Music Theory Research Articles

К проблеме воплощения богослужебного текста в духовной музыке А. Д. Кастальского (на примере тропарей)

The article is devoted to the methods of musical representation of the content of the liturgical text in the spiritual choral music of A. D. Kastalsky. The creative path of this outstanding musician, his aesthetic views, the main features of the composer's style have been largely studied by now. However, the methods of Kastalsky's refraction of the theological aspects of chants in Russian musicology have not yet been purposefully studied. This article aims to consider specific methods of musical embodiment of liturgical texts in Kastalsky's choral compositions. His polyphonic adaptations of several Znamenny chant troparia are used as material.The methodological base of the presented article is multi-component. The authors are guided by the original analytical technique of Prot. Michael Fortunato, to some extent refract the analytical experience of Prot. Sergius Pravdolyubov. The main methodological basis is the concepts developed by the musical scientists of the scientific school of the Moscow Conservatory - A.N. Myasoedov, V.V. Protopopov, Yu.N. Kholopov and their followers. In particular, the concept of tonal states is widely invoked.The analysis of selected znamenny arrangements of tropar chants includes several aspects, such as: slogo-rhythmic modeling of a verbal text; reduction of the melodic structure of Znamenny chants and understanding of their logic depending on the verbal content; clarification of the relationship of textural, timbre and harmonic features with significant fragments of the text. The authors come to the conclusion that Kastalsky is constantly striving for coloristic, sonant marking of all essential images of the liturgical text, and thereby creates an emotionally rich "translation" of the ancient monodic chant into the modern language of full-sounding polyphony.

Soprano as a phenomenon of artistic representation of the human image in European and Chinese traditions

Soprano as a phenomenon of artistic representation of the human image in European and Chinese traditions

Peningkatan Pemahaman Teori Dasar Musik pada Guru SMP di Kabupaten Bireun

This research aims to describe increasing teacher understanding of music theory material. As an arts and culture teacher, you don't just focus on one area of ​​art, but you have to master all the material, including music, fine arts, theater and dance. One of the basic materials that teachers must master is basic music theory. There are still many teachers who do not understand the basic theory of music, even though this theory is the initial provision in learning music such as vocals. The method used is descriptive qualitative with pretest and posttest questionnaire data collection techniques, observation and interviews. The research was conducted for one week, the results showed an increase in understanding of basic music theory material by 97.8%. This can also be proven by the results of singing the score for the song Tanoh Lon Sayang according to the actual punctuation
 

BARICCO IN ROSSINI’S MIRROR

This paper provides a comparative analysis of Alessandro Baricco's examination of Rossini's operas from both a musical-philosophical perspective and in relation to his literary works. This simultaneous examination encompasses, on the one hand, the theoretical perspectives articulated by the author in the essay Genius on the Run: Two Essays on the Musical Theater of Gioachino Rossini, as well as within a specific series of plays titled Totem, and on the other hand, selected passages from Baricco's novels. Implicit in this study is the assertion that numerous themes and processes acknowledged by the author as distinctly Rossini's may also be attributed to Baricco himself. They share a commonality in dismantling established conventions, questioning the notion of purposefulness, and challenging the absoluteness of the concept of madness, a persistent emphasis on themes such as journey, change, impermanence, imaginary elements and rhythms. Beyond the previously cited sources, the research extended to encompass eight additional literary works by Baricco.

Evaluation of the Knowledge Levels of Students Studying in the Department of Music Education towards Western Music Theory and Practice Course

Bu araştırmanın temel amacı, müzik eğitimi anabilim dalında okuyan öğrencilerin iki dönem batı müziği teori ve uygulama derslerini tamamladıktan sonraki bilgi düzeylerini belirlemektir. Çalışma grubunu oluşturan öğrenciler, Marmara Üniversitesi Atatürk Eğitim Fakültesi Güzel Sanatlar Eğitimi Bölümü Müzik Eğitimi Anabilim Dalı'nın 1., 2., 3. ve 4. sınıflarında öğrenim gören toplam 126 öğrencidir. Araştırma, betimsel tarama modeli kullanılarak tasarlanmış ve veri toplama araçları olarak araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilen batı müziği teori ve uygulama bilgi testi ile kişisel bilgi formu kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen veriler, Kruskall-Wallis ve Mann-Whitney U testleri yardımıyla analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, müzik eğitimi anabilim dalında okuyan öğrencilerin sadece iki dönem batı müziği teori ve uygulama derslerini almalarının, müziksel işitme, okuma ve yazma becerileri açısından yetersiz olduklarını göstermektedir. Ayrıca, öğrencilerin mezun oldukları lise türü, ders sürelerini yeterli bulma düzeyleri ve üniversiteye başlamadan önce müziksel işitme, okuma ve yazma eğitimi almaları gibi değişkenler, batı müziği teori ve uygulama dersi başarı testi toplam puanları arasında anlamlı farklar olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Bu araştırma, müzik eğitimi anabilim dalında okuyan öğrencilerin batı müziği teori ve uygulama derslerine yönelik bilgilerini ölçmek amacıyla bir bilgi testi geliştirmenin yanı sıra, mevcut sınırlı çalışmalara katkı sağlayabilecek önemli bir araştırma olarak değerlendirilmektedir.

