When I japed that Schoenbergian 12-tone composition "equalizes" musical space in every direction, I was referring to the horizontal/vertical (read : melodic/harmonic) aspects. That sounds terribly grandiose, doesn't it? What on earth does this mean? I will explain : take away the functionality of dissonance in traditional harmonic practice (what the textbooks and CD liner notes refer to as the "emancipation of dissonance" [agh!]), you in effect level out the musical framework. Or in other words, it renders traditional harmonic concepts redundant. Could the visual artists on this forum enlighten or correct us if I were to suggest (very tentatively) an anology with cubism? And was cubism also a blind alley?
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And what have I listened to today? Something quite spiritual (I suppose) : once again, Jonathan HARVEY, Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco. Don't really care what the words mean, for they are simply "hooks" for the music. Anyway, it must be spiritual because
a) Harvey is well-known for his adherence to Buddhism;
b) the words are latin and eminently religious in intent;
c) the words are taken from an inscription on the great tenor bell at Winchester Cathedral (a sort of temple where people pray and so on).
The full inscription on the bell is : Horas avolantes numero mortuos plango vivos ad preces voco.Last edited by Quijote; 06-15-2010, 10:00 AM. Reason: I'll say no more about spirituality, we know each other's positions now.
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You see, where the words are important to me (in the electroacoustic artwork I mention just above, by way of example) is where they have sonic potential : each word can be broken down into phonetic elements, sibilants, plosives and so on, that serve to undermine their surface content and meaning. Far more interesting. But then again, I have admitted to being a recovering formalist, and constantly fall off the wagon.
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As to its "value", that is for another thread, together with "transcendence". I have a strong suspicion that certain forum members have been reading Julian Johnson, Who Needs Classical Music? Cultural Choice and Musical Value, Oxford University Press, 2002.Last edited by Quijote; 06-15-2010, 10:06 AM. Reason: I reserve comment on this book for a later thread
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Roehre;
Your listening to Roetgen's symphony in C# minor reminded me of something. In the 18th century there were only 2 symphonies written in the key of C# minor. One of them is by Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792) in Sweden. Do you know who wrote the other??"Is it not strange that sheep guts should hale souls out of men's bodies?"
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Originally posted by Chris View PostIt's like a baroque cello or viola da gamba in some ways, as you would expect, but those strings on the back give it a very interesting, full sound.Last edited by Preston; 06-15-2010, 02:51 PM.- I hope, or I could not live. - written by H.G. Wells
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Originally posted by Hofrat View PostRoehre;
Your listening to Roetgen's symphony in C# minor reminded me of something. In the 18th century there were only 2 symphonies written in the key of C# minor. One of them is by Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792) in Sweden. Do you know who wrote the other??
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Originally posted by Hofrat View PostRoehre;
Your listening to Roetgen's symphony in C# minor reminded me of something. In the 18th century there were only 2 symphonies written in the key of C# minor. One of them is by Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792) in Sweden. Do you know who wrote the other??
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Today:
Zemlinsky:
Cello sonata in a-minor (1894) (R3)
Röntgen:
Symphony [no.15] in f-sharp-minor (1931)
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Originally posted by Philip View PostI don't know. Come on Hofrat, tell us."Is it not strange that sheep guts should hale souls out of men's bodies?"
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Wikipedia is no help at all: "There are only two known symphonies in the 18th Century written in this key. One of them is by Joseph Martin Kraus, but he appears to have found the key difficult since he later rewrote it in C minor." It does not list the other composer, nor in the section covering symphonies written in C sharp Minor. Good luck with your search.
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Originally posted by Hofrat View PostI was asking for help, not posing a music quiz question. The question cropped up when I bought the Kraus C# minor symphony CD. In the liner notes, it was stated that there were but 2 symphonies composed in the key of C# minor in the 18th century and Kraus was one of them. The notes did not say who wrote the other one. I have been looking ever since. All I know that he is from the Vienna School. I thought some of the well read contributors to this forum would know.
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