recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
John Corigliano (1938-Present)

## **Introduction**

Corigliano is an Italian-American composer born in New York City in 1935. His family was musically inclin

      ed as well. He is known for his works composing classical music. He has written over one hundred pieces of music. He has won a Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, and an Oscar.==**Work Analysis**==

I chose to analyze Children’s Theme by Corigliano. This piece is off of the soundtrack for the movie Revolution (1985). This was Corigliano’s second time writing a film score and I think that this piece captures the genre of an “epic” really well. The brass play lines that stand out to the listener the most. He also uses imitation throughout the piece between different parts to create a cool compositional effect.

## **Comparisons**

This reminded me of the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence. For some reason, the Corigliano’s piece reminded me of Monica’s theme from the movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence. I think Corigliano created something John Williams-esque or the other way around. Monica’s theme is one of my favorite movie themes in history, so for Corigliano to remind me of this, means that I thought the piece was well done.

## **Observations**

I enjoyed this piece a lot. I am a complete sucker for good movie scores and themes and I could get a sense of what was happening in the movie without even seeing it with the theme, through the theme itself. Corigliano is someone I am going to keep an eye out for when I am doing my own writing.

## **Works Cited**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John\_Corigliano

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2wWfwlwm3g
Anitta Drink

Drag Queen

Anitta Drink is a drag queen from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She is best known for competing on the second season of Canada's Drag Race where she placed as Runner Up.

She later returned for the first season of Canada's Drag Race All Stars where she again placed as Runner Up.

In a surprise twist she and All Stars 1 co-runner up Max Danger returned to compete on the sixth season of All Stars, where she was controversially eliminated in 7th place.
Andrew Imbrie

## I**ntroduction**

Andrew Imbrie was an American composer born in New York on April 6th, 1921. Imbrie began his musical training at the age of 4 on piano and later traveled to Paris to study under Nadia Boulanger. After returning to the United States he attended Princeton University for his undergrad and completed his masters in music at the University of California, Berkeley. He served as a composition, theory, and analysis professor at Berkeley until his retirement in 1991. Imbrie is known for his tightly organized atonal contrapuntal techniques and his avoidance of serial techniques which were heavily used after World War II.

## **Work Analysis**

The piece that I will be analyzing is Andrew Imbrie's Concerto No. 2. This piece was composed in 1975 and consists of three movements made for piano and orchestra. The piano opens the work on a repeated high D in a descending line. This whole piece is made up of different descending and ascending ideas throughout the orchestra and piano that clash in speed but later form a specific harmony. Imbrie used the idea of overlapping melodies and fusing different ideas and themes together to complete this piece. The second movement consists of the same overlapping technique but the instruments are now in pairs in some cases. Throughout the piece, we see a repeat of the high D and a low C in the bass. The low C is most obvious at the end of the work between the orchestra and the piano.

## **Comparisons**

Andrew Imbrie was heavily influenced by Béla Bartók a Hungarian composer known for incorporating folk like elements into his works like Imbrie along with a great use of counterpoint. Most of Imbrie's influence came from his teacher Roger Sessions who during Imbrie's time wrote more atonal music that did not directly and consistently use the twelve-tone technique. Imbrie also stayed away from the twelve-tone method and instead wrote with more of an organized mayhem like his teacher.

## **Observations**

I thought it was interesting to learn about a composer who didn't use the twelve-tone method because we have been stressing it so much in our day to day class time. I loved the connections that Imbrie had to Bartók and learning about all the directly passed down techniques. As far as the concerto went, it was easy to pick out the common high D and low C usage and the clashing melodies.

## **Works Cited**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew\_Imbrie

https://issuu.com/scoresondemand/docs/piano\_concerto\_no2\_29201

http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/short-bio/759
Mark Andre (1964 - Present)

## **Introduction**

Mark Andre was born in 1964, in Paris France and has been known to create a existential experiences for listeners. Andre has study music composition, analyzation, counterpoint, harmony, and musical research with Claude Ballif and Gérard Grisey at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris; he would earn six premier prix and graduated in 1992. A year later he would receive his PhD in musicology under the teachings of Olivier Boulnois and Philippe Vendrix, at the École Normale Supérieure de Paris (Ulm-Jourdan) and the Centre d'Études Supérieures de la Renaissance de Tours.

https://www.discogs.com/artist/2450941-Mark-Andre

- Photo

## **Work Analysis**

With Andre still very unknown, it was hard to find a recording of his music. Luckily i found a recording of his piece Modell (1999/2000). This piece made up of 4 orchestra groups with keys, horns, oboes, and strings, that uses spacing of each phrases to let everything be absorbed before moving on. I was not able to find a score of this piece; but from what i have read there was never a fully score to this work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-06w\_iXzyLY

## **Observations** / **Comparisons**

I really enjoyed this work by Andre. The spacing between each part allowed for me to really soak in what i was listening too. Personally, i heard similarities to Pauline Oliveros’ Deep listening ideas where in Andre’s piece the previous instruments become the environment.

