Food For Thought; #128; David Ott

the more connected with ws orleans tonight see excerpts from a lecture by dr david our music director and conductor of the philharmonic of the first music that really talking about number one composer claude debussy ravel debussy taught estimates that sound hits sounds so that we can listen to a quarantine try to actually shaving year they sold off a lot of we can be here on january the twenty fifth a nice sunny day in the spring is here and that tomorrow may go way but it's here today they'll enjoy only have a chance until you're here today because you're interested in the arts in love great art great music out and i don't have a lot of great music why don't reveal are as a country western music so if you were able to visit venice and liars that's

what we're going to do today is talk about the very important movement that closed the end of the nineteenth century and so the braves the way into the twentieth century no one to talk about is more associated with the with a romantic in the nineteenth century but if these things hadn't have happened very essence of the twentieth century and changes and painting architecture music couldn't have really taken place to talk about today are the elements that end of the nineteenth century but bridge the gap into the twentieth century so stand back with me to the year eighteen at night at eighty nine what was going on what was taken the events of the world that is the world's fair where all this the health now rather than a paris itself what's a significant about this particular era this is when the eiffel tower was unveiled the eiffel tower

which represents a paris but also authors is something new that suggests a new era is about to explore the many things about the eiffel tower certainly sleek of the romantic era with all the ornate news but the simplicity of structure suggest something new is in the air the talk today his impressions of an impressionist now prior to the turn of the century there were a number of french writers who became known as symbolised pollitz so those pilots were those who took not concrete elements but to try to try to take the french language and use the imagery of the language the fluidity of the french language in use that as the basis of their literature so they're using symbols rather than concrete elements were the importance and the last poets was now i'm a little eighteen forty two until at ninety eight so his

productive period would come in the last quarter of the nineteenth century another writer paul taylor who was my dates are just about the same eighteen forty four at ninety eight again we're talking about the last quarter of the nineteenth century it became known as impressionists and this affected the world the page a renoir eighteen forty one tonight in nineteen nineteen ninety when you look at the subject at your level that we'd pay a lot of attention to is not just the subject matter which is important because it's so simple it's everyday life but also the viewpoint of one moment in time the impressions that one would have in a moment of kind of like that simplicity the outside world these are the important elements these impressionists would include the paper's claude monet is a not unfamiliar names at all eighteen forty to nineteen twenty six

great painting of of monet's noticed it was the simplicity of the structures the importance of light clarity it was not an issue in that painting other impressionists and when monet dating thirty today at eighty three we come back to this painting because of many aspects about it that make it so interesting but a couple things that you might notice is where the setting is there's an emphasis on monday at an aunt entertainment if you look at our main figure here doesn't suggest somebody that you want to be friends with probably not isn't there something about her that a distant that school that's withdrawn does she look like a happy camper probably not look of that face

we'll come back to that in a few moments its freshness in the painting this understatement can't over emphasize the understatement elop element of this kind of painting to hint at rather than to knock this over with an impact that is an extremely important element as we move out of the nineteenth century and bridge ourselves into the twentieth century the fact of understatement because it's so much in contrast to what was going on in the nineteenth century lighting we've already use that effect but also loneliness affects the fact that the light itself in the effect of light is what were struck with it's not the subject and it's almost like we could reach out in texas the facts the senate is important here the lighting is the idea too was to capture the moment

not something that would happen over time but what was the impression at this very moment the fluidity i'd mention the word fluidity just a few moments ago i was thinking about the french language the french language where the words to sort of run together the river is subtle of the language is not hard edged like say the italians it's not deep in the throat as say the german language but here it's the fluidity of the french language that's so important so much in contrast what was going on in germany is anti heroic when you think of the great music of germany you thinking about her why is that so much because of the hero is so important that's what intrigued hitler i sent the case of all in france and france understatement the hero was not that important it is a movement against the strength of germany you think about the world war that would occur just a quarter century after that two of the countries that are deftly at war with each other so the seeds for a

