Music on my mind

Musings and analysis on music from Bach to Broadway

[peacockjennifer]

Isn't it lovely? The piece is usually just played on piano, but I find the flute version incredible--it brings out the melody beautifully. I found it last semester when I asked my teacher to show me some Joplin stuff. After a few lively rags, he started playing this piece.  Before you read on, ask yourself: what does this piece feel like to you? 

When I heard it, I teared up a few measures and said, "It's so sad." My teacher agreed. I researched later and discovered that Joplin wrote this piece very soon after his wife unexpectedly died. So, yes--it makes sense that the piece is sad. 

Here's the real question: what makes this piece sound sad? It's in a major key. There are fast, lively sections. It's a rag and a waltz, two types of music that are usually played in happy settings. Yet I feel an undeniable sense of sadness in the chorus, and nostalgia everywhere else. Maybe it's the relaxed tempo. Maybe it's the measures that linger on minor chords. 

Personally, I haven't figured out why. Maybe the reason we feel Joplin's sadness in the piece is just the magic of music. Heck, the magic of art--or even the magic of perception. The fact that people can naturally detect emotion in a piece of music, art, or literature where the emotion is possibly unintended and unsignified is wonderful and mysterious to me. 

What do you think? After your first listening, did you find the piece sad? Why or why not? I'm very passionate about this piece of music, so I would really like to hear any feedback you have.

Peace to all of you! 

[peacockjennifer]

Being all excited about awesome Brahms key changes. I love music. 

[peacockjennifer]

A mini-discussion on my daily musical existential crisis--or, as I Hoosierly say in the video, "extistential." 

Thoughts? Advice? 

[peacockjennifer]

Inspiration may be a form of super-consciousness, or perhaps of subconsciousness--I wouldn't know. But I am sure it is the antithesis of self-consciousness.

Aaron Copland 

[peacockjennifer]

"To a Wild Rose" 

Sound quality isn't great, but the piano still generally has its tone. Thanks for listening, guys! 

[peacockjennifer]

Just a thought

When I see paintings like this

And hear music like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JwKDzPlYQs&feature=related

And read poetry like this

"But in my spirit will I dwell,

 And dream my dream, and hold it true;

For though my lips may breathe adieu

I cannot think the thing farewell. "

I feel like some of the beauty becomes a part of me. Just a little bit of the expressiveness, the intelligence, and the passion become my own to keep, appreciate, and love, forever. 

This is one reason my life is based around the arts. 

[peacockjennifer]

Isn't Family Guy wonderful? Hilarious, gloriously inappropriate, and as you can see from this video, incredibly clever. I have a feeling Seth MacFarlane took a music theory class or two.

Maybe I'm analyzing this more than its intended, but I love the fact that Stewie is composing a song based on the characteristics of each chord he plays. He uses the chord functions as a story, almost. He begins with the G chord, which functions as the tonic in his song. The point of the tonic is actually to have a home base, or, "a cozy house". He follows with the C chord, which would be the predominant chord in G, and relates it to thinking about taking a walk outside. This is perfect, because he describes the D chord, the dominant, as actually walking outside. The predominant leads to the dominant, just like the thought of walking outside leads to the action of actually walking. 

Then, we can all see what Stewie means when he says the A minor an E minor chords are like clouds and storms--for some reason, people relate those chords with the more "negative" emotions. They sound sad. And then, Stewie ends his composition with an abrupt switch to the Tonic (G major), which he describes as, "going back to his house." He followed the E minor, a vi chord and a predominant, with a tonic, which is unusual. It explains why his ending sounded totally out of nowhere. He could've walked back to his house with the walking D chord, the dominant, but no! He just kindof ends up there. Which is why you never see a cadence going from a vi chord to a I chord. 

YAY THEORY! 

Hopefully that didn't just take out the fun of the video. If it helps at all, I have no analysis for Brian being d-bag. Enjoy that as it is, lovely readers. 

[peacockjennifer]

Music Theory with Cee-Lo Green

First, listen to Cee-Lo Green's song called "Talking to Strangers." This is the only link I could find that's a free listen on line, so I apologize for awkward, sexualized picture on the video. The weird woman with the snake has nothing to do with the song (thank heavens).  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIQB3x5FnTk

Second, agree with me that the song is totally awesome. Have you agreed? Good, we can move on.

I want to actually talk about some music theory with this song, specifically focusing on rhythm and hypermeter. You probably noticed a crazy rhythmic feel right at the start of the chorus at .06 mins when he sings "I may be strange is that why all the strangers like". It completely threw me for a loop. What meter could he possibly be using?! Before and after this little musical phrase, we get the sense of a 6/8 time kind of feel; when Cee-Lo sings "taaaaaalking to meeeee, why all these wonderful strangers keep talking to me", I could practically start waltzing. 

But then he goes back to the crazy, jumbled up rhythm when he repeats the "I may be strange" section. I think I listened to this section about 10 times in a row to accurately figure out what Cee-Lo is up to. Lo and Behold (get it?), he basically puts that strange sentence into two measures of 5/8! If you tap out the eighth note with your hand, you'll get ten beats before the regular rhythm comes back. Measure 1: "I may be strange is that". Measure 2: "why all the strangers keep."  

Who uses 5/8 time anymore? I love it! It's so confusing and wonderful and shocking. We have ears that want to hear things in 2's and 4's. We can't divide 5/8 measures evenly, so it always feels like we're either missing a beat or there's one beat extra. I just love that I was able to actually be musically confused by a pop song. I can't recall another song from a popular artist that I actually had to analyze. Do you know any? Send them my way! 

