I’ve decided to keep a daily update of my progress (may not be an entry every day though).
I started last week by reading the whole of the course material, and then last Thursday, sent my Student profile. Started work on part one on Thursday night.
I have given my definition of music (https://neilthomasocall.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/what-defines-music/) and started on keeping a log of all the music I listen to on a daily basis from October 6-13 (https://neilthomasocall.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/all-music-heard-october-6th-13th/).
Friday I added to my listening log my experiences and feelings about each genre listed: https://neilthomasocall.wordpress.com/2011/10/06/genres/, and then decided in the exercise ‘Exploring Genres’, I would study Dance music, Folk music, Contemporary Classical music and Rap, as these were the genres I was least familiar with. I have now completed my reflections on three of the four: https://neilthomasocall.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/exploring-genres/.
I have spent much of today, writing a blog on the opera I watched on Sky Arts 2 last night. This exercise was a bit of practise for writing a blog and referencing. Didn’t think it was a particularly good blog though: https://neilthomasocall.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/il-viaggio-a-reims-by-rossini/. I have also generally updated my listening log site. Learnt quite a lot today about this side of things, and have sorted my entries into categories. Also realized I have sent the wrong URL address for my listening log with my student profile.
Exploring Genres
Have chosen genres of Dance, Folk Music, Contemporary Classical and Rap
Dance:
Chemical Brothers – The Salmon Dance. This was a novelty piece, and a bit of a parody on hip hop. Started with spoken text, before drum beat comes in. Drum and bass keeps the piece moving along with electronic sounds in front of this. The track has the same melody running throughout the song. The song could be danced to, but not something I would really listen to.
The Prodigy – Voodoo People – This track starts off with drum and bass, with electronic sounds coming in and like The Salmon Dance, has a simple melody running throughout the song. No lyrics on this one just a voice 3 or 4 times during the song repeating the phrase “voodoo people”. Electronics fade off at the end and the track returns to just drum and bass. Similar in structure to the first piece, and I would view this track in a similar way. Could dance to it, but not something I would normally listen to.
Orbital – Farenheit [sic] 303 – Starts off with three or four different pieces of percussion. Percussion dominates this track with little else involved a bit of bass throughout and some electronics. Did not enjoy this track. It was a long procession of drumming with little variation of rhythm, tone, tempo or dynamics. Would be a difficult song to dance to. In short boring.
Overall dance music for me does what is says on the tin. It is fine to dance to but offers nothing to the listener. The first two tracks weren’t as bad as the last, but it is still not something I would listen to out of choice.
Folk Music:
O’Malleys Folk Music Players – An Cúilin – This piece started slowly with solo violin (probably termed fiddle by Irish folk performers). Some percussion (light brushing sound – possibly tambourine being shaken) and a wind instrument of some kind (tin whistle?). Beautiful, haunting melody. Enjoyed this piece of music, well performed and lovely melody.
Italian Restaurant Music Academy – Tarantella – This piece of music is solo accordion, with no other instruments or voices. Quite a nice melody, same sort of tempo and dynamics throughout. Pleasant to listen to.
Samovar Russian Folk Music Ensemble – Russian Dances – this was a very bright piece of music, played at a fast tempo, that increased throughout. Played on a variety of instruments, probably Russian traditional instruments. Hard to identify individual instruments, but probably a combination of stringed instruments, horns and accordion. Investigating Russian traditional music on-line, I found that this music is usually heterophonic – same melody sung by different voices (Face Music Website, October 7th). This, I think, would be a good description of the melody in this piece. I quite enjoyed this piece of music, paints a picture of a traditional Russian celebration, e.g. a wedding).
I chose three pieces of traditional folk music from three different cultures. I enjoyed this part of the exercise. All three pieces were quite good to listen to, and very varied in style. By coincidence the tempo increased with each piece, from the slow but haunting Irish tune, to the quicker tempo, but still quite slow Italian tune, and then finishing off with the fast pace of the Russian dance. The instruments used in each piece also contrasted with each other, demonstrating what a vastly varied subject area folk music is around the world. This is in contrast to the dance music, which had very similar structures and themes to it. However, if I had chosen three pieces from one culture, there would have been similarities, I’m sure.
Contemporary Classical Music:
John Tavener – Funeral Ikos – a piece for unaccompanied voice, on a religious theme. Canonical singing by mainly male voices. Started with lower notes, with higher notes coming in later. Enjoyable piece of music.
