The patterns of stress inform everything. More, less. Less, more. Our languages (our speech) inform our music, our thought, our designs, and concepts -- our emotions? I am -- iamb! In Western European music, the falling inflection predominates, strong, then weak. That's the two-part poetic foot, the "trochee." "Iambs" (weak - strong) are rarer in music and (?) in French, German, Italian (so rare as to need a marking -- città). In these languages, … [Read more...]
Simple is difficult
The simplest things can be the most telling. A very small, simple bit of music reveals everything about a player's technique, sound -- dare I say, soul? Consider the two-note slur: a group of two notes, frequently a descending step, connected, bound, by a legato phrasing tie (slur). A very basic building block, frequently realized very poorly, even by celebrated, professional executants. Classical musicians often strongly desire to perform … [Read more...]