scholarly journals Ascending Music: Meaning and Expression in the Chamber Music of Brian Cherney

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-98
Author(s):  
Taylor Brook
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
Chamber Works ◽  
Expressive Meaning ◽  
Violin And Piano ◽  
The 1960S

This article investigates the musical language of Brian Cherney, applying the idea of musical topics as a strategy for analyzing the extramusical content of his music. The idea of musical topics, traditionally applied to works from the classical era, is expanded with a collection of topics that are specific to Cherney’s work. Focusing on a set of chamber pieces from throughout Cherney’s compositional output beginning in the 1960s, this article focuses particularly on the topic of “ascending music,” tracing its musical and expressive meaning through these chamber works. The article concludes with a topic-based analysis ofGan Eden,a 1983 piece for violin and piano, providing an example of how topics coexist and interact within a single composition.

scholarly journals Sketches on the creative portrait of the composer A. B. Mulear

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Trocinel ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
Symphony Orchestra ◽  
Music Culture ◽  
Chamber Works ◽  
Republic Of Moldova ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Violin And Piano ◽  
Artistic Heritage

This article attempts to present sketches of the compositional creativity of Alexandr Boris Mulear (1922–1994), who is one of the most important figures of the music culture in the Republic of Moldova and belongs to the older generation of composers, as his glory years were between 1950 and 1980. The composer’s record contains a valuable artistic heritage that is appreciated by performers but the study of his works is not in the center of interest of musicologists yet. However, the article will present some examples of the Mulearian creativity. Analyzing the composition portfolio of A. Mulear, the author shows that chamber works predominate for the most part in his creativity, including suites, quartets, sonatas, miniatures and musical pieces, with a wide range of instrumental groups: from the duo (violin and piano, piano and voice) to the symphony orchestra. In conclusion, it is noted that the composer manifested himself in an original way in chamber music, which is more innovative and bright and reveals diverse forms of classical music in terms of style and genre.

Korngold and His World

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
Musical Theater ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
American Film ◽  
Popular Song ◽  
Film Scores ◽  
Hollywood Film ◽  
English Translations ◽  
Erich Wolfgang Korngold ◽  
American Popular Song

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957) was the last compositional prodigy to emerge from the Austro-German tradition of Mozart and Mendelssohn. He was lauded in his youth by everyone from Mahler to Puccini and his auspicious career in the early 1900s spanned chamber music, opera, and musical theater. Today, he is best known for his Hollywood film scores, composed between 1935 and 1947. From his prewar operas in Vienna to his pathbreaking contributions to American film, this book provides a substantial reassessment of Korngold's life and accomplishments. Korngold struggled to reconcile the musical language of his Viennese upbringing with American popular song and cinema, and was forced to adapt to a new life after wartime emigration to Hollywood. The book examines Korngold's operas and film scores, the critical reception of his music, and his place in the milieus of both the Old and New Worlds. It also features numerous historical documents—many previously unpublished and in first-ever English translations—including essays by the composer as well as memoirs by his wife, Luzi Korngold, and his father, the renowned music critic Julius Korngold.

SOUND, MEANING AND MUSIC-DRAMA IN LACHENMANN'S DAS MÄDCHEN MIT DEN SCHWEFELHÖLZERN

Tempo ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (268) ◽  
pp. 20-33
Author(s):  
Laurence Osborn
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
Search For Meaning ◽  
Cognitive Capacities ◽  
Music Drama ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
Unique Approach ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Musique Concrete ◽  
Cultural Baggage

AbstractThis article argues that Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern demonstrates a unique approach to music-drama that stems from the perceptual capacities of listeners, and their desire to search for meaning in what they hear. Beginning with the claim that Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern can be viewed as the culmination of an aesthetic project begun at the point of Lachenmann's emergence as a distinctive voice of the European avant-garde during the 1960s, the article first examines two major aspects of Lachenmann's aesthetics – musique concrète instrumentale and aura – outlining a composing philosophy that has been at the heart of Lachenmann's practice throughout his career. The article claims that Lachenmann sought to establish a rejuvenated semiotics, freed from cultural baggage and tied to the perceptual and cognitive capacities of listeners. Drawing upon the studies of Naomi Cumming and Luke Windsor, it outlines a theoretical framework that takes into account this composing philosophy and its implications, applying it in analyses of various excerpts from Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern. My analysis illuminates a music-drama that forms around the interplay of internally represented images and sensations, the emergence of which is facilitated by a musical language that prepares sounds to take on certain types of meaning. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the possible implications this has for audience members.

