History of Music, part four Franz Josef Haydn

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Jeffrey B Langlois

Franz Josef Haydn

Franz Josef Haydn was certainly one of the greatest creative geniuses who ever lived. Born March 31, 1732, in Rohrau, Austria, into a musical family, Haydn received musical training at a very young age. When he was eight years old he was sent to Vienna to sing in the Vienna Boys Choir. When he left the boys choir he became a freelance musician, giving piano lessons, playing organ and violin in church serves, and sometimes playing in the court in Vienna. He tried his hand at composing during those years as a freelance musician and he realized that his counterpoint was weak, so he studied the famous instruction book on counterpoint by Johan Fux. During this time he also made a serious study of the music of other composers, mostly CPE Bach (the eldest son of JS Bach), whose music became a strong influence in his early works.

Haydn was loved and respected from Moscow to London during his lifetime. What composer prior to Haydn could boast such international fame? None, not even Handel had been that universally loved during his life. Haydn was jovial, friendly, and sociable. He was said to have gotten along with everyone, from cooks and stable boys to emperors. His affable nature and fatherly charm earned him the nickname Papa. Everyone called him Papa. He handled his fame and fortune with dignity and stoic equanimity.

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History of Music part three, the birth of the classical style

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Jeffrey B Langlois

Throughout the eighteenth century the public concert was gradually becoming more frequent. London was way ahead of any city in continental Europe in this endeavor. Public concerts were usually either sacred music or opera, but instrumental music was gaining in popularity, the popular forms being the orchestral suite and the concerto. As time went by the old concerto grosso, which contrasted a small group of soloists with the orchestra, was losing popularity, and the concerto for solo instrument was gaining by leaps and bounds. Basso continuo or figured bass, was becoming obsolete as a method of composing music, but still was used in opera and church music. It became obsolete in opera by the end of the eighteenth century but was still the main method of composition in church music until the first decade or so of the nineteenth century.

The piano was gaining in popularity, but harpsichords and clavichords could still be found in many households. The first sonatas of Haydn and Mozart were sold as “sonatas for piano or harpsichord” and even their early piano concertos were sometimes performed with harpsichord. Haydn’s early piano trios were marketed as being for piano or harpsichord. Music for solo keyboard (except for the organ) continued to be conceived as easy music for amateurs until Beethoven began composing his piano sonatas in the 90s.

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History of Music part two The Baroque Period

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Jeffrey B Langlois

Musical Instruments by Evaristo Baschenis(1617-1677) (from Wikipedia)

The period in music, known as the baroque period spans from 1600 to 1750. Though it seems somewhat arbitrary to divide music history into certain periods and it is impossible to say that a particular style was suddenly created during a certain year, there is much justification for these divisions which at first glance seem so arbitrary. Just as the replacement of the ars antiqua by the ars nova was a radical and revolutionary development that took place in a relatively short time, the delineation between Renaissance music and Baroque music marks a very profound revolution in the way music was composed and performed. Both the invention of accompanied melody and the invention of basso continuo occurred right around the year 1600 and mark the beginning of a drastic stylistic change.

The baroque period is usually broken down into early baroque (1600-1650), mid-baroque (1650-1700), and late baroque, (AKA high baroque) (1700-1750). A useful way of defining the baroque period is to say that it is the period in history during which basso continuo was the main compositional device by composers of both sacred and secular music.

In my opinion basso continuo (also called figured bass) is one of the most ingenious and artistically valuable inventions in history. It was invented in the church, but soon spread to secular music and dominated all music composition. Basso continuo was invented in Italy in the 1590s in response to the problem of having an organist or harpsichordist keep a group of singers together and on key. Providing the entire vocal score for the keyboard player was expensive and time consuming. Considering that new music was being composed all the time and the repertoire was huge, this was a real problem. With the deeper understanding of harmony that came about in the late 16th century, and with the desire to solve the above-mentioned problem, some Italian genius whose name is lost to history invented the idea of writing only the bass line, and putting numbers and symbols under the notes to denote such things that we now call inverted chords, 7th chords, chromatically altered chords, 6th chords, suspensions etc. The modern day analog of basso continuo is perhaps the lead sheet which serves as a skeleton for improvisation by a jazz musician.

