Josquin's Classical Log - Graeca non leguntur

[jeff_lindqvist]

There must be something like Music Theory for Dummies.

There is!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212 ... or_Dummies

Contents:

Part I: Rhythm: Keeping the Beat
Chapter 1: What Is Music Theory Anyway?
Chapter 2: Counting Out Notes
Chapter 3: Giving It a Rest
Chapter 4: Time Signatures
Chapter 5: Naturalizing the Beat
Chapter 6: Tempo and Dynamics
Part II: Melody: The Part You Hum
Chapter 7: The Musical Staff
Chapter 8: Instrument Tone and Color
Chapter 9: Half Steps, Whole Steps, Sharps, and Flats
Part III: Harmony: Fleshing It Out
Chapter 10: Intervals
Chapter 11: Key Signatures and the Circle of Fifths
Chapter 12: The Major and Minor Scales
Chapter 13: Building Chords
Chapter 14: Chord Progressions
Chapter 15: Cadence
Part IV: Form: How It’s Shaped
Chapter 16: The Elements of Form
Chapter 17: Classical Forms
Chapter 18: Popular Forms
Part V: The Part of Tens
Chapter 19: Six Most Frequently Asked Questions About Music Theory
Chapter 20: Ten Cool and Useful Resources
Chapter 21: Nine Music Theorists You Should Know About

That should be enough for us mere mortals...

[galaxyrocker]

@galaxyrocker: I don't really know any English sources for music theory. All I have is in German. I do know there are guides to classical music out there. There must be something like Music Theory for Dummies.

Anyway, I know exactly how you feel. When I started listening to classical music when I was 15 or 16, I soon came to the spot where I wanted to talk about it, know more, know how it worked. I also got me some easy introductions to music theory, but as I said, all in German. Anyway, it helped me immensely to understand what I was hearing and it also kindled the wish to make music myself. 15 years later, I'm doing a PhD in music history, am a singer, and play two instruments more or less well.

What do you have in German? Maybe slogging my way through that will finally get me reading German that I need for GnaG (not to mention all the untranslated scientific/philosophic/etc. work) haha. Maybe it'll also have an English translation. But, you're right, I have found a few books, though I'm always dubious of quality, tbh.

As for how it worked out with you... I hope it's not the same with me! I've already got the desire to pick up an instrument (or seven), but can't be getting a PhD at 40 -- unless I win the lottery, in which case I'll stay in school forever haha.

[Josquin]

The main things that helped me in the beginning stages of learning about music were dtv-Atlas Musik, Reclams Konzertführer, and Reclams Musikinstrumentenführer. Working these through really got me a basic understanding of a lot that's happening in music. I could also post more advanced stuff from my musicology studies, but I guess you'd find those too technical.

Getting a PhD at 40 might not be the best idea, unless you're doing it just for fun... I'm already quite old for a graduate student, even in German terms, but then I'm not aiming for becoming a professor later, so it doesn't really matter. I hope I can finally wrap up my thesis this year. Of course, there are people like Mary Hobson who made it to the top of their field even with a very late start. I'm quoting from the "Language Learning after 50" thread:

One of my all-time heroes is Mary Hobson, a beautiful example of someone who has battled through several personal adversities to become a world leader in her field, and all after the age of 50 (she's now almost 90!) Wishing to one day read Tolstoy's War and Peace in the original language (inspired by a gift from her daughter whilst convalescing from surgery), Mary took up learning Russian at the age of 56 for fun, much like some of us here. So entranced by the language, she went on to university to study Russian language and literature from the age of 62, eventually receiving a PhD in the field by 74. Now one of the world's leading experts on the Russian poet Pushkin, she's since won several awards for her works of translation, including the prestigious Pushkin Gold Medal. Here's an interview I often show in part to my students, where she speaks about how much she loved living in a student hostel in Moscow whilst in her 60s, and going out on the town with her roommates during the politically turbulent early 90s. An amazing lady, and an inspiration to us all!

[Neurotip]

Your post made me think of something.

Do you have any recommendations for orchestral songs or orchestral works accompanied by a chorus? I'm thinking of works such as Beethoven's Chorfantasie, Janáček's Glagolská mše and Sibelius' Tulen synty.

I have a playlist of these works, but am always looking for more. I haven't found anything yet that's as moving in the Lieder by Schumann or Strauss, but maybe you could give some pointers.

Dear Josquin, I hope you don't mind my replying to Chung here by pointing out that there are various reference lists available online which Chung might enjoy poring through: one could start with IMSLP (chorus + orch, voices + chorus + orch) and Wikipedia for instance.

[Elsa Maria]

Thanks for posting the link to the Over-50 thread. I had not seen that before, and I am an over-50 person. Mary Hobson is my new inspiration!

[Josquin]

THURSDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 2018

Thanks, Neurotip, for those exhaustive lists of music recommendations! I guess it will take forever to work them through...

Elsa Maria, you're welcome! Yes, Mary Hobson is a very inspirational person and the living proof that it's never too late for anything.

