MH3 Test 2

• put Mir iskusstva (“The world of art”) on the map by organizing art exhibits and editing a superb arts journal by the same name
• efforts sparked a resurgence of ballet that lasted to the end of the 10th century and beyond
• toward the beginning of the twentieth century made ballet one of the major sites of artistic and musical innovation

Russian ballet company that performed in many countries

Stravinsky's compositional career was notable for its stylistic diversity. He first achieved international fame with three ballets commissioned by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev and performed by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes (Russian Ballets): The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911/1947), and The Rite of Spring (1913). The Rite, whose premiere provoked a riot, transformed the way in which subsequent composers thought about rhythmic structure, and was largely responsible for Stravinsky's enduring reputation as a musical revolutionary, pushing the boundaries of musical design.

The Firebird and Petrushka continued the Russian traditional of separating diatonic/folk (human aspect) influence from octatonic/chromatic (supernatural aspect) influence

The Firebird and Petrushka continued the Russian traditional of separating diatonic/folk (human aspect) influence from octatonic/chromatic (supernatural aspect) influence

Rite of Spring - maximalized the conflation of diatonic vs. chromaticorchestra enormous with noisy, non-pitched percussionrhythm becomes as important as harmony and melodyostinato rhythmshyperstatizing elementsprimitivism: layering of ostinatos, “montage technique”; piling on of ideas used to create tension and movementminor tetrachord = first 4 pitches of minor scaletechnically demandingodd meter changesPierre Monteaux (French) conducted the premiere of Rite of Springlayering, layering, layeringlayers stem from a traditional folk-song idea harmonized by a whole tone scaleVaslav Nijinsky: dancer; dance role of Petrushka at premiere; choreographed Rite of SpringTheodor Adorno 1903-69 (German): would be come one of the most influential music critic in early-mid 20th cent.complained that there was no possibility for interpretation of the music because rhythms had to be so precise“Rite” chord (atonal triad)= perefect 4th+tritone; (A,D,Eb)

the closest translation being "comedy of art", (shortened from commedia dell'arte all'improviso, or "comedy through the art of improvisation") is a form of theatre that began in Italy in the mid-16th century characterized by masked "types", the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios.The performers played on outside, temporary stages, and relied on various props (robbe) in place of extensive scenery

The Petrushka chord is defined as two simultaneous major triads (0 4 7) separated by a tritone (0 6). In Petrushka Stravinsky used C major on top of F♯ major

(atonal triad)= perefect 4th+tritone; (A,D,Eb)

first 4 pitches of minor scalefound in Rite of Spring

layering of ostinatos, “montage technique”; piling on of ideas used to create tension and movementfound in Rite of Spring

found in Rite of Springlayered in Primitivism

dancer; dance role of Petrushka at premiere; choreographed Rite of Spring

(French) conducted the premiere of Rite of Spring

1903-69 (German): would be come one of the most influential music critic in early-mid 20th cent.complained that there was no possibility for interpretation of the music (Rite of Spring) because rhythms had to be so precise

born on Christmas dayvirtuoso pianist; toured early in careerChopin was his early compositional modelRussian by birth - Moscow; lived all around Europeinterest in symbolists - but would take it an entirely different directionbecame interested in mysticism - mvmt founded by fake Russians in New York City1905-10: highly influential in Russian societies in Americamerge Christian beliefs with Eastern religions; unify bits of different religions as one universal truthconsidered art a superior form of knowledge; could provide a true reality and a path to the transcendental worldScriabin’s Key-Colour Schemewanted maximum triggering of as many senses as possibleeach key represented a color and abstract mind idea (knowledge, peace, etc..)Whole tone and octatonic harmonies of primary importanceOp. 48/4 - governed by “whole tone” relationships; whole tone “nodes”used lots of 5th relationships and tritone root movement, tritone mvmt an influence from Chopinonly 2 pure chords in entire piecealmost entirely dominant 7th chordsclear AABA from“tirtone link”invariance - “limited transposition” - ex. Scriabin transposing wholetone harmony up a tritone = different roots but same pitchesprivate world of piano workspublic world of symphonic works - 5 major symphonic worksSymphony #1 - 1899 - E Major - 6 mvmvts, last mvmts include vocal soloist and chorusSymphony #2 - 1901 - C minor - 5 mvmts but pretty traditionalSymphony #3 - “Divine Poem” - 1902-4 - no key signature - instrumental - interconnected movementSymphony #4 - “The Poem of Ecstasy” - 1905-8 - 1 mvmt work with enormous orchestra - governed by whole tone ideas and “invariance” - all about whole tone collections resolving to C Majormystic chord (prometheus chord) - whole tone + diatonic; Fr+6 chord with an added pitch from the whole tone scale and a pitch from the octatonic scaleSymphony #5 - “Prometheus, Poem of FIre” - chorus, piano solo, light piano, huge orchestra

