Concert Report 3 - Jazz Repertory Ensemble

On Tuesday, November 18^th at 8:15 pm, I attended the Jazz Repertory Ensemble concert with some of my friends. If you could not tell from the title, the music that was played was jazz. Although I don’t know the different styles of jazz, I do know that it seemed to be upbeat jazz. For some reason, it really reminded me of Christmas. Maybe that is because during Christmas time back in high school, we would attend a yearly concert put on by our school’s jazz band, and lots of the music that was played in this concert sounded like the type of music that I would hear during my high school’s concert.

            This concert fit in well with the characteristics of jazz music. I now know after watching Ken Burns’ “History of Jazz”, that jazz music started primarily in New Orleans in the early 1900s. The instruments that are played in jazz music are usually trumpets, trombones, saxophones, drums, piano, and others. These are the instruments that were played at the concert I attended. Some characteristics of jazz music that I thought fit in well with the period and were heard during the concert were the “swing” sound caused by syncopation and a blues feel. The songs that were played that were upbeat had a “swing” sound to them. To provide a picture for you, I could not stop tapping my foot on the ground and so couldn’t any of my friends. The sounds created by the band were lively and just made me want to get up and dance. Syncopation is what I believe caused this “swing” sound. Syncopation is emphasizing different notes. Often in jazz music, there are lots of unexpected notes that are accented, keeping the audience’s senses glued onto the stage.

            One other characteristic of jazz music that I noticed was during one song, “Blues in Hoss’ Flat” by Frank Foster was the recognizable 12-bar blues. There are four beats per measure and it is very easy to clap, snap, or tap along with. Although it was not as melancholy as I usually think blues songs are, I still could see how it was defined as a blues song.

            Something that was very unique in this concert was how long the conductor, Greg Evans, would make the band wait in a song before they hit their last note or even continued on with the song. I can remember one specific time, he held the audience waiting and breathless for about 30 seconds! I started uncomfortably smiling because I was so anxious for them to continue. I knew that the song was not over because Evans was still holding his hands up like he was going to bring them down for one more note. But when he finally put his hands down to signal the last note, it was epic. Something inside me was resolved and it made me feel happy.

            Not only did I feel happy during that one part, but during the entire concert I felt a sense of enjoyment and even thankfulness. Something about the music made me realize how lucky I was to be sitting next to my friends who also enjoy jazz, being able to listen to this wonderful music. I think in general, jazz music unites people and has an overall cheerful feel.

            Compared to Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring”, jazz music is very different. In “The Rite of Spring”, I did not feel cheerful. Usually I was anticipating what was going to come next and it seemed as though the piece was in a minor key – at least that is what it sounded like. It was very dark and mysterious. One thing that both songs do have in common is their use of change in pitch. At one point, the instruments might have been playing softly, but there would be a slight pause and then the music would get much louder, increasing the pitch.

            I had a lot of fun at this concert and I was glad that I attended it! I would definitely recommend for others to take advantage of music like this to put you in a good mood.

Two Door Cinema Club
"What You Know"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXwYJyrKK5A

Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzBRKCCsIQc

Outline:

Thesis: Igor Stravinsky incorporates 20^th century modernism characteristics into his musical piece, Spring Rounds from Rite of Spring, such as contrasting sounds and melodies and layering of instruments by adding stratification, fragmentation, and disjunction.

A.    Stratification

a.       Definition (Merriam-webster.com)

                                                              i.      The state of having many layers

b.      0:27

                                                              i.      String section has the main sound with a simple same 3 notes

                                                            ii.      In the background, another instrument is playing three notes on the offbeat of the strings so that it is like an echo

1.      Notes go up the scale

2.      Create a sense of  panic

c.       1:16

                                                              i.      Strings (?) play the melody that was just previously played

                                                            ii.      In addition to the strings, it seems that there are flutes

1.      At first, they play two notes back and forth for a couple of seconds, then descends down the scale

a.       Sounds like bells

d.      2:41

                                                              i.      This section sounds quite frantic

                                                            ii.      Strings, again, are frantically playing the same note

                                                          iii.      While this happens, flutes(?) go up and down the scale, creating  whirlwind effect

B.     Fragmentation

a.       0:35

                                                              i.      In section before  0:35, the strings are playing 3 consecutive notes, giving an eerie sound