Kodály's Melody

Tempo ◽  
1963 ◽  
pp. 12-16
Author(s):  
András Szőllősy
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
Folk Music ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Folk Song ◽  
The Other ◽  
Organic Part ◽  
Violin And Piano ◽  
Shed Light

It is a generally accepted view that the most striking features of Kodály's melodic structure may be explained by the influence of folk song. This is not borne out, however, by more detailed examination. It is true that there are certain features in his melodic types which later undergo a change, and of these a prime example is the precise periodic articulation of the melodies, which is much more consistent in his later compositions than in those of his youth. Such characteristics may indeed be attributed to the influence of folk music, but in general the typical Kodály melody existed before he could have come into close contact with folk music in the year when he made his first folk song collecting trip. Of his compositions from the years 1904–1906, the only work we can consider from the viewpoint of melodic structure is the ‘Adagio’ for violin and piano; the other two compositions, Evening for mixed voice choirs and Summer Evening for orchestra, are known only in their later revised form of 1930. This, however, is sufficient to convince us that the expansive declamation and the structural ornamentation which is an organic part of its idiom continue an instrumental tradition whose origin may well go back to chamber music of the Baroque age, with its broad-flowing slow movements. This also seems to be substantiated by the piano part, which replaces impressionistic harmonies with those which may be analysed in accordance with classical harmonic principles. This characteristic harmonisation requires mention here, although it is not closely connected with the problem of melodic structure, since even the most complicated of Kodály's harmonies, when stripped of their embellishments, reveal pure ‘classical’ chords as their basis. The role of the melody in this problem serves merely to emphasise that with Kodály, perhaps more than any other composer, harmony is never an end in itself, but is always the result of the movement of the melody. If the word did not have more significance than we wish to attribute to it here, we might say that Kodály's harmony is only secondary to melody. This word ‘secondary’, however, does not refer to expression, but merely attempts to shed light on the matter of origin, by stressing the supreme importance of melody for Kodály.

scholarly journals Կոմիտասին և հայոց ցեղասպանությանը նվիրված Տիգրան Մանսուրյանի երկերը

2021 ◽  
pp. 18-24
Author(s):  
Աննա Արևշատյան
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Orchestra ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Armenian Genocide ◽  
String Orchestra ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
Special Position ◽  
The Past ◽  
Armenian Music ◽  
Mixed Choir ◽  
The 1960S

Among the works, dedicated to Komitas and the Armenian Genocide, the oeuvre of the outstanding contemporary Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian (born 1939) holds a special position. T. Mansurian addressed this topic back at the end of the 1960s. Most notable are, however, his large-scale compositions, created over the past decade, such as Concerto No. 4 for cello and string orchestra, "Where is thy brother Abel?" (2010), Requiem for soloists, mixed choir and chamber orchestra (2011), Sonata da chiesa for viola and piano (2015). The musical language and stylistic peculiarities of the above works testify to the fact that T. Mansurian is a direct successor to Komitas' creative traditions and an innovator, too, whose works have largely enriched contemporary Armenian music, imparting a new quality to the Armenian compositional thought.

scholarly journals Violin sonata fis-moll by Paul Natorp in the context of genre development

2021 ◽  
pp. 189-194
Author(s):  
Шаоин Го
Keyword(s):  
Russian Language ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
Musical Identity ◽  
Violin Sonata ◽  
German School ◽  
History Of ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Violin And Piano ◽  
Active Formation

