gtaylor@cornell.UUCP (08/01/84)
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etan@tellab1.UUCP (Nate Stelton) (08/02/84)
I'm not a musicologist, just an amateur musician, so take the following
for what it's worth.
I feel that there are many different ways to hear polyphonic music, and
when one is able to experience more of these different ways, music
becomes even more of a euphoric enjoyment than ever before. Here are
some of the ways that I have encountered.
1. Melody analysis. At the first few listenings of a certain piece, you learn
the main voice (or a main voice), and everything around it simply
gives that voice meaning. Upon subsequent listenings, you hear other
simultaneous melodies and compare them to the originally identified
melody. Such things are noted as parallel movement, contrary motion,
and melody on top of ostinato (short repeating pattern).
2. Harmonic analysis. If you sometimes tend to listen to harmonic
content, you will always find that all the notes in one or more
voices in a given measure give that measure some sort of harmonic
'identity'. Recognizing harmonic developement from measure to
measure (good chord changes) through polyphony is a total rush!
3. Rhythmic analysis. Taking the first two ways (above) into account,
where certain key notes (no pun intended) fall in relationship to
time give certain passages a particular beat feel or syncopation. If
voice 1 tends to give tonics, dominants, or chodal components on a
certain beat, and voice 2, t's, d's, etc. on another, those two beats
together provide the accent scheme of that passage. The fascinating
thing about this is that this scheme was formed by two seemingly unrelated
melodies.
I don't mean for people to think that all this is sort of an intellectual
masturbation while listening to your faves. On the contrary, while one
simply listens mindlessly for pleasure, I perceive this to be going on in
the subconscience.
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I love music!!!
-etan
---------------------------------------------------------------------------simard@loral.UUCP (Ray Simard) (08/02/84)
It's easy to hear polyphony! Just buy a polyphone, get it installed,...
--
[ ]
[ I am not a stranger, but a friend you haven't met yet ]
[ ]
Ray Simard
Loral Instrumentation, San Diego
{ucbvax, ittvax!dcdwest}!sdcsvax!sdccsu3!loral!simarddep@allegra.UUCP (Dewayne E. Perry) (08/03/84)
<it takes more than one line eater to handel polyphony> As to whether the subject 'jump out at you' or you have to listen intensely: there are a number of factors involved. First, it depends upon the particular piece of music - ie, how much the composer helps you in listening to the piece. This kind of help includes such things as the distinctiveness of the subjects and the kinds of transformations performed on them. For example, contractions, fragmentation, etc are fairly easy to find; while inversions and retrogressions are not. These latter kinds of things can usually only be detected by careful analysis of the score. Second, it depends upon how familiar you are with the particular form of polyphony. If you know what the intended form is, then you know what to expect and when. Of course, hardly anyone follows the standard form, but that is what makes it interesting - you get suprises and twists. Lack of familiarity can easily be remedied by a certain amount of study. Third, it depends upon your physical capabilities - whether you have good tonal memory. To a certain extent this is a matter of concentration. On the other hand, some people are just more naturally gifted. Don't despair! You can extend your gifts by diligent practice. (This is true of all of your musical skills). Study, listen, practice - dep
gibson@unc.UUCP (Bill Gibson) (08/03/84)
[I don't hear Polyphony - I read it] Actually, when I listen to something like an organ fugue, I don't actively filter the notes to find the polyphony. It sort of 'leaps out at me' and sort of melts together into the instantaneous harmony ( refer to instantaneous velocity), so I guess I'm not analyzing the music consciously. Bill Gibson