                                                            ii.      At time 0:35, the strings cut out and the melody changes to a completely new melody that has not been heard yet

                                                          iii.      The melody is optimistic and plays notes going up the scale, then back down

1.      Very spring-like

                                                          iv.      After that short section, the melody switches back to the creepy sound of the strings

b.      2:28

                                                              i.      Leading up to 2:28, the orchestra plays an intensified, louder version of the melody heard at 0:26

1.      Gives an intense picture

2.      Sounds like fighting

                                                            ii.      At 2:28, all sounds cut out and a sound is played that sounds like birds chirping for a second

                                                          iii.      Then, the melody jumps right back into the frantic-sounding section with the string section

C.     Disjuction

a.       1:49

                                                              i.      Before 1:49, a soft, spring-like melody is heard

1.      Type of sounds one would hear at a ballet

                                                            ii.      Then, at 1:49 the drums are played and the melody and mood completely changes and becomes dark, intense, and loud

1.      The opposite of the previous section

                                                          iii.      This is where the melody at 0:35 is played, but much more loudly and powerful

b.      2:44

                                                              i.      Near the end of the song (at around 2:35), the frantic piece of the melody is played

                                                            ii.      At 2:44, it cuts out and all the audience is left hearing is the ever so faint sound of a flute going back and forth between two notes, again mimicking the sound of bells

                                                          iii.      The exact same melody at the beginning of Spring Rounds is played again

1.      The piece started and ended with the same melody

2.      This creates a feel of completion

Essay:

            Igor Stravinsky, a well known composer, lived and produced unforgettable music during the 20^th century, a time period called modernism. One of his most well known pieces, Rite of Spring, was a game-changer in the world of music. The sounds that he created were new and unheard of. He often paired contrasting sounds together to create a feeling of tension and dissonance, two unpopular musical terms. Specifically, he incorporates 20^th century modernism characteristics into his musical piece, Spring Rounds from Rite of Spring, such as contrasting sounds and melodies and layering of instruments by adding stratification, fragmentation, and disjunction.

            One of the modernistic characteristics that Stravinsky incorporates into his piece is stratification. Another simpler word that could be used to describe stratification is layering. Often, Stravinsky had several instruments layered on top of another to create multiple sounds at once. This use of layering intensified the piece and helped to specify the feelings that were meant to be felt. At 0:27 in the piece, the string section has the melody with the three same notes. In the background, another instrument is playing three notes on the offbeat of the strings so that it creates an echo effect. These background notes are contrasting because they go up the scale and create a sense of panic.  Another place in the piece that has stratification is 1:16. The section that was played before this point is repeated, but this time, a flute is added and at first plays two notes back and forth until it decrescendos down the scale creating a sound similar to bells. The last point of stratification in Spring Rounds is at 2:41. Again, the strings are frantically playing the same note while the flute crescendos and decrescendos up and down the scale, creating a sense of mystification and terror. This stratification that Stravinsky adds creates clear images in the minds of the audience members.

            The use of fragmentation is also apparent in Stravinsky’s, Spring Rounds. Fragmentation can be defined as the process of breaking something up into parts. For example, in the musical section before 0:35, Stravinsky has the strings playing three consecutive notes up the scale, creating an eerie sound. At 0:35, a completely new, spring-like melody is played, giving off the sense of optimism in a pessimistic section. The notes are played up the scale and then back down to give off this sense. After only a few seconds of this, the creepy melody switches back to the melody before 0:35. Another part in the piece that has fragmentation is at 2:28. Leading up to 2:28, the orchestra plays an intensified, louder version of the melody heard at 0:26. These sounds create images of fighting and other intense moments in the audience members’ minds. Then, at 2:28, the melody cuts out for a split second, and an instrument is played that mimics the sound of birds chirping. Right afterwards, the fighting scene continues and the music becomes dramatic and intense once again. These fragmentations within the piece are similar to stop signs. The music is going and going and once it hits the “stop sign” it switches melody for a second, and then continues on its way as it was before.

