Understanding the fundamentals of classical music PDF
Preview Understanding the fundamentals of classical music
U NDERSTANDING THE F UNDAMENTALS OF C M LASSICAL USIC COURSEGUIDE Professor Richard Freedman HAVERFORDCOLLEGE Understanding the Fundamentals of Classical Music Professor Richard Freedman Haverford College RecordedBooks™isatrademarkof RecordedBooks,LLC.Allrightsreserved. UnderstandingtheFundamentalsofClassicalMusic ProfessorRichardFreedman (cid:1) ExecutiveProducer JohnJ.Alexander ExecutiveEditor DonnaF.Carnahan RECORDING Producer-DavidMarkowitz Director-MatthewCavnar COURSEGUIDE Editor-JamesGallagher Design-EdWhite Lecturecontent©2003byRichardFreedman Courseguide©2006byRecordedBooks,LLC 7 2006byRecordedBooks,LLC Coverimage:©Svemir/shutterstock.com #UT028 ISBN:978-1-4025-5880-1 Allbeliefsandopinionsexpressedinthisaudio/videoprogramandaccompanyingcourseguide arethoseoftheauthorandnotofRecordedBooks,LLC,oritsemployees. MusicalrecordingsunderlicensefromNaxosofAmerica,www.naxos.com.2001HNHInternationalLtd. Allrightsreserved.Unlawfulduplication,broadcast,orperformanceofthisrecordingisprohibitedbyapplicablelaw. CourseSyllabus UnderstandingtheFundamentals ofClassicalMusic AboutYourProfessor.................................................4 Introduction.........................................................5 Lecture1 PreliminaryThoughtsandEncouragements ....................6 Lecture2 OnMusicalTimbre........................................9 Lecture3 ListeningtoTexture ......................................14 Lecture4 ListeningtoMelody ......................................17 Lecture5 ListeningtoRhythmandMeter .............................21 Lecture6 ListeningtoHarmony.....................................24 Lecture7 KindsofMusic ..........................................28 Lecture8 ConcerningMusicalRepresentation..........................33 Lecture9 ListeningtoMusicalHistory................................36 Lecture10 ListeningtoMusicalForms:PartOne:SectionalForms ..........41 Lecture11 ListeningtoMusicalForms:PartTwo:ContinuousForms.........45 Lecture12 HearingMinuets,andOtherDanceForms.....................47 Lecture13 SonatasandCycles......................................50 Lecture14 FantasyandFugue.......................................54 AdditionalResources ................................................58 Glossary ..........................................................59 ClassicalMusicAvailablefromRecordedBooks...........................62 3 man Freed Michael About Your Professor of Photocourtesy Richard Freedman RichardFreedmanservesaschairoftheDepartmentofMusicatHaverfordCollege, whereheteachescoursesonthehistoryofmusic.Heearnedbothhis M.A.andPh.D. inthehistoryandtheoryofmusicattheUniversityofPennsylvania.Hisundergraduate studieswerecompletedattheFacultyofMusicoftheUniversityofWesternOntarioin London,Canada.Heisafrequentpre-concertlecturerforthePhiladelphiaOrchestra andtheChamberMusicSocietyofPhiladelphia. ProfessorFreedman’sscholarlycareerhasfocussedonthemusicofRenaissance FranceandItaly—worksbycomposerssuchasJosquin,Lassus,Marenzio,andLe Jeune,consideredforwhattheyrevealaboutchangesinmusicalpracticeandthe culturalcontextsinwhichtheywereproducedandheard.Hehasextensiveexperience witharchivalandearlyprintedsources,andoftentravelstoEuropeanlibrariestocon- tinuehiswork.HespentsabbaticalleavesasavisitingscholaratWolfsonCollege, OxfordUniversity,andtheFolgerShakespeareLibraryinWashington,D.C.He hascontributedpaperstoconferencesinBelgium,England,France,andGermany. Freedman’sessayshaveappearedinTheMusicalQuarterly,JournalofMusicology, EarlyMusicHistory,JournaloftheRoyalMusicalAssociation,Notes,andMusic andLetters. HehasalsowrittenarticlesfortherevisededitionoftheNewGroveDictionaryof MusicandMusicians;publishedessaysforafacsimileseriesofRenaissancemusic issuedbytheCentredeMusiqueAncienneinTours,France;andcompletededitorial workfortheMastersandMonumentsofRenaissanceMusicseriesissuedbythe BroudeTrust. ProfessorFreedman’smostrecentprojecthasbeenabook-lengthstudyofthe RenaissancecomposerOrlandodiLasso.TheChansonsofOrlandodiLassoand TheirProtestantListeners:Music,Piety,andPrintinSixteenth-CenturyFrancewas recentlypublishedbytheUniversityofRochesterPress/BoydellandBreweraspartof theEastmanStudiesinMusicseries. 