inclusion of all 12 chromatic pitches

chord used by Scriabin to connect two other chords

mvmt founded by fake Russians in New York City1905-10: highly influential in Russian societies in Americamerge Christian beliefs with Eastern religions; unify bits of different religions as one universal truthconsidered art a superior form of knowledge; could provide a true reality and a path to the transcendental world

• mystic chord (prometheus chord) - whole tone + diatonic; Fr+6 chord with an added pitch from the whole tone scale and a pitch from the octatonic scale
• Scriabin

• Scriabin
• example of invariance - “limited transposition” - ex. Scriabin transposing wholetone harmony up a tritone = different roots but same pitches

• Scriabin
• Symphony #4 - “The Poem of Ecstasy” - 1905-8 - 1 mvmt work with enormous orchestra
• - governed by whole tone ideas and “invariance” - all about whole tone collections resolving to C Major

• Scriabin
• Symphony #5 - “Prometheus, Poem of FIre” - chorus, piano solo, light piano, huge orchestra

• 1930s - song recital with Henry Cowell in Paris with Messiaen at the Pianoa
• French composer, organist and ornithologist, widely regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century.
• His music is rhythmically complex (he was interested in rhythms from ancient Greek and from Hindu sources); harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations

book by Messiaen compiled of his Modes of limited transposition are musical modes or scales that fulfill specific criteria relating to their symmetry and the repetition of their interval groups

a pattern of note durations that is read or performed the same either forwards or backwards, i.e., it is a rhythmic palindrome. The term is used most frequently in the context of the music of Olivier Messiaenfound in the first movement and sixth movement of Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps

• - Organ
• Les Corps glorieux was performed privately by Messiaen for his students on 22 July 1941 at La Trinité.
• Mvts. 4 and 6 were publically premiered by Messiaen on 28 December 1941 in an organ recital at the Palais de Chaillot.

a large-scale piece of orchestral music by Olivier Messiaen. It was written from 1946 to 1948, on a commission by Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The premiere was given by that orchestra on December 2, 1949, conducted by Leonard Bernstein in Boston. The commission did not specify the duration, orchestral requirements or style of the piece, leaving the decisions up to the composer.[1] Koussevitzky was billed to conduct the premiere but fell ill[citation needed] and the task was then given to the young Bernstein

an early electronic musical instrument invented in 1928 by Maurice Martenot. The original design was similar in sound to the theremin.[1] The sonic capabilities of the instrument were later expanded by the addition of timbral controls and switchable loudspeakers.

