Baroque Beginnings

The last couple of weeks have been full of travelling (Adam), wedding planning (me) and other sundry life happenings that tend to sneak up behind you and trip you when you're not looking (also me). But I'm back for now, and have some interesting topics to get to work on.

In last couple posts in this series, we tied up the Renaissance period of music history, both in the secular and sacred genres. As we move into the Baroque, there is less distinction between the two, and they progress in basically the same direction, so you'll be hearing a lot less about the dichotomy between sacred and secular.

First off, let's examine the term "baroque." Today, it is simply used to describe various styles developed in the arts between 1600-1750(ish). However, it was originally applied to the time period as an epithet by 19th-century art critics, implying that one was wrinkling one's proper classical nose at the gaudy, overly ornamented style of visual art or music prevalent during this period in history. But, as I have been reminded three times in the past couple months by three different history professors, art history is not a linear progression: we are not moving from good to better to best. Each time period had its strengths and weaknesses, and those classical critics would have done well to remember that. Either way, "baroque" is no longer considered a derogatory term and you can use it safely without be arrested by the Politically Correct Police. (Such an organization exists, trust me. Especially on Facebook. They're kind of like the Grammar Nazis.)

If you recall, the Renaissance period finished with a bang, full of crazy dissonance, over-the-top dramatics, and elaborate text painting. Towards the end of the period, there was a group of intellectuals who called themselves the Florentine Camerata (Florence Club) that met regularly to discuss the state of the world, and more specifically that of the arts. One of them, Vincenzo Galilei (father of the more famous Galileo Galilei of gravity and heliocentrism), write a fairly complex treatise on the reasons why the popular music of the day was not as effective as the ancient musics. He also added his two-cents on how music should change for the betterment of society rather than its amusement.

He said a lot of things in this work, a lot of them not very complementary to the current state of the arts, but one of his main arguments was that music should be used to better the state of society rather that simply to amuse or please our senses. Galilei felt that the popular style of text painting was useless in that regard, as it only described what was occurring in the text and did nothing to incite an actual change of heart in the listener. He also argued that the thick polyphonic textures were so complex that they were a distraction from any single purpose. His solution to this problem was for composers and musicians to consider themselves actors or even lawyers, so to speak. Music could be used as language, to convince the listeners to take on a certain "affect" or, state of being.

This led, naturally, to a change in styles. Instead of focusing strongly on contrapuntal textures, Galilei argued for the use of monody, or compositions made up of one primary voice with harmonic accompaniment. This would bridge the gap between single line chants of the very ancient times and the multi-voiced polyphonic works of more recent styles.

Galilei's intellectual theories sparked a radical change in compositional practice, leading to the birth of the ubiquitous basso continuo line that persisted throughout the Baroque period and even somewhat into the Classical (Beethoven himself included a continuo line with figured bass in a few of his compositions). However, I've spent so much time talking about the theory that practice will have to wait till the next post. When that time comes, I'll start by defining the whole basso continuo idea, and then we'll move on to some of the seminal composers of the period.

The Mannerism of Madrigalisms

In my last article in the series (somewhere around a month ago--apologies for the long wait!), I outlined the trends of sacred music at the end of the Renaissance. This included moving away from the elaborate productions of mid-Renaissance style, and returning to the simpler, more text-focused music for liturgical purposes.

Secular music, on the other hand, felt no such need. In fact, it just got crazier.

Mannerism is a generic term, not restricted to music at all, and in fact is more often used to describe visual art. Nevertheless, it is the perfect term to describe what happened with secular music at the end of the Renaissance, around 1560-1600. According to Webster's dictionary, mannerism is defined as follows: 

a :  exaggerated or affected adherence to a particular style 

                           b  :  an art style in late 16th century Europe characterized by spatial incongruity and excessive elongation of the human figures

In other words, taking a style to such an extreme that before long, people will grow sick of it and move away from that that style for good. This is exactly what happened with both art and music at the end of the 16th century. Here is a painting by one of the most famous Mannerist painters, El Greco (1541-1614). As you can see, the proportions are a little funky, the colors are vivid, and the emotions are intense and obvious. Mannerist art can get a little overwhelming, but it achieves its purpose nicely. By the time you get done studying this picture, you'll have a very a clear idea of what the artist wanted you to think or feel. 

The exact same thing happened with secular music. Composers were already writing madrigals, and, as we discussed a while ago, one of the characteristics of the madrigal was word painting. By the end of the 1500s, word painting, through either melody or harmony, was taken to such an extreme, and was so married to the genre that the technique became known as madrigalisms. 

