Musicking Prelude - Music & Musicking In the prelude, Small explores the following: • What is the meaning of music?• What is the function of music in human life? • Music is an intellectual and spiritual achievement; it’s meaning can be found within musical works – the art object itself • The meaning & beauty are created whenever any performer approaches it with love, skill & care • Music exists with or without occasion – religious, social, political • The meaning of music exists in the action – singing, playing, composing & listening • MUSICKING: “to perform…to make music” To take part in a musical performance; whether by performing, listening, rehearsing, practicing, composing, and dancing • Everyone that are involved in Musicking bears responsibility in the meaning • It is one of great aspects of human activity • The art of Musicking helps us understand the relationships within our lives, such as relationships with people & creatures that we share this planet with; to learn the meanings within our lives Chapter 1 - A Place for Hearing A concert hall is not just a place for hearing, but a place of status, a landmark or focal point in a cityscape, a symbol of the culture. The scale and detail of the architectural design can tell the social importance and status of what goes on in the building. Modern concert halls: 1) highly specialized buildings design for specific performances 2) influences a certain behavior expected in a performance 3) large performance halls are essential a 19th c. invention; the bigger the building, the more it states that performances performed in that building are an important social activity in their own right. Architectural style of older concert halls: 1) emphasizes the continuity with the past of European culture- Greek/Roman, Italian Renaissance, etc. 2) Architectural entry is meant to be grand and emphasizes the feeling of importance… upon entering the hall, it gives the feeling of entering another world (ceremonial place) 3) In the hall- infrequent concert goers- self-conscious, lowering voices, in awe. 4) Frequent concert goers- submissive behavior, relaxation, at ease. discusses the role of advertising. and states that this style of musicking.from composer to listener (through musicians) The Rotunda at Ranelagh: -200 pleasure gardens of 18th c. artists and orchestras. states that even with so many details going into single concert all this planning must necessarily remain invisible.Thoroughly Contemporary Affair a look behind the scenes at the concert hall and at the process of producing a concert. Unlike the painting. isolation from the world of everyday life (no windows or sound coming from outside the hall to remind anyone of outside life) -one way communication. the music critic. and transportation systems which all are in play in the production of such an event. and all the functioning of the workers in and of the hall (from cleaning people to ticket sellers to technicians to sound men. avoidance of vulgarity/serious and important behavior. Chapter 2 . discusses some of the many ways the planning of such an event is onstrained. London Canaletto’s painting. creating the illusion of a magical world free of commerce and labor. . built with certain assumptions of behavior…parallel between what takes place in the building and the nature of human relationships. additionally it details the star system which artificially manipulates the “market in virtuosi” keeping them rare. and sees little possibility of spontaneity. details the extensive planning that goes into such an event.Auditoriums: convey an impression of luxury. the way we listen to a performance in a hall is different. signifies the emergence of a new middle class wishing to identify itself with the philosophies of industrial societies. these include the booking of conductors. and notes that all of the above processes limit therefore the public’s input into what is actually performed. socializing and enjoying music were not two separate activities. giving the impression that back in Mozart’s day.no seats. socializing in groups. even as all the relationships of the concert hall are ‘mediated by the passing of money” relates the wealth of western style industrialized cultures to this style of mucisking. people standing. but nonetheless the idea of a concert hall is a social construction. choosing and obtaining repertory (parts and scores). when it newly appears in other cultures. creating programs and notes. remarks on the difference between these events and the original circumstances in which these works were first performed.performance seemed the background to other social activities.big space. it looks at the reification of the repertory into a fairly limited canon of works (all pre-ww1). piano movers and tuners and etc). Back to modern day: audiences are strangers and are ok with that. who were often also their servants. sets up relationships: privacy of individual expected. smithing. gardeners. people who specialized in instrumental music were not just instrumentalists. Musicians were there to perform as well as help their employers perform. Since we no longer “make noise” (and no longer participate actively). rather than participants. - - - - - . a rock or rap concert) Relationship of the performer to the audience: popular artists aim to show their solidarity with their audience.). business people. Now. valets. Back then.Chapter 3 – Sharing with Strangers Whenever we go to see a sporting event. Sociability was part of the musical experience. Musicking also had a role in social rituals of aristocracy. and never meet during the event. Public performances are open to anyone with the money for admission. Privacy and solitude are expected to be respected and is not unusual during a performance. music was an offering to God which the choir sang on behalf of the congregation. in a way. Ideas on the silence of the audience: Originally. etc.e. concert-goers go to certain concerts because of who they are or feel they are. This is lacking at symphony concerts.e. Author (Christopher Small) suggests this is some kind of ideal setting to those who attend because it is accepted as the norm. Conclusion: a performance’s success should be gauged by its ability to create a set of relationships that participants feel to be ideal and are able to “explore. Audience also expected to be polite. well educated. different seats. like in celebrating death. Composers didn’t write for the patron just to listen but to perform. 