HUMMEL REFORGED: PIANO SONATA OP. 81

WILLIAM HUME
Boston University College of Fine Arts, 2024

Major Professor: Victor Coelho, Professor of Music, Musicology and Ethnomusicology; Chair of Historical Performance; Director, Center for Early Music Studies

ABSTRACT

This study examines the Piano Sonata Opus 81 in F-sharp minor, by the Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837). Despite the considerable existing scholarship on Hummel’s life and influence, a pianistic perspective has been largely overlooked, especially concerning his Sonata Op. 81. By analyzing specific metrics and drawing comparisons between historical piano treatises and modern learning theories, the present study sheds new light on Hummel’s compositional style and pedagogical ideas, using the Piano Sonata Op. 81, as the centerpiece. Examples from the work demonstrate Hummel’s style of ornamentation, and his use of fantasy elements, virtuosic innovations, and his important role in continuing the improvisation tradition. To demonstrate Hummel’s expansion of fantasy elements and anticipation of Romantic virtuosity, this study provides comparisons to works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Liszt. Finally, the study explores Hummel’s anticipation of modern learning theories. By providing a practical guide for use in the contemporary studio or on stage, this study attempts to “reforge” Hummel’s standing as an important pedagogue, composer and pianist worthy of serious consideration and study.

Performance Details ~
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 6:30 pm
Marshall Room, College of Fine Arts, Boston University
855 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA

Welcome to my DMA chamber recital! Today’s program will highlight instruments across nearly all families – strings, woodwinds, brass and chordophone (piano). The repertoire speaks to various styles including early 19th-century classicism, French neoclassicism and the synthesis of serialism and jazz.

Below are full repertoire details, program notes and performers’ biographies ~

Recital Program

Piano Trio “Archduke” Op. 97 in B-flat Major

I – Allegro moderato
II – Scherzo (Allegro)
III – Andante cantabile, ma però con moto
IV – Allegro moderato

Yeonji Shim, violin
Chao Du, cello

INTERMISSION (10 minutes)

Ballade for Trombone and Piano

Anthony Cosio-Marron, trombone

Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano, FP 43

I – Presto
II – Andante
III – Rondo

Amber Verser, oboe
April Verser, bassoon

Program Notes

Ludwig van Beethoven – “Archduke” Trio
Keywords: Expanded Forms, Sudden Contrasts, Reverence
Composed 1811 in Vienna, Austria

Of all of Beethoven’s patrons, Archduke Rudolph, the dedicatee of Trio Op. 97, played the most significant financial and personal role in Beethoven’s life. A skilled musician, the Archduke became one of Beethoven’s few private students in 1803, studying piano and composition. Soon after, the Archduke began supplementing Beethoven’s annual salary in today’s equivalent of thousands of dollars per month. From there on, Beethoven would dedicate numerous works to the Archduke. When Napoleon’s conquest of Vienna forced Archduke Rudolph to flee in 1809, Beethoven composed the famous “Les Adieux” Sonata to acknowledge his temporary absence. The movements are titled “The Farewell,” “The Absence” and “The Return.” The Archduke and Beethoven continued their friendship and correspondence until the end of Beethoven’s life. One of the last piece’s Beethoven wrote for the Archduke was the Missa Solemnis mass, completed in 1823 just before the Ninth Symphony in 1824. This honored the appointment of Archduke Rudolph as Archbishop of Olomouc. The below excerpt of a letter Beethoven sent to the Archduke captures Beethoven’s appreciation for his patron and friend:

“All that can be comprehended in one wish, or individually named,–health, happiness, and prosperity,–all are included in the prayer I offer up for Y.R.H. on this day. May the wish that I also form for myself be graciously accepted by Y.R.H., namely, that I may continue to enjoy the favor of Y.R.H.” – Beethoven writing to Archduke Rudolph in 1819

Written in 1811, Trio Op. 97 is the last of Beethoven’s 14 piano trios and is the longest, due to extended movement forms. Beethoven himself played the fortepiano part at the premiere in 1814, marking one of his last public performances due to his hearing loss.

Movement one follows an extended sonata form. The theme in B-flat is presented with various piano accompaniment before modulating to the surprising key of the Major submediant, G Major, for the second theme. The exposition then closes with an extended arpeggiated section. The development uses various subdivisions and syncopations to create rhythmic drive and explores virtuosity through tremolos, ornamentation and scales in 3rds and 6ths. As is customary in the recapitulation, both thematic areas stay in the tonic key of B-flat Major, and the coda includes additional piano arpeggiation and use of Major and minor sonorities to build anticipation for the final cadence.

The word “scherzo” refers to a joke, and the second movement’s bouncing theme in a lively triple meter creates a sense of unfolding excitement. Beethoven explores sudden or “subito” dynamic changes and motivic repetition to create drama. In the interior section, each instrument presents a single-note stepping line one after another that creates a canon in the ensemble. This scheming character leads to a bold theme in D-flat Major and falling ornamentation. In the second instance of this theme, Beethoven modulates to E Major. The third time, Beethoven delays the bold theme using a pedal point in the piano that crescendos until finally reaching the theme, this time in B-flat Major. All of these key changes are written with new key signatures, underscoring a move to the romantic convention of formalizing “out-of-key” playing. The A material returns, and the coda alludes to the stepping motif of the interior section before concluding with a final ascending scale.

In the third movement, Beethoven makes frequent use of passages that grow louder and more intense, only to lead to a sudden soft chord, creating a feeling of vulnerability. The piece is a variation set featuring a tender step-wise theme. The theme’s phrase begins in D Major and moves to the dominant of A Major, before returning to D.  Each presentation of the theme is in 28 measures, and Beethoven sets it to different harmonic textures and rhythmic motifs, creating various moods and timbres. In the final variation, Beethoven restates the theme as heard in the opening bars but soon abandons the established phrase structure to create an expressive coda. The final chord draws the listener’s ear directly into the final movement.

The fourth movement opens with a jovial bouncing theme in the tonic key of B-flat Major. The piano plays a prominent role in developing the theme and driving the ensemble through scales, turning figures and quick, broken intervals. After a brief quiet melody in the dominant of F Major, Beethoven returns to the main theme. In this second presentation, the music quickly modulates to the subdominant of E-flat for an extended development filled with scales, arpeggiation and tremolos. It is in this dramatic section that the violin and cello finally take the theme for the third statement, which returns to the tonic key of B-flat. The ensemble begins the coda together, very quietly with a long piano trill in the surprising key of A Major. The strings present a version of the theme, this time in three note grouping to create a sense of drive. The coda then shifts back to B-flat Major with continuous piano figuration and call and response between the strings and piano. The piece ends with an even faster rising and falling passage for an exciting final cadence.

Frank Martin – Ballade for Trombone and Piano
Keywords: Extremes, Abandon, Epic
Composed 1940 in Geneva, Switzerland

Frank Martin was one of the most important Swiss composers in the 20th century. In his early training, Martin studied neoclassical composers like Ravel and soon developed a penchant for twelve-tone writing. He held prestigious teaching positions in Switzerland at the Geneva Conservatoire and the Technicum Moderne de Musique, and later in the Netherlands at Hochschule für Musik where he even mentored the influential electronic and serial composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Martin also established the Chamber Music Society of Geneva and served as conductor and keyboardist. Martin’s works include numerous instrumental and orchestral compositions, ensemble repertoire, theater pieces and an opera. By blending influences of tonality, atonality, jazz, spirituality and text-settings, Martin’s music speaks to the best of 20th century trends and resonates with large audiences.

The Ballade is a crucial work for literature written for trombone and piano, because it is the first of this setting to explore serial techniques, or composing through series of pitches, dynamics and rhythms. Furthermore, the piece blends jazz and classical conventions. A testament of Martin’s study of post-tonal composers like Arnold Schoenberg, the trombone opens the piece by playing ten notes which create a tone-row that is transformed throughout. The piece creates a sense of unfolding narrative through successive sections of new material and several tempo changes. Throughout, the piece captures moments of propulsion, scheming and grandeur.

Francis Poulenc – Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano
Keywords: Heightened Expression, Communicative, Jovial
Composed 1924-1926 in Paris, France

Francis Poulenc’s pieces blend classical forms while showcasing his unique compositional voice. Poulenc was self-taught and well-versed in classical literature, receiving guidance from important 20^th century figures like Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel and Manuel de Falla, the Trio’s dedicatee. He was part of a group of French composers known as “Les Six” which generally favored a neoclassical style over late romanticism or impressionism.

Poulenc’s music demonstrates contrasts of mood from ecstatic joy to longing sentimentality. In the Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano, each movement has sections of contrasting thematic material, articulation and mood. In addition, the instruments frequently trade melodies to create the sense of a conversation. An accomplished pianist, Poulenc performed the premiere of the Trio in Paris in 1926.

In his life, Poulenc faced struggles and battled depression. His parents died when he was young, and he served in both World Wars. In fact, his early piano teacher, Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes became a guardian figure for Poulenc and encouraged him to continue pursuing music. Despite Poulenc’s struggles, his music maintains a sense of humor, and his numerous instrumental, vocal, orchestral and operatic works constitute a major part of 20th century French repertoire.

Meet the Performers

Yeonji Shim started to study the violin at 4 years old in South Korea. She attended Sunhwa Arts School and Seoul Arts High School, earned the Bachelor of Music degree at Yonsei University, and did graduate work at both Indiana University (MM) and Mannes before entering the Doctoral program at BU where she is a violin student of Professor Peter Zazofsky. She made her solo debut with the Anima Chamber Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center in 2015. Yeonji’s summer activities have included the National Repertoire Orchestra (Breckenridge, CO), Academie internationale d’ete de Nice (France), etc. Among her many other distinctions are IU’s Artistic Excellence Award, and membership in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in 2019.