Madrigalisms included frequent and unusual use of chromaticism, sometimes abandoning what sense of key signature music had developed by this point. One type of chromatic harmony that was particularly unique in that time period was the cross-relation. This referred to a note played in both its natural and its sharp or flatted version at the same time, or in very quick succession. For instance, a five voice madrigal might have the soprano line singing a C sharp at the same time the second tenor is singing a C natural. This type of dissonance is perfect for expressing the intense emotions desired by the Mannerist composers such as Carlos Gesualdo or Cipriano de Rore.

Another choice by composers of late Renaissance madrigals rather than ones earlier in the century was the type of text. Earlier compositions included literary poetry such as sonnets, and the text was always chosen for its sophistication and quality. By the end of the period, texts were chosen for their emotional content, and, if looked at critically, could even come across as slightly manic or unstable. However, once again, they were perfect for the effect.

This madrigal by Gesualdo is one of my examples of the Mannerism in composition. If you take a moment to follow along in the score, you will see the extensive chromaticism and non-diatonic harmonies. A small portion of the text reads:

"I depart." I said no more, for grief

robbed my heart of life...

"Hence in pain I remain, Ah may I never

cease to pine away in sad laments."

Crazy, huh? By the early 1600s, this style had been done to death, and people were ready for a change. Enter... the Baroque! Which we will discuss next time, because I have to get ready to play for an opera. 

Oh, by the way... if you're interested, there's a 7:30 pm show on Saturday, April 26 and a 2pm show on Sunday April 27 of Hansel and Gretel, an opera that's actually in English, and has some pretty fun moments. It's in Robinson Hall at UNC Charlotte, and really would be worth it. Even if you don't like opera. Would love to see you there!

Poster's Perspective: Music According to Faith

And now, we take a break from our regular programming to bring you a celebration of music...

Yeah, enough with the corniness. But, as Sulli said, the anniversary of the blog is coming up and we wanted to take some time to share what music means to us, and how it's wormed its way into every corner of our lives (whether we planned on that or not!). If you have any stories of what music does for you, feel free to share in the comments or email them--who knows, we may even share them as a post!

Music is a very large part of my life. I could write a dozen books on all the ways music has changed my life and even saved my life, but if I had to boil it down to one word... what does music say to me?

It says family.

My first introduction to music would have been when my mom was pregnant with me, and she would lay on the couch while my dad sat on the floor playing guitar and singing with his back up against her belly. He did this for all of us 7 kids, so we came out pretty much ready to go music-wise.

Of course, like all good kiddies, we took piano lessons (with various amounts of enthusiasm) and since our piano teacher was also a choir director, occasionally we would work up something to sing for church. As a family. When my sister was 5, and I was 12 or so, she became obsessed with the violin. She would put whatever was in her hands at the moment--a building block, a dinner plate, a book--under her chin, and sing, "Under my chin, like a violin!" And because we did everything as a family, we all took up strings. 

Because we were homeschooled, we didn't have a ton of extracurricular activities. We weren't running around to drama club, soccer, softball, chess club--something different for each kid. We made music together, and that was all we needed. Over the years we sang together, played the county fair circuit for a couple of summers as a Celtic group, organized and hosted a youth orchestra, and formed a professional string quartet for weddings and other sundry formal gigs. 

For some people, music means playing the clubs, beer and friends. For others, it means concerto competitions and seat challenges. For me, it means getting done with playing for a black tie banquet and going to Meijer in our tuxes at midnight and riding the penny horse with my brothers. For me, it means getting all giddy when we hear our favorite violin concerto on the radio while riding in the car with my sisters.

And because to me, music means family, if I make enough music with you, you're going to have a special place in my heart. In these last couple years of making music with new friends here in Charlotte, my family has grown more than I would have ever thought possible. I'm getting sappy and I know it, but hey... I think that's the point here. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Practice Tip #4: Don't Forget to Write in the Music

Hello everyone, Sulli here with a very late post! Wasn't trying to have it this late but I've been having more difficulties with technology and some personal issues, so let's cut the chit chat into one sentence: Subscribe and follow please!

Now, as the name of this article suggests there are musicians who think writing in music hinders more than it helps, and I'm here to say that it should be reconsidered. Writing stuff down helps keep thoughts in our memories. Writing something down on its own will help put it into your memory, but when it comes to writing in music you will also have something to help you practice with. You will have your notes in front of you while you practice, and shouldn't forget what you practice.

