Daily Log: January 8, 2015

Yes, I'm posting this January 9th...

-- A lot of time was spent yesterday studying Webern for 20th-Century Counterpoint.  I read several excerpts and articles:

Moldenhauer, Hans, comp. "Introduction: A Decade Later." In Anton von Webern: Perspectives, edited by Demar Irvine.  Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1967: xix-xxvii.   [Interview with Igor Stravinsky about Webern.]

Pousseur, Henri. "Webern's Organic Chromaticism."  Die Reihe 2 (1958): 51-60.  [In-depth look at use of chromatic intervals in the first of Webern's Six Bagatelles for String Quartet.]

Schönberg, Arnold. "Foreword to Anton Webern's 'Six Bagatelles for String Quartet Op. 6'." Die Reihe 2 (1958): 8.  [Short, powerful homage statement to Webern and his Six Bagatelles.]

Stockhausen, Karlheinz. "Structure and Experiential Time." Die Reihe 2 (1958): 64-74.  [In-depth look at time sensations in Webern's String Quartet, Op. 28.]

Stravinsky, Igor.  "Foreword." Die Reihe 2 (1958): vii.  [Short foreword: ..."the day of... Webern's death... should be a day of mourning for any receptive musician."]

Wolff, Christian.  "Movement."  Die Reihe 2 (1958): 61-63. [Discusses the dual forces of controlled linear movement and free spacial relation in the works of Webern.]

-- I attended the Oscarson Lecture by Dr. Daniel Henderson.  I entered with low expectations.  The title of the lecture was something like "Jazz for Kids," which was VERY misleading.  I thought it was going to be some kind of jazz education lecture. Instead, it was an amazing overview of the children's music written by Billy May.  Turns out he was using jazz techniques before jazz musicians were even using them.  I took lots of notes, and I'm interested in looking at some of the Capitol Records scores we have here at the Harold B. Lee Library.  What a blessing it is to have these sources!
Important Lesson Learned:  Title your lectures well.

--Instead of SHMRFing, I just decided to analyze Webern's Piano Variations, Op. 27, 2nd movement.  This involved hand-transcription, determining of rows, and some additional research on the use of mirror symmetry and canon within the work.  Wolff's article discusses this piece's use of space and linearity.  I also did some heavy work with his String Quartet, Op. 28, which is discussed in great detail by Stockhausen.  There are still a few puzzles I don't quite understand about these two works, mostly in the assigned readings about them.  They'll have to wait another day to be answered.

--302 was about Pergolesi and Hasse today.  We discussed the differences between opera seria and opera comique.

--First GEM rehearsal.  We performed variations of Pauline Oliveros's Sonic Meditations, as well as a couple of original ideas from class members. I'm now interested in accessing all of Oliveros's Meditations and studying them. (Thesis?)

Paper Progress Report:  Found about ten sources on Haydn for my Creation paper.
Reading Progress Report: Read "Beginnings" in von Gunden's book on Oliveros.  Read some LaRue; almost done with the first chapter.
German Progress Report: No Goethe today, but some texts by Webern, which were much easier to translate.
Thesis Report:  Recorded source material from the von Gunden chapter.