60s and 70s rock festivals were places where people shared musical AND social experiences. or a performance of some sort. but they had other jobs as their main career (i. for example. marriage. In church. Yet they’re not strangers because the audience is self-selected – meaning. they hired musicians. we accept. the need for more security guards/bouncers at. without thinking. that the audience and performers will be strangers. etc. any noise is considered as being disruptive. Performers and audience frequently became one and the same because everyone participated. good manners assumed. the more enforcing of the norms is required. and performers and performance are not subjected to audience response. The musicians were important because of the roles they played in society and its rituals. middle-upper class. The experience is shared with strangers. shoemaking. birth. Audiences for symphonies are often older white. Orchestra and audience are also strangers – they have different entrances/exits. (i. [positive] noise during performance (especially in between movements) was considered positive because it conveyed active listening. The performance was a part of the ritual. etc. this makes us spectators. Establishing of behavioral norms: the more the performance behavior deviates from middle-class norms. The concert hall. No admission was paid for these forms of performance. Paralanguage ~the language of body posture. For creatures to understand the complete message.affirm and celebrate the relationships”. The mind is a substance. Creatures shape the environment as much as it shapes them. Participants are the only ones who will know what the nature of the relationship will be. as are relationships themselves. that is to relationships that to quantities. The farther we go up the scale of complexity. Bateson’s fundamental intuitions is a denial of Cartesian dualism ~ the idea that the world is made up of two different and even incompatible kinds of substance… matter and mind. (55) Asks the question. which may be why we tend to think in metaphors. “What kind of information is it that all living creatures need to be able to give and to respond to. Patterns are built on relationships. but we need not conclude from that that we are completely subjective and can know nothing for certain about it. movement. but a process of life. (59) Human beings are. Gestures carry a picture in their meaning. it need to know about the context of that message~ METAMESSGAGES Verbal languages have proved less than adequate in articulating and dealing with relationships. Interlude 1 – The Language of Gesture • • • Tries to lay down a foundation for understanding a symphony concert. previous experience enters more into the processing Human beings are not completely objective in their knowledge of the world. (50) Smalls discusses the ideas of English anthropologist Gregory Bateson as similar to his own. more alert . Image formation is an active and creative process (54) There is a broad group between “purely objective” and “purely subjective” and it is in that gap that human freedom and creativity live. and where they function most specifically is in the articulation and exploration of relationships. and gesture continue to perform functions in human life that word cannot. and we learn about and explore and celebrate those relationships. (58) Relationships are continuous opposed to one-thing-at-a-time descriptions…verbal languages. Gestural language is continuous. (61) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . on the whole. more alert to pattern than they are to number. Question: What is musicking that human beings should like to practice it? What are human beings that they should like to practice musicking? If musicking is an activity thru which we bring into existence a set of relationships that model the relationships of our world. then musicking is a way of knowing our world of human relationships. and what does it concern?” Bateson states that it is not enough to send and receive messages through a relationship. Bateson defines the mind simply as the ability to give and to respond to information. gossip and locker-room humor..mere instruments on which the conductor plays.. cohesive unit.(62) The communicative gesture. The myth in which a person believes tells them about themselves. The conductor is the main connection between the composer and the players. In . and the players and the audience.. The chapter covers such topics as the process in which the performers enter the stage. although he makes no musical sound at all. it is solely up to the musicians to not only learn their parts. tribulations. but to interpret the music and convey their ideas to the audience. The function of discourse is the same as it has always been. this chapter discusses how musicians/performers have in a sense become a completely separate entity from the audiences they play for. as a whole. all of whom are dead. but most highly developed and persistent among human beings.” The chapter discusses how music was originally written for amateur musicians but over time it grew into a setting reserved for the wealthy and fortunate and by the time the mid 1800’s came around. The concert hall and paying admission to concerts were also novel ideas that came about as a result of the previous two developments.