Вятские церковно-певческие курсы А. Н.Карасева 1903-1904 гг. как пример региональной музыкально-педагогической инициативы

This article is devoted to the church singing courses held in the city of Vyatka in 1903 and 1904. Short–term singing courses are one of the forms of musical and pedagogical education, which was widespread in Russia in late XIX - early XX century. The organizers of the courses and teachers at them were famous musical figures. The purpose of this article is to expand information about church singing courses in Russia and the musical and pedagogical activities of A.N.Karasev. Karasev, an outstanding music teacher, regent and author of numerous manuals on church singing, was invited to Vyatka to organize folk singing activities. During 1903 and 1904, he organized three streams of singing courses in the city. The main objectives of the courses were to train the leaders of folk choirs for the Vyatka province and to train teachers to teach church singing in schools. Teachers and regents from different counties of the Vyatka province came to the courses. There were no professional musicians among them. During the courses, students studied music theory, learned to sing by notes, trained to manage a choir, studied spiritual and secular chants, and learned to play the violin. Theoretical classes were closely connected with practice. In total, about 300 people were trained at the courses. Students of the courses have achieved great success in a relatively short time. Their achievements are confirmed by the results of final exams, surveys about their subsequent activities, testimonies of clergy and people who checked schools. The article discusses in detail the circumstances of the emergence of courses, as well as some organizational and pedagogical features. Vyatka singing courses are an example of a regional musical and pedagogical initiative, the successful implementation of which became possible thanks to the support of representatives of state, church and educational institutions, the pedagogical system and the work of the course leader, the motivation of the listeners.

Tenor timbre images in the Giacomo Puccini’s operas: the experience of systematisation

The relevance of the article. An essential requirement for a musician-performer of any specialty is a deep understanding of the stylistics of the works performed, based on an analysis of the artistic and figurative foundations of the musical language. For opera singers, an important factor of professional level is knowledge of the basics of opera drama, the style of the era, possession of appropriate means of vocal expressiveness. Addressing the chosen topic determines the relevance and scientific novelty of the issues of this article, in which arias for tenor in the operas of Giacomo Puccini are considered systematically for the first time, in the context of the evolution of the composer's work. The main purpose of the article was to determine the criteria and implement the systematization of tenor arias in Giacomo Puccini's operas through the prism of their dramatic role in the focus of imagery, genre-stylistic and form-creating features, for further typology of the role of "Puccini's voice" — the tenor-spinto. The research methodology is based on the methods of complex-historical, typological, structural-functional and comparative analysis, which allows us to understand the individual approach of Giacomo Puccini to the creation of his "own musical theater", the dramaturgy of the image of an operatic character, and to determine the criteria for the systematization of operatic arias of the tenor role.
 Results and conclusions. The tenor timbre corresponds as much as possible to Puccini's "vision" of a theatrical character, so almost every opera has a main character with this type of voice. The tenor-spinto (lyrical-dramatic tenor) attracts the composer's special attention, which testifies to the composer's clear imagination of a certain timbre-image as a carrier of artistic and meaningful meaning. Aria, as a fragment of an opera that focuses the attention of the listener on the image of the hero and the voice of the performer, in the history of opera-drama has always created a dilemma between the need for continuous action and its stopping in solo episodes of the performers. Puccini's ability to combine thorough musical development with fixation on dramatically important moments is a special feature of his author's vision. The article proposes a systematization of tenor arias in Puccini's operas according to their place in the action of the play. Two large groups are distinguished: musical portraits of the hero and arias of spiritual elevation (the culminating episode of the character's development, often the climax of the opera). The criteria for the systematization of tenor arias are defined: artistic content (differentiation according to the emotional and figurative criterion); compositional and structural features (identification of common and individual features of the construction of musical forms); the predominant type of means of vocal expressiveness (features of Puchchin's melodism). This approach allows the performer to better understand the principles of Puccini's thinking as a playwright. A deep understanding of the stylistic principles of the composer's work, the stylistics of the author's writing, gives the singer the opportunity to create his own performance interpretation, which evokes a response from the audience and becomes a real artistic asset. Further research in the proposed scientific field will contribute to the expansion of ideas about the author's theater of Giacomo Puccini, will help to better understand the principles of Puccini's thinking as a playwright and the degree of his innovation.

