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Museums, galleries, cinemas, and theaters most everywhere may be closed, but the spirit of art lives on the net.
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The issue of determinism and indeterminism became essential in the music of the second half of the 20th century. It occupied a special place in artistic output of two avant-garde composers: Iannis Xenakis and György Ligeti. In both cases, the ideas of determinism and indeterminism are connected with their music: with Pithoprakta (written by Xenakis in 1955–1956) and with Clocks and Clouds (written by Ligeti in 1972). The following article presents some aspects of their artistic approach as well as an analysis and interpretation of the compositions. Xenakis proposed his own way of thinking about indeterminism in music linked to the “stochastic music”, and Pithoprakta is the first example of this compositional technique. Meanwhile, Ligeti’s main inspiration when composing Clocks and Clouds was the essay Of Clouds and Clocks written in 1965 by Karl Popper and published in 1972 (in his book Objective Knowledge). The Austrian-British philosopher used this metaphor to describe different physical phenomena which are more or less predictable. Pithoprakta as well as Clocks and Clouds represent specific kind of music called “sound-mass music”. In both of them some distinctive textural and timbral structures may be pointed out: in the first work, they can be described as figures (“galaxy” and “beam”), and in the second one – as bands (“clocks” and “clouds”)
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Irène Régine Jessy Maria Wieniawska was born on 16th May 1879 in Brussels as the youngest child of an outstanding Polish violinist and composer of the 19th century, Henryk Wieniawski, and Isabelle Bessie Hampton-Wieniawska. As the only one of Wieniawski’s children, she followed the footsteps of her father and chose the profession of a musician. This work brings focus to the lesser known facts from the composer’s life, which greatly impacted the formation of her creative character, including the fact that Irène Wieniawska used a considerable number of pseudonyms, which allowed her to keep her anonymity and therefore resulted in part of her work to be forgotten for many years. As in several cases of other female composers of the early 20th century, the name Wieniawska is currently poorly recognised, even though she was a known composer and performer in London between the years 1900–1932. Wieniawska’s songs were very popular, and her creative legacy remains equally interesting, which I would like to draw attention to in my paper and discuss the latest catalogue of her works, developed by me.
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In the second half of the 20th century, integral serialism and rational way of thinking were considered as an indicate of determinism in music. At the same time, indeterminism was associated with the music composed with the use of chance operations, classified like that by Henri Pousseur in his reading entitled Theorie und Praxis in der neusten Musik, delivered in Darmstadt in 1958. However, certain music pieces show that the demarcation between determinism and indeterminism in music remains unclear. The author attempts to outline the problem of determinism and indeterminism in avant-garde music of the second half of the 20th century, taking into consideration selected crucial compositions and the context of development in science and philosophy of that time.
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Seweryn Kortowicz was a musician and composer active in the region of Greater Poland, an important centre of Polish music culture, in the 19th century. The composer’s work was preserved mainly in Gniezno, but also in Poznań. He was a local composer, serving as a music director in the Gniezno cathedral for over 50 years. The article presents the current state of research on the life and work of this composer.
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The following article presents the history of Japanese jazz from the first musical contacts to contemporary successes and problems of the jazz music market. For the development and evolution of jazz in Japan, an important role was played by the presence of American military forces in the Philippines (even before the post-war occupation of Japan), which as an American dependent territory had the opportunity to remain in cultural contacts with the United States, where jazz was born at the beginning of the 20th century and became one of the most popular forms of music. Beside the contact with Filipino musicians, who were the first from whom the Japanese learned jazz, the establishment and development of jazz cafes (jazzu-kissa) were also important for the development of jazz in the Land of the Cherry Blossom, which played a huge role in the strengthening the interest in jazz and the shaping of musical tastes. The article also shows the influence of jazz on the formation of a modern, American-based lifestyle of middle-class representatives in Japan. In addition, the article discusses the complex issue of the authenticity of Japanese jazz in relation to American jazz and the influence of world-famous Japanese musicians, such as Toshiko Akiyoshi, on overcoming a given stereotype. The aim of the article is to show the universality and at the same time the locality of contemporary Japanese jazz as well as to show what the specificity of jazz in Japan is.
