My100 best pieces of contemporary music on You Tube

By contemporary I am suggesting works composed after 1950, some backward looking (a little) and all highly innovative. I hope that this collection is enjoyed for its drama, beauty and humour as well as intellectual satisfaction. Along with my suggestions there are also ideas provided by friends and visitors to the blog.

String Quartets

Horatiu Radulescu – Before the universe was born https://youtu.be/K1YK3ah4nAA

Wolfgang Rihm - String Quartets. https://youtu.be/Yv2MxQx-B2k

Morton Feldman - String Quartet No. 2 https://youtu.be/pBv5T7gUiPo

Benjamin Britten – String Quartet No. 3 https://youtu.be/p_Wl-pGY23s

Elisabeth Lutyens – String Quartet No. 6 https://youtu.be/73kMX1ENUEo

H. W. Henze String Quartet No. 5 https://youtu.be/UJTS5uDnUxE

Luciano Berio – String Quartets (complete) https://youtu.be/hUoVzvNGGts

Per Nørgård - String Quartet No.10 "Harvest Timeless" https://youtu.be/wfAfcLeyWT0

Valentine Silvestrov – String Quartet No. 1 https://youtu.be/pGfViPw_Vv8

References to the past

Benjamin Britten – Curlew River https://youtu.be/UElSN7HTSeM

Arvo Part – Credo https://youtu.be/kGsJOiXTOVU

Luciano Berio – Sinfonia 3^rd movement https://youtu.be/9YU-V2C4ryU

John Adams – Christian Zeal and Activity https://youtu.be/59ceORsBT0A

Karlheinz Stockhausen – Hymnen (Region 2)  https://youtu.be/I0KPWzZta8I

Thomas Ades – Three Mazurkas op. 27 https://youtu.be/Y0lhKV1YVb0

P. M. Davies – A Sad Pavan https://youtu.be/v1MIAwhPe3o

Electronic and computer

Else Marie Pade -  Faust https://youtu.be/28TqFKy4lG0

Iannis Xenakis – Analogique A et B https://youtu.be/mXIJO-af_u8

Iannis Xenakis – Pithoprakta (+ graphic score) https://youtu.be/nvH2KYYJg-o

Luigi Nono – Collection tape and instrument works http://ubu.com/sound/nono.html

Karlheinz Stockhausen – Mikrophonie https://youtu.be/EhXU7wQCU0Y

Pierre Boulez “Anthemes 2” https://youtu.be/TMYDgwNALY8

Keith Rowe – Live 2001 https://youtu.be/Eb-GPdnfbyI

Jonathan Harvey “Advaya” for cello… https://youtu.be/N1iinhi2Ors

Eliane Radigue – I’ile resonante https://youtu.be/1RrsiGmLp_E

Indeterminate, chance and improvisation

John Cage – Atlas Eclipticalis (1962) https://youtu.be/epBkVgfoXNk

John Cage – Williams Mix https://youtu.be/9ql4Ophbt7k

Tomoko – Sauvage Presences https://youtu.be/UOe9ZOobJeg

John Butcher and Rhodri Davies https://youtu.be/7pGbI69kCGQ

Steve Reich – Pendulum Music https://youtu.be/fU6qDeJPT-w

Keith Rowe and John Tilbury (article and performance) https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/18/the-playlist-experimental-huddersfield-highlights-amm-george-lewis-derek-bailey

John Zorn – The Hermetic Organ https://youtu.be/P25oAHGkI9A

Cornelius Cardew – Treatise https://youtu.be/JMzIXxlwuCs

Concerto

Betsy Jolas Points D’Or https://youtu.be/CbAV3YOQVAM

Betsy Jolas Stances https://youtu.be/Loz5XbBqg9I

John Cage – Concerto for prepared piano https://youtu.be/wGsGPF1QPP8

Jonathan Harvey - Bird Concerto with Piansosong https://youtu.be/yPdcBxDmJIg

Pēteris Vasks - Presence 2nd Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra https://youtu.be/JX6NaqScyT8

