Memorising to be Mesmerising

So there is a (large group) piano recital on Saturday at L&C.  And I have to memorise the piece I am playing.  Until last semester, I had never memorised any music - EVER.  My second piano teacher had been very focused on sight reading, so I had actually learned only two or three pieces in a period of four years.

So this memorising thing was obviously a problem...

Last semester I managed to memorise both my recital piece and a second piece, which allowed me to pass the repertoire portion of the Piano Proficiency exam (for music majorness).

Because I still need to do the skills portion of the exam (scales, sight-reading (won't be a problem), harmonisation of a melody and then transposing & harmonising that melody), I decided to take lessons again this semester.  Of course, this meant memorising another piece for the recital at the end of the semester.

On Monday (yesterday I guess), my piano instructor (Stephanie Thompson) and I had a discussion about why pianists are made to memorise their music during my lesson.

This is a new thing!!! Only for the last 100-150 years have solo performers been memorising their music for recitals and concerts!

It was started by Franz Liszt, much to the dismay and/or anger of concert pianists of the time--Liszt was always trying to outdo his peers.  Clara Schumann is said to have also played without music, but responded to Liszt's demand for memorisation unfavourably.

So now here we are, expected to memorise our solo repertoire.

With an arsenal of post-its and multiple, differently sized copies of Borodin's Reverie, I headed to the practice room to laboriously memorise it.  Play measure 1 with music, cover it with a post-it, play measure 1 from memory adding measure 2 with music, cover it with a post-it, play measures 1 & 2 from memory adding measure 3 with music, cover it with a post-it, play measures 1-3 from memory...

I do have to say that some aspects of playing are easier when memorised, but my main question is: why is it necessary??

The Life of Classical Music

The other night, I went out to dinner with some of my composer friends/colleagues (Cat, Branden, Will, Patrick, & David and our professor Michael Johanson).  We had a lengthy conversation about what music is and how one picks what they listen to.

Our conversation kinda foucsed around these questions:

• Do you put on different listening ears depending on the kind of music?
• Is there a difference between "art" song (like Schubert) and pop music (like Dido...?)?
• Do you listen differently depending on you mood? depending on what your doing?
• How do you pick your new (to your ears) tunes?
• What is the criteria for something to be music?

None of these really have any definite answers - at least none that people can agree on.

Let me tell you how we got to this conversation and some of the answers some of us posed along with more questions:

Branden asked if anyone would go with him to Ke$ha's concert with him next year - half of the group immediately said "NO!" and asked why he listens to "that stuff."

Defending himself, Branden argued that it was entertaining and, thus, fulfilled the requirement of music: to entertain.

Will and Patrick questioned this - what about evoking feeling?  the talent behind the artists?  what about invention?

Then we got to questions like:

• Are bands that are reviving old styles inventive?
• Can classically trained musicians really separate the music they hear?
• Why do all pop songs have the same chord progressions?
• Why do some have the same melodies?
• Have we written all of the possible melodies?

Cat brought up a YouTube video we had watched in Music History a couple years ago: every pop song can be related back to Pachebel's Canon...here's the rant.

What say you?

Please take the poll to the left since it is related!!!

Writing a Rant

Okay, I know I've been slacking off a little bit lately...so here is the rant I wrote the other week for class.  Enjoy!!! :)

I am here to tell you about one of my biggest pet peeves.  People who go on and on and on and on, saying the same thing over and over and over.  I have a hard time forcing myself to listen or read the entirety of their nonsense.  I have a hard time not slapping them and telling them to shut up.  (And having to turn into one of those people when people who can not seem to listen to anything you say the first seven times—what gives?  I know you speak English, why do I need to say it over and over again?!?  You look at me like I’m speaking a dead language.)

Do these people even have a point?  If they do, it gets lost in all of the mumble-jumble—the cacophony of words spewing out of a person’s mouth, sometimes at an inhumanly fast pace.  Occasionally, these people start with good points, and I am totally interested in whatever they are saying.  And then they start babbling.  If you are going to start talking about something interesting, why not keep it interesting?  Why not give new examples to support your arguments?  Why bore me to death?