• • • It is likely that the gestural dialogue will tell us more about the actual relationships between the conversers. The chapter opens with the author painting a mental picture of a symphonic concert. values) about these composers.. Chapter 5 – A Humble Bow refers to the conductor and his role in putting together an orchestra concert. The goal of any composition became less about giving the performers something to play and more about making an impact on the listening audience. the author questions if conductors are completely necessary and give some examples of orchestras that have not used conductors (although most have failed). but the ancient gestures of relationship have been elaborated over the history of the human race into the complex patterns of communicative gesture that we call ritual. If there is no conductor.is a way of articulating and exploring relationships. play for the audience and as they are all individuals off the stage they must become a collective entity during performances and “. The author discusses how the conductor is the main focus of the concert. This meets concert goers needs’ to connect with the myths (trials. (63) Chapter 4 . Audiences therefore view the dead composer's score as stable and unchanging word. Chapter 6 – Summoning Up the Dead Composer Most concerts feature the music of the Great Composers. music was reserved for listening to rather than performing and that only professionals should partake in playing music. current societal values and individual values. The capacity to play can be seen at least in all mammals.” The author continues to explore how an orchestra musician is more or less like any other occupation in that they will “engage in shop talk..A Separate World In essence. After a brief history of the rise of the modern conductor. Myths about a composer are rooted in history. warm-up. Ritual: never meaningless. Telling of myths give legitimacy and support to an actual social order or to support the beliefs of those who would change it. to affirm. Myth is always concerned with contemporary relationships. here and now. affirming and celebrating ways of relating to one another and the world. to take part in acting out a myth) interpretations of rituals. validated by supernatural and deities. To engage in a ritual is to engage in a form of behavior that we call metaphorical. Metaphoric associations depend on the shared bodily experiences of members of the same social group. Value lies not in its truth to any actual past but in its present usefulness as a guide to values and conduct. art and emotion – intimately and intricately linked together. Those who take part in it articulate relationships among themselves that model the relationships of their world as they imagine it to be and as they think or feel that they ought to be. Emotion that is aroused is a sign that the ritual is doing its work. stories of how the relationships of our world came to be as they are. ethics and social relations. “secular” (emphasizes ritual’s links with tradition. Provide models or paradigms for human experience and behavior and lay the foundation for all social and cultural institutions. Ritual is the mother of all the arts! • • • • • • • • • • • • . to speak of one leads to another. Metaphor is concerned with relationships in which he physical and sensuous experience of human beings and our bodily experiences of the world are used to understand those often extremely complex and abstract concepts with which we need to be able to deal. Interlude 2: The Mother of All the Arts • • Concepts: ritual. Used to define a community. myth. malleable and negotiable) and “sacred” (emphasizes its links with the unquestioned and seemingly unchanging values of a society. participant feels at one with the relationships created. metaphor. to explore. To think metaphorically we project patterns that derive from the concrete experience of our bodies and our senses onto more abstract experiences and concepts such as morals. all are concerned with relationships. an act of exploration. as an act of confirmation of community. and thus how they themselves should relate to it and to one another. and as an act of celebration.the sacred space of the concert hall a ritual (concert) is led by a conductor who interprets the work of a composer. or paralanguage. and to celebrate their ideas of how the relationships the cosmos operate. a form of organized behavior in which humans use the language of gesture. Myth: fictitious or imaginary person or event. This ritual unites listeners and performers in exploring. Score and Parts Small addresses music notation and its performance in the modern concert hall-how classical musicians are dependent on the written musical form. glockenspiel and other percussion instruments these "sharp attack" instruments add color to the piece of music. in much the same way as does speaking and understanding of a spoken language - . He uses the word "reassurance "-how that performing classical pieces the same way each time doesn't disturb anybody. wearing. All art is performance art. A score is a set of "coded instructions". Chapter 7 .Harmony. affirming and celebrating our concepts of ideal relationships. performing and using. not the created object. It is first and foremost an activity. Ritual does not just use the arts but itself is the great unitary performance art in which all the arts have their origin. and this reassures those who attend these things are as they have been and will continue to be so. self-contained works. It is the object that exists to bring about the action. gentle and raucous) the orchestra will present a purposeful sound carrying its hearers forward through time and a creating cycle of tensions and relaxations the idea of a purposeful sound depends on the acceptance by those playing and those listening of a number of conventions. Chapter 8 .• • • • • • Both ritual and the arts are gestural metaphors. Small feels there should be some interpretation (or. exhibiting. Ritual is Action! Its meaning lies in the acts of creating. if you like "leeway") in the performance of classic symphonic works. slow and rapid. Changes between loud and soft. complex and simple. The act is important. rather than forming part of the basic texture of the sound in the sound world of the symphony orchestra "noise" means sounds whose pitch either does not stay steady enough to be perceived as pitch or cannot be reduced in the perception of the players and the hearers to one of the seven tones of the diatonic scale or the five alternative chromatic tones that lie between them the orchestra will present an eventful sound in which a great deal of change will happen in a short amount of time (ex. in which the language of biological communication is elaborated into ways of exploring. Only works created