Musicological Explorations, Vol. 08 (2007)
Permanent URI for this collection
This issue was first published in 2007 and later released digitally in 2009.
Copyright Policy
Authors retain the copyright for their articles published in Musicological Explorations. Any use, reproduction, or distribution of the articles must be done with the authors’ explicit permission and must include proper attribution to the original authors and the journal. For permissions, please contact press@uvic.ca.
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Item Jacques Hétu's "style composite": Sonic planes and large structure in the Prélude, op. 24(Musicological Explorations, 2007) Lind, StephanieThe music of Jacques Hétu mixes modern and traditional elements, often using classical forms, uncomplicated rhythms, repetition, and sequence in a mix of tonal and atonal pitch structures. The opening section of his Prélude et danse, op. 24, is exemplary. Pitch is organized into the 'modes of limited transposition' used by Messiaen, with whom Hétu studied in Paris. However, these modes are not always apparent to the ear. More obvious are the (0126) tetrachords superimposed over the modal layer and whose reiteration unifies the piece. An analysis that focuses only on that motivic unity cannot account for the contrasts present in the Prélude: contrasts between different modes from one passage to the next, surface-level and background-level events, and different emphasized transformations. The key to understanding both unity and contrast in the Prélude lies in Hétu's own description of his work. He identifies two sonic planes corresponding to melodic (motivic) and harmonic (modal) dimensions of the music. A new approach to conceptualizing pitch structure--transformational theory--is employed to interpret these compositional decisions. This demonstrates how symmetrical collections and atonal tetrachords ornament an underlying structure based on the augmented triad, and how this interpretation is strengthened through instances of this sonority on both the surface and in the background of the Prélude. Thus, three sonic planes coexist. The change of focus between these three planes creates contrast adding interest and motivating the work. The Prélude manages to present new material through repetition, and contrast through similarity, all the time effectively merging these aspects into a unified whole.Item Biographies(Musicological Explorations, 2007) Hyndman, Sheena; Lind, Stephanie; Boucher, CynthiaItem From the editor(Musicological Explorations, 2007) Hopper, DeborahItem Goethe's "Suleika"(Musicological Explorations, 2007) Boucher, CynthiaAddresses the concept of Orientalism, a historical shift in musical structure, and the suitability of texts for various musical structures by examining two settings of a poem by Goethe. The poem Suleika, of Goethe's West-Östlicher Divan, is analyzed in terms of an East-West dichotomy and of Goethe's expressed concerns about the proper musical setting of a poetic text. The concept of Orientalism is also at play in settings of the poem by Schubert and Carl Friedrich Zelter.Item The O'Rourke factor: Authorship, authority, and creative collaboration in the music of Wilco(Musicological Explorations, 2007) Hyndman, SheenaOver the last decade, the Chicago-based alternative-country band Wilco's sound has undergone some drastic changes. From the decidedly folk-influenced early works, to their experimental middle period, to their present technologically complex stereo soundscapes, it would seem that Wilco has begun to progress beyond the category of alt-country into more musically innovative waters. Changes in personnel, both within the band and on the production team, as well as outsider influence from Wilco's long list of side projects, have helped to generate a new experimentalism that works in tandem with Wilco's alt-country roots to create a style of music that has yet to be categorized with any accuracy in the popular music lexicon. One of the most important influences on Wilco's shifting sound is Sonic Youth's Jim O'Rourke, who mixed and produced Wilco's most recent studio recorded albums, Yankee hotel foxtrot (2002) and A ghost is born (2004). The importance of O'Rourke's role as the mixer in Wilco's fourth studio release Yankee hotel foxtrot is explored. Examples are shown of O'Rourke's contribution as the mixer and how his specialized technological skill and prior experience as a performing musician and composer was an essential part of the creative music-making process.