Having little experience with
contemporary classical music, I am excited to embark on the challenge of
discovering this world. Whilst I
understand that there are many different styles and genres within this family
of music, I am keen to explore the more ‘experimental’ styles. McCleery (2008:12) suggests that, despite a
lack of public acceptance, ‘experimental’ techniques are merely a way to move
music forward and push the boundaries of tradition.
However, before choosing which
style and composer to further research, I wanted to gain a further
understanding of the styles listed in the course material. I have made brief notes on each section
below.
Minimalism
It is clear to see that minimalism
has been a huge influence of some of the more popular genres of today. The introduction of simple, repeating motifs
creates a modern feeling to this style, whilst the layering of these motifs
creates a more ‘traditional’ motion by creating a development and eventual
crescendo of the pieces.
Steve Reich – Music for 18
Musicians (1976)
The gradual introduction of
instruments into this suite takes the listener through a variety of
emotions. The piece begins with the
gentle introduction of a number of instruments repeating simple patterns and
gradually growing in volume. As the
composition develops, other layers appear, until the piece takes on a ‘hectic’
feel. Towards the end of the piece the
‘layers’ begin to disappear giving the listener a feeling of ‘winding down’.
Terry Riley – In C (1964)
Much like Reich’s composition, Riley
has used repetition and simple motifs to create this piece. Due to the emphasis on percussion in this
piece, at times an almost tribal theme appears, creating tension and a
ceremonious feel. During the course of
this composition, I experienced a growing feeling of tension and during the
middle section, the tones of the percussion gave me a sense of overload. Although I may not particular have liked the
instruments used in this piece, I have to respect that, despite the overwhelming
tones of the percussion, a light and more traditionally ‘classical’ melody was
present throughout. This offered an
interesting backdrop to the harsh ‘worldly’ tones of the wooden-percussion
section.
Religious Composers (holy
minimalism)
Holy minimalism is simply the
application of ‘minimalism’ to the previously more traditional techniques of
composing religious music. ‘Holy
Minimalism’ refers to a number of composers who applied the techniques of Riley
and Reich to prayer.
Taverner – The Protecting Veil
(1989)
It is clear to see how Taverner has
‘tweaked’ the ideas of minimalism for this composition. Although the same principles of ‘layering’
apply, there is definitely a wider sense of ceremony and grandeur associated
with prayer and an infinite being.
Arvo Part – Spiegel in Spiegel
(1978)
This pieces varies slightly from
the one above in its use of layering to create crescendo effect. Unlike Taverner’s great and grand composition
to God, Part’s piece seems to give a more constant feel and sound, perhaps
referring to the heavens.
New Complexity
To me, new complexity is best
thought of as ‘when maths meets music’.
The academic and scientific method in which these pieces are composed
leaves me questioning the presence of ‘emotion’ behind a piece. As I stated earlier in this blog, I believe
very strongly that good music stems from emotion and an understanding of the
techniques and complexity of music.
However, this style does also allow for the musician to choose how the
piece is played, given the sometimes very difficult nature of the composition.
Brian Ferneyhough – Mnemosyne
(1986)
To me, this piece held no feeling
of movement or development. Although the
instruments technically ‘worked’ together in terms of pitch and tone, I found
the variations between dissonant and consonant tones to detract from any
melodic value. There just seems to be a
lack of excitement and danger in the piece, with no sudden or dramatic changes
or movements.
Brian Ferneyhough – Carceri d’Invenzione
I (1982)
Unlike Mnemosyne this piece was filled with drama and intrigue. Somehow in this piece the dissonance really
worked with the choice of instruments, and the varying dynamics gave further
motion to the piece. Whilst listening to
this piece I found myself comparing it to film scores and feel that this piece
would fit extremely well as a backdrop to a horror picture.
I found the choice and range of
instruments in this composition to be very different from the last. This time a wide range of instrument,
spanning different families and ranges were included to create such a powerful
piece.
Choral Music/Tonality
Leading a choir of children has
given me a deeper insight into the intricacies of choral music. Whilst Choirs may have traditionally been
associated with the church and religion, today they are used within much larger
audiences and span a range of musical genres.
By following the traditional ‘key systems’ choral music presents a sound
which the human ear is trained to hear as harmonic and ‘correct’.
John Rutter – Requiem (1985)
Whilst this piece is tonally
perfect, I found its style to still be quite in keeping with older choral
pieces. Much like its older
counterparts, it contains very strong vocals, layered to create a very grand
and awe-inspiring effect.
Morten Lauridsen – O Magnum
Mysterium (1994)
Once again, I found this piece to
be quite dated in its style, which leads me to question whether there have been
any substantial developments in Choral music in the past hundred years. Although this piece, and Requiem were written in the twentieth
century, it is hard to see any modern techniques in their compositions.
Microtonality and spectralism
The system of using the ‘tones
between tones’ provides a very novel idea in terms of western composition, but
has actually be used in other world music for many years. The development of specialist instruments on
which to plays these tones does demonstrate a significant progression in
musical styles, but it once again falls to the skills of classically trained
musicians to pull off this type of music.
