“Art Will Not Disappear Into Nothing; It Will Disappear Into Everything“: The Black Audio Film Collective and Latin America

The development of Latin American cinema in the 1960s was underwritten by a number of key texts that outlined the aesthetic and political direction of individual filmmakers and collectives (Solanas and Getino, 1969; Rocha, 1965; Espinosa, 1969). Although asserting the specificity of Latin American culture, the theoretical foundations of its New Wave influenced oppositional filmmaking way beyond its own regional boundaries. This chapter looks at how movements in British art cinema, especially the Black Audio Film Collective, were inspired and propelled by the theories behind New Latin American cinema. Facilitated by English translations in journals such as Jump Cut in the early ‘80s, Cuban and Argentine cinematic manifestoes provided a radical alternative to the traditional language of film theory available to filmmakers in Europe and works such as Signs of Empire (1983-4); Handsworth Songs (1986) and Seven Songs for Malcolm X (1993) grew out of this trans-continental exchange. The Black Audio Film Collective represented a merging of politics, popular culture, and art that was, at once, oppositional and melodic. Fusing postcolonial discourse with pop music, the avant-garde and re-imaginings of subalternity, the work of ‘The Collective’ provides us with a useful example of how British art cinema has drawn from theoretical foundations formed outside of Europe and the West. As this chapter will argue however, the Black Audio Film Collective’s work can also be read as a reaction to the specificity of British socio-politics of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Its engagement with the aesthetico-political strategies of Latin American cinema, then, undercut what was a solidly British project, rooted in (post)colonial history and emerging ideas of disaporic identity. If the propulsive thrust of The Black Audio Film Collective’s art was shaped by Third Cinema, its images and concerns were self-consciously British.

Perceção de emoções no canto: a importância dos estímulos auditivo e visual

Este estudo pretendeu examinar a importância dos estímulos auditivo (interpre-tação vocal do cantor) e visual (expressão facial do cantor) na perceção de emo-ções pelo público de uma performance de canto. Para tal, foram gravados, atra-vés de vídeo e áudio, dois cantores a interpretar pequenas frases melódicas com a intenção de expressar, isoladamente, as seis emoções básicas: alegria, tristeza, raiva, medo, surpresa e nojo. Para validar a expressividade dos canto-res, foi medida, através de eletromiografia, a atividade dos músculos faciais du-rante a performance da emoção e foram apresentadas as gravações áudio a um painel de especialistas que as caracterizaram em termos acústicos. Com base nas gravações audiovisuais dos cantores, foi criado um teste percetual no qual se pretendia que o ouvinte reconhecesse a emoção comunicada a partir apenas do áudio, apenas do vídeo, ou ambos. Comparando as respostas dadas, os re-sultados evidenciaram que o estímulo visual é mais eficaz do que o auditivo, e que a junção dos dois estímulos é a modalidade mais eficiente na perceção de emoções pelo público de uma performance de canto.

Petr Eben's oratorio Apologia Sokratus (1967) and ballet Curses and Blessings (1983): An interpretative analysis of the symbolism behind the text settings and musical style

The Czech composer Petr Eben (1927-2007) has written music in all genres except symphony, but he is highly recognized for his organ and choral compositions, which are his preferred genres. His vocal works include choral songs and vocal-instrumental works at a wide range of difficulty levels, from simple pedagogical songs to very advanced and technically challenging compositions. This study examines two of Eben‘s vocal-instrumental compositions. The oratorio Apologia Sokratus (1967) is a three-movement work; its libretto is based on Plato‘s Apology of Socrates. The ballet Curses and Blessings (1983) has a libretto compiled from numerous texts from the thirteenth to the twentieth centuries. The formal design of the ballet is unusual—a three-movement composition where the first is choral, the second is orchestral, and the third combines the previous two played simultaneously. Eben assembled the libretti for both compositions and they both address the contrasting sides of the human soul, evil and good, and the everlasting fight between them. This unity and contrast is the philosophical foundation for both compositions. The dissertation discusses the multileveled meanings behind the text settings and musical style of the oratorio and ballet in analyses focusing on the text, melodic and harmonic construction, and symbolism. Additional brief analyses of other vocal and vocal-instrumental compositions by Eben establish the ground for the examination of the oratorio and ballet and for understanding features of the composer‘s musical style. While the oratorio Apologia Sokratus was discussed in short articles in the 1970s, the ballet Curses and Blessings has never previously been addressed within Eben scholarship. The dissertation examines the significant features of Eben‘s music. His melodic style incorporates influences as diverse as Gregorian chant and folk tunes on the one hand, and modern vocal techniques such as Sprechgesang and vocal aleatoricism on the other. His harmonic language includes bitonality and polytonality, used to augment the tonal legacy of earlier times, together with elements of pitch collections and limited serial procedures as well as various secundal and quartal harmonic sonorities derived from them. His music features the vibrant rhythms of folk music, and incorporates other folk devices like ostinato, repetitive patterns, and improvisation.

