Monday, January 27, 2014

Music Analysis Part 5: Reflection

Through analyzing this piece, I have found intricate harmonic elements, even without the use of any real chords.  The melody and the use of pedal creates almost an illusion that full chords are being played, even though 2 notes are only ever being played at the same time.  This trend is true for the entire composition, there is not a single chord in the entire piece.

I have also found that John Adams has transformed what would usually be a very dissonant 2nd interval into a mellow, peaceful sound.  To be honest, I am not entirely sure how this works on  a psychological scale, but it is amazing how calm the section is when only two notes are being played again, again, and again.

This piece is probably the most unique piece I have ever seen.  On the surface level, there are a few things that make it stand out. It is a very long piece for solo piano at 1092 measures,  there are very few chords, there are almost no rests in the entire piece, the piece changes key quite frequently, and the two hands are almost always on the same clef, sometimes even playing the same note. All of these make it differ entirely from anything we have listened to in class.   Another aspect of this piece that I have never seen before is that it has no discernible structure.  As I stated in my first blog post, John Adams described it as a "repetitive cell structure:, and that it certainly what I have found.  It s a continuation of changing pattern, where none are repeated.  What I mean by this is that a pattern will start, then the pattern will change in someway and continue, but the first pattern will never be played a again in the entire piece.  This leads to an interesting  feeling.  Listening to the piece is a journey of its own, and  it is unpredictable in the most marvelous of ways.  It may not tell a lot about musical history, but it can definitely tell you about the limits of what music can express.  This kind of music is the cutting edge of what is possible, and I would suggest to anyone that they listen to as much of it as possible.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Music Analysis part 4: Harmonic/Cadence/Partwriting Analysis

Music Analysis part 4: Harmonic/Cadence/Partwriting Analysis

Excerpt from score: 1st page- measures 1-25

Cadences:  There are no noticeable cadences in the first 25 measures

Chordal Analysis:  Although there are no actual chords in this excerpt (or for that matter, at all in the piece), harmonic connections can be made.

For the first seven measures, the only note that is played is E3. 

For the next 9 measures, E3 and F#3 are the only notes played, apart from the occasional E4.  The interesting thing about this section is that even though a second interval played alone sounds naturally dissonant, the melody makes it seem much more mellow.  This could be due to the fact that the interval is hidden by the repetition on the sole notes, (as in E/F# will be played on its own, than the E-F# interval, than E/F# again.)  The occasional E4 adds a little bit of variety to the mix, and further lightens the mood of the piece. 

After these 9 Measures, a B3 is introduced to the mix.  This creates a n interesting relationship between the 5th interval formed by the E3 and B3, and the F#3.  The 5th resolves to the F#3, which forms a 4th with the B that is still resonant from the 5th that was just played (the pedal is being applied). This occurs a couple times in the next two measures as the same pattern from the past 9 measures continues.

Starting at measure 20, the pattern changes, as both hands at a repetitive pattern, with the right hand playing E, F#, B, and the left hand playing E, F#.  This creates a similar harmonic feeling to the measures before it, but seems to be not as thick in texture. 

In measures 22 and 25, a D3 is introduced into the mix.  This creates a 7th interval with the E which resolves the fifth interval.  Although this is just momentary the pedal allows the sound to carry until the next D is played. 

I have not found any connections to 17th century SATB writing thus far.  There are several parallel 5ths, and many instances of crossed voices.  I'm not entirely sure how this piece would even translate to SATB.