"Forget your major and minor scales today," Dr. Petrova said with a slight grin. "The 20th century threw them out the window, and now we're here to pick up the pieces."
She then launched into a dissection of Anton Webern's Symphonie Op. 21, a hallmark of serial composition. The room was silent, except for the scratch of pencils on paper as the students tried to keep up with the complexities of pitch structures and intervallic relationships. Dr. Petrova would play brief excerpts on a cassette tape and pause frequently, guiding the class through the intricate rows of pitches Webern used, pointing out the hidden symmetries and structures.
As the lecture progressed, the conversation shifted to post-tonal analysis and the works of composers like György Ligeti and Pierre Boulez. Dr. Petrova's excitement was palpable as she introduced Atmosphères by Ligeti, describing how the piece's dense textures evoked a feeling of sound as sculpture, with dissonance and harmony existing simultaneously. She pointed to the blackboard, where she'd drawn a rough graph showing the "Clouds of Sound" Ligeti constructed, guiding the students into new ways of hearing music beyond conventional harmony.
Within the last hour of the lecture we shifted to a discussion on Set Theory Analysis.
"Can anyone tell me how we can label a set?"
"I think we use a numerical system, like assigning numbers to pitches. For instance, C could be 0, C# as 1, and so on?" A Hispanic kid by the name of Miguel answered.
"Right! We often use the integer notation for that. So, if we take a C major scale, it would be labeled as {0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11}. What about transformations? Who can tell me how we might manipulate these sets?" Dr. Petrova further asked.
A black guy from the back of the lecture theater chimes in. "There's transposition and inversion, right? Like, if we take that C major set and transpose it up by a minor third, we'd get something different?"
"Precisely! Transposition involves shifting the entire set up or down by a certain interval. And what about inversion?"
A white kid named Liam raised his hand "Inversion is when you flip the set around a particular pitch. So if you invert {0, 2, 4}, we could find the intervals from the lowest pitch." Dr. Petrova nodded in agreeance.
"Can anyone explain why we might want to analyze music this way?" Dr. Petrova posed a thought-provoking question. Everyone started looking around, a few students exchanged quick glances, silently gauging each other's reactions and considering whether to contribute. Clearing my throat, I decided to answer.
" It helps us see patterns that we might miss otherwise. Atonal music can feel chaotic, but with set theory, we find structure in the "madness." I chuckled. " It's about uncovering the underlying framework of the music. This analysis can also illuminate connections between different pieces." I further explained.
"Excellent! Well said." Dr. Petrova said enthusiastically.
"Assignment for next lecture will be, forming a set using pitches from a chromatic scale and write down its transposition and inversion."
The lecture ended, and students filed out of the room. I grabbed my bookbag and headed to John to continue preparing my piece for the Ensemble Performance.
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After school, I decided to have dinner at Los Tres Potrillos , a Mexican restaurant in Jackson Heights. I was greeted by a friendly hostess who leads me to a cozy table by the window. The sound of laughter and conversation dances around, mixed with the faint strumming of a guitar from a nearby table where a small mariachi band plays softly. I take a moment to absorb the ambiance, bright papel picado banners flutter above, and the low lighting creates an intimate setting.
YOU ARE READING
Rebel (A Rihanna and Eazy E Love Story)
ФанфикThis is a tale of love, music, fame, and survival, where every decision could lead to a chart-topping hit or a life-shattering downfall.
