NEW BLOG PAGE

I have moved this blog to wordpress. As much as I do prefer Google, I feel that wordpress has smoother edges (so to speak).

The new blog can be found here.


http://yagankiely.wordpress.com/


Yagan Kiely

Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)

The ACTA is a dangerous new treaty under negotiating by several nations. The agreement severely breaches privacy laws by allowing boarder officials to search devices (Including phones, media players and computers) for infringing material (the varying consequences of which are worrying alone), and it allows corporate entities to easily and quickly view ISP records of its users - you.

On top of privacy beaches, the law would treat individuals who infringe copyright as criminals. What this means is that if you infringe copyright for private use or for profit the results are the same.

While creating an uproar, publicity still leaves much to be desired, especially for such a frightening situation. A virtual police state in one of the last remain places of free speech. The Governments negotiating the treaty and not serving the interests of the vast majority of the people.

If you are in one of the countries effected the best thing to do is raise awareness in the public. Other things include writing letters or emails to your government.

This is a very dangerous law for the public, don't allow it.

The Naturalism of Tonality – Part 3: Inherent Tonality

“Our peasant music, naturally, is invariably tonal, if not always in the sense that the inflexible major and minor system is tonal. (An "atonal" folk-music, in my opinion, is unthinkable.) Since we depend upon a tonal basis of this kind in our creative work, it is quite self-evident that our works are quite pronouncedly tonal in type. I must admit, however, that there was a time when I thought I was approaching a species of twelve-tone music. Yet even in works of that period the absolute tonal foundation is unmistakable. „ - BelaBartók (1928). The Folk Songs of Hungary, Pro Musica VII (Oct)

With few exceptions, no matter what music we listen to, tonal implications are present. Whether it is the Pythagorean intervals of the wholetone and twelvetone scales, the modal and pentatonic scales of world music, or the Modes of Limited Transposition by Messiaen, all house some sort of tonal groundwork. Messiaen stayed consciously away from the wholetone scale in (while listing it as the first in his modes of limited transposition generally stayed away from it in his pieces), purely because of its separation from tonality as the wholetone scale avoids leading tones (See part 1).

Tonality has been used throughout cultures throughout the centuries, in the Modal music of Persia and Europe, or the Pentatonic Scales of Africa and Asia. The anhemitonic pentatonic scale especially gets its notes (unintendedly) from the first five keys in the circle of fifths. This domination of 5ths (as every not in the anhemitonic pentatonic scale as it’s relative fifth), implies yet another involvement of the Pythagorean Intervals that form tonality. Variants of the pentatonic scale (such as the hemitonic pentatonic scale), are mere variants of the purer anhemitonic scale. However, the semitone in hemitonic pentatonic (C Db Eb G Ab) is related to tonality through borrowing the leading tone from the Ionian scale – the same leading tone that works functionally only because of the tritone discussed in Part I. Almost as endorsement for the tonal origins of pentatonic scales is the relative minor pentatonic scale. Assuming that the anhemitonic pentatonic scale starts on C, the relative minor pentatonic scale will then start on A – Yet another borrowing from traditional tonality.

The medieval modes are evidently closely related to the traditional tonality as they are taken from the scale degrees of any key. Polymodality and Chromatic Polymodality are variants much like the hemitonic pentatonic scale are variants of the anhemitonic pentatonic scale. The inclusion of extra semitones are there purely as a functional leading tone. Like pentatonic scales, modal music has been extensively used by various cultures all over the world. Finally lending to my argument that tonal music, its extensions and variations are more natural than any version of Atonality. This is not to say that all atonal music is unnatural, nor is it to demean atonal music, it is merely to illustrate tonalities consistent part in music. Tonality has always been with music, consciously or not, has survived the tonal crisis of the early to mid twentieth century and is sure to survive as long as we could imagine.

"Naturamexpellasfurca, tamenusquerevenit.(You can drive nature out with a pitchfork, she will nevertheless come back) „ – Horace (65-8 BC), Epistles I.X.24.

Part 1: Tonal Gravity
Part 2: Exploitations

The entire three articles can be found as a PDF here.

