Claude Debussy was born in St. Germain de Fleurville, France in 1862. Debussy studied at the Paris Conservatory for twenty years, from the age of two to twenty-two where he became influenced by French traditional, medieval, and Asian music. Debussy was inspired by poets and used their words for song lyrics to create a picture in the minds of the audience about the feeling he was trying to convey with is music.
His music was considered to be a lot like the paintings of impressionist artists where it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what was happening but a person can get a general sense of the feelings associated with the piece. In Debussy’s pieces he manages to detach from normal harmony by constantly changing meter and avoiding common harmony, instead he uses musical motives to bring together ideas and images.
Debussy also used modes to guide his music. He uses pentatonic and whole tone scales which obscure the sense of traditional harmony and add an ethereal feeling to a piece. Debussy’s obsession with the Pentatonic scale stems from his love of Javanese gamelan music as well as Vietnamese theatre which were both very exotic sounding.
Sixteenth Century Instrumental Music
In the sixteenth century instrumental music begins to become its own subgroup in music. Books with music made specifically for instrumentalists; we even start to see soloists in full orchestras and ensembles in this time period. Instruments began to have their own music like sonatas and concertos and instead of using choral pieces.
Instruments like the sackbut, transverse flutes, cornets, and crumhorn also came into existence. During this time we also had the predecessors to many modern musical instruments come into play, such as, the viol, an early violin, and the sackbut, an early trombone. The harpsichord became a very popular instrument because of it versatility to be a solo instrument or be played in an ensemble. These instruments became very important for shaping the sound of the baroque period. Later these instruments used to lay the bass line in genres like galliards a lively dance song for choral music.
Many composers during this time period did not write the instrumentation for their piece so the musicians were allowed to pick which instruments they thought best fit the piece or use what instruments they had on hand at the time. Instrumentation for the ensembles of instruments often time attempted to match timbre between all of the instruments.
Hawaiian Rollar Coaster Ride
This song grew famous when it premiered in Lilo and Stitch in the summer of 2002. The introduction of this song starts with Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu singing with a children’s choir. There are no real chords just one group repeating after the other. In measure 10 the music starts in the key of F major. The entire song basically repeats a I-ii-V and I-IV-V pattern all the way through which is a very normal chord progression that fits out flow chart to a tee but is usually pretty boting, what I think it is that makes it interesting is the lyrics. The songs lyrics are written in both Hawaiian and English which I thought was really cool since the movie took place in Hawaii. The lyrics can be found here- http://kapalama.ksbe.edu/elementary/lilo_and_stitch/roller_coaster_trans.html
The entire song is about surf and just enjoying life by the ocean which fits perfectly with the movie and the carefree life that many people imagine when they think of Hawaii.
Music in The Church
For me using music is the best way to praise God. In Church I have always felt closest to God when I was lifting my voice to sing to Him. I looked in my Bible and found that many people used song to worship the Lord.
In Judges chapter 5 verses 1 and 2 when Deborah and Barak sang the song “‘When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves- praise the Lord! Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.'” If so many people were praising Him through music and being blessed then obviously they were doing something right. I feel like I am following in their footsteps and attempting to become as enveloped in God’s love as they were and be able to share it.
One of my favorite passages is from Psalms 92, it reads “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, With the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn, Shout joyfully before the King, the Lord.” This verse is one that I think about a lot while I practice and perform music because I create music for His glory not for my own selfish desire for fame or glory.
Happy Sunday and may the Lord Bless you all the days of your life.
Busting the Myths Behind the Music
Why music? We’ve all heard the myths behind being a musician, such as music being expensive, or a waste of money, or, my personal favorite, music won’t do anything for the future. But as of today these myths are about to be BUSTED! In the past twenty years there have been a number of studies done to provide evidence that music is a worthwhile endeavor. My hopes for every person is that they have the opportunity be exposed to music. Of course, the only way that people can be exposed to music is if we continue to make music and can pass it on to future generations.
