community (dance at some farmstead, open air dance at some grove, etc.) as compared to more official events organised and recognised by the state institutions. With this also the designation “kaktu balles muzikants” enters currency, though this has no relation to the level of professionalism of the particular musician, instead his location – the periphery. The modern designation “kaktu muzikants” is actualised particularly in the memories of the folk musicians and their life stories of the period beginning with the 1950’s. In the vocabulary of the younger generation of musicians (meaning by that the early 21st century) “kaktu muzikants” prevails as a designation of a musician aiming at understanding of the folk music-making tradition and/or the ones who have restored a music-making tradition of some of the aforementioned periods or imitate the particular instrument technique of a single individual musician.

scholarly journals The reflection of fabulousness in Igor Kovach’s musical theatre (on the example of the fairy-tale ballet “Bambi”)

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (23) ◽  
pp. 78-91
Author(s):  
Yuliia Grytsun
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Fairy Tale ◽  
Symphony Orchestra ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pop Music ◽  
Children's Music ◽  
Organic Part ◽  
Theatrical Music ◽  
The One

Problem statement. Among Kharkiv composers, one of the significant places is occupied by Igor Kovach (1924–2003), a representative of the Kharkiv School of composers and Ukrainian musical culture of the 20th century. His works include music and stage, orchestra, concert, song, choral and literary-musical compositions, music for theatre performances, music for films and TV films. The creative legacy of Igor Kostyantynovych Kovach has a close connection with the children’s audience; it includes both instrumental music for young performers and theatrical music, where children from performers become listener, among them the fairy-tale ballets “The Northern Tale” and “Bambi”. The children’s music by I. K. Kovach did not receive proper consideration except for short newspaper essays and magazine notes, M. Bevz’s (2007) article devoted to children’s piano music. Thus, the problem of holistic study of children’s stage music by Igor Kovach still remains open. Objectives. The present article is devoted to the identification of musicalthematic, timbre-texture, genre-stylistic features, with the help of which the multifaceted figurative world of the ballet “Bambi” is embodied. The aim and the tasks of this research – to reveal the specifics of the figurative world of the fairytale ballet “Bambi” and to identify the musical means by which it is embodied. The role of the orchestra is established, the means of thematic characteristics of the characters are traced, and the peculiarities of the musical language stipulated by the requirements of the chosen genre are noted. Methodology. To achieve the aim we have used special scientific methods: genre, stylistic, intonation-dramaturgical and compositional ones. The presentation of the main material. The music for the fairy-tale ballet “Bambi” belongs to two authors: Igor Kovach and his son Yuri. The new features inherent in the sound palette are manifested in the instrumentation, where along with the usual composition of a modern symphony orchestra there are saxophones, rhythm- and bass-guitars, drums, which due to their timbres bring a sharp taste of emotional and behavioural looseness. Introducing the qualities of non-academic tradition into the academic orchestra, the authors, on the one hand, use them according to their origin, on the other – turn them into an organic part of the symphonic score. By making a “concession” to pop music, simplifying harmonious language, freeing it from the extreme manifestations of expanded tonality, bringing it closer, on the one hand, to classical-romantic, on the other – to jazz, Igor Kovach showed his inherent sense of modernity, “address quality” of creativity. Conclusions. Thus, the fabulous multifaceted world of “Bambi” is revealed in the ballet owing to the bright thinking and language of the composer. The action of the ballet takes place against the background of bright genre sketches, which are as if immersed in the very density of life. This impression arises due to the dynamics of rhythms, colourful orchestration, and a variety of styles, addressed to the sound world of today. Generalized intonations of academic art organically coexist with the turns of song quality of different origins, dance quality, march quality, jazz improvisations, which was facilitated by the co-authorship with Yuri Kovach.

scholarly journals The catechetical value of Byzantine hymnography

Arta ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-10
Author(s):  
Violina Galaicu ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sacred Music ◽  
The Other ◽  
Religious Music ◽  
Holy Trinity ◽  
The One ◽  
Heart And Mind ◽  
The Trinity ◽  
The Way

This paper is dedicated to the catechetical vocation of Byzantine hymnography, the author analyzing, on the one hand, the theological “matter” that nourishes it, and on the other - the way in which it is presented to the recipient. Thus, the dogma of the Holy Trinity (including that of trinity unity and intra-Trinitarian perichoresis) animates a series of liturgical songs and is also found in the ekfonises of prayers. No less fertile for Orthodox hymnography is the Christological dimension intimately associated with that of the trinity. To the extent that Byzantine sacred music has Christological and soteriological relevance, it is also the bearer of mariological meanings. Mariological images amplify the sacrificial, eschatological, and epiphanic resonances of Christian liturgy, in general, and of religious music in particular. In conclusion, we will state that, on its catechetical side, Byzantine hymnography has a higher efficiency than discursive theology. Due to the doxological form in which it presents its teachings, it manages to evade sterile didacticism, it communicates vividly with the heart and mind of the believers, fully involving them in the hierophantic exercise.

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber

Music ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles E. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Sacred Music ◽  
The Other ◽  
Visual Examination ◽  
Critical Studies ◽  
History Of ◽  
Historically Informed Performance ◽  
Solo Violin

During his lifetime, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber von Bibern (b. 1644–d. 1704) was widely recognized as one of the foremost performers on the violin, and his published instrumental music helped spread his reputation, though he was criticized by some of his contemporaries for his extravagant technique and use of scordatura. Charles Burney’s comment in his 1789 General History of Music that “of all the violin players of the last century, Biber seems to have been the best, and his solos are the most difficult and most fanciful of any Music I have seen of the same period” was most likely based only on a visual examination of the original print of Biber’s 1681 violin sonatas. Aside from a few specialized studies by Guido Adler, Paul Nettl, and others, and four acknowledged works published in the Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich (two collections of music for solo violin, a mass, and a Requiem), Biber’s music was little known until the 1940s. Modern editions of the other instrumental and sacred music, both published and in manuscript, along with critical studies of both his sacred and secular compositions have significantly enhanced the appreciation of Biber’s compositional creativity. Performances of Biber’s music have also steadily increased along with the “Historically Informed Performance” movement. Since Susanne Lautenbacher’s recording of the “Mystery” Sonatas was released in 1962, there have been a further thirty-four recordings and many of Biber’s other instrumental collections now have multiple recordings available, and even the Missa Salisburgensis has been released on six recordings and two DVDs.

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