war actually represented for us by the subject material and the approach that the great painters symbolists and will are just a few moments the composer himself is all about so this painting is was any of the other ones gives us a good idea of the elements of impressionism his thoughts on music that expressed by somebody not necessarily composers but other thinkers of the day a music before anything else in to obtain the effects of music to choose the asymmetrical stubborn thing about that word for just a minute not the perfection of one two three four five six seven eight it isn't the sunday school play where this this because at the top about that out that arm that out that that out that are but instead out of balance if we went back to that painting we just saw a few moments ago the luminous affect everything was off to the site

our effects were brought to the side of the painting so that we choose the asymmetrical rather than symmetrical rather than this and that's what the oddly rather than even for vader and more evanescent the and waited and the unrest this was stated by their land a symbol as power it there should be nothing but illusion the contemplation of objects the fleeting images of the daydreams that excite was checked the words that he uses illusion of contemplation fleeting images daydreams all those words capture the essence of what we're talking about it and impressionism illusion that is something that you capture in your mind you

contemplate you think you don't say it you imagine it flaming hot in a moment and then it's gone image something that isn't real it's a picture it within the mind and daydreams and this writer whose name is nella may suggest that all of these things will excite some would not resign that it would not say that it's music that isn't all but the music that uses the sense is we are a as it presses on the brain to create excitement when you listened to many great pieces of music sometimes it's rhythm that captures us we started with something as simple as a march by suicide bomb bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum that rhythm is the first thing that we are captured by then we pay attention to the to the melodies and then as a whole is that the one another that a lot and i'm bob mr kohut when into a minor key but on first thing

that we think of it is the rather quite as the first thing that the composer conductor it does is it gives to beats to make sure that the river is already set in motion before the piece begins so that rare moment in this case and excitement comes from the imagery as it comes to our minds and through the senses senses rather than the head gear some of the manifestations of impressionism there's a strong interest in nature know this is just a major actually begun earlier in the century but now there's a different look at how nature can be interested in the arts to look at this painting right here is the emphasis on the humans notice and it's on the animals and the animals in their natural habitat in the pasture and notice how much of this painting at least one third of that has nothing to do with any subject that you read all of that the

top and the bottom and there you can see how important that element of nature is rather than the picture that's been cut that's trying to be kind of portray driving here has a strong interest in nature has another painting you'll see again are figures we almost know nothing about our figures were far more captured by the way the light strikes the water's surface effective thing about fluidity water is fluid clouds are constantly in motion so that now we're taking something like clouds which are always an ocean liner which is always in motion and they failed focus of this painting is all on the fluidity of water and clouds together why these people knew almost nothing if they were sitting in the bow painting would have the same impression on us is another example i didn't look how much of this painting is given to the element of the water and the sky the figures

almost an important all so that moment as captured by the page and you also notice nothing is highly clear in any of these paintings we don't see the details as we would say in a painter who's trying to portray it to get us to see that personality of the person were only given a viewpoint were looking through the glass darkly at who these people are the painting just a moment ago you know wanted to see that painting again i bring this up to show that the skating isn't there a sort of a playing card flatness to it is is if there's very little in depth to the painting one of the things that middle aged middle evil medieval painters tried to do was to capture the essence of age vanishing point and wouldn't come until well into the fourteen hundreds when the real isn't a death in a painting was finally able to be captured in a way to stop that is the way i see it with my i

saw that the idea of the vanishing point which allows us to see things in a painting as they really would be like and realistic effect that's been around for hundreds of years so we know that the painter of this could have given us the element of death as it naturally occurs to rise but what he has chosen to do instead in order to keep this cool and restrained is given as a playing card flatness and we talked about her before she she's a cool character she only one to be here at you you know what it's like when you go to the restaurant you know and the waiter wants to sit down get on his knee and talk to you like your friend is if i'm david i'll be your sermon that you know nsa can help us and then he brings your cup of coffee in you say thank you and what is that waiters say well if your welcome anymore you know you don't you