Of course, some of these people are completely self-absorbed and boring, and I just want to shoot myself rather than listen to their same old problems again.  But because I like to believe I’m a halfway decent person, I feel that I have to listen.  Do you know how many people have backed themselves into the same corners again and again?  Didn’t they learn from the first insane number of times they did?  Why do they keep setting themselves up?  I’ve only told them how to help themselves how many times?  I feel like I’m babbling at that point-and then I feel like a hypocrite.  Do you ever feel like that?

And then there are those people who know they are always right—even when they’re wrong.  There is no way to talk sense into these people!  You don’t agree, so obviously you are wrong.  They do not even have examples to back up whatever the heck they are trying to say!  They are trying to convince everyone that what they are saying should be truth and that everyone should believe them.  No one else gets two cents in—as soon as someone else starts talking they are interrupted and told they are wrong.  These people need to go to a debate class to learn how to argue and learn how to have civil conversations.

Blogs!  Some blogs are so annoying.  Or pages where people can post comments!  Every post is slashing someone, complaining about things people should fix themselves, waiting for some wisecrack to come along and tell them how to fix it.  Maybe if they didn’t spend all of their whining on the Internet they could fix it themselves.  Or at least find a hobby that’s less annoying to the rest of the population.

All of these babblers sound silly and unintelligent.  One day you’re having an intellectual conversation with someone, and the next you are wondering if you’ve found the same person.  (Emotional breakdowns are excluded because everyone is going to snap at some point.)  I guess it is possible that they were abducted by aliens, right?

Do you understand what I talking about here?  Some people just go on and on and on and on, saying the same thing over and over and over…

A Walk in the Garden of Earthly Delights

I am going to tell you about the concert I was in last night - well only one piece, but interesting would be an understatement. (The L&C event page is here)

"An Evening of Percussion" opened with a colonial drum & fife set playing three American folk tunes - totally amazing & fun to watch.  It filtered through Steve Reich's "Clapping Music" and the World Premier of “U-505” for Solo Timpani by award winning composer John Wilmarth (which was performed by L&C faculty member Brett EE Paschal).  The penultimate piece was "A Walk in the Garden of Earthly Delights."

Now let me tell you, this piece is kinda wierd...it's based on ”The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch (above).

Two days before the concert, Brett asked me to "sing" for the concert - I did NOT know what I was getting into...

The instrumentation requires drums, cymbals, vibraphone, xylophone, tam-tam, the list goes on...and female voices.  This is where I--and the 5 other girls--come in. Split into 2 parts, the "female voices"  are full of erratic, erotic, & elaborate, noises, sounds, yells, screams, moans, panting, growls, etc.  and just a little bit of singing and two points where we needed to match a pitch among a cacophony of percussive sounds (of traditional and experimental fashions).

After our rehearsal (2 days before the concert), we went downstairs and were immediately asked if we knew what all of the noise was about.

At the concert, there was a lot applause...but I'm not sure if people actually enjoyed it or if they were just stunned by the strangeness they had just witnessed.

Anyway - you gotta see this.

Christmas Music?

Is it too early to start listening to Christmas Music?  I started last weekend - and one of my apartment-mates was not very excited.  He thinks we should wait until after Thanksgiving.

I could play Christmas music all year!  My mom always started playing Christmas music early when I was growing up - we'd be driving somewhere with the Christmas tapes blasting away in the car.  Now we get out the piano books - she plays and I sing, sometimes I play and sing at the same time.

Christmas music very uplifting - so many happy songs.  Although, there are the sensual songs too - for those missing loved ones during the holidays.

(I even started rehearsing for the Christmas Eve candlelight service yesterday - I am singing O Holy Night.)

I love so many things about the holidays!  The aromas (gingerbread, cinnamon, cookies), the music, the generosity unseen other times of the year, the stories ('Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house...).