Chao Du began her cello studies at age eight with Professor Xiaoying Han from Xi’an conservatory of music. She earned Bachelor’s degrees in cello performance at the Xi’an Conservatory of Music, and she went on to earn the Master of Music degree at Boston University’s School of Music. Chao won several music competitions. These include First Prize in Shaanxi Province of “CCTV National Art TV Competition. China (2005), Excellent Performance award in the “Sixth VC Cup of Professional Cello Competition” (2008), First Prize of the Second Shaanxi Music Awards Cello Competition.(2010). She played Chopin “Polonaise Brillante Op.3” in Chinese cello Society Council concert in 2008. To this, in the journal which is called “Performer”（the third issue, 2009) made special a feature on her performance , and made comment on “her playing enthusiastic and unrestrained, full of imagination, and her presentation on music is very depth”. She has participated in the Oberstdorfer Musiksommer Masterclasses in Germany (2011), The Festiv’ Academies 1000 Sources & Dordogne Music Festival in France, and she got invited and fully sponsored by French cellist Marie-Thérèse Grisenti (2012), First Beijing International Cello Festival (2013), First International Cello Festival in Shanghai (2013), Bowdoin International Music Festival in the USA (2014), Spoleto Festival USA (2018, 2019) , She also is a member of Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. Chao is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Boston University, studying with Professor Michael Reynolds.

Anthony Cosio-Marron is a Boston Philharmonic Crescendo Music Education teaching fellow and trombonist. He began playing trombone as an elementary schooler in Maryland where he grew up. He received his Bachelor’s degree in trombone performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Master’s from the University of Michigan. He is currently a doctoral student at Boston University and a freelance trombonist in the Boston area. Though his training is mostly classical, he has had the good fortune to have experience in jazz, musical theater, and pop styles. As a trombonist, he has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, and Qatar Philharmonic, as well as in the pit at the North Shore Music Theater. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, sketching, and spending time with his wife and newborn daughter.

Praised by Cape News for her “seamlessly superb” playing, oboist Amber Verser is an active freelancer of orchestral, chamber, and solo music. She has performed with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra of the Viennese Volksoper, Philharmonia Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra. She holds a Master of Performance in orchestral performance from the Royal College of Music and also has degrees from Bowling Green State University and Lawrence University. Her teachers include Nermis Mieses, Christine Pendrill, John Anderson, and Howard Niblock. In addition to performance, she teaches oboe and is a chamber music coach for the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras.

April Verser is a bassoonist/contrabassoonist and educator, originally from Loveland, CO. She is currently studying for a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Bassoon Performance at Boston University under primary teachers Nancy Goeres and Margaret Phillips. She received her Masters in Bassoon Performance from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA in 2013, where she also studied with Nancy Goeres. In 2011, she received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education (Instrumental) and Bassoon Performance along with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics with a German minor from Lawrence University in Appleton WI. At Lawrence, she studied bassoon with Monte Perkins and piano with Lee Tomboulian, and she holds a WI teaching certificate.

As an educator, April has taught private lessons in bassoon, clarinet, and piano since 2010. She also currently holds a teaching position at Boston University, teaching aural music theory to undergraduates.

April is a regularly performing freelance bassoonist in the greater Boston area. Prior to moving to Boston, April lived in the Chicago area, and was a regular freelancer in the Chicago area. April has held positions with the Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, the Beloit-Janesville Symphony, the Rockford Wind Quintet, and the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, among other groups.

April is also the Camp Director of MathPath, a summer program for exceptionally mathematically gifted students age 11-14, and a competitive mathematics contest problem-writer, and a competitive mathematics coach for secondary students. In her spare time, April enjoys baking and doing textile crafts – especially cross stitching.

William Hume is a doctoral pianist at Boston University and recently completed the Arts Management Certificate Program at Metropolitan College. He works as Education Coordinator for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, teaches at the South Shore Piano School in Quincy and is Minister of Music at the Shiloh Baptist Church in Medford. His other passions include chamber music, music theory and arranging music.

Acknowledgements

Thank You to my teacher, Prof. Linda Jiorle-Nagy, for your guidance in my studies these past three years and on this great repertoire. Thank you as well to Prof. Peter Zazofsky for your time in coaching our ensemble. Thank you to Prof. Shiela Kibbe for your advising. My deepest admiration and appreciation to my ensemble collaborators Yeonji, Chao, Anthony, Amber and April for your illuminating musicianship and efforts. Thank you to Boston University administration, faculty and staff. And thank you to my family and friends for your support!

Please join me for a tour through the ages – from Renaissance England to Classical Austria, to late-Romantic Russia, and finishing with a tribute to American Folk Music!

This performance is sponsored by the Carlisle Musical Arts Club. A special thanks to CMAC President Donna Houser, Ken Houser, Janis Glosenger, the Carlisle Musical Arts Club, Carlisle United Methodist Church, The Sentinel and the Carlisle community.

Walsingham Variations
Theme + 29 Variations

(approximately 16 minutes)

Sonata in A Major, D. 664
I – Allegro moderato
II – Andante
III – Allegro

(approximately 15 minutes)

Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
One continuous sonata form movement

(approximately 13 minutes)

“In the Bottoms” Suite
IV. Barcarolle (Morning)
V. Juba (Dance)

(approximately 8 minutes)

Program Notes

This program includes works that have been personally eye-opening. As I am approaching the end of my formal studies, I wanted to choose major works by composers I still had not developed a strong understanding of. The more confident I grew learning the notes, the greater a role I felt the understanding of time periods, composers’ ideas and influences played on making this music speak as it was intended. I continuously discover new details and build a deeper appreciation for these pieces through my ongoing study, guidance of my teacher and advice of my peers. Most importantly, it is a reminder to celebrate this music and the chance to perform it for new audiences, who continue to give it life. What follows is a collection of key takeaways I feel speak to the core of what each work represents. I hope these notes will enhance your concert experience and even spur further curiosity. Thank you for joining me!  

John Bull – Walsingham Variations
Keywords: Variety, Mood, Touch Types
Composed probably between 1596 and 1607

After receiving his doctoral degree in 1592 from Cambridge, Renaissance composer John Bull was one of the first faculty appointed to Gresham University in 1596 under the recommendation of Queen Elizabeth I. It is there he is believed to have composed the set of variations on a theme known as Walsingham, shown below:

Bull uses the same melody and harmonic progression for each of his 30 variations. Herein lies the challenge as a pianist – since the variations are so similar in their sound and occur in close succession (each is only eight measures long) it is particularly important to find ways of distinguishing each one.

Because this piece was written for a virginal, an early plucked instrument, there are no articulation or dynamic markings in the score. However, a performer at the time could use several tricks to elicit different moods and give the illusion of varying dynamics. A variation with a higher volume of notes would naturally seem louder, and vice versa. A modern piano can accentuate these differences. The performer can also change tempos suddenly between two variations to capture a different intensity level or build gradually through successive variations. A modern piano also has more versatility in assigning touch types to the plethora of rhythmic motifs within variations, further distinguishing the feel and character of each.

It is up to the modern pianist to decide what range of experimentation fits within a stylistic interpretation. Composers up through the Baroque era believed that emotions existed as fixed states, and certain music could evoke each in a listener. As such, I have tried to choose a consistent tempo and articulation for each individual variation. Furthermore, I have tried to avoid using crescendo or decrescendo within variations, which the virginal could not do. I instead terrace the dynamics which means to change the dynamic level at a specific point like a repetition of a motif or new variation.

Finally, I approached memory by gradually building up sets of variations to form a more cohesive whole. I identified subsets of four to five variations that I could rehearse with attention to details and with continuity between variations. Then I created three large sections on the way to performing the entire piece. The chart below shows some of my reference notes for a group of variations:

This piece is improvisatory in the sense that Bull is experimenting with how to present the same material in many ways. Therefore, I believe it is important to be open to new ways of hearing and playing any given variation and even trying to ornament with spontaneity. After all, musicians performing in the Renaissance period were appreciated for their ability to entertain and also build community in social settings.

Franz Schubert – Sonata in A Major, D. 664
Keywords: Melody, Contrasts, Warmth
Composed in 1819

Schubert was known for crafting beautiful melodies, with Franz Liszt even declaring him “the most poetic musician who ever lived.” He wrote over 600 songs, known as lieder. By the time the Sonata in A Major, D.664 was composed, Schubert had already established himself as an innovative song writer. His favorite poetry was by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, of which Schubert set over 70 works. In 1815, Schubert wrote over 200 songs in total. Audiences were fascinated by Schubert’s more active use of the piano and clever harmonies, as well as his new approach to through-composing certain songs to better tell the story. One source notes –

Of course, to contemporary listeners who have become accustomed to the formlessness and colorful harmonies of works by Liszt, Strauss, or Debussy for instance, Schubert’s grand departure from strophic form may not shock or disturb. But Schubert’s innovations within the realm of Lieder were no less novel than Beethoven’s in symphonic music.

Gleason, Michaela. (2019). Cohesion and Conflict: Schubert, Goethe and the Creative Forces at Play in Song Study.

Completed in 1819 when he was only 22, Schubert dedicated this sonata to a pianist and singer named Josephine von Koller who also performed many of his lieder. Scholars believe the piece was inspired by the serenity Schubert felt in the Austrian mountainside where he was on vacation at the time.

Each of the three movements has a peaceful and warm melody. Within the melodic line, Schubert explores changes in harmony, especially using the parallel Major and minor, subito (sudden) dynamics, and register shifts, creating different colors and moments of both excitement and introspection. For these surprises, the sonata remains overall a joyful and benevolent piece and is even the shortest of all his sonatas, signally a time of comfort and positivity in Schubert’s tragically short and often troubled life.