Didn’t compose original music entire lifecomposed original music through the early 1920sexample of why it’s hard to date his worksConcord Sonata - Piano Sonata No.2sketches in 19041911 begins substantial work1915 completed first version1920 published parts of it1947 revised versionforeshadowed many of the important musical innovations in Europe and Americaborn in Danbury, CT into a wealthy business/political familyfamily was pro-abolition/pro-rightsGeorge Ives - FatherCharles trained in the Protestant Church - became an organistmusical training from his father included traditional harmony, etc.; also encouraged experimentation outside of textbook musical techniques; also made Ives realize that all music was equally validmusical training at Yale with Horatio Parker 1863-1919 (quintessential classical musician); solidified Ives’ classical training; Parker had Ives reset many German lieder texts with new musiccontinued to play organ in church while in school at Yale; independently began to use hymn tunes as basis for melodic languageuse of diatonic melody is very important for certain representationsmoved to New York City -- many business connections, also continued as church organistCentral Presbyterian Church in NYC (one of the main churches) until 1902, held the premiere of The Celestial Countrymildly recievedno one really complained, but they weren’t really excited eithercaused his resignation as church organistbegan selling insurance1907 - founded insurance company; became largest in the US and Ives became a millionaireuntil 1920s - composed prolifically

• Ives
• mildly recievedno one really complained, but they weren’t really excited eithercaused his resignation as church organistbegan selling insurance

• three mvmt work
• DiscussionsArgumentsCall to the mountain
• consonance also used as an idea of pure transcendental arrival

“Epiphany Form” - starting with something extremely complex and clashing followed with consonance and more pure tonality

• Concord Sonata - Piano Sonata No.2
• sketches in 1904
• 1911 begins substantial work
• 1915 completed first version
• 1920 published parts of it
• 1947 revised version

• Movements
• 1. Boston Commons
• 2. Putnam’s Camp in Redding, CT
• 3. Housatonic at Stockbridgeperceived in a sort of stream of consciousness (influence of James Joyce; transcendentalist writer)people focused on the modernist elementstempo juxtaposition (marching)

• using two pianos tuned 1/4tone away from one another
• use of microtonessought the extension of traditional ideals, not the abolition of them

• sketches date from 1911-1915
• Ives was working towards an idealized representation of the divine universe in music...

a little book published by Ives and distributed alongside the Concord Sonata in order to explain its “substance”

Ives’ musical training at Yale with Horatio Parker 1863-1919 (quintessential classical musician); solidified Ives’ classical training; Parker had Ives reset many German lieder texts with new music

trusting the individuality, learning from experience, through a certain trust of your instinct could reveal a divine truth

major literary figure of TrascendentalismIves named the first movement of his Concord Sonata after him

• major literary figure of Trascendentalism
• Ives named the fourth movement of his Concord Sonata after him

• most of the clarity of the piece comes in this mvmt
• most pure representation of “Epiphany” form

• wife of Charles Seeger
• with husband created catalogues of American folk music
• one of first composers to apply systematic ideas to musical characteristics other than pitch (ex. systemizing dynamics, etc.)
• formed middle ground between traditional and entirely modern composers
• Carl Sandberg (famous Chicago poet): Ruth contributed folk song settings that he converted into poems
• first woman to receive Guggenheim (1930)

• professor at Berkley
• taught first courses of musicology in the U.S.
• appointed to do important ethnomusicology research during Roosevelt’s New Deal

- founded the publication New Music in 1927

• began publishing Ives pieces in his journal
• Ives begins gaining a reputation in 1930s

• 1930s - song recital in Paris with Messiaen at the Piano
• 1947 - wins Pulitzer Prize for Third Symphony
• 1951 - Bernstein conducted the world premiere of the Second Symphony
• 1953 - premiere of the First Symphony

Cowell’s first important work to explore the possibilities of the tone cluster

• interest in microtones
• led to exploration of earlier tuning systems
• in addition to composting he built instruments, developed a new system of notation, and formed an ensemble to perform his own music
• around 1940: fixed himself on a 43-part division of the octave; “Just Intonation”: intonation system based on whole-number ratios
• viewed his pieces as classical music meant to be performed
• used a lot of text; rhythmically precise, pitch less important because of difficulty (43 chromatic pitches)

any musical tuning in which the frequencies of notes are related by ratios of small whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval. The two notes in any just interval are members of the same harmonic series

written by Partch

• made entire orchestra of instruments that could produce noise sounds (Intonarumori)
• families of sounds within “orchestra”
• The Art of Noises (1913)

