Art-Music-Movement

While reading a  book, I came across Thomas J. Barrak, an executive chairman of a real estate and investment management firm called Colony Capital, Inc. It turned out he was behind Mickael Jackson’s comeback tour of 2009 to re-launch his career (Mickael ODed and the re-launch has never happened), as well as a bailout of his Neverland Ranch. My objective is to satisfy my curiosity and look closer into investments in distressed entertainment assets, particularly in the recording industry, thus also make other people aware of these distressed entertainment assets.

In my opinion, it would be the most convenient to have a solo-monologue podcast since it is easier to edit a single track. I am well aware that I cannot start my analysis of the recording work unless I have entirely familiarized myself with the job. In that regard, Interviews might not be applicable; however, consultations with friends who have extensive expertise in private equity will be necessary to produce the most complete and exciting output.

Before the recording is done, I have to write and edit the script, edit it, rehearse reading it to make sure that I can meet the timelines. Closer to recording, all the available equipment at hand for the exercise must be tested: my headphones, the laptop, and Audacity software which I found online. Since I have no recording experience, I cannot predict which part of the podcast will be the most challenging. To avoid multiple interruptions, I will need to rehearse the script’s reading on several days, and after a few trial paragraphs, it will be possible to record an entire piece. No doubt audio processing will be necessary, but I don’t know yet what it will take to edit the recording.

 My research topic is interesting to me, and I hope it will also be interesting for my listeners. Without foreseeing problems with the amount of research material and information available on my topic, I am still a little insecure about my inadequate recording editing skills; this is the only difficulty that I will probably have to face. Also, I presume to face some discomfort writing the script because it’s my first t time doing that,  besides it is a time-consuming exercise since the script should be flawless.

Monteverdi’s talent in merging the best characteristics of Renaissance and Baroque musical styles found an outlet in 9 Books of Madrigals. While honoring polyphony Renaissance’s polyphony, he infuses his work with a new bass- continue technique emerging to the Baroque era. Monteverdi takes advantage of Petrarch’s sonnet Che’l Ciel la Terra e’l Vento tace  to comprise a madrigal full of passions and ambitions. The composer uses six voices and two violins to describe the theme of chivalry, love, and War.

The first quatrain drawing the listener a picture of a forgotten dream and complete tranquility of nature is accompanied by sound effects that enhance the lyrics’ impact. Monochrome chanting, consonant, and united on a single note reflects the sleeping nature in a low range.

In the second quatrain, we see a hero experiencing mental anguish, accompanied by a low register of the hero and a higher register of the accompanying chorus. The wide ranges of conjunct imitative and disjunct melodies only add to the feeling of confusion and excitement. Monteverdi implements ascending by whole step chords with noticeable pauses in between to enhance the emotional torment. Remaining in consonant harmony, the composer embraces that although the hero is in an emotional tournament, love still pleases him.

The hero will perk up in the third quatrain while “drinking sweet bitterness,” as indicated by the melody chromatic ascending and more lively musical accompaniment. The polyphonic imitation performance of the concluding part signals the restoration of the hero’s psychologically depressed state by rinsing consonant melody conveying the soaring spirit of the warrior of love. By the fourth quatrain, when the hero has already experienced both death and rebirth, the composer wants to show that these two states are complementary and cannot exist in isolation. Energetic pairs of voices (alto and tenor, for example) sometimes echo and sometimes sound in unison comparable to the death and rebirth .

The Hor Che’l Ciel e la terra e’l Vento tace is deemed the first significant work of poetry collection in which the composer, Monteverdi, categorizes it into two divisions( eight lines and six lines). In the first section, his poetic art introduces the ideology of wars of love in which he has the quest for love. The second category symbolizes the war continuity with words artistically articulated: “Hence from a single and bright fountain…” original as Cosi Sol d’una Chiara Fonte viva[1]

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[1] Carter, Tim Monteverdi’s Magic Theatre

Sonata-Allegro: The setting begins with the composer ushering us into an early summer morning feel as the first sun rays stream over the horizon while a haze of fog spreads low. Similarly, he introduces a contemporary segment that is characteristic of wind solos¹.