4 m mir/shutterstock.co Sve © Introduction Thiscourseisnotdesignedasachronologicalsurveyofmusicalhistoryanditsmany stylisticperiodsormoments,noranexplorationofthelivesandoutputofindividual composers.Instead,theselecturesfocusonthedevelopmentoflisteningskills. Throughthiscourseyouwilldevelopnewlevelsofauralawarenessthatwillallowyou tobetterappreciatetherichness,complexity,andexcitementattheheartofallgreat concertmusic. Musicisaperformativeart.Itstressesmovementthroughtimeandengagesoursug- gestivesenseofitspassing.Musichastendency;itnormallyinvokesgoalsofvarious sorts,bothnearandfar.Musichasclosure,asensationnotjustofending,butof expectingnomore.Musicalsohasaccent.Itisadynamicprocessofstressesand nuancethatoftenvariesindimensionfromoneperformancetothenext. Myapproachinthiscoursewillbydesignbethematicandeclectic.Itwilljuxtapose stylesandpassagesfromdifferentworksdesignedtohighlightaparticularmusical conceptorauraleffect.Don’tworryaboutdefinitions,thoseareprovidedintheglossary attheendofthisguide.Instead,concentrateonthemusicalexamplesthemselves. Wewillbeginwithanunderstandingoftheauraldimensionsofsound,line,time,and texture.Initiallyourfocuswillbeonveryshortpassagesofmusicandthenwewill progresstolongerportionslaterinthecourse.Masterworksandmasterperformances areconstantlyyieldingupnewriches;thisispreciselywhytheyendureintheconcert repertory. Oncewehavesomebasicconceptsinourears,wewillincreaseourlisteningcapaci- tytoincludesomeotherimportantelementsofworks:i.e.,thewaystheyalignwith othercompositions,thewaysmusiccanbeusedtotellastory,andalsohowthepast providesmodelsandvehiclesfornewdevelopments. Inthelastfewlectureswewillexplorethefundamentalformalschemesyoumayhear inconcert,suchasthemeandvariation,rondo,sonata,andfugues. Thisguideisprovidedtosupplementthelisteningandisnotdesignedtostandalone. Itisimperativetoheartheexamples,notmerelyonce,butseveraltimestotrulyunder- standthem.Youmaywanttocontinueyourlearningexperiencebylisteningtothe piecesrecommendedattheendofeachlecture. 5 Lecture1 PreliminaryThoughtsandEncouragements Considerthis... 1.Whatisthiscourseabout? 2.Whatdowehopetotakeawayfromthecourse? 3.Ismusicauniversallanguage? m Clipart.co © Whatisthiscourseabout? Simplyput:thedevelopmentoflisteningskills.Mychiefaimhereistohelplis- tenerscultivatenewlevelsofauralawarenessthatwillinturnallowthemto appreciatetherichness,complexity,andexcitementattheheartofallgreat concertmusic.Asaperformativeart,musicstressestemporality(moving throughtimeandengagingoursubjectivesenseofitspassing),tendency (normallyinvokinggoalsofvarioussorts,bothnearanddistant),closure(a sensationnotjustofending,butofexpectingnomore),andofaccent(a dynamicprocessofstressornuancethatoftenvariesindimensionand nuancefromoneperformancetothenext). My approach to this project will by design be thematic and eclectic, juxta- posing styles and passages chosen to highlight a particular musical con- cept or aural effect. Beginning with basic aural dimensions of sound, line, time, and texture, we’ll focus initially on short segments of various perfor- mances, but eventually move on to consider increasingly longer segments E of time. You should take these juxtapositions as encouragements for con- N O nections of your own making, rather than a definitive list of terms to know. RE Masterworks and masterful performances are constantly yielding up new U riches—that is precisely why they endure in the concert repertory and in T C recordings. E L 6 Considertwobasicassumptionsofourenterprise:theconceptofamusi- calwork,andtheideathatmusicisakindoflanguage. Thefirstofthesenotionsisperhapssobasictoourwayofappreciating “masterpieces”thatitwouldseemself-evident,butinfactitisculturally bounded.AsphilosopherandnovelistUmbertoEcoobserves: OurWesterntraditionforcesustotake“work”inthesenseofapersonalpro- ductionwhichmaywellvaryinthewaysitcanbereceivedbutwhichalways maintainsacoherentidentityofitsownandwhichdisplaysthepersonal imprintthatmakesitaspecific,vital,andsignificantactofcommunication.1 In what ways might music be like a language? Doesmusichaveasemanticdimension?Sometimes,yes,soundscanserve