4,045 research outputs found
Joseph Emidy. The lost composer - ACE347.2
No full textAndy Sheppard in taxi. VO reading from William Tuck’s Reminiscences of Cornwall, praising Joseph Emidy’s talent. Dr Richard McGrady, Music Historian, talks about the few sources of information on Emidy, the best being the autobiography of James Silk Buckingham. VO continues over maps and engravings, talking about Emidy’s early years, born on the Guinea Coast, enslaved by Portuguese traders, and taken to Brazil. McGrady wonders exactly how Emidy came into contact with European music. Andy Sheppard, Composer & Saxophonist, waiting for a train; playing. Richard Ajileye, Percussionist, explains that he wanted to participate in the project because he was intrigued by Emidy’s story. Johnny T, Violinist, says that Emidy is suddenly the focus of attention in a way he never was before. Steve Lodder, Composer & Keyboards, is concerned at the "waste of human potential". Dr Hakim Ali, Black Historian, on the Transatlantic slave trade; VO over engravings of slave ships and shots of the musicians. Ship, musicians, map of Brazil, engravings. Ali explains the role of slaves in the Brazilian economy, and talks about their high mortality rate. McGrady talks about Emidy around 1795, by then playing at the Lisbon Opera. The Opera House; violinist. McGrady on Emidy’s work being generally in the European tradition of orchestral writing. Benjamin Zephaniah, Poet & Author, says that Emidy’s story suggests that music can transcend race and other circumstances. McGrady on the many different kinds of music to be found in Lisbon.
Ali on the situation for former slaves in Lisbon after the abolition of slavery there
Kurt Weill: the 'composer as dramatist' in American musical theatre production
No full textPhDThe aim of this thesis is to critically examine Weill‘s negotiation of American cultural industries and his collaborative practice in making musicals there. It addresses the influence of the earlier, now discredited, concept of ‗Two Weills‘, which has engendered an emphasis on identity within the current literature. It proposes that Weill scholarship has been further constrained by problematic perceptions of Weill‘s position as both a European modernist composer and an exile in America. Each of these contexts suggests romanticised notions of appropriate behaviour, for a composer, and of autonomy and separation from popular culture. This thesis examines how Weill troubles those notions by engaging with the musical, a so-called ‗middlebrow‘ form, with a disputed cultural value. It traces the reconsideration of the musical as a location for sociocultural analysis, highlighting David Savran‘s requirement that approaches to the musical recognise the form‘s material conditions of production. The thesis establishes its methodology built on Ric Knowles‘s cultural materialist approach to contemporary performance. This enables Weill‘s activities to be seen in their proper context: Weill‘s negotiation of entry into American art worlds, and the subsequent exchange of economic assets and Weill‘s active management of his cultural capital through the media are followed for the first time, clearly revealing the composer‘s working practices. The thesis suggests that Weill is a practitioner who consciously engages with American cultural industries. It addresses questions of authorship, demonstrating how Weill‘s contribution can be understood within complex sets of agencies. It establishes how Weill can be seen through his own model of the ‗composer as dramatist‘ and through Adorno‘s depiction of the composer as a Musikregisseur
The Singer or the Song? Developments in Performers' Rights from the Perspective of a Cultural Economist
No full textOver the last century, performers gradually acquired statutory protection of their economic and moral
rights. These rights are not copyright in the legal sense but neighboring rights and until recently, they
were mainly remuneration rights that are collectively administered. With the WPPT (WIPO
Performers and Phonograms Treaty), performers now have individual exclusive rights for digital
performances; this leads to the question: what has motivated this change – is it a change in the
perception of the value of performer or a change brought about by the changing technology of copying or,
indeed, a change that reflects different economic costs and benefits? The paper discusses the role of
copyright law as an incentive to performers and asks if the economic role of the performer is so different
from that of the author. The conclusion is that a complex interaction of the legal regulations, economic
conditions and institutional arrangements for administering these new rights will determine the outcome
Chao Yuen Ren (1892–1982)
No full textY. R. Chao is easily the most famous linguist to have come out of China. Born before the end of the last dynasty in China, he received a traditional Confucian education, but was also one of the first Chinese people to be sent to the West for training in modern Western science (under the Boxer Indemnity Fund). The remarkable breadth and scope of his studies included physics, mathematics, linguistics, musical and literary composition, and translation, and he was a pioneer in many of these fields
Joseph Emidy. The lost composer
No full textAndy Sheppard in taxi. VO reading from William Tuck’s Reminiscences of Cornwall, praising Joseph Emidy’s talent. Dr Richard McGrady, Music Historian, talks about the few sources of information on Emidy, the best being the autobiography of James Silk Buckingham. VO continues over maps and engravings, talking about Emidy’s early years, born on the Guinea Coast, enslaved by Portuguese traders, and taken to Brazil. McGrady wonders exactly how Emidy came into contact with European music. Andy Sheppard, Composer & Saxophonist, waiting for a train; playing. Richard Ajileye, Percussionist, explains that he wanted to participate in the project because he was intrigued by Emidy’s story. Johnny T, Violinist, says that Emidy is suddenly the focus of attention in a way he never was before. Steve Lodder, Composer & Keyboards, is concerned at the "waste of human potential". Dr Hakim Ali, Black Historian, on the Transatlantic slave trade; VO over engravings of slave ships and shots of the musicians. Ship, musicians, map of Brazil, engravings. Ali explains the role of slaves in the Brazilian economy, and talks about their high mortality rate. McGrady talks about Emidy around 1795, by then playing at the Lisbon Opera. The Opera House; violinist. McGrady on Emidy’s work being generally in the European tradition of orchestral writing. Benjamin Zephaniah, Poet & Author, says that Emidy’s story suggests that music can transcend race and other circumstances. McGrady on the many different kinds of music to be found in Lisbon.