            Disjunction is the last indication of 20^th century characteristics within Spring Rounds. It is similar to fragmentation in that the melody changes, but the changes classified as disjunction are much more dramatic and long-lasting. Before 1:49, a soft, spring-like melody is heard; one that is normally heard at a ballet. All of a sudden, at 1:49, the sweet melody terminates, and drums are played. The melody and mood of the piece completely changes and become dark, intense and loud. It is the same melody as the one played at 0:35, but it is much more forceful and produces a darker feeling than the other section. Once the end of the song is near, around 2:40, the frantic melody is once again played. At 2:44, it cuts out and all the audience is left hearing is the ever so faint sound of a flute going back and forth between two notes, again mimicking the sound of bells. The switch in melody is unexpected and may cause the audience to jump a little. The melody played is the exact same one at the beginning of Spring Rounds. Although the piece has its dark and light moments, Stravinsky creates a feeling of completion by starting the piece with the same melody as he ends it.

Concert Report 2 - African Drumming and Dancing

On October 21, 2014 at 8:15 pm, I attended an African Drumming and Dancing concert with my RA and some other friends. During the concert there were two groups of students who performed during the two hour concert. One class was the African Drumming and Dancing seminar consisting of about 20 freshman students. The other class that went up on stage and performed was an elective class I believe, consisting of about 40 students. Each group would perform one song and then switch with the other class who would then go up on stage and perform. Overall, each group performed about 5 songs, but the total time the concert went on was about 2 hours. As one can probably tell from the title, the music that each group was performing was African music. In fact, all of the music that I heard was made up on stage from either the students with drums or from those who were making sounds with their voices. In addition to the singing and dancing, all of the students were wearing African costumes which consisted of "dresses" with cool, intricate patterns (see picture above).

Since we have not learned too much about African style music, it was challenging to try to find music that we have studied to compare it to. It was challenging because there was usually only one melody that was sung. In the songs that we listen to in class, there is always several melodies that we follow and analyze the cadences and the phrase structures of. In the songs that were performed at the concert, the melody was repeated over and over again, mimicking a chant. The reason that the concert was so entertaining was because the students had different dances to go along with the melody. If the concert had only been the students repeating the melody over and over again with the drums in the background, it would have been very boring.

I was personally very impressed with the seminar class. At first, it seemed like they were very nervous and doubtful up on stage together, but once they started, they took off. I remember in the first song that the seminar class sung, all of the boys lined up at the back of the stage and played a basic drum beat. All of the girls in the class sat in a semi circle with what seemed like big bowls in front of them. One by one, they would beat on the bowls a specific rhythm. Once all of the percussion was set, the girls started to sing a specific African melody. Then, several girls had solos and sang their own parts. Once they were done, everyone would join back into the “chorus”. Although the beat was repetitive, the song was still very interesting because of the differing dynamics including the different solo verses.

Though this type of music is very different from what we have been studying in class, especially the classical music from the Romantic era, there are still some similarities between this music and the music we have studied since the first day of class. In the classical music that we have been studying recently, I notice that the lower part of the piano’s role is to provide a sort of “beat”. Although this “beat” is extremely different from the actual beats played in this concert, it is still used as a background and something that the melody is built off of. The “beat” in the classical music is normally a specific melodious phrase, it is often repeated throughout the song, just like the beat in the concert did.

Overall, I loved the concert. At first, I was doubtful and thought that the concert was going to be very amateur, but I was pleasantly surprised. The seminar class impressed me the most and it was so enjoyable not only because of the catchy beats but also because of how much fun each student seemed to be having. This made a world of a difference and made me want to get up on stage to join them!

“The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog”

Caspar David Friedrich’s “The Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog” embodies lots of romantic period qualities. When I take a glance at this artwork, the first thing I think is that this man in the painting is taking in this beautiful view and just feeling the power of life. All around him is beauty, wonder, and mystery. I can almost completely insert myself into this painting and feel all of my senses working as I try to make sense of all of the magnificence around me.

One Romanticism ideal that seems to be portrayed in this photo is alienation; the thought of an “artist apart from society”. Now, this may not be a self-portrait of Caspar David Friedrich, but this man is definitely alienated from society at the moment of this painting. Maybe Friedrich wanted to portray his feelings about society and by having this man be the only person in the painting, it symbolized his want or even role in society.

