MTMW - Abstracts
Music Theory Midwest
1996 Seventh Annual Conference
Western Michigan University
17-19 May 1996 - Kalamazoo, MI
CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS
Twentieth-Century Analysis
Friday, May 17, 10:00-11:50
Ramsey Theory, Q-Relations, and Webern Op. 5, No. 4
David Clampitt, SUNY at Buffalo
An old puzzle asks, "What is the smallest party one can have, such that
necessarily three of those present are either mutual acquaintances, or complete
strangers?" The puzzle is an instance of a class of problems for which a
theorem of Frank Ramsey (1904-1930) guarantees a solution. It is possible to
reformulate this and related puzzles to exhibit a class of pitch-class sets
that share a graph-theoretical property, a property which is based upon the
character of the set of trichordal subsets of a given set. A refinement on
this property isolates five set classes: an altered diatonic set (7-29), the
usual diatonic (7-35), the octatonic (8-28), the diatonic plus one fifth
(8-23), and Messiaen's fourth mode of limited transposition (8-9). A further
refinement on the property uniquely isolates the diatonic and octatonic set
classes.
This paper attempts to understand what is being captured by this property and
its refinements, by examining what these seemingly disparate set classes have
in common. The three eight-note minimal pure all-small set classes
mentioned above have seven-note subsets that in turn hold hexachords invariant
under some Tn or In (the Q-relation). This property of the two types of
seven-note subsets of set class 8-9 leads to some insights into the structure
of the fourth movement of Webern's op. 5.
Transformational Voice Leading in Two Songs by Charles Ives
Shaugn O'Donnell, University of Wisconsin
Throughout much of modern history certainly since Tinctoris in the fifteenth
centurytwo central concerns of music theorists have been "vertical" pitch
structures (chords or simultaneities) and the "horizontal" connections (voice
leading) among them. In the study of twentieth-century music the former has
received extensive coverage, while the latter remains substantially less
explored. Expanding on recent work by Lewin, Klumpenhouwer, Forte, and Straus,
I use networks, traditional set-theoretical operations, and an original
transformation called split transposition, to generate mappings which I
interpret as voice-leading lines. I present this composite theoretical model in
the context of two analyses of songs by Charles Ives: "Serenity" and "'The
Cage." Multiple mappings in these analyses coexist in "levels" called
"Adjacencies" and "Recursive structure." Despite a sense of varying distance
from the musical surface, these are not hierarchical levels, but instead
compare and contrast alternative interpretations of the voice leading in each
song.
Contour Theory and Minimal Interval Content Descriptions: A Consideration
of Two Homophonic Works by Webern
Steven A. Harper, University of Texas
Webern's works for string quartet are among the most studied of the atonal
literature. These studies have been mostly concerned with pitch-
structures. Some of Webern's movements, such as the fifth Bagatelle of Opus 9,
have yielded their harmonic secrets willingly; others, such as the second of
the Opus 5 Movements have proven more resistant. In this paper, these
two pieces will be examined using two recent analytical tools, Robert Morris's
contour reduction algorithm and minimal interval content
descriptions. The two works have been chosen because their homophonic
textures allow the application of the contour reduction algorithm to the entire
melodic line.
In Op. 9, No. 5, we find that the reduced contour of the entire melody of the
piece is replicated at smaller levels by the contours of individual phrases and
combinations of phrases. The intervallic relations between structurally deeper
notes (as determined by the contour reduction algorithm) are themselves
replicated in more surface-level relations. In Op. 5, No. 2, the work's three
sections present a contour palindrome, and the final section itself reduces to
the same contour as the entire melody. Here, again, intervallic relations at
deep levels of structure provide the basis for a description of the surface of
the melody.
