Musical Meaning Blog: Module 6
Module 6: Musical Meaning Blog
Lauren Petrovich
Title: Etude Pathétique
Composer: Pierre Schaeffer
I think this piece is related to the music and experimentalism topic in module 6 because this piece by Pierre Schaeffer is experimental. In this piece, Pierre Schaeffer included multiple different pre-recorded pieces to make up the entire piece. When composing this, the pre-recorded parts that Pierre Schaeffer used included sauce pans, canal boats, singing, speaking, the harmonica, and the piano. Also, Pierre Schaeffer is known to be one of the most popular experimental and electroacoustic musicians. His use of electronics gives his pieces the experimental aspect. In addition, Pierre Schaeffer is known to be the head producer of musique concréte which is a form of avant-garde music.
I chose this piece because I have heard of Pierre Schaeffer in the past and I always thought he was a very interesting man. I remember reading that he worked as a writer, composer, and engineer. I particularly found it interesting that he was an engineer because that was always what I wanted to major in and I am now actually pursuing a mechanical engineering degree here at Miami University. However, I never really did actually listen to his compositions so I found listening to this one very interesting.
This piece has a moderately loud dynamic however, the song does not seem to have a particular rhythm to it. At some points the tempo is fast and at others it is very slow. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the instrumentation includes pre-recordings of sounds from sauce pans, canal boats, singing, speaking, the harmonica, and the piano. Also, there are some pre-recorded segments of a dog barking and a person who is coughing. These odd recordings paired together spark the interest of the listener. Lastly, the tone is seemingly almost sorrowful and sad throughout. Overall, I find this piece incredibly interesting as it relates back to the module 6 topic as a piece of experimentalism
Title: Music for 18 Musicians
Composer: Steve Reich
I think this piece is related to the topic in module 6 because this piece by Steve Reich is experimental. This piece is made up of a bunch of different pieces that can be described as “pulses.” These sections of “pulses” seem to repeat throughout the song yet at different times. Although Steve Reich did not use random objects to compose this piece it is still experimental. The way the common instruments are played in this piece makes it seems as though the instruments being played are random objects. This piece is not similar to other songs adding to its experimentalism. Steve Reich is known for his compositions of minimalist music. His use of repetition and harmonic rhythm gives him this recognition.
I chose this piece because I have heard of Steve Reich before, however, I did not know very much about him so I took this blog as an opportunity to learn more about him and his life. Also,
I enjoy the fact that Steve Reich is an American composer. I feel like most of the time composers seem to be from other countries especially in Europe so seeing that Steve Reich is from the same country that I am from draws my interest to him. One of the things I have learned about Steve Reich is that his mother was a singer and an actress. I found this incredibly interesting about his mother. Also, I learned that he began studying music at the age of 14. I find it amazing that most times they start at such a young age. Learning more about Steve Reich made me more interested in this piece itself because it is one of his most famous works.
This piece’s tempo is very quick throughout with just about no points of slowing down. There are few parts where it slows down slightly but even at those points the tempo continues to be very quick. It sounds as though the music is pulsing the entire time. Also, it seems as though there is much repetition throughout the piece as it sounds similar the entire length. This piece gives an exciting and energetic feeling. It feels frantic but not rushed. It is almost calm in that sense. Furthermore, the timbre here is light. The instrumentation of this piece includes violin, cello, clarinet, piano, xylophone, and a small amount of vocals from a female.
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