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A Brief History of Music, part one, Medieval thru Renaissance

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Jeffrey B Langlois

Music began when a caveman named Grok was sitting around a campfire and discovered that he could make pleasing sounds. Okay, I won’t go that far back. I should start in medieval times because that is when musical notation was invented, thus it is the earliest time period from which we have any idea of what the music sounded like. Music notation was very crude at first, just a dot over each word or syllable, the dot going higher or lower to indicate if the melody goes higher or lower on that word or syllable. There was no indication of rhythm or time duration for each note. It was really just an aide-memoire. You had to already know the melody. Eventually someone hit upon the idea of using lines to indicate the pitch. The duration of each note was indicated as early as the 9th century, and eventually evolved into the method we still use today. By the end of the 13th century music notation was basically the same as what we have today, but was refined quite a bit over the next few centuries. Continue reading →

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Parallel Universes, Quantum Strangeness

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Jeffrey B Langlois

Art by Slawek Wojtowicz, 1997

The concept of parallel universes is not just a whimsical notion found in science fiction. Ever since the early days of quantum physics there have been scientists who take the idea very seriously. Today the idea of an infinite number of parallel universes has become mainstream. Though not yet a proven fact, the concept of parallel universes has broad explanatory power  and reconciles certain contradictions in quantum theory.

Most people believe in at least one parallel universe without even realizing that’s essentially what they are believing. Ask someone where they think they go when they die. Whether they call it heaven or the spirit world, it is in essence a parallel universe. When the Copernican Revolution forced people to abandon the idea that heaven is on the other side of the starry canopy, the canopy itself
being just beyond Saturn (Uranus and Neptune were not discovered yet), the location of heaven became somewhat ill-defined. Where is it? Smells like a parallel universe to me.

There are a few different types of parallel universes postulated by physicists. Some exist as expansions of other big bangs outside of the space-time continuum of our universe. Some exist in other dimensions in certain interpretations of string theory. Some exist on different time-scales (before our universe was born, after it dies), and some exist in the same space as our universe, but are a manifestation of a different branch of the so-called quantum wavefunction. This is the type of parallel universe that I will discuss below.

Now let’s delve just a bit into the weird world of quantum physics. Subatomic particles such as electrons, protons, and neutrons are convenient concepts for understanding physical reality. But they exist only in the mind. Without getting too deep into the arcana of quantum physics I will try to explain the concept of the collapse of the wave function.  A subatomic particle does not exist until an act of observation causes it to materialize. OK, I know it sounds weird to those of you who haven’t studied quantum physics, but let me go on. A subatomic particle only exists as a sort of cloud of probabilities defined by what is called the wavefunction. The amplitude of the wave at each location determines the probability of finding the particle at that location. The act of observing with a scientific instrument causes the wavefunction to collapse and the particle comes into existence in a certain location.  For a more detailed account of these concepts you should look up the double-slit-experiment and “Schrodinger’s Cat.”

There has been a great deal of controversy over the seeming randomness of the wave function collapse. This is what provoked Einstein to say that God does not play dice with the universe.  There has perhaps been even more controversy as to what exactly causes the collapse of the wave function. Is it caused by the probing with a scientific instrument or is it caused only by conscious observation? How can all of the subatomic particles in the universe exist only as a waveform of probabilities until an act of observation collapses the waveform? Over fifty years ago physicist Hugh Everett postulated that the quantum waveform exists as a superposition of all possibilities, and the reality we perceive is created by a process he called decoherence. The phenomenon of decoherence was introduced as a way of explaining why the reality perceived by quantum physics experiments looks like it is based on probabilities.  In a sense it is a corollary of another rather arcane quantum concept called entanglement.

I won’t attempt to describe decoherence in detail, mostly because my understanding of it is somewhat limited, but decoherence creates a reality that looks like a random collapse of the wavefunctions of particles, but in fact the wave functions never collapse. The reality we perceive is but one possibility of the wavefunction, every particle immediately (on a timescale unimaginably small) affecting all other particles and causing them to all exist as a manifestation of a certain part of the wavefunction. But the entire wavefunction still exists, and this opens the door to some rather exotic possibilities.

This is all rather bizarre and impossible to really understand, but it is all part of modern physics. The main point I want to make is that the decoherence of the wavefunction opens the door to the concept of one or more parallel universes that exist in the same space-time continuum as ours, but are not perceived by us. Well, not usually perceived by us. Now let me go a bit beyond the science and get really weird.

What if a being from such a universe is able to consciously (or accidently) adjust the quantum wave function of the matter that makes up his body? Could some strange being suddenly materialize in your living room? Could such a theory explain such manifestations as ghosts, poltergeists, UFOs, angels, demons, and even bizarre things like Bigfoot and chupacabra?

