I’m writing to ask for help finding literature on two seemingly unrelated topics.

My first topic is music analysis and theology – specifically Christian theology, but as my focus will be largely methodological, interesting relations between music analysis and other theologies would also be good to hear about.  In looking at music analysis, I aim to cast a wide net, so not restricted to analysis of notated musical texts, for example, but I do exclude two things.  I am looking at specific configurations of musical sound, so theological perspectives on the materials of music in general (e.g. the Boethian tradition) are outside the bounds of my study.  I also exclude examinations of texted music whose theological connections are limited to the text itself.

It’s a huge topic, and the results on RILM are overwhelming.  So I’m looking for pointers especially toward works that stand out for putting music analysis and theology into relationship in particularly insightful/interesting/idiosyncratic ways.  Please don't be bashful about drawing your own work to my attention!

The second topic is the way in which specific performance inflections can steer the meaning and expression of music in one direction or another.  For example, how might a performance of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony take a position on its being either triumphant or sarcastic?  Or, how can a cover or a remix of a pop song change meaning and expression in relation to the original?  Especially as the literature on this topic is much smaller, I’d be happy to hear about insightful discussions of any kind, including in magazine articles, record reviews, etc.

These are both in support of my work on the chapter on music analysis for the Oxford Handbook of Music and Christian Theology.  Many thanks in advance for replies, either public or private. 

Best wishes,

John

Thank you for any help!

Zac Cairns

I should like to alert you to the publication of a new two-part study on my website, entitled "Mozart's Delayed Dominants" at http://www.channanwillner.com/online.htm. Part I demonstrates that in Mozart's (and in other late 18th-century) sonata form, the arrival of the structural dominant is often delayed almost to the end of the exposition by long-range bass unfoldings and voice exchanges. Part II observes how the dominant is similarly delayed by temporarily incomplete treatment of the composition's structural register.

With thanks, and apologies for cross-posting,

Channan

In addition to checking compliance with voice leading rules, the server-side software (written in Python and based on the music21 toolkit) parses the linear structure of each line in the contrapuntal exercise. The parser in effect looks for Ursatz structures and subsequent composing-out elaborations. The pedagogical tool, however, carries out this proto-Schenkerian analysis behind the scenes and does not reveal the result to the student; that is because I think the ability to analyze the structure of lines in counterpoint is a skill the student has to learn from practice. 

As a kind of proof-of-concept for WesterParse, I have now developed a companion website that allows a user to see the results produced by the parser: https://ada.artsci.wustl.edu/wp_web_project/corpus/

To test the validity of the WesterParse algorithms, I assembled a small corpus of 145 examples, about half of which are taken from Westergaard’s textbook. The user can select an example and then click on a button to parse the syntax. In addition to displaying the brief text report on the parse that users of the pedagogical tool would see, the corpus tool also displays the results in musical notation, in the style of Schenker. In cases where the lines are structurally ambiguous, the corpus tool will present multiple analyses. 

WesterParse produces some minor deviations from Westergaard’s analyses, attributable to minor differences in handling ambiguity. Westergaard, for example, allows rule A1 (S1 in my nomenclature) to attach to a nonfinal pitch, whereas WesterParse does not. On the whole, however, WesterParse reproduces Westergaard’s analyses, where he provided such. 

The corpus site also has links to the online pedagogical tool and the code documentation. And the latter includes a link to a list of Westergaard’s counterpoint rules.

If anyone has feedback on the corpus tool or has an interest in collaborating on further development of WesterParse, please contact me privately. 



Robert Snarrenberg

Associate Professor of Music and Comparative Literature

Washington University in St. Louis

In the music that I have thought the most about from an analytical standpoint—that is, Western classical music—a central climax or highpoint that formally bisects a piece seems to be rare. But, in recent years, a fairly well-known example from the world of rock has struck me as special in this respect: Led Zeppelin's Kashmir. Given Jimmy Page's compositional proclivities, I rather doubt that the placement of this climax very close to the midpoint was an accident. (In this case, I mean by "climax" a peak of intensity or emotion, if not necesaarily a unique melodic peak.) Can anyone think of other pieces, in any style, that exemplify something like this from an emotional or formal standpoint? Also, might the "influence" of musical practices of the region that gives the song its title be relevant?

Mark Anson-Cartwright, Queens College, CUNY

We have been exploring the idea of "perfect tempo" as analogous to perfect pitch – that is, if humans are able to train themselves to identify certain BPM through hearing a metronome source or to reproduce a given BPM through tapping or other means of onset production. To aid in research for this topic, we created an iOS app called Tempo Maestro. Our vision is for this app to serve as a pedagogical tool to aid in improving tempo indentification, reproduction, and consistency. Our primary goal is to collect (anonymous) data to see how effective the app is at helping users improve these skills in a game-like atmosphere. The app is purely for research purposes, not for profit in any way. We are in the process of growing our user base, and we would greatly appreciate if you could download the app and share with students and colleagues within your program.

Here are the relevant links for further information and for downloading:

‎Tempo Maestro on the App Store

Tempo Maestro | Improve Your Tempo Skills

Please reach out if you have questions or feedback, thank you!

We are two music researchers conducting a research study on how people engage with electronic musical instruments. The survey takes about 10-15 minutes and is completely anonymous. All musicians with any experience with electronic music-making are welcome. We especially encourage people with disabilities of all ages and gender identities to participate in the survey. Please feel free to pass on this survey to anyone who may be interested.



