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Blog Post #5: Alphorns

1.. One particular thing I took note of was how the older alphorns were built. I thought it was pretty neat how they were an entire trunk of a tree that had been cultivated to be that shape via the slopes on the alps. The cutting in two pieces and then wrapping it with bark was also a neat touch. 2.. I was surprised by how much of the process uses modern machines. Alphorns have always seemed to be something deeply rooted in tradition to me, so I didn't accept to find all those machines in his shop. However it makes sense commercially that these instruments are not hand crafted as much as they once were. I wonder how much the quality is either improved or degraded by these techniques. I also found it interesting how sap can completely ruin a carved piece, and you have no way of knowing if the wood you're using contains sap in it. It makes sense, but I never thought of it. 3.. I was a little disappointed by the location. Don't get me wrong, I seriously enjoyed being able to play the alphorn in a Swiss mountain town. However, my (overly ambitious) initial thought was that we would be standing on some sort of precipice playing it directly between the valley of two mountains. Regardless, it was much neater to play this instrument in its natural locale rather than a classroom in Bergendoff. 4.. I heard less music in Switzerland than I did in Germany or Austria. However, I'm attributing that to being in smaller towns. Accordions seem to be a favorite in the entire region, and I did notice a difference in the playing (it sounded more distinctly Eastern European, with faster melodies and more playing in the harmonic minor). 5.. I don't think tourism is a huge contributor to the alphorn, but I do think it helps maintain its existence. While in Switzerland, I really didn't see much mention of the alphorn or see its presence anywhere except from the shop, but I'm sure for events like the Unterspunnen or the alphorn playing event we had the chance to go to tourism is a major component in ensuring these events' continuations. Without these events, the alphorn may take a step backward into obscurity, so I fully support these performances even if only for the sake of the tourists.

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Blog Post #4: Mozart and Salzburg

1.. According to the lineage tree of Mozart, he does not have any living descendants. I believe it was his kids that ended the family line. 2.. It was sad to see mozart's failing relationship with his father, especially over Constanze. I'm not sure whether or not he was in the right or wrong. 3.. A figure like Mozart will have many myths and legends surrounding him, regarding everything from how he used his abilities to his own personality. Mozart's letters help us to understand the fact from the fiction, and help us establish which parts of his character were genuinely eccentric and which were fabricated. 4.. I don't remember the name of the piece, but the second one after the end of intermission was my favorite, and I think it was mostly because of the emotion I saw the performers put into it that they were previously lacking during the first half. The first violinist, practically being a statue during the first half, opened up and showed a lot of care and emotion for that piece/movement, making the performance sound and feel more genuine than their standard "time to play to a bunch of tourists and wannabe aristocrats, yet another weekday." 5.. The quartet, while not being terrible, was certainly not the best. Several times I could hear the intonation be off, and the performers were not showing emotion. I'm also not sure if that sniffing technique for the downbeat is supposed to be used so frequently or at all for professional musicians. Sometimes you could also see the musicians communicate to each other with a smile and their eyes, which suggested to me there was either a mistake or somebody was doing something particularly silly in the audience. I did not see any behavior like this during the Munich philharmonic, and I've been taught to not do anything that draws the audiences attention away from the performance and to myself instead. The audience, too, was something to behold. Someone dropped a wine glass and broke it (understandable), but then they managed to break a second one shortly after. Then that person tried to sweep it up, only to realize that glass shards make a lot of noise. Another person stood up and walked around the room for several minutes videotaping the performance. I didn't notice any signs saying you couldn't video record, but standing up and shining a bright light while walking around is incredibly rude. People also did not care to cover their coughs. I remember that at the end of Munich philharmonic performances, the clapping was matched by a cacophonous wave of coughing from people who had desperately been holding it in. For the Mozart concert, the audience, already being small, ended up being nearly halved by the second intermission. Given these conditions, it is not at all a wonder why Mozart decided to leave. I imagine decorum was more practiced and understood in his time (or at least to those that he played to), but a small audience would probably feel insulting to someone with his talent after it is the only thing he is allowed to experience for years.

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Trip Blog Post #3: Tannhäuser

1. Wagner hated the idea of the elite since he supported largely communistic/socialistic principles. He also disliked ornamentation in theaters as he felt that took away from the performance. Additionally (although this may have just been a preference rather than a complaint) he wanted a covered orchestra pit. At the opera we went to, all of these complaints were violated. Other things that reflect these complaints are sports stadiums and music concerts. The sports stadiums go ridiculously high up to where you can barely see what happens. Some music concerts share similar issues, with things like VIP access or closer seating. Movie theaters seem to be the best when it comes to reflecting Wagner's ideals. Unless you're in a terrible theater, the view is clear from everywhere and there's very little ornamentation. The orchestra is also hidden, in a sense. I think Wagner would have loved movies. 2. Having a general idea of how Tannhäuser went in terms of plot and music, I enjoyed the avant garde approach because it allowed me to connect the dots with symbols and events in the live version. Something that wasn't avant garde might have felt a bit stale given how much we've already seen of other versions. Additionally, the production wasn't going for some type of minimalism, which was good in terms of visual stimulation in keeping the audience's attention. Also, I now have had the privilege of seeing a particular version of Tannhäuser that many others will never see or ever hear. 3. Wagner and Ludwig both seemed to have had a clear cut interest in the grandeur of the sublime. The heights Wagner sought and reached in opera were essentially mimicked in the field of architecture by the amazing settings and castles/palaces Ludwig built. With Ludwig willing to spend the resources to make Wagner's visions a reality, it is not very difficult to see why Wagner would buddy up to a king in spite of his communistic beliefs. 4. I particular enjoyed any of the large choral sections with the pilgrims. The song between Tannhäuser, Wolfram, and Venus at the end was another favorite of mine. It was incredibly dramatic and I thought the performers were extremely convincing during this part. When the performers themselves make you question if the plot turns out differently, it has to be a good performance. I also appreciated a lot of the effects, such as the distant choir or instruments or how Venus went to the top balcony. When I saw the pictures of the bows in the posters outside I was thinking "yet another performance where bows and arrows are shown but never used," however I was pleasantly surprised to see them actually shot, and shot a lot by many people. When they turned around and aimed the bows at us, it gave a serious sense of danger because those were real weapons they holding (although the arrows were clearly not nocked). The opera itself also did a great job avoiding being boring, in my opinion. There was always something happening or moving on stage to keep your attention.

