I love to teach Form and Analysis. Of all the parts of my job, it is the one I cherish most. But the name of the class stinks. Form and Analysis is the last course in a required five-semester sequence of music theory for all our music majors. Given its status as the end of …
“You are important only because you are part of the structure.” Read More »
I do music. Not, “I am a musician.” There is devastating absoluteness in the words “I am”; a potential death sentence to identity. I do music. Or, more accurately, I do music for now. A friend of mine, who shares my church affiliation, once expressed to me the sentiment that “composer” is core to his …
Music in a Life is a bit of autobiography via essays on music. It is not intended as autobiography per se, but it is fiercely autobiographical in conception and nature. I am writing this series of essays as a summative exercise after over twenty years of teaching and thinking about music in relation to my …
Philosophical Guideposts Purity, exactness, integrity (integer). The distinctive buzz of purely tuned harmony, especially in lower limits. Acoustic instruments. Too much JI music for headphones already. Nothing replicates physical acoustic instruments. Favor instruments with independently-tunable strings or pipes or bars (no frets, no tone holes): piano, concertina, organ, psaltery, tube chimes, etc. The harmonic series. …
Throughout history, musicians have attempted to represent encounters with the divine in music, or to use musical experience to give the impression of transcending time and place. This usually occurs as a passage at the end of a piece of music, often referred to as an apotheosis. The word “apotheosis” refers to the elevation of …
Phrase expansion is one of the most expressive tools composers have at their disposal. Various ways of expanding a phrase can heighten anticipation, toy with expectation, and lead a listener on a satisfying journey. Studying how composers expand phrases is important in interpreting their work and can enhance the creative work of composers in any …