The survey can be accessed from:

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6133826/Electronic-Music-Making-Survey 



Thank you very much for your time and participation.



♫ ♪ ♫

Dr Emma Frid - Researcher into Accessible Digital Musical Instruments (IRCAM STMS Lab, Paris, France / Sound and Music Computing, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden)

Dr Alon Ilsar - Musician, Instrument Inventor and Researcher into Gestural Digital Musical Instruments (SensiLab, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia)



*For further information on the research project, please contact Emma Frid (emmafrid@kth.se).

I am writing to share a blog I've started on aural skills pedagogy. If you're interested, you can read about my goals here and read the posts here. I've tried to get a nice variety of posts up there before sharing it. I have honestly no idea, however, how often I'll be posting--I know I'm not alone in finding that creating multiple online courses on the fly is a bit brutal. But I hope that some of you find this useful!

All best, Tim

To participate, please click on the following link: https://okstatecas.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HDvqV8MJPP98Bn

If you have questions about the research study itself, please contact the Dr. Kim Loeffert, Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music at Oklahoma State University at (405) 744-8998 or kim.loeffert@okstate.edu. If you have questions about your rights as a research volunteer, you may contact the IRB Office at 223 Scott Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078, 405-744-3377 or irb@okstate.edu.

1.  drag and drop notes into the staff - written part of exam

2.  record themselves playing scales, clapping rhythms, playing sight-reading pieces for keyboard part of exam

Thanks for your suggestions!

The text’s a collaboration between myself, Dr. Kristen Hansen, and the rest of the Artusi team. And like the rest of Artusi, this text is fully customizable to suit your pedagogy.   The site is www.artusimusic.com, and there are demos of the various levels and texts at https://www.artusimusic.com/sampler/ 

thanks -- and good luck in this crazy term.  

- Myke

Michael Scott Asato Cuthbert, Artusi Chief Music Officer

The idea is to cover a number of very different traditions and teach the theory that comes out of the tradition itself, in the form of written or oral transmission from practitioners. This does not preclude, however, working with secondary sources; given the constraints of covering a large number of traditions in a short period of time, I expect to mostly be working with secondary sources. My current working plan is to cover (1) Hindustani modal and rhythmic theory (or possibly Carnatic), (2) Balinese (or Javanese) theory of intonation and orchestration, (3) Persian (or possibly Arab or Turkish) modal theory, (4) Jazz harmony, and (5) Rhythmic theory from Latin American traditions. 

Most of the work on these topics has been done by ethnomusicologists rather than theorists, but, as an editorial aside, I think theory as a discipline has a lot to offer and also to gain from being at the table in these areas, in pedagogy as well as research. 

I'm wondering if anyone knows of sonata-form P spaces that modulate without returning later to the tonic (i.e., not something like the Eroica, which pushes away from tonic only to return back to it later), and (especially) if there are any discussions of such situations in published scholarship.

I thought there might perhaps be a discussion of this in Elements in the section "Tonal Under- and Overdetermination," but that seems to be primarilly about the relative strength of cadential articulation, not about the possibility of off-tonic conclusions to P. 

I suspect that most such examples would either a.) happen within minor mode sonatas (i.e., a minor-to-relative-major thematic unit that then launches to the minor dominant at TR), or b.) would be exceedingly deformational, to the point that it would likely be engaged with a kind of rhetorical merge with subsequent TR rhetoric. 

In any case, just thought I'd ask if there are any discussions of this sort of thing in the literature!

-Nate

I hope that it is not controversial to say that there are many variations/schools regarding the voice-leading principles described in Harmony textbooks, and that there is not one "correct" method for connecting chords in common practice harmony.

I am wondering if there are any comprehensive surveys that address/quantify/compare the main guidelines ("rules") that are described in different textbooks. For example, dealing with hidden octaves/fifths (whether it ranges from FORBIDDEN to acceptable under X and Y circumstances), doubling of the notes in 4-part writing, and other aspects of voice leading that are commonly addressed in textbooks.

I am aware of David Huron's Voice Leading: The Science behind a Musical Art

Are there any other papers/books that I should be looking into?

Thank you,

Néstor

            We are conducting an anonymous, 15–20 minute survey on current practices in aural skills instruction, approved under Utah State University IRB Protocol 11394. If you are a current or recent instructor of aural skills at the post-secondary or advanced-secondary (e.g., AP) level in the US or Canada, we invite you to be a part of this research through the following anonymous survey before September 30, 2020:

https://usu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4OrkjHTy2CjQkdL

            If you have any questions, please contact Timothy Chenette (timothy.chenette@usu.edu). 

We appreciate your help!

Sincerely,

Dr. Timothy Chenette

Associate Professor

Department of Music

Utah State University

Timothy.chenette@usu.edu

Dr. Cynthia I. Gonzales

Associate Professor

School of Music

Texas State University at San Marcos

Dr. Leigh VanHandel

Associate Professor

School of Music

University of British Columbia

1. Does the system [pre]determine the outcome of [tertian/tonal] harmonic results?

2. Is Tonnetz related to the harmonic series?

3. How do other types of triangle/stem triads work in Tonnetz charts (major, minor, diminished, augmented, suspension, M3b5) in asymmetrial combinations?  

4.  Are there other "templates" for Tonnetz that are irregular in symmetry?  

I'm curious for example how Tonnetz geometry might play out in a non symmetrical geodescic model (pentagon/hexagon combinations).  

Thank you.