Principles of Pitch Organization in Béla Bartók's 'Duke Bluebeard's Castle'

The topic of my doctoral thesis is to demonstrate the usefulness of incorporating tonal and modal elements into a pitch-web square analysis of Béla Bartók's (1881-1945) opera, 'A kékszakállú herceg vára' ('Duke Bluebeard's Castle'). My specific goal is to demonstrate that different musical materials, which exist as foreground melodies or long-term key progressions, are unified by the unordered pitch set {0,1,4}, which becomes prominent in different sections of Bartók's opera. In Bluebeard's Castle, the set {0,1,4} is also found as a subset of several tetrachords: {0,1,4,7}, {0,1,4,8}, and {0,3,4,7}. My claim is that {0,1,4} serves to link music materials between themes, between sections, and also between scenes. This study develops an analytical method, drawn from various theoretical perspectives, for conceiving superposed diatonic spaces within a hybrid pitch-space comprised of diatonic and chromatic features. The integrity of diatonic melodic lines is retained, which allows for a non-reductive understanding of diatonic superposition, without appealing to pitch centers or specifying complete diatonic collections. Through combining various theoretical insights of the Hungarian scholar Ernő Lendvai, and the American theorists Elliott Antokoletz, Paul Wilson and Allen Forte, as well as the composer himself, this study gives a detailed analysis of the opera's pitch material in a way that combines, complements, and expands upon the studies of those scholars. The analyzed pitch sets are represented on Aarre Joutsenvirta's note-web square, which adds a new aspect to the field of Bartók analysis. Keywords: Bartók, Duke Bluebeard's Castle (Op. 11), Ernő Lendvai, axis system, Elliott Antokoletz, intervallic cycles, intervallic cells, Allen Forte, set theory, interval classes, interval vectors, Aarre Joutsenvirta, pitch-web square, pitch-web analysis.

Koko talo soi : Klemetti-Opisto suomalaisen musiikkikulttuurin kehittäjänä 1953-1968

This study aims to examine the operations and significance of the Klemetti Institute (Klemetti-Opisto) as a developer of Finnish music culture from 1953 to 1968 during the term of office of the Institute s founder and first director, Arvo Vainio. The Klemetti Institute was originally established as a choir institute, but soon expanded to offer a wide range of music courses. In addition to providing courses for choir leaders and singers, the Institute began its orchestral activities as early as the mid-1950s. Other courses included ear training seminars as well as courses for young people s music instructors and in playing the kantele (a Finnish string instrument) and solo singing. More than 20 types of courses were offered over the 16-year period. The Klemetti Institute s courses were incorporated into the folk high school courses offered by the Orivesi Institute (Oriveden Opisto) and were organised during the summer months of June and July. In addition to funding based on the Folk High School Act, financial assistance was obtained from various foundations and funds, such as the Wihuri Foundation. This study is linked to the context of historical research. I examine the Klemetti Institute s operations chronologically, classifying instruction into different course types, and analyse concert activities primarily in the section on the Institute s student union. The source material includes the Klemetti Institute archives, which consist of Arvo Vainio s correspondence, student applications, register books and cards, journals and student lists, course albums and nearly all issues of the Klemettiläinen bulletin. In addition, I have used focused interviews and essays to obtain extensive data from students and teachers. I concentrate on primary school teachers, who accounted for the majority of course participants. A total of more than 2,300 people participated in the courses, nearly half of whom took courses during at least two summers. Primary school teachers accounted for 50% to 70% of the participants in most courses and constituted an even larger share of participants in some courses, such as the music instructor course. The Klemetti Institute contributed to the expansion throughout Finland of a new ideal for choral tone. This involved delicate singing which strives for tonal purity and expressiveness. Chamber choirs had been virtually unheard of in Finland, but the Klemetti Institute Chamber Choir popularised them. Chamber choirs are characterised by an extensive singing repertoire ranging from the Middle Ages to the present. As the name suggests, chamber choirs were originally rather small mixed choirs. Delicate singing meant the avoidance of extensive vibrato techniques and strong, heavy forte sounds, which had previously been typical of Finnish choirs. Those opposing and shunning this new manner of singing called it ghost singing . The Klemetti Institute s teachers included Finland s most prominent pedagogues and artists. As the focused essays, or reminiscences as I call them, show, their significance for the students was central. I examine extensively the Klemetti Institute s enthusiastic atmosphere, which during the early years was characterised by what some writers described as a hunger for music . In addition to distributing a new tonal ideal and choir repertoire, the Klemetti Institute also distributed new methods of music education, thus affecting the music teaching of Finnish primary schools, in particular. The Orff approach, which included various instruments, became well known, although some of Orff s ideas, such as improvisation and physical exercise, were initially unfamiliar. More important than the Orff approach was the in-depth teaching at the Klemetti Institute of the Hungarian ear training method known as the Kodály method. Many course participants were among those launching specialist music classes in schools, and the method became the foundation for music teaching in many such schools. The Klemetti Institute was also a pioneer in organising orchestra camps for young people. The Klemetti Institute promoted Finnish music culture and played an important role in the continuing music education of primary school teachers. Keywords: adult education, Grundtvigian philosophy, popular enlightenment, Klemetti Institute, Kodály method, choir singing, choir conducting, music history, music education, music culture, music camp, Orff approach, Orff-Schulwerk, Orivesi Institute, instrument teaching, free popular education, communality, solo singing, voice production