Исследуется творчество композитора-философа Пауля Наторпа, фигура которого в русскоязычном музыкознании практически не представлена. Отдавая себе отчет в том, что его творчество может вызывать интерес с самых разных точек зрения, мы фокусируем свой научный интерес на Сонате fis-moll для скрипки и фортепиано, созданной в период активного формирования новых художественных течений в музыке начала ХХ века. На примере произведений так называемого «второго ряда» Соната fis-moll может служить довольно ярким примером процессов обновления музыкального языка, в том числе на основе переосмысления классического наследия. Музыковедческий анализ Сонаты для скрипки и фортепиано fis-moll осуществляется в опоре на историко-стилевой метод и интертекстуальность. Доказано, что, будучи созданной в русле традиций Бетховена, Шумана и Брамса, Соната fis-moll для скрипки и фортепиано отмечена самобытностью и оригинальностью. Теоретическая значимость работы определяется заполнением лакуны в истории становления жанра скрипичной сонаты в немецкой композиторской школе. Практическая значимость связана с возможностью обогатить скрипичный репертуар за счет знакомства с камерным жанром, представленным в творчестве немецкого музыканта-философа. This work is dedicated to the work of the composer-philosopher Paul Natorp, whose figure is in practice not represented in Russian-language musicology. Realizing that P. Natorp's work can arouse interest from a variety of points of view, we focus our scientific interest on the fis-moll Sonata for violin and piano, created during the active formation of new artistic trends in music at the beginning of the twentieth century. Using the works of the so-called “ second row” as an example, the fis-moll Sonata can serve as a vivid example of the processes of updating the musical language, including on the basis of rethinking the classical heritage. The musicological analysis of the fis-moll Sonata for violin and piano is based on the historical-stylistic method and intertextuality. It is proved that, being created in line with the traditions of Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms, the fis-moll Sonata for violin and piano by P. Natorp is noted for its musical identity and originality. The theoretical significance of the work lies in filling a gap in the history of the formation of the violin sonata genre in the German school of composition. Practical significance is associated with the opportunity to enrich the violin repertoire through acquaintance with the chamber genre presented in the works of the German musician-philosopher.

HAYDN’S MELANCHOLY VOICE: LOST DIALECTICS IN HIS LATE CHAMBER MUSIC AND ENGLISH SONGS

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
NANCY NOVEMBER
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Immanuel Kant ◽  
Chamber Music ◽  
Emotional Experience ◽  
Edmund Burke ◽  
Chamber Works ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Francisco Goya

AbstractFrom the nineteenth century onwards the stereotype of Haydn as cheerful and jesting has dominated the reception of his music. This study contributes to the recent scholarship that broadens this view, with a new approach: I set works by Haydn in the context of eighteenth-century ideas about melancholy, those of Edmund Burke, Francisco Goya, Henry Home (Lord Kames), Immanuel Kant and Johann Georg Zimmermann. Their conceptions of melancholy were dialectical, involving the interplay of such elements as pleasure and pain, freedom and fettering, and self-reflection and absorption. I consider the relevance of these dialectics to Haydn’s English songs, his dramatic cantata Arianna a Naxos and two late chamber works. Musical melancholy arises, I argue, when the protagonist of a work – be it the vocal character in a song or the ‘composer’s voice’ in an instrumental work – exhibits an ironic distance from his or her own pain. The musical dialectics in these works prompt listeners, for their part, to take a step back to contemplate the borders and limits of emotional experience and communication.

Fragments

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Mirchandani
Keyword(s):  
Chamber Music ◽  
Electronic Music ◽  
Major Work ◽  
Edgard Varese ◽  
Choral Works ◽  
Solo Piano ◽  
Mixed Chorus ◽  
Milton Babbitt ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
A Performance

This chapter focuses on Marga Richter's shorter, more fragmented works that had little or no development and were not as expansive as her earlier (and later) pieces. Unlike other U.S. composers in the 1960s such as Edgard Varèse and Milton Babbitt, Richter did not gravitate toward total serialism, electronic music, or chance music, although she reluctantly responded to the trend of composing sparse, economical, and atonal works. An encounter with composer William Sydeman at the Bennington Composers Conference was influential in steering Richter toward the prevailing attitudes of the day. This chapter discusses some of Richter's more concise compositions during the 1960s, including short solo and chamber music scores such as Fragments for solo piano; choral works like Psalm 91 for mixed chorus for mixed chorus; and the modern ballet score, Abyss for the Harkness Ballet. It also considers Richter's compositional retreat at a family residence in Shrewsbury, Vermont, and her self-admitted tendency to suffer from a letdown following elation from a performance or completion of a major work.