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Trip Blog Post #2: German National Museum and Wagner Haus

1. Two instruments I saw stuck out in my head. The first one was the hurtygurty, and the second was the box trumpet. The hurtygurty was just a complete puzzle to me, how it was played, how it would sound, and how it worked. When I heard that there would be a horn attachment I was even more thrown off. I also thought it was pretty interesting they had a beggar's instrument too, with a compartment for money. I wonder if anyone uses that concept today. The box trumpet X-rays turned what looked like a silly piece of metal into a complex construction of bending tubes and sound production. Given the empty space between the tubes and the walls of the instrument, I was curious how that hollow area would affect that timbre. Would it sound nasally because the sound was more contained like in a mute, or would it be a darker trumpet sound? 2. One way I saw the two interact with each other was the use of X-rays to examine the insides of an instrument to understand its workings without damaging it. The use of science was also necessary for the curator to know how to prevent instruments from being damaged (e.g., climate control and not playing into the box trumpet because of the damage trapped humidity would incur. As a scientist it interested me to see the climate control machine they had that was sensing and recording temperature and other climate factors on a machine that looked similar to how seismographs or lie detectors work. Culture could be seen expressed through the instruments in their ornaments and sometimes the paintings on the instruments. A couple of the French (I think French, maybe it was German and they just paraded it through France) instruments had drawings that looked Greek/Roman in nature and other depictions that didn't seem particularly European of that time period. As a historian I would be very interested, although the chronology of the instruments I found was a little confusing. Perhaps I missed it, but it seemed like things were intermingled. 3. I was fascinated that Hitler had met with descendants of the family. Would he have done the same has there not been the antisemitism, or was that the bonding glue between them? My perception of Wagner has not changed much. With or without him Hitler likely would have still been relatively the same. While that is no justification for Wagner, it also implies that he is not the sole villain in history, and if we were to turn down everything that Germans discovered because of this, then science would become impossible to practice, then the modern would dramatically change for the worse. Wagner may have attacked Jews, but for the most part his music did not. Hitler's appropriation of Wagner seems to encourage my earlier sentiments of whether or not Hitler would still be close to the family if they weren't anti Semitic. I find it interesting, however, how he latched on so much to a single composer. Yes, he used others, but his fascination for Wagner seems unparalleled. 4. It is harrowing to be where a man who permanently altered the face of history once laughed and talked and spent leisure time. I am sure there is no greater insult to him than to have his enemies from foreign countries constantly walk upon the places he once stood. Wagner, alternatively, would probably love the attention and the fact that so many visited his grave. I do not feel any particularly strong feeling for visiting Wagner. I am happy to have experienced being near one of the greatest composers ever, but also a bit put off by being near such an anti Semite. The two emotions cancel each other out, but the memories essentially remain.

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Germany Blog Post #1: Beethoven's House

1. My expectation of the performance was that it would be a near perfect replication of the recordings we had listened to already with some subtle differences in tempo and dynamics. This was easily met, but a couple times I felt like the sfz chords in the third movement that play after the arpeggios were a bit rushed/quiet. I also expected a little larger of a performance room, but the acoustics were never an issue from where I sat. 2. I know some people say familiarity breeds contempt, but I believe the opposite applies to music you are unfamiliar with. In my experience, the more I've listened to a piece the more I can appreciate it (although I do believe there is a point when you can get sick of a piece if you listen to it too much too closely together). I believe this caused me to enjoy the moonlight sonata a lot more than the other piece. Also, I think the other movements were a bit boring to begin with (they felt very hoity toity to me). 3. When listening to a recording, you don't get an appreciation of the skill and finesse required to play a piece (even videos distort the difficulty) but seeing a live performance that is mere meters from your face easily translates the skill required for even the most oblivious non musicians. The interpretation was quite similar to the original piece, but the pedals did make a noticeable difference, especially for the first movement. The sfz chords, like I mentioned before, were not as loud/lengthened as in the recording. Although to me this sounded more like a restriction based on skill and not necessarily an interpretation. 4. The most obvious difference between the period piano and the modern piano was present during the first movement of the moonlight sonata. The pedal that subdued/softened the noise of the piano was quite a contrast to the standard pianissimo played during that part. While I didn't notice anything else as blatant as that, the other pedals in general allowed for other contrasts that can't be played on a modern piano (at least from all the pianos I've seen), which I find interesting that our options have become more limited as opposed to less when it comes to piano playing. 5. I think it would be interesting to try to replicate the sound on the modern piano as it would give the piece even more depth than it already has. Certainly nothing bad would come from it. The artistic preservation of the piece is already lost by not playing it on a Beethoven period piano, so any attempt at trying to keep the piece as close to the original as possible is best.