Karlheinz Stockhausen – Mantra. This piece is predominantly piano, interspersed with percussion, some voices and other sounds, such as bells and horns. My initial thought on listening to a 1988 recording of this on Spotify was that it was solo piano, but watching a short extract on YouTube (October 8th 2011) by Pascal Meyer and Xenia Pestrova, realized it is played on two pianos . The piece is played at an even tempo, but with changing dynamics throughout. My reaction to this piece is that I did quite enjoy it, although I thought it over long.
Mark-Anthony Turnage – Lament for a Hanging Man. Performed by The Nash Ensemble, conducted by Oliver Knussen with Fiona Kimm (soprano). This piece was written for soprano and ensemble in 1983, based on a text by Sylvia Plath, Jeremiah (Schott Music Website, October 8th 2011). It consists of three movements and opens dramatically with a cymbal being hit. A variety of percussion instruments are used, I can hear drums, bells, triangle and probably xylophone in the music. The tempo starts very quickly, but then slows down. Dynamics change throughout. Dissonance is also a feature of this piece. I quite liked Lament for a Hanging Man, found it moved along and kept me interested.
I enjoyed all three pieces I chose. They were all different, although the Stockhausen and Turnage works had similarites. Tavener’s work was totally different to the other two, and may not really qualify under this genre. Stockhausen and Turnage both used a lot of percussion, and dissonance was a feature of both these pieces.
Rap:
Eminem – Without Me. I have heard this song a few times in the past. Rhythm of song kept throughout by steady drumbeat. Other sounds made by voice or electronically. Electronics also used to distort voice in places. Most the text is spoken or chanted rather than sung, reminds me a bit of performance poetry. Not music I would listen to out of choice.
Beastie Boys – Fight for your Right. Not sure this track qualifies as rap. Has more a rock/heavy metal sort of sound to it. Mainly drum, bass guitar and electric guitar, with shouted text/lyrics. Although I like some rock music this is not a song I would listen to, no real melody, loud dynamics.
50 Cent – Heat. Not pretty. Starts with distorted voices, sounds like TV or radio on in background. electronic music, spoken text with plenty of expletives. Similar to the Eminem track but a much worse song. Didn’t like this track at all.
Three different rap songs and different reactions to each one. Don’t think I would listen to any of these tracks out of choice, the Eminem track would probably the one of choice if I had to choose. The Beastie Boys song was more of a rock song than a rap song. Didn’t like the 50 Cent song at all.
REFERENCES:
http://www.face-music.ch/instrum/siberia_nstrumen.html, October 7th 2011
http://www.schott-music.com/shop/show,156419.html?showOldPerformances=true, October 8th 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0-aw7HIi3s&noredirect=1, October 8th 2011
Have now completed Project One. Time to reflect on this project. Have learnt about the vast variety of music that we listen to on a daily basis (am still compiling list of music I hear during a full week), and the importance of music in society. Have learned and reflected on the different genres of music in the modern world, examining Dance, Folk, Contemporary Classic and Rap in more detail.
Pop v Classical
Pop music can be the soundtrack of the times. Changing trends in pop reflect changes in society. Classical music also changes with times, but it’s history has a deeper meaning, and classical music from all eras is played by modern orchestras.
As I’ve got older my appreciation for classical music has grown and now I mainly listen to classical Music. Pop music, though tends to be around us all the time and you do hear current pop music, played as background in shops and other public areas.
It is hard to define what good music is. I like some of most forms of music, though I discovered in project one,that I don’t think much of dance music or rap, but perhaps I just chose bad songs.
I think the reason for preferring classical music is as I’ve listened more to it and learnt more about it over the years, you appreciate how the music is put together and performed. Pop music, though, can be more limited. It can be the same beat and rhythm from one song to the next.
Good song, bad song
The three songs I liked are all quite old, Eleanor Rigby, New York, New York and Hound Dog. The successful songs I chose that I was less keen on were Relight My Fire, Wannabe and I should be so Lucky. Performance, energy and passion is evident in the three ‘good’ songs. All three have good melody’s, text (lyrics) and suitable rhythm. The three ‘bad’ songs were successful more for having catchy lyrics, and the created celebrity status of The Spice Girls and Kylie Minogue. Take That also had a cult status which helped their records become successful. All six songs are still popular today, and have stood the test of time.
Off to do some reading.