Analysis Of Richard Taruskin No Ear For Music

[music] is sovereign because the man properly reared on rhythm and harmony would have the sharpest sense for what's been left out and what isn't a fine product of craft or what isn't a fine product of nature. And, due to his having the right kind of dislikes, he would praise the fine things; and, taking pleasure in them and receiving them into his soul, he would be reared on them and become a gentleman. He would blame and hate the ugly in the right way while he's still young, before he's able to grasp reasonable speech. And when reasonable speech comes, the man who's reared in this way would take most delight in it, recognizing it on account of its being akin (80; bk.3, ln.401-402, par. e-a).

Milton Babbitt and John Cage were both composers who played pivotal roles in the post-World War II Avant Garde music scene and in the pioneering of electronic music. Both composers found their roots and were greatly influenced by German-Jewish composer Arnold Schoenberg, however they both adopted different viewpoints on the relationship between a composer and their audience . Babbitt believed that a composer or creator did not have an obligation to please his or her audience, and that his pieces were intended mostly for professionals capable of understanding the context and intention of his music. Cage on the other hand granted his audience more power and influence, believing that music was a platform on which audiences could utilize their creativity to adopt new ways of perceiving and being aware of the world around them. These stances, as well as the different techniques and methodologies of the composers pitted them on somewhat of a spectrum, with Babbitt and his systematic, modernist ideas that were largely based in the music schools of academic institutions on one side and Cage, with his uncontrollable, radical combinations of Avant Garde sounds on the other side. These ideas on audience construction and relations were also visible in rock music of the 1960’s, particularly in compositions of artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan.

Rather than a musical composition or visual installation, the work 4’33’’ is a concept in art history. Therefore, I think there is no need to separate music and visual art. To be honest, 4’33’’ is the silence within 4’33’’ that presents ideas to the audience. Cage

Barry Jenkins’s 2016 film, Moonlight, is a work that is characterized by its silences, both in what is unsaid, as well as the unresolved nature of many of its central tensions. In the film, silence functions to emphasize the interiority of the film’s subject, and to make the audience aware of itself. Such strategic use of absence recalls John Cage's groundbreaking composition, 4'33; a work that is distinguished by its lack of any audible musical accompaniment. For many, the piece is reflective of Cage's sexual identity as a gay man; the silence functioning as a metaphor for the “closet” (Katz 241). The scholar Jonathan Katz has pushed against such a totalizing reading of Cage's oeuvre, by noting that silence was part of his larger aesthetic and religious practices, and thusly cannot be considered as simply an aural manifestation of the closet (242). Katz argues that, "Silence was much more than conventionally unmusical; it provided a route toward an active challenge of the assumptions and prejudices that gave rise to homophobic oppression in the first place. For Cage, silence was an ideal form of resistance, carefully attuned to the requirements of the cold war consensus, at least in its originary social-historical context." (241).

Scholars and artists commonly describe music as a reflection of the human condition. The period in history from the mid-1930s onward marked a tragic phase in twentieth century music and this reflection: the total politicizing of the art by totalitarianism means. Dictators, including Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, were manipulating popular culture to take control of their people. Stalin supported the idea of a “Soviet modernism,” a school of art that would embody the power of the new proletarian state. He monitored every recording made in the country, writing judgments of “good,” “so-so,” and “bad” on their sleeves. Stalin believed music to be the engineer of the human souls, and hoped to use this as a way to influence his people that Soviet life was improving. Fearing a phone call from the dictator or being arrested in the night, Soviet composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich wrote music with chained hands in an effort to please their leader. A study of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 7 will reveal the influence of communism in the Soviet Union on his music as well as his dynamic relationship with Joseph Stalin.

Once being presented with this opportunity to write this paper I found it as a wonderful opportunity to express my opinion on two different musical greats. The one that I decided to choose for the old would have to be Tchaikovsky, and for the new by far my favorite choice would be the beetles. The selection of these two specific artist was almost a no brainer for me, they embody the perfect blend of inspirational music that delivers a specific, yet powerful message, both artist belong to different genres one from a classical genre and one from a more modern form of music.Also, both these artists viewed music regardless of the genre as a form of communicating a message to the masses, in the beetles era war was occurring in the world and in terms of Tchaikovsky he was one of the best ballet composers of his

Horton, Andrew J. "The Forgotten Avant Garde: Soviet Composers Crushed by Stalin." Central Europe Review vol. 1, no. 1, 28 June 1999. Web. 17 Apr. 2017.

