‘Now we are Six’ 1919–1924

This chapter explains how Francis Poulenc exorcized the influence of Claude Debussy's piano music through his multi-stave preludes. It also analyzes Poulenc's modelling of his solo piano music in that of Igor Stravinsky, although the eight little piano duets were more interesting with the imaginative use of ostinato. It looks at Poulenc's three pieces called Mouvements perpétuels, which was acclaimed by virtuosos and by amateurs and reflected a sense in which the “war had created a new world.” The chapter looks at the performing instructions on Mouvements perpétuels, such as the second piece that must be played three times consecutively: the first time in a casual manner, second with plenty of rubato, and third with fury. It also mentions how Poulenc described Mouvements perpétuels as no more than three simple little touches of colour on a ground of white paper.

Keith Jarrett, Miscegenation & the Rise of the European Sensibility in Jazz in the 1970s

In the 1970s, pianist Keith Jarrett emerged as a major albeit controversial innovator in jazz. He succeeded in making completely improvised solo piano music not only critically acclaimed as afresh way of blending classical and jazz styles but also popular, particularly with young audiences. This essay examines the moment when Jarrett became an international star, the musical and social circumstances of jazz music immediately before his arrival and how he largely unconsciously exploited those circumstances to make his success possible, and what his accomplishments meant during the 1970s for jazz audiences and for American society at large.

Expressive Timing

“Expressive timing” refers to variation in performed durations among notes represented in a musical score with a single rhythmic value. The principal findings of the field are that performers use unequal durations to communicate grouping and metric structure, but these findings pertain primarily to performances of European solo piano music written between 1775 and 1850. This article presents three case studies of timing in repertoires at ever greater remove from those typically addressed: performances of Brahms’s Concerto for Violin, Varèse’s Density 21.5 for Solo Flute, and Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 rap track “Momma.” Through these case studies, the article expands the number of repertoires addressed by studies of expressive timing and, in doing so, expands the scope of music theory toward the study of multiple musical agencies.

Blooming

This chapter focuses on Marga Richter's works during the 2000s, a period that saw her compose emotionally charged music. Since the year 2000, Richter has composed music of a more intimate nature, employing a simpler harmonic and melodic language but still embodying her distinctive voice. These works include several song cycles, some of a humorous nature, a variety of chamber music, a return to solo piano music, and two unaccompanied woodwind pieces (clarinet and oboe). Almost all of them were commissioned, and all have been performed. Richter has also learned to use a computer music-notation program (Sibelius), and in 2011 she established her own Web page, margarichter.com. This chapter first considers Richter's humorous works, including Erin Odyssey and Bye-Bye Bake Shoppe, before discussing her serious songs such as Testament and Dew-drops on a Lotus Leaf. It also examines her chamber and solo pieces, along with her compositions after moving to a new house.

“But they told me it was professional”: Extrinsic factors in the evaluation of musical performance

This study investigated the performance preferences of listeners without formal training in music. Specifically, it asked whether the quality of the performance (as represented by the status of the performer), the order of presentation of the performances, and extrinsic information about the quality of the performance impacted preferences. In Experiment 1, participants heard pairs of performances of solo piano music and were informed that one was played by a conservatory student, and one by a world-renowned professional. After each pair, they selected the one they thought had been performed by the professional. Their responses seem to have been driven by a combination of a preference for the performance actually played by the professional and a preference for the second performance in the pair. In Experiment 2, they heard the same performance pairs, but this time were informed, correctly or incorrectly, before each performance whether it was played by a student or by a professional. After each pair, they selected the performance they preferred. This time, their responses were influenced not just by the actual performer identity and the order of presentation, but also by the priming condition. Listener preferences seem to be driven by a combination of factors intrinsic and extrinsic to the performance itself.