Similar to “The Dreamer”, also by Friedrich, this painting embodies lots of emotions, another ideal of Romanticism. I can put myself in the main character’s shoes and look out into the mystifying landscape before me. How can one not think when they are put into a situation like this? Even now, in modern day, if one was to come across a landscape like this, after taking their pictures with their smart phones, I would hope that there would be at least a couple of seconds of silence to just take it all in. And in that moment of silence, there has got to be thoughts bouncing around, stirring emotions throughout the body, engaging all senses. Being so high up, as well, must create a sense of power (not necessarily over anyone), but just power in oneself as well as satisfaction with life. These emotions can lead to another Romanticism theory: the sense of self-realization in the world.

During this period, the yearning for the “unknown and unknowable” was prominent. What is out there? This man must be thinking. Maybe not only is he (or me, in that case) wondering what is underneath all of that fog, but it also brings me to a larger question overall. What is out there…in the entire world? Again, the mystery of this painting can create feelings within a viewer.

The use of a foreign land is something that was classified in the Romantic period. Relative to being “unknown and unknowable”, this foreign land creates a sense of there being new ideals. What is out there that I have yet to discover that is being hidden by all of this fog? Do I leave and wait for the fog to clear or appreciate the beauty of mystery while it is still here?

Even though I am not looking at the actual painting, I am still able to use my senses to appreciate the glory and wonder of this scene. In my mind, Caspar David Friedrich does a great job in creating a piece that can pull the viewer into the painting so that they can feel what the main character in this piece is feeling. 

Mozart's Musical Phrases

As I have said earlier in my blog, my honest initial reaction to studying classical music was not too thrilling, but I have been pleasantly surprised lately. The music we have been studying (Haydn, Mozart, etc.) is very beautiful and catches my attention. Although to me it is still the “stereotypical” classical music with the orchestra, I have developed a new appreciation for the music. Even with no words, I feel the emotions of the song by analyzing how it makes me feel.

The piece that I have chosen for this assignment is one that I have once had a connection to but have since forgotten about. I used to play piano as a child and I was pretty good (for what I could tell). At home, we had a kind of cheap but also very cool keyboard that could play some songs. One of them was “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” by Mozart. My sister and I made up our own little dance to it and whenever we “practiced” piano at home, we would always somehow end up playing the symphony and dancing around the living room, making my mom not too happy about our priorities. After my sister and I stopped playing piano for several reasons, I forgot about the song and our lovely memories that went along with it, but when I set out to search for a piece that I could analyze, my face lit up when I saw the familiar title on the internet, underneath Mozart’s name. So…here it is. Here is my attempt to analyze a phrase of this wonderful masterpiece.

“Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSL5-wxgvFY

To start off, the overall texture of the piece is homophonic. There seems to be one melodic line that is backed up by different chords and sounds. Also, the rhythm seems to be allegro overall. Most of the song is upbeat, jumpy, and fast-paced, but sometimes the allegro melody is slowed down and played with a more passionate, elongated string of notes played by what seems to be the violin. (For example, 1:55 in the video). The melody is one that is easily recognizable. As soon as I started playing the song, I started to sing with the melody. The  dynamics within this piece help it to be a memorable one. Like the pieces we have studied in class, Mozart has cleverly added crescendo, decrescendos, pace-changing parts, and others to make the piece unique, and not boring. Overall, the piece sounds upbeat and joyful, giving the audience something to smile about.

I have decided to try to analyze the first 21 seconds of the piece. At first, I thought that the phrase within the first 9 seconds would be some type of parallel period, but when I sang the notes of the cadences, they seemed to be the same one, but in a different octave, making it impossible for it to be any parallel period because there are no half or imperfect authentic cadences. I also thought that the section from 0:09 – 0:21 would be its own sentence. It may be, but I started to doubt myself and therefore have determined that I believe that the entire first section that I am analyzing (0:00 – 0:21) is one sentence. With the section from 0:00 – 0:06 being a basic idea, then repeating itself until 0:09, where it then kicks off into the continuation, ending in a cadential idea. Granted, this may be wrong and probably is wrong, but to me it seems like that is pretty reasonable, other than the fact that if this is true, then the continuation of the sentence seems pretty long. But, hey, who knows. Maybe the continuation of this phrase was meant to be longer than usual. Mozart did break some musical rules along the way, didn’t he?

Here is what I imagine the diagram of the phrase is: A sentence

        

To be honest, I’m not sure if this is exactly what the phrase structure is, but from what I’ve learned, this is best I could analyze it.

