Untying the “Musical Sphinx:” Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Nineteenth-Century Pest-Buda

It is well known that Beethoven’s Ninth was followed by a temporary crisis in the genre of the symphony: the next generation found it difficult to get away from the shadow of this monumental piece. The Ninth was first performed in Hungary in 1865, more than 40 years after the world-premiere. We should add, however, that during the first half of the nineteenth century, no professional symphonic orchestra and choir existed in Pest-Buda that would have coped with the task. Although the Hungarian public was able to hear some of Beethoven’s symphonies already by the 1830s – mainly thanks to the Musical Association of Pest-Buda – in many cases only fragments of symphonies were performed. The Orchestra of the Philharmonic Society, founded in 1853, was meant to compensate for the lack of symphonic concerts. This paper is about the performances of Beethoven’s symphonies in Pest-Buda in the nineteenth century, and it especially it focuses on the reception of Symphony No. 9 in the Hungarian press, which cannot be understood without taking into consideration the influence of the Neudeutsche Schule (New German School).

The Cyborg Philharmonic: Synchronizing interactive musical performances between humans and machines

Music offers a uniquely abstract way for the expression of human emotions and moods, wherein melodic harmony is achieved through a succinct blend of pitch, rhythm, tempo, texture, and other sonic qualities. The emerging field of “Robotic Musicianship” focuses on developing machine intelligence, in terms of algorithms and cognitive models, to capture the underlying principles of musical perception, composition, and performance. The capability of new-generation robots to manifest music in a human-like artistically expressive manner lies at the intersection of engineering, computers, music, and psychology; promising to offer new forms of creativity, sharing, and interpreting musical impulses. This manuscript explores how real-time collaborations between humans and machines might be achieved by the integration of technological and mathematical models from Synchronization and Learning, with precise configuration for the seamless generation of melody in tandem, towards the vision of human–robot symphonic orchestra. To explicitly capture the key ingredients of a good symphony—synchronization and anticipation—this work discusses a possible approach based on the joint strategy of: (i) Mapping— wherein mathematical models for oscillator coupling like Kuramoto could be used for establishing and maintaining synchronization, and (ii) Modelling—employing modern deep learning predictive models like Neural Network architectures to anticipate (or predict) future state changes in the sequence of music generation and pre-empt transitions in the coupled oscillator sequence. It is hoped that this discussion will foster new insights and research for better “real-time synchronized human-computer collaborative interfaces and interactions”.

Requiem for Akhmatova

The research subject is a monumental semi-orchestral composition created by an outstanding Russian composer of the late 20th century Boris Tischenko “Requiem” with lyrics by A. Akhmatova. A funeral service over Akhmatova was read at the church of St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in Leningrad on March 10, 1966. The score of the “Requiem” was finished on August 16, 1966. Thus, the composition with the lyrics by Akhmatova has become a tribute to her, a musical offering, and even the first monument not built with hands. The author gives special attention to the symphonic form of the “Requiem”, differences in the interpretations of the poetic theme in the works of Tischenko and Akhmatova, the role of the symphonic orchestra and the leading singers; the author also considers an important issue of a high-quality performance of the hardest scores created by Tischenko. The main conclusion of the research is the fact that Tischenko’s “Requiem” has become an important element in the process of renovation of Russian symphonic style of the 1960s - the 1970s. As a composition, written in a modern language, it has become one of the drivers of this renovation. As such, the composition is a vocal symphony, and the composer develops the symphonic form step-by-step. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the fact that it is the first work in Russian musicology to consider Tischenko’s “Requiem” in detail, to reveal the contensive aspect of the composition, and to analyze the difficulties of performing the composition. The author reasonably reckons the symphonic composition by Tischenko among the most significant pieces in the history of Russian music.   

MUSICAL LIFE OF CHUVASHIA IN THE EARLY 1930s

The article studies the main directions of musical life of Chuvashia at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in the USSR in the 1930s. The issues of the journal “Soviet music” were used as a historic source. The article, in particular, tells about the achievements of the Republic in creating the national culture within the framework of the Cultural Revolution which were demonstrated in the days of celebrating in 1935 the 15th anniversary of the Chuvash autonomous region formation. At this, the author pays special attention to the role of Cheboksary music college in forming the musical arts of the region and which became the center of musical life in Chuvashia. The article describes the creative activities of the leading music workers and composers of the Republic of the studied period (S.M. Maksimov, V.M. Krivonosov). The conclusion is made about undoubted successes in the development of musical culture of Chuvashia in the early 1930s. It adopted more modern forms at those times. Thus, in these years in the Chuvash territory the first major musical compositions in the Chuvash language are created. In the republic there were a symphonic orchestra and a state choir, music radio broadcasting was created. Composers from Chuvashia became known both at home and abroad where their songs were performed. Composers actively studied the Chuvash musical folklore.

