Stravinsky and the Rite of Spring

We haven't had a chance to talk about this piece in class yet, but if you haven't listened to Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" then you should check it out! Fantastic composition. Even though it's not chamber music per se, hopefully it will inspire some ideas.

Below are the videos, and they have the piano reduction to follow along. Notice that the piece is very sectional . . . meaning, the music seems like it is constructed almost out of blocks. One section has a specific character and sound, then the next section has a very different character and sound, and on it goes. Compare this with the post on Samuel Barber (which I will post in just a moment).

Last note: in video #1, at around 3:30, is a famous section called the "Dance of the Adolescents." Listen to what happens, and I hope we can chat about it in class a bit. Enjoy!

And part 2:

And part 3:

And part 4, the last one!

Steve Reich and Phasing

Recall our brief discussion of Steve Reich and phasing. Check out this video of Reich's clapping music (a much better video than the one I showed in class). Notice that the bottom rhythm, when it changes, is just moving out of phase with the top rhythm. Otherwise, both rhythms are exactly the same, and neither change.

You should try this using your own melody. Or write a new short melodic idea (make the rhythms interesting), and try phasing it against itself. You can do this by copying the melody (highlight the music in Sibelius and type Command-C) and pasting it (with Command-V) on a different staff, but slightly offset.

And as we talked about in class, this is Steve Reich's "Piano Phase" below. In the sheet music, notice how the second piano speeds up slightly during each transition. By the way, this is called "continuous phasing" while the above is called "discrete phasing."

Here's a vid of a performance:

Assignment for Sat, Feb 23rd

As discussed in class:

(1) Please finish up your short preludes, if you haven't done so already. I've seen preludes from most of you, and good work!

(2) Write a melody. We will discuss more about melody next class, so don't worry about the melody . . . just try to write one!  Remember to consider melodic contour (the shape of the melody), and rhythmic interest (try adding syncopations and a variety of note lengths).

(3) If you have time, take your melody and compose a short passage that sets the melody in one of the textures discussed in the pdf (see the previous post for the download link). You may choose any texture you like, but I recommend one of the following three: (i) chordal texture, (ii) homophonic texture (think melody and accompaniment), or (iii) monophonic texture with decorations and embellishments.

Orchestration Textures

Here's a link to a much larger PDF that includes the "Orchestration Textures" images a few posts down. Download the PDF from here to view!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/19603359/Orchestration%20Textures.pdf

My favorite piece is..

My favorite piece is A Fifth of Beethoven because it's a classical piece with jazz in it, and those combined together make a great song to listen to. I listened to it a couple years ago, and it's still one of my favorites. It was written by Walter Murphy.
(I had to post the other version of the video because I wasn't sure which one to use)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=681NvqpO2eU

Jacqueline Du Pre, Elgar Concerto, 1967

Shostakovich's 8th Quartet

The first part of the Shostakovich 8th Quartet (mov 1, 2 and 3). Later I will post the remaining movements.