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Writing about Music
Writing about music is much like writing about (say) painting, in that we take as our
objective (a) introducing a performance and (b) sharing our insight into the artfulness of
that performance, in language that is as direct and as concrete as we can make it.
Listening
1. It stands to reason that, for the reviewer as well as the musician, the ability to listen is
fundamental. We all listen to music according to our individual capacities. Many of
us have acquired some bad habits--like listening to music as a background to other
activities. In this way, according to Eric Satie, we turn music into wall-paper or
furniture. To begin with, we should distinguish hearing from listening.
By hearing, we mean being aware of the disturbances in the air known as sounds.
You may be sitting in a room, studying for an exam say, while the sounds coming
from the radio wash over you. We might say that you are listening, but in a passive
way. Imagine someone entering the room and striking a note on your piano: suddenly,
the atmosphere changes. Startled, you listen in a different way.
By listening, we mean perceiving and understanding what happens in the music. In
this case, you are listening in an active sort of way.
2. In What to Listen for in Music (1957), Aaron Copland claims that we listen to music
on three planes:
A. the sensuous plane
As Copland points out, the appeal of music at this level is self-evident. The sound
element in music is a powerful as well as a mysterious agent. The surprising thing
(he adds) is that many people who consider themselves qualified music lovers
listen at this level only; they go to concerts in order to lose themselves; they use
music as a consolation or as an escape.
However, there is such a thing as becoming sensitive to the different kinds of
"sound stuff" as used by composers, for different composers use sound stuff in
different ways. We realize that a composer's use of the sound elements forms an
integral part of his or her style and that in listening we have to take this matter into
consideration.
B. the expressive plane
Copland argues that all music conveys meaning behind the notes and that the
meaning behind the notes constitutes what the piece says, what the piece is about.
Of course, we cannot put this meaning into so many words. At different moments,
he observes, music expresses serenity or exuberance, regret or triumph, fury or
From University of Calgary Music Department: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~rseiler/music.htm
delight. Music expresses these moods, and many others, in a variety of subtle
shadings and differences. It may even express a state of meaning for which there
exists no adequate phrase in any language. In any case, musicians like to say that it
has only a purely musical meaning.
For this reason, it can be argued that it is easier to "understand" Tchaikovsky (say)
than Beethoven. It is easier to pin a meaning-word on a Tchaikovsky piece than on
a Beethoven piece. Often, it is quite difficult to put your finger on just what
Beethoven is saying. Any musician will tell you that this is why Beethoven is a
great composer.
C. the sheerly musical plane
At this level, the listener attends to matters of form and structure. In order to
follow the line of a composer's thought, the listener attends to such matters as
melody, rhythm, harmony, and tone color in a conscious fashion.
An analogy might help here. Think about what happens when we go to the theater.
In the theater, we are aware of the players, the setting, the costumes, the
movements, and so on. All these elements give one a sense that the theater is a
pleasant place to be. They constitute the sensuous plane in our theatrical reactions.
We would experience the expressive plane in terms of the feelings we get from
what is happening on the stage. We are moved to pity, excitement, and so on.
Experiencing the plot, following its development say, would be equivalent to
experiencing music at the sheerly musical level. The playwright develops a
character in just the same way a composer creates and develops a theme. As we
become more and more aware of the way the artist handles his or her materials, the
more we become intelligent listeners.
3. To sum up, then, when listening to music on the sensuous plane, we focus on
a. the medium, i.e., what generates the sound: voice, instrument, ensemble, and so
on.
b. the quality of sound produced, in terms of tone, uniformity, special effects, and
so on.
c. the dynamics or the intensity of the sound, in terms of loudness, uniformity, and
change.
When listening to music on the expressive plane, we try to determine how the music
interprets--and clarifies--our feelings. Sounds evokes feelings:
a. a busy passage can suggest unease or nervousness.
From University of Calgary Music Department: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~rseiler/music.htm
b. a slow passage in a minor key, such as a funeral march, can suggest gloom.
When listening to music on the sheerly musical plane, we try to focus on
a. the movement of the piece, i.e., concentrate on its rhythm, meter, and tempo.
b. the pitch, i.e., in terms of its order and melody, and
c. the structure of the piece, i.e., its logic, design, and texture.
This means listening for the "planned design" that binds an entire composition. As
Copland puts it, in shaping his or her material, the composer generates "the long
line," which provides listeners with a sense of direction. A composer might employ
the principles of repetition and non-repetition to give a long piece and a short piece
respectively the feeling of "balance."
The composer also "shapes" his or her musical materials by "partitioning" the work,
presenting in in a number of movements (say). Fundamental forms include the fugue,
the concerto grosso, the sonata, and the symphony, to some a few traditional forms.