Harrison Birtwhistle – Concerto for violin https://youtu.be/vZ8cucdjhZk

Sofia Gubaidulina – Concerto for two orchestras and symphony jazz band

https://youtu.be/8VqSvBtp77Q

Thomas Adès - Violin Concerto https://youtu.be/CVG5R6sIobo

Toru Takemitsu – Fantasma https://youtu.be/00Fl-iUKT2A

György Ligeti – Piano Concerto (+ score) https://youtu.be/P3mDevv2LP0

Symphonies and symphonic

P. M. Davies – Symphony No. 6 https://youtu.be/RQUemd5gPH4

Grace Williams – Symphony No. 2 https://youtu.be/FhuCNMhlK-U

Per Nørgård – Symphony No. 8 https://youtu.be/gyIkRY5Bmks

Magnus Lindberg – Two Episodes https://youtu.be/mXUu7rHnZcY

Magnus Lindberg – https://youtu.be/wdQpt3VHhmI

Robert Simpson – Symphony No. 9 https://youtu.be/hlJkv5URiEU

Alun Hoddinott Symphony No. 7 https://youtu.be/J_qi2A0T-3I

Kalevi Aho – Symphony No. 16 https://youtu.be/tGtEokvmnbM

Krzysztof Penderecki – Symphony No. 2 https://youtu.be/SXBWSBLBMX4

Yuri Kasparov Symphony No. 4 https://youtu.be/_a-X-oKywhg

Giacinto Scelsi – Four Pieces for Orchestra (1959) + score https://youtu.be/MfTjz6emd7c

General

Louis Andriessen – De Stijl https://youtu.be/9qJtKiZLUhE

Elliott Carter – Clarinet Quintet https://youtu.be/7eQi5_oKlek

Christian Wolff – Another Possibility https://youtu.be/f0eiS0IDITg

Christian Wolff – Percussionist Songs https://youtu.be/8c9-QyZjh1M

Christian Wolff – Preludes for Piano https://youtu.be/sf7_CQVyv_4

Claude Vivier – Zipangu (+ score) https://youtu.be/qV8RYaRrx1M

Dai Fujikura “Calling” https://youtu.be/asa0CqJLVtg

Takashi Yoshimatsu And Birds Are Still https://youtu.be/0guuuE6NjjQ

Toshio Hosokawa – Vertical song I https://youtu.be/Ji0gxsRp71M

Minoru Miki – Marimba Spiritual https://youtu.be/Iqe_b3lhQbU

Vocal

Morton Feldman Rothko Chapel https://youtu.be/ks_mZJR-lAQ

Grace Williams- Fairest of Stars https://youtu.be/QTOS7OSn5V4

Bruno Maderna Ages https://youtu.be/ImTQn9CXngI

John Tavener – The Lord’s Prayer (+score) https://youtu.be/U0qE57aSMs4

Henryk Gorecki – Amen (+score) https://youtu.be/pBv5T7gUiPo

Henri Pousseur Dallage Arabesque (Paysages Planetaires) https://youtu.be/BQAVZx58QX8

Kate Soper – Voices from the killing jar https://youtu.be/LCAt4mKhCpY

Piano / keyboard

Art Tatum – Tea for Two (+ score) https://youtu.be/kACt0FM0Kf8

György Ligeti – Hungarian Rock https://youtu.be/qdzvk1BJOBQ

Thomas Adès – Traced Overhead + score https://youtu.be/a5G_I-pWR8Q

Akira Nishimura Mirror of Star https://youtu.be/CQ36ZNgAFes

Salvatore Sciarrino -  Perduto in una città d'acque + score https://youtu.be/jDZ-OgtI5o4

Salvatore Sciarrino -  Anamorfosi https://youtu.be/yCcqkFTvwAI

Giorgio Sollazzi suggestions

Brian Fernyhough – Chronos Aion https://youtu.be/3hAWN4HF3SQ

Franco Donatoni – Ronda https://youtu.be/BStf2-h3pfw

Xingzimin Pan – Kaidan (+ score)  https://youtu.be/286s4bnS53Y

Luigi Nono – Varianti, musica per violin solo, archi e legni https://youtu.be/1D1CHBu_jsg

Bruno Maderna – Musica su due dimensioni https://youtu.be/T28rO9kcNqY

Mauricio Kagel – Match für drei Spieler (1964) https://youtu.be/9Ep31Jk3Vjo

Matthias Pintscher – Sonic Eclipse https://youtu.be/vhq7DYL_lnQ

Jacques Zafra – for alto recorder https://youtu.be/rvtCJ17RmyI

Music by composers we exchanged posts with in previous posts and blogs

Emma-Ruth Richards https://soundcloud.com/emma-ruth-richards/sets/choir

Max Fuschetto https://youtu.be/jjD9kl_ryDc

Alex Rotundo https://youtu.be/Gpr-YmXrbnk

Nurtan Esmen https://soundcloud.com/naesmen/sets/piano-sonata-6

Anthony Littlewood http://www.tonycopse.uk/micros1-2.mp3

Martin Tynlander https://soundcloud.com/martin-tynlander/sets/pensa-a-fleba?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=googleplus