COMMUNITY-BASED MUSICAL THEATER AND MEANING-MAKING IN LATER LIFE

Abstract This presentation will situate the impact of participating in artistic performances for the first time in later life in relevant scholarship. A growing body of research indicates that older adults benefit from active engagement in the arts, and that this can reduce loneliness, depression and isolation, and improve subjective well-being and quality of life. Benefits include strengthening social connections and a sense of belonging, as well as defining and asserting a sense of self. These outcomes can have a positive impact on physical health as well – older adults engaged in the arts experience lower rates of memory loss and balance issues, heart disease and other health challenges than peers not actively engaged with the arts or passively receiving arts. Participation in performance arts can also improve communication across generations and support processing of loss. Senior centers and community centers with senior members rarely, however, position engagement in performing arts such as musical theater front and center. Programming in visual arts (e.g., painting) and traditional arts (e.g., crochet) tends to take precedence, and this can be detrimental to center members for whom participation in performing arts can be transformative. The presentation will explore meaning-making processes embedded in arts performance and argue for promoting performance opportunities among older adults, as well as suggest ways to replicate the model in other settings.

Adapting Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘curious’ poetry: approaches to musical narrativization in my recent composition ‘The Land of Nod’

Abstract In this article, I present and critically examine the ways in which I conceived my recent musical composition, ‘The Land of Nod’ (from At Night for clarinet quintet), as an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem of the same name, with close reference to Marie-Laure Ryan’s theoretical frameworks for the analysis of transmedia narratology and ‘storyworlds’, and Byron Almén’s A Theory of Musical Narrative. As a relatively rare example of scholarship that intersects the fields of adaptation, music theory, and practice (as) research, I situate this work within its wider disciplinary context, and consider the possible benefits that such interdisciplinarity and methodological eclecticism can offer, especially for creative practitioners in music.

Cause of Death: Lähiö

As geographically and socially marginalized neighbourhoods, Finnish lähiös are associated with urban segregation and a set of stereotypes about their residents. Claiming to portray everyday life in the lähiö, in 2018, Turku City Theatre premiered a musical theatre production Varissuo, which was set in the city’s largest and most multicultural housing unit. This article investigates how Varissuo was constructed and depicted both on stage and beyond the stage by analyzing several characters and their storylines, as well as material details present in the theatre building’s lobby area. Drawing from Richard Dyer’s notion of stereotypes as a product of assumed consensuses about specific social groups, the article first focuses on plotting how both novelistic and stereotypical characters contributed to an understanding of the lähiö as a locus of ill-being and personal struggle. Critically approaching Jill Dolan’s conceptual utopian performatives, the article then discusses the elements of utopia and dystopia in Varissuo, suggesting that the representation of the lähiö on stage and in the theatre building erased political potential of the utopian performatives and subverted them into a counterproductive force. I argue that the utilization of lähiö stereotypes and Varissuo’s detachment from its real-life origins potentially contributes to further stigmatization and polarization between social groups

PKM Penggunaan Metode Dalcroze dalam Pembelajaran Ritme di Sekolah Dasar Kabupaten Kupang

The millennial generation is a generation that is very close to technology. The freedom to access social media through various platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook as entertainment is more important than the learning they get from social media. One simple problem that occurs in the field is their wealth of knowledge about various genres of music is unfortunately not matched by basic knowledge about music itself. One of the simplest is rhythm and tempo. Elementary school children in the RT.22 Matani area are often unable to sing according to the tempo or rhythm of the song they are playing. It is very simple but it becomes the basis for them to develop their interest and talent in music. On the other hand, the ability to hear and read rhythm and tempo must be trained to develop the ability to read block notation and numbers. The solution offered by the PKM team is to use the Dalcroze Method in practicing rhythm and tempo so that learning simple basic music theory becomes comfortable and fun, of course the expected results are maximized

The Musical Devil Revisited

Abstract This article argues that modern examples of the Devil as a player of plucked and bowed stringed instruments extend early medieval representations of the Devil’s music as a powerfully persuasive force that can be used to draw souls toward Satan and, conversely, to defend against his musical machinations. By examining Homily X of the Vercelli Book (c. tenth century) in relation to early medieval music theory, the legend of St. Dunstan, and modern examples of the fiddle-playing Devil, this article demonstrates that the musical Devil and his opponents show every sign of sustaining the motif’s power into the future.