since about the 19th century that appear not to possess a ritual function and to have become simply isolated. Heavenly Harmony conductor's first gesture dictates what type of sound will be produced the ensemble's power is exerted without apparent effort the player's lack of effort is reflected in the smoothness in the attack of each note they play the sharp attacks we hear come from instruments of more recent arrival in the orchestra such as the harp. between notes. of a very specific type called triads are arranged in succession to create meaning the ability to play the game of arousing. Each musical performance articulates the values of a specific social group and no kind of performance is any more universal or absolute than any other. We should not allow the verbal bias of our present-day society to make us assume that they are the only means by which concepts can be passed on. however. Reality may be socially constructed. both simultaneous and in succession. in the death that is a euphemism for orgasm everyone understands tonal harmony to a certain degree. they would not feel the tensions and relaxations that the harmony provokes film and television music are an example of how composers manipulate the meanings generated by the tonal harmony tonal harmony is a paradoxical technique because it is not just the relationships between the tones that form the basic chordal structure but also the relationships between the chords harmony operates within the closed circle of pitches that is called equal temperamentthe small gap between the start and end of the circle is called the comma the system is called the equal temperament because it makes every one of the twelve half-tone steps that in Western music comprise the octave equal to every other the way the relationships between the pitches are organized stands behind and governs all the other sound relationships of a musical performance Interlude 3 – Socially Constructed Meanings Ritual is a means which we experience our proper relation with which we "connect". we need not find it surprising that it should arouse in us a powerful emotional response. Wagner's Tristan und Isolde in which the pair of lovers find satisfaction only at the moment of resolution of the dissonance. but no individual is bound to accept unquestioningly the way it is constructed. and finally satisfying the listener's expectation is a major element of the skills of composers in the Western concert tradition (ex. or chords.it is the performance that makes the meanings and the syntax is part of that meaning but is not the whole of it the use of syntax is a complex of procedures called tonal functional harmony. . which is to say sounds with determinate pitch.if not. frustrating or teasing.- - - all ways of "musicking" have some kid of syntax. which establishes and governs the relationships. "To music" is not just to take part in a discourse concerning the relationships of our world but is actually to experience those relationships. the reason for the performance but the sign that the performance is doing its job. The emotional state that is aroused is not. sounds that are not noise tonal functional harmony is a technique by means of which simultaneous combinations of tones. Reality is socially constructed.no meaning is created until a performance takes place.some way of controlling the relationships between the sounds that are made musical meaning is not accounted for by syntax alone. When we "music" we engage in a process that connects. We hear sounds and place them into our relationships to create meaning. just as quickly as it hits our eardrum. Composers set a standard for other composers to live up to. Symphony is a dramatic narrative in which relationships occur. Throughout time actors or composers have expressed various emotions and or roles through acting or music. 2. music and the roles or characters they portray. etc. The composer develops the symphony through musical gestures and listeners and performers experience his symphony in performance as a sequence of events in time. disturbed. Dramatic orchestral work. . and was created strictly for entertainment. why would we enjoy listening to it? 8. Chapter 10 . Roles portrayed by actors or composers may be such gender roles which have come to be known as traditional. 3. for example Brahms was influenced by and felt insecure because of Beethoven’s symphonies serving as models for other composers to follow.The meaning of a composition lies in the relationships that are brought into existence when the piece is performed. and we are celebrating our relationship to it. and reestablished is the basic premise behind western story telling for the past three hundred years. We are affirming the validity of its nature as we perceive it to be. Emotions may include love. 6. The relationships at the end of the performance are not the same as those of the beginning. joy. 5. Enjoyment needs to be presented from the beginning of the symphony because if it wasn’t. musicians. tragedy. The structure of the symphony creates its own drama of relationships. Symphonies have drama that can be expressed in comedy. The relationships are of two kinds: the interpretation of the written music and those between the participants in the performance. We need make no effort of will to enter into the world that the performance creates. it envelopes us. or epic. just as pop songs are today. Order is established. which evolved in the mid 1700’s. 7. whether we will it or not. Who we are has evolved a little. Chapter 9 – An Art of the Theater This chapter encompasses various relationships between actors. a drama of opposition and revolution. hate. Output of symphonies was numerous and demand was high. was the symphony. 4. depression.A Drama of Relationships 1. depending on the way it’s written and performed. The shaping of a narrative needed to be changed in order for the creativity of the composer to come through. 