II. Materiales y Métodos Experimentales
2.2. Equipos utilizados en la experimentación
T
he musical styles that evolved in the modern era were varied. Some of these were short-lived, being experimental and too radical in nature, while others found an active blend between the old and the new.New inventions and discoveries of science and technology lead to continuing developments in the field of music. Technology has produced electronic music devices such as cassette tape recorders, compact discs and their variants, the video compact disc (VCD) and the digital video disc (DVD), MP3, MP4, ipod, iphone, karaoke players, mobile phones and synthesizers. These devices are used for creating and recording music to add to or to replace acoustical sounds.
NEW MUSICAL STYLES Electronic Music
T
he capacity of electronic machines such as synthesizers, amplifiers, tape recorders, and loudspeakers to create different sounds was given importance by 20th century composers like Edgar Varese, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Mario Davidovsky.Music that uses the tape recorder is calledmusique concrete, or concrete music. The composer records different sounds that are heard in the environment such as the bustle of traffic, the sound of the wind, the barking of dogs, the strumming of a guitar, or the cry of an infant. These sounds are arranged by the composer in different ways like by playing the tape recorder in its fastest mode or in reverse. Inmusique concrete, the composer is able to experiment with different sounds that cannot be produced by regular musical instruments such as the piano or the violin.
Synthesizer
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SYNCHRONISMS NO. 5
(For Five Percussion Players and Tape / Excerpt)
Mario Davidovsky
Example of Electronic Music
C o p y r i g h t b y E d w a r d B . M a rk s M u s i c C o r p o r a t i o n
EDGARD VARESE (1883–1965)
Edgard (also spelled Edgar) Varèse was born on December 22, 1883. He was considered an “innovative French-born composer.” However, he spent the greater part of his life and career in the United States, where he pioneered and created new sounds that bordered between music and noise.
The musical compositions of Varese are characterized by an emphasis on timbre and rhythm. He invented the term
“organized sound,” which means that certain timbres and rhythms can be grouped together in order to capture a whole new definition of sound.Although his complete surviving works are scarce, he has been recognized to have influenced several major composers of the late 20th century.
POÈME ÉLECTRONIQUE Edgard Varese
Copyrigh t by Philips International B.V.
Varèse’s use of new instruments and electronic resources made him the “Father of Electronic Music” and he was described as the “Stratospheric Colossus of Sound.” His musical compositions total around 50, with his advances in tape-based sound proving revolutionary during his time. He died on November 6, 1965.
KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN (1928– ) Karlheinz Stockhausen is a central figure in the realm of electronic music. Born in Cologne, Germany, he had the opportunity to meet Messiaen, Schoenberg, and Webern, the principal innovators at the time. Together with Pierre Boulez, Stockhausen drew inspiration from these composers ashe developed his style of total serialism. Stockhausen’s music was initially met with resistance due to its heavily
atonal content with practically no clear melodic or rhythmic sense. Still, he continued to experiment withmusique concrete. Some of his works includeGruppen(1957), a piece for three orchestras that moved music through time and space;Kontakte(1960), a work that pushed the tape machine to its limits; and the epic Hymnen (1965), an ambitious two-hour work of 40 juxtaposed songs and anthems from around the world.
MUSIC Quarter I
The climax of his compositional ambition came in 1977 when he announced the creation of Licht (Light), a seven-part opera (one for each day of the week) for a gigantic ensemble of solo voices, solo instruments, solo dancers, choirs, orchestras, mimes, and electronics.
His recent Helicopter String Quartet,in which a string quartet performs whilst airborne in four different helicopters, develops his long-standing fascination with music which moves in space. It has led him to dream of concert halls in which the sound attacks the listener from every direction. Stockhausen’s works total around 31. He presently resides in Germany.