Two consecutive groups of violins present the first musical theme to the listener. Just as the first rays of the sunrise gently creating a gradual surge from soft to loud, they are accompanied by the sounds of awakening nature with transforming designs that mimic birds calling out to each other that are represented by each instrument which is gradually included in the composition. This introduction is followed by an exposition. Additionally, the exposition introduces two dominant musical ideas, and the difference between them guarantees an intriguing plot development. Ideas that contrast with moods develop an energetic dialogue. At first, the theme of the exposition is presented by a solo flute to which oboe and bassoon are connected, rapidly inviting  strings and woodwinds , dynamically and confidently substantiating their theme. The second theme, which is the interlocutor in this piece of music, appears at 1:34 containing less energy as well as lower in tone and pitch. In this particular theme, the strings are calling out to the listener, while maintaining calm at the beginning, but gradually gaining momentum, including the brass part of the orchestra, climaxing in a confident high consonance. Additionally, two self-sufficient themes that exude confidence have established their own tonal conflict by 2:10 and are ready to continue the controversy in the exposition that immediately follows. Similarly, the exposition that is moving through multiple keys into a freer structure begins with the flute, oboe, and bassoon moving forward on their own, but coming to an abrupt interruption as it expects opposition from the theme presented by the strings1. The second theme unfolds in response to a question from the wind instruments, but the impatient flute, oboe, and bassoon wedge themselves without decency into a still solid but more sounding answer, arranging a roll call between high-pitched and bright voices escaping from metal and wood instruments².

3:02 at the end of the development the flute repeats its question to the orchestra, therefore, reiterating its musical phrase. However, this  flute in the exposition, accompanied by the entire orchestra, suddenly calms down at 3:17. In contrast, however, the bowed musical instruments, lower the pitch, heating the emotional atmosphere with a sudden feeling of tension and uncertainty. Additionally, they connect additional bows which play at a lower and more intense tone probably in immense displeasure that the flutes and oboe had interrupted them earlier. Immediately at 3:40 am, the woodwinds  begin to respond to vexed opponents in a more apologetic and less assertive, open-ended voice. A horn responds with favor to the flute’s opening sentence. Fast forward and at 3:55 recapitulation begins to resolve the tonal conflict, presenting both themes in a more homely way. The first theme that sounds in its original key, convinces the second (string) that they both need to judge the dispute in a home key, therefore, bringing the dispute to a conclusion in an intense and thorough finale bagging the spotlight[1].

¹ Dolan, Emily I. “Haydn, Hoffman, and the Opera of Instruments.” Studia Musicologica 51, no. 3/4 (2010): 325-46. Accessed March 15, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25746261

² Sisman, Elaine R. “Haydn’s Theater Symphonies.” Journal of the American Musicological Society 43, no. 2 (1990): 292-352. Accessed March 15, 2021. doi:10.2307/831616

                                                                    Introduction

The artistry has grown with its taste changing astonishingly, and as a result, the traditional music style does not seem to please the listeners. Thus, musicians have an increased need to satisfy the artistry’s present conditions by doing justice to the composers and their works. Bach was one of the renowned western music titans who relied on the princes, town council, and king’s favors for employment in his lifetime. His inspirations by kaleidoscopic musical competence and Lutheran faith led him to produce a variety of masterpiece bodies. Towards his death, he dedicated himself to solve abstract music issues such as the royal theme that resulted in The Musical Offering. While in Potsdam, Bach appeared before Frederick II, where he improvised on a theme that the king himself had proposed during the play of Silbermann pianoforte. The polished form of the composition was reproduced by three-voice ricercar, and later, upon the king’s request for fugue in six obligato parts, there was a supply of the six-voice ricercar. It was depicted that Bach felt improvising six-voice ricercar on the subject of his own decision. The musical offering has been reviewed and enlarged based on the two ricercars to comprise the printed and autographed version of the six-voice ricercar.[1]

The musical offering, BWV 1079, was a music piece of Johann Sebastian Bach comprising fugues and canons founded on a particular musical message given and dedicated to Frederick II of Prussia.[2]. In the article, a brief history of Johann Sebastian Bach is asserted and the motive that led to his composition of the musical offering. Also, it included Frederick’s role and thematic nature in the album. The work of Bach indicated the mastery of music despite its theme complexity.[3]

Thesis Statement

Bach’s work is outstanding due to his imagination to incorporate rhythms and chromatic scales that produce thematic sound.