Alexander Scriabin – Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
Keywords: Maximalist Sonority, Spontaneity, Immersion, Mysticism
Composed in 1907

Alexander Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5 is an explosion of sound and sonority. The accompanying poem reads – 

I call you to life, O mysterious forces!
Drowned in the obscure depths
Of the creative spirit, timid
Shadows of life, to you I bring audacity!
— Alexander Scriabin

Interestingly, this piece is in a single movement sonata form. Scriabin uses this continuous form to greater immerse the listener. He maximizes each section of the sonata with multiple themes derived from similar intervals and rhythms as well as rich polyharmony, often stacking three harmonies at once, yielding amazing sonorities. So often, Scriabin creates small and large scale harmonic motion in which we hear chords resolving to each other in the short term but also realize that Scriabin is creating an even larger harmonic progression through the aggregate of these local sections, spanning an entire page. 

These sonorities were important to Scriabin, who had synesthesia, meaning he could see colors through sound. In fact, one sonority first heard in Sonata No. 5 in different permeations is the Mystic chord, made from a series of fourths intervals, seen below.

Can you spot the Mystic chord intervals in the chord below?

The sonata is packed full of content and overflowing with sonority which creates an immersive and sometimes confronting listening experience. The music both pulls an audience in with what feels like pools of gravity while breaking away unpredictably. It is a testament to Scriabin’s aural imagination and ingenuity.

Robert Nathaniel Dett 
Barcarolle and Juba from “In The Bottoms” Suite
Keywords: Americana, Tradition, Character Pieces
Composed in 1913

Robert Nathaniel Dett, born in Canada and later living in the United States, was an esteemed musician, scholar and choir director. He received his bachelor’s degree and an honorary doctorate from Oberlin as well as a master’s degree from Eastman, where the Sibley Library preserves many of his manuscripts. He also studied at Harvard University and at the American Conservatory with pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. 

In 1926, he became the music director at the Hampton Institute in Virginia, and as conductor, he skyrocketed the choir to national prestige with critically acclaimed performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Boston’s Symphony Hall, among others. In 1930, the Hampton Choir toured seven countries and performed for President Hoover at the White House.

In addition to composing vocal and keyboard works, Dett was a skilled arranger of music and created two collections of “Negro Spirituals.” Furthermore, Dett wrote extensively on the history of African-American music and its modern performance, for which he received numerous awards from major universities. 

His set of character pieces from 1913, entitled “In the Bottoms,” are “impressions of moods or scenes” from slave life in the river bottoms in the South. The term barcarolle refers to a morning river boat ride and juba, as Dett describes, refers to slaves “stamping on the ground with the foot and following it with two staccato pats of the hands in two-four time.”

We have this wonderful store of folk music—the melodies of an enslaved people… But this store will be of no value unless we utilize it, unless we treat it in such manner that it can be presented in choral form, in lyric and operatic works, in concertos and suites and salon music—unless our musical architects take the rough timber of Negro themes and fashion from it music which will prove that we, too, have national feelings and characteristics, as have the European peoples whose forms we have zealously followed for so long.
— R. Nathaniel Dett

Robert Nathaniel Dett’s contributions to composition and commitment to ethnomusicology prove him to be one of the most important and forward looking 20th century American voices.

Thank You to my teacher at Boston University, Linda Jiorle-Nagy, for your keen mentorship and unwavering support.

Please join me for a tour through the ages – from Renaissance England to Classical Austria, to late-Romantic Russia, and finishing with a tribute to American Folk Music!

This program supports my partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree from Boston University and the College of Fine Arts.

Walsingham Variations
Theme + 29 Variations

(approximately 16 minutes)

Sonata in A Major, D. 664
I – Allegro moderato
II – Andante
III – Allegro

(approximately 15 minutes)

Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
One continuous sonata form movement

(approximately 13 minutes)

“In the Bottoms” Suite
IV. Barcarolle (Morning)
V. Juba (Dance)

(approximately 8 minutes)

Program Notes

This program includes works that have been personally eye-opening. As I am approaching the end of my formal studies, I wanted to choose major works by composers I still had not developed a strong understanding of. The more confident I grew learning the notes, the greater a role I felt the understanding of time periods, composers’ ideas and influences played on making this music speak as it was intended. I continuously discover new details and build a deeper appreciation for these pieces through my ongoing study, guidance of my teacher and advice of my peers. Most importantly, it is a reminder to celebrate this music and the chance to perform it for new audiences, who continue to give it life. What follows is a collection of key takeaways I feel speak to the core of what each work represents. I hope these notes will enhance your concert experience and even spur further curiosity. Thank you for joining me!  

John Bull – Walsingham Variations
Keywords: Variety, Mood, Touch Types
Composed probably between 1596 and 1607

After receiving his doctoral degree in 1592 from Cambridge, Renaissance composer John Bull was one of the first faculty appointed to Gresham University in 1596 under the recommendation of Queen Elizabeth I. It is there he is believed to have composed the set of variations on a theme known as Walsingham, shown below:

Bull uses the same melody and harmonic progression for each of his 30 variations. Herein lies the challenge as a pianist – since the variations are so similar in their sound and occur in close succession (each is only eight measures long) it is particularly important to find ways of distinguishing each one.

Because this piece was written for a virginal, an early plucked instrument, there are no articulation or dynamic markings in the score. However, a performer at the time could use several tricks to elicit different moods and give the illusion of varying dynamics. A variation with a higher volume of notes would naturally seem louder, and vice versa. A modern piano can accentuate these differences. The performer can also change tempos suddenly between two variations to capture a different intensity level or build gradually through successive variations. A modern piano also has more versatility in assigning touch types to the plethora of rhythmic motifs within variations, further distinguishing the feel and character of each.

It is up to the modern pianist to decide what range of experimentation fits within a stylistic interpretation. Composers up through the Baroque era believed that emotions existed as fixed states, and certain music could evoke each in a listener. As such, I have tried to choose a consistent tempo and articulation for each individual variation. Furthermore, I have tried to avoid using crescendo or decrescendo within variations, which the virginal could not do. I instead terrace the dynamics which means to change the dynamic level at a specific point like a repetition of a motif or new variation.

Finally, I approached memory by gradually building up sets of variations to form a more cohesive whole. I identified subsets of four to five variations that I could rehearse with attention to details and with continuity between variations. Then I created three large sections on the way to performing the entire piece. The chart below shows some of my reference notes for a group of variations:

This piece is improvisatory in the sense that Bull is experimenting with how to present the same material in many ways. Therefore, I believe it is important to be open to new ways of hearing and playing any given variation and even trying to ornament with spontaneity. After all, musicians performing in the Renaissance period were appreciated for their ability to entertain and also build community in social settings.

Franz Schubert – Sonata in A Major, D. 664
Keywords: Melody, Contrasts, Warmth
Composed in 1819

Schubert was known for crafting beautiful melodies, with Franz Liszt even declaring him “the most poetic musician who ever lived.” He wrote over 600 songs, known as lieder. By the time the Sonata in A Major, D.664 was composed, Schubert had already established himself as an innovative song writer. His favorite poetry was by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, of which Schubert set over 70 works. In 1815, Schubert wrote over 200 songs in total. Audiences were fascinated by Schubert’s more active use of the piano and clever harmonies, as well as his new approach to through-composing certain songs to better tell the story. One source notes –

Of course, to contemporary listeners who have become accustomed to the formlessness and colorful harmonies of works by Liszt, Strauss, or Debussy for instance, Schubert’s grand departure from strophic form may not shock or disturb. But Schubert’s innovations within the realm of Lieder were no less novel than Beethoven’s in symphonic music.

Gleason, Michaela. (2019). Cohesion and Conflict: Schubert, Goethe and the Creative Forces at Play in Song Study.

Completed in 1819 when he was only 22, Schubert dedicated this sonata to a pianist and singer named Josephine von Koller who also performed many of his lieder. Scholars believe the piece was inspired by the serenity Schubert felt in the Austrian mountainside where he was on vacation at the time.

Each of the three movements has a peaceful and warm melody. Within the melodic line, Schubert explores changes in harmony, especially using the parallel Major and minor, subito (sudden) dynamics, and register shifts, creating different colors and moments of both excitement and introspection. For these surprises, the sonata remains overall a joyful and benevolent piece and is even the shortest of all his sonatas, signally a time of comfort and positivity in Schubert’s tragically short and often troubled life.

Alexander Scriabin – Sonata No. 5, Op. 53
Keywords: Maximalist Sonority, Spontaneity, Immersion, Mysticism
Composed in 1907

Alexander Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5 is an explosion of sound and sonority. The accompanying poem reads – 

I call you to life, O mysterious forces!
Drowned in the obscure depths
Of the creative spirit, timid
Shadows of life, to you I bring audacity!
— Alexander Scriabin

Interestingly, this piece is in a single movement sonata form. Scriabin uses this continuous form to greater immerse the listener. He maximizes each section of the sonata with multiple themes derived from similar intervals and rhythms as well as rich polyharmony, often stacking three harmonies at once, yielding amazing sonorities. So often, Scriabin creates small and large scale harmonic motion in which we hear chords resolving to each other in the short term but also realize that Scriabin is creating an even larger harmonic progression through the aggregate of these local sections, spanning an entire page. 

These sonorities were important to Scriabin, who had synesthesia, meaning he could see colors through sound. In fact, one sonority first heard in Sonata No. 5 in different permeations is the Mystic chord, made from a series of fourths intervals, seen below.

Can you spot the Mystic chord intervals in the chord below?

The sonata is packed full of content and overflowing with sonority which creates an immersive and sometimes confronting listening experience. The music both pulls an audience in with what feels like pools of gravity while breaking away unpredictably. It is a testament to Scriabin’s aural imagination and ingenuity.

Robert Nathaniel Dett 
Barcarolle and Juba from “In The Bottoms” Suite
Keywords: Americana, Tradition, Character Pieces
Composed in 1913

Robert Nathaniel Dett, born in Canada and later living in the United States, was an esteemed musician, scholar and choir director. He received his bachelor’s degree and an honorary doctorate from Oberlin as well as a master’s degree from Eastman, where the Sibley Library preserves many of his manuscripts. He also studied at Harvard University and at the American Conservatory with pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. 