Joo Won Park https://noremixes.bandcamp.com/album/modulationist

Vahagn Vardanyan https://youtu.be/ZcI3F8TH4jk

Pattern, code and design.

What did you take away from the last concert you attended?

Previous blogs have explored the notion that people make particular choices before and while listening to music, and their interest can be directed towards detail (development, variation, fine gradations and/or long term goals) or satisfied by physical movement and sensation. There are elements that are shared such as a love of texture. The majority of listeners experience pleasure from both viewpoints but a bias towards one or the other is commonplace.

The involvement of listeners to the music heard may range between superficial and detailed, they may have collections of recordings, enjoy concerts, be aware of the use of music in films and enjoy the music in its own right. In terms of performance many have some competence, and some sufficient competence to engage with others, a number will have skills on an instrument which helps guide their listening into the quality of commercial recordings, and emulate or reproduce elements of the recordings for the entertainment of others.

With such a broad range of musical ability listeners who reflect on their experiences should be able to describe what they attend to during a performance and what is retained afterwards. What is retained could range from a fragment played by a particular instrument or a memorable turn of phrase through to a detailed recollection.

All of the above comments refer to all styles of music from all cultures, a person responding to a popular piece of music may retain more than a listener in a concert hall attending a contemporary concert.  It may be that (whatever the style) a part, significant part or everything heard is absorbed at once and then reinforced with repeated hearing, it is also possible that we respond with different degrees of spontaneity to layers of information such as pattern, code or design. All of this leads to the question, do listeners need to understand music in order to respond to it?

Let us take Nurtan’s thoughts on the matter:

“looking at the question, the obvious answer is depends... But depends on what? If we look at rhythms and melody alone we must explore a number of associated aspects

Rhythm: Which one? Harmonic rhythm? Melodic rhythm? Pulse?

Melody: Primary melody? Principle Theme? Development?

If one wants to make some sense out it, there must be an unbiased set of criteria. If there is such criteria, is there a measure? If there is a measure, is it universal or culturally defined?

Let us start with a few dictionary definitions

Code

Merriam-Webster:

·         a system of signals or symbols for communication

·         a system of symbols (such as letters or numbers) used to represent assigned and often secret meanings

·         coded language : a word or phrase chosen in place of another word or phrase in order to communicate an attitude or meaning without stating it explicitly

In communications and information processing code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form or representation. An early example is the invention of language, which enabled a person, through speech, to communicate what he or she saw, heard, felt, or thought to others. But speech limits the range of communication to the distance a voice can carry, and limits the audience to those present when the speech is uttered. The invention of writing, which converted spoken language into visual symbols, extended the range of communication across space and time. In addition it permitted greater levels of complexity to be shared.

Pattern

A pattern is a discernible regularity in the world or in a manmade design. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. 

Design

Design is the creation of a plan for the construction of an object, system or measurable human interaction. Design has different connotations in different fields. In some cases, the direct construction of an object is also considered to use design thinking.

Before exploring these elements let us consider for a moment a simple musical figure, a rhythm of four notes, three long and one short. It was famous during WWII as V for victory. Musicians would recognise it as the fate motive of Beethoven’s fifth symphony. The alteration of major third to minor third also has psychological associations, a change of mood. The wartime messages were preceded by the motif on kettledrums alone, the change of timbre calling us to attention, threat. With this simple illustration we can see that pattern can be extended to code with relative ease through the process of association and the understanding of historical significance. It may be that the historical significance of this figure goes further back in time, the descending third alone may be associated with alarm calls, a sequenced fall, doubly alarming. The persistence of a four note rhythm is different to a single or double blow, less information more care, four taps, panic and flee. What Beethoven does with this pattern (extended to code) is to repeatedly use it (and transform it) to create a design underpinned with contrasts and change of key.

