The Aged Reason & Enlightenment

Out of all of the Enlightenment photos, the picture I found the most intriguing was the scene of a young man and woman who were involved in an arranged marriage.  This photo clearly depicts life during the Age of Enlightenment.  The common characteristic of rationalism that was evident during this time period plays into the mood of the picture.  While the idea that rationalism played an important role in the science world, it was a key part of the social aspect as well.  The fostering of the arranged marriage was due to the benefits that each side of the family would receive.  During that time period the merchants had all of the money.  The arrangement between the aristocrat and the merchant would bring the aristocrat wealth while it brought the merchant higher up on the social ladder.  Their decisions are focused upon the idea of rationalism.  It is an easy and convenient way to create benefits for both parties involved, besides the married couple of course.

 

The thoughts and ideas of the people living during the Enlightenment directly correlated to the music of that time as well.  The music was clean cut, simple, and logical, and it showed signs of the classes coming together.  This is similar to the marriage depicted in the photo in respect to that the moderately lower class merchant created an agreement with the aristocrat.  Another way in which the music parallels society is in the balance and proportion of the instruments.  For example, a string quartet is strictly the combination of two violins, one viola, and one cello.  Each instrument is unique and is valuable to creating the correct sound.  In the arranged marriage, the young man and woman, the merchant, and the aristocrat all played specific roles in the marriage.  While this comparison may be far fetched, it is interesting to think of all the different parallels between the music and society during that time period.          

What is folk music?

The world is full of music.  Over time different types of music have assimilated together to form entirely new genres of music.  Folk music is an ideal example of this assimilation.  Folk music came about from various artists interpreting a song in their own way and performing the song the way they think it should be performed.  While some genres of music fall cleanly into their specific category, folk music can’t be encapsulated into one little box.  Folk music is defined by its originality and uniqueness that transcends through multiple generations.

Many sources attempt to create a clean cut definition of folk music and that simply isn’t possible.  The cultural diversity that is the backbone of folk music creates an infinite number of different interpretations of folk music.  Nettl’s categories could be somewhat useful to someone who is searching for a clean cut definition of what folk, “primitive”, and cultivated music engulfs.  Even so, Nettl’s ideas about the different categories of folk music are puzzling.  At one point in his essay he states, “The difference between folk and primitive music is largely a reflection of the differences between folk and non-literate cultures; but we can also distinguish these two kinds of music by their styles, by the way they sound (Nettl 4).”  Nettl’s use of the word primitive comes with a negative connotation that implies uneducated or inferior.  In that statement he is making the parallel that primitive music comes from those cultures that are non-literate while folk music is produced by cultures that are more developed.  A few paragraphs later he explains that while Africa is classified as primitive continent, it was able to produce some of the most elaborate and complex music.  Not only is he presenting conflicting ideas about primitive music but he is insulting that form of music as well.  Nettl’s terminology is confusing and he failed in his attempt to decipher the differences between folk music and primitive music.     
  

Nettl is more successful when he speaks to what the function of music is.  His description of the function of music relates to the contrasting categories of passive music versus participatory music.  Nettl makes a good point when he explains that within each culture the function of music depends upon how much the members are invested in the music.  Depending on the culture, the amount of participation will vary. The number of professional musicians and unspecialized musicians affects the amount of participation that is taking place between the performer and the audience.  If there are more professional musicians the amount of participation will be less.  The different interactions between the performer and the audience are one reason why all folk music is unique.  An example of this would be the differences between attending a Dave Matthews concert and walking along the streets of downtown Ithaca to view the musical festival Porchfest.  Both venues are examples of folk music.  However, the concert setting is more passive than the Porchfest setting.  While each venue has its strong and weak points, neither venue could claim to be better than the other.  The different types of passive and participatory music clearly demonstrate the diversity of folk music.       
         

Another important function of music that Nettl addresses is the idea of functional music versus narrative music.  Although his thoughts concerning this topic are brief, they are significant.  He states that an important function of folk music is the accompaniment of a narration, and that narrative songs are in primitive music.  While his thoughts about primitive music may be flawed, his explanation that narration plays a key role in folk music is spot on.  A majority of the enjoyment that comes from folk music is the audience discovering the story behind the lyrics or notes.  The infinite number of stories that can be told through music adds to the assortment of different tunes that artists can create.  One song may have different meanings depending on how the audience interprets it.  Folk music is beautiful because it often allows the listener to decide what story is being relayed to him or her. 