## **Works Cited**

http://www.composers21.com/compdocs/andrem.htm

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jul/12/mark-andre-manchester-review
Action Forest

Action Forest is the 4th episode in the Cartoon Network show Unikitty!. It was the first episode to air in 2018 and the month of January.

## Plot

When Hawkodile's old action hero bro Eaglator returns to claim the Sunshades Hawkodile must train a new team of action heroes.

## Cast

* Tara Strong as Unikitty
* Grey Griffin as Puppycorn
* Roger Craig Smith as Hawkodile and Richard
* Kate Micucci as Dr. Fox
* Keith Ferguson as Eagleator
William Thomas McKinley (1938-2015)

## **Introduction** [1]

McKinley was an American composer and jazz pianist born in New Kensington, PA. He wrote over 300 musical compositions. Many have been recorded by famous ensembles around the world.

## **Work Analysis**

I chose to analyze Paintings VII by McKinley. This piece was written in 1982 and is almost completely atonal. It is part of a collection of compositions that McKinley wrote throughout his life. Paintings VII is the most famous work of this collection. The different time signatures and melodies McKinley uses coexist with one another. McKinley also makes use of his crazy dynamic markings to encourage players to use more or less energy.

## **Comparisons** [2]

There is not really much I can compare this piece to. I would actually go ahead to say that this is almo

   st one of a kind. The one thing I can relate this piece to is something Charles Ives could have written. It almost sounds like McKinley is trying to paint a picture with this piece in my head like Ives does with his compositions.

## **Observations** [3]

I actually really enjoy the piece. It almost seems too far out of my realm of knowledge to attempt to comprehend it. It has a lot going on and I can enjoy that. McKinley’s work really stands out to me as a writer and is something I hope to one day be able to do on my own.

## **Works Cited** [4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William\_Thomas\_McKinley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHPrx5-ahTg
Jesper Nordin

## **Introduction**

Jesper Nordin is a leading Swedish composer born July 6th, 1971 in Stockholm, Swedish. His music consists of traditional Swedish folk music, rock music, electroacoustics, and improvisation. His music is known for his extreme emotional impact and is performed all over the world.

## **Work Analysis**

The work I am going to be analyzing is Klotho. This work is a for marimba, cello, and percussion quartet and was composed for Mika Takehara, Åsa Strid and the Kroumata percussion ensemble who premiered the piece in 2000. Nordin describes Klotho as one of three goddesses of fate in ancient Greek Mythology. Klotho is the goddess of the present which Nordin says he tried to capture the most up. Nordin includes drums from three different continents to form a basis for the melodic instruments. The marimba plays a specific solo part throughout the piece with the cello creating a grand background and the drums keeping a steady rhythm. The cello becomes the main focus almost halfway through the piece. The drums stop and the marimba creates a subtle rhythm. At 5:30 the drums return with a louder rhythm and continue to the end. There are different rhythmic patterns played throughout the piece. The ideas of "present time" is represented also through the technique of improvisation.

## **Comparisons**

Jesper Nordin as drawn influences from traditional folk music of his home country along with modern rock music and the use of electroacoustics.

## **Observations**

I appreciated the use of 3 different cultural drums throughout this piece and the cello was quite beautiful. His use of synthesizers and electroacoustic instruments is fascinating however hard to analyze. Nordin's description and use of improvisation to represent time was a great idea and the concept of time and the present is a great subject to represent with music.

## **Works Cited**

http://jespernordin.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bios\_short.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesper\_Nordin\_(Swedish\_composer)
Lowell Liebermann (1961 - Present)

## **Introduction**

    Lowell Liebermann is an American composer, conductor, and pianist from New York. He began his musical career at a young age and even completed his first major work (Piano Sonata Op.1) at the age of 16 and performed it at Carnegie Hall in 1977. He studied at the Juilliard School of Music and went on to receive his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.

## **Work Analysis**

Concerto for Flute and Orchestra Op. 39 (1992) - This is a very bright and exhilarating piece of music scored in three movements (Moderato, Molto Adagio, Presto), none of which are in the traditional sonata form. The overall tone of the work is romantic and brilliant due to the highly lyrical flute part. Liebermann often combines traditional tonality with unexpected detours in harmonic progression throughout each movement.

## **Comparisons**

The Concerto for Flute and Orchestra has a certain texture which can be compared to some later works by Sergei Prokofiev such as his *Romeo and Juliet*(1935). Their similarities are not so much in style but rather in their means of composition, namely the use of ostinato and flowing melodies which are extended but tender.

