Michael... Don't feel bad... those French composers all sound very similar. (Then again, the German composers of the Romantic Era sound the same to me too.)
Back when I was in High school is when I first sang the Palms. Then when I got to Westminster and discovered Faure's beautiful art songs, I couldn't figure out how the same guy could write in such a different style, until I took myself to the Music Library and dear old Grout LOl
Francis,
HAHA! The summer before I went to Grad school, I spent most of it reading Grout. I was one of two people to pass out of the Music History courses b/c we passed the entrance exam as a consequence. But I've always loved all kinds of history, and knowing useless facts. :) It's gotten me to where I am today. :)
I am embarrased to admit that I did not have any interest for history, psychology, english, etc, etc, etc. I only wanted to perform and compose from when I was five. Therefore, my Grout is in excellent condition!
Francis, You are too funny! Here's my confession- I did not do my final year at Westminster CC, A big part of the reason was that at that time, everyone, and I mean everyone, even us voice majors (some of whom0 couldn't play a simple hymn on the piano) had to analyze every single measure of the Bach bmoll under Julius Hereford. Terrifying. You could tell the seniors b/c they walked around with big fat notebooks filled with it. I bet you would have loved it!
Heh. We had to do Schenkerian analysis at my grad school. Came to find out the Ring was in D Flat. Never mind that it starts with 156 measures of pedal E flat. I suppose that makes the progress of the piece something like ii(M) - I. And the fourteen hours of music in between are just to get you from E flat to D flat.
Even though i compose (sort of), I never had much use for that level of distillation, frankly. I mean, can you really sum up Beethoven's 5th Symphony as i - VI - i - V - I? I suppose you can . . . but that doesn't give you what you can get from just listening to it or playing it.
Schenker is like Oscar Levant's comment about humor. He said, "It's like a frog. You can cut it open and see how it works, but in the process, the frog dies."
Paul French has written a piece, published by World Library Publications, that uses the chant Parce Domine as a refrain with english verses, alternating between cantor and SATB choir. The verses use an original melody as well as the SOUTHWELL hymn tune melody.
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