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Blog Post #20: Germany, T-minus: VERY SOON

I can’t pick any one of these things to be what I’m looking forward to most, so I’ll just pick my top three in no particular order:

1. Beethoven Concert: While Mozart is by no means bad, I appreciate the flavor marked in history by Beethoven. He is responsible for much of the grandeur and emotion in music that I enjoy, and the chance to see an actual professional orchestra concert has always been on my list of wants.

2. Wagner Opera: I’m looking forward to this much in the same vein for why I want to see the Beethoven concert. The thematic approaches he developed are the predecessors to some of the media I enjoy the most. While we are unfortunately not seeing the twenty hour ring cycle (something I would like to do one day), I would be very happy to see my first opera, especially one written by Wagner.

3. Alphorn Concert on a Mountain: For one, we’re on a mountain. Secondly, there are alphorns. As far as I’m concerned, that’s reason enough to be excited. Performing the instrument is one thing, but to hear it blown across its own birthplace through such beautiful scenery must be an astounding sight to behold. I don’t care if the instrument was useful for cows and and communication, it’s a damn beautiful and unique sound, and is just plain awesome.

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Listening Post #5: Into Thickets (and) Alphorns

1. The article indicates that a lot of the music is intended to be descriptive of a specific scene, particularly the journey Strauss underwent with his friends. We are to expect both major events and minor details from the adventure expressed in the music, from arriving at the summit and witnessing a cataclysmic thunderstorm, to the mist of a waterfall and the chirping of the birds. Certain instruments will represent themes, such as an announcement of the sun by the brass, a percussive effect representing cowbells. 

 2. We are to expect a massive orchestra. Some horns will be offstage to give the effect of a distant hunting horn. The percussion provides effects such as a wind machine. The piece is a direct representation of the Alps and his own journey through it. We will hear cowbells, pastoral calls, and alphorn melodies. 

3.

 4. 

Night - 0:43 (that is a lot of bassoons holy crap)  Sunrise - 4:17 The Ascent - 5:58 Entry into the Forest - 8:22 Wandering by the Brook - 11:25  At the Waterfall - 14:47  Apparition - 15:02 On Flowering Meadows - 15:53 On the Alpine Pasture - 16:51 Through Thickets and Undergrowth on the Wrong Path - 19:11  On the Glacier - 20:58  Dangerous Moments - 22:30  On the Summit - 24:16 Vision - 29:31 Mists Rise - 33:43 The Sun Gradually Becomes Obscured - 34:01 Elegy - 34:56 Calm Before the Storm - 37:05 Thunder and Tempest, Descent - 40:19 Sunset - 44:04 Quiet Settles - 46:57 Night - 53:56

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Blog Post #19: Amusing Alphorn Acquaintances

As a trumpet player, the alphorn gives me insight into the tricky world of French horn playing and the harmonic series of the trumpet's upper register that I have yet to fully tap into. The alphorn also tests my ability to really play low, as even though I've been practicing false tones recently on my trumpet, I was still unable to hit one or two of the actual lower notes on the alphorn. While air was also important, it did not seem quite as important as it does for the trumpet, as I can produce a strong sound without too much pressure, and using the standard air pressure I would when playing the trumpet tended to distort the sound (although this might be my own shortcoming). However, when I solidly transitioned between notes I absolutely adored the sound. It was entertaining listening to other people play, and I mean that sincerely. Considering that brass instruments are not something played or learned by people on a sudden whim like a guitar or a piano, it was fun to expose other people to this entirely different style of playing. It was also interesting to see the different quirks of each player, how some people could play well high and others low, and how some mouthpieces simply didn't work for the player but a different mouthpiece was like magic.

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Blog Post #18: Will the Real Alphorn Player Please Stand Up?

1. The author uses sources such as actual musical notation, iconography/historical photographs, and books/letters/treatises written by older generations that were knowledgeable on the subjects.

2. The author suggests two possibilities for why the instruments play separately. One possibility is an artistic one, as it is meant to evoke a certain pastoral image that is different in each movement. Another more technical reasoning is that the alphorn player may simply have lacked the ability to play with others. I definitely hear this separation-accompaniment, but I do not think it is because of a lack of ability. People not trained or accustomed to formal playing are still able to grasp songs fairly quickly. Additionally, there likely would not even be an accompaniment if the alphornist experienced issues in playing with others.

Leopold uses the 11th pitch of the harmonic series that is very out of tune. The strings mimic it by adjusting the pitch upwards and downwards.

3. In an effort to promote unity, the governor of the canton of Bern held a Festival of Alpine Traditions next to the ruins of Uspunnen Castle. The festival was a success, but an alphorn contest only ended up having two competitors, showing that the instrument was definitely not in vogue :(

4.a. The instruments used symbolically as alphorns include an english horn and an oboe that echoes it. I don’t feel that these instruments properly reflect the alphorn. I have heard Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun many times (it’s one of my favorite pieces), and in all its beauty I never once felt like I was hearing an alphorn or an imitation of such, merely a very pretty french horn. The english horn and oboe in Fantastique are too bright as instruments, and simply knowing that they are not restricted to the harmonic series (but are still pretending to be) implies a sense of off-putting phoniness to me.