Piano in the land of unsaid love – musical contexts of emotional lives of married female characters in Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks and Sándor Márai’s Embers

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (15) ◽  
pp. 125-139
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Roguska
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Chamber Works ◽  
Epistolary Novel ◽  
Young Officer ◽  
History Of Culture ◽  
Drawing Room ◽  
Violin And Piano ◽  
Literary Portrait ◽  
The One ◽  
The 19Th Century

In The Sorrows of Young Werther, an epistolary novel by J.W. Goethe, we can find a literary portrait of a beloved woman playing a keyboard instrument. This is the motif Adam Mickiewicz referred to in his Dziady, Part 4. Both texts describe unrequited love to a woman belonging to another man. Belles-lettres reflect repertoire issues – at the turn of the 19th century girls from a proper home performed simple pieces, often dances. Subsequent decades of the 19th century came with the development of piano methodics, and composers wrote pieces which today constitute part of concert canon, whereas the piano became the perfect musical tool. The plot of Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks is set in the second half of the 19th century. Music plays an important role in that novel. Mann depicts the problem of clashing views in the marriage of Thomas, who was fond of “pretty melodies”, and Gerda, a magnificent violin and piano player who performed ambitious compositions and showed no mercy in criticising her husband’s musical taste. An important motif is the appearance of a young officer who visits Gerda in order to perform chamber works together. Thomas fears the mysterious bond between his wife and the lieutenant on the one hand and people’s opinions on the other. The motif of music as a platform for communication between a man and a woman can also be found in the novel Embers by Sándor Márai. Here as well it is a connection unavailable to the husband of the main heroine. At the end of his life, Henri, Christine’s husband, refers to music as the “melodious and obscure language” which allows “certain people” to communicate. Both novels include the motif of the end of an era and death of the characters for whom music was extremely significant and who performed compositions of the highest artistic value. Texts by Mann and Márai reflect a decline of a certain stage in the history of culture. It is also the end of the typical ways how burgesses and aristocrats spent their leisure time, how they treated the sphere of emotions and communed with the widely understood art. The result of these changes is the dethronement of the piano, which no longer was one of the most important pieces of furniture in a drawing room nor the most important instrument – as it used to be in the 19th century culture.

Symphonic compositions of Boris Tishchenko and the world music culture

2021 ◽  
pp. 10-17
Author(s):  
Iurii Eduardovich Serov
Keyword(s):  
World Music ◽  
Musical Language ◽  
Music Culture ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Artistic Image

The subject of this research is the symphonic works of the prominent Russian composer of the late XX century Boris Ivanovich Tishchenko (1939 – 2010). His symphonic pieces synthesize different images, ideas, genres, and forms. This article explores various stylistic and linguistic effects upon his works, reveals the origins of fresh and unique artistic thinking. Emphasis is placed on the innovative role of B. Tishchenko in the revival of Russian symphonic style of the 1960s. Special attention is given to Tishchenko's succession of the great Russian symphonic tradition. The main conclusion lies in the thought that B. Tishchenko is one of the few among his contemporaries to remain faithful to the genre of great, “pure” symphony, as well as is the successor of the symphonic line of his brilliant teacher D. Shostakovich. The novelty consists in proving the thesis that symphonic style of B. Tishchenko is a holistic, meaningful, and truly modern phenomenon. Tishchenko amusedly delved into the new composing techniques, highlighting dodecaphony, aleatoric music, sonorism, pointillist music; however he did no remain faithful to these genres to the end; he constantly “refined” his musical language, introduced novelties for creating an artistic image.

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