DEREK HOLMAN (1931–2019)The Centred Passion (1986)

2020 ◽  
pp. 128-131
Author(s):  
Jane Manning
Keyword(s):  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Physical Nature ◽  
Clear Sense ◽  
Standard Notation ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
In Memoriam ◽  
The Voice

This chapter examines The Centred Passion by Derek Holman. This beautifully crafted cycle shows flair and spontaneity, and a deep understanding of the physical nature of the voice. The idiom is quasi-tonal, with frequent use of wide intervals such as ninths and thirteenths. Furthermore, chromatic intervallic relationships with the piano need careful tuning at all times. Each of the six settings from Alfred Tennyson’s In Memoriam A.H.H. (1849) has its own distinct flavour, and the idiomatic keyboard parts are accordingly well varied, with a clear sense of balance and layout. Standard notation is used, but without key signatures. The cycle should prove an absorbing experience for both performers and listeners.

VINCENT J. CORNELL, Realm of the Saint: Power and Authority in Moroccan Sufism (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1998). Pp. 442.

2001 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-311
Author(s):  
VALERIE J. HOFFMAN
Keyword(s):  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Charismatic Leadership ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
Islamic Studies ◽  
Islamic Tradition ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Light Material ◽  
Anthropological Literature

Vincent Cornell's Realm of the Saint is a masterly work, indisputably authoritative, the result of more than twenty years of research on Sufism in Morocco and Al-Andalus. Drawing on a critical reading of a vast array of textual sources, including hagiographies, histories, didactic treatises, devotional works, and poetry, this book brings to light material that has been virtually untouched in academic studies on Moroccan Sufism. As Cornell points out, Morocco has become a paradigm for the anthropological analysis of Sufism, but the vast archival resources of Morocco had been hitherto largely untouched by academicians. Through detailed analysis of the lives of many Sufi saints as presented in hagiographical literature, exploring both the ideological and sociological dimensions of sainthood in the Moroccan context, he convincingly argues that the “doctor” versus “saint” topos that prevails in the anthropological literature does not do justice to the reality of pre-modern Moroccan Sufism. He also deconstructs the centrality of “maraboutism” and rurality in Moroccan Sufism. Cornell compares his findings with studies of saints in Europe by scholars such as Peter Brown and Thomas Heffernan, as well as with the Weberian theories of charismatic leadership that have prevailed among social scientists, displaying an extraordinary range of competence in the literature of several academic disciplines. It is a rarity to find a scholar of Cornell's deep understanding of Arabic and Islamic tradition who also places his research within the broader context of the study of religion. Nevertheless, scholars outside Islamic studies are unlikely to read this book because of its length, excessive detail, and frequent use of Arabic terms, despite the presence of a glossary of technical terms at the end of the book.

scholarly journals III. Experimental researches in electricity.―Twenty-eight series

1852 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. 25-56 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Force ◽  
Physical Nature ◽  
Electric Currents ◽  
General Manner ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Electricity And Magnetism ◽  
The Wire ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Experimental Researches ◽  
Magnetic Needle

3070. From my earliest experiments on the relation of electricity and magnetism (114. note), I have had to think and speak of lines of magnetic force as representations of the magnetic power; not merely in the points of quality and direction, but also in quantity. The necessity I was under of a more frequent use of the term in some recent researches (2149. &c.), has led me to believe that the time has arrived, when the idea conveyed by the phrase should be stated very clearly, and should also be carefully examined, that it may be ascertained how far it may be truly applied in representing magnetic conditions and phenomena; how far it may be useful in their elucidation; and, also, how far it may assist in leading the mind correctly on to further conceptions of the physical nature of the force, and the recognition of the possible effects, either new or old, which may be produced by it. 3071. A line of magnetic force may be defined as that line which is described by a very small magnetic needle, when it is so moved in either direction correspondent to its length, that, the needle is constantly a tangent to the line of motion; or it is that line along which, if a transverse wire be moved in either direction, there is no tendency to the formation of any current in the wire, whilst if moved in any other direction there is such a tendency; or it is that line which coincides with the direction of the magnecrystallic axis of a crystal of bismuth, which is carried in either direction along it. The direction of these lines about and amongst magnets and electric currents, is easily represented and understood, in a general manner, by the ordinary use of iron filings.