4.b. I maintain my same criticisms as before. The alphorn is simply to distinct in its sound. Not even hearing the occasional blipped note as the player tries to find the pitch just sounds unnatural too, as silly as that sounds. The sound is far too nasally and I would misconstrue this solo to be nothing more than a solo intended for the actual instrument that is being played. There is only one part that made me think of the alphorn, and it’s when the instrument plays the arpeggio motif. All other parts do not bear any resemblance of the alphorn to me.

5. To me, the alphorn is a very relaxed and graceful instrument (when properly played, that is). It’s a very pensive sound, and a kind of music to me that I think does better on its own interpretation made by the listener and not the artist. The questioning and darkish tone to the lyrics ruin what I personally enjoy about this instrument. Listening to an alphorn alongside an operatic voice is also a contrast I do not particularly enjoy, as there is a shrillness that I feel when comparing the voice of the singer and the timbre of the alphorn. It is not as bad when she sings in a lower register, but the higher her pitches went the more uncomfortable the “dissonance” was to me. On an objective level, the piece has more meaning as there are now words attached to the song describing the focus of the piece. To me, I feel like the piece has lost an important aspect of imagination of self-awareness for the listener.

6. In the beginning, it sounds like an english horn is used, but as the piece progresses a french horn seems to take the role of the alphorn. Both instruments are used in a much more subdued matter (especially the english horn, if that’s even the instrument I’m hearing), which is markedly better improvement from the previous pieces. The flutter tonguing and also graceful crescendos and decrescendos suggest both playfulness and beauty. Perhaps the flutter tonguing is intended to represent mooing cows? The soft but steadily broadening piece reflects both the peacefulness of the pasture and the grandeur of the surrounding mountains and scenery.

7. The french horn makes a staggeringly better imitation of the alphorn. The sound is still a little bright and more refined, but it is miles away from the nasal quality of the english horn. The aforementioned phoniness aspect also disappears a little with the french horn as it shares the similar harmonic series struggle the alphorn does. Upon listening to Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun again, I believe I can hear an alphorn imitation done properly through a french horn. However, my own established notions of the song will likely make it difficult for me to hear anything other than the french horn.

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Blog Post #17: Avant-Garde Alphorn Appropriations

What I envision when I hear an alphorn playing is a person decked out in lederhosen standing on the precipice of a mountain right outside a pasture/cottage. What I do know about the alphorn, however, is that it has been traditionally used as a method of communication across the Alps. Before the era of instant communication, having to walk up/down a mountain to deliver a simple message would have taken a lot of time, so why not communicate with something else? The alphorn delivers a large, resonating sound that travels well amongst the mountains and hills.

While I certainly wouldn’t want to discourage anybody experimenting with anything new with an alphorn, I believe the instrument will always be at its best when performing the traditional music. There is not just sound to consider, but also the history of the instrument. An instrument being played differently just because someone feels like trying something new doesn’t provide the same sentiments that music that has been in existence for centuries does. Now once again, I am not saying newer music cannot be enjoyable or enriching, but I do think that the best experience from the alphorn will come from its traditional style of playing.

Video 1: The commercial seems silly, and if I were Swiss I might actually feel a bit put off by Ricola for making my traditions look funny for their own financial gain. But it is just a commercial, and there is certainly no discriminatory alphorn epidemic going on in the world.

Video 2: I don’t feel like this video does the performance any justice. The sheer natural sound to come from such a massive amount of these instruments must have been amazing.

Video 3: This video seems to incorporate both new styles of playing with traditional German/Swiss culture, and I think the result is fantastic. The polka instruments and playing style complements the alphorn very well and vice versa. An important aspect of an alphorn seems to be playing in a large area with good acoustics to get the full sound, and this performance reflects that.

Video 4: While the alphorn by no means sounds bad, it simply does not sound like a typical alphorn. It sounds like the sound has been electronically edited and effects added to it to make it sound more smooth and bright to match the tone of the song, as opposed to the more mellow and rustic tone a traditional alphorn provides. I think they could have used a variety of low brass instruments to achieve the same sound. 

Video 5: Although this is as far from traditional alphorn playing as any of the other videos, I prefer this to the previous video’s use of it. The audio seems to retain the natural sound of the alphorn rather than having modified it like the last one. While I still like the more traditional interpretation of the alphorn, this is not a bad use of the instrument, as it provides a very unique sound. It doesn’t blend perfectly with the other instruments, but it is not too much out of place where it is uncomfortable to listen to.

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Someone drumming along to one of my favorite scenes in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

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Blog Post #16: The Works of the Holocaust Survivors

I do not think all the works should have to be performed. Perhaps it could be an ongoing effort and have the pieces be performed by students as part of a graduation or school requirement. I don’t believe that the setting or performer is particularly important, as long as the performer is competent and can reproduce the piece with no mistakes. If possible, I would suggest meeting with the survivors for the purpose of gaining background about the piece of music they wrote, but in other cases it is not super detrimental to the archival as a whole. I recall visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. this past winter, and one particular aspect of it that stuck out to me was a chronological journey through the Holocaust. Before entering it, you were given a small paper pamphlet that followed the life of one particular person who went through the Holocaust. You read their biography throughout the exhibit in accordance with events in their lives. Perhaps in a similar setting or museum this archival of music could be put to use.