The 19^th century use of the idee-fixe and leitmotif suggests a system of coding as do the dancing letters of Schumann’s “Carnaval”. These examples can form basic patterns, but are more complex in that they emerge from varied backgrounds to suggest alterations of mood and temperament. They are not code in the sense that they convey meaning, rather they act as a signifier and offer an opportunity for us to empathise with the composer’s intentions. Like words these signifiers require context to convey meaning. Recognisable associations have existed before the 19^th century, these may be shorter than melodies, repeated chords and intervals alone have created suggestions of mood and character. The terms suggestion and representation are at the loose-end of code and some distance from a system of rules to convey information.

Pattern, as the definition above tells us, has predictability as a factor, whereas code contains variations and levels of unpredictability, and as such creates the excitement we associate with music. Some may argue that 20^th century music made too great a play of pattern. While the main focus of these blogs is 20^th century music one could argue that the music of the Baroque is as concerned with pattern as let us say, the early minimalists.  All of this takes us to the question, is pattern alone sufficient to entertain the ear, satisfy our musical interest or give listeners the “chills”? We know from the discussion of types of listeners that some are attracted to the dance like repetitions of pattern, some appreciate the hooks of emotional and pictorial interjections like the idee-fixe, while others prefer the long term evolution of a musical argument in which elements like key-structure or a gradual process of transformation takes place.

Concerning pattern it is helpful to know that psychologists have explored the field of pattern recognition a process that recognises how our thinking combines new experiences with stored memories. The new experiences in this process regularly moves from short to long-term memory. It may seem redundant to express the view that in works like Beethoven’s fifth the attention to repetition within the material aids pattern recognition, the understanding that contrasting material derives from the initial pattern enhances what the psychologists term “identification”.

The detail of how much a person identifies varies between individuals, just as does the recall of a text in a play or poem, the colour and form of a painting and so on.  However the process of storing seems to be the same for all of us. Performers will have additional information in the recollection of patterns, physical and often repeated actions and particular muscular techniques to play a phrase or passage of music. 

UCLA studies demonstrated that regional brain activity is common to performers and non-performers, neurons are activated for muscle reactions when music is heard by listeners and performers alike. The implication is that we have a common human response to sound. This is of course different to musical preference as discussed in earlier blogs. 

Readers who recall the Bernstein lectures on Chomsky and his exploration of musical grammar might recognise a common theme in the issue of common human responses. Reflecting on what may be considered as the search for a universal musical grammar, in our cross Atlantic e-mails Nurtan offered me a number of statements to challenge or review Bernstein’s original thesis (an action which Bernstein openly offers listeners to engage in). Nurtan suggests:

Music 

·         does not need to have definable semantics 

·         does not need a meaning 

·         does not need a regularised system or conformity 

·         does not need a universally interpretable form

Music does operate on a psychological basis where preference is personal.  

The questions arise:

Why do these preferences exist?  How they develop?

We examined the term musical semantics and decided to adhere to a shared view accepting that four areas apply.

·         Meaning relates to mood or temperament, excitement, passion, relaxation, grief etc.

·         Meaning relates to external sonic associations (e.g. Respighi’s Fountains of Rome).

·         Meaning relates to shared events (history, religion etc.) e.g. Tchaikovsky’s 1812; such music may combine music and text, national anthems etc.

·         Meaning relates to design, patterns of tension and resolution, sonata form.

We recognised that key words of titles are undependable as a guide to meaning. However key words may act as a guide to associating design with external sonic associations, shared events and mood / temperament. What some musicians might describe as a hook.

So if music does not require definable semantics it can exist:

·         without temperament or mood

·         without associations to external forms

·         without shared experience of external events

·         without formal patterns

There is a big difference between does not require and cannot exist without. In reality there are sliding scales for the above. Works like Barber’s Adagio for Strings or Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration communicate mood sensations (without text) in such a convincing way that a majority of listeners would say music has the vocabulary to express emotion and create a response. Then there are works in which emotion takes a minor role, The Art of Fugue or Stockhausen’s Microphonie 1. The same type of argument can be applied to the bullet points given.

The emotional response argument has been covered in the blogs before but there is an extract below from Wiki which refers to the main research area at this time. If we are talking about musical semantics this has to be a side issue because the usually held notion is that the grammar is in the fabric of the music not the listener. Whether that fabric includes the performance is another matter again. It may be useful to remind ourselves that gesture and expression are considered parts of the structure of language.

