AMS-NE Winter Chapter Meeting
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Marshall Room, College of Fine Arts
Boston University
10:00-10:35 Refreshments and
Registration
Morning Session
10:35 Welcome
10:40
“As Obscure and Unintelligible as the Warbling of Larks and
Linnets”: Latent Agendas in C. P. E. Bach’s C-Minor Trio, Wq. 161/1
(H.579)
Yonatan
Bar-Yoshafat (Cornell University)
ABSTRACT:
Ever since its publication in 1751, C. P. E. Bach’s
famous program trio (‘Sanguineus und Melancholicus’) has generated much debate.
A quintessential example of eighteenth-century dialogue-in-tone, the work nonetheless
received mixed reviews and Bach refrained from repeating it. It would be unfair
to pass judgment on Bach’s contemporaries, however, since the work is not
devoid of ambiguities. And yet, with only one notable exception (Mersmann, 1917), most modern reviewers tend to
take Bach’s program at face-value, and interpret the work as an allegory of
moderation by means of conversation (Will, 1997; Keefe,1998; Schulenberg,
2014). This reading is in keeping not only with the
“master-narrative” of the Enlightenment, but also with the moralities and aesthetics
of sentimentalism, with which – especially in its German dialect (the Empfindsamer
Stil) – Bach’s music is so tightly connected. Nonetheless, there are other,
darker and more skeptical sides to that era as well. In fact, more than a few
literary and intellectual works of the mid-eighteenth century manifested an objection
to the possibility of tempering human sentiments and passions by rational means.
This paper suggests a somewhat revised (or
complementary) approach to mid-eighteenth century music sentimentalism. It
explores some pertinent examples of anti-sentimental manifestations in the
works of Fielding, Hume and Hogarth, and
reexamines the reception of British skepticism in the Prussian court, before turning
to Bach’s trio. As the paper goes on to show, even if many of the musical
events follow the work’s program, others nonetheless display some intriguing
aspects that ironically subvert its meaning. These telling incongruities between
the “diegetic” and “mimetic” levels of the work shed some light on Bach’s
oeuvre in general. Bach’s penchant for the unexpected and the uncanny can thus
be understood in a broader context, as bespeaking not only the aesthetics of Empfindsamkeit,
but of “counter-sentimentality” as well.
Dr. Yonatan Bar-Yoshafat is a Fulbright
grantee and a visiting scholar at Cornell University, where he conducts his
post-doctoral research with James Webster. He is also a faculty
member at the Open University of Israel. His research interests include 18th
and 19th century instrumental music, aesthetics and sociology of
music, Formenlehre, topic and narrative theories and analyses, music
historiography and critical theory.
Bar-Yoshafat’s current research demonstrates
in what ways Bach’s significant works extend beyond the framework of musical
wit and sentimentality, embodying ironic detachment and self-reflexivity
through the medium of sounds and their significations.
Yonatan Bar-Yoshafat has presented his
research in colloquia and international conferences at the University of
Oxford, Cornell University, The RMA annual conference and elsewhere. He has published
both academic and learning materials, in Hebrew and English. His article “Kenner
und Liebhaber – Yet another Look” (nominated for the AMS ‘Einstein Award’ 2014)
was published in the International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of
Music (44/1, 2013).
11:20
Society as Cure: Moral Treatment in Brunetti’s Il Maniatico Symphony
Mohammed Pasha (Corpus Christi, TX)
ABSTRACT:
The late eighteenth century marked a shift in the conception of mental illness and its
treatment. Moral treatment of the insane was foremost a recognition of the dignity of mental patients. Literary works likewise began valuing singularity in the portrayal of madness. Meanwhile, composers such as Haydn and others begin using music to depict a variety of phenomenon in their symphonic works, thereby singularizing the orchestral narrative of the individual's relationship to his surroundings.
One such composer, Gaetano Brunetti, was remarkably prolific but his output has garnered little attention. Drawing on historical, medical, literary, and philosophical research, I will provide a full analysis of Brunetti's neglected Il Maniatico symphony, one of the first programmatic works in the genre and unique in its unconventional use of the sonata principle. Foregoing the typical method of extensive motivic development to show the inner turmoil of an individual at odds with society as in Beethoven's Fifth symphony, Brunetti instead used the “maniac” motive as a curiosity and a problem to overcome for society's sake. He achieves this by only rarely building themes with the maniac motive.
The maniac is largely confined to the outskirts of civilization, responding to the themes but not necessarily interacting with them. Society itself is also represented by motives of its own, including reason, reconciliation, and sympathy. In this way, the symphony is less about the individual's journey than society's reaction to him. This method mirrors the newly emerging conception of illness where society wished to cure the insane but was bound by the notion that the ill were victims of their ethical choices.
treatment. Moral treatment of the insane was foremost a recognition of the dignity of mental patients. Literary works likewise began valuing singularity in the portrayal of madness. Meanwhile, composers such as Haydn and others begin using music to depict a variety of phenomenon in their symphonic works, thereby singularizing the orchestral narrative of the individual's relationship to his surroundings.
