Saturday, May 24, 2014

Art, Music, and the Guitar

I sort of fell into this blog; I knew I wanted to do a blog on music for a while and so a few weeks ago I just began and posted a short history of Western Classical Music. I followed that up with a discussion of the Incomplete, Dominant, Minor 9^th, Chord. When a friend of mine commented that the latter post might be over the heads of most readers, I told him that I hadn’t yet defined my voice or my audience. Maybe that’s a good thing? We shall see…

Musical thinking is a term I use with my students and colleagues as a replacement for the more common terms theory and harmony. Theory sounds to me too theoretical and harmony seems to exclude rhythm and melody. For a while I used the anachronistic term solfeggio, but that term was just too anachronistic. I like the term musical thinking, for music is the result of musical thinking.

Music exists first in the musical sphere and then manifests in the physical sphere. Andre Segovia was suggesting this when he said, “What the world does not need is another guitar player; what the world does need are musicians and artists who happen to play the guitar.” A guitar player’s consciousness is absorbed in the Physical Sphere; a musician’s consciousness is absorbed in the Musical Sphere, and the artist’s consciousness is absorbed in the Artistic Sphere.

An artist may create art through music and music may be created on the guitar. It could be said that an artist is absorbed in the Artistic Sphere and then communes with the Musical and Physical spheres. A guitar player is absorbed in the Physical Sphere and, at best, communes with the Musical and Artistic Spheres. It is my experience that guitar players can be very impressive, but that after a while I start to get the feeling that they speak beautifully but really have nothing to say. I leave the concert impressed, but not changed.

I remember how it was when leaving Segovia’s concerts; people were smiling, there was a feeling of tangible joy in the group and I wondered if it had anything to do with how Segovia had become a master musician—had mastered music by serving music—by making his life the servant of music?

Indeed, Segovia was an artist who painted not with pigment and canvas, but with sound and rhythm. Segovia created art and was a great musician and was also a great guitar player. Listen to the early recordings; hear how he controlled both silence and sound and time. It is my opinion that no one who has ever played the guitar did it better.

Friday, May 16, 2014

The Incomplete Dominant Minor Ninth Chord in Diatonic Common Practice Music

Take for an example the key of G Major and compare the V & the VII chords.

V (D, F#, A) VII (F#, A, C)

Notice the common tones.

Now make the V chord a V7 by adding a C note (D, F#,A, C) – we’ve added another common tone.

Now make the VII chord a diminished 7^th chord (a diminished chord with a diminished 7^th added). A diminished 7^th is a half-step smaller than a minor 7^th – so the diminished 7^th here would be Eb and the chord would be (F#, A, C, Eb).

Now with regard to the V chord there is a chord called the Dominant Minor Ninth Chord. It adds a minor 9^th into the dominant 7^th chord. In this case the notes would be D, F#, A, C, Eb.

Notice how similar this V9 chord is to the VIIdim7.

Now the Dominant Minor Ninth Chord is frequently voiced in an incomplete form—the root note is omitted. Compare now:

V9 (F#, A, C, Eb) VII (F#, A, C, Eb)

They are the same!

Now what to call them?

In Diatonic Common Practice Music, if the Incomplete Dominant Minor Ninth is the V chord and it precedes the I chord, it is analyzed as the V9. This is also true of Secondary Dominant Harmony, when any chord of the original seven harmonized chords of the key are preceded by its Dominant Chord, for example, the V chord in the key of G Major is D and can be preceded in the music by an A Chord.

Analysis would show this A chord as a Secondary Dominant V/V (V of V). If however, the chord we are calling an Incomplete Dominant Minor Ninth Chord is not functioning in the role of Dominant or Secondary Dominant, it would be analyzed as a Diminished Seventh Chord (a Diminished Chord with a Diminished 7^th).

A Diminished 7^th is one-half step smaller than a Minor 7^th. It will be the same sound as a Major 6^th but will be called a Diminished 7^th. For example, in the Key of G Major the VII chord is F# Diminished (F#, A, C) and the diminished 7^th would be called Eb.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

A Brief History of Western Classical Music

A Brief Outline of the History of Western Classical Music

By Michael Kovitz

Greek Period (500 – 150 B.C.[1]) The beginning of Western Music and Western Civilization:

Though there is only speculation as to what this music sounded like, we know from theoretical treatises that music was considered to be an aspect of a larger and totally connected view of the universe which was philosophical, mathematical, astrological, scientific, and psychological.