To develop the discussion I shared some views held by Rick Nauert PhD in which he attempts to provide answers to a simple question: Why can't we stay still when talking to others? Or, why do we use gestures?  His answer is

 "Because gestures and words very probably form a single communication system, which ultimately serves to enhance expression intended as the ability to make oneself understood,"

Understanding (he explains) arises from speech "prosody", the intonation and rhythm of spoken language which together illuminates and clarifies sentence structure.

"In human communication, voice is not sufficient: even the torso and in particular hand movements are involved, as are facial expressions".

The full article can be read here:

https://psychcentral.com/news/2014/06/24/study-looks-at-gestures-as-part-of-language/71631.html

At this point it seems that the discussion of where the listener places his or her focus is moving from the structures of music towards response, and a physical response at that. There is a TED video which illustrates the point, it features Evelyn Glennie, and the section which touches on the physical aspect can be heard in the first 5 minutes:

https://youtu.be/IU3V6zNER4g

I’ll say no more than watch the performer’s physical responses and how they change between reading and responding to the score.

Returning to the bullet points the cleft between where we have traditionally looked for meaning and the view that extra-musical factors carry great weight becomes increasingly apparent. Here is Nurtan’s view:

It is important to clarify that the structure of a piece is not equivalent to grammatical rule based sentences. Even with a human voice produced song using one or more elements of speech, the communication of an idea with semantic comprehensibility is neither necessary nor sufficient. These demonstrations can be readily extended to all parameters of the apt definition of music as organised noise. It is important to point out that what we may refer to as “musical organisation” has no rules that can be stated as something close to a universal grammar; yet, most people react to music.

One might argue that in order to form preferences there must be some sort of cognitive recognition, which could be identified as “musical semantics”. Although we can substitute code for musical semantics it is not “meaning” in the normally understood definition which requires at least locally shared information between two strangers though it is still capable of transmitting some sort of message that will elicit a similar (not necessarily the same) psychologically determined reaction.

In the previous discussions, the requirement for a systematic universal underlying structure for music (such as musical grammar, meaning of chords, correspondence to speech, et cetera) demonstrated to be fallacious.  For any component of music empirically demonstrating such a hypothesis could lead to a seemingly valid and/or interesting approach to understanding structure or evolution of music, but such an exercise is likely to be full of hidden fallacies, weaknesses that can look wildly interesting but invalid.

Those paragraphs require close reading but in essence amplifies the bullet points and again emphasises the differences between the scholastic expectations we place on the art of composition and what is actually delivered to the listener. It takes us to the most awkward of questions, why do some compositions communicate and others fail to do so? Before (and indeed if) we chose to try and answer that question let us summarise:

Each listener perceives a different response to what is heard

Though there is a logic to the structure of music the form is not in itself what is appreciated.

Hooks are used by composers to attract attention but these are not in themselves structurally important to the composer or hugely significant to the listener.

The listener is affected by a series of cues, when seen – as in a concert – these can be gestures, when unseen the cues are articulations and performance details where the artist imposes details on the music.

The vocabulary of the language of music is varied and based on:

·         The musical parameters as they affect our senses

·         The articulation of the parameters in performance

·         The gestures made during the performance

·         Associations made by the listener (entirely individual)

·         Informed cultural and scholastic understanding (musical memory)

·         Recognition of pattern, code and design which includes cues and mannerisms

In addition it may be argued that the successful communication of musical ideas depends on social aspects such as the desire to share, whether it is in a concert hall, ballroom or a ritual gathering.

How do you experience (musical) time?

The terms openness to experience and energetic extroverts have been touched on in the blog “What type of listener are you?” To briefly recap psychologists have divided listeners into two camps with open listeners gravitating towards classical, blues, jazz and folk while energetic extroverts, the intense and rebellious tribe, like rock, alternative and heavy metal music. I would like to focus on one element of this division, the two tribal responses to rhythm. 

Composers and arrangers who use Sibelius software are aware of the export feature which permits the construction of a score as a combined video and audio presentation. The listener experiences a visual score with strict time audio, not a performance. Those who view the product (You Tube or similar) often express the opinion that a human interpretation would bring out additional qualities in the work otherwise lacking. Pulse, vibrato, micro tuning and coloured noise such as breath or key strokes all play some part in this evaluation.