One such composer, Gaetano Brunetti, was remarkably prolific but his output has garnered little attention. Drawing on historical, medical, literary, and philosophical research, I will provide a full analysis of Brunetti's neglected Il Maniatico symphony, one of the first programmatic works in the genre and unique in its unconventional use of the sonata principle. Foregoing the typical method of extensive motivic development to show the inner turmoil of an individual at odds with society as in Beethoven's Fifth symphony, Brunetti instead used the “maniac” motive as a curiosity and a problem to overcome for society's sake. He achieves this by only rarely building themes with the maniac motive.
The maniac is largely confined to the outskirts of civilization, responding to the themes but not necessarily interacting with them. Society itself is also represented by motives of its own, including reason, reconciliation, and sympathy. In this way, the symphony is less about the individual's journey than society's reaction to him. This method mirrors the newly emerging conception of illness where society wished to cure the insane but was bound by the notion that the ill were victims of their ethical choices.
Mohammed Pasha
graduated from UC Berkeley in 2003 earning a BA in music. He then attended the
University of Houston, graduating with a MM in Music Literature in 2011. His
thesis investigated variation technique in Mozart and Haydn. He plays clarinet
and piano and studies Hume and Rousseau's aesthetics, galante music, and the
Neapolitan school of opera. He is also interested in the aspects of music that
were valued by connoisseurs during the eighteenth century.
12:00-2:00 Lunch Break
2:00-2:20 Business
Meeting
Afternoon Session
2:20 Mendelssohn’s
Scottish Sentiments: A New Look at Music, Meaning, and
Contemporary Nationalism in Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony
Beth Abbate (The Boston Conservatory)
ABSTRACT:
The last movement of Mendelssohn’s “Scottish”
Symphony, described by the composer as “Allegro guerriero” (warlike allegro),
has been variously interpreted as absolute music, programmatic music, and as
something in between, while its contrasting “Maestoso” coda is often heard as a
somewhat overdone—and stylistically Germanic—celebration of victory after
battle. However, the movement can be better interpreted as a different kind of
narrative, or “esoteric Program,” to use Constantin Floros’s phrase. With
several references to Beethoven’s Fifth—especially to the C major theme opening
its last movement—and with a melody taken from the opening theme of the
symphony, first composed by Mendelssohn as he contemplated the story of Mary
Queen of Scots at the Holyrood ruins, Mendelssohn explores the contemporary
Scottish idea of nationalism as a celebration of historical heritage, linking
it with the post-French Revolutionary concept of freedom as “ideal” and as
originating from within. It is certainly not coincidental that the idea of
confining nationalism to a celebration of the past was vigorously promoted by
pro-British-union author Walter Scott—whom Mendelssohn admired and met briefly just
before beginning the “Scottish” Symphony in 1829, nor that the Mary Stuart in
Schiller’s historical drama on Mary Queen of Scots was depicted as imprisoned
but free through her strong inner moral compass. The coda, too, can be
reinterpreted. As a part of the tradition of instrumental hymnic endings stemming
from Beethoven’s Sixth, it can be heard as a natural outgrowth of the movement
rather than as an odd appendage, and as a paean to new concepts of unification
and nationalism, for which the United Kingdom served as a model.
Beth Abbate completed a BA at Yale College, an MM in violin
performance at the Yale School of Music, and, after playing for several years
with the Fort Worth Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, her PhD in Music History at
Harvard, with a dissertation on Myth,
Symbol, and Meaning in the Early Symphonies of Gustav Mahler. She has
taught a wide variety of courses at The Boston Conservatory since 1998, with
particular emphasis on 19th-and-20th-century symphonic
traditions as well as music of Webern, Berio, and Messiaen. She continues to
perform as a free-lance violinist in the Boston area.
3:00 “Steady Gradients” and Scenic Designs: Leonora’s Lyric Narrative
Dana Dalton (Brandeis University)
ABSTRACT:
A remarkable dramatic attribute of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore is the polarity that exists between the two female characters, the gypsy Azucena, a mezzo-soprano, and the soprano/heroine Leonora. Azucena’s temperament is visceral and obsessive. The core of the opera’s libretto resides in the bizarre (and unbelievable) tale of her mother, accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake. Her eccentric character is revealed through non-normative, earthy, one-movement aria types. Laden with pitch repetition and recurring motives, this music is suggestive of her rule-bound thinking and her fixation with obtaining vengeance.
Leonora, on the other hand, is purely lyrical. In a famous description, Julian Budden claimed, “Her melodies are minted from the purest gold of the Italian lyric tradition.” In keeping with operatic convention, Verdi provided the soprano with two arias: “Tacea la notte placida—Di tale amor” and “D’amor sull’ali rosee—Quel suon, quelle preci—Tu vedrai che amore in terra,” the latter scene more commonly known as the Miserere. As the ingénue with normative two-movement designs, she seems the archetypal prima donna.
