Phrase Rhythm Research Articles

Korvais in Karnatak Music - Improvisation through Training

Korvai is a Tamil word meaning joining or beading. When rhythmic syllables are joined or beaded together in a logical development and culminate in a structural format of definable Purvanga and Uttaranga then they can be termed as Korvai. Korvais form an essential part of every Karnatak concert. They are being extensively used by Vocalists, Instrumentalists and various types of percussion artistes also. Since, Korvai is an integral and important aspect of a concert, there is a necessity to analyze the process of making them and also quantify them for easier approaches to its various types. There are two parts in a Korvai, that are generally being used to identify them distinctively. They are Purvanga (the first part or the introductory part) and Uttaranga (the ending part or the subsequent part). The purvanga and uttaranga are constant factors irrespective of the rhythmic structure or Tala structure. Same Purvanga can be used with different Uttarangas for same tala or extended to other talas as well. Such being the case, the purvangas and uttarangas are clearly quantifiable in terms of numbers and rhythmic phrases or combination of phrases. When a number is being used, there can be logical build up and hence this article explores such logical build-up using numbers in a structured way converted as cognizable rhythmic varieties. Talas are cyclical in nature having specified fixed number of beats per cycle. For a tala which is having 9 beats per cycle, the total number for 3 or 4 cycles can be calculated by simple multiplication. For example, for 4 cycles the total would be 36 beats. Whenever calculations are made mostly they are done on either as number of beats or on pulses. Both methods can be employed for quick results. In the above case, there were 36 beats which can give us 144 pulses (36 X 4).The purvanga can be anything like 108 and the uttaranga can be 36. The general ratio of purvanga and uttaranga could be 60:40 or 70:30 for. Longer Purvangas of 90:10 or shorter purvangas of 20:80 are generally not preferred. This article also covers various examples where different combinations are improvised. Different types of korvais can also be made using such improvisations.

The ‘Anchoring vi Schema’ and its relation to phrase rhythm in popular music

AbstractIn order to reveal normative prototypes undergirding various formal sections, this article introduces the ‘Anchoring vi Schema’: a medium length major-mode passage (typically eight or 16 bars) that initiates on an unambiguous hypermetric downbeat (for example, the beginning of a verse or chorus). The Anchoring vi Schema must begin with tonic harmony and deploy submediant harmony at its midpoint – the second most hypermetrically strong beat. The identification of the Anchoring vi Schema enables closer readings of phrase expansion and deletion in popular music. A comparison of the common harmonies used in eight- and 16-measure passages reveals some striking similarities, particularly in terms of where tonic and subdominant chords are likely to occur. Although the endings of formal sections can take a variety of paths – including arriving at various tonal goals within a range of possible times – hypermetrically accented beginnings and midpoints show greater consistency in their organisation.

Gamified Learning Intervention to Promote Music Literacy and Creativity in Elementary Music Education

Music education often emphasises the acquisition of practical components, with students assessed on their ability to handle and operate musical instruments. The theoretical aspects of music education, particularly music theory, have been relegated to a secondary role. However, recent research has shown that music creativity, including composition, improvisation, performance of composed music, and ideation, is a core element in music studies. Teaching music theory is becoming less popular among music teachers, and consequently, the stigma associated with learning music theory limits students' ability to explore music independently. This study proposes a gamified learning intervention through Music Rhythm Tour Board Game to promote music literacy and creativity in elementary music education. Observations on players’ behaviour were conducted to test the efficacy of the board game in promoting music composition. The gameplay analysis showed how the intervention successfully reduced the stigma associated with constructing rhythmic phrases, facilitating a smoother transition to music composition and rhythmic sight reading (kinetic responses of players). The findings showed that Music Rhythm Board Game effectively reflects the potential of capitalising on collaborative structures of cooperative board games. It provides a promising avenue for improving music education by encouraging students to develop their creativity and musical skills through gamified learning.

Stimulating the Development of Rhythmic Abilities in Preschool Children in Montessori Kindergartens with Music-Movement Activities: A Quasi-Experimental Study

AbstractThis article examines the effects of Montessori music-movement activities on the development of the rhythmic abilities of 59 children from Montessori preschools, aged between 3 and 6 years. Children were deployed into two experimental groups (EG 1 (n = 20) & EG 2 (n = 22)) and a control group (CG) (n = 17). Our intervention consisted of introducing 15 to 20 min of unstructured movement time, either accompanied by a piano (EG 1) or recording (EG 2), three times a week for four months, whereas the control group carried on the usual Montessori program. We used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent groups design with pretest–posttest. Three tests for measuring rhythmic abilities were used: auditory discrimination of the rhythmic patterns, imitation of spoken rhythmic phrases, and determining the synchronization of movement with the rhythm of the music. The interventions had a positive effect on the development of the rhythmic abilities of children included in the study. The most significant effect was noticed in EG 1, while no effect of non-activity was detected in the control group.