Improvisação sobre standards de jazz para instrumentos melódicos: uma abordagem progressiva de base diatónica

Relatório de Estágio para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino da Música

Piano solo no jazz - prática e ensino

Relatório de Estágio para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino da Música

Formal function and phrase structure in contemporary music : Pierre Boulez’s late solo works and Sean Clarke’s "Lucretia Overture" and "4 Impromptus"

Cette thèse présente une théorie de la fonction formelle et de la structure des phrases dans la musique contemporaine, théorie qui peut être utilisée aussi bien comme outil analytique que pour créer de nouvelles œuvres. Deux concepts théoriques actuels aident à clarifier la structure des phrases : les projections temporelles de Christopher Hasty et la théorie des fonctions formelles de William Caplin, qui inclut le concept de l’organisation formelle soudée versus lâche (tight-knit vs. loose). Les projections temporelles sont perceptibles grâce à l’accent mis sur les paramètres secondaires, comme le style du jeu, l’articulation et le timbre. Des sections avec une organisation formelle soudée ont des projections temporelles claires, qui sont créées par la juxtaposition des motifs distincts, généralement sous la forme d'une idée de base en deux parties. Ces projections organisent la musique en phrases de présentation, en phrases de continuité et finalement, à des moments formels charnières, en phrases cadentielles. Les sections pourvues d’une organisation plus lâche tendent à présenter des projections et mouvements harmoniques moins clairs et moins d’uniformité motivique. La structure des phrases de trois pièces tardives pour instrument soliste de Pierre Boulez est analysée : Anthèmes I pour violon (1991-1992) et deux pièces pour piano, Incises (2001) et une page d’éphéméride (2005). Les idées proposées dans le présent document font suite à une analyse de ces œuvres et ont eu une forte influence sur mes propres compositions, en particulier Lucretia Overture pour orchestre et 4 Impromptus pour flûte, saxophone soprano et piano, qui sont également analysés en détail. Plusieurs techniques de composition supplémentaires peuvent être discernés dans ces deux œuvres, y compris l'utilisation de séquence mélodiques pour contrôler le rythme harmonique; des passages composés de plusieurs couches musicales chacun avec un structure de phrase distinct; et le relâchement de l'organisation formelle de matériels récurrents. Enfin, la composition de plusieurs autres travaux antérieurs a donné lieu à des techniques utilisées dans ces deux œuvres et ils sont brièvement abordés dans la section finale.

Uma espécie de ópera, o gesto na condução musical

Relatório de Estágio para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino da Música

A importância do estudo aprofundado da melodia na improvisação

Relatório de Estágio para a obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino da Música

The twentieth century jazz piano trio: the rise of an iconic jazz paradigm

Considerando a gravação de 1947 The Bud Powell Trio como a gravação referência de trio de piano de jazz moderno, esta tese centra-se no surgimento e evolução do trio de jazz moderno cujo líder é pianista. Começando por apresentar, uma resenha dos estilos e técnicas para piano de da época pre-Powell, esta tese investiga a génese dos trios de piano jazz e examina três dos mais influeciais pianostas de jazz e lideres dos mais legendários trios de piano jazz modernos: Bud Powell, Bill Evans e Keith Jarrett. Esta tese também abordará o paradoxo inerente a um sistema democrático - a expressão própria do individuo, em justaposição com a responsabilidade para com o todo – e a sua inequivoca analogia com o gestalt do trio de piano de jazz moderno. Desde a primeira gravação de um trio de jazz com pianista como líder em 1935, o trio de jazz moderno, evoluiu tornando-se um exemplo de democracia – um contexto de igualdade em que as funções rítmicas, harmónicas, e melódicas estão igualmente distribuídas entre os três instrumentistas, que são ao mesmo tempo solistas e acompanhadores. Esta tese sublinha a eficácia do trio de jazz moderno – o seu início, e porque subsiste – baseado na sua força e beleza estética; ABSTRACT: THE TWENTIETH CENTURY JAZZ PIANO TRIO – The Rise of an Iconic Jazz Paradigm by Susan Muscarella Designating Bud Powell’s 1947 recording, The Bud Powell Trio, as the modern jazz piano trio benchmark, here, this thesis traces the emergence and evolution of the pianistled, piano-bass-drums-comprised modern jazz piano trio. Beginning with a general overview of pre-Powell jazz piano styles and techniques, this thesis investigates the earliest, most salient pre-Powell jazz piano trios, and examines three seminal modern jazz pianists and leaders of legendary modern jazz piano trios, Bud Powell, Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. This thesis also brings to the fore the paradox inherent in a democratic system – individual self-expression juxtaposed with responsibility to the whole – and its unequivocal analogy to the modern jazz piano trio gestalt. From the earliest recording of a primarily piano-dominated piano-bass-drums-comprised jazz piano trio in 1935, the modern jazz piano trio has evolved to become a paragon of democracy – an egalitarian playing field in which rhythmic, harmonic and melodic roles are evenly distributed among all three instrumentalists who have come to serve as both soloists and accompanists.

Music Learning Tools for Android Devices

In this paper, a musical learning application for mobile devices is presented. The main objective is to design and develop an application capable of offering exercises to practice and improve a selection of music skills, to users interested in music learning and training. The selected music skills are rhythm, melodic dictation and singing. The application includes an audio signal analysis system implemented making use of the Goertzel algorithm which is employed in singing exercises to check if the user sings the right musical note. This application also includes a graphical interface to represent musical symbols. A set of tests were conducted to check the usefulness of the application as musical learning tool. A group of users with different music knowledge have tested the system and reported to have found it effective, easy and accessible.

An in-depth analysis of original compositions

The purpose of this thesis is two-fold. It presents six original pieces composed and arranged by the author, and it provides a thorough analysis of each. The compositions draw from many different musical genres: contemporary jazz, swing, funk, fusion, soul, neo-soul, and rhythm and blues. The applications of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic techniques derived from these genres can be found in these original compositions. These compositions are inspired by -- and attempt to narrate --life experiences. Parallels between life and music are drawn and explained. By way of introduction, some information is given regarding the ensemble that first performed these original compositions. The ensemble comprised trumpet, tenor saxophone, keyboards, piano, electric bass, upright acoustic bass, drums, and percussion.

Melbourne Festival review: Faye Driscoll's Thank You For Coming: Attendance turns audience into performers

In Thank you for coming: Attendance, we are welcomed by name. In fact, the process of calling roll becomes a kind of melodic soundtrack, as five dancers enact rituals of greeting.