I believe these works should be treated like any other piece of music, and if an ensemble wishes to play one then they can, but should not feel obligated to. It feels strange to me to have an out of the blue choral performance in remembrance of the Holocaust, and with this setting I don’t think there is any special meaning in the works being sung. On remembrance days, however, the performance of these works would be perfect. It would be an excellent example to honor those that have perished and survived, showing that even in spite of their suffering they could still find beauty in life.

From the article, I thought that the extreme emphasis on drinking water and staying warm in cold conditions and the effects it has on your singing voice was interesting. Considering that I’m in choir and I’m terrible about of those things, this is a welcome surprise. Additionally, I did not consider the whole supply and demand aspect of music. I would think that in a world where music professions are very limited and highly coveted, there would never be a shortage of anything.

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Listening Post #4: Quartet for the End of Time

Movements:

1. This first movement has all players present. The piano and cello are very subtle throughout, and the piano plays a unique variety of chords and chord progressions. the violin and the clarinet are almost always at odds with each other. It is not like they are trying to counter or complement the other, but rather they are trying to work together to create the same ambient effect. This effect invokes a sort of vibrant tension in the listener. There is never any resolution, nor does it feel like there is purpose, but still the playing is connected and dynamically elevates and lowers to either raise or drop the tension.

2. Once again, all players play in the second movement. This movement begins off on a much stronger volume, and there is more cooperation between the voices. The cello practically plays along with the violin as the piano hammers in the background until a soft respite where the clarinet takes a leave of absence. Like the last piece, there are not many resolutions and there is also a lot of tension in the playing. This piece, however, is more under control and this is a smooth, subtle tension. Although predictability is still difficult, it is definitely more predictable than the previous piece.

3. This movement is a clarinet solo. It begins soft and smooth, and it seems like there is an intended destination for the clarinet. Once the fast portion begins, the inspiration from the birds is very noticeable. The way the clarinet brightens its sound to mimic it is very impressive. At some parts the playing becomes very sporadic and it seems that there is no rhyme or reason to what happens, it is just a bunch of noise (perhaps like being in a forest full of differently chirping birds?). The long tone change in dynamics signify a shift in mood, from loud to soft and vice versa. The last two sections before the end (the very soft one and the one that switches between mf and mp) have some order to them, but the ending is abrupt and unexpiected.

4. The violin, clarinet, and cello play in this movement. It sounds like they are playing a very strange kind of scale, perhaps a certain mode, as they follow this same scale pattern throughout. The violin and cello are often connected again, and the clarinet joins the two at times. The violin and clarinet will separate at times for solos. There is a recognizable motif as all instruments play together at various points in the piece. Sometimes the song sounds like it’s about to enter into a harmonic minor or a pentatonic, but does neither. The song is rousing and certainly a great way to wake the audience.

5. The piano and cello have a duet in this movement. The cello has a soft melody while the piano provides relatively simple, repeating chords in the background to blend and complement the cello. As the piece progresses both parts grow dynamically and brighten in sound as a miniature climax is reached in a mostly major chord before returning to slight dissonance as the piano plays minor and diminished chords while the cello contrasts with these notes. The song sounds like it is constantly trying to evolve into a resolution, but never quite does it, despite having a few moments that are similar to a resolution, but not really. There is a certain aspect of liveliness in this song, but not in speed. It is emotionally lively, as if a person were struggling to climb a mountain, and experienced at certain points obstacles, determination, hopelessness, and mindless climbing. But in spite of this whirlwind of emotions, the top is never quite reached, as if the climber is stuck in purgatory.

6. All parts play in this movement. All voices blend together in this piece in unison, and once again there is a motif that occurs several times throughout the piece. The piece sounds unsure yet confident, as sometimes when it sounds like syncopation is about to occur consistently, it doesn’t. Duets within the piece will sometimes appear, such as with the clarinet and piano. The piece continually threatens to end on a blatantly dark and minor chord, an idea that is pushed heavily by the clarinet and piano duets. Eventually it does.

7. In this movement all instruments play. The beginning with the cello and piano duet sounds like the most “normal/orderly” part in the whole piece despite the eighth movement, as it is definitively minor and doesn’t hop around modes. However, once the whole quartet plays, the piece returns to it its overall sporadic nature. The piano takes charge for a short while, blasting out high chords and rhythms. The violin and clarinet accompany each other softly and shortly after the piano’s big moment. The violin constantly teases a certain interval before finally the whole quartet plays loudly and together again. The piano offers a surprise bass line, and the , violin and clarinet play very separated with the cello forming an interval with the violin. Different instruments like to offer seemingly random trills in different spots.The piano’s change from discordant chords to arpeggios that complement the harmony of the other three instruments offer a sense of poetic randomness to the piece. There is a motif in this piece as well that is often returned to that signifies a new phrase. This movement gives a contrast between states of relaxation and tension. It provides the image of an animal being hunted, with the fast paced motif being when its hunter reappears and when it starts to run, and the soft moments when it gains a temporary respite.