Myth number One: music is expensive. It doesn’t have to be. Many school band programs have instruments that the students can borrow for free and, of course, if a person joins choir singing is absolutely free. And if you think music is expensive now, think about this: “The first Beatles album in America came out in 1964 at $4.98 …In today’s dollars that would be $35 for a 28 minute, monophonic 8-song album.” That’s a heck of a lot more then I pay for any download on itunes. So music is actually getting cheaper and cheaper as time goes on. Also, there are many free ways to get music too! Myth one? Busted!
Myth number two: music is a waste of time. While, yes, music can take up some free time, it is something fun that a person can just do as a hobby or for a profession, and, like with all things, it takes time and practice to get better. Also many people have been “saved” by music through music therapy because it “improves health outcomes among a variety of patient populations, including premature infants and people with depression and Parkinson’s disease”. Also, many musicians see playing as a relaxation method which lowers blood pressure and raises moods. Myth number two? Busted!
Myth number three: music will not do anything for the future. When I was first told this I thought the person was joking, but they continued to say that it was just a hobby, and I should not become so invested in it and should actually try to get a job that pays well instead of wasting my life away. I was offended! I have devoted my life to doing something I love and consider myself good at it. I learned many life lessons as well as many good habits through music, and I think that every person who does music finds their own reason for doing it and reasons to continue doing music. There were trials done by American Psychological Association that prove that music helps students with concentration during studying. Many doctors even play musical instruments because it is proven to heighten hand-eye coordination, concentration, memory, and connects pathways in the brain that allow for them to think faster and problem solve. Myth three? Busted!
After everything is said and done, there does not seem to be a single draw back to learning about and practicing music. Every child at least deserves a chance to do music and maybe they will fall in love with it just as I did. And hopefully more and more people are looking toward the future and seeing that music does help people in many ways.
Work Cited
Amy Novotney. Music as Medicine. American Psychological Association. Vol. 44, No. 10. Nov. 2013. 2 Feb 2015. Web <http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music.aspx>
Priscilla Ward. 5 Science-Backed Reasons Why Music is Good for You. Health News and Views. 11 Feb 2015. Web <http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music.aspx>
Mythbusting: Music is too Expensive!?. The Trichordist. 5 Oct 2012. 2 Feb 2015. Web <http://thetrichordist.com/2012/10/05/mythbusting-music-is-too-expensive>
Normal People
Paige has brought to my attention that musicians are not in fact “normal people”, which got me thinking that maybe, just maybe, these “normal people” (or NPs as I will refer to them for the duration of the post) listen to music differently from me. Just to clarify, NPs are people who have not been trained to play instrument(s) or sing.
I (a normal instrumentalist) am super aware when listening to music because I can hear the melody, harmony, rhythms, phrases, and pick out different instruments. But the NPs don’t really pick out each of these elements and analyze them or even think about them for more then the amount of time they pass through their ears. If I couldn’t pick out any of the elements in the music while listening to it I would get super bored while listening to music, especially instrumental music where there are just really long boring clarinet runs or super lame bass clarinet passages with tons of whole notes, now that would be, like, the worst. (yes Paige, this is for you #salty)
But somehow it seems that NPs find enjoyment in just non-critically listening to music which is good for me and my fellow musicians because without them we’d be without jobs. So, thank you normal people, cheers to you!
Music Theory in the Real World
Woohoo! We made it to music theory three!! After the trials of theory one and two I was afraid that I would never be here, but it seems a wonderful and merciful light shined down upon me at the end of last semester and so here I am! I have began to realize that music theory isn’t just useless information that I’ll need for four semesters then completely forget the moment I graduate. Learning music theory has changed how I listen to and play music.