Chance Music
C
hance music refers to a style wherein the piece always sounds different at every performance because of the random techniques of production, including the use of ring modulators or natural elements that become a part of the music. Most of the sounds emanate from the surroundings, both natural and man-made, such as honking cars, rustling leaves, blowing wind, dripping water, or a ringing phone. As such, the combination of external sounds cannot be duplicated as each happens by chance.An example is John Cage’sFour Minutes and Thirty-Three Seconds(4’ 33" ) where the pianist merely opens the piano lid and keeps silent for the duration of the piece. The audience hears a variety of noises inside and outside the concert hall amidst the seeming silence.
STUDY II
(Excerpt)
Karlheinz Stockhausen
JOHN CAGE (1912–1992)
John Cage was known as one of the 20th century composers with the widest array of sounds in his works. He was born in Los Angeles, California, USA on September 5, 1912 and became one of the most original composers in the history of western music. He challenged the very idea of music by manipulating musical instruments in order to achieve new sounds. He experimented with what came to be known as
“chance music.”
In one instance, Cage created a “prepared” piano, where screws and pieces of wood or paper were inserted between the piano strings to produce different percussive possibilities.
The prepared piano style found its way into Cage’sSonatas
and Interludes(1946–1948), a cycle of pieces containing a wide range of sounds, rhythmic themes, and a hypnotic quality. His involvement with Zen Buddhism inspired him to compose Music of Changes(1951), written for conventional piano, that employed chance compositional processes.
CONCERT FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA, 1958
(Cover, instruction sheet, and pages 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9)
John Cage
Copyrigh t Edition Peters
MUSIC Quarter I
He became famous for his composition Four Minutes and 33 Seconds (4’33"), a chance musical work that instructed the pianist to merely open the piano lid and remain silent for the length of time indicated by the title. The work was intended to convey the impossibility of achieving total silence, since surrounding sounds can still be heard amidst the silence of the piano performance.
Cage also advocated bringing real-life experiences into the concert hall. This reached its extreme when he composed a work that required him to fry mushrooms on stage in order to derive the sounds from the cooking process. As a result of his often irrational ideas like this, he developed a following in the 1960s. However, he gradually returned to the more organized methods of composition in the last 20 years of his life.
More than any other modern composer, Cage influenced the development of modern music since the 1950s. He was considered more of a musical philosopher than a composer.
His conception of what music can and should be has had a profound impact upon his contemporaries. He was active as a writer presenting his musical views with both wit and intelligence. Cage was an important force in other artistic areas especially dance and musical theater. His musical compositions total around 229.Cage died in New York City on August 12, 1992.
SUMMARY
T
he new musical styles created by 20th century classical composers were truly unique and innovative. They experimented with the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, tempo, and timbre in daring ways never attempted before. Some even made use of electronic devices such as synthesizers, tape recorders, amplifiers, and the like to introduce and enhance sounds beyond those available with traditional instruments. Among the resulting new styles were electronic music and chance music. These expanded the concept of music far beyond the conventions of earlier periods, and challenged both the new composers and the listening public.As the 20th century progressed, so did the innovations in musical styles as seen in the works of these composers. From France, Edgard Varese’s use of new instruments and electronic resources led to his being known as the “Father of Electronic Music” and a description of him as “The Stratospheric Colossus of Sound.” From Germany, there was Karlheinz Stockhausen, who further experimented with electronic music andmusique concrete. Stockhausen’s electronic sounds revealed the rich musical potential of modern technology. From the United States, there wasJohn Cage with his truly unconventional composition techniques. Cage’s works feature the widest array of sounds from the most inventive sources.
