If you鈥檝e ever been intimidated by the very idea of 鈥渕usic theory,鈥� then you鈥檙e not alone. And if even a musician can get a little nervous at the thought of analyzing chromatic harmony or melodic structure, think about how the casual listener might feel.
But the study of the why and the how of music doesn鈥檛 have to be daunting. At the end of the day, those are the very elements that make any piece of music enjoyable at some level to any of us. That鈥檚 why the music theory department is participating in the CU 麻豆影院 Office for Outreach and Engagement鈥檚.
鈥淢usic has profoundly affected my life, and music is an essential part of most people鈥檚 lives ,鈥� says Steven Bruns, associate professor of music theory and the presenter as CU on the Weekend returns to the College of Music for the third time on Saturday. 鈥淢usic speaks to each person very directly, but in ways that can be hard to quantify; music theory provides tools for sorting through the richness and complexity of musical expression.鈥�
During the free presentation and musical performance, Bruns, who is also associate dean for graduate studies at the college, delves into George Crumb鈥檚 鈥淎pparition, Elegiac Songs and Vocalises for Soprano and Amplified Piano,鈥� along with pianist Alexandra Nguyen and mezzo soprano Abigail Nims.
鈥淎pparition鈥� is one of Crumb鈥檚 most powerful and moving works: the words are drawn from Walt Whitman鈥檚 鈥�.鈥� The poem deals with the overwhelming nature of death and was written as an elegy for President Abraham Lincoln shortly after his assassination.
Crumb was first inspired by the profound piece when he was growing up in West Virginia. 鈥淚n the composer鈥檚 unpublished sketches, I discovered two unfinished musical settings of portions of the 鈥楲ilacs鈥� elegy dating from George鈥檚 teenage years,鈥� Bruns explains.
鈥淗e had been thinking about these words for a very long time. Even when he returned to the poem in his fifties, his sketches show that he struggled to find the ideal musical expression.鈥�
Crumb was drawn to the text and what it implied about the power of music.
鈥淥ne of the things that鈥檚 really interesting and attractive about the poem鈥攚hich is considered by many to be the among the greatest of all American poems鈥攊s that Whitman at several points seems to say, 鈥業 don鈥檛 know how I can find words that are adequate to express the depth of my grief,鈥欌�� Bruns says.
鈥淐rumb intensifies the sonorous qualities of the words, helping us to hear how Whitman is 鈥榤usicalizing鈥� the language even more than usual,鈥� Bruns says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 Whitman鈥檚 way of saying that mere words can鈥檛 express a sense of loss鈥攐nly music can do that.鈥�
Whitman鈥檚 poem follows a mourner on a journey from bewilderment to understanding as he deals with the various stages of loss. Guiding that journey is a hermit thrush鈥攁 small songbird that Bruns says serves as an oracle throughout.
鈥淲hen we arrive at that acceptance, during the thrush鈥檚 鈥楧eath Carol,鈥� the bird is telling us what this all means. Almost all of Crumb鈥檚 text comes from that part of the poem.鈥�
Musically, the story begins and ends in a mysterious place, shaped by ebbs and flows in the piano and notated in a characteristically Crumbian way. Additionally, throughout the piece, the singer plays the part of the clairvoyant hermit thrush. All this will be revealed by Bruns鈥� music theory, Nims鈥� singing and Nguyen鈥檚 piano playing.
鈥淏y telling this story in context, we want to heighten the audience鈥檚 appreciation of the music and invite them into a world they might not have visited before. I鈥檓 confident that people will have a strong emotional reaction to this piece.鈥�
The talk will also be a chance for locals to learn more about Crumb, who as a faculty member in the College of Music from 1959鈥�64. Bruns has lectured and published several writings on Crumb and is teaching a graduate seminar on his body of work this semester.
鈥淎 Musical Exploration of Grief Beyond Words鈥� is Saturday, Nov. 12, at 1 p.m. in the Chamber Hall. Seating is free, but because room is limited to the first 115 people, tickets are required. Tickets will be distributed starting at noon, and doors open at 12:30 p.m. For more information, visit the.