Also, if you like 5/8, check out the jazz piece "Decoupage" by Hank Levy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nvMAOmmVpk

[peacockjennifer]

In the description of this blog I said I'm discussing music from Bach to Broadway. Here's some Bach! His music may not be so different from Broadway..

I was playing around with the Prelude in C today and came upon the F Major Major 7 chord that I showed you in the video. That means the notes being heard are F, A, C, and E. The half step between the F and the E create a beautifully lush dissonance that we recognize in lots of music from the 20th century and on, particularly in jazz. 

In all the analysis of classical music I've done, I don't recall ever seeing a MM 7 chord. It just wouldn't have been allowed. But Bach, the man that started it all, arpeggiates the chord over an entire measure. I imagine stuffy concert-goers back then wiggling in their seats upon hearing it. 

It makes me wonder--why did the gorgeous chord and chords like it get lost in music later on? Why did they become unacceptable? The Major Major 7 chord sounds stunning in the ever-famous Prelude--Why didn't it become common until a couple hundred years later? 

These are questions, my dear readers, that I only wish I could answer. If you have any ideas, please reply. 

[peacockjennifer]

Aeolian Harp

In my British Literature class we were assigned to read a poem by Coleridge called "The Eolian Harp". In line 30, he says,

 "Methinks, it should have been impossibe

Not to love all things in a world so filled;

Where the breeze warbles, and the mute still air

Is Music slumbering on her instrument."

Beautiful. I had never heard of this instrument until this poem. Basically, it's a box with harp strings that sits in your window and plays the music of the wind. A lot like wind chimes...but cooler. This harp, typically spelled Aeolian, dates back to before the 1600's! A few days after reading that poem, I studied the score to "Vox Balaenae" by George Crumb in my music composition class. In one part of the piece, he writes to the performer to strum the inside of the piano, like an Aeolian harp! There it is again! 

A instrument that plays the music of the wind and sounds like strumming piano strings? Sounds awesome. So, I've been trying to figure out where I can find one, or even if I could attempt to make one at some point. It seems like these instruments aren't very common anymore and I can't see why. It's even hard to find a good recording, but I did find a decent one that might give you an idea of what this instrument is like.  If I ever get a hold of one, I will definitely update my blog about it. http://www.waldenwinds.com/sounds/Wind-Harp.mp3

Also, here's more food for thought from the same poem: 

"And what if all of animated nature Be but organic harps diversely framed, That tremble into thoughts, as o'er them sweeps Plastic and vast, one intellectual breeze, At Once the Soul of each, and God of All?" 

[nella10]

[peacockjennifer]

But, seriously--can we take a step back for a second and imagine the absurd restrictions that Mozart was forced to follow when he composed? Four bar phrases! Standard harmonic progressions! Perfect authentic cadences! Form, form, FORM! It's enough to make you pull the hair out of your powdered wig. I often hear complaints about the predictability of music from the classical era, but we must remember that these composers hardly had a choice in the matter if they wanted their music to be respected. 

And, I must say a few words in our dear Mozart's defense. He was given these strict borderlines and still managed to compose over 600 works (not including hundreds of works that probably got lost in the wayside), ranging from piano sonatas to operas to concertos to full blown symphonies. And, really, that just skims the surface of the list. Each of his pieces are unique and beautiful in their own right. Mozart generally respected the classical boundaries, but did everything he could to be as creative as possible within them. 

Life lesson, maybe? Anyway, get ready, because I'm sure I'll talk a lot about Mozart pieces in this blog. I'm also playing a Mozart piece right now, so my brain is engulfed. 

[measuresofmadness]

[peacockjennifer]

A little simplistic, perhaps. 

Still funny. 

[peacockjennifer]

Cool, right?! This is called throat singing, or overtone singing. I just found out about this technique the other day and couldn't resist posting this video. Essentially, certain people like the man in the video can teach themselves to sing two notes at once.  Incredible, right?! I thought it was amazing that a flute could do multiphonics--the fact that the voice even has the possibility is just stunning. 

Throat singing is especially common in Mongolia and Tuva. I won't do it much justice by  explaining how it works (Wikipedia will do a much better job: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtone_singing), but I do know that it takes a substantial amount of air control. The sound produced is not exactly pleasing to the ear, in the standard sense. It's high pitched and shocking, and certainly wouldn't have a place in classical music. I wish this technique would become a little more prevalent in Western music, though. If nothing else, it would definitely get the attention of the audience. 

[peacockjennifer]

A little description

This blog is actually an assignment for my Theory III class at the DePauw University School of Music. My professor wants us to present ourselves musically in a professional way. Consequently, many of these posts will be based on his assignments. I hope to use this blog on a regular basis, anyway--I think it's always great practice for one to read and write about their passion.

And I can say, without any doubts, that my passion is music! I am pursuing a performance degree in piano. I dearly hope to become a professional music director for musical theatre. My dream is to be a music director on Broadway. Why not shoot for the stars, right? Aside from musical theatre, I have a huge interest in accompanying, chamber music, collaborative music in general, music theory, composition..well, the list keeps going. 

I'm also a literature fanatic, an art lover, a runner, a nutrition nut, and a cat freak. I try to live by the 7 Habits, and I believe kindness and sincerity triumphs above all else. 

Thanks for visiting this blog--I hope you'll find something that perks your interest. :)