9. It tells us a story that will either catch our attention or surpass us. As listeners or observers we don't necessarily need any training in identifying these relationships but know how to recognize them in part because they are often over exaggerated and enhanced. whereby to make those who participate feel spiritually refreshed and nourished after the ceremony is complete. and it makes musicking more difficult. Chapter 11 . and new order is established which forms from the old. 11.A Vision of Order Small explains how the order of a symphonic work is disrupted by two conflicting forces. and a resolution. Struggle and conflict are the engines that drive the symphonic drama and the sense of struggle between opposing forces is never far away. gesture and ceremony. story of the symphony more easily. the sounds that are made and the people who take part. He describes how these driving forces play out in Beethoven's 5th symphony ending in the protagonists victory and in Tchaikovsky's 6th symphony ending in the protagonists demise. because words would only take away from the message. Structure of a symphony: Order is established. and the supernatural. We must remember to switch the meaning on again. we can get a sense of the conflicts and anxieties the composers might have been going through personally as well as what was happening in their culture at that time. even though one should be able to convey. 13. and perhaps the untrained musician is able to hear the drama. because of the lack of desire or knowledge to listen for structure. untrained non musician. whether conscious or not.What is really going on here? Author clarifies the definition of Musicking: Musicking is a language of relationships. a sense of conflict or suspense. and not lose that ability to listen and be touched for meanings sake. on some level. the environment. The gestures in Musicking are what effortlessly carries the complete message without the use of words. Overall. 12. The ceremony of Musicking is the performance of the Meta-Narrative (a beginning. more than the structure. These (virtual or ideal) relationships are created between a person and oneself. other people. Formality may get in the way of understanding the meaning. They are listening to the story. the experience of Musicking in words. these relationships have two categories. Taking part in this ceremony (musical performance) the values and feelings of these proper (ideal) relationships can be explored. both create extreme tension and sometimes violence before coming to any resolution. a protagonist which has masculine characteristics and the antagonist which has feminine characteristics. During this ceremony there is an allowance of Participation Discrepancies which do not ruin the overall experience. fairytale) where the musicians are crucial for the experience to take place. Small also suggests. disturbed. Discusses trained musician’s reaction to symphonic work vs. affirmed. through the composers work. and celebrated which brings meaning to the performance. Chapter 12 . . even in the most placid moments.10. A Solitary Flute Player As the author further explores the concept of "Musicking". Chapter 13 . and the connection between the way he plays and the assumptions. Musicking is more powerful in articulating human relationships than speech. The act of drawing was a condition for survival in the class and taught them the relationships between the body parts. African societies are saturated with these opportunites with every single individual making some contribution.It was not about the finished product of the drawing. and customs of his society. 4) being told you are tone deaf and even 5) Schools.Three questions can be explored in order to realize the effects within Musicking: What is the relationship between those taking part and the physical environment setting? What is the relationship among those taking part? What are the relationships between the sounds that are being made? Each of these questions can be explored to broad or very specific relationships. a lone herdsman is playing a hand made flute as he guards his flock in the African night. affirmation and celebration of relationships expand between 1) one performance and another 2) different styles and genres all the way to 3) other traditions and cultures. The main question is what kind of relationships could exist in this performance when he is completely alone. Teachers often look for and develop the talent of gifted students instead of developing the musician in each student. practices. . Many agencies militate against the musicality of ordinary people 1) the assumption that m. assessed and evaluated each other noncompetitively. Similarly in musicking our exploration. The Postlude – Was it a good performance? & How did you know? If musicking is an aspect of language of biological communication as a condition of survival then all are born with the gift of musicking no less than the gift of speaking and understanding speech. As a first year zoology student the author was to draw the dissections done in class. he chooses to muse on a unique musical performance situation. In the West there are few opportunities for informal and continuous cultivation in musicking as in speech communication. 2) the media diefying stars.ability is rare. analyzed. In this hypothetical (or possibly real) example. discussed. The challenge of music educators is how to provide that kind of social context for informal and formal interaction. the connection between this flute which he has created and the models it is based on in his society. Some of the relationship found include: the life he breathes into the flute. 3) family members passing judgment on one another (your sister has the good voice). The zoology students compared. The author feels that the relationships articulated by symphony concerts are too hierarchical. The PA systems in public arenas (shopping malls.Those who have been silenced have been wounded in a very crucial and intimate part of their being. First came performance. Mozart never practiced after age seven but relied on his musical activities to keep him in trim. airlines etc.) express an unequal power to the listener because they have no choice in the matter. distant and one dimensional. gestures we call performance. All musicking is serious and none is intrinsically better than any other way of musicking. Music exists to give performers something to perform. . Music's language is not of words but of gestures.