With all the emphasis on speed reading, and now on the rapid skimming through enormous quantities of information available at the press of a button, we risk losing the pleasurable sense of reading as an activity to be enjoyed for its own sake, like a walk in the park.
Alberto Manguel's A History of Reading explores the activity in relation not only to words but also to pictures. Tonal Refraction explores reading music as the multi-dimensioned activity it is for all musicians.
It is an action involving memory as well as comprehension in the here and now.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
A Big Four-Letter Word: Time
Time is one of the words that musicians use and misuse routinely allowing for little nuance in its application. Actually it exists on so many levels simultaneously that it is almost impossible to isolate them.
One of the best examples of how it works was given by Hindemith in his wonderful book on the elements of music. He likened the beat to a line drawn on a piece of wood to be cut by a saw: should the blade be aimed inside, outside, or dead-center of the line. Everyone who has ever had a piece of wood cut on the wrong side of the line knows what a difference it can make.
The great accompanist Gerald Moore made an edition of Schubert songs which consists entirely of arrows pointing forward and backward of the "lines."
But there is another level, so fleeting as to almost escape recognition: that nano-instant in which the first vibration hits the ear and occasions a response that will determine the length of the tone, its release, and the touch adjustments to the succeeding tone.
It is the level of time most vivid to me when I play and I am confident that this is what keeps listeners engaged.
One of the best examples of how it works was given by Hindemith in his wonderful book on the elements of music. He likened the beat to a line drawn on a piece of wood to be cut by a saw: should the blade be aimed inside, outside, or dead-center of the line. Everyone who has ever had a piece of wood cut on the wrong side of the line knows what a difference it can make.
The great accompanist Gerald Moore made an edition of Schubert songs which consists entirely of arrows pointing forward and backward of the "lines."
But there is another level, so fleeting as to almost escape recognition: that nano-instant in which the first vibration hits the ear and occasions a response that will determine the length of the tone, its release, and the touch adjustments to the succeeding tone.
It is the level of time most vivid to me when I play and I am confident that this is what keeps listeners engaged.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Who Pays the Pipers?
An op-ed piece in the Sunday NYTimes (Dec. 1, 2013) is about the absence in our economic system for the independent voice in the humanities. Sports are heavily subsidized by governmental agencies large and small. Sports generate money, big-time.
What do the arts and humanities generate?
What have you gained from the selfless dedication of a writer, painter, musician, thinker? Need it be that a monetary value be associated with everything? Well, the rent has to be paid.
Come on. Support the blogger at www.tonalrefraction.com. You can do it!
In fact, there are now two ways to do it:
1) In defiance of all logic, much the way artists and other independents do it, by subscribing, on the Books and CDs page at the link above.
2) In accordance with prevailing tax logic, by making a tax-deductible gift to support Tonal Refraction, which you may do on-line on the Financial Support page at the link above.
Either way I invite you to get involved. You cannot imagine how much this work means to me.
Perhaps you can imagine how much your support would mean to me.
What do the arts and humanities generate?
What have you gained from the selfless dedication of a writer, painter, musician, thinker? Need it be that a monetary value be associated with everything? Well, the rent has to be paid.
Come on. Support the blogger at www.tonalrefraction.com. You can do it!
In fact, there are now two ways to do it:
1) In defiance of all logic, much the way artists and other independents do it, by subscribing, on the Books and CDs page at the link above.
2) In accordance with prevailing tax logic, by making a tax-deductible gift to support Tonal Refraction, which you may do on-line on the Financial Support page at the link above.
Either way I invite you to get involved. You cannot imagine how much this work means to me.
Perhaps you can imagine how much your support would mean to me.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Sometimes It's Best Not to Know the Score
Years ago in my a cappella singing class we were having a devil of a time tuning a four-part Brahms folk song. I suddenly saw that in the passage in question each vocal line was actually in a different key: I don't recall anything beyond the key signature, two flats. The possibilities are interesting: B-flat, G minor, D minor, F major, C minor -- you get the picture. When we stopped trying to tune the sounds vertically but allowed each line to tune itself according to its own internal logic, the music coalesced as if effortlessly.
Chords can be overrated when it comes to specific compositions. The linear dimension potentially carries a lot of weight in determining the ensemble sound.
A reader recently contacted me about the difficulty she and her colleagues were having playing Mozart's G minor String Quintet. I have been thinking about it ever since -- unfortunately they are in Stockholm and I cannot just hop on a plane and go hear them rehearse. But I would put money on the above as a possible solution at best, a deeply insightful exploration at least.