Of course, this isn't a requirement however is strongly encouraged. I use this a lot with my music as a way to help focus on what I'm learning, however everyone has their own way of learning. The reason I bring this up though, so some musicians haven't learned a way to practice and this would probably be my most recommended way to do that. However there are some rules to using this method, though they are simple.

First, ONLY write in PENCIL that can erase well. No pens, or erasable pen. Chances are if you use pen then you will make a mistake. When you make a mistake, especially on an original it will stick and replacing music is not cheap. The other is if you can write in a copy then do so. It will help extend the life of the original.

Practice Tips #1: A Musician Should Live by Frizzle's Law

Hey guys, Sulli here with the first Practice Tips in a while. I'm going to make this an actual series now, and will have its own tab and picture soon but let's start off slowly. First, let me say I am a 90's kid, so I will use a lot of 90's-00's references when I'm writing these tips so bear with me if you don't quite get them at first. Anyone who has been in a science class at all since the mid-late 80's will recognize this first reference.

                                                  

So, let me go ahead and say one of the biggest problems that I see in students that I've taught or have studied with. They aren't confident enough with their instrument and/or not confident enough with their playing. I, too, have had my fair share of these sorts of mishaps and still do from time to time as well, however what got me through that was with a little saying; live by Frizzle's Law. Now, as you can probably guess I'm referring to Mrs. Frizzle from "Magic School Bus". Her most famous saying is to "take chances, make mistakes, and get messy" and I see it as the perfect example to practice and sight read by.First we have “take chances”. I see this as, "Don't be afraid to take a chance on something new. Do it because you know no matter what, you will benefit from it.” Use this as a way to see a mistake in the practice room or from sight reading as menacing. One will never grow as a musician, or a human being, if they don’t ever look at something new and say it’s too hard. Personally, I love to go for new stuff. I look for the most challenging pieces I can find and try to play through them. If they are completely out of my league then I put it down and come back to it whenever I think I think it’s just the right amount of challenging. That, too, is another point I need to stress as well. If it’s entirely out of your league then don’t force yourself to play it. One should know his or her strengths and weaknesses however don’t ignore it because you think it’s too hard. Give it a look over, or try to play through it. If you can’t make it through, then don’t push yourself too hard.

Next we have, “make mistakes”. Now, in this case I don’t mean to make them intentionally while performing or repeatedly make them when you should have fixed them in the first place. By this part, I mean “Don’t be afraid to make a mistake when practicing because something is too difficult”, or “Don’t let making a mistake in a performance throw you off your zone”. Don’t let a mistake make you frustrated while practicing. Remember that you are simply practicing a piece, not performing it so should there be one then note it and work on it more. A good musician knows when a mistake is from not practicing enough, and when it’s an honest mishap (yes, they will happen whether you’re ready or not). When it is an honest mistake, and you are in a situation where it would not be in the best interest to stop playing then don’t stop. Don’t let a mistake throw you off your zone.

Finally, we must remember to, “get messy”. This doesn’t mean to get messy with your technique, but “Don’t be afraid to sight read music because it might sound messy”. Don’t forget that you are practicing for a performance which shouldn’t sound messy. One should get messy when it comes to practicing and sight reading because the piece shouldn’t be performed messy.

So, as you have hopefully seen this thought can be used as a good mentality to practice with whenever one may need it. If you like what you have read then don’t forget to Subscribe to the blog via email, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or SoundCloud. As always, thanks for reading and remember to fear the cellos! 

Quick Announcement and Unboxing video

Hey guys, sorry about the lack of interaction lately. I've had a lot going on between personal stuff and tech issues but I'm here to say there will be a Composer's Vlog episode tomorrow! Including into that technical difficulty problem, there appears to have been a massive glitch among subscribers so if you have previously subscribed and would like to remain subscribed then please enter the email again to the right. Also, there appears to have been some posts that were suppose to have posted automatically over the week but didn't go out so I'll have them up at their normal times next week.

If you would like to watch an unboxing of the new Iron Man soundtrack then click on the preview window below. Thanks for reading and subscribing! See you tomorrow everyone!

Organs: A Dissertation in Umpteen Parts; Preamble

Hello, and welcome to the Adam Sullivan Music Theory Blog!  My name is Dallas.  I'm a friend and colleague of Sulli's; he's been trying to get me on here to do a couple series for months now.  For various and sundry reasons I never could get around to it, but lo and behold, here I am! 