Textural Contour and the Medial Structural Level in Weberns Op. 11,
No. 1
Robert Clifford, University of Arizona
When examining a composition containing many discrete melodies or
contour segments, one can assert various types of relations between the
melodies or segments. For example, a prominent melodic shape in one section of
a piece could be said to be the inverse, the retrograde, or a registrar
expansion of a contour segment from another section. But in a musical setting
where all contour segments are brief and unidirectional, only a limited number
of associations based on salient points of contour can be drawn. Because of
this dilemma, an examination from a different perspective is needed. I propose
an intermediate level of structure where the "pitched event" of a contour
segment is not the single note of a melodic construct, nor is it a section of
an entire piece; its scope lies between the two. I call this type of structure
textural contour to differentiate it from melodic contour. This paper
details this type of analytic approach in a specific context, the first of
Webern's Op. 11 pieces for piano and cello. In this piece, most melodies are
brief; they are significant not because of their pitch- or set-class
membership, but because of their projection of long-range contour
relationships. When discrete simultaneities and the motions that connect them
are examined, though, the textural contour they delineate reveals an intricate
textural framework that controls much of the spatial orientation of musical
elements.
Minimum Aggregate Partitions: Mapping Timepoints in Babbitts String Quartets Nos. 3 and 4
Wayne Alpern, City University of New York
The serialization of rhythm is one of the most significant musical
developments of the post-war period. Integral serialism represents an attempt
to organize rhythm in a systematic fashion comparable to the pre-war
serialization of pitch by Schoenberg, Webern and Berg. By partitioning musical
time into a recurrent module of twelve equidistant timepoints paralleling the
semitonal division of the octave, Milton Babbitt, the vanguard of this
movement, was able to structure rhythm and pitch isomorphically using a single
series.
This paper utilizes concepts from set theory to create a new model
for analyzing serial rhythm. The model's application is illustrated using
Babbitt's String Quartets Nos. 3 and 4. The minimum number of modules required
for the unfolding or aggregation of a timepoint series represents its minimum
aggregate partition or MAP, comparable to the "normal form" of a pitch class
set. Comparing this abstraction with the actual number of modules over which
the timepoint aggregate unfolds in a specific musical context yields a
comparative index of its aggregational efficiency. Variations in minimum
partitions and aggregational efficiency model our aural apprehension of
integral serial music. Analytically graphing or "mapping" timepoint aggregates
in Babbitt's quartets reveals significant perceptual variations in modular
structure, expansion and efficiency that corroborate our musical intuitions.
MAP theory provides a valuable supplement to the analyst's toolbox in
understanding one of the most comprehensive attempts to organize rhythm in the
history of music.
Rhythm and Meter
Friday, May 17, 1:20-2:40
The Irregular Hypermetric Structure of Early Delta Blues
Justin London, Carleton College
Most of the Mississippi Delta Blues recorded in the late 1920s and 1930s is
based on the well-known 12-bar blues archetype, with each 4- measure phrase
clearly articulated by harmonic, textural, and melodic change. In the hands of
the first generation of Delta Bluesmen, however, this paradigm was not a strict
pattern, but a more fluid formal plan. This presentation will examine the
formal and metric structure of Robert Johnson's "Ramblin' on My Mind."
"Ramblin'" (for solo guitar and vocalist, both parts performed by Johnson in
one "live" take) displays normative 12-bar structure in some verses, expansions
of individual measures in other verses, interpolations of extra foreground
measures in one verse, and in another verse a break in the metric flow
entirely. Thus it exhibits a wide range of metric and hypermetric phenomena.
Indeed, irregularities which might destroy a sense of hypermeter in other
contexts can, in the case of "Ramblin'" be linked to the 12-bar norm, and hence
preserve a sense of metrical order. In examining Johnson's composition another
example (by Charlie Patton, one of Johnson's contemporaries) will also be
considered.
Measure 22 Revisited: Meter and Hypermeter in the
First Movement of Mozarts Symphony #40
Bruce Taggert, Michigan State University
Metric and hypermetric structure in a well-known (and much-analyzed) Mozart
composition are examined. A bottom-up, relatively flat metric structure is
proposed to explain how the listener experiences this passage. This flat model
stands in contrast to commonly suggested "hypermetric" explanations. The
advantage of a bottom-up, foreground rhythm-generated model of meter is that it
helps explain conflicting hypermetric structures that arise in and around
measure 22. Rather than a point of accentual strength, the paper argues that
measure 22 is a point of accentual ambiguity and weakness; as such, it plays a
key role in the formal structure of the exposition at that point. The paper
discusses theories of metric induction from the psychological literature and
music-theoretical models of hypermeter in this passage and proposes an approach
to rhythmic and metric analysis that reflects the experience of both
knowledgeable and naive listeners.
