[78-L] OT Musical genres^

[JD]

> Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:34:37 -0500
> From: Jeff Sultanof <jeffsultanof at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [78-L] OT Musical genres^
> To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
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> This is a highly complex question as it is based on association more than
> anything else, association that most of us already know. Maury Deutsch had 
> a
> wonderful book on this concept for composers called Psychological
> Associations, which is still available. He would use polytonality in a 
> scene
> if a main character was schizophrenic, to use an example. That is why the 
> 12
> tone technique (Schonberg's, not Spud Murphy's) was perfect for the movie
> "The Cobweb," which was about a mental institution.

In 1950 I was interested in studying arranging which I'd been doing for 
several years as an amateur and for the previous year professionally in 
addition to playing. . I'd been extremely fortunate to recently meet and 
work with  Billy Byers on a number of occasions.  I would often telephone 
him to pick his brain about various arranging questions. Busy as he was then 
he would graciously take the time to play in my rehearsal band to discuss 
and explain my various music queries. Billy, btw along with later dear 
friend and colleague Johnny Carisi were two of the true musical geniuses of 
their time. I would often tell anyone who'd listen that when they left us 
they would take a great deal of musical knowledge with them. There didn't 
seem to be anything about music that they didn't know thoroughly.

Billy recommended that I call Maury Deutsch who used to advertise monthly in 
"Allegro" the NYC musician's (local 802) union paper. I did and went for one 
lesson, bought one of his publications, was rather beffudled and mystified 
by  his concepts and never went back. In later years I came to believe that 
he was probably typical of many dilletantes with a degree (doctor in his 
case) who fancied themselves experts in their field but actually weren't. 
This is an old story in the arts and in many aspecys of  the music arts in 
particular.

 In the course of  that lesson he explained to me in simple technical detail 
why brass instruments naturally blend better than saxophones. I'd already 
had enough experience as a brass (trumpet) player to wonder about that 
statement but kept silent assuming that he knew and I didn't. In letar years 
and with more experience I realized the fallacy of that statement and that 
the opposite was actually the fact

Some decades later Deutsch published a series of articles in Allegro on big 
band scoring. I was amazed to see how amateurish and clumsy some of his 
examples were. I don't mean to disparage Deutsch, he certainly was not an 
incompetent and probably had something to offer but to try to shed some 
light on the complexities of music and its various pitfalls. Unfortunately 
Byers and I lost touch after that and I never got to discuss my Deutsch 
experience or the reason for his suggestion of  him. I assumed that he had 
seen Deutsch';s ads and was trying to help or maybe get off the hook. In any 
case my  sessions with Billy were very fruitful and I was most appreciative.

>
> On a very basic level, if you are watching a movie or TV show and the 
> scene
> is happy, the composer will usually write music that is in a major key,
> unhappy would indicate minor (remember I am talking very basic now; this
> idea is still taught in schools).


I'm glad that you qualified that. it's an old  simplistic concept that 
belongs in the dark ages as you obviously are aware. which brings to mind a 
GREAT !! short book that is a must read by anyone even remotely interested 
in film and film music: Andre Previn's "No Minor Chords." The title derives 
from an absurd incident between an MGM exec. and a film score he didn't get. 
Again, A MUST READ !!!

>
> That's a start anyway.
>
> Jeff Sultanof
>
>> > _______________________________________________
>> I still haven't had a answer to my question. When I said "musical
>> devices", I didn't mean "instruments". I meant what goes into a musical
>> composition that one instantly recognises as being of a particular
>> genre? How do I recognise "Seafaring" or "Red Indian" music. I note
>> Sousa incorporated the latter into his 1896 march "New Mexico".
>>
>>       Julian Vein
>>

I was a bit  amused by the responses that assumed you were talking about 
instruments when you mentioned "devices." This is a difficult question to 
have answered without a working knowledge of  orchestration, composition, 
musical sytyles and a gang of other related subjects. Jeff above gave an 
accurate answer in mentioning 12 tone (serial) writing which has long been 
in  use and doesn't always have to sound threatening or difficult to absorb. 
But that's only one of many options available to the composer. In addition 
to the musical style used part of the answer lies in the orchestration, the 
type of tonal color the composer decides upon.

A simple answer to your "Red Indian" question might be the use of what we've 
come to recognoze as a Native American sound; the familiar repeating tom-tom 
beat (BOOM boom boom boom, BOOM boom boom boom,etc.) combined with 
instruments written in fifths. It's rather trite but all will recognize it. 
Similarly for Asian or Chinese music using the pentatonic (five note) scale. 
Recently I  viewed an old film on  that used a pentatonic melody against 
traditional harmony to depict the Orient. Even though it sounded more 
western than asian the effect was there subtly.

If you  think back to many of the films (particularly from the thirties 
through the fifties)    which open with a view of a large city and its 
hbbub of people  and traffic  you may recall that a very similar musical 
style and orchestral sound  was utilized in many of these scenes. Most of it 
sounds very Gershwinesque...think of parts of  "An American in Paris" as a 
simple example of this style. In scenes depicting sea voyages,  sailing 
ships or the south seas you again will find a great similarity in the 
writing. Lots of woodwinds and strings sounding very breezy and sunny.

Of course this doesn't answer the question of what devices were utilized but 
careful listening will probably bring some insight. Stravinsky is reputed to 
have stated that music describes nothing. Maybe so, but we have bcome 
accustomed to relating certain styles and sounds to paericular images. When 
you hear Petrouchka can you think of anythig other than a carnival?

Think about all the romantic films of the past with beautiful piano concerto 
type film scores mostly derived from Rachmaninoff influence... Addinsel's 
"Warsaw Concerto", Hubert bath's Cornishg Rhapsody", or Charles 
Williams'Dream of Olwen." Then we have Resphighi's Roman trilogy (Pines, 
Fountains and Festivals) which sems to describe ancient Rome so thotoughly 
that the films seems almost superflous.

For me one of the greatest examples of a musical painting is Artur 
Honegger's eight minute miniature masterpiece "Pastorale d'ete." (Summer 
Pastoral). This piece has always hits me right in the gut. I can hear and 
see a meadow in prewar France, the birds, the breezes in the grass and all 
the other images that  fit. After a lifetime of music this composition still 
paints beautiful images and totally amazes me every time I hear it.  I can't 
recommend it highly enough as an illusttration of musical painting, 
particularly the Bersnstein/NYP or Golschmann/Concert Arts orch.  (Capitol 
mono LP) versions.
Jack Daney
      To be a musician is a curse, to not be one is even worse