Accepting the argument, I have on occasion taken a PDF of the score, imported the music into a DAW and played with the tempo to articulate particular moments of interest inserted accelerando and ritenuto passages, and even put in slight delays at expressive points, all with the intention of creating a more human response. One might think of this as a parallel to a person interacting with a piano roll. If the music contains a variety of different pulses as in the Chopin section of Schumann’s Carnaval the efforts seem sufficient to satisfy, but if the pulse is regular and less complex the comments about robotic v. human performance still occur. Does this suggest that open listeners require constant manipulation or decoration around a pulse while metronomic pulses are more acceptable to energetic extroverts?

To develop the idea let us consider the drum machine, and the Roland TR-808 in particular, a machine (instrument) designed in the 1980’s by the recently deceased Ikutaro Kakehashi. A little history lesson first, as a teenager he repaired clocks and watches, progressing from there to founding Roland Corporation famed for its work with synthesizers and of course drum machines. The TR-808 was used to generate the rhythm tracks of a large number of highly successful songs and became the basis of different rock styles, in other words a huge number of listeners were captivated by precise, machine driven rhythms. Over a period of time programmers added imperfections, humanizing elements, lasting fractions of a second, but randomized activity is not the same as choices made to push or drag the rhythm, nor can the machine sense the environment of excitement or relaxation after a musical climax created within a group of players.

Perhaps an energetic extrovert would argue that he/she has a best of both worlds scenario where the instrumentalists retain a strict beat, pleasing to the dancers, while the soloist plays or sings against the beat to provide sufficient variation in tempo to humanize the music. I understand that the deviations from the tempo only need to be be very slight, a movement of between 10 to 20 milliseconds can be recognized.

If we accept this argument then the result should be applicable to both open listeners and extroverts. The open listener might argue that the main difference would be in the interaction of players when a more distant goal is considered, and a gradual or progressive accelerando is required, something the Roland drum machine is not capable of performing.  Let us not forget that there are very successful popular works that play with tempo changes, “Come on Eileen” is a good example, it is unusual enough to have Wiki comment on the fact in its article. Popular pieces with numerous tempo changes can be hugely popular, Stairway to Heaven and Bohemian Rhapsody come to mind, but popular music is a broad church.

I came across a thought provoking quotation by Holger Hennig in Physics Today which develops this issue:

It turns out that human beat variation is not entirely random. In 2011, Hennig's team had looked carefully at the timing of a professional drummer and found that while his hits shifted ahead and behind the beat, they shifted according to a set pattern. Not only that, the highly precise patterns lasted for minutes. "It is as if the human brain has an enduring memory for those deviations,"

This takes us to another issue of time, memory and time perception.

In simple terms psychologists are viewing the perception of time as being different to our five senses, based on an internal clock or possibly clocks (not the biological or circadian clocks). The process of gathering information seems complex, requiring reorganization and distribution to various parts of the brain, but the crux of the matter is that regularly perceived events take far less time to process while novel or unique events take more time and our perception is that time is drawn out. At my age the question “Where does the time go?” takes on a different meaning. Experiments with subjecting a viewer to regular and occasional images for the same length of time have the person reporting the latter as being viewed for longer.  Musicians are also aware of how heightened emotional states alters the sensation of time, from the drumming of the shaman to the loss of self as experienced in the Ring cycle or the immersive compositions of Carl Stone.

Psychologists developed tests relating to time perception which focused on particular film genres, the results demonstrated that fearful reactions prolonged experience, over estimations of time when viewing horror were common. Professor Droit-Volet also notes

"quite unexpectedly, sadness does not affect our perception of time, no doubt because the emotion felt when watching a sad film is not strong enough to slow down physiological functions,"

As a musician I find that contrary to experience, listening to recordings of Clive Bell playing the Shakuhachi in pieces like Sanya Sugakaki induces a sense of stillness which makes the estimation of real time very difficult.

https://youtu.be/nEbmGsy7bao?list=PL8JEnivnOMpOn8SBOlkZ6Dd2UgpqKoEzM

The research is ongoing, I hope to learn more of the work being undertaken; the following quotation fascinates me

"There is no single, uniform time, but rather multiple times which we experience. Our temporal distortions are a direct translation of the way in which our brain and body adapt to these multiple times, the times of life."