Phrase Rhythm and Loss in the Music of Maurice Ravel

ABSTRACTA particular subset of Ravel's output features a phrase‐rhythmic technique wherein tonal and thematic returns are accompanied by surprisingly asymmetrical or ambiguous phrase rhythm. This defies both generic conventions linking thematic reprise and tonal closure to relatively stable phrase rhythm and specific expectations created by these works’ formal processes, and contrasts with trajectories moving from phrase‐rhythmic instability to stability which Ravel deploys in other works. The set of pieces which features this technique includes À la manière de … Chabrier, the Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn, pieces from Le Tombeau de Couperin, the last of the Valses nobles et sentimentales, and the ‘Blues’ movement from the Violin Sonata. This study notes how themes of loss and distance connect these pieces, allowing for the phrase‐rhythmic technique to be bound up with interpretative implications which can enhance our understanding of how phrase rhythm can carry expressive freight.

Musical Eschatology in Contemporary Christian Worship Songs

This article examines musical expressions of the Christian doctrine of eschatology in Contemporary Worship Music (CWM), a subgenre of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Taking an interdisciplinary approach that combines recent scholarship on pop-music analysis and Christian studies of CWM, I analyze the lyrics and the music of select contemporary worship songs to interpret how their phrase rhythm, form, and tonal design convey and enhance eschatological ideas in the text. The findings address the purported superficialities in CWM’s eschatological content both musically and theologically, and challenge Christian worship leaders and practitioners to consider the skillfulness and artistry of CWM, especially in the areas of phrase rhythm, phraseology, formal proportions, and strategic deployment of tonal resolutions, when evaluating and selecting contemporary worship songs for congregational singing.

Prosody in Sign Languages

This chapter addresses the debate concerning the status of nonmanuals (head, face, body) as prosodic or not by exploring in detail how prosody is structured in speech and what might be parallels and differences in sign. Prosody is divided into two parts, rhythmic phrasing (timing, syllables, stress), and intonation. To maximize accessibility, in each part, an introduction to what is known for speech is presented, followed by what is known and/or claimed for sign languages. With the exception of the internal structure of syllables, sign languages are very similar to spoken languages in the rhythmic domain. In the intonational domain, the parallels are less strong, in part because analogies of nonmanual functions to spoken intonation tend to be based on older/simpler models of intonation. There needs to be much more detailed research on sign languages to catch up with the recent research on spoken intonation.

SCORE MODIFICATION OF FAZIL SAY PIANO PERFORMANCE: ALLA TURCA JAZZ OP.5B

The Alla Turca Jazz op.5b for piano solo is creative research in music performance. This study aims to examine unwritten Fazil Say’s embellishments of ornamentation, melodic and rhythmic phrases. The unwritten notations have developed since the seventeenth century of performance practice among keyboardists. However, the performance practice continuously occurs in the twenty-first-century performance although it is a complete notation. The Alla Turca Jazz op.5b was written and performed by Fazil Say throughout his performances globally with a dissimilar interpretation of embellishments. His unwritten embellishments contribute to the modification of the scores in contemporary piano works.

Covert Speech Comprehension Predicts Recovery From Acute Unresponsive States.

Patients with traumatic brain injury who fail to obey commands after sedation-washout pose one of the most significant challenges for neurological prognostication. Reducing prognostic uncertainty will lead to more appropriate care decisions and ensure provision of limited rehabilitation resources to those most likely to benefit. Bedside markers of covert residual cognition, including speech comprehension, may reduce this uncertainty. We recruited 28 patients with acute traumatic brain injury who were 2 to 7 days sedation-free and failed to obey commands. Patients heard streams of isochronous monosyllabic words that built meaningful phrases and sentences while their brain activity via electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. In healthy individuals, EEG activity only synchronizes with the rhythm of phrases and sentences when listeners consciously comprehend the speech. This approach therefore provides a measure of residual speech comprehension in unresponsive patients. Seventeen and 16 patients were available for assessment with the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) at 3 months and 6 months, respectively. Outcome significantly correlated with the strength of patients' acute cortical tracking of phrases and sentences (r > 0.6, p < 0.007), quantified by inter-trial phase coherence. Linear regressions revealed that the strength of this comprehension response (beta = 0.603, p = 0.006) significantly improved the accuracy of prognoses relative to clinical characteristics alone (eg, Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS], computed tomography [CT] grade). A simple, passive, auditory EEG protocol improves prognostic accuracy in a critical period of clinical decision making. Unlike other approaches to probing covert cognition for prognostication, this approach is entirely passive and therefore less susceptible to cognitive deficits, increasing the number of patients who may benefit. ANN NEUROL 2021;89:646-656.