Motion-Propelling Rhythmic Dissonance in Brahmss Op. 76, No. 3
Gabe Fankhauser, Florida State University
Motion in music has been addressed in many theoretical writings; however, the
sources of musical momentum have yet to be thoroughly examined. This paper
draws upon the work of Harald Krebs and expands the modern definition of
"metric dissonance" to include irregular phrase length as a metric conflict.
Two new classifications of metric dissonance are introduced: one that results
from vertical nonalignment (such as triplets and syncopation) and one that
results from horizontal irregularity (phrase length alteration). Following a
clarification of these terms, the paper addresses how the context of rhythmic
conflicts within a passage creates a compelling force that propels motion
forward and, consequently, increases the strength of the resolution to
consonance and regularity. An analysis of Brahms's "Intermezzo" in Ab major,
op. 76, no. 3, with its five-bar phrasing and multi-leveled rhythmic conflicts,
is the focus of the final section of the paper. The analysis clarifies the
relationships of the rhythmic conflicts and extracts a regular prototype by
reducing and normalizing the rhythmic irregularities.
Any Time at All: The Beatles' Free Phrase Rhythms
Walter Everett, University of Michigan
The Beatles' recorded output (1962-70), augmented by recordings of
compositional drafts and outtakes, contains thousands of sources for this study
of their many career-spanning techniques for the manipulation of phrase rhythm.
The presentation follows methods pioneered by others but suggests a few newly
classified techniques that may apply to other tonal repertoires. A large number
of examples are categorized in a taxonomy of phrase rhythm techniques, but a
few ("Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," "A Day in the Life," "Because," "The
End," "I Should Have Known Better" and "Not a Second Time") will be chosen for
closer study.
While the Beatles' phrase rhythms are foursquare often enough to permit the
establishment of regular norms against which abnormalities can be measured, a
large number of their songs feature contrasting unit lengths, expanded
prototypes, reinterpretations of accentual function at the phrase level,
tonicization-related stretching and elision, adjustments required by changes in
harmonic rhythm, metric modulation or thoroughly asymmetrical patterns. In
many cases, the rhythmic technique is found to be closely tied to the phrase's
central formal function within the song as a whole. While all three of the
composing Beatles experimented with free phrase rhythms, Lennon was adventurous
most often-though Harrison most consistently-in this regard.
Text as Expression, I
Friday, May 17, 2:50-4:50
Bernstein in Disguise at the Ball
Richard Ashley, Northwestern University
The theme of ambiguity is addressed by Leonard Bernstein in The Unanswered
Question. One particularly lengthy and interesting musical case study is
taken from Berlioz' Roméo et Juliette (the masked ball of the
Capulets). The purpose of this study is to examine Bernstein's analysis of this
passage in light of his own attempt to grapple with the themes of ambiguity in
musical and dramatic terms in his own compositionthe Dance at the Gym from
West Side Story. In analyzing Berlioz' work, Bernstein finds that
ambiguity is created in both a musical and a programmatic sense, in ways
appropriate to Berlioz' musical language. Turning to West Side Story,
striking parallels emerge between the two compositions as Bernstein
marshals an array of contemporary techniques for the creation of ambiguity in
the service of the drama. These include metric ambiguities, tonal patterns
manipulated to alter their typical ordering and content, and chords or motives
based on sets which display different kinds of invariance under transposition
and inversion.
Queensryches Suite Sister Mary: An Examination of
Formal Expansion and Thematic Unity in Popular Song
Brian Walsh, Ohio State University
One gratifying area of popular music analysis is the discovery of works which
exhibit sophistication in formal and thematic procedures. "Suite Sister Mary,"
the climax of Queensryche's Operation: mindcrime, is such an example.
"Suite Sister Mary" is not only important because it exhibits aspects of sonata
form, but that the form supports the unfolding drama. Such formal architecture
is unusual in popular song. A double exposition of the primary theme reflects
emotional intensification in the protagonist. This is achieved through
reorchestration, which magnifies the dissonances in the primary theme. The
musical and dramatic climax of the opera appears at the most motivically
saturated and rhythmically unstable moment of the development section. Once
the story line of the rock opera is established, figures and musical examples
are used to illustrate the thematic unity and form of "Suite Sister Mary."
Queensryche's "Suite Sister Mary" proves that popular music does not have to be
devoid of formal and thematic sophistication.