Other than that, my mood has notably improved. In fact, yesterday and today were excellent! I'm still waiting for those good news I have been talking about for over a month now, but they haven't come yet. Once more, I won't tell what they are, because I don't want to jinx it...

Language-wise the week has been mediocre. I did a lot of Sanskrit at the weekend, but didn't do much under the week. Today was pretty productive though. I'm still focussing on my three classical languages, but I will take detours again to Irish and Portuguese sooner or later.

Ἑλληνική

I'm on lesson 35 in Kairós now. The text deals with the Olympic Games and the grammar covers some more third declension nouns. The vocabulary is getting more complex, but otherwise everything's pretty smooth.

עברית

I moved on to lesson 39 in Lehrbuch Bibel-Hebräisch. It's the last lesson dealing with the nif'al stem. Once more, there are some root types that are somewhat quirky, but I won't go into the details here. Some roots, however, are so strange that even experts can't tell whether a certain verb is in the qal or in the nif'al. Well, I guess I won't have to trouble myself with that.

I also had a sneak peek at lesson 40, which introduces the pi'el stem. The pi'el has a causative meaning and often turns a noun into a verb, the most prominent example being דבר, which as a noun means "word" or "speech", but as a pi'el verb means "to speak". This is getting interesting!

संस्कृतम्

I have finally caught up with the online course of The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit. I'm now on lesson 9 in the book and the accompanying video series. I have completed the translation exercises and readings of chapter 8, more or less successfully. Sanskrit syntax isn't easy and it omits a lot that would have to be explicitly mentioned in German or English. Well, I hope I will get used to it in the course of my Sanskrit studies.

Lesson 9 deals with feminine ā-stem nouns, the comparison of adjectives, and some more sandhi rules. I think this will be one of the easier chapters. My next major task will be memorizing the paradigm of the ā-stems. The rest of the unit seems to be quite easy.

[Josquin]

Buona sera, cari amiche ed amici! Che cosa c'è di nuovo, voi domandate? Non c'è molto da raccontare. Ho fatto un poco di greco, di ebbreo, e di sanscrito, ma ciò è tutto. Ma, perché sei scrivendo in italiano, voi domandate probabilmente. Bene, sono ascoltando della musica italiana in questo momento e cioè perché ho pensato che sarà una buon' idea di scrivere questa notizia in italiano. Ma, Josquin, che cosa sei ascoltando, voi domanderate forse. Allora, si tratta di qualche arie bellissime di Georg Friedrich Händel chi ha anche vissuto in Italia e ha scritto delle opere italiane. Una delle più conosciute è Serse donde viene l'aria forse più celebre di Händel sopratutto: Ombra mai fu. In quest' aria, Serse canta di un albero chi l'ha salvato nella battaglia e la musica e completamente divina! Se non la conoscete, dovete assolutamente ascoltarla!



Mais comme c'est tard et je m'ennuis un peu - de nouveau ! -, je vais aussi écrire en français. Malheureusement, Händel n'a pas écrit en français, même qu'il ait écrit des ouvertures françaises, mais il y a beaucoup d'autres choses musicales qui sont très interessantes. A ce temps de l'année, il faut premièrement mentionner les Leçons de Tenèbres par Couperin et Charpentier. Les Tenèbres ou tenebrae, comme elles s'apellent en latin, sont les offices de la semaine sainte, plus éxactement du jeudi, vendredi et du samedi saint. Dans elles, le prophète Jérémia deplore le sort de la cité de Jérusalem qui était devastée après la guerre. Cette musique est très sombre, mais aussi très belle et touchante. Il y a beaucoup d'autres versions des tenèbres, mais celles par Couperin et Charpentier sont parmi les plus intéressantes et connues.



Ну, конечно, также есть русская музыка, которую надо слушать. Например Всенощное Бдение Сергея Рахманинова. Строго говоря, это не русское произведение, а церковнославянское. К сожалению, я не знаю многих других русских композиторов, которые написали вокальную музыку, только Чайковского, Бородина и Римского-Корсакова, может быть также Стравинского. Из опер Чайковского я очень люблю Евгения Онегина и особенно арию Куда вы удалились?. Она очень грустная, но также такая красивая!



Sea, tá go leor ceol Éireannach ann, ar ndóigh, ach cá dtosóidh mé? Níl ceol clasaiceach as Gaeilge ann, ach tá go leor ceol traidisiúnta ann. Tá an ceol sean-nós chomh hálainn! Is é Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin an cumadóir is cáiliúla a scríobh ceol Gaelach. Ba í an chláirseach a chasadh sé. Tá a fhios againn ar an gCearbhallánach freisin mar a chuimhnigh sé ar an bhfocal planxty. Is maith liom a chaointe, mar Sir Uillioc de Búrca. Níl mé in ann aistriú canta a fháil, ach tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh sult as mar sin féin!

