Highlights of last week:
Last week’s research seminar was a dissection of the second movement of Ives’ 4th symphony. It was given conjointly by one of our American professors and a guest German musicologist. The piece is seemingly impossible to analyze with its cacophony of brass bands and double orchestra, but both lecturers did a good job of explaining their connection with the piece and some of the possible sources Ives used for its composition. It seems that Ives’ use of quotation extends beyond the obvious use of ‘Columbia Gem of the Ocean’ and that there is actually a much more complicated method at work. Ives takes such small bits from pre-existing pieces (his own as well as popular American songs and hymns) that it becomes an almost serialist method of composition, with each section being based on different melodic and rhythmic materials. Ives shows a mastery at creating an intensely complicated, layered method of composition. It is interesting to discuss Ives with non-Americans. It seems that here Ives is more of a curiosity and less of an integral part of music history. In America, Ives gets a lot of discussion time and is held up as being the first truly original American composer. It’s funny how our national identity can influence our perception of music history...

I also caught a concert of Vivaldi and Bach chamber works. It was a lovely performance and I enjoyed getting to hear pieces I hadn’t heard before, including a sacred Vivaldi cantata and a secular Bach cantata (BWV 209, in Italian!) for soprano. I was again struck by how much more complex Bach is than Vivaldi. The Vivaldi works were all quite nice and pretty and full of virtuosity, but after the first few measures of the Bach, I realized I was in a different compositional dimension. That being said, I wasn’t crazy about the Bach work and feel like he gave so much more to his sacred works than his secular. End score: Bach 20, Vivaldi 17 (which is incidentally my pick for the Eagles/Broncos game, in favor of the Eagles. I still think the Eagles won’t really have a rushing attack, but the defense should basically be able to hold the Broncos offense. Look for some late-game heroics, possibly from the Eagles’ secondary or new kicker who just got ditched by the Cowboys. I’ve got my lucky shirt on, so I’m hoping for good things. I plan to listen to it tomorrow morning via the archived broadcast at NFL.com Field Pass. Go Birds!)