Review

The musical offering work by Johann Sebastian was a reflection of his inspirations. The offering was to the challenge provided by Richard II. Bach’s album formed the masterpiece for music lovers while the listeners found it an art that is challenging and requiring academic understanding. The piece of music collects works of instruments and keyboard concerning a singular theme. In the album, there is a melancholy mood resulting from its religious connection. Based on the royal theme, it is depicted that Bach improvised a ricercar a 6 (a six-voice fugue) that resonated with baroque polyphonic music. The style was popular in the renaissance era between 1600 and 1750. The set consisted of ricercars (known as two fugues), ten canons, and one trio of sonata[4].

In writing classical music, various chromatic scales of pieces covered all the minor and major keys. The groups comprised twenty-four pieces, one for every little and primary key. The musical offering’s structure and instrumentation constituted the following; two ricercars a3 and a6, ten canons, and a sonata sopr’il soggetto reale. The ricercar a 3 was a three-voice fugue, while the ricercar a 6 was a six-voice fugue. A sonata sopr’il soggetto reale referred to trio sonata that featured the flute, an instrument that Frederick played with four movements: largo, allegro, andante, and allegro. The canons were ”canons diversi super Thema regium, canon perpetuus, Fuga Canonica in epidiapente, canon a 2, canon a 4, and canon perpetuus, contrario Motu.”[5]

Various ways have been used to attain cannons and ricercars. Canons are mostly played by a musical group of chamber artist with instrumentation similar to triad classical music, while ricercars are played on a keyboard. The musical offering’s original score represented canons by no more than a few short monodic melodies with mysterious writing in Latin known as riddle fugues or canons. The musical offering BWV 1079 interpreted the euphony as a multi-part piece of music having several intertwined themes as they solved the riddle.

There was a paradox between the music effect and formal commitment to Frederick, the Great melancholy and mournful. The secular tastes of Frederick were at odds with the trio sonata style. The canon suggests a discourse on the mount with the main title ”offering” making it realizable for the rhythm to be perceived as an oblation in the sacred word awareness. The fugue’s unique formal structure hinted at the anomalies and inconsistencies referred to external and nonmusical influences.

There are multiple orchestrations of Ricercare a 6.  Under Ed Marriner’s conduction, for example, a  “ricercar a 6”, the composition presents as explicitly a six-voice fugue of interdependent string voices(viola, violin, cello, double bass)  and an unusual introduction of a flute. Ed Marriner’s orchestration is expressed in a calm, measurable, and soundly state.[6] Since it is the most complex polyphonic form, the musical analysis of a given piece typically involves multiple musical terms. Marriner uses a variety of strings that provide depth because of its tone color. While initially, Bach has created the fugue for a keyboard.

  Ricercar a 6 is a final work in a collection of fugues, canons, and other musical pieces that form a unifying theme in Bach’s work “Musical Offering”. Being a musical titan of his time, Johann Sebastian Bach composed an intricate piece that combines complex musical textures. Bach’s fugue starts with a single statement (subject) that moves 6 voices through polyphonic texture.  Following the main issue, other agents in the fugue exacerbated counterpoint style to form an imitative polyphony. This means that a composition introduces several equally distinguished melodies happening simultaneously and are similar in sound and shape. Bach’s “ricercar a6” features a statement whose initial interval is in c-minor medium register ascending rather dramatically until a large descend. The first three pitches of a fugue perform in trio and move in thirds. The subject (low viola) asks a question in the tonic key and receives the answer (violin) in the fifth degree’s dominant key.

To make this unique piece more approachable, I would urge listeners to access Smalin’s YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYouXtuk0T8&t=43s. Smalin creates the visual tool that allows the viewer to distinguish between multiple musical events that are color-coded and easily recognized. In Smalin’s arrangement, we can witness that Bach is moving in half steps, a characteristic of chromaticism. This technique creates the tension of the melody and harmonical balance.  For instance, the composition begins with a theme using two voices of a particular (subject and answer) key that in the teaching video are green and yellow. Simultaneously, Mariner’s two and a half measures of a solo viola open the piece, alongside the violin, which overlaps rhythmically to set the atmosphere to follow. As Marriner’s orchestration is getting thicker, the composition entails a progression from one instrument to another after every few notes. Each of these notes embraces the particular instrument’s tone color.[7]  Marriner embodies Bach’s fugue in lighter, smooth-flowing melodic lines.