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The author presents Marina Tsvetaeva’s musical and synaesthetic space on the basis of My Mother and Music, her autobiographical essay. Synaesthesia, although present in the life of Tsvetaeva as a young child and adult poet, is not especially depict-ed in this particular piece of work. The writer chose her memories which encompass a significant period of time from her birth to her 42nd birthday as her main narrative focus. The musical sphere of the young child was presented through the piano and its attributes (the keyboard, pedals, music stand, metronome, notes, piano stool), which were a source of various – both positive and negative – experiences for this sensitive girl. Marina Tsvetaeva’s mother, unfulfilled as a pianist, undoubtedly played a toxic role in her musical education. Maria Tsvetaeva “drowned and killed her daughters with music”, making them feel an organic resistance towards required physical and mental efforts far too great for their age. The situation changed after her mother’s death when Marina could pour all her love for music into incredibly original lyric poetry, becoming one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.
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When did Bible enter the realm of opera? Is there a specific biblical dramatism that inspires operatic authors and which stories and characters are welcome on stage? How does musical interpretation revamp Biblical characters when they appear in opera? This article is an attempt to answer some of these questions.
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The period from the mid1940s until the late 1950s is a stage in the development of Bulgarian cultural history which is most difficult to explain. The social life at the time was severely controlled, organised and governed in the mould of a strong ideological propaganda. Publications of that time define mass songs as an essential and significant genre, as an ‘untested tool in the fight against formalism’. The question is to what extent the very phenomenon of ‘musical thought’ was subject to direct manipulation. Mass songs were largely marching music and their musical language was tonal. Yet, an analysis of tens of mass songs shows that the natural minor mode permeated the marching and hymnal songs. This is usually explained as an endeavour to lend such songs a folk ring, which is consistent with the requirements of ingraining them into the folk tradition. Throughout the history of Bulgarian musical culture though, a certain specific is identified: major and harmonic minor modes have not, ever since the Late National Revival period, functioned in the sense of the term ‘major-minor system’, which has been mechanically ascribed to them. In this country, the major mode is naturally in alignment with the other diatonic modes, due to which its partner is in fact the minor-permeated Aeolian mode. It has bearing on the semantic field of the tonal system: minor is not a qualitatively defined in opposition to major, but rather in terms of its semantic variation and complementary contrast, lending mass songs majestic epic and heroic pathos. That was the reason why even songs containing the keyword ‘joy’ often sounded in a natural minor mode, symbolising the ‘wise’ joy which stems from an age-long family tradition. Therefore, the authorities in fact guided an already existing state of musical thought, while the genre spontaneously utilised the opportunities provided by this specific musical code, forming a natural musical environment for posterity. The frequent minormode re-conceptualization helped alleviate and humanise the overdosed ideological pressure.
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Contemporary culture presents many challenges to the traditional role of music education. Subjects such as solfeggio, music theory, and harmony are under intense scrutiny. The purpose of this article is to underscore the importance of solfeggio for professional musical development. Solfeggio instruction must reject mundane scholasticism, and more actively cultivate musical development: memory, harmonic and rhythmic sense, and improvisation. Interdisciplinary approaches to solfeggio and related subjects (e.g., the Orff Orchestra) in place at the Gnessin Special Music School are especially important at this time. General problems encountered in solfeggio instruction are in the balancing of two poles: theory and practice vs. knowledge and ability. Possible responses to the challenges of solfeggio instruction are: attention to the comprehension of all aural components. It is important to emphasize aural comprehension by listening and to actively engage them in practice, not just to know the terminology. This applies equally to classical and contemporary music. One of the most important elements of a musical education is the coordination of all the components of solfeggio through special classes. It is essential to know and understand the function of the fundamental chords as early as possible; intelligent hearing breeds intelligent performance, i.e., real musicality. This also concerns non-professional, general musical education (depending on the type of school). In contrast to earlier times, musical amateurs do not have active contact with music, and as a rule cannot play any instrument. This increase in the number of passive amateurs and decrease of active ones can lead to a reduction of classical music listeners. Lessons learned from the Orff Orchestra (also useful in professional musical education) can actively stimulate musicality in children, who may never become professional musicians. Solfeggio then (though not necessarily ‘music’ or ‘singing’) is also necessary for a general musical education.