Being music from the Enlightenment period, this piece is bound to have Enlightenment qualities found within the music. Mozart mimics a salon with this piece by changing up the melodies and intensity/loudness that the instruments are playing. Listening to this song makes me think that there is a conversation going on between the different instruments in the orchestra, similar to a salon where there would be conversations between philosophers about theories and ideas of the time period.

The changing of keys can also represent the Enlightenment. During this era, lots of changes to society were being made and the countries that were involved with the Enlightenment (most European countries) were advancing with respect to science, music, art, and more. The changing of keys symbolize these changes within society.  As soon as you think that you know all of the parts of this song, Mozart changes the key and it surprises you, just like those involved and living in the Enlightened world would probably feel whenever a new idea was contributed to society.

In this piece, I also found sounds that reminded me of ornamentation. For example, at 2:50, the instrument playing does not simply just play one note, but makes a sort of frilly sound and dances around the main note of the melody. To me, these notes are flirty and are used to provide extra flare to the piece. Just like Versailles, a magnificent structure of beauty created in the Enlightenment period, this piece has ornamentation to make it more appealing.

Almost everyone knows of Mozart. He will (hopefully) always be a recognizable name. Saying that, though, I have never truly dove into his music and really listened before this class. Thanks to this seminar, I realize now how much beauty can be presented through classical music like Mozart’s. It is simply amazing!

Enlightenment Ideals

To be honest, when I found out that we would be learning about classical music in this class, I wasn’t thrilled. Then I figured that I was just judging a book by its cover. During no time in my life has classical music ever done me wrong, why should I doubt it and not even give it a chance? So, with that in mind, the class started the classical unit.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that although classical music is definitely more “complicated” than folk music, it is still interesting. Usually when I think of a song with no lyrics, I ask myself how it could possibly catch my attention, let alone keep it for an entire song. But listening to the tracks that went along with the chapter reading, I was surprised to find myself actually interested in the song. Although there are no lyrics, the music is very dynamic. There are different instruments, call and answers, crescendo, decrescendo, and many more ways that the music can be used to entertain the audience.

After learning about Versailles, a symbol of the enlightenment, I was interested in how it relates to the music that came out during this time. Of course, since then, we have discussed how they are related in class. Some of these include structure, contrast, vibrancy, groomed/neat, ornamentation, and others. I do agree with these shared characteristics between one of the greatest palaces and the beautiful music, but I have thought of something else myself. Maybe this has already been said in class and I missed it (I did once leave class to search for one of the hidden bathrooms in Whalen). To me, this is a simple concept but it fits in well with the unit.

I have always thought of operas in the way that many others who are not educated on it do: a bunch of people on stage singing really high notes very loudly. After watching the video clip of the opera on Friday, I still thought that opera was a bunch of people on stage singing really high notes very loudly, but I also felt that it was symbolic of the enlightenment. With some of the ideals of the enlightenment being about “enlightened” individuals and a strong sense of humanism and new ideals, I felt that the opera symbolized this in some ways. I thought that because they were singing in strong, loud voices, that this was, in a way, them boasting about their culture and letting the world know how proud they were to be philosophes and salon members, feeling like they were making a difference in this world. If I were any of those women who hosted a salon, or any man who had opinions about all of these new ideals and theories of society, heck, I would be singing as loud as I could to show others how I felt about my culture.

It is a simple concept and maybe I am digging in too deep into the meanings of the enlightenment, but when I was watching that video clip on Friday, I felt connected to the culture, like I was in the audience, listening to the opera singers boast about our contribution to the world.

Folk Music Definition?

Over the past couple of weeks, we have been listening to, analyzing, and discussing folk music. Although folk music is one of my favorite styles of music, I never thought to define it. My approach to listening to music before I enrolled in this seminar was to just listen and observe how it made me feel. I even had trouble with listening to the lyrics because I was more focused on the style, texture, and rhythm of the song. Now, I try to listen to the lyrics, the cadences, form, and other parts of the song so that I can have a better understanding of the meaning.

For one of our assignments, we were to read Bruno Nettl’s introductory essay to folk music. My initial reaction to this essay was that I thought that Nettl seemed like he knew what he was talking about. He did mention a couple of facts in the beginning that I agree with. Those were the two main approaches to defining folk music: composed in a particular style, and produced by a particular group or society (the “folk”), as well as the fact that folk music is usually considered as storytelling.