In 1926, he became the music director at the Hampton Institute in Virginia, and as conductor, he skyrocketed the choir to national prestige with critically acclaimed performances at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Boston’s Symphony Hall, among others. In 1930, the Hampton Choir toured seven countries and performed for President Hoover at the White House.

In addition to composing vocal and keyboard works, Dett was a skilled arranger of music and created two collections of “Negro Spirituals.” Furthermore, Dett wrote extensively on the history of African-American music and its modern performance, for which he received numerous awards from major universities. 

His set of character pieces from 1913, entitled “In the Bottoms,” are “impressions of moods or scenes” from slave life in the river bottoms in the South. The term barcarolle refers to a morning river boat ride and juba, as Dett describes, refers to slaves “stamping on the ground with the foot and following it with two staccato pats of the hands in two-four time.”

We have this wonderful store of folk music—the melodies of an enslaved people… But this store will be of no value unless we utilize it, unless we treat it in such manner that it can be presented in choral form, in lyric and operatic works, in concertos and suites and salon music—unless our musical architects take the rough timber of Negro themes and fashion from it music which will prove that we, too, have national feelings and characteristics, as have the European peoples whose forms we have zealously followed for so long.
— R. Nathaniel Dett

Robert Nathaniel Dett’s contributions to composition and commitment to ethnomusicology prove him to be one of the most important and forward looking 20th century American voices.

Thank You to Boston University, to my friends, family and my teacher, Linda Jiorle-Nagy, for your keen mentorship and unwavering support.

I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.

                                                                                                                  — John Cage

Music educators have faced challenges in adapting to remote teaching during the pandemic. This paper makes a case for change – not only in the way music education is delivered, but also in ways it needs to be improved and how it can be broadened to reach a growing constituency of diverse and multidisciplinary learners.  Accordingly, this argument for change will address three specific areas. First, it explores the rise of new learning models in the music industry and evaluates the poor state of teacher collaboration. Second, it examines COVID-driven challenges and lessons learned in the struggle to deliver quality education in a more blended or hybrid way.  Finally, to anticipate an emerging multidisciplinary landscape and improve music education, several recommendations are made that leverage pedagogical approaches and recognize a need for significantly expanding the use of online and multidisciplinary resources. As society continues to navigate education in a time of struggle and uncertainty, the courage to see changes through will reveal a renewed music industry defined by quality of education, accessibility and meaning for all in a 21^st century landscape.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Music training has expanded in the US, from the earliest community music schools to the rise of organizations aimed with connecting and educating music teachers and students. Famed pedagogue, Frances Clark, pioneered research in the field of music education.[1] Organizations like the National Association for Music Education seek to create a rich exchange between educators.[2] While these efforts have created a dialogue around music education, collaboration amongst music professionals is lacking. An interconnected learning community can increase the productivity of music teachers and quality of education.

Studies have reflected the poor state of collaboration in the music industry. The National Center for Education Statistics has stated that music teachers collaborate at lower rates than other school teachers.[3] One study says that 44% of elementary music teachers and 38% of secondary music teachers never participate in planning time with other arts specialists.[4] Furthermore, 60% to 70% of music teachers have not consulted teachers of other subjects to integrate course work.[5] Music teachers also face isolation and burnout.[6] Teachers may feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped with navigating work environments when alone in these efforts.

Professional learning communities can help music teachers collaborate and thrive. A recent effort that provides a good example of what a learning community can do to provide professional development opportunities for teachers stemmed from the grant program Race to the Top, signed into law by President Obama.[7]  A key focus of the program was to promote more frequent opportunities for educators and teachers to collaborate and share ideas. Furthermore, it showed how group brainstorming can help teachers find better solutions to achieve educational goals as well as helping teachers challenge individual perspectives to better serve students.

Music conservatories still lack initiatives to promote professional learning communities.  Conservatories developed around a master and apprentice model. The earliest music schools were appealing in offering a space for students and teachers to convene and have a rich exchange of ideas. Additionally, due to the expansion of the music industry in the 20th century, schools sought to codify music curriculum across performance, theory, aural skills and history.[8] Standardizing curriculum helped schools reach larger student bodies, but it also forced students to conform to a strict time line of learning. This can make it difficult for students to draw connections between concepts. Moreover, “music absolutism” has pervaded education, particularly in conservatories.[9] In this model, students learn from one teacher who curates the lesson structure. The teacher is considered the master authority on the subject, and the student models behavior.[10] A teacher in this model is embodying skills and reinforcing desired behaviors.[11] This method of imitation or rote training can help students quickly gain foundational skills in playing.  However, students may learn that they do not need to rely on their own authority to measure achievement or strategize for continue growth. Moreover, learning may not come from diverse sources, which may put students at a disadvantage when it comes to evaluating and synthesizing ideas.

While the old master and apprentice model may still have a role for the development of professional music performers, it is no longer sufficient in the modern era. An informal survey of American music conservatories supports this idea as many acknowledge that today’s musicians need much more as evidenced by expanded multi-disciplinary curriculum and programs that expose musicians to more than just performing. A prime example is demonstrated by the Eastman School of Music’s Art Leadership Program (ALP). Initiated in 1996, the ALP states that beyond having “superb technique and artistry,” success as professional musicians requires “the ability to communicate effectively, entrepreneurial skills, fluency with emerging technologies, commitment to audience engagement, and public advocacy for music and the arts.”[12] This acknowledgement that more is a necessary part of a comprehensive music education is also very instructive. If music conservatories recognize that aspiring musicians need to do more outside of the performance-based focus, and they can allocate time and resources to the effort, certainly non performance-based music programs can do the same.

While collaboration can help teachers expand their capacity to provide quality education to students, the question remains of how learning communities will evolve moving on from COVID. Understanding how educators have approached teaching during the pandemic can provide more context for the future of learning communities.

HYBRID LEARNING

In the Spring of 2020, during the COVID outbreak in the US, schools had to decide how to continue operations while protecting the community. Most universities chose to quickly move in person classes to remote learning platforms.[13] In anticipation of the fall semester, educators made concerted efforts to combine synchronous and asynchronous components into courses to appeal to both in person and remote students. A hybrid classroom can help teachers support students’ development by providing chances for students to customize learning and connect learning to outside the classroom. This can make music training more appealing and accessible.

As schools gradually resume in-person operations, institutions should retain elements of hybrid learning. One source notes that “hybrid courses combine the best aspects of in-person and online learning while making education more attainable for many students.”[14]  A challenge of in person teaching is the risk students face of developing passive learning habits, characterized by a lack of question asking, sharing of ideas and self evaluation.[15] As one source notes, “the message is that what goes on in a lesson is solely the teacher’s responsibility.”[16] Teachers can unlock self-motivation and interest in students through a variety of strategies including asking open-ended questions, giving students choice in work, incorporating smaller activities and using group work in curriculum.[17] Research has shown that students learn most deeply from various kinds of work and when given chances to apply learning in new contexts.[18] Teachers can plan activities that challenge skills in writing, reading, analysis, composing, presenting and more. In addition, teachers should provide opportunities for students to learn in and outside of the classroom to help students draw connections between learning and life. One school teacher put on a recital for students to perform excerpts of Mozart pieces in a retirement community. This led to a spontaneous discussion of style with residents who were taking music history classes.[19] By opening learning to the community, students applied skills in new ways and drew new connections between topics.        

Another benefit of hybrid learning is that students have more chances to experience the phenomenon known as “flow” – a term coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.[20] As Csikszentmihalyi explains, “flow is a feeling of passionate focus, a pleasurable time when work and play merge, when you concentrate deeply to overcome complex challenges.”[21] Flow is a sign that students are reaching their potential because they are able to fully engaged efforts towards tasks. Hybrid learning provides a classroom environment rich in various activities that provide more opportunities for students to make learning their own.

Obstacles stand in the way of implementing hybrid learning for teachers and students, across areas of technology, time management, health and access. While data is still being gathered, informal surveys shed light on challenges. Teachers and students alike face additional expenses to invest in quality recording equipment necessary to make music over virtual platforms.[22] Additionally, teachers may spend extra time assisting younger students with technology interface, sometimes requiring the presence of parents to assist children in lessons.[23] Another educator noted the difficulty in convening ensembles or accompanying students, since remote platforms do not easily support synchronous instrument playing.[24] Teachers may also spend greater hours working from home, since boundaries between work and home environments have blurred.[25] Some students enjoy the flexibility in taking classes from home, while others miss the routine from school.[26]  An unchanging backdrop of learning at home can be numbing, and students may feel less stimulated due to reduced in person interactions with peers.[27]  Schools must also make provisions for students at greater risk in remote learning environments. Students with special needs are disadvantaged by lack of in person care.[28] Moreover, studies have concluded that primary school aged students rely on social learning for cognitive development.[29]  One source notes how important it is for teachers to showcase emotions like enthusiasm, from which students can learn.[30] Additional populations at risk of remote education include essential worker families who rely on school as a means of child care and families with less available access to internet and remote technology.[31]

Teachers in schools and universities also face pressure from administration. Schools have set goals for content and timelines in which students need to work through material and demonstrate proficiency.[32] Teachers may feel constrained to stick to certain goals outlined ahead of each class, and not take time to adjust to each students’ needs. As one source notes, harboring students’ learning is a priority while working towards goals.[33] Teachers have to find a balance between covering curriculum and standardized testing while adjusting to each student’s needs.

Hybrid class settings can help students feel more engaged with learning by allowing more customization of content and application to real world settings. Students benefit from a learning environment that values their unique voices and preferences. If implemented in a way that accounts for the needs of students, faculty and administrators, hybrid classrooms can promote learning that is accessible, inspiring and long lasting.