CHERYL FRANCES-HOAD (b. 1980)One Life Stand (2011)

2021 ◽  
pp. 80-85
Author(s):  
Jane Manning
Keyword(s):  
Major Work ◽  
Standard Notation ◽  
Key Points ◽  
Voice And Piano ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Frauenliebe Und Leben ◽  
Extended Vocal Techniques

This chapter addresses Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s One Life Stand (2011). This major work was conceived as a companion piece to Schumann’s loved cycle Frauenliebe und Leben, Op. 42 (1830). It sets eight vivid contemporary poems by Sophie Hannah—charting the often turbulent emotional journey experienced by the present-day woman in love—in starkest contrast to the more conventional, submissive attitudes portrayed in the Schumann. Each song subtly, even obliquely, evokes a movement of the Schumann, ingeniously mirroring aspects of its musical setting, particularly in the relationships between voice and piano. It constitutes a compelling narrative of contemporary feminine experience, and a rewarding tour de force for a mezzo and pianist of interpretative and technical accomplishment. The work is written in standard notation and the voice part, set straightforwardly with a few curving melismas at key points, eschews extremes of range and ‘extended vocal techniques’. The singer will, however, need to call on reserves of stamina for some lengthy high-lying passages, although there is plenty of light relief in the fast movements with their quicksilver parlando delivery.

scholarly journals Disagreement Strategies used by Speakers of English as a Lingua Franca in Business Meetings

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Alaa Ahmed Alzahrani
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Mitigation Strategy ◽  
Business Meeting ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Business Meetings ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Marked Preference ◽  
The Voice

Numerous studies have attested to the consensus-orientation and cooperative nature of English as a lingua franca (ELF) interactions. However, limited attention has been given to moments of disagreements in ELF communication, with most of the little existing work focusing on disagreements in ELF academic or informal contexts. Consequently, little is known about how ELF users display disagreement in real-life business contexts. For this reason, this study examined disagreement expressions in five ELF business meetings drawn from the VOICE corpus to understand the nature of disagreement in ELF interactions. Following the identification of disagreement instances, the study used Stalpers’s (1995) framework to investigate whether the disagreement was accompanied by a mitigation strategy that reduces its impact. It was found that the examined ELF business speakers express their disagreement in both mitigated and unmitigated forms with a marked preference for using mitigated expressions, indicating that the appropriate linguistic choice for expressing disagreements in a between-company business meeting is a mitigated disagreement form. Another main finding is the frequent use of disagreement utterances, suggesting that ELF speakers do not merely seek consensus, but they also raise objections and state their different opinions. One implication of these findings is that ELF encounters might not be as consensus-seeking and mutually supportive as suggested in previous works. Taken together, the findings of the present study extended the existing body of work on ELF disagreement and, in general, added further to our understanding of ELF interaction.

In Memoriam: Charles W. Hackett 1888–1951

1951 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-84
Author(s):  
Carlos E. Castañeda
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
The United States ◽  
Latin American Studies ◽  
Great Loss ◽  
Latin American History ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
In Memoriam ◽  
High Standards ◽  
The University

The Field of Latin-American Studies suffered a great loss when, on February 26, 1951, death terminated the scholarly career of Professor Charles W. Hackett of the University of Texas. For thirty-three years he contributed both as a teacher and a scholar to the development of sound scholarship in his chosen field of Latin-American history. His cheerful encouragement, his intelligent leadership, his deep understanding and sympathy and his high standards in research will be missed by his students, his friends and his associates in Texas, the United States and Latin America.

YVES-MARIE PASQUET (b. 1947)Music (2013)

2021 ◽  
pp. 176-179
Author(s):  
Jane Manning
Keyword(s):  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Physical Aspect ◽  
Vocal Quality ◽  
The Voice

This chapter looks at French composer Yves-Marie Pasquet’s Music (2013). This is an undeniably challenging but rewarding vehicle for a soprano and pianist of exceptional ability: three songs of exhilarating virtuosity written in an elegantly disciplined idiom which could be termed ‘sensuous serialism’. Pasquet’s ear for vocal timbre and colour is unerring: he continually exploits the voice at its radiant best and shows a deep understanding of the physical aspect of singing. The pianist also will have a field day with a cornucopia of luscious harmonies, dynamic percussive effects, and exuberant passagework. A bright, pearly vocal quality must be found, in order to weave the highly decorative lines with agility and grace, even in pianissimo. Swinging over wide intervals keeps the voice pliable and relaxed. This means that the lower tessitura of the last song should cause no problems. The singer will be ‘sung in’ but not ‘sung out’, and low notes will still feel comfortably centred.