Nettl touched on many points of folk music vs. other styles of music. One of the types of music being compared to folk is cultivated, defined as “a part of culture through a written tradition”. Folk music today, according to Nettl, can have a different style from the folk music from decades ago. It could also be the opposite, being the same style as the style from decades ago. With this point, I agree with Nettl. In my quest to define folk music, I have realized that what I consider “folk music” varies. It can be any song with a guitar and a voice, or it could be more complex than that, using numerous instruments and having a faster or slower pace with a different type of voice singing.

Folk music vs. so-called primitive music is another main theme in Nettl’s essay. Primitive music is defined as music produced by pre-literative people. It is described as religious music, and more varied than folk music. Folk music, in this case, is described as being in cultures with reading and writing. I don’t agree nor disagree with Nettl’s definition of these two music types. This passage in the essay was more informational to me and therefore I took it as it was. If Nettl is writing the truth about pre-literative people and how they only wrote music that was more varied than folk music, then I will believe it because I don’t know any other facts that would contradict this.

In the case of simple vs. complex, another theme in Nettl’s essay, I believe that folk music is simple, not complex. As discussed in class, “simple” does not mean “bad” or “lacking”. When I think of a simple folk song, I picture a guitarist and vocalist (this may or may not be the same person) singing a simple tune that anyone could sing. Music like this may be “simple”, but to me it effectively relays the message or story of the song. If it were to be complex, it wouldn’t be very easy to distinguish the feel, mood, or the meaning of the song. Therefore, I agree with Nettl in that folk songs are simple vs. complex.

Nettl talks about changing through communal recreation vs. unchanging style/songs over time in his essay. What he believes is that folk music is changing and stemming off of original songs so much that there are lots of different versions of one song and sometimes they are so different that they are almost unrecognizable as an original folk song. I think that this most definitely can happen within the folk music world, but since I listen to lots of modern folk songs, I can also see that covers of newer folk songs are almost exactly the same as the original song, with minimal changes.

One of the parts of my definition for folk music is that the music tells a story or relays a strong message about society. In his essay, Nettl discusses how this is called “narrative”. He mentions that there are two main categories of narrative songs: ballads, which have a short, strophic stanza form, and epics, which are long and portray a series of events centering around a hero.

Another defining factor of folk music that we have discussed in class and is also found in Nettl’s essay is the idea of “music for the folk, by the folk”. Initially, I agreed with this statement, and I still partly do. If you think about it, “music for the folk, by the folk” could be used to describe any music style out there. Isn’t all music made by people? Therefore, isn’t all music made for other people? If artists weren’t making music for other people to listen, understand, or relate to, who else would they be making the music for? For this reason, I don’t completely agree with the phrase. On the other hand, I can understand why this can possibly be used to describe folk music. It is kind of like geometry in a way: all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. In this case, folk music can be defined as “music for the folk, by the folk”, but not all “folk” are creating folk music.

Overall, I agree with parts of Nettl’s essay, including the simple vs. complex theory and the narrative theory, but not with others, like communal recreation. I think that since there is no clear definition of folk music, it can be interpreted by people in many different ways and for that reason it is so special. Because everyone has their own definition of folk music, they appreciate it for what they believe it is.

Concert Report - XXYYXX with Joywave

Concert Report – XXYYXX with Joywave

  

http://www1.sk-static.com/images/media/profile_images/artists/4971388/col6 (XXYYXX)

http://www.spin.com/sites/all/files/140527-joywave.jpeg (Joywave)

On Saturday 13, 2014, I attended a concert with some friends at Emerson Suites at Ithaca College. The opening band called Joywave, and the main performance was XXYYXX.  According to Wikipedia.com, Joywave’s music is described as “indie rock” and “alternative rock” while XXYYXX’s music is described as “electronic”, “hip hop”, “post-dubstep”, and more.

Joywave’s music was very intriguing to me. Although I have not been educated on the origins of indie music, I observed that their music seemed to be very modern. On stage, there was a lead singer, guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards. XXYYXX seemed to be even more “modern” than Joywave. Again, I am not very educated on the type of music that XXYYXX produced, but it seems that in society, today, a popular genre of music is electronic. Teenagers and young adults call this “rave” music. This includes dubstep-like music that is produced by a computer, not a band. The general feel of the concert is party-like and dance-like. It seems that XXYYXX is similar to this type of music, but mellower.