don't you long for the day and good manners again when you say thank you and it was so you're welcome is that not a problem the widowed at are not a problem again getting paid to be here anyway you know as i would like to say what this lady is just said not a problem or she is saying you're probably wouldn't bother me today and so it's a call objective kennedy and check this one out what about that lady we know nothing about her that were given her backside these adult what we know they could've been having an argument not one of the other important aspects of this painting though is the entertainment element that you can see this as a night of great fine wine women dancing so that the music associated that would be gay enjoys and if you think about the cancan and is a you catch the idea bum bum bah bah bah bah dump obama that's the kind of music and that kind of art that was being created at this time to get the the festivities all of that but that day it and

festivities seems not to touch that woman once however she lives in another world that her moment the music that we'll be talking about an impressionistic period is dominated by one composer claude debussy what did you see taught us was that sound itself was important that we can listen to a cord that chord didn't have to do anything when a person sits signs of a music theory class what you really learned to do is you take the harmony class harmony more than rhythm or melody because harmony is the one element that makes western music given that all the music of all the other cultures no other culture has focused in on harmony bye honey i mean you put three notes down in the piano at the same time they sound at the same time what's created is either a harmony there's a pleasing to our ears or harmony on rest they both are considered harmony on western culture is the only culture that focuses and harmony now when you

said in music theory question you learn how to use harmony you learn this is when a sound is and then that sound can be used to all the other sounds for instance you learn to play the guitar you probably learn to play three chords secord g gordon the car and when you learn to play those records you can accompany almost any simple saw an underlying all the melodies a certain chord works along with a certain point of the melody that the melody comes out of the harmony now what did you see said was certain chords have a function they take us from one place to another just like the spark plugs in your engine have a function your gas tank has a function the transmission has a function and what duties he stops and says is he knew what we ought to do it let's just look at the wheels of a car from mom is focusing on that young people today spend a whole lot of money

on all kinds of fancy we'll still today and he stopped at a stop sign ever seen a guy's tire you will still going around and is illusion of using that and then they start up and it isn't moving at some sort of a kinetic energy thing is always does it well what that suggests is there are people in this world who were willing to spend money on focusing on does that make your car run faster isn't save you on gas mileage if you've got a fancy we like that we'll that but there's something about that person this is i want my wheels to be special what that's what debt is he said is that i would take sound that is a beautiful chord instead of saying that chord must do something like the wheels are used to transport us from this point to that point but he said let's just look at the wheels listen to sound and then focus on that point so we can appreciate the music from another standpoint

in his music the softness dominates fuel law dynamics are employed and if they are they're often muted good example is trump voters haven't installed gadget they can stick on the end of their trumpet in it does make the sound a little bit softer when it isn't a buzzy quality and other words it's a quality that changes the true quality of the trumpets sound so that in their disease music not only in this office dominate but the slight changes of terror are so crucial to understanding music and there are no hard edges in his music if there's a bump and i'm ok maybe once while that that is the exception to the rule no hard edges to the music in an emphasis on fluid rhythms if you watch a conductor of the first to connect is likely to do is gives tours at what we what we call an end chris is an inconsistency upbeat and in the creases the downbeat so that the first thing that we feel the music is

bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom bom dip into cruz's which then goes i mean i don't know what do you say oftentimes that is he gave his ah nothing on the downbeat so what's the connected ah ha and i'm accenting it to make the effect but if the blues musician plays out like this ah ha it feels like music is always evaporating right in front of us that fluid nature it's one of the elements that makes debussy's so difficult to play the piece and then apply we open our season the show with a film like one was difficulties that we had to apply because everybody has to feel it together to censor where is that downbeat it's only there almost as an allusion it's not even felt it's suggested it's so emphasis on fluid and just not to rhythms without any hard edges