The music was modal[2] and the main instruments were the lyre and kithara—strung, harp-like instruments, and the aulos—a flute-like instrument.[3]

Greek civilization gave way to Roman rule, the birth of Jesus Christ, and the earliest formation of the Christian Church. These monumental events created huge changes in musical thinking and expression and ushered in the next great musical period.

Medieval Music (800 - 1400 A. D.)

The most familiar music of this period is called Plainsong, later renamed Gregorian chant. It is monophonic because it is composed of only one line of music sung in unison by two or more voices.

The music is sacred and is composed in the form of the Mass. It uses the same modes described by the Greeks, though renamed, or, more accurately, misnamed by medieval theorists.

Polyphony begins to develop in the later part of the Middle Ages as represented by the music of Guillaume de Machaut, Perotin, and Guilaume Dufay.

Renaissance Music (1400 – 1600 A.D.)

The Renaissance further develops the practice of polyphony utilizing multi-part textures in which individual lines show equality and independence. With the use of the technique of imitation, counterpoint is established in polyphonic music.

As in the Middle Ages, the most important music is sacred and the principal compositional form is the Mass, but the form of the motet is also developed as well as the more secular madrigal.

Though the music is still primarily vocal, early keyboard instruments and the lute begin to gain popularity and importance.

A few important composers of this period are, Giovanni Palestrina, Johannes Ockeghen, William Byrd, and the lutenist composers, John Dowland and William Lawes.

Baroque Music (1600 – 1750)

The earlier part of this period marks the beginning of the transition from modal to diatonic music. Though the music becomes increasingly homophonic, polyphonic compositions like canons and fugues remain very popular, and some composers, like Johan Sebastian Bach, acquire great mastery over these forms. The instrumental suite is developed, its evolution carrying it further away from the traditional treatment of dance forms that make up its individual movements.

The period is also marked by the development of the basso continuo with its figured bass, opera, and the use of the orchestra.

The music emphasizes contrasts of volume, texture, tempi and rhythm. Serious compositions include both secular and sacred music.

Some of the prominent composers of this period are, J.S. Bach, George F. Handel, Archangelo Correlli, Claudio Monteverdi, Jean Phillipe Rameau, and Antonio Vivaldi.

Classical – Romantic Period (1750 – 1900)

In his History of Western Music, Donald J. Grout suggests that the classical and romantic periods should be considered to be one period because of the continuity of the music and its sequential development through the tradition of common practice diatonic music.[4]

The classical part of the period is marked by further development of homophonic compositions. The Rococo style marks the transition from the Baroque to a lighter and less embellished style of writing. The Alberti bass gains popularity—as well as the acceptance and use of the dominant seventh chord.[5]

The Romantic part of the period is marked by an increased use of chromaticism, dissonance, and emphasis on the element of virtuosity in compositional and performance practices.

The long list of important composers includes, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Wagner.

Modern Music – The music of the twentieth century

The music of Claude Debussy marks the transition from the extreme chromatic romanticism of Wagner to a period that is characteristically defiant of the tradition of common practice diatonic music. Composers seek new answers to old questions regarding tonality, consonance and dissonance, and the entire hierarchy of tonic-dominant relationships generated by the use of major and minor scales.

It is a period of search and experimentation that led individual composers down some very unique and individual paths influenced by philosophy, mathematics, jazz, Oriental and Eastern European scales, and trends in the world of politics and art. Some important composers of this period include, Debussy, Stravinsky, Bartok, Schoenberg, Ives, Hindemith and Gershwin.[6]

[1] These dates approximate the beginning of the Hellenistic Period until the beginning of Roman rule. The Greek civilization dates back to at least 1,000 B.C.

[2] Because of the brevity of this document many terms (in bold type) are not defined and should be looked- up by the reader if they are unfamiliar. These terms can be “googled” or looked-up in a music dictionary.

[3] For more background on this period read, A History of Western Music by D. J. Grout, and the philosophical works of Pythagoras, Aristotle, and Plato.

[4] For a complete orientation to and description of diatonic common practice music read Harmony by Walter Piston.

[5] The Alberti bass utilizes arpeggiated or broken chords to form a harmonic bass and support to the musical composition.

[6] To learn more about 20^th Century Music read Music in the 20^th Century by William W. Austin.