• felt the orchestra was limited in pitch and timbre
• saw music as real life
• noise was representative of all facets of everyday life

• representing music as science instead of art
• influence on Edgard Varése

• born in Paris, but moved to NYC in 1915
• traditional training at Schola Contorum and Paris Conservatory
• Dadaist idea (using found objects to express art)
• highly trained as a conductor
• part of his musical style -- extremities (instruments playing in uncomfortable registers, etc..)
• founded Pan-American Assocaition of Composers

based on seriously performing non-American compositions in America

• interested in finding new musical notation means and sound means
• only 12 published compositions

only 4 used string instruments

• hated vibrato and uneven pitches
• hated multiplying parts for volumes sake
• orchestration focuses on winds and brass; interested in outer limits of frequency
• heavy emphasis on percussion instruments
• became interested in electronic instruments later in life

• title is not meant to be “America”; more supposed to represent Americanisms (freedom, pursuit of happiness, etc..)
• almost uncharacteristic -- extremely larch Mahler-sized orchestra -- from here on out, will pick and choose instruments that best suit the composition
• revised in 1927 -- smaller orchestra
• influence of Debussy (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun) and Stravinsky (Rite of Spring)
• no reference to traditional harmonic structures
• everything is based on small ‘cells’ that are repeated/layered/altered in color
• no traditional forms
• no transitional material; ideas simply presented and layered in different ways
• some critics felt that his music was an assault on the the listeners because of all the noise

a more characteristic composition of Varese

Hungarian music

• not a modernist
• interested more in the ethnomusicological research into native Hungarian melodies
• traveled with Bartok to many countries recording native folk songs
• 1906 - publication of 20 folk songs, Bartok and Kodaly added piano accompaniment

• ABB form
• publication unsuccessful; Bartok blamed it on his regularization of the folk tunes

• Hungarian
• first composer of international stature to speak Hungarian as primary language
• modeled early career after Liszt -- wanted to become a concert pianist
• studied piano/composing at Budapest Academy
• moved to NYC around WWI
• Conceived three ways of using folk songs:

• take the melody as is and add accompaniment
• don’t use a real folk melody, but imitate and create a melody of your own
• use neither folk melodies nor imitations of folk melodies, instead extract/use the essence and atmosphere created by the folk music to create an original sound

#3 would become the most personal type of use by Bartok

• interested in the dorian mode because it’s symmetrical from the middle because it contains tetrachords
• Z-tetrachord: a subset of the octatonic collection
• Y-tetrachord: whole-tone
• X-tetrachord: chromatic cluster
• liked the D-7 chord and its symmetry from the middle
• quartal harmony important
• idea of symmetry important
• lydian-mixolydian scale (overtone scale) = combination of two modes from overtone series

• symphonic poem
• Liszt was ‘creator’ of symphonic poems
• modeled after Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben

• Bartok
• 14 short pieces - 1908
• liked the D-7 chord and its symmetry
• ABB structure
• example of 1st method of folk song use

Magyar nota (Hungarian Music)

Hungarian Language - non Indo-European language

strong-weak accent pattern gives a characteristic Hungarian rhythm


Liszt was already incorporating Hungarian elements into his works

using the ‘exported’ Magyar nota ideas; didn’t strive for authenticity

combination of two modes from overtone series

ABCB’A’ structure

a subset of the octatonic collection

whole-tone

chromatic cluster

fibinacci sequence (1:1:2:3:5:8...89...each number is the sum of the two numbers before it) an important event happens at each of these measures

• characteristic sound of Bartoks music
• eerie slow movement
• distant melodic quotes using Hungarian rhythms
• coloristic effects, birdsong, insect noise imitations
• name comes from one of his older pieces Out of Doors

• - in fourth mvmt of String Quartet No. 4
• - Allegreto pizzicato (coloristic, focus) - use of “Bartok pizz” or “snap pizz”