Having spent some time with this issue before posting the blog I came to a simple resolution of the question regarding the difference between open listeners and energetic extroverts. When you are dancing to music it is much more difficult to follow a train of thought. There are several meditative systems that focus on ecstatic experiences through movement, the Sufi dervishes being one. The types of music preferred by open listeners involve detailed processes of manipulation where the church pew or concert hall seat is perfectly acceptable. Perhaps our musical preference is rooted in how we are inclined to express ourselves through body movement in which case we should reconsider how audiences are expected to be treated when listening to, let us say, an energetic John Adams work! I think that process is under way but has yet to reach its proper conclusion.

Thank you for sharing your time in reading the blog, please feel free to share any particular experiences you have relating to music and the perception of time.

Giorgio Sollazzi  La Parete Inquieta  Analysis

The following slides are adapted from a power point presentation of an analysis of Giorgio Sollazzi's La Parete Inquieta. There is also a reprint of the overview of Sollazzi's music (the original is now deleted) and links to You Tube pieces, . The music can be heard on a You Tube video of the PowerPoint at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxTglSO0W3o

I expect that a score and video will be available, and I understand the composer is completing the electronic reworking of this music.

My thanks to GS for permitting the use of his score and to Davide Ficco for his excellent performance which made hearing the musical logic so much easier.

Clicking on the slides will enlarge the images.

 

A brief overview of Giorgio Sollazzi’s music.

Sometimes a composer’s shorter pieces are the most interesting, the musical intention is clear and each detail can be savoured for its contribution to the whole.  Like a short story there are fewer characters and situations to which the characters react. When Giorgio Sollazzi shared the work “Tribute to Ives” he offered an insight into his interests in a specific musical character and his own style of writing.

The oboe part played by Roberto Manilla is the dominant factor in the music and the electronics take a secondary role, the additional sounds are sparingly used. The progression of the music grows from a short four note figure to successions of short phrases (which do merge to form longer statements as the music unfolds), these are underpinned by the electronic sounds which contrast the oboe textures and sonority.  There is little interaction between the two layers but they complement each other.  The electronic sounds also mark the progression of the music defining the subsections with sfz chords and a short passage which is a cadence to conclude the tribute.

Where a composer takes his sources for electronic sounds is a personal and private matter, the essential point being how it contributes to the whole.  There are indications though that the material, which adds drama through its use of movement across the stereo image and its tremolo rhythms, is a sample of music (not taken from the oboe) there being sounds which suggest spiccato string sounds, this short passage is highly effective against the legato of the oboe.

Given the title there would be few listeners of contemporary music who would fail to make some connection with the Unanswered Question. The notes to Ives’ score suggest that an oboe may take the trumpet part. There is an immediate connection with the movement of the trumpet phrase and Sollazzi’s oboe phrases which tempt one to ask the question how similar are the two parts. The Ives trumpet part is very limited a five note group with a single pitch modification in the repeat, the Sollazzi phrases, as stated, extend to longer groups until the close where two clear events emerge, a chromatic rise and the fall of a fifth and a descending scale which leads to a closing figure on E, B, C, B which complements the electronic sounds.

When taken as individual phrases there are high levels of similarity in the pitch content of successive phrases which then expand or contract, taking a sample from the 1^st main section:

024 69

024569

0245 8

0235 7 (x2)

02358

This may or may not be part of a larger plan in the design of the music, but what it does is to provide a link between phrases as a gradual evolution of a specific figure, and that can be heard.

Formally I hear the music as being in four sections, the solo oboe, the agitated electronic and oboe section concluded by the sfz chord (approx. 1’ 30”), the third section with the spiccato like electronic sounds where the phrases extend, this also closing with a sfz chord, and the final chromatic rise (chord) cantabile section and cadence. Timing these section (approximately) we have two outer sections of 44” and 45” and two inner sections of 54” and 53” giving a total duration of 3’16”.

Listening to “Freud and the Moon” presents in under four minutes a sonic drama. The main argument is a melodic line for a virtual instrument. This solo material presents the first of two levels the second and more complex level being a series of gestures in the form of electronically processed sounds. This contrast taken with the title suggests a programmatic element, an introverted, or at least reflective figure, disturbed by recollections of experiences, both pleasant and disruptive. Freud, as the father of psychoanalysis, fits well into this simple interpretation of the music, Freud being the observer noting the reactions of a patient. Does the music offer the type and range of emotional responses that support this view?