## **Observations**

Liebermann's works, particularly his Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, are very elegant. His writing for flute made an outstanding impression on me, especially with regard to its liveliness and melodic complexity.

## **Works Cited**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowell\_Liebermann

https://www.allmusic.com/composition/concerto-for-flute-orchestra-op-39-mc0002489218
Michael Gandolfi

## **Introduction**

Michael Gandolfi is an American composer born July 5th, 1956 in Melrose Massachusetts. He is currently a chair member of the composition department at the New England Conservatory of Music where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees. Gandolfi was championed by conductor Robert Spano as one of the Atlanta School of American Composers. This group includes composers such as Golijov, Higdon, Theofanidis, and Schoenberg. In music Gandolfi often uses elements from rock and jazz music and is often inspired by science.

## **Work Analysis**

The piece that I will be analyzing is Michael Gandolfi's *Steps Ahead*. This piece was finished and premiered in 2017. *Steps Ahead* is composed for full concert band (flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone, and percussion) and is split into 3 sections. The beginning of this piece is slow with the flutes being mimicked by the clarinets and then opens up into a grand march-like section with heavy percussion. The flutes take the lead for most of the piece and there are many instances of syncopation throughout the center of the piece. The three sections of this piece are described as transposition, tutti, and a developing tutti. The transposition can be seen in the flute and clarinet mimicking in the beginning. The tutti and developing tutti are obvious and make-up most of the piece.

## **Comparisons**

Michael Gandolfi has incorporated many rock and jazz techniques into his work having a very broad range of musical enjoyments. Many of his compositions have been composed to branch other disciplines with music like science, film, and theater. Works like Steps Ahead although not written for orchestra, uses many traditional techniques used decades before Gandolfi's time like syncopation and tuttis, which are usually used in choral music.

## **Observations**

While listening to this piece all I could think about was that I can completely understand this music because I was in concert band so reading the score was a lot easier. I thought this piece was beautiful and grand it made me want to learn how to play it. I have really only thought of the use of a tutti in choral music so it was cool to see concert band music described to have one and now I know that it isn't just a choral technique.

## **Works Cited**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael\_Gandolfi

http://www.michaelgandolfi.com/about.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwP70K6m8Ts

https://composersforum.org/new-bandquest-release-steps-ahead-by-michael-gandolfi/

https://composersforum.org/bandquest/steps-ahead/
Susan Botti (1962 - Present)

## **Introduction**

As  a composer and performer, Susan Botti's eclectic background and experiences are reflected in her music. Theatre and the visual arts play a formative role in the aesthetic of her work. Her musical explorations have encompassed traditional, improvisational and non-classical composition and singing styles. Botti is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Rome Prize; and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Aaron Copland Fund, NY Foundation for the Arts, The Greenwall Foundation, The Jerome Foundation, ASCAP, and the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts. She was the third Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow with the Cleveland Orchestra, premiering her works Impetuosity (conducted by Roberto Abbado), and Translucence (conducted by Music Director, Franz Welser-Möst).

http://www.susanbotti.com - Photo

## **Work Analysis**

A recording of Botti's vocal chamber music, listen, it's snowing, (New World/CRI) features her operatic soliloquy, Telaio: Desdemona (for soprano, string quartet, harp, piano & percussion). Called "striking emotional music..." (Opera Magazine), this work was commissioned by The American Artists Series of Detroit, and has been performed in numerous venues including New York City, Taipei, Santa Fe, Atlanta, and Washington D.C.

In addition to performing her own vocal works, Botti specializes in the performance of contemporary music by composers of diverse styles, including: Gubaidulina, Crumb, Kurtág, Cage, Chihara, Pintscher, Matheson, and Partch, among others. She was featured as a composer and singer on the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Green Umbrella series in a concert honoring Steven Stucky's 20th anniversary as the LA Phil's Composer in Residence. Composer/conductor Tan Dun created several major works highlighting her vocal and theatrical talents, including his Orchestral Theatre III: Red Forecast for soprano and orchestra, which she premiered with the BBC Scottish Symphony and performed at Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra. Tan Dun also wrote the role of "Water" for her in his internationally renowned opera, Marco Polo (Sony Classical), which she premiered at the Münchener Biennale, and subsequently performed in Europe and Asia, and at the New York City Opera. She can also be heard as vocal soloist in Tan Dun's soundtrack for The Banquet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86F4n5J0fAs

## **Observations**

This was a piece I enjoyed  the joyce of the soprano and violin, it made for a beautiful duet.
Brian Ferneyhough (1943-Present)

## **Introduction**

Ferneyhough is a British composer who is a central figure of the New Complexity movement. He was born in Coventry and was primarily trained at the Birmingham School of Music. He was written everything ra

   nging from solo works to opera.