The music that Joywave made had a long-lasting impression on me. In fact, I am currently listening to them right now as I write this report. Although they were not your typical acoustic-like band and sound a bit more produced than normal, they still had the “band” feel to me. For each song, I tried to watch one member of the band and their role in the song. What intrigued me the most was the member that played the keyboard. Not only did he play the keyboard, but he also had a computer with which he produced electronic-like sounds. The lead singer, as well, caught my attention. The way he performed was very interesting and I could tell that he was passionate about what he was singing. There were definite lyrics in the songs, but at some points, it seemed that the singer was purposefully trying not to annunciate the words so that they created a kind of mysterious aura within the song – maybe allowing it to be open for interpretation. One of my favorite songs that they played, “Now”, caught my attention and had me discussing it with my friends afterwards. During the middle of the song, the pace slowed from a relatively fast rhythm to a much slower rhythm. When they played this part at the concert, everyone cheered because it was amazing to listen to. For most of the song, I had been swaying back and forth to the beat, but when they slowed it down, it was all of a sudden, but really fit in with the feel of the song.

Overall, I loved Joywave and continue to talk about their performance with my friends who attended the concert with me. Their music kept me listening – it was not exactly predictable, which I loved. They were very different than any other concert I had been to and I hope to see them again!

After Joywave left the stage, XXYYXX entered and there was only one person up there. He had no “instruments”; only his computer and what seemed like an array of dials and switches. For the most part, the music was consistent – very electronic-like and with an obvious beat. There was rarely ever singing or human voice in the songs and there were no breaks between songs. Because the rhythm was constantly changing, I was very attracted to that part of the music. There were all sorts of sounds produced by the computer that all fit together to create a type of dubstep/electronic sounding piece. I noticed that there was rarely ever repetition with the songs. For example, unlike some artists who just lay down a beat and have it play over and over again, XXYYXX would create a beat with some other sounds, but he wouldn’t play it more than an average of two times without changing something else in the music. If this hadn’t been the case, I think that the music would have been extremely boring.

In the long run, I enjoyed listening to Joywave more than XXYYXX. I think this is because Joywave had actual instruments up on stage with them, making them seem more band-like. Also, they had lyrics and followed the same musical rules that we have been studying in class with respect to folk music. Compared to folk music, both Joywave and XXYYXX were very different. I would say that XXYYXX was more different, though, because the two styles are almost completely opposite. Folk music is usually very simple and portrays a story. The music that XXYYXX played was produced by a computer and did not have any lyrics. For this reason, the audience had to come up with their own story to go along with this music, making it more personal for them. Although I enjoyed listening to Joywave better than XXYYXX, I think both performances were great and I am glad that I went!

Better Barn Burning Bureau at Porchfest 2014

(Better Barn Burning Bureau playing at Porchfest 2014)

Porchfest 2014 was awesome! What an experience! I was lucky to have a friend who had to attend Porchfest for one of his classes, so we took the TCAT down to the commons and we met up with his professor who showed us around and told us some of the musicians to look for during the day. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay the full 6 hours, but man, I wish I could have. Every porch that I passed, while walking through the streets of Ithaca, I would stop and listen to the music. All ages – from high schoolers to middle aged couples to old fogies- were making incredible music. My favorite, though, came as a surprise.

At around 12:30, I was standing in front of someone’s garage, listening to a band called Better Barn Burning Bureau, I believe, but I was not exactly listening. I was planning out with my friend where we would walk next because we had been standing and listening to this band for about two songs and we were trying to meet up with another friend. All of a sudden, a familiar tune started to play and I immediately gasped and turned away from my friend to listen and watch the band perform this amazing song. They were playing “It Ain’t Me Babe” a song that I recently discovered was written by Bob Dylan, but have only known the Johnny Cash version up until now. The Better Barn Burning Bureau was playing it in a different way than I had known; slowed down.  A variety of instruments were being played including a ukulele, guitar, bass, and drums. The lead female singer, who was also playing the ukulele, and the guitarist were harmonizing beautifully with both their voices as well as their instruments.