8. Only the violin and piano play. The piano largely accompanies the violin and there is a much more common methodology being used as he violin does not get complex in terms of note progression or rhythm. The piano sometimes plays interesting accompaniment chords, although it seems to follow a definite pattern at times. While there are many instances of minor chords being played, the piece itself does not invoke tension or negative emotions. It suggests a mystery of grandeur that is reinforced by the violin and piano constantly reaching higher in both terms of pitch and dynamic level (although the dynamics taper down much toward the end). It inspires awe and ends on a major chord that has been used sparingly throughout the whole performance. Thus it has extra significance and can indicate the actual end to the pieces.

Part 2:

Movement 3: This movement very much describes the scenery that inspired Messiaen. The beginning of the piece is generally quiet and relaxed, like a very early morning in walking through a forest. As the sun begins to rise (the long tones on the clarinet) the forest becomes more alive and to represent this the sound increases and the tempo increases. The bird chirping is seen through very fast arpeggios and trilling with a very bright sound. Throughout the whole piece Messiaen’s desire for a bright clarinet is heard, although to me it sounds more nasally than bright (but I don’t play clarinet).

Movement 7: To represent the angle, the artist uses a wide variety of colors to mark the rainbow with the angel, and the angel appears to be shouting, which is in line with the angel entering in full force. The artist then uses a palette of intimidating colors: black and red. Messiaen speaks of a passing into suffering and the unreal. These colors show an indeterminate hellish scene/figure. The figure’s coloring suggests the suffering Messiaen mentions, while the unreal aspect is shown in the mysterious figure. The splotches of white against this figure show the ecstasy contrasting with the suffering. When the artist lifts the painting, we see orange paint dribble down in magma-like flows. Many of these flows appear across the painting and quite a few are multicolored. It is quite literally a tangle of colors, and as the camera pans out we can see that a variety of color has settled in these flows to produce a color palette with lots of variety, but no particular organization.

Movement 8: The artist’s use of white paint compares to Messiaen’s intention of Jesus’ presence in the song. It shows starting anew. The slow traveling of the paint reflects man’s ascension to his God, as eventually the entire canvass becomes white as paradise has finally been reached.

I can respect this work as a whole as being incredibly artistic and complex, but I am not at a level of musicianship where I can appreciate the subtle chord progressions on the piano or the abstract representations being made by the clarinet solo. What bothers me most is probably the lack of a major or minor key in general, as he chooses to use modes we are largely unfamiliar with in typical western (or even non-western, for that matter) music. The final movement offers a very nice release after the chaos of the earlier movements that never promised to resolve or follow a pattern or order. The choice to end on a major chord and keep a consistently calm tempo and low dynamic level throughout the piece was a good choice to illustrate the final story in the song of humanity’s ascension. 

[jakeg27-blog]

Blog Post #15: Messiaen’s Memoir Mess

Messiaen: He was drafted into the french army but deemed unfit for service because of his eyesight. Instead he did noncombatant duty. Inspired by bird watching with Pasquier, he first wrote the Abyss of the Birds

Pasquier: He was born a child prodigy in music and became a successful performer, but was drafted at the outbreak of WWII. He was transferred to Verdun where he became a close collaborator with Messiaen.

Akoka: He was born into a musical family and played in a military band, where he eventually went to Verdun and met up with Messiaen and Pasquier. He first played the Abyss of the Birds, to his frustration.

Boulaire: A violinist that the original trio came across after imprisonment in Stagal. He helped to complete the quartet.

Inspired by bird watching with Pasquier, Messiaen wrote the Abyss of the Birds. All three were imprisoned by Germany, and met a fourth person for the quartet there, Jean Le Boulaire. Their time in the camp allowed them to socialize and write/perform music together, and Messiaen made pieces for a clarinet, piano, cello, and violin quartet (mostly because those were the only instruments available). In the Stalag camps, musicians were treated better than others, especially in the case of Messiaen. He was relieved of all work duties and told to only worry about composing. He was given other special privileges too, such as being allowed outside early in the morning. From one of these instances he witnessed the Aurora Borealis which inspired him.

The author claims that Messiaen wrote the Abyss of the Birds before he wrote the interlude (which contradicts what Messiaen has told others). He backs this claim by saying the only instrument available to him was Akoka’s clarinet. The author suggests this discrepancy results from Messiaen perhaps conceiving of the idea of certain pieces before writing them, or that it was instead an intentional lie to simplify a complex story in interviews. Additionally, Messiaen was a talented musical theorist of his time, so the story he provided offered a better analysis of his work if the interlude was written first. Also, it is possible he was merely trying to be diplomatic and offer equal importance to each instrument within the piece.

[jakeg27-blog]

Blog Post #13: Music of Dachau

Prior to this course, I thought music in the concentration camps would have been strictly forbidden. Music has always maintained a power to inspire and to connect, and as a result I thought the Nazis would have viewed it as a threat, or perhaps an unnecessary privilege to be given to the prisoners. The opposite was the truth, however. In fact, music was forced on them so much that it was a punishment sometimes for both performers and listeners. The requirement for them to sing hours on end just pains my own vocal chords, as I can barely stand more than a couple hours of choral singing before I start to feel rough around the edges. Political conversion was always in the eyes of the Nazis, and they would use patriotic music to their ends. Unsurprisingly, this had no effect on patriotism and only further tortured the prisoners. To further this political agenda, they would broadcast government events and speeches. It was also said that this music was a liaison in helping the guards torture prisoners. Although I doubt it would have ever happened, I wonder if it was ever possible for a prisoner to be freed if they claimed they had undergone a political conversion. If not, I wonder how guards would then justify to themselves beating up a potentially fellow Nazi.