## **Work Analysis**

I chose to analyze Ferneyhough’s String Quartet No. 2. This piece uses 64th notes in the beginning and uses that rhythm as a common theme throughout the piece. Ferneyhough slowly introduces the other instruments of the quartet. He starts with one violin, adds a second, and then the viola comes in. Lastly, comes the cello.

## **Comparisons** [1]

This reminds me of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, not a string quartet. Rhythmically, this piece created tension throughout and that is what Rite of Spring does. I never really knew where this piece was going or wh

   ere Ferneyhough was going to lead us to as a listener.

## **Observations** [2]

This was not a favorite piece of mine. Ferneyhough’s writing seemed to be too much for me to follow along to and I could not really find anything beautiful about the piece. This is probably one of the least favorite pieces I have listened to.

## **Works Cited** [3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian\_Ferneyhough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8RTPYaWXj8
INTRODUCCIÓN

No siempre es fácil ser un buen hijo. A veces, cometes errores y no puedes encontrar la manera de arreglarlos. Otras veces, básicamente no estás de acuerdo con tus padres y no sabes cómo decírselos sin empezar una discusión. Lo más importante que debes recordar es que si bien ser un hijo tiene sus retos, ser padre también los tiene. Lo mejor que puedes hacer es darles a tus padres amor y apoyo.
Henri Dutilleux

## **Introduction**

Henri Dutilleux was a French composer active in the second half of the 20th century. He was born January 22nd, 1916 in Angers, France. His work followed traditional composers such as Ravel and Debussy however, he applied a more idiosyncratic style to his pieces. He is known for creating extremely flexible music for his time.

## **Work Analysis**

The work I will be analyzing is Duttilleux Op.1 Piano Sonata. This piece is his only piano sonata and was composed over the span of a year from 1947 to 1948. This sonata was written and performed by his wife Genevieve Joy on April 30th, 1948. The piece consists of 3 movements all played differently with different characteristics. The first movement *Allegro con moto* varies in meter and has obvious tri-tone usage. Each theme is different but the second is based off of the first. The second and shortest movement *Lied* is in a standard A-B-A form and also changes meter frequently beginning in 4/8. The last movement *Choral et variations,* opens up with 4 voice polyphony and includes 4 different variations. Each variation is structured like its own small sonata and at the end, we hear a recapitulation of the 4 voice polyphony. This piece is obviously not tonal and has a very angry and melancholy feel. Dutilleux uses formal rigor which is harsh or aggressive sound throughout his work.

## **Comparisons**

Henri Dutilleux was heavily influenced by composers such as Debussy and Ravel as I mentioned before but he also was influenced by the jazz music of his time. Most of his work can be compared to other composers who wrote with a modernist style like Schoenberg, Stravinsky and, Webern. Dutilleux also had a thing for variations which is similar to that of Joseph Haydn who became well-known for examples of ensemble variations.

## **Observations**

Henri Dutilleux was very similar to composers we have been studying in class which made his music easier to understand and follow. He used very basic techniques and standard skills to create unstructured a-- tonal music. I enjoyed this Piano Sonata especially because of the constant meter changes and his dedication to his wife.

## **Works Cited**

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henri-Dutilleux

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4A0YqpK6Ns

https://www.britannica.com/art/musical-variation

https://www.britannica.com/art/Modernism-art

https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2013/jan/21/henri-dutilleux-contemporary-music-guide
Derek Bermel (1967-Present)

## **Introduction**

Bermel is an American composer, clarinetist, and conductor who was born in New York City in 1967. His pieces combine concepts of world music, funk, jazz, and classical music.

## **Work Analysis**

I chose to analyze Intonations by Bermel. This piece is a string quartet that is written in three movements. It is extremely jazzy with its swing style and pizzacato cello acting as a b

   ass. This is expected because Bermel is a huge fan of jazz music and has incorporated that style into his works and has combined many different styles. Rhythmically, this piece revolves around a swing style and the harmonies are very jazz-like.

## **Comparisons**

Its almost as if classical just turned into jazz. It seems like a bridge between the two even though this piece came out years after jazz and classical music started. It reminds me of something I would hear in a cartoon from the 1940s-50s (i.e. Tom and Jerry).

## **Observations**

I am a massive fan of this piece. It started off as just a standard string quartet for me and I didn't really know what to think. But then it began to swing and I found myself tapping my foot to it. I really enjoyed the combination of styles by adding a jazz feel to a string quartet. It seems so simple to think about, but I have never really thought about doing it myself.

## **Works Cited**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek\_Bermel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGF6spRCCQ4
Milton Babbitt (1916-2011)

## Introduction

Milton Babbitt was an American composer who was born on May 10th, 1916 in New Jersey. He practiced total serialism. Serialism is where not only all 12 tones are used, but also dynamics, duration, tone color, and registers.