as“signs”ofparticularplacesandideas.So-calledprogrammusicdepends heavilyonthisaspectofmusicalexpression.Doesmusichaveasyntactic dimension?Certainlyinstrumentalmusicconsistsofhighlystructured sequencesofeventsthatcreatephrasesandideas.Finally,instrumental music,withitsmanynuancesofvolumeandtone,hasanimportantaffective dimension.Music,inshort,isprobablybettersuitedtoshowushowsome- thingismeantratherthantorepresentthingsperse.Inthisrespectitislikea skilledbutunthinkingorator,richlycapableofexpressionbutweakly endowedwithsystemsofsigns. Ifmusicislikealanguage,forandtowhomdoesitspeak—thecomposer? Theperformer?Thelistener?Isitseffectivenesslimitedbytimeorplace? ShouldwetakeatfacevalueHaydn’sclaimthathismusic‘‘wasunderstood bytheentireworld”?2ArewebeingnaivewhenweechoLongfellow’sfaithin the“universality”ofmusicallanguage?3 1UmbertoEco,“ThePoeticsoftheOpenWork.”TheRoleoftheReader:Explorationsinthe SemioticsofTexts(Bloomington,Ind.:IndianaUniversityPress,1979),p.63. 2ReportedbyAlbertChristophDies,anearlyHaydnbiographer.TranslationcitedinKarlGeiringer, Haydn:ACreativeLifeinMusic(NewYork:Norton,1946),p.89. 3HenryWadsworthLongfellow,ProseWorks,2vols(Boston:Houghton,Mifflin,andCo,1904),Vol1. p.181. 7 FORGR(cid:1)EATERUNDERSTANDING Musical Examples Thetextandatranslationof Inorderofplay: Zerlina’saria,fromexample2: Bach,Minuet2fromPartitaNo.3inE-major forViolin,BWV1006 LucyvanDael,violin(CD1,trk1) Batti,batti,obelMasetto LatuapoveraZerlina Mozart,“Batti,batti,”fromDonGiovanni HungarianRadioChoir&NicolausEsterhazy Staròquicomeagnellina Sinfonia-Halasz,Conductor(CD1,trk2) Letuebotteadaspettar. Lascieròstraziarmiilcrine, Mahler,Thirdmovement,fromSymphonyin D-minor Lascieròcavarmigliocchi, PolishNationalRadioSymphonyOrchestra- Elacaretuemanine Halasz,Conductor(CD1,trk3) Lietapoitsapròbaciar. Ah,lovedo,nonhaircore! For Further Study Pace,pace,ovitamia, Incontentiedallegria Kivy,Peter.IntroductiontoaPhilosophyof Notteedìvogliampassar, Music.OxfordandNewYork:Clarendon Si,notteedìvogliampassar. Press,2002. Rowell,LewisE.ThinkingAboutMusic:An BeatmebeatmemyMasetto IntroductiontothePhilosophyofMusic. BeatyourpoorZerlina Amherst:UniversityofMassachusetts I’llstandherelikealamb Press,1983. Andawaityourblows. I’llletyoupullmyhairout UmbertoEco,“ThePoeticsoftheOpenWork,” I’llletyougougemyeyesout, pp.47-66ofTheRoleoftheReader: AndthenhappilywillIkiss ExplorationsintheSemioticsofTexts. Yourdearhands. Bloomington,IN:IndianaUniversity Ah,Iseeyouhavenoheart! Press,1979. Peace,myloveandlife, Inhappinessandjoy Extensivearticle,“PhilosophyofMusic” Wemustspendthedayand (byvariousauthors)inNewGrove2. night, Yes,spendeachdayand everynight. E N O E R U T C E L 8 Lecture2: OnMusicalTimbre Considerthis... 1.Tonecolorisaprimarydimensionofmusicalexperience,andonethatis notoriouslydifficulttodescribe.Whatdistinctionscanwedrawamongdif- ferentmusicalsounds? 2.Whatlanguagecanweapplytothesetonecolors? 3.Whatcanwelearnabouttheparticularsonicqualitiesofinstrumentsand instrumentalfamiliesheardinEuropeanconcertmusic? Brieflydefined,tonecolor(alsotimbre,sonority)isthesonicsignaturethat identifieseachinstrument,inthiscasethedistinctiveinterplayofafundamen- talpitchwithacousticallyrelated“overtones”thatarepresentindifferingpro- portionsinallmusicalsounds(andindeedinallnonmusicalsounds,too!). Overtonestructureiswhatmakesthesoundofaflute(inwhichthefunda- mentalisbyfarthepredominantelementinthetone)differfromthatofa clarinet(inwhichthethird,fifth,andotherodd-numberedovertonesare strong),evenwhentheyareplayingthesamepitch. Basictypesofinstrumentsinclude: Strings Chordophones—withsoundproducedbybowed orpluckedstrings:violin,viola,cello,bass; normallyplayedwiththebow,butalsowitha varietyofspecialtechniques,includingpizzicato s(poluunckde),dc),oclolengnsoor(dwinitoh(twheithwaoomduoteftthoedbaomwp)e.nthe PhotoDisc © Woodwinds Aerophones—withsoundproducedbyvibrating acolumnofair:flute,oboe,clarinet,bassoon, Englishhorn,eachwithanairwayorreedto animateacolumnofairandmechanicalkeys Stock toselectpitch. Digital © Brass Alsoaerophones:trumpet,trombone,French horn,tuba;eachwithacuppedmouthpiece, valvesorslidestoadjustthelengthoftubing, andaflaredbell. Stock Digital © 9
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