The electronics offer the listener a constantly changing set of sounds, sometimes near vocal, sometimes bell-like, and apart from one fortissimo outburst the effect is subtle, the sounds produced on the edge of our recognition. The musical effect of half-recognised yet familiar sounds is to draw us into the minutiae of the textures. At the very opening the electronic sounds literally call on the listener with a sharp demanding tone and up to the 1.40 mark have a near human quality, this gives way to a more aggressive, explosive passage, after which the music becomes reflective. In this more subdued section sounds are concordant and recollect music that is 19th century in style, almost like listening to an old style gramophone player reproducing a slow dance.

The sense of observing action on a stage is heightened at one point by the use of spatial setting, the music travels as if a procession was in place, if it were a quadrophonic recording I feel certain it would encompass the front to rear of the listening area in its journey.

The virtual instrument has different qualities according to its register, string like tones in the bass and gentle bell-like tones in the upper, the light use of vibrato again suggests a vocal character. Its song, like in many of the composer's works, ranges widely with well-spaced intervals so that quite simple harmonic material takes on a contemporary character.

The question was asked if the music supports a dramatic interpretation, I see and hear no reason to discard the view, indeed I would be tempted to suggest that this would work well in the context of a semi-staged music drama, and should this be one work in a series of such reflections the time scale would be appropriate.

There are many Sollazzi works to hear on YouTube in addition to the six selected on our blog and among these is a short piano piece called “Gem Crystals”. The work opens with a succession of chords over the full range of the piano. Semitone dissonances form a sharp edge to the opening of the music, but as the music progresses rhythmic figures created through repeated notes become more prominent and the music takes on a different character suggesting some of the textures we more readily associate with late Beethoven or even the way that Ives quotes Beethoven. English readers of the blog may be surprised to know that the performer Marcella Coletti was nine years of age at the time, so much for contemporary music being inaccessible. For those who appreciate the range of sounds and rhythms of this work would enjoy his Piano Sonata’s third movement in particular.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0FLlI8--Y

There is so much more to explore in this music that I have already exceeded the usual 1K word limit that we impose on ourselves.  I shall leave Nurtan to reply to some of the observations made.

To complete this short overview I will post some answers given by Giorgio to my enquiries over the past few weeks:

"Many UK musicians think of Italian music as very lyrical, is a singing quality important to you?"

I can say that I love "bel canto", Verdi, Puccini etc, we, as Italians, eat the lyric with mother's milk. But I don't compose thinking about singing quality, maybe something enters in my music unconsciously.

"The music I have heard is dramatic, the music consists of many gestures, like an actor on the stage. Do you compose with gestures in mind rather than use a matrix to organise your music?"

I try to work my sounds by means of musical intelligence and sensibility, so, yes there are gestures and a matrix. The matrix can be complex, but I want my listeners to hear emotions in the architecture.

"The music you share on you tube is relatively short, have you written any large scale music?"

Yes, I wrote pieces for large orchestra like "Concerto per tre violini e orchestra", "L'opera della terra e della luna", "Cronolalia" etc. I composed these works during the 1980s.

"It is clear that you appreciate music of the previous centuries, does any one composer influence the way you compose?"

I love Beethoven so much that when I was young I believe - hoped - of being his reincarnation. I 'm not sure Beethoven's music influences the way I compose, but I try to have the same strong sense of expression. Other ideal teachers are Ives and Nono.

"Have you used direct quotation from other composers in your music?"

No, I haven't. I don't like that method because only Berg, Stravinsky or a genius can do it well.

“Are there any particular instruments that you favour?”

I particularly love those instruments that have a deep sound like the cello, double bass, bassoon and bass clarinet.

"What is your view of musicians who use FM synthesis?"

I love new technologies and how they open the making of music to everyone.

"I like your use of space in music, is it an important structural part of your work?"

Yes, it is. In the past we had great examples: Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli during the fifteenth century used space so creatively in their music. After Stockhausen I think every composer must use, when it is possible, space as structural part in their music.

Freud and the Moon                                                     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP69CSEKv40

Evoked Potential Cult                                                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuPwhkhoUA

Forse neanche il futuro (Perhaps even the future) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3OW7IRU7Vw

Piano Sonata the first movement                               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52gOo2oqWhI

Gelida torre (Cold tower)                                             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIsJhS16A8Y

For Maurizio Pollini                                                       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOkfOfhTOsI

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