| Series | Oxford studies in music theory
Oxford studies in music theory. ^A696826 |
| Contents |
Introduction -- Beethoven's prosthesis -- Idiomaticity, or, Three ways to play harmonica -- Compositional instruments -- Horns to be heard. |
| Contents |
Introduction -- Beethoven's prosthesis. Listening with the body [Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 8 in C minor "Pathétique"] ; Instrumental affordances [Carl Czerny "The Five Fingers" op. 777] ; Habit, concealing and revealing ; Prosthesis and poiesis [Frédéric Chopin Etude in G♭ [G flat] major "Black Keys" op. 10 no. 5] -- Sounding actions. Sounding objects ; Instrumental systems ; Activation versus control [J.S. Bach Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV 543] ; From feedback to incorporation -- Idiomaticity, or, Three ways to play harmonica. Instrumental spaces [The Kinks "All Day and All of the Night," Stevie Wonder "I Wish"] ; Idiomatic multistability: folk, blues, and jazz harmonica (Bob Dylan, "Queen Jane Approximately" ; Sonny Boy Williamson II, "Born Blind" ; Howard Levy, "Blues in Six Keys" and "Sweet Georgia Brown") ; Idiomaticity ; Technical agency and motor agency -- Voluntary self-sabotage [Jules Massenet "Meditation" from Thais]. Auditory-motor disalignment [Helmut Lachenmann Dal niente, Lachenmann Guero] ; Retuned instruments: Kurt Rosenwinkel, "Zhivago" [John Lennon and Paul McCartney "Blackbird"] ; Prepared instruments: Fred Frith, "Hello Music" [John Cage Our Spring Will Come] ; Redesigned instruments: Pat Metheny, "Into the Dream" -- Compositional instruments. Contrapuntal hands [Bach "Canon at the Twelfth" from The Art of Fugue BWV 1080, Bach Sinfonia in D major BWV 789] ; Transposition and instrumental ensembles [Bach transcriptions of Ernst's Concerto in C major BWV 595 (organ), BWV 984 (clavier)] ; The violin as compositional instrument [Bach Fugue from Sonata no. 2 for Unaccompanied Violin in A minor BWV 1003, Bach Prelude from Partita no. 3 in E major for Unaccompanied Violin BWV 1006] ; Idiomatic translations [Bach Prelude for Lute BWV 1006a, Silvius Leopold Weiss (?) Caprice for Lute, Bach Sinfonia from Wir danken dir Gott, wir danken dir BWV 29] ; Playing lute at the keyboard [Bach Prelude in E♭ [E flat] major from The Well-Tempered Clavier Book II] -- Horns to be heard [Joseph Haydn Symphony no. 73 in D major "La chasse"]. Haydn's horns [Haydn Symphony no. 6 in D major "Le matin," Haydn Symphony no. 22 in E♭ [E flat] major "The Philosopher," Haydn Symphony no. 31 in D major "Hornsignal," Haydn Symphony no. 103 in E♭ [E flat] major "Drumroll," Jean de Serré de Rieux "La sourcillade"] ; Hearing things, hearing tones [Carl Maria von Weber Der Freischütz] ; Phantom horns [Haydn String Quartet no. 1 in B♭ [B flat] major "La chasse," Haydn String Quartet no. 2 in C major "Emperor," Brahms String Quartet no. 3 in B♭ [B flat] major op. 67, Tchaikovsky Album for the Young op. 39 no. 13] ; Instrument schemas. |
| Abstract |
From prehistoric bone flutes to pipe organs to digital synthesizers, instruments have been important to musical cultures around the world. Yet, how do instruments affect musical organization? And how might they influence players' bodies and minds? This book explores these questions with a distinctive blend of music theory, psychology, and philosophy. Practicing an instrument, of course, builds bodily habits and skills. But it also develops connections between auditory and motor regions in a player's brain. These multi-sensory links are grounded in particular instrumental interfaces. They reflect the ways that an instrument converts action into sound, and the ways that it coordinates physical and tonal space. Ultimately, these connections can shape listening, improvisation, or composition. This means that pianos, guitars, horns, and bells are not simply tools for making notes. Such technologies, as creative prostheses, also open up possibilities for musical action, perception, and cognition. Throughout the book, the author examines diverse musical case studies--from Beethoven to blues harmonica, from Bach to electronic music--introducing novel methods for the analysis of body-instrument interaction. A companion website supports these analytical discussions with audiovisual examples, including motion-capture videos and performances by the author. Written in lucid prose, this book offers substantive insights for music scholars, while remaining accessible to non-specialist readers. This wide-ranging book will engage music theorists and historians, ethnomusicologists, organologists, composers, and performers--but also psychologists, philosophers, media theorists, and anyone who is curious about how musical experience is embodied and conditioned by technology. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-186) and index. |
| LCCN | 2016039254 |
| ISBN | 9780190271114 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | (oxford scholarly online) |
| ISBN | (epub) |