Ali on the situation for former slaves in Lisbon after the abolition of slavery there.
David Lyon, Naval Historian, describes HMS Indefatigable going to Lisbon to repair damage after striking a rock. Music; VO reads Silk Buckingham’s description of Indefatigable officers seeing Emidy playing at the opera in Lisbon, and Sir Edward Pellew arranging to have him kidnapped and impressed into naval service. Lyon tells the same story. McGrady and Lyon talking about music and dancing on naval ships. Ali says that Africans were a common sight in the British Navy. Silk Buckingham’s description of Emidy playing jigs and hornpipes. Zephaniah feels that Emidy must have been very frustrated by what he had to do. Lyon’s VO (over shots of sailing ship and ship’s log) says Emidy was on board ship for the next five years. Sheppard on train. Writing music (assisted by computer); VO describes what he’s trying to achieve. Lodder says he wants to create an atmosphere that relates to Emidy’s life. Musicians. Ajileye and Johnny T talking about instrumentation; Ajileye thinks music could have been "a kind of saviour " for Emidy. Sheppard’s violin line played by Johnny T. Sheppard plays with him. The ship.Lyon on Sir Edward Pellew (portrait), and talking about his great success as a frigate captain, and his rescue of everyone on board the troopship Dutton, caught on rocks in a storm. Engravings and paintings of naval battles. Painting (by Thomas Luny), with eyewitness account read over, of the rescue. Lyon talks of the "fascinating conjunction" of Emidy and Pellew on the Indefatigable, and describes how Emidy returned to civilian life when Pellew was moved to another ship. Dr Steve Poole, Social Historian, on Emidy’s arrival in Falmouth in 1799. Ali on the African population in the West Country; Poole agrees that Emidy would not have stood out. McGrady on the benefits the naval population would have brought to the town. Lyon on naval officers as key to the local social life. Sheppard in Falmouth. Musicians. Music over; McGrady VO talking about musical performances at a number of different venues, and about Emidy’s domestic life. Silk Buckingham’s description of Emidy’s growing reputation as a performer and teacher. McGrady says that Silk Buckingham began to learn music from Emidy who, as a teacher, would become integrated into society. Sheppard playing on quayside. Musicians rehearsing. Ajileye on rhythm, and the African basis of New Orleans jazz. Johnny T and Sheppard on Emidy and music. Musicians. Emidy’s marriage certificate (1802); Poole talks about racial intermarriage being unusual among the middle classes. Ali says intermarriage was quite common but many were prejudiced against it. McGrady on Emedy’s family. Zephaniah believes that Emidy’s talent must have helped the couple avoid any criticism. Poole and Ali on the anti-slavery movement and a general sympathy for former slaves. Silk Buckingham’s words on the fallacy of white intellectual superiority. McGrady finds it remarkable that Emidy was able to begin composing so soon after his arrival in Falmouth. Notices and reports of concerts given by Emidy. McGrady considers the likely style of Emidy’s compositions. Sheppard on the great variety of music Emidy was exposed to during his life. Musicians. Sheppard thinks Emidy was "obviously an improviser". Musicians. Music over train journey. Engraving of view of Truro where Emidy and his family moved in 1815. McGrady on the fashionable nature of Truro. Notices of concerts. Poole on Emidy’s likely situation in Truro. McGrady says that Emidy lived in a fashionable quarter of the town. Sheppard visiting the neighbourhood. Painting, A Music Club (artist unknown), showing a black violinist playing with a number of white musicians. McGrady talks about Emidy’s son Thomas; some quadrilles he composed are the only surviving pieces from the Emidy family, but give no idea of the "elegant" music written by his father, a "significant figure" in Cornish society. Lodder and Sheppard play one of the quadrilles. Poole wonders why Emidy never left the West Country. Silk Buckingham’s story about how he tried to interest Johann Salomon in Emidy’s music, though nothing came of it. Portrait of Joseph Haydn. Ali doesn’t believe that racial prejudice would have been an issue. Poole points out that Falmouth was culturally distant from London. McGrady suspects that Emidy’s music would have seemed somewhat old-fashioned in an era when Haydn and Beethoven were coming to prominence. Sheppard in Truro churchyard. Ajileye says that Emidy’s story is inspiring. Lodder says it serves as a constant reminder about how people treat each other. Sheppard on visiting Emidy’s grave; playing. Poole on Emidy’s achievements. Sheppard; the tombstone. Ali sums up Emidy’s story. Sheppard playing. Zephaniah on Emidy as someone whose whole life was music. McGrady on the remarkable way in which Emidy survived terrible experiences and achieved so much. A Music Club. Credits
An annotated catalogue of selected works for clarinet by South African composers