Overall, Nettl’s essay was fairly accurate in describing what folk music represents.  He may have been more successful had he compared the different uses of folk music.  He talked about the function of music but never spoke to the variety of the different venues or different groups of people that listen to folk music.  Through an explanation of how folk music is used in society he and his readers may have been able to grasp the concept of folk music more readily.  The ideas Nettl explained in his essay are a good way to bounce one’s own ideas off of and create their own interpretations of folk music instead of accepting everything Nettl has to say.      

Concert Report: Mojatuba

On Friday, September 14^th I attended the presentation of Mojatuba: Tuba and Dance Fusion at Ford Hall at 8:15 PM.  Mojatuba is African-influenced music, as stated in the acronym “Mojatuba” – Modern Dance, Orignial Works, Jazz Styles, and African Influence.  There were multiple performers in this diverse ethnic concert.  They included Velvet Brown on tuba, Dr. Anthony Leach on piano, Dr. Jimmy Finnie on drums, and three dancers, A. Kikora Franklin, Quilan Arnold, and Maria Malizia.  This ensemble was probably the most unique display of music and dance I have seen in a while.  I was surprised to find out that a piano, along with a bongo drum and a drum set in later pieces, accompanied the tuba.  The mixture of these varying sounds created an exotic blend of music that I have never heard before.  To add to the diversity of this performance, the dancers created a beautiful element to each of the songs.  By using the various instrumental pieces as their guideline, they created a story for the audience through their dances.

This program consisted of seven different songs.  All of the songs were unique from one another, yet were connected because of the tuba portion in each piece.  My favorite song of the program was the Mambo – Cha from Latin Jazz Suite.  There was a lot of variety in the texture of this song since it consisted of the tuba, bongo drum, and three dancers. This energetic piece started off with a bang.  It opened with the bongo drums, and was eventually accompanied by the tuba.  Then one by one the dancers entered the stage.  They added a lot of flavor to the piece by combining modern dance moves with dance moves that had an African influence.  Even though the bongo drum dictated the pace at which the dancers moved, it was all very synchronized.  The music of the tuba and bongo drum moved seamlessly with the dancers.

The fourth song of the program, How Beautiful, was more intimate than the Mambo – Cha.  The piano opened the song with a beautiful melody which was quickly accompanied by the harmony that was played by the tuba.  A male and female dancer drifted onto the stage within a few seconds of the opening phrase.  It was performed in a 2/4 meter and had a much slower tempo.  The harmony of the tuba was extraordinary.  I was surprised to find out that the tuba could be so graceful and majestic at the same time.  Another part of this song that made it stick out from the others was that the tuba would seemingly end on half cadence and the piano would pick up where the tuba left off and finish the phrase.   

              

After the first song of the concert had finished I was a little wary of what was to come.  The opening song was called Danse Sacre and was a depressing tune.  The performers mixed the slow and steady beat of the piano to the loud and voluminous tuba.  Since this concert was my first exposure to Mojatuba, it felt like an odd combination of instruments to pair together.  Fortunately, by the end of the program I had learned to understand and love the way the piano and tuba complemented each other.  Throughout the concert my mood would change drastically with the mood of the song that was being performed.  The performer’s ability to create that change within the audience is an immense feat that should be applauded.  Although I am not a fan of the music the tuba can create, this event definitely makes me excited to attend more concerts in the near future.     

Although this performance had minimal interactions between the performer and the audience, it was similar to the bands that played at Porchfest.  Mojatuba resembles Porchfest because it consisted of various different types of instruments that wouldn’t normally be combined in an ensemble like the bongo drum and tuba.  At Porchfest I saw a group playing a song with a base and a banjo.  Mojatuba also intertwined African influence throughout their songs.  The bands that played at Porchfest based their music off of the cultures that shaped them.  It is interesting how two completely different venues can be so similar.        

       

  

Porchfest

Porchfest was so much fun!  The demographic of people who attended Porchfest ranged from families with little kids to teenagers to the elderly.  This multifarious group of people was present at Porchfest because of immense amount of musical diversity that was put on display.  At one porch I heard a duet with two electric guitars, but at the neighboring porch I found a group with a woman playing the base and a man playing the guitar and another man playing the banjo.  Although each of the groups that performed had a unique display of music, it was clear that each musician played their music because they enjoyed bringing the community together to bond over the different types of music.       