This soprano, however, is less conventional and more integral to Trovatore’s dramatic structure than has previously been assumed. For although she may be the one character who stands outside the sphere of Azucena’s narrative, her tale is neither irrelevant nor is it secondary. Drawing on Budden’s concept of “steady gradient,” I chart a melodic course through her two scenes, uncovering a compelling psychological narrative that summarizes the tragedy of Trovatore. Verdi’s strategic use—or denial—of lyricism in Leonora’s music amounts to a large-scale, melodic/dramatic structure. Accordingly, I present an analysis that goes beyond the mere assertion of the composer’s “gift for melody” that furthers our investigation of Verdi’s lyric drama.
Leonora, on the other hand, is purely lyrical. In a famous description, Julian Budden claimed, “Her melodies are minted from the purest gold of the Italian lyric tradition.” In keeping with operatic convention, Verdi provided the soprano with two arias: “Tacea la notte placida—Di tale amor” and “D’amor sull’ali rosee—Quel suon, quelle preci—Tu vedrai che amore in terra,” the latter scene more commonly known as the Miserere. As the ingénue with normative two-movement designs, she seems the archetypal prima donna.
This soprano, however, is less conventional and more integral to Trovatore’s dramatic structure than has previously been assumed. For although she may be the one character who stands outside the sphere of Azucena’s narrative, her tale is neither irrelevant nor is it secondary. Drawing on Budden’s concept of “steady gradient,” I chart a melodic course through her two scenes, uncovering a compelling psychological narrative that summarizes the tragedy of Trovatore. Verdi’s strategic use—or denial—of lyricism in Leonora’s music amounts to a large-scale, melodic/dramatic structure. Accordingly, I present an analysis that goes beyond the mere assertion of the composer’s “gift for melody” that furthers our investigation of Verdi’s lyric drama.
Dana Dalton holds a BM in Piano and a BA in German from
Carson-Newman College, a MM in Piano and Music History from Rice University,
and a PhD from Brandeis University. Her research interests include
nineteenth-century opera, historical recordings of the character piece for
piano, and the relationship of poetry and music in the work of women
singer-songwriters.3:40 “Too Much Carbon Monoxide for Me to Bear”: Irony and Criticism in the Music of Cake
David Ferrandino (SUNY Buffalo)
ABSTRACT:
Mr. Ferrandino is a doctoral candidate in musicology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. He is studying post-1945 American music under Dr. Stephanie Vander Wel, with an emphasis on minimalism and popular music. He is currently completing his dissertation on the function of irony in popular music entitled “Irony, Mimicry, and Mockery: American Popular Music of the Late Twentieth Century.”
Cake emerged on the alternative rock scene in 1993 with its disjointed mix of musical styles and genres, serving up ironic critical commentaries on American culture. In response, critics have accused the band of being some sort of novelty act that promotes an aesthetic of disinterest typical of Generation X. However, such criticisms belie the musical integrity of the band and innovative spirit of the post-Baby Boomer generation. In this paper, I argue for a rethinking of how irony functions in popular culture in order to address the complex musical aesthetics at play in alternative rock music. For those Americans coming to age in the late 20th century, irony has become both a standard critical tool and a general mindset. Cake utilizes irony to offer contradictory portraits of America’s glory days of the post-WWII era, simultaneously glamorizing and criticizing American suburbia in order to express an entire range of experiences from nostalgia to condemnation.
Drawing from the insights of multimedia theorist Lars Elleström and musicologist Michael Long, I propose a formulation of irony which takes into account the layers of contextual information embedded in a song. Rather than a simple reversal of meaning or a humorous farce, irony provides a means of creating a network of experiential resonance — an array of disparate and simultaneous interpretations formed by the listener. The irony in Cake’s music results from the juxtaposition of stylistic markers from various musical genres which force fans and critics to reevaluate their previous listening experiences. For people with a shared musical background, the irony in Cake’s music embodies the shift in American culture from the cynicism of the '80s to the indifference of the '90s.
Drawing from the insights of multimedia theorist Lars Elleström and musicologist Michael Long, I propose a formulation of irony which takes into account the layers of contextual information embedded in a song. Rather than a simple reversal of meaning or a humorous farce, irony provides a means of creating a network of experiential resonance — an array of disparate and simultaneous interpretations formed by the listener. The irony in Cake’s music results from the juxtaposition of stylistic markers from various musical genres which force fans and critics to reevaluate their previous listening experiences. For people with a shared musical background, the irony in Cake’s music embodies the shift in American culture from the cynicism of the '80s to the indifference of the '90s.
Mr. Ferrandino is a doctoral candidate in musicology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. He is studying post-1945 American music under Dr. Stephanie Vander Wel, with an emphasis on minimalism and popular music. He is currently completing his dissertation on the function of irony in popular music entitled “Irony, Mimicry, and Mockery: American Popular Music of the Late Twentieth Century.”
4:20 Meeting Adjourned and Refreshments
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