From Smalin’s video, we can conclude that the fugue moves in various rhythmical patterns as Bach manipulates melodic lines and the rhythmic values. Notice that some beats have an ellipsoid (prolonged) shape that indicates that they sound longer than those with a round (even dotted) shape. In this instance, the subject is represented by around, while the counterpoint has an ellipsoid form and accompanies the subject when it is present.  Smalin signifies the subject using a green color for the viewer to discern. In the yellow answer (counterpoint), the sound is equally intense and often accompanied by the subject.  Although the dark green and blue voices follow the theme, they often move transversely with the statement. Musical pitches represented by strings in Marriner’s interpretation move in both ascending and descending fashions while notes are leaping that does not produce disjunct melodies. The articulation of Ed Marriner’s string version is mostly legato (smooth and connected). That creates a more positive atmosphere. The colors to the strings, the green is a low viola, yellow could be a high cello or violin, and the blue is usually is the lowest string (double bass).

Historically, the chromatic descending bass line would be used to convey approaching death. P.S. If the interested reader would like to explore the “death descend”, one can check-out “Dido & Aeneas”, Act 3: “Thy hand, Belinda… When I am laid in earth” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf92jTgicGg. A more modern example of a “lament bass” is The Beatles, ” While My Guitar Gently Weeps” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJDJs9dumZI.

In summary, the fugue structure is complicated, especially for the perception of an unprepared listener. Approaching the end, both Bach’s fugue variations establish intensity in the music, with all voice reaching a climactic peak and dynamic shift. This concludes the musical composition in an affirmative and mighty tutti.  The expressiveness of the versatile melodic lines captures the listener’s full attention and throws one into the ocean of emotions.[8]

Conclusion

In conclusion, the musical offering was a piece of Johann Sebastian Bach and entailed two ricercars, ten canons, and one trio sonata of four-movements. Bach was a German musician and composer of the baroque period who established various styles using his skills in harmonic, motivic organizations, rhythms adaptations, textures, counterpoint, and forms from overseas such as France,Italy. Bach was challenged to improve the fugue based on the theme. It was depicted that Bach was good at improvising fugues due to his proper training with the keyboard in his days. The art of fugue marked the end of the experimentation of Bach with monothematic instrumental works.

Bibliography

“Hand-Picked Musical Offering – Classics Today.” 2021. Classicstoday.Com. https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-4056/.

Bach, Johann Sebastian. The Art of the Fugue and A Musical Offering. Courier Corporation, 2013.

Bach: Musical Offering In C Minor, BWV 1079 (2000). 2000. Video. Old Town Hall: EuroArtsChannel. Accessed February 8, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzT_elDRLJM

BURROWS, CHRISTOPHER. “How does Johann Sebastian Bach vary his approach to fugal composition in his organ works?: A study of fourteen strategically selected organ fugues.” PhD diss., Durham University, 2017.

Keller, James M. “Notes on the Program.” (2011). Accessed February 8, 2021, https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=12593976000191407137&hl=en&as_sdt=2005&sciodt=0,5

Marissen, Michael. “More Source-Critical Research on Bach’s” Musical Offering.” Bach 25, no. 1 (1994): 11-27. Accessed February 8, 2021, https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=1154581665482053559&hl=en&as_sdt=2005&sciodt=0,5

Grazzini, Steve. “Rameau’s Theory of Supposition and French Baroque Harmonic Practice.” Music Theory Spectrum 38, no. 2 (2017): 155-177.

BURROWS, C. (2017). How does Johann Sebastian Bach vary his approach to fugal composition in his organ works?: A study of fourteen strategically selected organ fugues (Doctoral dissertation, Durham University).

MILKA, A. (2019). The Sinusoid in JS Bach’s Handwriting and Printing of The Musical Offering (BWV 1079). Min-Ad: Israel Studies in Musicology Online, 16.