PEDAGOGY INITIATIVES

In the months following the spring semester, universities have increased the focus on educating faculty about remote technology. Learning centers in major universities offer tutorials and workshops for faculty.[34]There are also efforts to convene regularly with teachers to assess progress in reaching goals as the pandemic evolves, and publicity about new technology for music education. Institutions and music organizations should continue making efforts to spread pedagogical research and training for teachers. Such initiatives will strengthen learning communities, effectiveness of hybrid classrooms and ability for music education to be meaningful to expanding audiences.

Music programs should bolster teacher training resources by leveraging support of organizations that focus on pedagogical research.  McKinsey & Company is a firm that provides research and strategies for schools and professionals across various industries. The firm recently released a guide for education during the COVID crisis with a focus on how educators can maximize a hybrid classroom in supporting students.[35] The College Music Society has created a forum to invite educators to exchange insights about teaching including materials, methodology and queries.[36] While the piano teaching community is no doubt familiar with pedagogue Jane Magrath’s The Pianist’s Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature, there are many other sources one should consider.[37] For example, musicians can share compositions and arrangements on open notation software like Musescore.[38] Possibilities for students engaging with music in multidisciplinary inspired software are continuing to be developed. One example is Scratch, an app where users combine basic coding skills to create music melodies and graphics.[39]  These resources help teachers and students alike learn about repertoire and software that can create a more holistic and stimulating learning progression.

Organizations dedicated to offering private music lessons have also risen and should anticipate a diversification of the music industry and music professional in the coming century. These schools help connect students with teaching faculty, and vice versa, usually through a tuition system. Some programs even include virtual events like masterclasses, where students pay to watch industry professionals play and discuss music.[40] If not careful, these programs run the risk of creating a master and student power hierarchy where the scope of information and student participation are diminished.

Efforts to expand pedagogy studies should connect teachers with each other and rich resources, focusing on increasing the quality of education for students with interests outside of solely performing. Moreover, schools and organizations should anticipate a move to online learning platforms and exchange of experience that is multidisciplinary, easily accessible and capable of forming a hybrid curriculum.

CONCLUSION

Remote learning has posed a challenge to educators and students but also an opportunity to embrace change moving forward. Care for diverse learners and consideration of a variety of perspectives can be guiding principles in the evolution of music education. Rich collaboration amongst music educators can provide confidence in tackling and maximizing hybrid classroom settings. Progress in forging quality education and music content accessible to all learners will reap long term rewards. The music industry can adapt to a multidisciplinary and interconnected environment that welcomes the participation and contributions of every individual. This landscape will also be a reminder of music’s capacity to be a vehicle for growth, expression and meaning for all.

[1]  “About Frances Clark,” The Frances Clark Center, accessed November 5, 2020, https://keyboardpedagogy.org/homepage/about-frances-clark .

[2] “NAfME History and Leadership,” National Association for Music Education (NAfME), accessed November 6, 2020, https://nafme.org/about/ .

[3] Sharyn L. Battersby, “Reimagining Music Teacher Collaboration: The Culture of Professional Learning Communities as Professional Development Within Schools and Districts,” General Music Today, April 8, 2019, accessed November 7, 2020, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1048371319840653 .

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Phillip M. Hash. Character Development and Social Reconstruction in Music Education at the turn of the Twentieth Century, (Grand Rapids: Calvin College, 2006), 18.

[9] Walter Ponce. The Tyranny of Tradition in Piano Teaching: A Critical History from Clementi to the Present (Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2019), 74.

[10] Marienne, Uszler. That’s a Good Question…How to Teach by Asking Questions (Fort Lauderdale: The FJH Music Company Inc., 2003), 9.

[11] David J. Elliott and Marissa Silverman. Music Matters: A Philosophy of Music Education (2^nd ed.) (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015), 424.

[12] “Arts Leadership Program Overview,” Eastman Institute for Music Leadership, accessed November 10, 2020, https://iml.esm.rochester.edu/alp/overview/ .

[13] Sean Gallagher and Jason Palmer. “The Pandemic Pushed Universities Online. The Change Was Long Overdue,” Harvard Business Review. 29 September 2020. Web. Accessed 10 Nov 2020, https://hbr.org/2020/09/the-pandemic-pushed-universities-online-the-change-was-long-overdue .

[14] Katherine Boyarsky. “What is Hybrid Learning? Here’s Everything You Need to Know,” Owl Labs. 12 June 2020 Web. Accessed 10 November 2020, https://www.owllabs.com/blog/hybrid-learning .

[15] Brittany Rodriguez. “Active learning vs. passive learning: What’s the best way to learn?,” Classcraft. 6 Sept 2018. Web. Accessed 8 Nov 2020, https://www.classcraft.com/blog/features/active-learning-vs-passive-learning/ .

[16] Marienne Uszler. That’s a Good Question…How to Teach by Asking Questions (Fort Lauderdale: The FJH Music Company Inc., 2003), 7.

[17] Deborah Stipek and Kathy Seal. Motivated Minds: Raising Children to Love Learning (New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2001), 12.

[18] “How Students Learn,” Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. 2020. Web. Accessed 8 Nov 2020.

[19] Janet Bourne, “Outside the Classroom: Community-Engaged Learning Projects in Music Theory,” Flip Camp. 2017. Web. Accessed 10 Nov 2020, http://flipcamp.org/engagingstudents5/essays/bourne.html .

[20] Jeffery N. Swartwood. Educational Psychology: Interdisciplinary Connections (Redding: BVT Publishing, 2012), 214.

[21] Deborah Stipek and Kathy Seal. Motivated Minds: Raising Children to Love Learning (New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2001), 10.

[22] Sascha Zuger. “How It’s Done: Remote Music Education,” Tech & Learning. 20 March 2020. Web. Accessed 8 Nov 2020, https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/how-its-done-remote-music-education .

[23] Josh Terry. “How Music Teachers Are Adapting to the Awkward Reality of Virtual Lessons,” Vice. 17 April 2020. Web. Accessed 7 Nov 2020, https://www.vice.com/en/article/3a8gvy/how-music-teachers-are-adapting-to-the-awkward-reality-of-virtual-lessons .

[24] Ibid.

[25] “What Students are Saying about the Remote Learning,” The Learning Network, The New York Times. 9 April 2020. Web. Accessed 9 Nov 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/learning/what-students-are-saying-about-remote-learning.html .

[26] Ibid.

[27] Ibid.

[28] Brian Wagner-Yueng. “Distance Learning for Special Learners in the Music Classroom,” NAfME. 28 July 2020. Web. Accessed 9 Nov 2020, https://nafme.org/distance-learning-special-learners-music-classroom/ .

[29] “Back to school: A framework for remote and hybrid learning amid COVID-19,” McKinsey & Company. 31 Aug 2020. Web. Accessed 7 Nov 2020, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/back-to-school-a-framework-for-remote-and-hybrid-learning-amid-covid-19# .

[30] Deborah Stipek and Kathy Seal. Motivated Minds: Raising Children to Love Learning (New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2001), 23.

[31] “Back to school,” McKinsey & Company.

[32] Rogers, Michael R. Teaching Approaches in Music Theory: An Overview of Pedagogical Philosophies (2^nd ed.)  (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2004), 166-77.

[33] Elliott, Music Matters, 402.

[34] “A Pedagogical Guide to Zoom,” BU Center for Teaching & Learning. Web. Accessed Nov 8 2020, https://www.bu.edu/ctl/a-pedagogical-guide-to-zoom-part-1-getting-started-with-zoom/ .

[35] “Back to school,” McKinsey & Company.

[36] “Teaching Music in the Age of COVID-19: A Collaborative Effort by CMS,” The College Music Society. 2020. Web. Accessed 5 Nov 2020, https://www.music.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2968&Itemid=3901 .

[37] Jane Magrath. The Pianist’s Guide To Standard Teaching and Performance Literature (Van Nuys: The Alfred Publishing Co., Inc., 1995).

[38] Musescore Home Page. Musescore. 2020. Web. Accessed 10 Nov 2020, https://musescore.org/en .

[39] Scratch Home Page. MIT Media Lab. 2020. Web. Accessed10 Nov 2020, https://scratch.mit.edu/ .

[40] ToneBase Home Page. ToneBase. 2020. Web. Accessed 10 Nov 2020, https://www.tonebase.co/ .

Program

Piano Sonata in D Major, Op. 28
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Scherzo et Trio: Allegro vivace
IV. Rondo: Allegro non troppo

(approximately 20 minutes)

Two Concert Études, S. 145
I. Waldesrauschen (Forest Murmurs)
II. Gnomenreigen (Dance of the Gnomes)

(approximately 15 minutes)

Valses nobles et sentimentales
I. Modéré, très franc
II. Assez lent, avec une expression intense
III. Modéré
IV. Assez animé
V. Presque lent, dans un sentiment intime
VI. Vif
VII. Moins vif
VIII. Lent

(approximately 15 minutes)

Gershwin Arrangements
A foggy day in London town
They’re writing songs of love, but not for me

(approximately 10 minutes)

Program Notes

In preparing for this recital, I have been asking questions relating to each composer’s creative goals, inspirations, philosophies, performance approach, and cultural context. By considering these metrics, I endeavor to more deeply embody the spirit of each work. Listeners can explore the vast spectrum of music experience through the angle of each work, moving beyond just hearing notes and patterns. What follows is a collection of important information and my own observations relating to these questions. I hope these program notes will enhance your concert experience and even spur further curiosity. Thank you for joining me!  

Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Sonata in D Major, Op. 28
Feeling through Form

Beethoven composed the Sonata Op. 28 in 1801, a year in which he was in good spirits, having rare financial stability and even considering marriage. However, the following year, Beethoven would write from isolation the Heiligenstadt Testament, in which he confessed to his frustration and depression stemming from his hearing loss, fear of exposing his ailment, and the resulting disconnect he felt from society. Beethoven’s decision to ultimately persevere marked the start of his middle period, characterized by innovations to form and musical expression that led Europe into the Romantic period. In perhaps a moment of levity amidst this development, the Sonata Op. 28 represents a call to the elegance of the galant style. The music evokes the comforts and tranquility of the natural world that Beethoven valued. While not necessarily explicit in evoking imagery, the piece fits in a set of works considered “pastoral” in nature.