## Work Analysis

The work I will go into detail about is *Ensembles for Synthesizer (1962-1964).* This is an electronic music piece that was one of Babbitt's pieces that started to give him recognition in the electronic music scene. This piece was created in the seconds period of Babbitt's compositional career. This composition took 2 years to complete and was completed at Colombia University Electronic Music Center in 1964. This piece consists of experimental electronic timbres, but when looking at the elements like pitch, or dynamics there is little to no form or organization to the sounds created. This type of composition is very reminiscent of the 12-tone row compositions we have looked at, but taking that concept and looking at it through a modern lens that allows for more control over the timbre of the sounds. Some of these sounds seem more reminiscent of the noises of the Game Boy, while others sound like the presets on a beginner's electronic keyboard.

## Comparisons

Babbitt's work seems to be just a modernized version of the music of composers like Dallapiccola, and other user's of the 12-tone row. Babbitt's work also can seem very much like the music of Ives because of the ability for pushing the boundaries of what was perceived as "music" before their time. This specific piece also seems very atmospheric, but electronic at the same time. This atmospheric composition seem very similar to the work of György Ligeti, but if his piece *Atmosphères* was adapted to the electronic synthesizer sound. The legacy of Babbitt is the the purity of his serialism, the music he created perfectly encapsulated the essence of the style of serialism

## Observations

What I took away from Milton Babbitt's music is that electronic music can still be something that can be compared in the same realm as traditional composed music. The music was something that I would definitely listen to in order to focus, or relax. The atmospheric nature of the piece allowed for the optimal conditions for just having my eyes closed and just letting go of any worries. It was also interesting to hear music from a purely serial point of view, its an outlook on music that is basically the complete opposite of the music that is prevalent today.

## Works Cited

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Milton-Babbitt
Ligeti, Geörgy (1923 - 2006)

## Introduction

György Ligeti was born in Transylvania, Romania in 1923 and was a leading composer when it came to avant-garde music post World War II.

## Work Analysis

The work I will analyze is *Atmosphères*. This is a piece for a full orchestra. It consists of parts for four flutes, four oboes, four clarinets, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, six horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, piano, and fifty six string parts. This work is not in movements and Ligeti disregards traditional meter and rhythm techniques to create a wall of sound. He creates a sense of timelessness as the wall of sound just continues and grows without many changes at all. This piece was originally written for a synthesizer but technology was not advanced enough to achieve the sound Ligeti was searching for.

## Comparisons

I find his music to be similar to that of many of the composers that use serialism such as Schoenberg, Webern, and Babbitt. Ligeti used techniques that had never been used before just as these composers did and paved the way for future musical breakthroughs. I would compare his atmospheres piece to the serialism pieces written by Babbitt. His music is highly complex and was truly pushing the boundaries of what was being done previously.

## Observations

His music was extremely unique and I enjoyed listening to it. The sense of timelessness in atmospheres was something I've never heard before. He played with the sounds and created a wall of sound that was hard to identify as an actual full orchestra. He made all of those instruments sound like a synthesizer machine and I think that is really awesome.

## Works Cited

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gyorgy-Ligeti

https://articulatesilences.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/gyorgy-ligeti-atmospheres/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosph%C3%A8res
DJ Sparr (1975-Present)

## Introduction

DJ Sparr is a American composer and guitarist from Westminster, Maryland. His style of music he composes is regarded as being "pop-romantic". His music is known for blurring boundaries and perfectly embodying the spirit of the modern music world. He is regarded as being an excellent soloist and making his guitar seem like it isn't even a guitar at all. He had a huge interest in the guilt from an age as early as 3. He attended the Baltimore School fro the Arts as a jazz guitar major. He then continued his studies at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan.

## Work Analysis

The piece I want to focus on from Sparr was "Concerto for Jazz Guitar and Orchestra: Katrina". This specific piece was a very interesting listen due the solo being played by an electric guitar, which has not really ben included in any pieces I have listened to before this. The guitar gives the piece an overall modern feel that definitely fits into his "pop-romantic" aesthetic. Sparr says himself that in regards to this piece "Written for Ted Ludwig, a refugee of Hurricane Katrina who now lives in Little Rock, it ties our understanding of a horrific tragedy to the story of the Great Flood. In this tale, the protagonist character—known in different cultures as Ziusudra, Gilgamesh, or Noah—manages to escape the rising floodwaters and find redemption and strength in a new home." This piece definitely fits that storyline there are epic crashing parts of tragedy that are they contrasted by sections of confusion and serenity. This piece was such an interesting listen due to the included timbre of the guitar, an instrument you do not usually associate with orchestral music.
Score: https://issuu.com/d.j.sparr/docs/00\_sparr\_jazzguitarconcerto\_conduct

## Comparisons

I want to compare this specific piece of Sparr's to Gabriela Lena-Frank's piece "Leyendas". Both of these pieces do an absolutely fantastic job in storytelling a very specific storyline. The instrumentation they use allow for the music to also place itself into the style of the specific area that is being written about. There also seems to be an little bit of influence for composers like Stravinsky. Stravinsky took that storytelling element and viciously applied it to his music that it is hard to not think bout Stravinsky when referring to pieces like this.