WHAT TO KNOW
1. Who was the French composer known as the “Father of Electronic Music?
2. What are some of the new musical approaches of Cage?
3. What is meant bymusique concreteused by Stockhausen?
4. Give an example of a musical work by Varese, Stockhausen, and Cage. Write your answers in the table below.
Composer Musical Work
Varese
Stockhausen Cage
WHAT TO PROCESS
Listening Activity: Works of 20th Century Composers
1. Your teacher will play excerpts of any (one) of the following musical examples:
Debussy – Claire de Lune, La Mer, Children’s Corner Suite
Ravel – Miroirs, Sonatine, Daphnis et Chloe, Jeux d’Eau, Bolero Schoenberg – Verklarte Nacht, Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto,
Gurrelieder
Bartok – String Quartet no. 4, Allegro, Mikrokosmos, Barbaro, Music for Strings
Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring, Petrouchka, The Firebird Suite Prokofieff – Romeo and Juliet (ballet),Piano Sonatas
Gershwin – An American in Paris, Porgy and Bess, Rhapsody in Blue, Someone to Watch Over Me
Bernstein – Tonight from West Side Story, Clarinet Sonata Glass – Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, Akhnaten
Poulenc – Concerto for Two Pianos, Dialogues des Carmelites Cage – 4’33"; Metamorphosis, for piano; Five Songs, for
contralto soloist and piano; Music for Wind Instruments, for wind quintet
Stockhausen – Etude, Electronic STUDIES I and II, Gesang der Junglinge, Kontakte, Momente, Hymnen
Varese – Hyperprism for wind and percussion ,
Octandrefor seven wind instruments and double bass , Intégralesfor wind and percussion,
Ionisationfor 13 percussion players
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2. Listen carefullyto each excerpt and be able to recognize the distinct musical style of each composer.
3. Choose a composition that you like. Write a short reaction paper on it.
WHAT TO UNDERSTAND
A. Name the Composer, Title of the Music, Musical Style, and Description 1. After the Listening Activity, your teacher will prepare selected excerpts of
compositions by Debussy, Ravel, Schoenberg, Bartok, Stravinsky, Prokofieff, Poulenc, Stockhausen, Glass, Cage, Bernstein, Varese, and Gershwin.
2. The class will be divided into four teams, with each team forming a line.
3. As your teacher plays a few measures of the first excerpt, the first student in each line goes to the board and writes the name of the composer. The second student will write the title of the music. The third student will write the musical style. Then, the fourth student will write a description of the music in one phrase.
4. The team that writes the correct answers first scores four (4) points.
5. The same procedure goes on until all the students in the line have had their turn.
6. One student will be assigned as the scorer. The team with the highest score is the winner. In case of a tie, the first team to finish is the winner.
7. The scorer will announce the winners and then ask them this question:
What was the most significant thing that you have learned from this activity?
WHAT TO PERFORM A. Activity 1:
Experimentation with the Sounds of 20th Century Music Systems
1. Chance Music – Put small items inside a bag. Include coins, pens, pins, small bells, and other articles with percussive sounds. Pour the bag’s contents on a hard surface and record the sounds that are produced with a cellphone or other available device. Put the items back in the bag, and unload the same while once again recording the sounds being produced. Note the changes between the two sets of sounds recorded.
2. Electronic Music – Create short electronic music pieces using your knowledge of 20th century musical styles.
B. Performance Activity 2:
Original Chance and Electronic Music
Rate scores are based on the elements of music such as rhythm, melodic appeal, harmony and texture, tempo and dynamics, timbre, and overall musical structure.
1. The class will be divided into four groups.
2. Each group will create an original five-minute performance of Chance Music and Electronic Music (if available) to be performed in class.
3. Those who are not performing will act as judges for the performance evaluation.
4. Judges will have five placards or score cards or paper marked: BEST, BETTER, GOOD, FAIR, NEEDS FOLLOW UP.
5. Judges will display a score card after evaluating the performance.
6. One student may be assigned to tabulate the scores after the performance.
7. Your teacher will announce the “Best Performance” award.
8. What was the role of the audience in the performance of Chance music?
Explain your answers.
C. Performance Activity 3: Group Activity Video Clips
1. You will be divided into four groups by counting off from 1 to 4.
2. Create and explore other arts (multi- media) that portray 20th century musical style (chance, electronic, jazz, avant garde) through a 10-minute video clip or MTV using your digital cameras or mobile phones.