In the Allegro, the opening drone, triple meter, and use of primary chords create a warm energy and grounded momentum. The thematic manipulation and quick repetition in the development produce a feeling of strain and turbulence, which subsides when Beethoven reestablishes the opening texture. As is customary in sonata-allegro form, the recapitulation and final cadence stay in the tonic key, providing a feeling of content. However, the syncopation of the coda foreshadows the excitement of the final rondo.

The Andante, in the parallel key of d minor, strikes a darker tone. The theme undergoes variations and is set against a staccato bass accompaniment, adding to the scheming feel of the movement. The middle section returns to the parallel key of D Major, providing a momentary reprieve from the mystery of the piece’s unfolding. Moreover, these spritely chords and triplet arpeggios anticipate the character of the following Scherzo movement.

The Rondo’s rocking accompaniment and melody create a fun finale to the sonata. Beethoven’s use of syncopation and deliberate pauses preceding each return of the theme reveal a humorous and comical dialogue within the piece. As a resolution to the coda of the first movement, this movement ends with a speedy coda and resilient fortissimo cadence.

Beethoven commands mood and drama through a focused attention to musical events and form. In my approach, I try to clearly understand the structure of the piece and shape of each gesture to impart the feeling of the music, without obstructing the impact with excessive rubato or extraneous emoting.

Franz Liszt – Two Concert Études, S. 145
Heightened Emotion

Liszt sought to create an impactful and engaging listening experience for audiences, harboring the room’s energy to feed into the creative process. Along with pianists like Clara Schumann (1819 – 1896), Liszt pioneered the solo piano concert format by opening the piano lid and angling the keyboard towards the listeners so they could appreciate the full range of timbres, colors and sound effects of the instrument, which at the time was the closest in resonance and power to the modern grand piano. In addition to original works, he performed arrangements and transcriptions of other composers’ work to promote an appreciation of a full gamut of musical experience and tradition. In teaching, Liszt underscored the study of theory and encouraged a holistic approach to technique that focused on freedom in music making and keyboard playing. Through expanded forms, thematic transformation and use of an improvisational style in playing and filling in textures, Liszt crafted exciting musical experiences rich in imagery and fantastical settings.

In Waldesrauschen (Forest Murmurs), the opening ostinato permeates the piece to create a shimmering layer of wind like resonance. Within this atmosphere, Liszt presents the theme and counter theme in different registers and key areas to help the listeners visualize and explore their surroundings, including the swaying of the trees and creaking of branches. The variety in dynamics, colors and intensity levels contributes further to the life of this soundworld. 

In Gnomenreigen (Dance of the Gnomes), the quick staccato broken chords in f-sharp minor represent the dancing and plotting of gnomes.  This leads to a recurring melodic idea in the relative major, surrounded by spinning arpeggio figures. The middle interlude features a winding and repetitious bass line that leads into the final melodic section and coda. While virtuosic in the use of arpeggios and passagework, the sound retains a delicate refinement, proportionate in scope to that of the characters and story world.

Maurice Ravel – Valses nobles et sentimentales
Color and Precision

Ravel composed the Valses nobles et sentimentales in 1911 to commemorate Schubert’s set of waltzes by the same name. As a composer, Ravel was very meticulous in communicating how his music was to be performed. He felt that the performer’s job was not to interpret his music, but simply to play. This strictness in adhering to the score may have been a response to performers at the turn of the 20th century who Ravel felt over-romanticized works. While Ravel can be considered an impressionistic composer due to his unique tonal language and harmonies, his attention to form and precise timing is neoclassical. So, while the listener may form an impression from works of this style, it is the pianist’s job to exercise precision in preparation and performance.

Drawing from recordings of Schubert waltzes, I strive to establish a feeling of the triple time and flow in each movement. I also work to bring out the colors and energy of each section by listening to the voicing of chords and resonance of notes while carefully rehearsing the choreography of pedaling. I also referred to the orchestral version which Ravel composed for the ballet Adelaide (1912), to better understand the color palette and waltz energy.

Michael Finnissy – Gershwin Arrangements
Nostalgia and Sensitivity

Finnissy takes inspiration from a variety of genres and traditions, exploring music making and found material in new settings. In his arranging of music, he explains, “it’s not the point to reveal what’s there already,” in other words, a resetting of material for the piano. Instead, Finnissy approaches arranging as a chance for new discovery, composing with others’ material as if it were his own.  Finnissy’s body of work is diverse, including music considered “new complexity” due to its dense counterpoint and demanding rhythms, like his English Country Tunes (1977), as well as Renaissance style motets and music that considers the sonority of single melodic lines. In his Gershwin Arrangements, Finnissy preserves the general form and melody of iconic Gershwin songs while experimenting with new sound quality, tonality and sentiment.

In A foggy day in London town, the slower sections and rallentando evoke feelings of melodrama and moments of serious contemplation. When the tempo picks up, the narrator’s thought goes elsewhere with a carefree attitude. They’re writing songs of love, but not for me is marked “Quite slowly, sadly and tenderly.” The unmetered flow of the music and falling shape of the accompaniment figures in the verse sections contribute to the narrator’s wandering thought and abandoning of hope. In both pieces, the narrator is speaking with the same intensity of the original song setting through Finnissy’s unique compositional palette and writing, with moments of in and out of focus in sound. This helps the listener feel nostalgia for the original work while also enjoying a new listening sensation.

In overview, Liszt’s departure from techniques of earlier keyboard instruments invited a new freedom in his composing and exploration of genres and outreach, anticipating music of the next generation.

The keyboard’s evolution paralleled a change in playing technique, particularly moving into the 19th Century. Early keyboard instruments like the clavichord and harpsichord used a smaller wood frame and lighter strung strings, ideal for private playing and small ensemble accompaniment (Luizz). Thus, the primary technical consideration for performers was to use finger movements on the keys to vary the sound quality produced on each string. Bartolomeo Cristofori’s pianoforte in the 1700’s offered a new escapement and check system that allowed hammers to strike strings continuously without dampening the sound. While the technique for engaging with the keyboard remained similar to that of the clavichord and harpsichord, pianos began to fluctuate in their tone. For example, Viennese instruments had a more brilliant and clear tone with English instruments offering a more sonorous and larger sound (Davison). Composers like Mozart and Beethoven benefited from an instrument capable of evoking orchestral sonorities and timbral variety through registers (Met). The Errand pianos that Liszt used would offer a larger soundboard and heavier hammers, as well as a new pedal system, achieving a balance between power and clarity (Davison). In general, as the piano became more versatile in its sound capabilities, artists like Liszt moved away from the “quiet arm, fingers only” tradition of earlier keyboard playing towards a legato and cantabile touch that employed the wrist and arm (Davison). While pianists of the day maintained slightly varying ideas on technique, it was clear that Liszt had a more holistic goal in mind, that his facility would provide no limitations in his playing of this new instrument (Katsenelson). Interestingly, while Liszt was known for theatrical raising of his arms during a performance, many students commented that his teaching came back to an economical and fluid maneuvering of the keys (Davison). This may indicate that Liszt’s visualization of technique was a tool to mark moments of wonder for an audience, helping them to “perceive the reality of sound in space” and “exchange of energies” (Nonken). It was clear that Liszt’s technique made possible a new creative prerogative.

While Liszt’s facility offered a new command at the keyboard, his ingenuity in composition and artistry in performance practice were most effective in immersing audiences. As one source notes, “his was not virtuosity for the sake of spectacle, but virtuosity deployed as a means towards sound-generation and a dramatic end” (Nonken). Training from Czerny and Salieri provided Liszt a foundation in theory and classical form, though Liszt strove to expand his use of these concepts at the piano, practicing scales, arpeggios and transposition (Bach Cantatas). Liszt routinely transcribed works from orchestra settings to the piano, capturing thicker textures and diverse sonorities. Moreover, Liszt presented vast amounts of solo repertoire in concert, from Bach to Chopin and of course his own works (Inaba). This plethora of material and playing time rewarded Liszt with prowess as both an interpreter and performer. Not only was this vast dissemination of material a novelty, but it set the stage for a solo recital that featured just one instrument. With an angling of the piano lid to project sound fully to audiences, memorization, manipulation, additions and improvisation of ideas, among others, Liszt navigated his performance space and audience to create a maximum exposure of music, both past and present that would “evoke and embellish a memory” and enhance the senses (Botstein).

In addition to a new freedom in the use and presentation of music material, Liszt pioneered new genres and mediums to afford audiences an even richer relationship with music. While many of Liszt’s piano works evoke imagery and excitement in listeners, such as his Années de Pèlerinage (1835), his work in Weimar helped him refine a large-scale narrative form, known as a symphonic poem (Biography). Weimar was known as the “spiritual home of German literature” and Liszt’s love of Goethe’s poetry played a role in his conception of more orchestral repertoire that could tell a story (LaVine). Moreover, Liszt’s work as Kapellmeister for the Grand Duke of Weimar offered opportunities to compose and conduct choral works, allowing Liszt a medium to channel his spirituality (LaVine). While other romantic greats like Beethoven certainly explored themes of human struggle, spirituality, imagery and literature, Liszt’s movement away from classical structures to larger narrative forms allowed him more flexibility in exploiting the full potential of both the orchestra and keyboard to craft musical experiences. This transformation of material through an organic framework allowed audiences to acknowledge their innate reactions to the experience, rather than analyzing and organizing of information characteristic of absolute music.