End-Accented Sentences: Towards a Theory of Phrase-Rhythmic Progression

AbstractFor centuries, theorists have debated whether musical phrases are normatively beginning-accented or end-accented. The last two decades of the twentieth century gave beginning-accented rhythm the upper hand; yet, recent work on end-accented phrases has reinvigorated the debate. I contribute to this discussion in two ways. First, I aim to rehabilitate a central position of end-accented rhythm by drawing attention to phrase-rhythmic tendencies in classical sentence structure. My analyses show that end-accented sentential schemas are well-established compositional options in various action spaces—including Primary and Secondary Themes—in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century instrumental music. Moreover, integral roles of end-accented sentential themes are substantiated by their production—in tandem with their beginning-accented counterparts—of large-scale progressions analogous to tonal and formal ones. Awareness of these sentential themes re-energizes the century-old debate and deepens our understanding of phrase rhythm as a source of musical meaning. Second, in order to achieve the first goal, I develop a theory of phrase-rhythmic progression for categorizing phrase-rhythmic types and mapping their trajectories. This theory fills a gap in current spatial representations of rhythm and meter, which focus on metric dissonances and hierarchies without considerations of phrase–meter interaction.

Sources, Controversies and Silences: Bede, Muirchú, Patrick and Acgilbert

This essay explores the role of intertextuality in the commemoration of Patrick, Cuthbert and Acgilbert in three texts that share an identical phrase. These texts are: Muirchú’s Vita sancti Patricii, and Bede’s Vita sancti Cuthberti and Historia ecclesiastica. The rhythmic phrase relates to themes of mission, grace, and conversion across the three texts.

Becoming Beethoven: Theorizing Bonner Zeit Transitions

Beethoven wrote about thirty sonata movements before leaving Bonn. Often disparaged as awkward (when not neglected entirely), these pieces deserve rehabilitation for the insights they can bring to the composer's masterworks. Influenced by local Rhenish models—Christian Gottlob Neefe, Andrea Luchesi, and Johann Franz Xaver Sterkel, the Bonner Zeit music imbues a galant style with Empfindsam colorings, producing an idiosyncratic approach to transitions and genre blending—particularly involving cue play surrounding multiple medial caesuras, elisions, phrase expansions, and undermined secondary themes—that responds immediately to Janet Schmalfeldt's perspective on the process of becoming as well as a mix of ideas from Heinrich Schenker, William Caplin, and the work of James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy, all applied here. Three of Beethoven's Bonn sonatas, as well as several works by Rhineland contemporaries, are given close study for their transition-related harmony, voice leading, phrase rhythm, topics, and formal implications.

Timing of Syntactic and Rhythmic Effects on Ambiguity Resolution in Turkish: A Phoneme Restoration Study.

It has been shown that speakers use prosodic cues to disambiguate the syntactic structure of a sentence and listeners are sensitive to such cues. But the distribution of prosodic boundaries has been reported to depend on the lengths of constituents as well as the syntactic structure of utterances. Hence, it is possible that listeners are sensitive to these alternative reasons (i.e., syntactic or length-related) for why a speaker might introduce a prosodic break (Clifton, Carlson, & Frazier, 2006). The present study of Turkish employs a phoneme restoration paradigm to investigate more closely the time-course of three factors (prosodic cues, syntactic Late Closure, and phrase length effects) in the comprehension of a late/early closure ambiguity. The results confirm a significant role of prosody in restoring missing disambiguating phonemes; listeners tended to maintain an analysis that was syntactically or prosodically favored on-line. Notably, they did not generally revise that decision in face of the rhythmic factor of phrase lengths. This may be because length contrasts become fully apparent only later in a sentence. This is supported by the fact that when tested post-sententially in a previous study of Turkish (Deniz & Fodor, 2017), it was found that phrase lengths as well as prosodic and syntactic effects did influence parsing decisions, indicating that all three sources of guidance were at work. By comparing these two studies, with their different methodologies applied to the same materials, we document here the novel finding that rhythmic phrase length effects are indeed delayed, as previously contemplated by Clifton et al.