3. Show and discuss your video works in class.
Live / TV Performances
1. Watch live performances of musical concerts, if available in your area or watch live concerts recorded on TV.
2. Re-enact in class what you watched.
3. Make a 10-minute audio video presentation while you re-enact what you have seen on live concerts and on TV.
4. Show and discuss your video works in class.
D. Performance Activity 4:
Singing or Humming Musical Fragments
1. Your teacher will play several musical excerpts of selected 20th century composers and will briefly discuss the title, composer, musical style, and brief description of how he or she feels about the music.
2. Listen carefully to each excerpt and be able to recognize the distinct musical style of each composer.
MUSIC Quarter I
3. Sing or hum some melodic fragments (portion only) of any of the following excerpts of 20th century music, together with the recordings:
a. Claude Debussy’sClaire de Lune b. Leonard Bernstein’sWest Side Story c. George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue d. Ravel’s Bolero
e. Any work of minimalist composers, Philip Glass or Meredith Monk f. Any work of nationalist composers, Erik Satie or Bela Bartok.
4. Based on the melodic fragments of the excerpts that you sang or hummed, you should be able to aurally identify the different selected works of the composers of the 20th century.
5. Choose a composition that you like. Write a brief profile about the composer and give your personal reaction about the music on a 1/2 sheet of paper.
Submit it in class next meeting.
Evaluation Activity: “Drawing Lots”
1. After the above singing or humming activity, your teacher will prepare a box containing slips of paper with the names of Debussy, Ravel, Gershwin, Bernstein, Glass, Monk, Satie, and Bartok written on them.
2. The class will be divided into four groups. Each group will choose four representatives who will be assigned as contestants.
3. Each contestant will draw out a composer’s name from the box and must say three sentences about his compositional technique or musical style, his major contribution to modern music, and one work that shows his compositional style.
4. The rest of the groups will evaluate each contestant’s answer by flashing a card or paper marked “CORRECT” or “WRONG.” Each correct answer earns a point.
5. The group with the highest number of points wins the contest.
E. Performance Activity 5:
Film Showing or Video Watching
1. Research on the 20thcentury musical playWest Side Story written by Leonard Bernstein.
2. Watch any video clip of West Side Story on the internet or You Tube.
3. Write a reaction paper explaining the following elements of the performance:
a. Setting
b. Musical compositions
c. Role of composer and lyricist
d. Role of performers (actors, actresses) e. Role of audience (yourself)
f. Sound and musical direction g. Script / screenplay
h. Props, costumes, lighting
4. Did you like what you watched? Why or why not? Explain your answers.
F. Performance Activity 6:
Singing Songs fromWest Side Story
1. You may opt to do this as an individual or group activity. Groups will be divided into four.
2. Listen to the songs Tonight, Maria, Somewhere, and America from video or recordings of West Side Story. You will be asked to draw lots for the song to sing.
3. Sing and perform the song in class with or without accompaniment. You may also sing with the recordings.
4. Those who are not performing will act as judges for the performance evaluation.
5. Judges will have five placards or score cards or paper marked: BEST, BETTER, GOOD, FAIR, NEEDS FOLLOW UP.
6. Judges will display a score card after evaluating the performance.
7. One student may be assigned to tabulate the scores after the performance.
8. Your teacher will announce the “Best Performance” award.
G. Performance Activity 7:
Live Concert or Recording or Music Video Choose the activity that you are interested in.
1. Class Concert – Live Performance
a. You will be grouped into two. You choose your group if you will be doing the following: singing, dancing, choreography, musical directing, playing an instrument (either as accompaniment to the song or dance or solo performance or as a band). Use props and costumes, if needed.
b. Perform the concert in class in your own original interpretation of the songs from West Side Story.
2. Recording or Music Video: Individual or Group Activity
a. You will be grouped into two and you will choose your group members.
b. Record the performance of your classmates using a cassette recorder or make a music video using your cellular phone, digital camera, or video camera