Accompanied by pianist André Laplante’s recording, a brief look at Liszt’s Nuages Gris offers more particular insight to his creative considerations (Musicanth). Failing health and depression provide the backdrop of this late work, and at this time, Liszt was least concerned with the technical range of his works but more so the expressive implications. As a compromise of both old and new compositional traditions, we see a simple ABA form with a theme throughout, infused with dissonant intervals, meandering chromaticism and feelings of atonality. More specifically, the opening measures showcase a tritone interval, equally separating the octave to soften tonic and dominant tonality. Additionally, the tremolos introduced in measure 5 soon step from Bb to A with a held pedal, creating an emanating dissonance that provides an atmosphere of angst and further blurs the feeling of strong tonality. Finally, Liszt’s use of augmented modulating triads creates a more improvised unfolding of sonority, anticipating an expanded tonality of impressionism. In aggregate, we feel a great interaction with the sound unfolding through time rather than with thematic material and form. Indeed, the title of the work indicates a freedom for listeners to attribute images of rolling clouds to the sound they hear. Noteworthy is the ascending chromatic figures and confused tonality that close the piece, further empowering listeners to derive an experience from the sound’s mingling and existence in their presence, rather than being forced to analyze form or thematic material.

Nuages Gris, Ex. 1 showing the opening page:

Nuages Gris, Ex. 2 showing the final measures:

As history reflects on Liszt’s creativity and ushering of new genres, we also celebrate his willingness to nurture the community in other forms of outreach. This includes the funding of music festivals and schools, teaching and performing free of charge, encouraging premieres of new works and writing extensively on music and composers (Humphrey).

Like Liszt, Tristan Murail follows a similar pathway of departures, forging of new creative approaches, all the while embracing a transparency and inclusiveness in dissemination of musical knowledge and experience.

In the 1970s, composer Tristan Murail worked to layout the theory and technique of the spectral movement, envisioning sound as “plasma” or “spectra” that could be crafted into music (Griffiths).  In general, these artists wanted to move away from “structuralist trends” of serialism (Smith). As one source notes, the excessive focus on an input of notes, in works such as Stockhausen’s Klavierstücke created an inorganic flow of sound (Anderson). Murail felt that the serial agenda was hampering music’s capacity to express humanity and welcome listeners. As one source clarifies, Murail felt that “form of the music is simply the evolution of its material” and in addition to exploring a new sound world characterized by decay and resonance, he would employ use of rest, stability, tonal continuity and aggregation into his works, appealing to wider audiences (Anderson). Like Liszt, Murail hoped to wield sound in new ways, but through a proficiency in his new compositional process, continue to place value in the musical experience. As one source aptly summarizes, “techniques and theories remain subordinate to aural sense and poetic impulse” (Anderson).

Like Liszt, Murail’s journey to master new techniques was a means to reflect freedom in composition and form. Paralleling the formation of IRCAM, or the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music, Murail began exploring new technology in his writing. One technique included using ring and frequency modulators that could produce sounds “halfway between harmony and timbre” (Anderson). As we hear in Gondwana for Orchestra (1980) recorded live by the Orchestre National de France, Murail creates main tones, humming tones and higher than normal frequencies (Loy). This sensation of white noise further casts listeners’ senses into the story’s sound world, unifying the technological and extramusical components. Another novel technique is the use of taped sound to be played alongside other acoustic or electrical instruments (Smith). While this offers a performance challenge of staying in time with the recorded material, the overall texture of the sound can become more multidimensional, like a living entity. Philip Meade’s recording of Tombeau de Messiaen (1994) illustrates a similar approach by Jonathan Harvey to integrate taped and live sound in a performance (Wellesz Opus). In navigating a performance space, Murail was able to tune recorded sounds to better match instruments in the ensemble, or even alter the amplification of the recording to better match the acoustics of the performance venue (Smith). Like Liszt’s modifications to his performance space and projection of the piano, these considerations help to put a priority on the listener’s experience and access to the sound world. Moreover, both composers strive to integrate compositional processes with the musical results, creating an accessible format for listeners.

Murail’s Territoires de l’oubli offers insight into bridges between new and familiar practices that appeal to a performer tackling this new sound world. Like Liszt, Murail strives to use an idea to its fullest potential. As we hear in pianist Marilyn Nonken’s performance, a basic idea greets the listener and continues to develop and transform through the duration of the work, aided by a continuous pedal (Nonken). One source notes, there is a challenge in practicing the material, which is often thick in texture and lacking a regular meter (Fried). However, Murail attempts to help the performer navigate these structures. One example is that tempi changes are notated as both spatial, with closeness of figures indicating faster sound, as well as with traditional rhythmic notation. Moreover, polyrhythms, while written out, often do not coincide between the hands, due to differences in tempi. Therefore, Murail encourages the performer to practice for specificity, only as a means to realize the larger musical gestalt (Fried). As such, while performers learn to engage with notation in spectral compositions, Murail also is humble in making compromises between traditional and new practice approaches. In this way, Murail’s direct collaboration with performers informs him of how to notate spectral ideas in the most effective way, always placing a priority back on the expressive capacity of the sound world. In the opening bars of the piece below, we can see these moments of spatial notation and polyrhythms that begin developing the main idea.

Territoires de l’oubli, Ex. 3 showing the opening bars:

Looking forward, Murail also made strides in his dissemination of technology and teaching. His building of special electronic equipment and instruments, reverb units, analogs, synthesizers and notation software as well as his teaching at IRCAM demonstrate a transparency and grace to his pedagogy, much like Liszt (Smith).

Both Franz Liszt and Tristan Murail seized opportunities to depart from traditional practices. The resulting ingenuity and virtuosity is valued not for the sake of being different, but as a testament to their belief that process and musical experience should coalesce, and that listeners and performers deserve to be functioning contributors in this new sound world.

Works Cited

Davison, Alan. “Franz Liszt and the Development of 19th-Century Pianism: A Re-Reading of the Evidence.” The Musical Times, vol. 147, no. 1896, 2006, pp. 33–43. JSTOR, JSTOR.

NPR Staff. “Franz Liszt At 200: An Important, But Not Great, Composer” Deceptive Cadence. NPR. 21 October 2011. Web. Accessed 16 December 2018.

“Franz Liszt (Composer, Arranger)” Bach Cantatas Website. 14 June 2017. Web. Accessed 15 December 2018.

Biography.com Editors. “Franz Liszt Biography” Biography.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 April 2017. Web. Accessed 15 November 2018.

LaVine, Kevin. “Franz Liszt” Library of Congress. Web. Accessed 15 November 2018.

Inaba, Jean. “How Franz Liszt Changed Concert Performances Forever” Colorado Public Radio. 20 October 2014. Web. Accessed 16 December 2018.

Cooper, Thomas. “Tonal Innovations in Ferenc Liszt’s Earlier Piano Compositions” Hungarian Review. 15 September 2011. Web. Accessed 17 December 2018.

Botstein, Leon. “What Makes Franz Liszt Still Important?” The Public Domain Review. 17 October 2011. Web. Accessed 14 December 2018.

Searle, Humphrey. “Franz Liszt” Encyclopædia Britannica. 18 October 2018. Web. Accessed 16 December 2018.

Platt, Russell. “Liszt List” The New Yorker. 20 June 2011. Web. Accessed 15 December 2018.

Shuangshuang, Xun; Guanghu Bai “From Franz Liszt’s Late Piano Works to Analyze His Music Performing Style” European Centre for Research Training and Development UK. International Journal of Music Studies Vol.1, No.1, May 2016. pp. 23-27.

Li, Mei. “The Key Characteristics of Franz Liszt’s Late Piano Works” Kansas University Scholar Works. 9 April 2018. Web. Accessed 14 December 2018.

Grande, Antonio. “Liszt and Scriabin. A Case of Continuity in some Twentieth-Century Compositional Techniques” 9^th European Music Analysis Conference – Euromac 9. 2017. Web. Accessed 17 December 2018.

Tommasini, Anthony. “For Liszt, Experimentation Was a Form of Greatness” The New York Times. 23 August 2011. Web. Accessed 14 December 2018.

Luizz, Luis. “Piano evolution, history of keyboard instruments” YouTube. 11 August 2016. Web. Accessed 16 December 2018.

Libin, Laurence E.; Ripin, Edwin M.; Clutton, Cecil. “Keyboard instrument” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2018. Web. Accessed 16 December 2018.

The Met Editors. “Franz Liszt’s Grand Piano” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 14 May 2001. Web. Accessed 16 November 2018.

Katsenelson, Vitaliy. “How Franz Liszt Has Revolutionized Piano and Classical Music” Medium. 19 February 2017. Web. Accessed 15 December 2018.

Anderson, Julian, and Tristan Murail. “In Harmony. Julian Anderson Introduces the Music and Ideas of Tristan Murail.” The Musical Times, vol. 134, no. 1804, 1993, pp. 321–323. JSTOR, JSTOR.

Thomas, Gavin. “Tristan Murail” Composition Today. The Rough Guide To Classical Music. 2018. Web. Accessed 17 December 2018.

“Tristan Murail to lecture at Skaņu Mežs, performed by Quatuor Diotima” Skaņu Mežs. 2018. Web. Accessed 18 December 2018.

Smith, Ronald B. “An Interview with Tristan Murail” Computer Music Journal 2000, Vol. 24, 11-19. Doi.org

Guardian Editors. “Tristan Murail’s world of breathtaking, disturbing beauty” The Guardian. 2018. Web. Accessed 17 December 2018.

SACEM Editors. “5 minutes with… Michael Jarrell & Tristan Murail” YouTube. 28 November 2011. Web. Accessed 17 December 2018.

Anderson, Julia. “Territoires de l’oubli” Tristan Murail. Web. Accessed 17 December 2018.

“Murail’s Territoires de l’oubli & Stockhausen’s Klavierstücke” JDP Music Building. 21 October 2017. Web. Accessed 17 December 2018.

