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When talking about music appreciation, I immediately think of comparing and analyzing music, both ancient and modern. In Prompt 3, I have thought of Gould’s two interpretations of Goldberg Variations by Bach. “In general, in his 1955 version of the Goldberg Variations, the tone color and phrasing are more unified like a stream flowing. While in his 1981 version, Gould emphasizes phrasing and rhythmic relations between variations. The tempo is overall slower so that he could add more ornamentation and expression. ” Reviewing the two versions of Gould’s rendition again, I think these two versions of Gould‘s performance correspond to the state of mind of people at a particular age. When you are young, you focus more on the purity of your technique, playing clear notes, and you have more passion and drive for phrasing. In middle age and old age, it becomes better to slow down the tempo to appreciate the rhythm and emotion. It is a good idea to revert to more emotive techniques.

In the process of enjoying the music, I have to say that I became interested in opera because of writing prompt 5. (I used to not actively listening to opera at all). The point of this prompt is what effect does listening to a piece of music repeatedly have? Here is my answer. “The excerpt I choose is “Shake the cloud from off your brow (Belinda/Chorus)” from Dido & Aeneas by Henry Purcell. The more intuitive change in repeatedly listening to this excerpt is the reflection of my attention to it. … Interestingly, I initially thought the instruments were just accompanying, but then I realized that the instruments and the female soloist were more like question-and-answer progressions, though they performed in sync. Or that they tell the story as separate and distinct characters. I began to imagine the lute and cello’s characters along with the music. The lute could be a wise servant, while the cello is more like the master of a castle. The lute is very talkative, constantly telling the story with the soloist, while the cello sits in the center and holds the rhythm of the conversation, with a solemn quality.”

In this course, one of the perspectives that runs throughout the semester is whether or not there is racial discrimination in music theory. From various sources and my experience in the real world, it is almost mandatory for students at prestigious conservatories around the world to study the composition methods of European 18th-century composers. And, of course, uvic has such a mandatory course as well. So, in Prompt 6, I talk about the changes that I think music universities should make to their music theory courses in the next five years. “I believe that in the next five years music schools should develop a pre-requisite course on why students should study music and music theory. For example, based on your family background and life experiences, how you relate to music specifically. Before embarking on any system of music theory, students need some time to really think about the direction of their musical path, rather than being forced to accept the theories of German composers from the 18th century in Europe. This course could have some lectures that introduce different music styles and composition methods in various countries or regions by professors. Or it could be better that every student needs to prepare and do some research for a class-wide presentation of music theory and style based on their ethnic background.”

Looking back on this semester, it has been a very special time indeed. The pandemic changed the way of life and the mindset of everyone. The environment of working was forced to be altered, and some of them even disappeared from then on. In Prompt 9, I gave my opinion on how musicians succeeded during this unusual epidemic era. “… While the Internet has made it easier to promote music, it has also made it less valuable. Live concerts are now being videotaped and put online for all to see, mostly for free. Also because the performances are videotaped online, many audiences refuse to pay for this form of a concert. Audiences believe that this kind of music should be free of charge and not on a par with ‘sitting in a concert hall’. The value of the music not in the music itself, but in the fact that you are paying to rent the venue for a period of time? This was certainly a blow and a challenge to musicians during the epidemic, at least to me, and I was shocked and upset to find this out. However, as much as we all think of music as spiritual sustenance, musicians not only see music in the same way but also depend on it for survival and work hard for it. I was very impressed with Cyber PR Artist family member Rich G. Aveo and his wife Cat London’s efforts to get paid music recognized and, arguably, to pave the way for future musicians like us.  It reminds me of when a man wants to propose to a woman, and they will gladly pay a musician or filmmaker to produce their own music or film for their fiancée. Although very old-fashioned, I can well imagine making money with music in a similar way during an epidemic. For example, making exclusive music. …, I think musicians need to be connected to people’s most true and basic lives to be successful. While making a lot of money with music is only one type of success for musicians, having money to survive is definitely a necessary prerequisite for success.”

Cyberpr. (2020, July 09). Musician’s Guide to Monetizing Music Live Streams. Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.cyberprmusic.com/monetizing-music-livstreams/

A wonderful interpretation of Beethoven

                                                                   —a concert response by Caitlyn Liu

On November 5th, I watched a cello and piano duet performed by UVic cellist Pamela Highbaugh Aloni and Vancouver pianist Jane Hayes on Livestream. The concert was held and recorded on September 18th at 2:30 pm at the Metropolitan United Church in Victoria. In this one and a half hour concert, pam and jane brought us two fabulous works by Beethoven: 7 Variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fuhlen” from Mozart’s Magic Flute, WoO46 and Sonata for Pianoforte and Violoncello in F major, Op. 5, No. 1.

It was definitely a smart choice to hold this duo concert in a church, as the whole church gives a good reverberation to the sound of the instruments, making both the piano and cello sound very ethereal but clear. I was particularly impressed with the clarity of tone, as the Magic Flute Variations began with the two players playing the first notes sensitively and firmly, and very synchronously. The perfect opening immediately cleared my brain and dragged me into this concert. Such good synchronicity and rapport kept me very focused throughout the whole concert. Then, with a piano solo that, like a stream, transmitted a soft breeze to the cello, they officially began their conversation. Whenever the piano played a melody, the cello would accompany some individual notes, as if nodding its head in response to the piano’s statement. When the cello speaks freely, on the other hand, the piano plays a continuous chordal accompaniment, as if it is watching the cello with gentle attention and love. Beethoven’s compositional mastery and control of the interplay between the duo is indeed exquisite, but it is also the emotions that the two players bring to the piece that create such a beautiful image in my mind. Such fluidity and silky smoothness make the music flow lightly. Jane’s chordal dynamics were very smooth, with the left and right hands going back and forth between the chords, like a leisurely young man walking in the woods. As the peaceful and beautiful section passes, the piece comes to the seventh variation. As the cello sings the melody firmly on the G string, the piano takes up the melody and the cello starts the pizz section. This part was probably my favorite part of the entire concert. The cello’s pizz is surprisingly not overshadowed by the piano’s heavy melody, and Pam infuses this part of the playing with a very rounded power that blends perfectly with the piano. At this point, I no longer heard the timbre of strings, but more like timpani, with a solid tone and precise rhythm. After this perfect interpretation, instead, I felt as if the beauty and fluidity of the whole piece was just a foil for this marching roar. With a short melodic repetition and two crisp chords, the entire piece ended.

As the sonata in F major begins, I am more impressed with Beethoven’s propulsive approach to the piece. Like Pam’ saying before the concert begins, “the sonata is more like a PIANO sonata ‘with cello’ (very quietly).” Beethoven used a lot of piano scales in this sonata to keep the whole piece flowing forward. Each ascending scale pushes up the dynamics and volume, while the descending scales seem to be poised for the next sprint. When it comes to the most famous melody of the first movement, the piano becomes even more virtuosic, and Jane plays it in such a way as to ensure that the melody is consistent and yet allows the audience to hear every note, though each note is fleeting and flows away before it can be appreciated. The melodic line is like a ballet dancer whirling around and speeding past on the beach, and it is not the music itself that can be appreciated, but the “footprints” left by the notes. I was also impressed that Beethoven seems to use many 5th intervals in the cello pizz in both pieces. Perhaps that is the other reason that the cello pizz sounds more firm and strong.

Overall, the concert was unforgettable. Jane’s interpretation of Beethoven’s portrayal of the fluidity of the piano was very well done, and Pam’s understanding of the bass part of the cello is very unique and impressive as well. This is a concert I would definitely listen to and enjoy again.