HANS WERNER HENZE (1926–2012)Three Auden Songs (1983)

2020 ◽  
pp. 125-127
Author(s):  
Jane Manning
Keyword(s):  
Fast Moving ◽  
Arthur Rimbaud ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
Standard Notation ◽  
Love Song ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Consummate Skill

This chapter studies songs for the tenor repertoire by Hans Werner Henze. Henze’s three songs, based on texts by the poet W. H. Auden, are a key example of his fastidious and beautifully-crafted vocal writing. Henze sets these three contrasting poems with utmost sensitivity. The fast-moving texts contain layers of subtlety, couched in a concise, freely chromatic musical language which sits easily in the voice. The settings build cumulatively in proportion and weight. A tiny, poignant tribute to a dead cat leads to a powerfully intuitive, four-verse portrait of the poet Arthur Rimbaud. This is followed by a substantial love song, full of tenderness and passion, yet controlled with consummate skill. The work is written in standard notation (without bar-lines) and should prove a rewarding vehicle for singers of relatively modest attainment as well as mature artists.

Poetic Address: Shaking the Hearts of Men

2020 ◽  
pp. 161-213
Author(s):  
Clara Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Print Culture ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
In Memoriam ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Victorian Age ◽  
Public Mode

Chapter 4 takes four major poems of the 1850s and analyses them through the theoretical framework laid out in Chapter 3. It examines Tennyson’s In Memoriam as the poem made to stand for the voice of the Victorian age and analyses how the employment of pronouns creates that identity. A reading of Maud argues that Tennyson then critiques print culture and challenges the dominant public mode of poetry insisted on by reviewers. Barrett Browning’s Casa Guidi Windows and Clough’s Amours de Voyages offer examples of poets using address to experiment with a public poetics. Staging their poems outside England, both seek to expand what it means to write poetry for the British public.

scholarly journals Setting Things before the Mind

1998 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 157-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. F. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Perception ◽  
Visual Cognition ◽  
Visual Contact ◽  
Clear Sense ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Ventriloquist Effect

Listening to someone from some distance in a crowded room you may experience the following phenomenon: when looking at them speak, you may both hear and see where the source of the sounds is; but when your eyes are turned elsewhere, you may no longer be able to detect exactly where the voice must be coming from. With your eyes again fixed on the speaker, and the movement of her lips a clear sense of the source of the sound will return. This ‘ventriloquist’ effect reflects the ways in which visual cognition can dominate auditory perception. And this phenomenological observation is one what you can verify or disconfirm in your own case just by the slightest reflection on what it is like for you to listen to someone with or without visual contact with them.

DON KAY (b. 1934)Four Bird Songs from Shaw Neilson (2005)

2021 ◽  
pp. 120-122
Author(s):  
Jane Manning
Keyword(s):  
Natural World ◽  
Folk Song ◽  
Bird Songs ◽  
Close Affinity ◽  
Standard Notation ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Vaughan Williams

This chapter describes Tasmanian composer Dan Kay’s Four Bird Songs from Shaw Neilson (2005). The texts for this pleasing, fluent cycle are by the farmworker-poet Shaw Neilson, and reflect his close affinity with the natural world, especially the life of waterbirds. Kay’s palpable empathy with these unsophisticated but burningly sincere poems draws music of clarity and refinement. The frequent modal melodies and minor harmonies cannot help but call to mind Vaughan Williams and the English folk-song tradition, but Kay manages to inject an individual flavour by means of chromatic shifts and varied rhythms, especially in the last two, slightly longer, songs. A light young baritone with a safe high register would be ideal here. The piano writing is clear and uncluttered, with simple, repeated figurations, and there is no need to force the voice. Standard notation is used throughout.

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