## Observations

I thoroughly enjoyed the music of Sparr. His music seems to be taking modern music to the modern audience, where other composers were taking music to new modern ideas but still appealing it to a specific less modern audience. I could see many friends of mines going to see this piece in person and each of them thoroughly enjoying the story that it tells. I learned from this piece that storytelling is a very useful tool in getting the music you create to specifically resonate with your audience.
John Harbison (1938 - present)

## **Introduction**

John Harbison is an American composer born on december 20th, 1938 in Orange, New Jersey. Harbison would be raised into a musical family where he would study violin, viola, piano, tuba, and even voice throughout high school. Harbison would continue to go with music through college and received his MFA at princeton university in 1963. John Harbison is seen as one of the most prominent composers in the united states and created principal works, such as :four string quartets, three symphonies,three operas, and most notable the cantata The Flight Into Egypt.

https://nationalsawdust.org/event/bag-of-tails-and-occasional-pieces-piano-music-of-john-harbison/ - Photo

## **Work Analysis**

Symphony no 5. Is a  4 movement work by John harbison for baritone, mezzo-soprano and orchestra and premiered in 2008. The 4 symphonies Harbison wrote before this hand never used vocals. In his 5th, harbison uses the added vocals as if it were just another instrument. He believed “Every piece with singers and instruments should be coherent as a lucid sequence of sounds. These sounds, without reference to their verbal origins, aspire to a significant musical shape, something symphonic”. The first two movements are based off texts from Polish Nobel Laureate Czesław Miłosz. The two texts are Orpheus and Eurydice and are sung in the third person. Harbison also takes some creative freedom in this piece by replacing the harp from Orpheus with an electric guitar, taking the text away from the mythological setting and into more reality. Harbison also uses the music to create auditory sounds that the characters would make. Harbison uses sandpaper blocks which can be heard as the shuffle of feet quietly as Orpheus ascends out of the underworld.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnWJZ5dhveE

## **Comparisons**

This symphony sound more like an orchestra because of the text being used. Harbison also uses the orchestra to create noises the characters are making, a technique that is used frequently in opera.

## **Observations**

The work was really enjoyable. I liked the fact that the vocals were sung in english so i could pay full attention to the whole orchestra. The use of the electric guitar caught me off guard at first because from what we’ve listen to in class it has never been used.

## **Works Cited**

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Harbison-John.htm

https://bachtrack.com/review-boston-symphony-orchestra-belohlavek-harbison-fifth-symphony-beethoven
Andy Akiho (1979-Present)

## Introduction

Andy Akiho is a composer born in Columbia, South Carolina. He studied at University of South Carolina, Manhattan School of Music, and Yale School of Music. He majored in music performance and then went on to study performance and composition fro his master's. He now is based in NYC and is working on his doctorate. His style has been described as "mold-breaking," "alert and alive," "dramatic," and "vital" by The New York Times.

## Work Analysis

The piece of Akiho's that I wanted to focus on is "NO one To kNOW one". Akiho's music focuses on his primary instrument, the steel pan. This piece is a very interesting piece that sounds extremely contemporary with very modern pop sounding vocals, but the background is an interesting blend of instrumentation and a very dark harmonic undertone to it. This piece sounds like it could fit into films like a nightmare before Christmas very well. It is an epic creation that definitely has a specific point of view. The steel pan is not an instrument that we usually associate with this type of music, but the steel pan adds in a very specific timbre that gives the piece just a little more dramatic edge. The timbres of the violins, the percussion and the off-putting steel pan combine in a way that give that creepy edge that lullaby tunes use in certain horror films. The vocal techniques used by the soprano are also interesting too, she is not using that classical style of singing that we are used to in older forms of music, she sounds like she could be the lead singer of a rock band somewhere.

## Comparisons

I would compare this piece to DJ Sparr's music where the modernity of one certain aspect of the music allows for the music to fully become more modern sounding altogether. In this piece, it is the modern instrumentation and vocal style, and in Sparr's it is the electric guitar. The legacy of this specific piece is the notion that not all composed music has to sound like it is of the past, it can have a modern sound and can cater to a more modern audience in the process.

## Observations

I really enjoyed this piece, the modern pop-rock influence in the sound even allows for this song to sound like it is coming from a dramatic rock musical like Heathers or Carrie. This specific piece allowed for me to understand that there is nothing wrong with composing more modern sounding pieces, unlike how a lot of classes teach today.
Marcos Balter (1974-Present)

## **Introduction**

Balter is a Brazilian contemporary classical composer. He was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1974. Balter was ins

   pired by Postminimalism ideologies.