PERFORMANCE-STYLE FEATURES OF THE CONCERTO № 3 FOR CLARINET AND ORCHESTRA BY L. SPOHR

The purpose of this scientific investigation is the disclosure of the creative phenomenon of German composer L. Spohr in wind contemporary academic music and performing art by identifying the most characteristic performance and the stylistic peculiarities of creator that is instrumentally artistic speech. The material of this study is the well-known Concerto № 3 for Clarinet with symphonic orchestra by L. Spohr. The methods of this scientific intelligence are in the application of general scientific approaches to the study of a particular topic. The historical method is used to highlight the place of clarinet masterpieces and, in particular, Concert № 3, in the palette of the artistʼs creative achievements. The comparative method creates the possibility of comparing a number of clarinet means of expression with the artistic potential of string-bow performance. The sequence of presentation of the material is determined by the action of the structural-analytical method. Methods of observation and generalization are of practical importance. The scientific novelty of this specialized disquisition is due to the insufficient study of the clarinet works of L. Spohr in the light of modern musicological thought. Conclusions. The distinctiveness of L. Spohrʼs performance- stylistic peculiaritics of instrumental speech in clarinet Concerto № 3 for clarinet and orchestra is marked, first of all, by the use of various types of virtuosity (shallow, combined, large virtuosity), the performance of various types of melismatics both in slow and melodic ways, the use of high and ultra-high sound registers of the instrument (note to the fourth octave), which, we emphasize, comes from the violin academic artistic and creative activity of L. Spohr and, in general, and of high performing skill as a virtuoso violinist.

PEDAGOGICAL PROBLEMS OF WORKING ON FOUR SKETCHES FOR A SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA BY DIMITAR NENOV IN THE CURRICULUM IN ORCHESTRA CONDUCTING BY PIANO

A simple reason to make Dimitar Nenov’s Four sketches for a symphonic orchestra part of the curriculum is their high artistic value. Even though they are a comparatively early opus, the Sketches were written with respectful professionalism and impress listeners with the impact they make. Another significant consideration that makes working on Four sketches for a symphonic orchestra scores in the orchestra-conducting classes especially valuable and useful, is the opportunity for the trainees to get to know the work better and acquire important conducting skills. The process of analyzing and perceiving a work of music from the viewpoint of its interpretation, in this case – from the point of view of preparing oneself for interpreting it in academic work with the help of a pedagogue and an accompanist, is radically different comparing it to the process of listening to it recorded or in a live performance. A conductor’s approach to this process enables him to delve into making the work from the point of view of the following: - deep consideration of the structure of the cycle; - understanding the inner links between separate parts; - building a unique set of the images in a single sketch. At the same time, the manual work on the composition helps one to develop important conducting skills like a - sense for processional dynamics; - good initial selection of tempos; - clear conveying of even the minutest changes of tempo; - simultaneous manual presentation of contrastive dynamics in various orchestral layers; - clearly differentiated strokes; - sense for artistic measure in order to portion various musical tools of expression in compliance with the inner logics of using them. Solving the overall performer’s and particular manual issues with the help of the teacher contributes for the comprehensive professional development of the students.

Sound Banks – a Priceless Aid in Contemporary Music Writing

Sound banks are collections of sound samples from musical instruments of the symphonic orchestra, traditional instruments from various areas of the world and sounds of virtual devices, such as synthesizers, which are increasingly present in contemporary musical creations. Sound banks are loaded in a device called sampler, which can edit and play them. The article describes analog and especially virtual samplers, complex devices that can store or play sounds from specific libraries of sound banks. It also defines and catalogs the main types of digital virtual instruments (that include traditional symphonic orchestra instruments, ones with modern electronic instruments/percussion instruments, and ethnic collections for various geographic areas. Our research on digital applications used in music writing relies on 20 years of experience. Currently, applications are valuable tools for composers and musicians, and for everyone in the contemporary music industry. In 2006, I created the first collection of sound banks made in Romania “The Essence of Panflute”, library containing sound samples 583, grouped in 33 virtual instruments. This is the most complex virtual version of the Romanian pan flute, played by the renowned Cătălin Tîrcolea. The library is designed and edited by Cătălin Răsvan, for the company S.C. Canira Music Internațional. This collection of sound banks presents in minute detail the laborious process of recording and editing this virtual library. “The Essence of Panflute” has seen international acclaim, is distributed by the German company Best Service, one of the major companies in the world, was reviewed in the most prestigious magazine in this field, Sound on Sound, and has opened the door for current/future creators of music. We hope that it is only the beginning for our work in the research and development of digital virtual sound, which is a special category for the instruments in our country.