A personalized recommendation algorithm for online teaching resources of vocal music based on graph neural network

Abstract In the development process of education informatization, realizing personalized learning is the urgent demand of learners. In this paper, we construct an online teaching resources recommendation algorithm (VGNN) based on a graph neural network (GNN). The project-based collaborative filtering algorithm is used to find highly similar teaching resource materials using Pearson’s correlation coefficient in order to personalize the recommendation of online teaching resources. The personalized recommendation algorithm for online teaching resources was tested and analyzed using the online teaching course Fundamentals of Vocal Music Theory as a case study. The results show that the course “Fundamentals of Vocal Music Theory” is divided into 4 clusters with clear boundary contours under the graph neural network algorithm, and the number of knowledge points in the 4 clusters is 2308, 655, 513, and 97, respectively. After learning the personalized recommended content from the 4 clusters of knowledge points, the average rate of loss of points for each of them decreases by about 0.3. The algorithm effectively solves the accurate classification of vocal knowledge and implements personalized recommendations for educational resources.

Teaching Integration of Piano and Traditional Music Elements in Colleges and Universities Based on Network Flow Optimization

Abstract In this paper, from the basis of piano music theory, pitch and twelve equal temperaments are studied, and due to the characteristics of the piano’s construction, there are different timbres and harmonic structures. In order to realize the digitization of music signals for piano teaching, the collected analog signals are converted into digital signals by Fourier transform, the samples are inputted into the neural network model to get the output results, and the loss function based on Markov’s music language model in piano teaching is used to find the partial derivatives of the parameters to realize the maximization of the efficiency of the piano pitch and note recognition. According to the multi-task learning in neural networks and the envelope curve of notes, we construct the automatic music transcription model in piano teaching based on CNN-HMM and use the simulation experiment analysis to empirically analyze the piano teaching based on CNNHMM. The results show that the dual-channel audio results are improved by 2.68% in F1 value, 3.18% in accuracy and 2.61% in recall than the mono audio results. That is, dual-channel audio has richer information than mono audio, which enables the CNN-HNN network to learn richer features and thus improve the pitch and note recognition results. In this paper, the reliability of the teaching quality evaluation results of the CNN-HMM-based quantitative assessment model for facilitating the combination of electronic organ and piano teaching concepts ranges from 78.1% to 85.4%. This study provides guiding value for the development of digital piano teaching, which is of great significance for the innovative reform of piano teaching in colleges and universities.

On Music Theory, and Making Music More Welcoming For Everyone by Philip Ewell (Book)

On Music Theory, and Making Music More Welcoming For Everyone by Philip Ewell (Book)

Nonverbal Sound in Human-Robot Interaction: A Systematic Review

Nonverbal sound offers great potential to enhance robots’ interactions with humans, and a growing body of research has begun to explore nonverbal sound for tasks such as sound source localization, explicit communication, and improving sociability. However, nonverbal sound has a broad interpretation and design space that can draw from areas such as machine learning, music theory, and foley. We sought to identify and compare use cases and approaches for nonverbal sound in human-robot interaction through a systematic review. A search of sound and robotics-related publisher databases yielded 148 peer-reviewed articles presenting systems, studies, and taxonomies. Differences in taxonomy and overlap of terminology with adjacent research fields such as speech, gaze, and gesture posed difficulties for the search, which we attempted to address through a multi-stage search process. Based on the reviewed articles, we developed a pair of taxonomies using scientific communication principles and analyzed study designs and measures for the creation of nonverbal robot sound. We discuss recommendations for the field, including the use of the new taxonomies; methods for design, generation, and validation; and paths for future research. Roboticists may benefit from incorporating nonverbal sound as a key component in multimodal human-robot interaction.