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Heraclides of Pontus (c. 388–310 BCE), a Platonic philosopher, worked in various literary genres and wrote on such topics as psychology, politics, literature, history, geography, astronomy and the philosophy of nature. Nothing is preserved. The present publication contains a collection of the testimonies about Heraclides’ varied writings, dedicated to Greek cultural history, including literary and religious studies, and, in some details, musical history. The evidences are translated and numbered according to a new edition by Schütrumpf et al. 2008.
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Рец. на кн.: Судьба Наташи Гамаюновой (оперная певица Н. Т. Измайлова): документы и материалы. Пермь, 2019. / Review to: The fate of Natasha Gamayunova (opera singer N. T. Izmailova): Documents and materials. Perm, 2019
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The objective of this article is to consider the reasons why lullabies should be sung to children. This is, however, fraught with difficulties and due to this, it necessitates an interdisciplinary literature review from disciplines such as psychology, medicine, education, language acquisition and communication, sociology, music and the arts, etc… By proving that lullabies are easier to perceive and therefore preferred to speech or other types of songs by very young children, the article assesses the benefits that lullabies bring to both children and parents. The article concludes with a suggestion when it is ideal to start with singing as a way of communication, and a presentation of a few examples of Slovak lullabies.
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Reyhanî is one of the cultural values that has been kept alive for thousands of years in Mardin, Turkey. As a form of a dance and a piece of music, it has a ritualistic origin, a traditional folklore of the region that is adapted to current conditions and reinterpreted. The dance can be practiced by men and women and it is expressive of the demonstration of gratitude to God, following the harvest time, of praying for goodness and beauty, and of the oath of loyalty to the beloved. Reyhanî, which is said to get its name from basil plant, is associated with the soothing smell of it, relaxing the audience. That the word reyhan is related to the word ruh (soul), being seen in the narrative of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and that it is mentioned in the description of heaven in the Holy Quran result in the attribution of holiness to reyhan plant and of theological meaning to the danse and music. In this study, reyhanî, performed as a dance and music in Mardin city center, has been handled with its traditional aspects and current nature, through contemporary approaches such as bodylore and body music. Information on the subject has been compiled, analyzed and thereafter conceptualized thorugh observation and interview methods in Mardin province. The probable contributions of Reyhanî dance and music to the publicity of Mardin were emphasized and suggestions were made for these contributions.
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Kütahya’nın ücra bir köşesinde 2001 yılında öğretmenlik mesleğine başlayalı iki yıl bile olmamışken okuluma gelen “İlhan Başgöz Halk Edebiyatı Kursu” başvuru yazısını gördüğümdeki heyecanımı hiç unutamıyorum. Üniversitede derslerimizde tanıdığımız ve çalışmalarından ve halk edebiyatına katkılarından dolayı hayranlık duyduğum değerli Hoca’mızın kursunda olmanın hayali bile beni mutlu etmişti. Bu duyuru, Trakya Üniversitesi’nden ayrılırken halk edebiyatı alanında yüksek lisans programına katılmamış olmanın verdiği üzüntümle yüzleşmemi sağladı. Hocamızın “Kursa kabul edildiniz” yazılı mektubu hatıralarımı sakladığım özel bir kutuda hâlâ özenle durmaktadır. Türkiye’nin her şehrinden bir öğretmen arkadaş ile yaşayacağım kurs günleri için Akçay’ın Güre ilçesine -aslında memleketime çok yakın olmasına rağmen bugüne kadar sadece kısa bir ziyaretimin olduğu- bir yolculuk yapmak beni ayrıca keyiflendirmişti.
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Cymbal was discovered in the Bronze Age and it is among the oldest instruments. The development of metalwork in Asian geography is seen as the main source of this discovery. Chinese, Turkish and Egyptian tribes played a major role in the production and musical use of cymbals for centuries. The instrument, which was transported to other continents and countries either by means of war and invasions or trade, has undergone various changes and transformations in terms of material and shape based on the social customs and habits in history. The importance of cymbals has increased with Janissary Band in the 17th century. The copper smith of the palace, Kerope Zildjian was specialized in the making of cymbals and became a pioneer of 400 years of heritage. The knowledge of production and crafting has passed from father to son and has been kept as a secret for a long time, resulting in “Turkish cymbals” becoming legends. Mikhail Zilçan, a member of the Zildjian family, who moved to America in the beginning of the 20th century, had stayed in İstanbul, and continued to produce cymbals until 1977. After this date, his apprentices helped to sustain this heritage. The conversion of the metal into the instrument requires specific expertise at every stage, from preparation of the alloy to sealing. Nowadays, including the Zildjian Company, it is more common to use mechanical production. Handmade production is learnt through master-apprentice relationship and since all the production stages are hand-crafted, each cymbal in the end, has its own, unique timbre. In Turkey, cymbals are still crafted by hand and therefore they preserve their worldwide value. The continuation of this longlasting tradition until today is very honoring for the survival of culture and for contributing to the art of music. The article aims to introduce the Zildjian family, who are the founders of Turkish cymbals and the technical features of these cymbals. The literature review proved that the archival material of the Ottoman Empire period are still mostly unrevealed. However, the light of the acquired information, the article provides a chronological and descriptive framework on the Zildjian family and the Turkish cymbals, associated with the family name.