Overall, the music was soft and slow, creating a kind of romantic texture. This is ironic, though, because the song is describing what love should be like between two people and how that is not the case between the two main singers. Even so, when I listened to this song at Porchfest, I was intrigued with how the slow rhythm, simple melody, and beautiful harmony fit together to create a beautiful song. For the form, I believe it is AAB (B being the chorus), although I’m not even sure if that is an actual song form. Correct me if I’m wrong (which I probably am). All that I know for sure is that every band that I listened to at Porchfest caught my attention and made me stop to listen, especially “It Ain’t Me Babe” by the Better Barn Burning Bureau. I will definitely tell my friends who didn’t go about Porchfest and I can’t wait to go next year! 

Cadences In "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash

Cadences

Wow. This assignment was much harder than I thought it would be. When I read the prompt, I figured that I would easily be able to find a song with an IAC/HC into a PAC but it took me a while to find something. Also this "something" might not even actually have an IAC or an HC, but I figured that I would take a whack at it since it sounds like it does. Of course, I’m no professional at determining cadences within a song. In fact, I hadn’t even heard the term “cadence” before a week ago. So bear with me while I try to explain cadences through a song.

            The song I chose is “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash. I discovered this song and therefore Johnny Cash at the beginning of high school when I was forced to watch “Walk the Line” with my family for family movie night. Little did I know that this horrible event, at the time, would alter my love for music. As soon as Joaquin Phoenix (the actor playing Johnny Cash) started to sing “Folsom Prison Blues”, I fell in love with the music. So, here is my attempt to point out a cadence within a song with one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs:

Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It7107ELQvY

            After humming along with the tune for about 20 minutes, I finally figured out that the end of the first phrase ends with “mi” on the word “ring”. This occurs at the 0:16 mark in the video. I believe that the second phrase then ends with “do” on the word “fire” at 0:27. If this is the case, then that would mean that the first phrase ends with an Imperfect Authentic Cadence (IAC), an open cadence and the second phrase ends with a Perfect Authentic Cadence (PAC), a closed cadence. This would mean that these two phrases combine to form a period, which occurs when the first phrase ends in an open cadence and the second phrase ends in a closed cadence.

            Well, there was my attempt to explain the cadences (if there are even any) in “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash. It might have been poor; it might have been rich. Whichever it is, I look forward to knowing for sure what the cadences are.

The Avett Brothers Use of Meter and Texture in "January Wedding"

"January Wedding" by The Avett Brothers Song Link:
http://vimeo.com/33837978

One of my favorite bands is The Avett Brothers, a folk/bluegrass band that was formed in 2000 in North Carolina. Ever since the day I received my license and had the absolute privilege of driving alone with nothing but the road and my iPod, there has rarely been a week in which no songs by The Avett Brothers have been blasting from the speakers. The band's song, "January Wedding", has always been a song that comes up when discussing awesome music with friends, family, and acquaintances. This heartwarming love song creates a beautiful blend of male vocals and bluegrass instruments, including a banjo and a guitar.

After learning about meters, time signatures, texture, and many other aspects included in describing music, I have determined that this song has a 4/4 meter. It can be defined as having a duple meter because the number of beats (upper number) is divisible by two. The bottom number signifies a quarter note (four beats in a unit). Having a duple meter allows for the song to sound firm and stable. I believe that the simple 4/4 meter allows the song to have a steady beat that is easy to nod and clap to. I don't know about anyone else but when songs like these come on all I want to do is smile and get into the music as much as possible!

To me, the song seems to have a polyphony texture, defined as "hear[ing] two or more distinct musical lines at once" in Understanding Music (Yudkin 30). As I wrote before, in addition to the male lead vocals, the banjo and guitar serve as the accompaniment. If you listen to the song, you will find that the banjo echoes the voice several times during the song, including the beginning. It seems to me that the simple accompaniment allows for the audience to spend the majority of their listening skills on the romantic lyrics of the song instead of trying to keep up with the background music. This doesn't mean that one might block out the background music completely, though. I believe that the banjo and guitar only emphasize the understanding, and therefore the emotion, of the lyrics.

Although I am still learning and may not be entirely correct about the meter and texture of this song, I do know one thing for sure: "January Wedding" by The Avett Brothers is one heartwarming, smile-provoking, beautiful song.