Persona Classical
Music comes in all shapes and sizes. Some music is spontaneous and easy to
make. A folk singer may be quite charming, strumming simple chords on a guitar,
singing a plain song in a spontaneous and undisciplined manner. Other music
requires years of disciplined study and practice and involves complex concepts
and notation systems. Classical music originated in Europe as an art form that
required, talent, study and years of disciplined practice to achieve levels of
performance required by classical composers. The great composers are still
considered to be extraordinary humans, some geniuses, whose works are worth of
study, reverence and repeated performance by symphony orchestras in most large
cities. University music departments teach classical music and develop the
advanced skills in students who will play in symphony orchestras.
Music historians have followed the path of art
historians, creating periods (in Europe) and identifying the
evolution of musical styles thru these periods. Although the Classical period was limited to the years 1750 to 8120, all music that relates to formal
notation, well-educated musicians and orchestral repertoires is referred to as
"classical music". I consider the period definitions to be arbitrary and do not
share musicologists' enthusiasm for debates about who did what and when.
I am interested in the evolution of musical ideas and
styles. One feature of 21st century music is the tendency toward anarchy where
all prior assumptions and definitions are vulnerable. Here is a simple music
history timeline:
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The Middle Ages (prior to 14th century)
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The Renaissance (1420 to 1600)
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The Baroque Age (1600 to 1750)
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The Classical Period (1750 to 1820)
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The Romantic Era (1820 to 1900)
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The Twentieth Century (1900 to 2000)
Classical music began as entertainment for rich aristocrats and a showcase
feature of rich churches who could afford to support composers and musicians as
full time employees. In the smaller venues of entertainment rooms in the homes
of the wealthy, small chamber ensembles played pieces composed specifically for
those audiences. Some pieces were for listening, others for dancing, and others
as background music, part of the décor. Virtuoso performers played pieces
designed to impress audiences with their technical skills.
Some of the great composers were also skilled performers who improvised in
these small gatherings and competed with each other. Mozart was a childhood
virtuoso and talented improviser who travelled Europe with his father and
sister, impressing audiences.
Beethoven took advantage of improvements in instrument construction that
allowed players to develop more virtuoso techniques. Beethoven is credited with
the kind of progression of musical innovation that we recognize in the evolution
of jazz in the 20th century. Stravinsky referred to his last quartets, as "this
absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever." Among
Beethoven’s innovations are complex syncopations and cross-rhythms; synchronized
runs of sixteenth, thirty-second, and sixty-fourth notes; and sudden modulations
requiring special attention to intonation.”
Symphony Orchestras
One definition of classical music is whatever a symphony orchestra plays. While
its true that orchestral repertoires in Europe and North America have always
featured works by composers of the classical period, composers of the romantic
era and to a lesser extend the 20th century received their attention. As
orchestras in the late 20th century lost audiences, they became more interested
in popular music, broadways shows and would even play with jazz groups and rock
and roll bands. Symphonic music became Hollywood movie soundtracks.
I enjoyed
several years of symphony concerts when I was a student in Toronto. The Toronto
symphony attracted a series of world-class soloists and presented both classical
music and performances of more modern symphonic music. The music notes for each
performance formed a basic knowledge of music. I recall preferring Bach,
Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Beethoven and learned to appreciate Debussy, Stravinsky,
Mahler and Richard Strauss.
Mackenzie Patel , a university
student, shared her enthusiasm for orchestral music: ”Over the past month, I have
absorbed and drunk in and worshipped and fell in love with several symphonies
thanks to my musically savvy academic team buddies. I was bewitched by
Scheherazade, blown away by the Jupiter movement of The Planets, and stunned to
death by Petrushka. There’s nothing quite like discovering a new piece of music,
whether it be online or in person, and slowly becoming enamored with in until
the captivating melodies and chords are all your mind can ponder. the power of
music is unforgettable because of the sheer amount of talent needed to perform
most classical pieces. In today’s world, fabricated and robotic sounds can be
produced with a tap of the finger, but where’s the real talent in that? With
classical music, human fingers have to cramp, bleed, and caress strings and
keys, not vaguely hover over a soundboard with impersonal blue and green
blinking lights. I respect classical musicians because so much beauty is
produced only through hours of practice and frustration. The striking noise that
grips my heart is real and pure, not a phantom of authenticity. There’s nothing
fake about it, and in a world that’s increasingly obsessed with a perfect
unreality, it’s one of the only genuine crafts left. (Mackenzie Patel .The Transcendent Power Of
Classical Music)
The Persona Classical Series focuses on the music of JS Bach and
Amadeus Mozart. Stephen Gislason selects and arranges pieces that are then
developed in the studio using synthesizer voices and multitrack recording. In
previous years, some of Bach’s pieces became contemporary hits: for example, by
the Swingle Singers' (Air on the G string, Wachet Auf chorale prelude) and Wendy
Carlos' 1968 album, Switched-On Bach, created with a Moog synthesizer. Stephen
recalls " I enjoyed the Carlos arrangements and was inspired to learn about
synthesizers. The distinct timbres of the Moog synthesizer voices made the four
voices in preludes and fugues stand out clearly. I have edited and rearranged
Bach's pieces with new voicing, new intonations seeking the clarity of voice
definition I heard in "Switched on Bach." I like to imagine the if Bach were
alive, he would enjoy this novel play on his musical ideas."
