Elliott Carter once extolled the visceral, primitive effect of Penderecki’s Threnody on untrained listeners. In this article, I examine how a formalized analytical approach to the central section of the piece contributes positively to a phenomenological experience of the whole piece. Part 1 presents an ear-training progression aimed at bringing t…[Read more]

In this article I demonstrate how listeners understand musical processes with their bodies, and how their gestures can be used to build analytical models. Specifically, I draw on the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty to argue that situated, active listeners project their motor intentional gestures inside music, where they reconstitute the…[Read more]

In this article I demonstrate how listeners understand musical processes with their bodies, and how their gestures can be used to build analytical models. Specifically, I draw on the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty to argue that situated, active listeners project their motor intentional gestures inside music, where they reconstitute the…[Read more]

This paper argues that Epicene, Jonson’s first public play after being made official court masque writer, is unusually optimistic about the possibilities of drama. The play explores the possibility of creating an authentic personality through performance, an idea that Jonson is often hostile towards. However, Jonson’s flirtation with this…[Read more]

Composer Donnacha Dennehy could be described as a bi-coastal composer, but in his case that would be the East Coasts of both Ireland and the United States of America. He is known for his work as co-founder of the Crash Ensemble, based in Dublin, and has four collections of his work issued on CDs from Nonesuch, RTE, and NMC. He joined the…[Read more]

Trying to rank Bach’s great moments is like trying to rank miracles in order of impossibility. Yet I’ve caught myself feeling that a moment in the B Minor Mass may be the greatest of all. This short essay, adapted from a chapter in my forthcoming ebook Why Bach?: An Audio-Visual Appreciation, says why. If features highlighted scores that play as a…[Read more]

Companion materials for “Introductory Digital Humanities Curriculum for the High School English Classroom,” also available on Humanities Commons.

The development of the Portuguese entertainment market and the rise of several types of musical theatre are inextricably bound to the complex symbolic and material process through which Portugal was established, presented, developed, and commodified as a modern nation-state between 1865 and 1908. During this period, several fundamental…[Read more]

The development of the Portuguese entertainment market and the rise of several types of musical theatre are inextricably bound to the complex symbolic and material process through which Portugal was established, presented, developed, and commodified as a modern nation-state between 1865 and 1908. During this period, several fundamental…[Read more]

Part One of this study seeks to define the nature of Spanish and Italian printed keyboard sources in the 16th and 17th centuries. In Chapter two, seven Spanish keyboard prints or theoretical works are examined, dating from 1546 to 1626. These works clearly state a conception of the ideals of keyboard playing; they also show the beginnings of a…[Read more]

Musico-analytical examination of Frank Ocean’s album Blonde and the lyrical references and musical allusions to a marijuana high.

Historical, analytical, and critical overview of John Zorn’s celebrated file-card composition, Cobra.

For Arnold Schoenberg, presentation (Darstellung) is an act of conscien- tious composition by which the formal/functional properties of motives and Gestalten, along with any possible development or variation, are real- ized in the creation of a coherent musical artwork. Presentation, then, is the manner by which a musical idea (Gedanke) is made…[Read more]

Book-length examination of the musical, artistic, and aesthetic practices of the American experimental composer and saxophonist, John Zorn.

The Smiths are one of the most commercially successful and in uential bands to emerge from the British post-punk movement in the 1980s. Along with elements such as lyrics, harmony, and musical form, a key component of The Smiths’ distinctive musical style involves their sound and, in particular, their sound as represented on studio recordings. D…[Read more]

In this essay, I examine how aspects of rhythm and metre play a fundamental role in shaping and defining Led Zeppelin’s musical style. At the same time, I will show how Led Zeppelin was able to modify, manipulate, and develop pre-existing musical models and forms through various rhythmic and metric strategies. Comparative analyses will be used i…[Read more]

Musico-analytical examination of Frank Ocean’s album Blonde and the lyrical references and musical allusions to a marijuana high.

Historical, analytical, and critical overview of John Zorn’s celebrated file-card composition, Cobra.

For Arnold Schoenberg, presentation (Darstellung) is an act of conscien- tious composition by which the formal/functional properties of motives and Gestalten, along with any possible development or variation, are real- ized in the creation of a coherent musical artwork. Presentation, then, is the manner by which a musical idea (Gedanke) is made…[Read more]