This essay is separated into four parts by the approach used to analyze the music preformed by Paul Brandt on April 5th, 2017 as part of a religious studies course focusing on religion and music at the University of Calgary, RELS373. Scott provides a standard of music’s role in cultures, explained in lecture, culture is seen as a product of religion, geographic location, and language. The phenomenon of a spiritual experience due to music is explained through the perception of William James. The metaphysical nature of music is analyzed philosophically, from the point of view of Rudolph Otto. The experience of praise (to God) is analyzed with a doxological approach through the lenses of James Frazer and Dietterich.

This performance was intended to mock Western concepts of the exotic but instead took on a different facade when most audiences did not realize it was a performance piece. Their cage became “a metaphor for [their]

John Milton Cage Jr. is easily one of the most influential American composers of our time. John Cage spent his early life in Los Angeles, California after being born to Lucretia Harvey and John Milton Cage Sr. on September 5, 1912. Cage’s embarked on the first steps to his music career when he began taking private piano lessons when he was just a kid. As the years went by it seemed as if Cage became more interested in literature and writing than music composition. Cage graduated from Los Angeles High School as valedictorian and went on to give a rather enticing speech that gained recognition at the Hollywood Bowl. Cage’s speech seemed to have foreshadowed his most popular piece entitled “4’33”, one of which I consider to be one of the most

In conclusion, John Cage’s 4’33” is considered one of the most dazzling and confounding musical pieces. Free of any predeterminations or intentions, this masterpiece is the first and only of its kind to require a very open mind to grasp it with all the deep meanings it holds. It is never-

Nelson demonstrates that the arguments and statements are highly credible with the use of sources and accurate referencing. She examines the first fifteen years of the Soviet Rule and offers perspective on restrictions imposed and interactions between musicians and politicians. While looking at the social philosophies and the cultural limits of the era that influenced musicians in Russia, particularly Shostakovich and Prokofiev. This book provides in depth explanation and analysis of the restrictions enforced under the Soviet Union and highlights that there was often a difference between the restraints and implementations. It is a highly valuable source to the essay and will be used to provide soluble detail of the restrictions Russian Composers

John Cage’s Aria for voice (1958) is a prime example of the graphic score’s effectiveness in conveying the concept of an “open form.” The printed music comprises twenty pages of black squares and coloured, freely drawn lines, accompanied by textual fragments in five languages (fig. 1). Several aspects of its construction deliberately leave the structuring, timing and stylistic details to the performer’s discretion. Although no exact pitch and therefore no vocal range is specified, the piece was conceived originally for the versatile stylistic capabilities of Cathy Berberian. Indeed, it would be possible for an actor to perform it, so long as he or she had a flexible vocal technique. One of the only configurations the score shares with conventional notation is that the horizontal axis represents time while vertical indicates pitch, though both areas are “roughly suggested rather than accurately described.” While small black squares denote percussive or un-pitched use of the voice, each of the ten colours and visual treatments used on the vocal line may represent any style of singing or declamation; those used by Berberian in her original performance include Sprechstimme corresponding to black dotted lines, à la Marlene Dietrich (purple) and Oriental (orange). A performer may devise his or her own key according to individual vocal strengths. Likewise, the text is not set syllabically, rather the singer must explore each textual statement as a free gesture instead

John Milton Cage Jr, is arguably one of the most controversial and influential composers of the 20th century. His works have pushed the boundaries on what it means to make music, and they have forever changed the way we think about music in general, and what it can possibly be. Cage was one of the composers who decided to challenge the standards of music in his lifetime, and he is one of the pioneers of avant-garde music. He started his music career during the peak of Abstract Expressionism. He has made countless works of music and almost all of them have made an impact in today’s music. John Cage has undoubtedly left such a huge footprint on today’s modern music, and it’s safe to say that today’s music wouldn't be the same if it wasn’t

Cage later went on to say "My favorite music is the music that I haven't yet heard. I don't here the music I write: I write in order to hear the music I have [not] yet heard." This quote summarizes his philosophy on indeterminacy. This belief led to the creation of 4'33'', his recording of the sounds around you. The only thing specified is the length of the piece. It is said that he used 4.33 minutes which equals 273 seconds. And --273 centigrade = zero degrees where everything would be completely silent and atoms quite moving. What do you think about this theory?