## **Work Analysis**

I chose to analyze Wicker Park by Balter. Balter uses

    intervals at the beginning that begin to diminish in size as the piece progresses. He repeats cycles and creates a really cool reverb effect. The piece is extremely wet sounding. The notation on the score is not exactly what is being played, but it is close to what the actual piece sounds like. There is also breathing in the piece which gives it a really cool feel.

## **Comparisons**

It sounds extremely ambient. It reminds me of electronic music in general. We can take the sounds of nature and everything around us and just observe what we hear. It can be quite breathtaking. It almost reminds me of something Stockhausen would have tried to do. I feel like he is taking the emotional aspect out of music and just doing music for what it is, a beautiful thing.

## **Observations**

I am quite a fan of the ambient qualities of this piece. I never really listened to ambient music until I came to school here. The one thing I like about this piece is that I have had a different feeling and experience each time I have listened to it because the internal feeling for the piece can change depending on anything that we can or cannot control in our lives.

## **Works Cited**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcos\_Balter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j\_EbQ2CQhog
Luciano Berio (1925-2003)

​​​​​​

## **Introduction**

Luciano Berio was an Italian composer noted primarily for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music. He studied at the Milan Conservatory after the war and attended the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music during the 50’s where he met Boulez, Stockhausen, and Ligeti.

## **Work Analysis**

O King (1967-1968) - Berio composed two versions of this piece: one being a chamber version for voice, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, and the other being a symphonic version for 8 voices and a full orchestra. The symphonic version became the second movement of his *Sinfonia*(1968). Berio was teaching at the Juilliard School in New York when Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated and he was greatly impacted by the civil rights leader's death. The music itself is slow and mournful, and it provides an interesting blend or interaction between the voices and the instruments. It is also constructed based on two whole-tone scales which makes for a very distinct harmonic texture. Throughout the piece, the name "Martin Luther King" is gradually vocalized as the voices begin just with its vowels and slowly adds consonants until the full name is pronounced toward the ending.

## **Comparisons**

After learning that Berio dedicated the piece to a great influence of his, I was instantly reminded of Charles Ives and his several works dedicated to some of the most influential transcendalists of his time. More specifically, and as it relates to their music, I was able to draw some comparisons between their use of harmony and the human voice as seen through various other vocal works. The way in which Berio layered and made gradual changes in the voices was also similar to how Ligeti did this in *The Alphabet.*

## **Observations**

The works of Luciano Berio are very interesting. I listened to a few pieces which are shorter in duration but his longer pieces had me "on edge" in some sense - in a good way, however, that wanted me to hear what was coming next from moment to moment. Most of his music that I listened to, both short and longer pieces, brought me joy in one way or another, and I suspect it generally had to do with its unpredictable nature.

## **Works Cited**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciano\_Berio

https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2012/dec/10/contemporary-music-guide-luciano-berio

https://www.allmusic.com/composition/o-king-for-voice-flute-clarinet-violin-cello-piano-mc0002362130
Missy Mazzoli (1980-Present)

## Introduction

Missy Mazzoli is a American composer from Pennsylvania. She was born in 1980 and attended the Yale School of Music, the Royal Conservatory of the Hague, and Boston University. She studied with a lot of notable names including David Lang, Louis Andriessen, Martin Bresnick, Aaron Jay Kernis, Martijn Padding, Richard Ayres, John Harbison, Charles Fussell, Martin Amlin, Marco Stroppa, Ladislav Kubik, Louis DeLise and Richard Cornell. Her music is daring and very conceptual and has been regarded as “one of the more consistently inventive, surprising composers now working in New York” (*The* *New York Times*) and “Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart” (*Time Out New York*).

## Work Analysis

Missy's work is very interesting and in order to capture her style I wanted to look at her piece "Overture". The beginning of this piece perfectly shows her dark and dramatic side with a slow build when the guitar and piano start to come in. The operatic nature of the singer's voice played more into that dramatic side of her music. The dynamics of this piece also change very quickly and drastically. Around 3:50, there is a huge wall of sound that comes out of nowhere that almost operates as a jump scare. This piece could definitely be used as a piece in a drama or horror-based movie soundtrack. The vocal utilized in this piece are simple yet beautiful and even seem to be manipulated by electronic sources at times. This piece has one foot in the past along with one foot in the future of where music is going.

## Comparisons

There is a huge comparison of this piece to the piece Star Child by George Crumb. Crumb utilized operatic voices in a very similar way where the vocal lines are very simple with not much going on, but the way the voice is utilized and manipulates is what makes the piece interesting. This is the same in Overture where the voice is repeating the asme like but the music around it is giving the music a different context every time the line comes around.