LIBANIUS’S SPEECH «TO TIMOCRATES» AS A SOURCE FOR THE LATE ANTIQUE THEATRE CLAQUEURS STUDIES

The article deals with theatre claqueurs of the 4th century in Roman Empire as a progenitor of deme-odious «parties of hippodrome» of the 5th – 6th centuries. Based on Libanius’ speech, the article describes the number of claqueurs, their social status, activity beyond theatres, interactions with government (both local powers and Emperor representatives), their role in mass riots. The methodology of the study is based on the principles of science, historicism, consistency, as well as on the use of general scientific methods (induction and deduction,analysis and synthesis) and special-historical methods(historical-systemic, historical-genetic, historiographical and source-analysis). The scientific novelty is that for the first time in the national historiography the activity of the theatre claqueurs has been investigated separatelyas a powerful organization, which has become an important factor in urban life since the end of the 4th century. The conclusions are as follows: the claque phenomenon was spread in Antique times even before that. People were hired by the theatre actors to back up the theatrical plays with claps and yells, encouraging other people to do the same. Other way to support actors was to repeat rhythmic phrases that were called acclamations. But in the 4th century, theatre claqueurs went further and became a political force in the cities of the Roman Empire. This perturbation was pictured in Libanius’s speech «To Timocrates». Libanius himself was the most famous orator of the 4th century, originally from Syrian Antioch, spending most of his life in that city and dedicating most of his speeches to its problems. Antique author was very hostile towards claqueurs, he considered them to be a menace to the city, while describing their existence in full details. Analyzing Libanius’s speech, other sources and scientific literature, one can see claqueurs as an organized association of young people who have set themselves the goal of making money both legitimate and not so legitimate. In the city of Antioch, their number was about 400 men. In addition to receiving funding from the actors of the theater, the claqueurs demanded money from officials for the approval of their person, also engaged in a simple extortion of money of ordinary people in Antioch. In social terms, most theatrical «screamers» were from the poor, but there were some representatives of wealthy families. The theory that the claqueurs were one of the initiators of the rebellion in Antioch against the emperor in 387 renders sound is justified. This means that they have gained the value of an independent political force.

Alternative Paths, Phrase Expansion, and the Music of Felix Mendelssohn

AbstractWilliam Rothstein’s seminal work on phrase rhythm has been foundational for scholars who study phrase expansion using Schenkerian principles, such as David Beach, Charles Burkhart, Joseph Kraus, and Samuel Ng. Other scholars consider phrase expansion from the perspective of William Caplin’s form-functional theory, such as Janet Schmalfeldt and Steven Vande Moortele. Both groups tend to emphasize structural concerns. Recent theories of musical meaning, however, challenge analysts to consider phrase expansions through an expressive lens. This article engages with that challenge using the metaphor of musical motion, a concept that is informally present in numerous analytical writings but was formalized in work on conceptual metaphors by Steve Larson and Mark Johnson. In particular, we introduce a category of expansion techniques called “alternative paths” in which a phrase deviates from its expected course toward a goal via the addition of new material. By defining how the new material is initiated and concluded, alternative paths provide a more nuanced view of passages that might otherwise be described by the more generic terms “parenthesis,” “interpolation,” or “purple patch.” We use Felix Mendelssohn’s works to demonstrate the effectiveness and flexibility of our approach, though the theory of alternative paths is by no means limited to that repertoire.

Beyond prosody: Foreign accent syndrome in a Spanish-speaking patient. Case report

Introduction: Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is a rare speech disorder. It is becoming increasingly common to find reports of cases about alterations different from the suprasegmental aspects of speech, although these reports are not frequent in Spanish-speaking patients.Case presentation: 48-year-old female patient from Colombia diagnosed with FAS, segmental and suprasegmental speech alterations, and changes in cognitive domains (executive functions and language). The woman also presented with motor and affective changes. Brain imaging studies ruled out structural involvement and follow-up at one year did not show significant changes in speech.Discussion: This case presents the neurological, neuropsychological and speech features of a Spanish-speaking patient with FAS. Greater alteration in vowels than in consonants, alteration in pronunciation time, variation in rhythm and intonation of words and phrases, decrease of time between syllables, and insertion of vowels are common elements between this patient and other cases of FAS in non-Spanish speaking subjects.Conclusions: FAS is essentially a speech alteration; however, it can be accompanied by other physical and psychological signs. This case report allows recognizing the essential components for the definition, diagnosis and intervention of this syndrome.