softness dominates in the importance of sound itself and the nebulous <unk> harmonies and i was just talking about a moment ago that harmony doesn't have to do something doesn't have to function in a certain way that simply takes us or we listen to it as it has a beautiful moment of the music and hear a list of some of the addresses the painters were bored even of mostly the core bow goodbye rather manet monet they die or renoir cezanne so raw long list of names and how military were important composers wine wasn't there there will be another prisoner follows will be ravel that he really will become a post impressionist so that there are many by comparison many painters of this era really just one dominant dominant composer say there were others but debbie sees strong was so strong in his conviction in his ability because of his great compositional techniques that his music

dominates everyone else's of the time so i talk a lot about benghazi or suggested what does he look like if you're going to put up on screen and hear it claude denis a serious in fact tests of his teachers i told you know when you said and music theory question you learn harmony you learned this is where corn is constructed and discord functions in a certain way this courtly that court that court will lead this court in this court will take you home and debussy thought why do i have to listen to the same job rich and everybody else has been falling on for hundreds of years and he simply sad accord doesn't have to function certainly weekend so listen to that court and we can appreciate it for the sound itself and fully with all this it must fall to a certain way in fact i will share with you a call in a few moments that shows just how much he

detested the stages at having his teachers a bridge at home new vest and guests arrive chester know they didn't they would constantly giving him low grades they were reprimanded him they saw it had a talent but they didn't like his personality they didn't like his original ideas because in a way you know if it conflicted with what they had been taught me how they practiced their own music but day everyone had well after that he was a highly talented young composer in the proof of that is to what he won the premier role that mean surprise of world that prizes given to the composer who's considered up and coming in the career is a worldwide problem about a war and that and that was just pure because that was the whole musical world but it represented the greatest composer ah the age of the other new jersey and younger generation many other composers whose names you would know coveted that prize and never won it so that he won that liquid in it the printer will allow

him to spend three years in rome listening to italian music and learning italian life the italian approach him you know what he loved about italy a wealthy like the people like the food they like the music you why anything about it all he was overrated gathered for either roman god so that when he got out of that was three years of frustration with you know some kind of practice and to learn this is his art form important event happened when he traveled to buy right in at eighty seven this is the whole of wagnerian operas and mr steele said before that he was influenced by wagner he was but i was at a teacher actually it was a director and i said in my heart i will never do the way things the way that director does things he

embarrassed the people as i remember one time getting chewed out for something that wasn't my fault was the director had had been wrong but my face glowed red with embarrassment and i said i don't want to be that kind of a teacher another my high school band director of the most adept teams most wonderful work that's the kind of teacher i want to be someone who loves his subject and loves took to inspire other people with that and so that sometimes we are in their word and we use models of of the hollywood grid our allies will dedicate a wannabe to that there were other times we see people is about that he the way i want to be and that's how he looked at wagner he loved the idea of of nevada's power but he just couldn't stand that the german music would so dominate the french tradition so that he is influenced

by wagner but in that opposite why that i'm never going to go that way that would be the nature of abc news everything about beethoven's third symphony the first opening notes city utah detroit he thought he'd hauled up to that point not revolutionary but as an external got hall ball those two notes suggest something new is on the horizon because he's already moving away from what would be the expected in the classical period which goes before the romantic we expect the expected and it comes with beethoven expect to be expected and it doesn't come we have to expect the unexpected that's the magic of beethoven or beethoven started a revolution you think this fits into the pa pa pa pow with a force of just landed the door open and it was that kind of the revolution that was started by beethoven there's a commercial it came in the nineteen seventies to

remember finish this for me that ok there is the commercial somebody said if you want to catch someone's attention mr leary yeah and it was very effective it works or you know and singing your writing in the airplanes in there talking about this is an abuse prevention summarizes my my broker is here playing this quite robust and quietness has a very very strong impact i think it's so interesting if i were captured hinge right now i've been one of your eyes i stop by stopping we're expecting me to go on something civil war i'm shocked by that was it just sends a signal to get something interesting is about to happen so that in tennessee's case in tennessee's case it's the quietness where he starts his revolution beethoven start of the revolution at the beginning of the nineteenth century at the end of the nineteenth

century did you see himself starts a revolution but he doesn't it's ouch ouch