## Observations

I really enjoyed this piece, the modern instrumentation long with the dated style of composition is a beautiful marriage of sounds that resulted in an overall gorgeous piece of music. I learn from this piece of music how certain composer can take modern aspects and give them a historic reference point that allows the music to become a grand composition that could be from 2 months ago or 20 years ago.

## Works Cited

http://www.missymazzoli.com

http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/long-bio/missy-mazzoli
George Rochberg

## **Introduction**

George Rochberg was an American composer born July 5th, 1918 in Paterson, New Jersey. He served in the United States Army in the infantry during World War II. In his early years of composing, Rochberg used the technique of serialism up until the death of his son in 1964. After this he found serialism to be expressionless and unable to express his grief over his loss. George Rochberg has been heavily talked about for his use of tonality similar to that of Beethoven. He was classified as a neo-romantic composer for his tonality usage.

## **Work Analysis**

The piece that I will be analyzing is Rochberg's String Quartet No. 3. This work was written in 1971 and was premiered on May 15th, 1972. The quartet was composed of five movements split into 3 large sections due to the first and last 2 movements being played straight through with no pause in between. Most of the piece is atonal with a couple of tonal and expressionist sections. The quartet opens up with Fantasia the introduction. This intro includes a very abrupt entrance from the violins followed by a graceful atonal melody and then a repeat of the beginning motif. The second movement is an extremely obvious atonal march that follows the introduction without pause. The third movement Variations is where we find the more classical techniques and elements heavily criticized by modern composers. This is in tradition theme and variations from popular in the classical and romantic era. The fourth movement which is also a march is similar thematically to the first march. The last movement of the work, "Scherzos, and Serenades" is written in palindromic form meaning it is the same music played forward as it is played backward. At the end of the movement, we can hear the same motif from the first movement played to end the quartet.

## **Comparisons**

When it comes to musical techniques Rochberg can most famously be compared to classical romantic composer Ludwig van Beethoven. His constant uses of tonal techniques in his writing make him comparable and noted in the classical era. Rochbergs atonality methods can be compared to composers such as Schoenberg for his use of serial techniques.

## **Observations**

While researching the history and life of Rochberg I learned a couple of new words such as scherzo, which is a playful composition comprising a movement in a symphony or sonata and the word Palindromic which is the same forwards and backward. I observed and remembered that while in class we looked at a piece of music that also used the palindromic technique. I have always loved the sound of violins so listening to the string quartet was enjoyable.

## **Works Cited**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scherzo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palindrome

https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/george-rochberg
Beat Furrer (1954-Present)

## Introduction

Beat Furrer is a swiss composer who was born in 1954 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. He first studied piano as a child, but then soon took an interest in conducting. She studied music at Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. And after composing many works including operas, he began to teach composition in Frankfurt and in Graz. In his music, he likes to explore the human voice and how that can interact with instrumentation.

## Work Analysis

The piece i wanted to look at for Furrer's music is "Invocation VI". It is a piece that uses a soprano voice and a bass flute. This combination is not a common one you would see so the interest for the piece is already there. The piece has sections of repetition where the breath of the flautist and the notes played create not only the underlying melody but also the percussions like in a sense. The voice is being used in a very odd way where some of the music seems to be singing, but most of it is in a pitched whisper that is very interesting to listen to. Most fo the syllables that are being said are very staccato, these are then contrasted by held out fully sung notes. At times it can even seem like the vocalist is reacting to what the flautist is doing, a percussive sound will result in a sung note in distress, in some cases. This way of playing the flute gives the piece an overall unnerving feeling where a main part of the piece is just listening to how the flute player is breathing. Both the flute and the voice start out with lines that have notated pitches, but as the piece goes on the piece becomes more about just about the percussive sounds of certain syllables and breathing and less about playing the instruments.

## Comparisons

This piece to me holds a lot of the qualities of John Cage's music, where there prepared piano is being used for precisely the opposite of the instrument is used for. Both the flute and the voice, which are traditionally instruments that make pitched noises are then being used to make these sounds that are odd and percussive in nature. It also seems to draw a lot of influence from the experimental vocal music of Meredith Monk, both of these composer are taking the human voice and pushing the boundaries of what it can do. Furrer is then taking this concept and applying it not only to the human voice, but also to instruments and what an instrument can do outside the traditional box of what we know it to be able to do.

## Observations

I am very intrigued to Furrer's music in the same way I was interested in Monk's music. This piece made me think a little more into instrumentation. It makes sense to begin to think of instrumentation as more than just what the instrument is mainly intended to do. Playing around with that concept of timbre manipulation allows for a new flute experience that is overall a extremely compelling look into a broader spectrum of what is classified as music.