Let me end this by saying that our“consensus reality” is not the ultimate reality, but is only one of many realities (infinite?)created and supported by a higher reality or higher consciousness. Our “consensus reality” is like the shadows on the wall of Plato’s cave.

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The Philosophy of Max Weber

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Jeffrey B Langlois

Max Weber

Lately I’ve been giving a lot of thought to Max Weber and his ideas. Max Weber was a German sociologist whose work had a profound effect on social theory. His main contributions were what he called the rationalization and disenchantment of the world.

Rationalization in Weber’s sense of the word is a process of using knowledge for practical means, using logic and reason rather than emotion, and basing actions not upon morality, but on practicality. Over the centuries an increasing number of social structures have become based on calculated means toward a practical end. In Weber’s view, rationalization gave rise to capitalism and our modern bureaucratic type of government. Weber said “one can, in principle, master all things by calculation.”

Rationalization in Weber’s sense of the word, leads to rules and regulations. It leads to standardization of consumed goods and services. Societies, of course, cannot function without rules and regulations. And a certain amount standardization in goods and services is necessary. But having too many rules and regulations leads to inefficient bureaucracy, and too much standardization leads to a dull monotony in culture.

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The Duality of Mind and Matter

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Jeffrey B Langlois

The paradigm that has molded the thought of both science and religion in the western hemisphere has put consciousness and matter into two separate and distinct categories. The predominant scientific view is that consciousness is merely the result of biological processes. Though certain aspects of quantum theory challenge that view, it holds fast in the biological sciences.  The Judeo/Christian/Muslim tradition has separated matter and consciousness as it has also separated the sacred and the profane. This dichotomy is pervasive in western thought. This dualistic paradigm of mind verses matter constitutes the ontological framework upon which we have built most of our cultural convictions, both religious and secular. Indeed, it shapes all of our thoughts as to the nature of reality, whether we are the religious type or of a more scientific inclination.

What if consciousness is not merely an epiphenomenon of matter?  Mystics throughout the ages have been telling us that consciousness is primary, all else is illusory, and the Divine Consciousness, of which we are all a part, created and continuously creates all things, including matter and energy. People who are lucky enough to have a numinous experience, get a sense of oneness with all there is and a breakdown of the boundaries between mind and matter, between time and space. I submit to you, dear reader, that the “consensus reality” that we take for granted is mere illusion. I do not claim to have to have the answers, but I am not afraid to ponder the questions.

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Book Revue: Raggin’ Jazzin’ Rockin’ by Susan VanHecke

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Jeffrey B Langlois

Raggin' Jazzin' Rockin'This fascinating account of the history of instrument making in America is hard to put down. It compels you to keep turning its pages, and it does not disappoint. On each and every page you will find interesting facts about instruments and their makers. Written for a broad audience, this easy to read book is a font of information for those curious about the history of music making in America. No matter how well you know that history, I guarantee you will glean fascinating facts that you did not know. And it is well illustrated. Great care was obviously taken to gather together many historical pictures.

From cymbals to synthesizers, from brass to guitars, I found myself truly engrossed in each and every chapter. The chapter about Steinway and Sons was of particular interest to me as I have always been fascinated by the history of the piano. As I began reading that chapter I wondered if I would learn much of anything since I have already read quite a bit on that topic. I was not disappointed. I learned quite a bit of interesting facts about the history of piano making, particularly in Germany and America.

Another favorite chapter for me was the one about the history of the Martin guitar. That chapter and the one about Fender electric guitars were absolutely fascinating. This book sure cleared up some misconceptions I had about the history of the electric guitar. For some reason I had the misconception that Les Paul had invented the electric guitar. This book set me straight on that as well as a few other misconceptions I had about the history of the electric guitar.
If you like drums you will love the chapter on Ludwig drums. Being a Beatles fan I was interested in finding out how Ringo Starr unwittingly caused a tremendous surge in sales of Ludwig drum sets when the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. It seems that Ringo was so proud to own a Ludwig drum set that he had the name Ludwig printed on his bass drum, just above where the words “The Beatles” were printed. Sales skyrocketed as a result.

For those of you who like electric organs I guarantee that you will be spellbound by the chapter on Larry Hammond. What a fascinating genius he was! This chapter provides a detailed description of the development of the Hammond organ and its impact on music. The invention of the Moog synthesizer had a powerful impact on rock music and the chapter on Robert Moog and his new invention, gives a detailed account of how it all happened. Who were the first rock groups to use a synthesizer? Read this book and find out.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of music and/or instrument manufacturing in America. It is an easy read, and is filled with interesting information. You will not be disappointed.

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