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Âşık Şeref Taşlıova ile Anadolu, Gelenek ve Kültür Üzerine Söyleşi / An Interview with Âşık Şeref Taşlıova on Anatolia, Tradition and Culture
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The use of traditional music as an educational material is one of the important applications of today's educational understanding. On the other hand, professional music education institutions are the institutional structures in which these applications can be made most easily. Controlling the level of this practice is important to ensure the permanence and contribution of the traditional music of the country. In this research, it is tried to determine the usage level of Traditional Turkish Music in individual musical instrument violin education in vocational music education institutions. In the light of the data obtained through the data collection form, it has been tried to determine the extent to which GTM subjects are reflected in violin education in the school. In this context, the differences between the schools were discussed and the issues causing the level differences between them were tried to be determined. As a result of the study, it was found that there is a significant difference in terms of the use of GTM in violin education on the basis of professional music education institutions. As a result of the comparison made in the school type, it was concluded that the ranking according to the frequency of use was in the form of faculties of fine arts, conservatories, Anatolian high schools of fine arts and faculties of education.
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Musical embellishments are elements, making music interesting for both listeners and performers, which have been used in every period of music. Nowadays, these elements are placed on the note in a way that leaves no room for doubt. However, this practice is rarely seen in Renaissance and Baroque music. Because according to the character of the music and features of the period, each performer had to know where and how to apply embellishments. It was accepted as a criterion of professionalism. There are discussions and different views on how to make these embellishments while interpreting the music of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It is considered necessary to know the details of the ornamentation practices in the music of the relevant periods in order to perceive these debates and different views. In this research the historical development of the elmbellishments used in the Renaissance and Baroque periods and generally accepted examples are presented. The subjects of where, how and to what extent the embellishments to be used while interpreting the music composed till the end of the Baroque Period was investigated. Even though different and more free practices were encountered in the Renaissance period due to the fact that embellishments were mostly improvised, after different ideas, practices and discussions, the most common ornaments adopted today are mordent, trill, appoggiatura and grupetto.
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Electro baglama which entered to our music life with the influence of the globalization process in the late 1960s, it has been a global product that crosses the borders of the country until today. Electro-baglama has penetrated almost all areas of music in more than seventy years and has turned into a highly influential soloist instrument. Electro bağlama, the electric guitar who came to Turkey with globalization, loud sounds are used to provide the magnetic intensity is manufactured by mounting a local binding instrument. This change made by Erkin Koray, one of the pioneers of Anadolu Pop; has led to the emergence of a new urban version of the bağlama. In parallel with the development of music technologies in the future, it has undergone rapid and effective changes by adding some sound and effect devices to electro bağlama, and these features have turned electro binding into a preferable instrument. Electro bağlama, thanks to its technological advantage and offer technical sense, Turkey has become an indispensable provider of entertainment sound types are arranged in urban and rural areas. The mobility has accelerated in the last century with the globalization process. The displacement of items such as product, information, finance, people, and cultural elements, especially within the accelerated flow with technology, has had a noticeable effect on society and individuals. Thanks to the said flows, different cultures and cultural products started to exist in new ways by being affected by each other. Accordingly, the changes caused by electro-bonding, especially in local areas and partly globally, constitute the research subject of this study. The study was conducted by obtaining data by using observation and participatory observation techniques in a method based on ethnographic research. The data obtained are combined and interpreted in the direction of similarity-difference relationships with the secondary data obtained in the literature review.
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