No full textThe dissertation consists of an annotated catalogue of nineteen selected works for clarinet by South African composers. These are presented in chronological order, based on the year of composition. A short biographyof the composer is given before the work is discussed. Of the analysed works, all those for solo clarinet or for clarinet and piano have been graded. A thesis of a similar nature, written in 1989 by L.A. Hartshorne, entitled ""The Compositions for Clarinet by South African Composers"", contains details of twenty-four works written between 1928 and circa 1981. The majority of the compositions analysed in the current dissertation were written from around 1981 onwards, and to some extent, therefore, this research could be seen as complementary to the information contained in the aforementioned thesis. An addendum lists all the South African works featuring solo clarinet that the author was able to trace. These include solo works, cham ber works for up to nineteen instruments and concerto-type works with strings or orchestra
Music for classical guitar by South African composers : a historical survey, notes on selected works and a general catalogue
No full textIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 296-309).This is the first comprehensive investigation of music for, or including, the classical guitar by South African composers. The focus of this research has been, firstly, to uncover as much of the repertoire as possible, and, secondly, to collate, study, catalogue and report on the information. A brief historical survey of the guitar in South Africa provides the context within which this study was conducted. The primary sources of quantitative data collection were through the archival catalogues of the South African Music Rights Organisation and through personal contact with guitarists, composers and guitar teachers. Other sources consulted were publishers, broadcasting corporations, recording companies, libraries and the internet. The body of the dissertation comprises biographical sketches, background notes, analyses and technical notes on 17 selected solo and chamber works dating from 1947 to 2007 by some of South Africa's most prominent composers and guitaristcomposers. The repertoire ranges in style from the traditional and ethnically inspired to the experimental and abstract. As this is an empirical survey, each selected entry includes details on instrumentation, duration, level of difficulty, number of pages, scordatura, commissions or requests, sources or publishers, premières and recordings. A biography of each composer is provided as well as background notes which offer an overview of the selected work. The notes discuss historical, cultural, musical and extra-musical influences, and frequently include references to interview material. The commentaries on the selected works, with musical examples, include an analytical component describing structure, form, stylistic and compositional elements, while the technical observations include performance suggestions and a grading for each work
Paul Nordoff: Composer & Music Therapist (Colin Andrew Lee)
No full textThis is a review of the book "Paul Nordoff: Composer & Music Therapist" authored by Colin Andrew Lee.
Title: Paul Nordoff: Composer & Music Therapist | Author: Colin Andrew Lee | Year: 2014 | Publisher: Barcelona Publishers | Pages: 196 | ISBN: 978-193744064-
A.J. Potter (1918-1980): The career and creative achievement of an Irish composer in social and cultural context
No full textA. J. Potter (1918-1980) was one of the most significant composers working in Ireland in the latter part of the twentieth century. This thesis surveys his career and creative achievement, which have not hitherto been subjected to detailed scrutiny. The opening chapter presents a biographical overview: its first part outlines the circumstances of Potter's childhood and early adulthood, including his studies with Vaughan Williams at the Royal College of Music in London, his period of service in the British Army during World War II and his subsequent three-year sojourn in Africa; the second continues the narrative from 1951, when he settled permanently in Ireland, up to his death in 1980. In addition to detailing events of note in his private and professional life, an important subsidiary focus of this section is to depict the impoverished and culturally marginalised nature of Irish musical life at this period and describe the frustrations that these conditions engendered for the composer and his contemporaries. The remaining chapters are devoted to an examination of Potter's major works. Chapter 2 considers four student compositions that were written or conceived in the late 1930s and were subsequently revised when he resumed composing in 1949 after a creative silence of over a decade. Chapter 3 is divided in two parts: the first delineates the salient features of his mature creative aesthetic, while the second provides an account of his later orchestral works. The remaining chapters explore his choral music and stage works, which, in addition to the scores previously described, constitute his most noteworthy achievements
Timbre-invariant Audio Features for Style Analysis of Classical Music
No full textCopyright: (c) 2014 Christof Weiß et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
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