THE MUSIC OF ERNST BLOCH

The aim of this study is to present information about the life, works and composition of composer and music educator Ernest Bloch. In this context, in this research designed as a qualitative study, the information obtained from the literature review in Turkish and English about the composer's life, style and works were compiled by making descriptive analysis. As a result of the research; Although Ernest Bloch was born in Switzerland, he is known as an American composer because he spent the most productive years of his artistic life in America, he consciously used Jewish cultural elements in his music and thought that a composer should not be independent of his own roots, that he was a good music educator besides his composing. It has been seen that he has articles on education, in addition to the influence of his national identity in music style, he uses descriptiveness as a harmonic language, he uses various styles such as tonal sets, serial and modal harmony, the use of harmony with percussion, and he uses independent forms as a form style, being aware of the traditional. It is thought that this study will be a source for other studies about Ernest Bloch, since no other source can be found in Turkish about the composer. Keywords: Ernest Bloch, American composer, Jewish composer, composing style, contemporary period

MaerzMusik. Lewis, Kaziboni, Wiget, Ensemble Modern Berlin. Stream, 24 March 2021.

March 2021's online MaerzMusik Festival featured a trio of events on themes of Afro-diaspora and new music: one German discussion, one English discussion and the concert ‘Afro-Modernism in Contemporary Music’, each curated by prominent American composer George Lewis. The programme of, according to the MaerzMusik website, ‘composers of the African diaspora’ was performed by Ensemble Modern, who performed the same concert in Frankfurt in November 2020. At that concert each piece was a world or German premiere, repeated for the MaerzMusik version, at which we were treated to an empty hall with a multi-HD-camera setup. It was streamed live on 24 March and available on demand for a few months following.

Paul Verlaine in Parallel: Loeffler, Fauré, Debussy

The contrasts between song settings of Verlaine’s poetry by Fauré, Debussy, and Hahn have long attracted comparative essays from scholars and singers. The songs of the American composer Charles Martin Loeffler offer yet another Verlaine. His settings of ‘La lune blanche’ and ‘En sourdine’ are particularly puzzling when heard after Fauré’s songs on the same poems. This essay seeks to make sense of some of Loeffler’s most idiosyncratic settings and show them as competent and as sensitive in their way as the more famous settings of Fauré and Debussy. I argue that Loeffler draws on the habits of ironic theatricality he would have observed in the cabarets and cafés-chantants he enjoyed frequenting in Paris. He applies the effects of popular urban song to Verlaine’s lyric and in this way is able to move very independently from Fauré or Debussy even as he raises a popular form to a high artistic level. In this context, Fauré and Debussy appear more similar than different, but we may array the three composers in a metaphorical geography moving from the countryside to the heart of the city: Fauré the pastoral, Debussy the suburban, and Loeffler the urban.

Scott Joplin: A Guide for Music Educators PART II—King of Ragtime Composers

Scott Joplin (1868–1917) was an African American composer and pianist of singular merit and influence. This article is the second in a three-part series considering the biographical, artistic, and cultural contexts of Joplin’s life and work. “King of Ragtime Composers,” focuses on Scott Joplin’s artistic processes, including his structuring of melodic and harmonic content and his novel contributions to ragtime. The discussion is followed by suggested student activities written in accordance with NAfME’s 2014 National Music Standards, including performing a ragtime accompaniment, playing an original Orff arrangement of Joplin’s “The Easy Winners,” improvising within a ragtime framework, and listening to and analyzing performance choices.

Scott Joplin: A Guide for Music Educators PART I—A Ragtime Life

Scott Joplin (1868-1917) was an African American composer and pianist of singular merit and influence. Academic interest in Joplin has increased in recent years, leading to new discoveries about the composer’s activities, yet teaching materials have not been updated at the same pace as 21st-century findings. Joplin was an entrepreneur, a performer, and a philanthropist, yet his biography is often reduced to a “celebratory” narrative of a composer creating toe-tapping music for the masses. Ragtime Lives, the first in a three-part series, presents a modern understanding of the biographical context, which shaped Scott Joplin’s music thought and practice and provides suggested classroom activities for exploring Joplin’s life and works written in accordance with NAfME’s 2014 National Music Standards.