Concentration camps in my mind have always been the absolute epitome of evil -- a true Hell on Earth. While this thought has not changed much, it was interesting to read how prisoners in Dachau were able to have moments for recreation or relaxation. This short-lived RnR, however, does not by any means lessen the suffering these people endured. Additionally, I did not expect the Nazis to try to improve work quotas by actually improving conditions for those in the camps, but it would appear they did.

[jakeg27-blog]

Blog Post #11/#12: To Wagner, Or Not To Wagner

I do not believe that Wagner’s music should be censored or considered taboo. If we are to for the moment ignore Wagner’s own antisemitism and just consider the Nazi appropriation of the art, I do not think it is right to let the association of the two destroy a significant artist’s work. Wagner appealed to aspects of human nature that Hitler felt particularly stronger than others, but that does not change that many of his appeals are still to human nature. We have seen where anger and a lust for nationalistic strength drove Hitler. We all at some point have experienced the same emotions of anger or grandiose that Hitler and Wagner felt, but expressed them in very different ways. To let Hitler’s own appreciation for the music is, in my opinion, a denial of self and what treachery we are individually capable of. It is to pretend we are above human nature, which simply is not true and a dangerous thing to pretend to be. I do not believe we should allow the past to take hostage of our present. We will remember what happened and respect it, but we will also learn from it. Wagner did not write solely for antisemitism. Although elements of it did find his way into his work, Wagner created art for emotion and meaning. While we cannot sympathize with his antisemitism, we can relate to the emotions he has felt and he has conveyed for our own purposes. This same concept applies to anything Hitler associated with the Nazi regime. Art is art, and even the worst perversions of it can offer to us something, whether it be a lesson or understanding.

These comments, however, are strictly for a generic audience who may feel concerned by the use of Wagner by Hitler or just Wagner’s own sentiments. In the instance of an audience that is adversely affected by antisemitism or has suffered from the Nazi regime and has associated Wagner very closely with it, I would entirely respect that these audiences choose not to listen to it. While I would encourage these groups to separate the music from the personas, I can very easily understand how the association or Wagner’s own antisemitism could ruin all his work. In short, the music should not be outright banned in Israel, but it should not be commonplace either so that those who do not wish to listen to it are not required to. Avoiding performances at the expense of taxpayers would also be ideal, until public opinion has largely shifted on it. I feel that Barenboim’s own manner of going about performing Wagner was perfect, and that his sentiments on treating Wagner as a taboo gives Hitler a sort of last word is correct. Out of the short, personal interviews I was actually quite surprised by the number of people who did not raise much of an issue with Wagner, particularly those that had been directly affected by the Nazi regime. It begs the question about who is really perpetuating this issue – people with legitimate concern and those that have experienced Wagner negatively, or people that like to stir up controversy? Most likely it is both, but to what degree I am unsure and would not feel comfortable making any sort of guess. The case of Wagner’s grandson Gottfried is quite interesting, but it seems that there might be more at play than a personal desire of his to “spread the truth,” considering how he was disowned from the family and believes so vehemently in what he says that he lectures on it around the world. I agree with the author’s sentiment that censoring Wagner will do little good, and despite his attempts at trying to heal the issues Wagner created, Gottfried is only worsening them.

Furtwangler’s experience with the Nazis showed that he was a man who would follow what he believed in and not let it be swayed politics. This in itself is a very respectable mindset, given how many people let the two things muddle together. Although he was a part of the country, he did not acquiesce to the Nazis, to the point where he even resigned and disobeyed orders. There were some concessions he had to make to the regime, but his actions were much better than many of those around him. I think he was much better than most of the scientists. Strauss’ experience is especially tragic. He used the Nazis as a means to an end (funding art), but it unfortunately ruined many things for him. In this case, he was not much better than the scientists, but since his work did not actually contribute to the war effort in the way the sciences would have, he is partially off the hook. Karajan does not seem nearly as innocent as the former two, as he went to the lengths of joining the Nazi party. His choice, however, to have a Jewish wife, does not make his politics black and white. Orff did not seem to be a particularly active or understood figure, and I agree with the author that he was an enigma. I could only compare Orff to perhaps an average scientist that was not instrumental in the Nazi regime, but a mere part of it. Hindemith’s case seems very similar to Furtwangler’s, but he seems to have the benefit of not being in the higher echelons of Germany and not being forced to make the same choices Furtwangler did. I would say that him and Furtwangler are among the most innocent, while Karajan is likely the most guilty. Yes, his wife was Jewish, but it was not uncommon for people to still like a Jew personally but hate the Jews as a whole.