The most interesting and unique group that I watched was a group of six or seven people doing improvisation.  Their idea of improvisation was a neat way to interact with the crowd.  For example, for one of the songs that they performed they asked the crowd for a random word.  The word they heard first was “dragons”.  They then had to perform an entire song about dragons’ right on the spot.  Porchfest in and of itself is a highly interactive venue for the audience and the performers, but this group took it to another level.  I really enjoyed listening to their songs because it kept me on my toes, and they were able to make the songs somewhat comical.  The social function of this group’s music was family oriented due to its fun-loving nature.  They were able to combine a catchy beat with jokes that young children could understand and laugh at.  The music communicated to the audience through hidden jokes and silly lyrics.  The rhythm of their tune about dragons had a medieval feel to it.  The guitar that was continuously playing in the background served as a steady basis for the tune since the lyrics were completely random.  As each performer had to sing their portion of the song they had to adjust the pace at which they sung their lyrics so that it matched with the beat of the guitar.  Despite the difficulty of this task the members of the group did a very nice job.

I thought it was cool that Jenny and I were able to figure out the meter of one of the songs that we heard.  Half way through the song we were both composing the 4/4 meter.  This song consisted of a woman and a man playing electric guitar.  Their piece was interesting because they put a modern spin on the song by using electric guitars, while the woman singing displayed vocals that were similar to those one may have heard in the late 80's.       

While walking from porch to porch it was very difficult to decipher the different cadence structures.  The inability to repeat the song as many times as I would like and the vast amount of uncertainty that each song held made it challenging.  However, due to the exposure that I have had in class to cadences I noticed that I was more aware of when a phrase or period would come to an end.  My ears were more attuned to expect a pause at specific parts of a song.       

From Lady Gaga to a tune from the Wizard of Oz, Porchfest provided a wide range of entertainment for my Sunday afternoon.  I was surprised that I heard music from a base, tuba, banjo, electric guitar, and drums all in one day!  I look forward to going again next year! 

Taylor Swift - Ronan

This song shows has a half cadence - perfect authentic cadence structure.  

Take for example the first phrase of the song:   

I remember your bare feet down the hallway

I remember your little laugh

Race cars on the kitchen floor

Plastic dinosaurs, I love you to the moon and back 

There is a half cadence after the words feet, hallway, floor, and dinosaurs.  The perfect authentic cadences fall after the words laugh and back.  The perfect authentic cadences end on "do" and the half cadences end on "re".  

Believe

John Mayer’s song, Belief, appears to be his viewpoint about one of the most beautiful and destructive issues in society.  He explains that different religions, cultures, and social groups, etc., all believe in something completely unique.  Mayer explains, “Belief is a beautiful armor, but makes for the heaviest sword”.  Even though original beliefs may bring people together, it also separates one group from another, and may cause issues between people with differing belief systems.  A belief can become destructive when they are used to oppress other people.  The song is making a statement that groups of people are trying to push their beliefs upon others who do not wish to adopt a different way of life  

The song is a desperate attempt to help society see the light.  While this song is visionary, it is depressing as well.  John Mayer infers that society knows that the wars and the fights aren't going to end the discrepancies between rivaling groups.  To make matters worse, the cries of humanity are repeatedly ignored by those with any grounds to make a change in the world

Since the meter signature is a quadruple, it has four beats per measure.  The time signature 4/4 gives the tune a steady flow and an ominous tone.  The meter 4/4 suits this tune better than 2/4 because a 2/4 meter would create a “marching band” feel.  Instead, Mayer created this song with a fluid and free flowing melody.  The texture of the song is polyphonic because there are several different lines of music blended together.  The song begins with only drums and then proceeds to add guitar and then the vocals.  The guitar piece is somewhat mellow and is gradually blended with the drums.  Throughout the song the guitar and drums are always present and this represents the always lingering fights and disagreements within society.  As the song picks up intensity, the drums and guitar are played with more angst, thus displaying the frustration of society.  Overall, Mayer is saying that beliefs cannot be forced upon anyone.  Mayer ends the song with two downtrodden questions relating to the war on terror, and the guitar and percussion slowly fade away, suggesting that part of society is yet again being oppressed by another group.