RODNEY LISTER (b. 1951)Songs to Harvest (2006)

This chapter focuses on American composer Rodney Lister’s Songs to Harvest (2006). As shown in this attractive cycle, Lister has a distinctive and fascinating way of writing for voice and piano. The voice projects succinct, shapely phrases, while linear piano parts weave a tapestry of sinuous counterpoint, frequently in two parts only, often with three-against-two rhythms. When the voice stops, the piano continues, its luminous texture ebbing and flowing. Ingeniously, it seems to give a subliminal commentary as well as an irresistible propulsion to the music. The prime test of the songsmith is to set words so that they can be heard easily, and Lister passes this with flying colours. A predominantly medium range guarantees comfortable articulation—the highest note occurs only once, fleetingly. The cohesive musical idiom is discreetly contemporary, disciplined, and carefully modulated. Pitching should be relatively unproblematic—there is a good deal of doubling with the piano, and plenty of time to plot each interval cleanly.

MISSY MAZZOLI (b. 1980)As Long As We Live (2013)

This chapter describes American composer Missy Mazzoli’s As Long As We Live (2013). Showing the influence of figures such as the Dutch composer Louis Andriessen as well as some of those involved in the worldwide Bang-on-a-Can movement, this work, which is also available in a version for baritone, could just as easily fit a club setting or popular concert as a more formal recital venue. In order to alleviate balance problems, the singer could be amplified if need be. It is even possible that singer and pianist could be the same person, a situation more frequently found in ‘pop’ concerts. The straightforward appeal and seductively euphonious harmonies of this extended song conceal considerable artistic acumen and an acute ear for subtleties of timbre. Both the simplicity of the vocal line and the characteristically repetitive nature of the piano writing are deceptive. A classically trained singer with a well-centred purity of tone and a firm middle register is surely essential to achieve the pinpoint tuning of intervals, many of which are quite close and clash with the piano’s triadic harmonies.

ERIC NATHAN (b. 1983)Forever Is Composed of Nows (2011)

This chapter discusses American composer Eric Nathan’s Forever Is Composed of Nows (2011). This hauntingly lovely setting is simple enough to be tackled by beginners, but all singers will find it a rewarding vehicle. Nathan demonstrates conclusively that ‘less is more’. With admirable economy of language and structure, he captures and matches the pith and essence of the succinct texts with unerring musicality, so that every phrase tells. The voice is given every chance to hone each fragment to perfection, monitoring every morsel of sound, paying close attention to colour, nuance, and subtly graded dynamics. The musical style, a fluent and intuitive fusion of past and present, is reminiscent of late romanticism, evoking in particular the rarefied atmosphere of French music.

CHARLES SHADLE (b. 1960)The Hills of Dawn (2012)

This chapter focuses on American composer Charles Shadle’s The Hills of Dawn (2012). This beautifully-written short cycle ought to be snapped up eagerly by young artists in particular. It is a perfect length for a recital. The range is tailored to accommodate a light voice, and occasional deep notes do not require powerful projection. Shadle successfully blends elements of English and American post-Romantic music, with an occasional nudge towards Hindemithian neoclassicism, to forge a thoroughly fresh and engaging personal style. The music flows spontaneously and motivic connections between the songs create a feeling of unity, with the piano’s introductions and postludes helping to establish mood and character. Three short middle movements are framed by more substantial opening and closing songs. Standard notation is employed, without key signatures. In an introductory note, the composer reveals a deep, personal affinity with the texts, which he sets with care and sensitivity. The five chosen poems by Native American poet Alexander Lawrence Posey are assembled ‘to suggest the passage from dawn to dusk on a mid-summer’s day’.