Writing
The hints or guidelines offered below supplement the observations I made above. They
are based on a talk Harold C. Schonberg gave to music students at the University of
Calgary. Schonberg, many years the senior music critic for The New York Times, also
offers tips on writing about music in such works as Facing the Music (1981).
1. Identify the musical substance, as it were. Are we talking about a new rendition of an
old composition? This means focusing on the music itself, whether new or old.
Identify the composition and the players. Put the performance into context—both
musical and historical/ cultural.
2. Try to capture the qestalt of the performance, whether live or recorded. It might help
to wrap your lead around it. Consider the following example: Whitney Balliett, the
celebrated critic, captures the sound and the feeling of a performance given by Art
Taylor, the drummer, in the following passage, which taken from New York Notes: A
Journal of Jazz in the Seventies(1977):
[Art] Taylor, as is his custom, played just one number, but it lasted forty minutes. It
was full of his usual devices--the slamming chords, the agitated staccato passages, the
breathtaking arpeggios, the blizzard density--but it had two new qualities: lyricism
and gentleness. Again and again, after Taylor had launched one of his tidal waves, his
hands going up and down like driving rods, he slipped into a clear lagoon where
shadows of melody glided just below the surface (p. 26).
From University of Calgary Music Department: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~rseiler/music.htm
The point here is: Tell your reader about how you find the performance unique,
artistically speaking. Perhaps you notice that one element of the performance stands
apart. The following observations should help you focus your attention.
Melody evokes emotion. We think of the lieder (art songs) of Franz Schubert (d.
1828); the ballads and the show music of the 1940's and the 1950's, especially that of
Frank Sinatra; and much of the music of the 1960's, especially Ann Murray, the
Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Carpenters.
Rhythm excites us physically. This element of musical composition prompts listeners
to tap their feet: they want to get up and dance. We think of dance music: the waltz,
the tango, and the polka. We also think of "big band" music, especially the drumming
of Gene Krupa, who worked with Benny Goodman, the founder of "swing."
Usually, rhythm and melody go hand in hand, with equal importance and accent.
Occasionally, melody is subservient to rhythm. A good example is Maurice Ravel's
famous work, "Bolero" (1928), which consists of a single orchestral crescendo
(lasting 17 minutes). If you listen to it closely, you will notice that it is nothing more
than 18 repetitions of the same theme moving with increased volume and slightly
increased tempo.
Harmony has been described as the clothing of melody. From the point of view of
the l9th century musician, harmony now is in a state of anarchy. Today, we think of
(say) folk music, which combines the three elements very nicely, the barber shop
quartet, or choral music generally. If you are a fan of the Kronos Quartet, you notice
that the players explore rather subtle harmonies.
Schubert's songs exhibit a romantic feeling for nature, together with a wealth of
emotions. Song cycles like Die Winterreise or Die schone Muellerin are good
examples. Notice that their idyllic opening is soon clouded by bitterness and
resignation. The harmonies constitute the most perfect means of expression, with the
piano accompaniment asserting itself as equal partner to the singer.
Timbre means "tone-quality" or "tone color," which distinguishes the effect of a flute
from that of an oboe, a note sung by a soprano choir-boy from that of the same note
sung by a contralto, and so on. We think of the musical saw; the zither, the favorite
instrument of the Tyrol and adjacent mountain regions; and the harp-guitar built by
Andreas Vollanweider, the Swiss guitarist. We also think of Angelo Badalamenti,
who produced the music for Twin Peaks.
Remember, your goal is to tell your reader why the performance is unique. This
means getting inside the mind of the performer as it were, explaining why he or she
performs the way he or she does. Be sure to report only what your ears hear.
3. Finally, as music critics, we can only make people think. We cannot change people's
taste. For this reason, it is a good idea to concentrate on the performance, i.e., on
From University of Calgary Music Department: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~rseiler/music.htm
those features that contribute to the "artfulness" of the music-making. Remember: a
performer's job is to project personality. Interpretation is a mingling of the player's
personality with that of the composer. We try to say where the one ends and the other
begins.
Sources
Balliett, Whitney. New York Notes: A Journal of Jazz in the Seventies. New York: Da
Capo Press, 1977.
Copland, Aaron. What to Listen for in Music. New York: Mentor Book, 1957.
Martin, F. David, and Lee A. Jacobus. The Humanities through the Arts. 5th edn. New
York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1997.
Schonberg, Harold C. Facing the Music. New York: Summit Books, 1981.
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From University of Calgary Music Department: http://people.ucalgary.ca/~rseiler/music.htm