Irony and the Chorus in Alternative Rock Music
Melissa M. Stewart, SUNY-Buffalo
Popular music from the 1920's to the 1950's, the period characterized by the
"American popular ballad," carried as its hallmark the use of descriptive texts
that portrayed singular emotions, most commonly love. But the texts of
present-day alternative songs push these simple emotions "underground"; the
harsh society of alternative rock resists vulnerability by referring only
obliquely to these softer feelings. Because these oblique references are made
through the use of irony, sarcasm and other forms of ambiguity, they
intentionally confuse the audience's understanding of the singer's message.
The decoding of alternative texts presents a problem for analysts since the
texts can inform analysis only to the extent that we understand their ambiguous
intent. Traditional methods of text-based analysis, even those that address
ambiguity, often prove ineffective in analyzing alternative songs since they
fail to recognize the crucial influence of performance practice. In alternative
songs the text alone rarely reveals the irony portrayed in performance. And
often, in these settings, the dialogue between band members serves to
orchestrate the text.
In this paper I argue that the texts of two songs by the alternative band
Offspring, Come Out and Play and Self-Esteem, use backup singers
to express irony and to set up dramatic action between themselves and the lead
singer. From an historical perspective, the backup singers function much as a
chorus does in Greek and Shakespearean drama. An examination of the text alone
fails to reveal the conflict this drama portrays; it is only apparent when we
consider the function of the chorus and its relationship to that text. My
analysis of these two songs suggests that harmonic and textual analyses in
alternative songs must consider the use of the chorus in performance practice,
especially when irony so often works to subvert textual meaning.
The Dialogue of Contrast in Schoenbergs Moses und Aron, I.2:
Drama, Structure, and Aural Salience
Edward D. Latham, Yale University
This paper proceeds from the hypothesis that, in an opera, all musical
elements, both abstract and audible, are linked to the drama. Building upon
the work of Babbitt, Lewin, Cherlin, and others, the paper explores the
relationship between the 12-tone pitch materials of the opera and the
characters of Moses and Aron, focusing on Act 1, scene 2. A third element,
that of aurally prominent features of the music (including texture, dynamics,
register, tempo, meter, and timbre) is added, and the three are examined for
their individual contributions to the antithetical relationship between Moses
and Aron, which is called the "dialogue of contrast."
The results of the analysis, which combines traditional row identification,
Lewin's notion of areas, Cherlinian partitions, and observations on the aurally
salient features of the scene, reveal a tightly interwoven structure, where all
elements work together to highlight the opposition of the two characters.
Structural evidence is also presented for a catalytic view of the scene, in
which Aron's question to Moses concerning the worshipping capabilities of the
Volk ("People chosen by the only one, can you worship what you dare not even
conceive?") serves simultaneously as a climax and a turning point. The paper
closes with some general remarks on the usefulness of the analytical approach
taken, both for Moses und Aron in particular, and twentieth-century
opera in general.
Composition and Collage: Morton Subotnicks A Key to Songs
Leigh VanHandel, Stanford University
Morton Subotnick's A Key to Songs (1985) is the first piece in a
trilogy of works each based on a separate collage "novel" by the Surrealist
artist Max Ernst; A Key to Songs is based on the 1934 novel Une
semaine de bonté, ou les sept éléments capitaux (A Week of
Kindness, of the Seven Deadly Elements). In each piece of the trilogy,
Subotnick attempts to represent musically the bizarre worlds of Ernst's collage
novels. In A Key to Songs, the methods of representation include
imitating Ernst's collage technique and drawing upon some musical corollaries
of the primary influences on Ernst's collages. Subotnick collages direct
quotations and the stylistic variations from 19th century German Romantic
lieder together in rapidly alternating sections, creating a formal collage of
themes which is camouflaged by the surface smoothness of the music; in
addition, Subotnick collages the acoustic and electronic instruments together,
creating hybrid sounds. The result is an overall collage of 19th century
Romanticism with Subotnick's contemporary computer music, and a collage
technique analogous to that of Ernst's and including influences ranging from
Freudian psychology to literary theory.
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David Løberg Code, School of Music, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008. E-mail: code@wmich.edu
http://www.wmich.edu/music/mtmw_abs.html
Revised: 1 April 1996