Let me know what you think!! When do you start your Christmas music? When is too early?

Here are links to some of my favourite "pop" Christmas Songs:

The Chipmunks Christmas Song

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

A Christmas to Remember 

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (remix)
Hard Candy Christmas

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Christmas Without You (starts about 1.50 in)

Jingle Bell Rock

I'll Be Home with Bells On

The Effects of "Seeing It Live"

Having many favourite artists, I am always wary about seeing any of them perform live - I have been disappointed before and am not really willing to spend money on a concert that will not live up to my standards.
I really enjoy the Transiberian Orchestra's Christmas arrangements, so I went to their concert at the Rose Garden (Portland, OR).  While the music was still the stuff I've been listening to for years, the concert was nit to my liking.  It was like a rock concert, but EVERYONE stayed in there seats.  Because of the conflicting performance energy to audience's relaxed seating, the concert lost enjoyment.  I would have liked the performance to match the relaxation of the audience
I've also been to concerts where I've wanted the opposite - I wanted to be dancing around and all with the performers...

The question is - how does the live performance change your view of the artist?
There have definitely been concerts I have attended that have caused me to re-evaluate my devotion and some that have strengthened it.  The Oak Ridge Boys are a group I rarely listen to outside of a concert - it was kinda a family tradition to see them in concert in Branson, MO when we went on vacation or in the Wisconsin Dells, WI for the Christmas concert.  I love going with my mom and sister and singing along!
The merchandise is important too - sometimes...I have bought CDs at concerts, but I've never got any t-shirts or posters or photos or anything else.  Is the concert merch important in one's following?

Have you ever seen someone(s) and had your view of them completely changed??  Have you ever purchased any merch at a concert that has affected your following of an artist?

Friends of Rain

My work study job is working with a faculty music ensemble called Friends of Rain.  The purpose of the ensemble is to play new classical music - definitely composed after 1900, and mostly after 1950.  Last night was the fall concert, "The Web of Life."

The concert included pieces by Michael Johanson, Renee Favand, Peter Schickele, Duncan Neilson (an L&C alum), and several by Lou Harrison (featured composer) performed by the Venerable Showers of Beauty, Mitch Iimori, William Stalnaker, Miriam English Ward, Carol Biel, Anna Haageson, Elizabeth Harcombe, John Mery, Brett EE Paschal, Greg Ewer, Dorien de Leon, George Skipworth, Deborah Cleaver, Dunja Jennings, Nancy Teskey, Jennifer Ironside, and the Lewis & Clark Dancers.

My partner in crime, Catalina von Wrangell, and I put  a LOT of work into this concert--just like every semester.  By the night of the concert, we are exhausted.  We've put together programs, rehearsals, put up posters, managed websites, send out emails, put together a reception, and we're working on last minute emergencies and what not.  We've put in a 20-25 hours just the week of the performance in addition to classes and homework.

But this time, we got to actually SIT and LISTEN to almost the ENTIRE performance! (Aside from the first piece of the second half because we were setting up the reception.)  It was awesome!  I got to watch the concert (that I had been going insane over for the last 2+ weeks) unfold.

Working with Friends of Rain has been very helpful for me in understanding how groups put on shows and all of the work that is involved.  (It will also look pretty good on a resume!  Remember the section of my autobiography?)

The Witching Hour

On Friday evening, a friend and I went to a small choral ensemble concert with a Halloween theme.  The Resonance Ensemble is a group of fourteen singers directed by Katherine FitzGibbon that is based in Portland, OR.
The concert opened with guest keyboardist, Jon Stuber (scroll down page), playing J.S. Bach's haunting Prelude: Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565.  The sound in Agnes Flanagan Chapel (on the Lewis & Clark campus) made the haunting harmonies come to life.  Not being able to see the organist, as the keyboard console is anchored in the balcony at the back of the chapel, amplified the uncanniness.



VIDEOS 


Vaughan Williams "The Lover's Ghost"