Zeller, Matthew. Planal Analysis and the Emancipation of Timbre: Klangfarbenmelodie and Timbral Function in Mahler, Schoenebrg, and Webern. Duke University, 2020.

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[1] Marissen, Michael, 2021

[2] Bach: Musical Offering In C Minor, BWV 1079 (2000). 2000.

[3] Bach, 2013

[4] Keller, James M. “Notes on the Program.” (2011)

[5] Bach, Johann Sebastian. The Art of the Fugue and A Musical Offering. Courier Corporation, 2013.

[6] MILKA, A. (2019)

[7] Grazzini, Steve. “Rameau’s Theory of Supposition and French Baroque Harmonic Practice.” 

[8] Zeller, Matthew. Planal Analysis and the Emancipation of Timbre: Klangfarbenmelodie and Timbral Function in Mahler, Schoenebrg, and Webern. Duke University, 2020.

The first act begins with an overture in which disturbingly sounding bowed instruments dominate, making the listener feel nervous. It gives way for Belinda and Dido’s part, “Shake the cloud from off your brow,” followed by the chorus, which is more cheerful than the overture and serves to observe and comment on the action.

The chorus is a multifunctional instrument of the composer’s musical and visual palette. Thanks to the chorus’s participation, the opera takes on various timbre colors of what is happening and reveals a rich palette of actions. In the beginning, the choir performed the function of Dido’s courtesies. The choir also commented on the events, summing up the soloists’ positive and negative statements (Belinda and Dido, the witch and the elf). There are also episodes where the choir was a sound transmission element, imitating wind rustling sounds when a thunderstorm approaches (“Haste to town”). Constant repetition of the word “haste” prolonging “s” creates effect of wind. The “In our deep vaulted cell” chorus creates an echo effect echoing the elf. The choir created the mood and background in which dramatic events unfolded.

We then encounter the first aria, “Ah, Belinda!” performed on a ground bass. [1] The technique and instrument significantly control the harmony and melody throughout. While the aria does not advance the story, Dido expresses her anguish and apparent grief over her fears. It enhances the listener’s understanding of the magnitude of Dido’s struggle. The act also incorporates several recitatives that enunciate the conflict that lies in Dido’s conscience. In Layman’s terms, the recitative is psychological alterations clarified in the main characters’ dialogues. The events have already shocked the character. Before giving himself(herself) emotional outburst and free rein in the aria, the singer still reflects in a monologue way. After turmoil, when  accumulated emotions break through, the artist performs the aria. Arias reveals the plot, intentions, and feelings of the heroes.

The climax of the set is Dido’s “Lament.” It is an aria that has been hailed as the masterpiece of the opera. It is a demonstration of perfect conceptual blending and music. The recitative that precedes Dido speaking to her confidante, Belinda, with polyphonic recitative sounds wide-ranging and conjunct. Difficulty breathing, gasping for air while inhaling tells more about the act’s and Dido’s life approaching end.

A very organic and laconic aria, conjunct and with a slightly reduced range as if emitting with its cry the last drops of life. Descending and repetitive sounds create the illusion of a person with his last gasp, humbly resigned to the impending death. Her words show that she accepts death as a respite for her sorrow “Death is now a welcomed guest.”

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[1] Zbikowski, Lawrence M. “Conceptual blending, creativity, and music.” Musicae Scientiae 22, no. 1 (2018), 6-23. doi:10.1177/1029864917712783.

The title of Johann Sebastian Bach’s work “The Musical Offering” is a reflection of his inspiration. It is an offering to Richard II in response to his challenge. Music lovers will undoubtedly find this album to be a masterpiece, and listeners with an academic understanding of music, the enchanting and challenging art. The Pitchfork article will be called “Bach’s invaluable music offering”.  It will review Johann’s album as a representation of versatile music whose relevance goes across time and cultures.

The music piece collects keyboard and instrument works following a singular theme.  The album has a melancholic appeal probably due to its religious connection. Bach improvises a six-voice fugue based on the “royal theme”  which resonates with baroque polyphony. This was a common style in the renaissance era between 1600 and 1750[1]. The set is composed of ten cannons, one trio sonata, and two fugues which he refers to as ricercares.