Fried, William. “Learning to Perform Murail’s Territoires De L’oubli: Suggestive Content in Synonymous Temporal Musical Notation.” Perspectives of New Music, vol. 52, no. 3, 2014, pp. 69–92. JSTOR, JSTOR

Powers, Wendy. “The Piano: The Pianofortes of Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731)” The Metropolitan Museum of Art. October 2003. Web. Accessed 16 December 2018.

Nonken, Marilyn. The Spectral Piano. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2014. Print.

Griffiths, Paul. Modern Music and After, 3^rd Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.

Loy, Steven. “Tristan Murail: Gondwana (1980) for orchestra” YouTube. 1 December 2017. Web. Accessed 17 December 2018.

Wellesz Opus. “Jonathan Harvey: Tombeau de Messiaen (1994)” YouTube. 1 February 2015. Accessed 18 December 2018.

Musicanth. “Liszt – Nuages gris (Trübe Wolken), S. 199 (1881) [André Laplante]” YouTube. 6 June 2011. Web. Accessed 18 December 2018.

Nonken, Marilyn. “Territoires de l’oubli” Murail, T.: Complete Piano Works. 2013 Metier.

Joni Mitchell’s first album Songs to a Seagull (1968) offers a look into her combining of folk elements with a new harmonic language. Mitchell’s lyricism played to the expectation of listeners in the 1960’s, addressing complicated personal feelings and contemplation that arose during the anti-war period (Flanagan). However, Mitchell strove to depart from the obtrusive I-IV-V harmonic progressions of popular music that created a bland “satisfying” sound (O’Brien). Instead, Mitchell wanted to create soundscapes that framed the lyricism and allowed songs within the album to flow together like the malleability of human thought. As Mitchell notes, “My music is not designed to grab instantly. It’s designed to wear for a lifetime, to hold up like a fine cloth” (O’Brien).

Mitchell was able to accomplish this goal of providing a backdrop of sound to her lyrics through several compositional techniques. One source comments on her “harmonic innovation,” with modality and use of pedal tones that takes an emphasis away from a strong leading tone and dominant-tonic relationship (Whitesell). Additionally, we hear a sparse instrumental accompaniment, typically acoustic guitar that provides resonance to the lyrics without directing the flow of the music, like Bob Dylan’s style. Finally, Mitchell’s use of irregular phrase lengths and an unclear pulse or backbeat make the music even more subordinate to the lyrics. Even Mitchell’s use of secondary dominants and non-diatonic chords occur for syllabic emphasis without weighing down on the listener’s ear in shear noise. This harmonic diversity and flexibility in pulse allows the music to be uniquely tailored to fit her lyrics with subtlety and precision, more so than a typical phrase and harmonic structure.

Mitchell’s song “Both Sides Now” from the album Clouds (1969) offers a compromise between folk and pop elements. In her recording, Mitchell uses a clear four bar phrase structure presented in verse and chorus sections, as well as primarily using tonic, subdominant and dominant chords. However, the music remains understated, with a moderate dynamic in the guitar accompaniment and use of a pedal tone that softens the movement between chords. The result is that we have a unified sound that emanates from the guitar and allows the listener to focus on the lyricism.

One might argue that Mitchell’s musical and performance background influenced her use of softer textures. She trained in classical piano briefly as well as self-learning the guitar, thus gleaning both an understanding of music theory and expression of freedom in playing (Flanagan). Additionally, her performances included gigging for small local crowds before joining a union and receiving funding from David Crosby to start recording, though still being afforded privacy in the studio (O’Brien). Her introverted musical study and solo gigging and recording may have contributed to a softer musical texture, especially noticeable when compared to Judy Collins’ rendition of “Both Sides Now” from 1967. We hear in Collins’ recording a more highly produced multi-instrumental arrangement with larger sound and clear root position chords progressions. These characteristics were common in the pop formula, particularly from Motown groups like The Supremes and The Temptations. One can draw closer parallels from Mitchell to the work of Carole King, as although King wrote lyrics and harmony to be orchestrated and performed by pop groups, many of King’s personal arrangements are sparser in instrumentation, deferring to the lyricism, such as “It’s Too Late” (1971).

While Mitchell’s cover art for Clouds is impressionistic in style and color mixing and reminiscent of cover art like Hendrix’s Are You Experienced (1967), Mitchell does not yet plunge into the experimentation of instrumentation and synthesizing characteristic of the psychedelic and funk periods.

If Mitchell’s music remained subtler in texture, in contrast, Stevie Wonder’s music reflects a synthesis of genres that made the enjoyment of the song more dependent on the music’s prominence. One source recalls that Wonder “grew up within the industry” (Valentine). As such, Wonder was looking forward to having the freedom to individually produce records and use his skills in playing and composing to build upon the traditional pop formula, though not disposing of this successful framework completely. Like “Both Sides Now,” Wonder’s hit single “My Cherie Amour” (1969) primarily uses I-IV-V chords in presentation of verse and chorus sections. This standard pop format may be attributed to collaboration with Motown producers Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby. Their aim was to mass produce a “polished, purposeful sound” that would allow the music to stand alone (Vincent). Nevertheless, we begin to hear Stevie Wonder’s liberties in use chromaticism and more adventurous orchestration that would pave the way for his flourishing voice in the 1970’s.

In contrast to Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” Wonder allows his music to have stronger rhythmic drive and prominence of non-diatonic sonorities, though we also see conservatism in his album art, with a smiling profile in a formal shirt, reflective of the corporate management of his image. It is not until the 1970’s where we see Wonder crafting an individual image, such as the album art for Talking Book (1972) and exploring of a funk style, unleashing more creativity and spirituality (Hermes).

Wonder was particularly inspired through collaboration with Bob Margouleff and Malcom Cecil and the discovery of the Moog synthesizer (Hermes). As such, “My Cherie Amour” offers a foreshadowing of the “driving, throbbing melodic riff and the daring, complex orchestration” characteristic of Wonder’s 1970’s funk style, offering a plethora of new sound and creating exciting listening experiences from the sound itself (Flanagan).

Both Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder use their talents as performers and composers to draw their audience’s ear to either lyricism or the music ensemble. Listeners can assess their success in channeling this energy to achieve their artistic goals, whether working as solo producers or within larger corporate power structures.

Works Cited

Flanagan, Bill. Written In My Soul. New York: Contemporary Books. 1987.

Hermes, Will. “Stevie Wonder: Album Guide” Rolling Stones. Web. Accessed 11 December 2018.

O’Brien, Lucy M. “Joni Mitchell,” Encyclopedia Britannica. 3 November 2018. Web.  Accessed 11 December 2018.

Whitesell, Lloyd. “Harmonic Palette in Early Joni Mitchell.” Popular Music, 21.2 (2002)

Valentine, Penny. “Stevie Wonder: Stevie’s Moog Music.” Sounds. January 22, 1972

Vincent, Rickey. Funk: The Music, The People, and The Rhythm of The One. New York: Macmillan, Apr 15, 1996

Juggling short term and long-term projects has helped me stay focused and on top of my work.  At the beginning of the semester I started by preparing envelopes, flyers and contact information to send to schools and businesses advertising RPO’s Around the Town concerts.  This was work that I could intersperse between other long-term projects including developing teacher contact lists and registration spreadsheets for RPO’s Primary and Intermediate concerts as well as preparing instrument petting zoos and crafts for OrKIDStra events.  While I also enjoyed assisting other individuals in different departments with a variety of tasks including copying, scanning and preparing documents, I knew where to continue my work for large projects. This variety of project types helped me feel free and engaged throughout the semester.

I was also fortunate to travel with Ms. Brown to off-site meetings and commitments. I prepared materials for Around the Town concerts and OrKIDStra events as well as setting up and breaking down tables, stands and posters.  I also have fond memories traveling with Ms. Brown to a meeting of directors for a music competition as well as a Rotary sponsored event featuring an RPO brass ensemble.  These musically inspired events have helped me see how professionals and organizations navigate audience engagement, outreach and musical advocacy throughout the community.  Moreover, the time spent with Ms. Brown during our travels has been invaluable.  Having also graduated from Eastman, we discuss music, performing and our own lives and families.  These enriching excursions complemented the focused time I devoted to tasks in the office as well as exposing me to real world examples of music providing value to the community.

For perhaps my most important project, I met with Vice President of Artistic Administration Richard Decker to devise an agenda for contacting Eastman faculty about RPO guest artists willing to do events like open rehearsals, meet and greets, lectures and master classes.  We needed to start emails to faculty, agents and artists immediately to reserve spaces and develop each artist’s itinerary, setting aside time that did not conflict with RPO orchestra rehearsals and other commitments. With these time sensitive logistics, I sought additional guidance from Rebecca Sealander, Concert Production Manager.  With Ms. Sealander’s oversight, I crafted emails introducing myself and offering assistance to several Eastman faculty in organizing guest artist events.  I was fortunate to receive enthusiasm and interest and successfully scheduled events for conductor Christopher Seaman, composer Allen Shawn, pianist Olga Kern, and duo piano group Anderson & Roe, as well as getting the process started for other artists to be continued in the spring semester.  These encounters with high profile individuals has challenged me to refine my professional personality in writing and speaking.  I have also felt greater self-value as a functioning member of RPO and Eastman by organizing these amazing opportunities for students and staff.

I am thankful for the generous support and care of individuals like Barbara Brown, Rebecca Sealander, Richard Decker and Leslie Scatterday during my internship.  My mental clarity and outlook has developed due to consistent interactions with professionals in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Institute of Music Leadership, for which I am eternally grateful.  I am also fortunate to have been in the position of interacting personally with community teachers in New York and children of all ages so willing to allow music into their lives.  As I look towards graduate school, I want to continue expanding my perspective and seek challenges and opportunities.  My fond memories of working in the RPO Education Department will serve to continually reaffirm my increasing love of teaching and desire to craft musically enriching encounters for all in their journey through life.