scholarly journals The Piano Music of Percy Grainger: A Pianist's Perspective on Pedalling

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-93
Author(s):  
Glen Carruthers

Eminent pianist and composer Percy Aldridge Grainger (1882–1961) filled his original music and folksong arrangements with detailed, though idiosyncratic instructions to performers. The extent to which his own meticulous pedal technique is mirrored in careful directions to pianists is both unusual and revelatory. Grainger's scores are examined here from the standpoint of the damper, sostenuto and una corda pedals. Numerous musical examples serve two purposes: 1) they give information concerning the complexity of Grainger's pedal technique and 2) they exhibit the array of notational methods the composer employed, at various stages in his career, to enable performers to replicate as nearly as possible his own scrupulous pedalling. As well, by examining in detail this one aspect of Grainger's rich artistry, light is shed on the relationship between composer and performer, and notation and interpretation, that Grainger sought to understand and articulate ever more clearly throughout his career.

Author(s):  
Инна Хатипова ◽  

In the present article the author presents a review of piano preludes written by Moldovan composers in the second half of 20th century which are frequently studied at the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts of the Republic of Moldova. The author seeks to characterize their imagery, musical language means and technical difficulties that can be encountered by young performers. The works analyzed are approved in the author's teaching practice. The preludes were written by Gheorghe Neaga, Vladimir Rotaru, Semion Lungul, Constantin Rusnac, Alexei and Marian Stârcea, Vitaly Sechkin. Some information about these miniatures can be found in research by musicologists E. Kletinich, A. Miroshnikova, E. Gupalova. A detailed analysis from a performer's standpoint presented in the article is made for the first time. The piano pieces indicated above are diverse. The two preludes by A. Stârcea contrast with one another: one has a lyrical character, whereas the other one differs in its drama and flustered character. The piece by Gh. Neaga bears the traces of impressionist music. C. Rusnac’s and V. Rotaru’s creations are composed using Moldovan doina stylistics, and S. Lungul’s lyrical miniature is nationally neutral. In the two preludes by M. Stârcea, modern musical language means are used, and sharp rhythms and dissonant harmonies abound. The article also presents five preludes-pictures by Vitaly Sechkin, a Ukrainian composer who spent his last period of life in Moldova. Inspired by Moldovan vivid landscapes, they differ in their imagery and tempo. Nonetheless, each of the miniatures has its own individual appearance and peculiarities of style. All the works reviewed are distinguished by bright themes and original music language. They represent a substantial enrichment of national piano repertoire and are a striking contribution of autochthonous authors to the development of the prelude genre in the world’s piano music.


Author(s):  
Matthew Roy

The emergence of imaginative children’s music in the second half of the nineteenth century reframed the relationship between children and music in revolutionary ways. The dominant paradigm had been for children to repetitiously practice mechanistic exercises, a time-consuming occupation that the German composer Robert Schumann considered particularly wasteful and tasteless. In response he composed Album für die Jugend in 1848, a collection of children’s pieces that utilised a combination of text, picture and music to appeal to the interests of children, and to inspire their enthusiasm for musical play. Schumann envisioned his music as an extension of familial nurturance, which played a powerful role in directing children towards a musically and spiritually rich adulthood. As the tradition of imaginative children’s music developed during the nineteenth century, the dual themes of entertainment and education remained central to its generic identity, and continued to speak to the significance of piano music as a tool for the socialisation of children. The work of Jacqueline Rose offers a lens through which to explore this music’s manipulative influence upon children. The multimodal and performative characteristics of these musical pieces demonstrate the hidden influence of the adult’s guiding hand and the dire consequences that come to those who transgress musical and social boundaries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (15) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
İlhame XANKIŞIYEVA

The article we presented is devoted to the analysis of A.Dadashov's piano music. Although some of the composer's piano works have been examined in various studies, this heritage has not been examined in its entirety. The images created by A.Dadashov include the relationship between man and the universe, the desire for the creation of the individual world, as well as aspects related to the inner world of man. Piano music, which is an important part of A.Dadashov's work, is represented by various genres, large and small. Here you can find all kinds of genres, from piano and orchestral concerts to small preludes. Thus, the composer's piano music offers a wide choice for pianists of different ages. Azer Dadashov's piano works include three concerts written for piano and camera orchestra, as well as a series of small miniatures and independent plays. The composer composed three concerts for piano and orchestra. The first concert took place in 2004, the second in 2009 and the third in 2010. Miniature genres dominate Azer Dadashov's piano music. The series for young pianists is particularly noteworthy here. A.Dadashov’s “Six Preludes”, “Six Miniatures”, “For the Flower” consisting of seven dances, as well as four sonatinas, pastoral, etc. There are piano works. Taking into account the technical abilities of the young pianist, who has mastered the art of performance, the composer tried to portray the children's colorful dance power, the world of bright images and create interesting musical panels. The composer's piano series “Six Preludes” (1966), “Six miniatures” (1968), “Six melancholy miniatures” (1985), “For Flowers” (1986), and “Atmacalar” (2001) are included in the children's music teaching repertoire. These miniatures are widely included in the concert program of school and young pianists. As the name suggests, most of these sequences are programmed. In sequences of a particular genre, each instance has its own image-emotional content and is ordered within the sequence according to a certain linking principle. Azer Dadashov's piano music is also characteristic of independent plays of different volume and content. These include “Poema” (2012), “Space song” (2015), “Bagatel” (2010), “Praise”, “Funny dance” (2009), four sonatas, “Three almonds and a walnut” for piano and chamber orchestra. ”, “Sacrifice of God”, “My Flag”, “Trial”, “Grace” and others. Although the use of modern means of expression and the writing techniques of the composer are observed in A.Dadashov's piano music, the composer prefers classical traditions to embody the form. In the composer's music, each motif serves to embody the main idea down to the smallest detail, depending on its general content.