The Naturalism of Tonality – Part 2: Exploitations

“Tonality is a natural force, like gravity„ - Paul Hindemith

The reason why there is Tonal Gravity is because of the dominant, but what are ways of exploiting it?, how do imperfect (half), plagal or interrupted (deceptive) cadences fit in with the concept of tonal gravity? Basically, they are there to create tension within the piece – to prolong the dominant - , and to fool the listener.
In reality, there are only three possible chords in tonal music, Tonic, Subdominant, and Dominant. To make music more interesting (as I, IV and V can get laboured after a while), there are variations in these chords. IV can also be iv, ii, or II (among a myriad of others), V and be vii○, iii7 (and countless others ), I can be VI, bVI, to name a few. With chord IV and V, the variants are often just that, variants to make music more interesting, however the latter (I) it more often attributed with attempting to fool the listener. When the listener gets pulled towards the Tonic (through a Dominant chord) and instead finds bIV it is (be it only slightly) a shock of sorts to have resolved to the tonic yet have the release taken away all the same.
You might ask how bIII fits within this system, and the answer is not black and white. The only way to determine a chords function is to assess its surroundings. Ambiguous situations may require educated guesses, but more often than not, one can come to an adequate decision. Backtracking slightly (Bear with me as I do digress into listing them) the tonic can be a number of chords: I, bIII, III, bVI, VI (Mention of their parallel minors is unimportant). It is because of these Chromatic third relations that (which all include at least two notes from chord I, minor or major) that a doorway is opened for various Dominants and Subdominants. For example, because of bIII’s relation to I, bVII (bIII’s dominant), can also be dominant of I. Because of this, many chord have two or three possible functions. III can be dominant as well as tonic; because of (any variant) VI’s proximity with chord IV it can be Subdominant as well as Tonic. To determine which of these a chord’s function actually is, one must analyse the chords surrounding it.

Examples A and B are quite straight Chromatic Mediant borrowing. But in example C, while both sets of progressions are logical, the rhythm of the allotted chords do not follow logical sense (using the lower interpretation) as it resolves before the tonic. In Example D, there is no logical functionality in the chords if following the bottom interpretation.

Part 1: Tonal Gravity
Part 3: Inherent Tonality

New Composition

I have added two new files to the music player (Located on the bottom of the right column).
The piece is Clarinet Sonata in C that took me around a year to write. The first movement moves attacca into the second with the third taking up the second file. It was performed at the clarinettist’s recital, and lasts just over 15 minutes.

Underrated or unfamous No.2

Unfamous Composer: Georges Onslow [Wikipedia article]
Born in France where he lived his entire life, son of an English Father. and French Mother, Onslow was reagarded by many composers as in the same class as mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. He was admired by Schubert and Beethoven. Although a large number of his output was devoted to String Chamber music, he did compose a variety of pieces for other genres including four symphonies and four operas

Underrated Piece: Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 7 [Wikipedia article]
Both Performers and Audience were confused by the work at its Premier conducted by the Composer. It is one of Mahler’s least performed works. Piece is dark, schattenhaft (shadowy) and grotesque: it is not exactly 'pleasant' listening. However, the piece certainly maintains spectacular orchestral colours we are accustomed to in Mahler; interesting, but dissonant chromatic harmonies - Sweet and beautiful, yet cruel and harsh -, the pieces melodies are angular, yet they remain memorable. In between the darker areas of the Symphony are moments of infinite serenity. These Pastoral moments hark back to his 6th symphony through direct reference to its Cowbells.


Underrated or unfamous No.1

Restoration of the IMSLP

The IMSLP is well on its way to restoration, although exact timeframes are yet to be put in place. Involved in the revival will be the incorporation of a non-profit IMSLP Foundation (Name not yet disclosed – suggestions appreciated) in the US.

The original MediaWiki main site is currently up and running, however it is only accessible to Administrators for the purpose of copyright tagging.


Feldmahler (the IMSLP's owner):

“* 22 January 2008 - The roadmap for the revival of IMSLP has been set. Like all good things, this may take a while, but we will persevere. The revival of IMSLP involves the incorporation of a non-profit IMSLP Foundation (exact name not decided yet, though we do have one in mind; do feel free to suggest one if you think of any) in the US. Because of this, help on the following points would be much welcome:

1. Files public domain in Canada but not the US do not need to be removed; however, accurate tagging of US public domain status is crucial. This especially goes for files tagged "Verified" or "Checked" prior to the splitting of the copyright tag into three jurisdictions; these files are currently tagged V/U/U (Verified/Unknown/Unknown) or C/U/U by default.
2. I welcome any and all help with either non-profit incorporation (in the US and Canada) or non-profit corporate maintenance (taxes, accounting, etc) offered, or even just any suggestions or words of wisdom (preferably from prior experience). Any help with obtaining charity status is also very welcome.

* In other news, I finally won the battle with my laptop (who wants to retire), and will be uploading IMSLP v0.7 soon, most notably with the newly designed multi-file template Smile Had finished it before Christmas, but never got a chance to upload it.„

There are still a number of free PD score archives available and accessible until the return of the IMSLP


Source A and B