The article will describe a brief history of Johann Sebastian Bach and what led to this composition. This will include the role of Fredrik The Great and the nature of the theme which is followed in the album. The “royal theme” which the album portrays is a melody with several weaknesses that Johann Bach overcame to release his album. Bach’s work shows mastery of music despite overwhelming odds dealt by the theme: it is long; the rhythms are highly varied, and the chromatic section is difficult to orchestrate[2]. The article will include  a review of the complexity behind the theme.

The fact that Johann Bach did not specify which instruments to be used for the movements in the set leaves players to come up with their ideas. The instruments for most of the movements and settings cannot be easily defined.  His album also incorporates musical riddles whose interpretation is bound to vary among those in the music community. Because of it’s versatile,  it is fitting to different cultures and will remain relevant for years to come. The nature of this set is bound to inspire numerous performances which allows the content of this provide insight to performers inspired by  Bach.

What makes this piece truly outstanding is Bach’s use of his imagination to successfully incorporate various rhythms and appropriate chromaticism resulting in the album’s thematic sound[3] .My favorite piece in the album is the Canon Perpetuus. This track is an example of how Bach expresses his theme throughout the album, for instance, his use of bass which elegantly accompanies the violin resulting in a pleasant harmony[4]. To fully appreciate the album one has to listen to the entire set.

I believe Bach’s work should be published by Pitchfork to discover the genius that it corresponds with. The album without a doubt is a satisfying and memorable musical piece for many generations.

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My favorite part of this composition is variation G for cello. This piece is highly reminiscent of the music accompanying the dying swan in Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake. Swan Lake’s dying swan scene was itself influenced by Le Cygne (The Swan), the 13^th and penultimate part of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals—a part also written and performed by a cello.

Hearing a cello, I imagine a vessel from which sound emerges under the influence of physical effort, perhaps from friction (like the sound from a seashell). Although the instrument’s body is made of wood, the sound is not muffled to me. This may be because the strings are metal and create a sufficiently resonant and distinctive sound, which is softened by the instrument’s wooden body. The sound vibrations also make me imagine a bow sliding along the strings with varying degrees of pressure for the duration of contact. In my opinion, the instrument cannot be tiny (like a violin) because it produces such a juicy, stringy, molasses-thick and relatively low timbre, which is not typical for small-bowed instruments. Such a rich, room-filling sound creates the illusion of a wave vibrating in the air, comparable to when you look at a hot desert horizon and sees the air tremble.

This instrument is not designed for lively, sparkling parts. Rather, cello music is melancholy, mature, deliberate, and somewhere restrained. Cello describes human emotions in moments of calmness and reflection, acceptance and obedience to fate. For example, the last dance of a dying swan—so emotional and tragic, but not hysterical and tragic. The swan remains upright and noble, without loss of dignity. The cello’s sound is so expressive to me that it seems you can taste it. I would compare the sound of a cello to a good red wine—with woody notes, the scent of resin, cinnamon, and cardamom. And according to the sense of touch, the cello’s sound should be like cashmere or a chinchilla fur coat: material that envelops the body, making you want to drown in it. The cello can convey the full range of human emotions.

In  variation G for cello, the cello follows the violas, continuing the mysterious theme. From violin to cello, the melody seems to go through maturation stages, from an energetic young violin, to a more meaningful, but still boisterous energy, to a stable, reflective, and meaningful cello, as if arriving at a summit for meditation. The cello represents an organic step in the transition from high-sounding, frisky-sounding instruments to a grave and grumpy double bass. There is something inexplicable about the cello. Its sound excites the soul and ignites inexplicable emotions, attracting listeners who, upon hearing the voice of the cello, can instantly and emotionally invest themselves in the entire piece of music.

Hello! My name is Elizaveta Pertcova, and this is my first ever personal blog. I am excited about creating a virtual space where I can share my thoughts.  I am a liberal arts university student, and this blog is a project that I will be working on during the spring semester for my Music class. Although I am a professional dancer and have been surrounded by music since the age of six, until now, I have never had to express my opinions about musical works, much less maintain dialogues and participate in debates about the art of music in higher education. Now I have this this excellent opportunity to delve into the world of music in an academic environment through my in-depth reading of primary texts and opportunities to  listen to works in the presence of a professor who deeply understands them and desires to share his knowledge.