Medieberättelser om den politiska retoriken om invandring - Hur konstrueras vår bild av invandring genom nyhetsrapportering?

I min pro gradu-avhandling undersöker jag hur media bidrar till att konstruera bilden av invandring till Finland. Mitt material består av tre nationella tidningar, varav Helsingin Sanomat och Huvudstadsbladet representerar dagstidningar och Iltalehti kvällspressen. Bakgrunden för undersökningen är en tre månaders period under vintern 2008-2009, då invandring låg högt på den politiska agendan. Under denna period skärptes den politiska retoriken mot invandring. Detta tillskrivs främst sannfinländarnas valframgång i kommunalvalet hösten 2008. Materialet består av s.k. hårda nyheter om invandring från tidningarnas inrikessidor samt åsiktsjournalistik i form av ledare och kolumner. Tidigare forskning i medierapportering om invandring och den finländska politiska debatten om invandring utgör den teoretiska bakgrunden för avhandlingen. Långvariga kartläggningsprojekt av medierapporteringen om invandring har utförts av Centret för forskning om etniska relationer och nationalism, gällande finlandssvenska tidningar (se Haavisto 2007) och av Journalismin tutkimuskeskus, gällande finskspråkiga tidningar (se Raittila & Vehmas 2005). Dessa utgör bakgrundskunskap som jag bygger vidare på. Andra viktiga källor är Kaarina Horstis (2005) avhandling, som handlar om medierapporteringen om asylsökande och mångkulturalism och Outi Lepolas (2008) avhandling gällande riksdagsdebatter om invandring och mångkulturalism på 1990-talet. I analysen använder jag kritisk diskursanalys, men tar inslag ur ramanalys och retorikanalys. Ett centralt begrepp i min avhandling är nyhetsgenre och jag undersöker hur nyhetens konventioner påverkar sättet på vilket frågor om invandring presenteras. Media bygger upp olika tolkningar av den sociala verkligheten genom att beskriva berättelser. Jag analyserar rapporteringen av den politiska debatten ur detta perspektiv och ser på vilka talarpositioner ges åt de olika politiska aktörerna i debatten. I rapporteringen om invandrargruppers ankomst till Finland var en krisinramning dominerande. Genom negativa metaforer konstrueras invandring som ett hot mot det finska samhället. Frågan om asylsökande, framom andra invandrargrupper, får mycket utrymme i tidningarna och bidrar till att rama in diskussionen om invandring i stort. I rapporteringen om den politiska debatten från perioden förekommer tillspetsad retorik mot invandring också från politiker ur de stora partierna. Genom denna retorik konstruerar man invandring som ett hot. Denna retorik tillhör den invandrarkritiska diskursen. Andra diskurser genom vilka man behandlar invandring i materialet är den arbetsrelaterade diskursen och den mångkulturella diskursen. Argument som stödjer sig mot dessa diskurser är dock mycket färre och hamnar i skymundan av den invandrarkritiska diskursen.