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NEPTA Meeting Notes: MARCH 22, 2010
Submitted by Linda Vieira
ACCESS TO THE NEW REPERTORY
Presenter: Bruce Brubaker
Bruce Brubaker is chair of the piano department at New England Conservatory, a virtuous pianist and a visionary who knows what is going on educationally and musically in contemporary music.
Mr. Brubaker talked about a change in the last 30 to 40 years among some composers in the way that music exists in time. This music is accessible to young pianists but is often overlooked. Eliot Carter and his contemporaries may use musical language that is different from Brahms but it is organized in time in the same way. A Sonata by Beethoven is organized temporally with a beginning, middle and end similar to a three act play with a conclusion. There is a sense of moving through time with a goal. This approach is pervasive even in popular music. Storytelling in music is connected to functional harmony.
Minimalism has been around for 30 to 40 years and was started by Terry Riley, Philip Glass and John Adams. The word "minimalism" first appeared in the "Village Voice" in 1960. The term minimalism is often viewed in a negative way. Most words to describe a new type of art or music start out as an insult. Impressionist meant that Monet was trying to give us "just an impression." Baroque referred to pearls that were lumpy and to music that was not symmetrical. Baroque was not a word that Bach knew or used for the music of his time.
In the 17th century, when composers started to write down their music, they began to be recognized for their compositions but they also became more removed from their audience. Art and music helps us make sense of our lives by giving us a beginning and an end. However, a 20th century artist may feel his work stands alone and doesn't need to be framed. In music, a performance doesn't have to be separated by the audience. The composer is not an authoritarian figure and can invite the audience into the piece.
Mr. Brubaker played "Mad Rush" by Phillip Glass. It has two alternating and contrasting sections that have the same harmony. Mr. Glass's performance of this piece started out as improvisatory with varying number of repeats but he did write it down in 1988. The piece does not have a beginning or middle but it does have an ending. There is no goal for this piece; it is just for the moment similar to the central idea of Zen. Mr. Brubaker feels this piece is accessible for a talented student.
There is a paradox in written music. A performance of a Beethoven Sonata can appear to be improvised and can make him forget that he has heard this piece before. He posed the question: Should we play what's written or is written music just a platform from which to improvise? Most pieces start out as improvisatory and he encouraged teachers to improvise.
There is a tendency in the last two decades for composers to write pieces for amateur players. This resulted from a sense that in the process of becoming a virtuoso, there is a tradeoff. Having gained mastery of the piano, professional artists made music more difficult for audiences to access. Much of the music of the 19th century was written to be played at home and not on stage. It is far from its origin when it is performed on stage. Our way of looking at music may be skewed because we have access to professional recordings. Mr. Brubaker discussed the possibility that this type of music may not appeal to classical musicians. For example, if he plays a concert, musicians tend to like the piece by Schubert and nonmusicians like music by Phillip Glass.
Mr. Brubaker played "Endangered Species" by Alvin Curran. It is not exactly minimalism but it does have a relationship to Glass's music. It is a "big loop" with frequent changing meters and it could be accessible to a talented student.
Below are pieces Mr. Brubaker played or suggested we listen to:
Philip Glass:
"Mad Rush" and "Two Pages"
www.philipglass.com
Alvin Curran:
"Endangered Species" and "Inner Cities"
www.alvincurran.com
direct link to these on amazon.com
Jonathan Kramer:
"The Time of Music"
(He says to repeat 840 times, though it may be a joke)
direct link to this on googlebooks.com
Ravi Shankar:
"The Sounds of India"
(Mr. Brubaker said this is Indian music but cooked to western tastes)
direct link to this on amazon.com
Robert Fink:
"Repeating Ourselves: American Minimal Music as Cultural Practice"
direct link to this on amazon.com
Leif Inge:
"9 Beet Stretch"
(Beethoven's 9th Symphony stretched out over 24 hours without changing pitch. The harmonic changes are slow but there is lots of activity on the surface)
click here for more information on this project
Cornelius Cardew:
" Treatise": Discussion and animated analysis on how to make music click here for more information
Susan McClary:
"Rap, minimalism, and structures of time in late 20th century culture"
click here for information on how to access this book
La Monte Young:
"The Well-Tuned Piano"
(5-6 hours played on a piano with no tempering)
click here for more information
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