[jeff_lindqvist]

Sea, tá go leor ceol Éireannach ann, ar ndóigh, ach cá dtosóidh mé? Níl ceol clasaiceach as Gaeilge ann, ach tá go leor ceol traidisiúnta ann. Tá an ceol sean-nós chomh hálainn! Is é Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin an cumadóir is cáiliúla a scríobh ceol Gaelach. Ba í an chláirseach a chasadh sé. Tá a fhios againn ar an gCearbhallánach freisin mar a chuimhnigh sé ar an bhfocal planxty. Is maith liom a chaointe, mar Sir Uillioc de Búrca. Níl mé in ann aistriú canta a fháil, ach tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh sult as mar sin féin!

Go raibh maith agat! Is maith liom an cumadóir sin.

Seo iad a chuid cumadóireachta:
http://www.oldmusicproject.com/occ/tunes.html

Agus seo é taifeadah (port eile) - le mo chairde Jon (fliúit) agus Karl (tenor giotár):

[Josquin]

Ar fheabhas! Fair plé dóibh! Taitníonn liom an taifeadadh sin go mór. Go raibh maith agat.

But when talking about O'Carolan, one absolutely mustn't forget his famous Concerto, of course! Here's my favourite recording:



Oíche mhaith agaibh!

[Josquin]

SUNDAY, 4 MARCH 2018

Okay, a quick update for today. The last week hasn't been very productive, but the weekend has been better. I got a good deal of studying done today, although I slept late and cleaned the entire flat. The good news I'm waiting for still hasn't come, but now I at least know it won't come before April. I'll tell you then what it's all about. I still don't want to jinx anything...

Okay, let's talk langauges:

English

Yeah, let's start with English today! The last few days, I've been reading a fantastic novel by Gore Vidal, which is called The City and the Pillar. It's about Jim, an American athlete, who falls in love with his best friend Bob in High School. After leaving school, their ways separate, but Jim can never quite forget about Bob.

Jim goes to sea, moves to Hollywood, joins the Army and is discharged because of illness, goes to New York, makes friends and finds lovers, but there's always the vision of a happy reunion with Bob. Finally, both young men return to their hometown in Virginia where their friendship starts anew. The book climaxes in Jim's dramatic attempt to resume a love affair with Bob, but it doesn't turn out well for both of them...

I was really captured by this book! Not only is it one of the most important early gay-themed novels (it's from the 40s), but it's so wise and insightful that it really spoke to me. The major theme is Jim's lack of ability to let go of the past and his obsession with a reunion with Bob. This is also reflected in the title, because the city and the pillar are Sodom and Lot's wife Ruth, who turned into a pillar of salt, because she looked back to the destroyed city of Sodom. In a way, she couldn't let go of the past which had collapsed behind her and so she kind of froze, unable to act in the present. At least, that's my way of reading the metaphor.

As I have been dealing with my past a lot for the last few months, this book was like a revelation. Instead of mourning for times gone by, I should focus on the present and let go of dreams that will never fulfill. So, yeah, this book was shocking, it was thrilling, it was revelatory. It simply had everything!

Gaeilge

I haven't done anything in Irish, but I'm more and more getting withdrawal symptoms. If I could spare the time, I'd love to get back to the short stories from Dúil. But time is just what I don't have...

Ἑλληνική

I'm now on lesson 37 in Kairós. The text is about Sysiphos and the grammar point is the genitivus absolutus. The Greek absolute genitive works pretty much like the absolute ablative in Latin, so this is not too difficult. However, it means that the syntax is getting more complex and so it's getting more difficult to understand the text without word-by-word translation.

עברית

Okay, I've been dealing a good deal with Hebrew. I've completed lesson 40 and I'm good to move on to the next unit. The topic is still verbs in the pi'el. I'm not yet familiar with all the paradigms, but I'm getting quite good at recognizing qal, nif'al, and pi'el verbs. Nevertheless, translating excerpts from the Bible is still hard work. Besides grammar, the reason for this is also the idiomatic turn of phrase in Hebrew, which is quite different from modern usage. Well, I'll have to get used to it.

Other than that, I got some books about the history of Hebrew, Hebrew grammar, and Hebrew phonology from the library. I can't wait to get started on them.

संस्कृतम्

The Sanskrit online course is progressing pretty slowly. We're still on unit 9, but at least we'll finish it this week. I still have to do most of the exercises and the readings. Besides feminine ā-stem nouns, the unit dealt with the comparison of adjectives, and some more rules for internal sandhi. This unit wasn't that difficult, but learning all the paradigms is a lot of work, as there are singular, dual, and plural to be learnt. Well, it can't be helped, can it?!

Also, I got a Sanskrit dictionary and a students' grammar from the library. I hope it will be useful.

ግዕዝ

And yes, I'm wanderlusting again! Due to Hebrew, I've fallen in love with the Semitic languages. While I don't have that much interest for Arabic, I'm flirting with Ge'ez right now. For those who don't know: Ge'ez is the Old Ethiopian language, which serves as a liturgic language in Ethiopia these days and is the ancestor of modern Amharic.

I've borrowed some grammars and primers from the library and I'll have a look at them in a quiet minute. This won't be anything serious, but maybe one of my future language projects will come from this. Who knows!