Dentists and What They Do by L. Slegers

Slegers, Liesbet. Dentists and What They Do. Clavis Publishing Inc., 2017.&#x0D; Intended to be read by parents with their toddlers, Dentists and What They Do is a fun, highly informative guide to a first visit to the dentist's office. Brightly-coloured images and diagrams occupy portions of every page of the story. These minimalist drawings are annotated with rhythmic phrases such as “shine, shine” for a mirror or “how funny!” for a dentist’s mask, making the book entertaining to read. Whereas the text of the story itself is small, the images are labelled in a larger font, and are therefore intended to be read by young children, introducing a variety of vocabulary. Further, Slegers accommodates for any fears that young children may have before their first visit to the dentist by demonstrating ways in which medical professionals act to entertain and accommodate children. For example, the dentist checks the teeth of a stuffed animal. &#x0D; Overall, Dentist’s and What They Do is delightful, easy to read, and likely to be enjoyed even by older children because of its engaging format. In its demystification of the first trips to the dentist, the book is an excellent way to introduce normal checkups and appointments to young children and is effective in making the process entertaining. &#x0D; Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Madeline C. Crichton&#x0D; Madeline Crichton is a University of Alberta undergraduate student with a lifelong passion for reading. When she is not preoccupied with her studies, Madeline is busy volunteering in a variety of roles in her community.

Neurophysiological and Images Studies in a Case of Foreign Accent Syndrome Secondary to Multiple Sclerosis

Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) is rare speech disorder that affects about 80 persons in all the world, it´s a rare speech disorder characterized by segmental (abnormality in time of pronunciation of vocal and consonant) and prosodical deficits (abnormality in rhythm and intonation of words and phrases) without abnormal grammatical abnormalities, the patient´s speech resembles a nonnative accent. The most of cases present like an acquired abnormality of the speech due to a damage of the central nervous system. It could be secondary to neurologic or psychogenic disturbances. We present a case of FAS. It was a 65 years old woman with diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Neurophysiological and Image tests were done to her. Visual Evoked Potential showed abnormality of nerve conduction on visual system due to demyelinating, Somatosensory Evoked Potential showed abnormality of nerve conduction on somatosensory way at left parietal area, probably due to demyelinating. EEG revealed paroxysmal activity on bilateral Fronto-Centro-Temporal regions, a peak of energy on theta band in all of derivation, predominantly in lower Frontal and Temporal regions and increase of absolute and relative power as well as mean frequency of theta band on lower Frontal and Temporal regions. 3T MRI showed hyperintense yuxtaxial image in cortical regions, hypointense images in brain stem, demyelinating plaques on left Frontal, Parietal and Temporal subcortical areas and in periventricular regions. We conclude that FAS is a rare disorder, it could be associated to Multiple Sclerosis.

ڈاکٹر داؤد رہبرؔ بحیثیت شاعر: ایک تعارف

Daud Rahber (1926 - 5 October 2013) was a scholar of comparative religions, Arabic, Persian, Urdu literature and Indian classical music. Rahber is regarded as accomplished essayist, poet, composer, translator, philosopher, contributer to Inter civilization dialogue, musicologist, drummer, singer and guitarist. In 1949, he left Pakistan for Cambridge University where he got his Ph.D. He served as a teacher at reputable Universities in Canada and Turkey. His love for poetry and music can never be subsided. In 1968, he became a member of the faculty of Boston University where he taught comparative religions for 23 years. He retired in 1991 and settled in Florida. In rich tradition of Urdu poetry, Daud Rahber's comprehensive 'kulliyat' and 'Baqiyat' show an amazing breadth of content. His diction includes words from Hindi, Arabic, Persian and Urdu, all assimilated into flawless, rhythmic phrases. He is sensitive to the human conditions and always sees the infinite in the infinitesimal. His poetry is a colourful canvas portraying all around him.

Change of Rhythm as a Compositional Technique

The paper demonstrates rules and some of the basic applications of metarhythmia that is one of the compositional techniques used by Greek tragedians. The presentation of the examples is proceeded by discussion on the phenomenon of the so-called verbal rhythm, and distinction between metrical pattern and its syllabic realization. In the context of metarhythmia, verbal rhythm produces rhythmic ambiguity that reveals itself in specific syllabic realizations of metrical patterns. The result of the process is used by poets to generate consecutive rhythmic phrases (cola), and thus to shape artistically the structure of a song.