1967 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 239-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Kerr

A review is given of information on the galactic-centre region obtained from recent observations of the 21-cm line from neutral hydrogen, the 18-cm group of OH lines, a hydrogen recombination line at 6 cm wavelength, and the continuum emission from ionized hydrogen.Both inward and outward motions are important in this region, in addition to rotation. Several types of observation indicate the presence of material in features inclined to the galactic plane. The relationship between the H and OH concentrations is not yet clear, but a rough picture of the central region can be proposed.


Paleobiology ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 6 (02) ◽  
pp. 146-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Oliver

The Mesozoic-Cenozoic coral Order Scleractinia has been suggested to have originated or evolved (1) by direct descent from the Paleozoic Order Rugosa or (2) by the development of a skeleton in members of one of the anemone groups that probably have existed throughout Phanerozoic time. In spite of much work on the subject, advocates of the direct descent hypothesis have failed to find convincing evidence of this relationship. Critical points are:(1) Rugosan septal insertion is serial; Scleractinian insertion is cyclic; no intermediate stages have been demonstrated. Apparent intermediates are Scleractinia having bilateral cyclic insertion or teratological Rugosa.(2) There is convincing evidence that the skeletons of many Rugosa were calcitic and none are known to be or to have been aragonitic. In contrast, the skeletons of all living Scleractinia are aragonitic and there is evidence that fossil Scleractinia were aragonitic also. The mineralogic difference is almost certainly due to intrinsic biologic factors.(3) No early Triassic corals of either group are known. This fact is not compelling (by itself) but is important in connection with points 1 and 2, because, given direct descent, both changes took place during this only stage in the history of the two groups in which there are no known corals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Parr

Abstract This commentary focuses upon the relationship between two themes in the target article: the ways in which a Markov blanket may be defined and the role of precision and salience in mediating the interactions between what is internal and external to a system. These each rest upon the different perspectives we might take while “choosing” a Markov blanket.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Benjamin Badcock ◽  
Axel Constant ◽  
Maxwell James Désormeau Ramstead

Abstract Cognitive Gadgets offers a new, convincing perspective on the origins of our distinctive cognitive faculties, coupled with a clear, innovative research program. Although we broadly endorse Heyes’ ideas, we raise some concerns about her characterisation of evolutionary psychology and the relationship between biology and culture, before discussing the potential fruits of examining cognitive gadgets through the lens of active inference.


Author(s):  
Robert M. Glaeser

It is well known that a large flux of electrons must pass through a specimen in order to obtain a high resolution image while a smaller particle flux is satisfactory for a low resolution image. The minimum particle flux that is required depends upon the contrast in the image and the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio at which the data are considered acceptable. For a given S/N associated with statistical fluxtuations, the relationship between contrast and “counting statistics” is s131_eqn1, where C = contrast; r2 is the area of a picture element corresponding to the resolution, r; N is the number of electrons incident per unit area of the specimen; f is the fraction of electrons that contribute to formation of the image, relative to the total number of electrons incident upon the object.


Author(s):  
D. F. Blake ◽  
L. F. Allard ◽  
D. R. Peacor

Echinodermata is a phylum of marine invertebrates which has been extant since Cambrian time (c.a. 500 m.y. before the present). Modern examples of echinoderms include sea urchins, sea stars, and sea lilies (crinoids). The endoskeletons of echinoderms are composed of plates or ossicles (Fig. 1) which are with few exceptions, porous, single crystals of high-magnesian calcite. Despite their single crystal nature, fracture surfaces do not exhibit the near-perfect {10.4} cleavage characteristic of inorganic calcite. This paradoxical mix of biogenic and inorganic features has prompted much recent work on echinoderm skeletal crystallography. Furthermore, fossil echinoderm hard parts comprise a volumetrically significant portion of some marine limestones sequences. The ultrastructural and microchemical characterization of modern skeletal material should lend insight into: 1). The nature of the biogenic processes involved, for example, the relationship of Mg heterogeneity to morphological and structural features in modern echinoderm material, and 2). The nature of the diagenetic changes undergone by their ancient, fossilized counterparts. In this study, high resolution TEM (HRTEM), high voltage TEM (HVTEM), and STEM microanalysis are used to characterize tha ultrastructural and microchemical composition of skeletal elements of the modern crinoid Neocrinus blakei.


Author(s):  
M.J. Murphy ◽  
R.R. Price ◽  
J.C. Sloman

The in vitro human tumor cloning assay originally described by Salmon and Hamburger has been applied recently to the investigation of differential anti-tumor drug sensitivities over a broad range of human neoplasms. A major problem in the acceptance of this technique has been the question of the relationship between the cultured cells and the original patient tumor, i.e., whether the colonies that develop derive from the neoplasm or from some other cell type within the initial cell population. A study of the ultrastructural morphology of the cultured cells vs. patient tumor has therefore been undertaken to resolve this question. Direct correlation was assured by division of a common tumor mass at surgical resection, one biopsy being fixed for TEM studies, the second being rapidly transported to the laboratory for culture.


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