Let me first give an honest disclaimer:  this is not really a dissertation in any way.  Not officially, at least.  However, as you may come to notice while reading through this series, writing such a thing about the pipe organ can make you feel like you're writing a senior thesis.

I'd like to begin with a few vague points about myself... however, there's a time and place for autobiographical ramblings.  (Namely my own personal blog, which will come online in tandem with the publication of this series.  More on that later!)  For know, suffice to say that I'm a young organist/pianist/violist/bassist/random percussion neophyte/composer living in Rock Hill, SC.  Music is my lifeblood.  And I have quite a lot to say about certain subjects in the musical spectrum in which we all situate ourselves as musicians.

Which brings us to the point at hand!  If you hadn't guessed by now, this is going to be a series all about organs.  The lauded "King of Instruments," as it were.  Pipe organs have been around for several hundred years, and their evolution over that time frame is staggering.  Now, with the advances of modern technology, electronic and digitally-sampled organs are vastly popular; there are even digital organs that have sample sets advanced enough to (fairly) convincingly reproduce the sounds (and seconds of acoustical reverb) of famous organs in vast cathedrals such as the great organ of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, or the historic and awe-inspiring instrument in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam.  In this series, I am going to walk you through everything I know—and some things I don't know yet, I'm sure—about the world of the organ.  My major focus will be on actual pipe organs, but I can promise to include a wealth of information on their increasingly capable digital counterparts.

By the time this series is completed (which is a daunting thought), you will understand the difference between a Principal and a Stopped Diapason.  And what all this business about "feet" seems to be (that is to say, what the heck they mean by 8', 4', 2', and so on when naming stops).  And why playing middle "c" with a 2 2/3' mutation rank won't do you any good in representing the pitch of ANY "c" at all.  You'll know all about resultants and mixtures and celestes and cornets and what is actually meant by stops called such things as "viola," "trumpet," "tuba," and so on.  And of course, the most important bit of all:  you'll know the storied journey of the pipe organ from antiquity to the present, and just where its perilous path may or may not take it in the days to come.

This series will publish on Thursdays—not on Tuesdays.  As it goes on, the specific flow of things may change, but to begin with, I've listed a very general idea of what you can expect to see, and in what order.  Note that certain parts, like II and III, may end up being posted in subsections, as they can get to be QUITE long and involved.  Furthermore, these labelled parts do not constitute the entirety of the series.  There will be rather less specific "filler" posts here and there along the way as I continue in my constant endeavour to raise interest in and awareness of the incredible world of the organ.

I hope you enjoy the adventure we're about to embark upon.  If you don't, well... you will be assimilated.  But in all honesty, I can not stress the importance of raising awareness of the (pipe) organ within the musical community.  Especially the subsection therein that is in my generation; it is up to us to carry the elements of our forebears into the future.  If we're not careful, the organ, King of Instruments as it may once have been called, may not make that journey with us.

Thanks for reading.  Have an awesome day, and be sure to thank a music educator somewhere.

—

Part I:  The Storied Journey [the history and evolution of the pipe organ, and where it stands today]

Part II:  Anatomy and Physiology 101 [an introduction to the inner structures and workings of pipe organs]

Part III:  Divisions Conquered [an in-depth look at the different kinds of pipes found on various instruments]

Part IV:  Pulling Out the Stops [an in-depth look at how different kinds of pipes work together... or don't!]

Part V:  The Language Barrier [a brief instalment, to include a breakdown of linguistic variations]

Part VI:  Anatomy and Physiology 202 [a really in-depth expansion on A&P 101]

Part VII:  Literature of the Organ (I) [an introduction to organ music of the Baroque and Classical eras]

Part VIII:  Literature of the Organ (II) [an introduction to organ music of the Romantic and early 20th century eras]

Part IX:  Literature of the Organ (III) [an introduction to modern organ music]

Part X:  The Digital Crux (I) [part one of the subseries devoted to digital organs and their development; introduction to the epic debate of pipes vs. digital sampling]

Part XI:  The Organ as a Concert Instrument [a small dissertation of its own, going into the organ's often enigmatic role as a concert instrument]

Part XII:  The Organ in Liturgy [everyone's most familiar aspect of organ music:  the church]

Part XIII:  The Digital Crux (II) [how digital organs relate to the concert hall, as well as the church]

Part XIV:  The Digital Crux (III) [the most current advances for digital organs, and how they're starting to overtake even the greatest pipe organs in many ways; further debate on the pipes/digital argument]