Establishing counterpoints in the sonic framing of AI narratives

In order to challenge dominant representations and conceptions of artificial intelligence (AI), this article explores how AI is sonically represented in documentaries. Using a corpus of documentaries alongside expert interviews with sound designers, we explore the ways in which music and sound may influence perception about AI. The notion of ‘counterpoint’ in music theory is developed as a concept to capture and explain how the integrated dynamics of human/machines are represented within these sonic framings. The concept of the counterpoint allows us to reflect on how the relations between AI and the human and how they are sonically framed in ways that separate and blend without recourse to reductive or binary futures, which potentially misrepresent AI capabilities and performance. The article identifies and develops four types of counterpoint in what we refer to as AI sonic narratives. This article provides a framework from which AI could be sonically framed responsibly, which is critical when misinformation and hype impede the public understanding of science.

MUSICAL ACTIVITY OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES AT THE COURT OF THE QING EMPERORS OF THE 17TH–18TH CENTURIES

The article raises the problem of the significance of European missionaries’ musical activities at the court of the Qing emperors during the Golden Age and attempts to integrate Western art into palace musical life. A critical review of existing Russian-language sources leads the author to the conclusion that there is a lack of information on the topic of the article as well as some freedom in the interpretation of known historical facts in scientific articles. The author sees the possibility of filling gaps in this area of musicology in a detailed study of documents of the era, primarily diaries, letters, reports and other missionaries’ correspondence. Primary scholarly sources include Father Ripa's Diary, Father Du Halde's Description of the Chinese Empire, compiled from the correspondence of French Jesuits, and Father Amiot's work on the history of Chinese music. The author considers these books to be significant; however, they are not, of course, the only documents that help shed light on the scale and depth of the functioning of European music, theory and practice in the space of Chinese musical culture, which is closed, self-sufficient and by its nature not related to Europe. Works on music theory, created by order of and jointly with the Kangxi Emperor, are proof of a considerable interest in the West. In the palaces, the presence of a large number of European instruments, with which a Western-style ensemble could be formed, as well as attention to European clothing and wigs in which the emperor dressed his musicians, is indicative. In conclusion, the author finds that the musical activities of Christian missionaries produced certain results. On the one hand, organic interaction with European music and its deep understanding did not happen at the end of the 18th century. On the other hand, regardless of the subjective attitude of one or another emperor towards the Jesuits, the idea of ​​introducing musical theoretical ideas and practices of European music-making into everyday life gradually became a reality only owing to their persistent, regular and purposeful promotion. At the same time, a reverse process was underway - the missionaries’ research instinct led to the creation of memoirs and books on the history and acoustics of Chinese music, and contributed to its active promotion in European intellectual circles.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF DON JUAN. ESSAYS ON THE DRAMATURGY OF ALEXANDER DARGOMYZHSKY’S OPERA THE STONE GUEST. DEDICATED TO THE 210TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COMPOSER

The problem of semantic content and musical dramaturgy of an experimental and absolutely brilliant phenomenon of Russian musical theatre - the opera The Stone Guest by A.Dargomyzhsky, are addressed in the study. Namely, an attempt was made to study Dargomyzhsky’s recitative opera following the primary source, the little tragedy of the same name by A.Pushkin, in terms of the authors’ spiritual worldview. In this case, spirituality is understood not only as the richness of the inner world but also as the faith-centric creativity characteristic of representatives of Russian culture of the 19th century. The research perspective reveals a lot of new information in a seemingly familiar work.

THE GOLDEN SANDS MUSICAL (金沙): ON THE FORMATION OF A GENRE ARCHETYPE IN CHINA

The Golden Sands musical is considered in terms of the genre formation specifics in China. Attention is focused on the American origins of Chinese musicals, especially regarding style, scenography, and the specifics of vocal sound extraction. Consideration is given to the penetration of Chinese ethnic elements into the means of musical expression and choreographic poetics in the Equatorial Rain original musical, which demonstrated the fusion of national elements with Western ones, with jazz, rock, rap, etc. The author puts forward the hypothesis that the development of musicals in China is still at the stage of mastering and forming a genre with national specifics, using the original folk style of singing. It is the mixing of different singing styles that is becoming the most important trend in the development of modern Chinese musical theatre. Created under the direction of Zhou Enlai, the Golden Sands musical (金沙) reveals the typological features of the genre characteristic of its Western models: a synthesis of academic and pop music principles, a synthesis of arts (music, choreography, stage design, costume art). However, its combination with Chinese poetics has created a new nationally oriented direction, which has a significant influence on the development of musical art both in China and throughout the world.