Over the summer I found myself writing some pieces of music and finding it much easier to do because I understood which chords follow one another and how voices fit together. I also found writing music that sounds good is very therapeutic. Before taking theory when I was trying to write music I would get very frustrated and so it would make me irritable and grouchy but in the last few weeks I’ve been writing for fun and enjoying it because it just fits together perfectly. Yes, sometimes I don’t know how to get everything to fit just perfectly but I can enjoy that too because it just means that that is another piece of the puzzle I get to figure out and fit into works of music when I become more competent.
Studying+Music=?
Well, welcome to final week! I hope everyone isn’t panicking as much as I am at the end of this semester but if you are you are not alone. I did a little research project (along with my fabulous music theory teacher) to find out if playing music while studying helps or hinders your ability to study properly, and you wanna know what I found out? Everyone is different! Some of the participants need music in order to study properly while other participants want complete silence.
All of the students taking the survey said that they studied for music theory anywhere from thirty minutes to six hours per week! Now I’ve gotta be honest and say that I’ve never studied for more then an hour a week at any point in my class no matter how difficult the subject. I also noticed from the data that people are spending most of their study time on music theory.
Many participants confessed that less then half of their attention while studying was on the actual studying but instead was on other things like facebook or friends. They also agreed that they would save hours a week if they would just concentrate on studying while they were doing it.
All but one the participants studied with music but, of those who did study with music, they were split between thinking that it made them concentrate better and that it was a big distraction.
I think that after reviewing everyone’s answers that everyone can just find their own way of studying and figure out what’s right for them. Personally, I love music so I’m gonna listen to it as often as I can.
Well that’s all, happy studying yall!
Where Dead Voices Gather
Since I’ve begun to study music seriously I’ve had the problem of making my music tied to closely to my emotions. For example, when I’m in a really good mood in class I’ll take my pieces and swing the eighth notes and go at 120 BPM! It will completely frustrate my teachers because while I will be playing all of the right notes its not the right style or the right emotions for the piece. I see the point of playing a sonata exactly as the composer intended I just have a hard time reining in my emotions. Every day in class I can just see in my teacher’s eyes the thought of “what will it be today?” If I’m in a good mood it’ll be to fast, a bad mood it’ll be to slow. 
Half of my practice time is just me trying to get a constant pattern and understand the emotions that the composer is wanting from it. I have had to contact a few composers just to be able to get a good recording and begin to figure out what I’m doing. But when the composer is dead there’s not much I can do other then look at other peoples interpretation on the piece. I have taken entire sonatas and listen to them on recording from one person, perfected it, and then have been told that it was wrong in the tempo and style and so have to work it all the way over from the beginning.
I wish that any of the older piece our teachers would give us good, preapproved recordings to listen to or record it themselves for us because just telling us to “look it up on YouTube” doesn’t mean we’ll find a good recording. If it is a modern piece and the composer is still alive I want to get in contact with them and understand the piece better so that my emotions are going in the right direction when I play it. If we had a system in which would give us accurate and quality music to imitate it would be much easier for students to play the pieces properly and a lot less time wasted having to relearn what we’ve already poured our hearts and souls into.
God and Music
My favorite part of church has always been praising God through the use of music. It was amazing to be able to share my faith by doing something I love. The power of the Word was amplified when combined with music as we raised our voices together to create something beautiful for Christ. I looked in my Bible and found that many people used song to worship the Lord.
In the Bible many people sang for the Lord when like in Judges chapter 5 verses 1 and 2 when Deborah and Barak sang the song “‘When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves- praise the Lord! Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.'” It so many people were praising Him through music and being blessed them obviously they were doing something right. I feel like I am following in their footsteps and attempting to become as enveloped in God’s love as they were and be able to share it.
In Deuteronomy Chapter 32 Moses sang a song reminding Israel of all that the Lord has done for them and tells them to “…command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you- they are your life.” That is the other really wonderful thing about putting music in a service is that it can tell a story as well as give praise. It is able to give hope and remind people of the reason that they have Faith in the Lord.
For the Love of Music 