[jakeg27-blog]

Listening Post #3: The Tantalizing Tannhäuser

There is no set to start with, and a single character initially wanders around on stage. The orchestra cannot be seen at all. The character is showing varying emotions centered around the lyre. Dancers on stage (sprites?) appear along with a set, and men and women are dancing together. Focus is placed on one particular mans woman. The initial character discovers and watches them with both confusion, interest, and what looks like disgust. He looks like he is having some kind of internal struggle. The couple become separated and mobbed by other sprites while the first character is still passively watching. The dancing is very provocative but also highly skillful and symbolic. Everything turns gloomy as performers are covered with a red blanket. New sprites appear, and the old ones look like they're dead on the ground. The couple gets up again, but start dancing apart from each other. In the second performance, cameras actually show the orchestra. Both orchestras are in a pit, but this pit is not covered, making the orchestra visible. The set at the beginning is a large half sphere with a hole in it. Silhouettes of actors are highlighted, showing a definite use of lighting technique. The open so here slowly lights up. Assuming these people are representing nature sprites, perhaps it could be a flower? The set is not very detailed at all, but lighting changes the mood and atmosphere. Out of the dancers, a specific couple is embracing and dancing again and the subject of the camera’s focus. Clothing is very minimal. The dancing now lines up pointedly with the music. Rather than a story being told by the show supplemented by music, the dancing is coexisting with the music, directly reflecting changes in tempo, rhythm, and mood in the dancing. Dancing is more of a frenzy than organized like the first show. The set is static and doesn't change. It seems there is much more focus on lighting and dance than design and appearance. Like before, some of the dancing seems to strongly indicate intercourse and love, although this dancing seems much more explicit. A confused man eventually appears and looks like he is being seduced, but seems unsure what to do. He engages in some romance, but does not take it too far. The first version definitely puts more priority on detail and the importance of the loan man. The second seems to focus on a rather chaotic minimalist approach, not really showing much regard for the couple or “main” protagonist. I predict that this opera is about a man witnessing a previously unseen fantasy world of a very liberal nature. The dancers look to me like they could be nature spirits or sprites, and this could be reinforced by the alleged appearance of a seasonal cycle. The first version started out with a lot of green dresses, but after a wave of red came, new red dresses appeared and the previous dancers in green lied on floor, looking like they were dead or dying. Eventually there is a turn back to the green dominant clothing as the couple gets back up, but everything is much more lethargic now. This could be a transition from summer to fall and winter to spring again. The second version could represent this as well, as it uses similar coloring and shows a mass “death” scene. For the protagonist, this could mean many different things. The association of such liberal conduct of intercourse with nature could imply that this is natural and not unholy (as he does look like a monk in the first version), and he is gripping coming to terms with it (although it is taking a long time given that all the seasons passed through while he underwent his confusion). Perhaps the dancing couple is a representation of his own desire for love with someone, and that is why he has a particular interest in them. He perceives sexual liberation as okay as long as it is monogamous. This would explain why some of the dancers interfering with the couple appear evil at times. Aria 1: The song begins very joyous and flattering in the beginning, but the man quickly comes to claim that he cannot be a part of the life of the beautiful woman. The woman’s response consists both of sadness and desperation. She mourns that this is his belief, and begs what she had done wrong. The man replies more lightheartedly, saying that his time with her has been wonderful, but he longs for the place he came from. He dramatically pleads to be set free from her kingdom, only for her to respond angrily, calling him faithless and hypocritical and insulting. He pleads for her to not be mad, but his words mean nothing. The queen refuses to let him leave. This argument is fast paced and very dramatic, but ends suddenly. She beckons him to stay once more, but much more peacefully and enticingly. She grows happier and more vibrant in tone as she describes the life they could live. The singing is of course, operatic. I think the changes in mood that the performers and orchestra show in the course of their fighting, talking, and lamenting reflect through music rather well the emotions experienced in a tense argument. In the context of the lyrics in the video, this aria properly convenes the emotions it is portraying. While the summary provided in the reading does not reflect some of the pleasantness shared between Venus and Tannhäuser, I believe the act is more believable when portrayed the way it is in the video. The choir, however, does seem a bit out of place. It sounds haunting compared to the pleasant melodies and words sung by Venus. Their quiet echoes in the background sound like an unintentional warning to Tannhäuser to leave. Aria 2: Elizabeth (the character) starts the song very cheerfully and energetically, but quickly regresses into a slower tempo that shows longing and mourning for the time in which Tannhäuser had left. There are a few minor chords that the accompaniment provide in conjunction with her shift in attitude. She proclaims her grief slowly and painfully with a slowing tempo and decrescendo. Although the voice reflects the intended emotions well, the facial expression is misleading, as it looks like she is constantly smiling. Perhaps this is only because she is happy in the moment overall, despite recalling her previous struggles. The tempo picks up quickly again into a definitely major key with her remembering the return of Tannhäuser. After the initial burst of joy, she switches between a quiet sentimentality with sudden bursts of volume and large vocal range leaps. The accompaniment does go minor for a little bit, but only to build up suspense to a final, ultimate reprieve as she celebrates most enthusiastically the return of Tannhäuser. Aria 3: This final aria sung by Wolfram is very dark in tone color and also foreboding, largely in part because of the set, his expressions, and the range of the voice part. It is soft to start with, but fails to resolve at any point to the tonic (I think) at many points. As he begins to talk about the star, his lines include optimistic statements of beauty, but he fails to feel truly happy. There is a somber joy in how he sings, as his words depict one story but his voice and melody contrast almost entirely emotionally with what he physically says until the very end. This resolution is matched with an increase an accompaniment instruments and his own volume, as to start with he had just a few plucked strings joining him, but at the end a full orchestra was involved. The song reflects the story fairly well, as he wants Elizabeth to be safe in her journey, but there is a sense of longing in letting her go as if he knew there was nothing he could do, but understood the situation could not play out any other way.