The fashion these days is to tune vertical sound, definitely not to bring out counterpoint.
Chords can be overrated when it comes to specific compositions. The linear dimension potentially carries a lot of weight in determining the ensemble sound.
A reader recently contacted me about the difficulty she and her colleagues were having playing Mozart's G minor String Quintet. I have been thinking about it ever since -- unfortunately they are in Stockholm and I cannot just hop on a plane and go hear them rehearse. But I would put money on the above as a possible solution at best, a deeply insightful exploration at least.
The fashion these days is to tune vertical sound, definitely not to bring out counterpoint.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
The Panther Wants to Come Back...Every Day
The panther's* mother informs me that her daughter wants to come back every day. Since that is impractical she wonders whether we couldn't skype.
This is interesting.
No, we can't skype. Even if we could we couldn't, if you get my drift.
It is a matter of focus, which is in the room, in the air, in the tension between the child and myself and Schumann (or whichever not physically present except in his or her music it be). This, dear panther, is not skypeable.
New word.
New generation.
New demands on us musicians to keep it live.
*See post of November 30.
This is interesting.
No, we can't skype. Even if we could we couldn't, if you get my drift.
It is a matter of focus, which is in the room, in the air, in the tension between the child and myself and Schumann (or whichever not physically present except in his or her music it be). This, dear panther, is not skypeable.
New word.
New generation.
New demands on us musicians to keep it live.
*See post of November 30.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Con fuoco
It has come to my attention that people are reading a post from last February about what I observe to be the probable definition of agitato. I would like to add con fuoco to the boiling pot of problematic tempo indications.
In the process of reading the Minuet and Trio of Beethoven Sonata Op. 10 #3, I am struck by two things: the Minuet itself is marked dolce and the Trio seems to be anything but: a too easy triplet against quarter note beat, out of proportion to the density of the minuet. But wait! say I to myself: it reminds me of other Beethoven metric dilemmas.
In the E-flat Sonata Op. 31 No. 2, the final movement, marked con fuoco, is in 6/8 with decidedly counter-rhythmic articulations in the other hand which, by the way, I have never heard anyone observe in performance. So what if con fuoco refers to the disagreement of eighth notes, one hand in twos, the other in three -- one on, the other off the beat. Con fuoco is then internalized, the tension enormous, the music infinitely more fun and harder all at the same time instead of just being fast or faster.
In the process of reading the Minuet and Trio of Beethoven Sonata Op. 10 #3, I am struck by two things: the Minuet itself is marked dolce and the Trio seems to be anything but: a too easy triplet against quarter note beat, out of proportion to the density of the minuet. But wait! say I to myself: it reminds me of other Beethoven metric dilemmas.
In the E-flat Sonata Op. 31 No. 2, the final movement, marked con fuoco, is in 6/8 with decidedly counter-rhythmic articulations in the other hand which, by the way, I have never heard anyone observe in performance. So what if con fuoco refers to the disagreement of eighth notes, one hand in twos, the other in three -- one on, the other off the beat. Con fuoco is then internalized, the tension enormous, the music infinitely more fun and harder all at the same time instead of just being fast or faster.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Listening and Sensory Awakening
A couple of posts ago (post of Nov. 28) I described three pre-schoolers listening as I played the piano. They must have been listening because it was completely quiet except for the music.
One of them, the oldest, was physically active, responding to Schumann's unmistakable invitation to use her imagination in a vivid, communicative manner. The other two, younger boys, were fascinated with the little stones around my potted plants.
Handling them, arranging them in rows, evidently absorbed by them, they were entirely focused.
It reminded me of some extraordinary work I did back in the late 60's when my being needed reorganizing after academic near-derailment. The work involved awakening awareness of purely sensory experience. One of the exercises involved closing my eyes and letting my fingers appreciate a small stone.
One of them, the oldest, was physically active, responding to Schumann's unmistakable invitation to use her imagination in a vivid, communicative manner. The other two, younger boys, were fascinated with the little stones around my potted plants.
Handling them, arranging them in rows, evidently absorbed by them, they were entirely focused.
It reminded me of some extraordinary work I did back in the late 60's when my being needed reorganizing after academic near-derailment. The work involved awakening awareness of purely sensory experience. One of the exercises involved closing my eyes and letting my fingers appreciate a small stone.
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