Here, There and Everywhere: The Future of Music in Sound, Space and Place

Course Description

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 14:50:45 +0000

MIT Media Lab MAS.S68 (3-3-6)

Professors Tod Machover and Joe Paradiso
Wednesday 2:00-4:30 pm in E14-493

Music is changing faster now than ever with everything seemingly up for grabs, from instrumentation to audience to business models to purpose. We will study all of these, with emphasis on music’s power to create profound human connections, locally and across-the-globe. Using Boston as a “laboratory” (in coordination with many local institutions, from the Boston Symphony to Boston City Hall), we will explore the potential for music to establish a new level of civic engagement and interconnection. We will also develop concepts and prototypes with colleagues in Galway, Ireland (recently named European Culture Capital for 2020) to expand the techniques for immersive musical experience and “teleportation” between remote locations. And in association with MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative and the China-U.S. Climate Change Summit (to be held in Boston in spring 2017), we will study the possibility for music – with other arts and technologies – to influence awareness and behavior on a scale that transcends traditional limits of space and time.

In order to investigate how music’s impact can significantly stretch over the coming period, we will also study the transformational technologies, sensing systems and instrumentation that make this possible, as well as some seminal musical ideas from the past 100 years that have opened paths to the future. For the latter, we will give special attention to 3 ‘S’ composers – Schoenberg, Stockhausen and Saariaho –whose work fundamentally changed the sound and structure of music for past, present and future generations.

The class will be a combination of discussion and exploration, listening and experiencing in Boston and beyond (including a trip to New York to hear Saariaho’s L’Amour de Loin, the first work by a female composer to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera), and experimentation with – and prototyping of – projects that push the boundaries of music’s role in society, culture and everyday life.

The class will be limited to 15 students. Permission of instructors is required.

Course TA: Thomas Sanchez and Nicole L’Huillier

Course Admin: Priscilla Capistrano

First class is on Wednesday, September 7th at 2pm. Come join us!!!!!!

]]>

Assignment 5 (Due Oct. 12)

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 14:49:10 +0000

Next week, we will be discussing class projects for the first part of class, and then exploring various issues related to cultural interventions and community transformation in Boston with Stephen Walter from the Boston Mayor’s Office of Urban Mechanics, along with several of his colleagues from City Hall.

In preparation for the Boston discussion, please consult these three Boston City Plans that have been drafted and circulated recently:

The Arts and Culture Plan: http://plan.bostoncreates.org/

The Transportation Plan: http://goboston2030.org/en/

The Master Plan: http://imagine.boston.gov/

Come to class prepared to ask questions to these representatives from the Mayor’s office, and also come with an individual or group project idea that you would like to pursue for the rest of the semester!

]]>

Assignment 4 (Due Oct. 5)

Sat, 01 Oct 2016 23:56:45 +0000

For our next class, we will dig in to our second ’S’ composer, Arnold Schoenberg. Besides being one of the greatest composers of the 20th century (and ever, in my view), Schoenberg invites us to think about the potential synthesis – and many pitfalls – of pure artistic idea with social and political awareness and action. These questions the subject of my next opera. We’ll talk about all of this with Joseph Auner Academic Dean of Tufts University’s School of Arts & Sciences, and one of the world experts on Schoenberg’s music and influence.

You can prepare by covering as much of the material below as you can. Please read the Wikipedia article and Glenn Gould text above all. And listen to as much Schoenberg as you can:

READ

Arnold Schoenberg biography/works, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schoenberg

Arnold Schoenberg: A Perspective, by Glenn Gould
[** if you only read one thing, read this!!**]
https://deadvoles.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/gould1964a.pdf

Arnold Schoenberg, Style and Idea
https://monoskop.org/images/8/84/Schoenberg_Arnold_Style_and_Idea.pdf

III. New Music, Outmoded Music, Style and Idea (p. 37-52)
V. Composition with Twelve Tones (p. 102-143)
XI. Human Rights (p. 204-210)
XII. On Revient Toujours (p. 211-213)

“Give Schoenberg’s Work a Chance”, The Guardian (London)
https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2010/jan/29/schoenberg-daniel-barenboim

Website and Online Resources of the Arnold Schoenberg Center in Vienna
http://www.schoenberg.at/index.php/en/

Arnold Schoenberg in Hollywood by Dorothy Lamb Crawford
http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/media/pdfs/Arnold-Schoenberg_in_Los-Angeles.pdf

Composing on Stage: Schoenberg and the Creative Process as Public Performance
http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/media/pdfs/Auner_Composing-on-Stage.pdf

LISTEN

Pierrot Lunaire (Jane Manning, Simon Rattle, et al)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekX6baCn7qw

English singer Jane Manning on Pierrot Lunaire and other things
http://www.walesartsreview.org/pierrot-lunaire-and-beyond-jane-manning-in-conversation/

Farben (“Colors”) from Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4cpMepVZyc

Gigue from Suite for Piano, Op. 25, played by Glenn Gould
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLKVe8YikRo

A Survivor from Warsaw (with scrolling graphic of Schoenberg’s original short score manuscript)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z51uNyqdk5E

Wikipedia article on A Survivor from Warsaw, including Schoenberg’s original text for the piece
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Survivor_from_Warsaw

We’ll also check in on Wednesday about the class trip to Western Mass. Hope you enjoy these Schoenberg materials, and look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday!!

]]>

Assignment 3 (Due Sept. 28)

Wed, 21 Sep 2016 13:14:02 +0000

For next week, Joe will give a comprehensive overview of modular synthesizers, with a focus on the visionary instrument designer Don Buchla, who passed away last week at age 79. You can read the excellent New York Times obituary here.

For preparation, you should read and listen to the following

Joe’s “synth biography”:
http://web.media.mit.edu/~joep/SwitchedOnForward.html

This article about Don Buchla from Keyboard Magazine: http://www.keyboardmag.com/artists/1236/the-horizons-of-instrument-design-a-conversation-with-don-buchla/59510

Mark Vail’s article about Buchla from Vintage Synthesizers: http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/media/pdfs/Buchla-VailArticle.pdf

Joe’s old NMB article, where he talks about Don’s interfaces: http://www.newmusicbox.org/articles/American-Innovations-in-Electronic-Musical-Instruments/

If you can access it, look through Pinch and Trocco’s book, ‘Analog Days’ – https://www.amazon.com/Analog-Days-Invention-Impact-Synthesizer/dp/0674016173 as well as my review of that book: http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/media/pdfs/Tod-Science_Moog-review.pdf

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1moEseg14c

Look at bits of these as desired: http://megasynth.de/interviews/don-buchla-interview/

And listen to some vintage Subtonik – e.g., ‘Silver Apples of the Moon’, ‘Touch’, ‘The Wild Bull’, ‘Unitl Spring’, ‘Sidewinder’, etc. All can be found online or requested at our jukebox http://otto.media.mit.edu

Check out Sizanne Ciani’s ‘Buchla Concerts 1975’ album as well, which is also listenable on otto. A very different style in using the Buchla.

Joe also digitized this old record, as well posted on otto: Collaboration In Performance – David Rosenboom & Donald Buchla

Enjoy!!!

]]>

Assignment 2 (Due Sept. 21)

Wed, 14 Sep 2016 13:18:48 +0000

This week we will concentrate on the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen, in preparation for next week’s class with pianist and Stockhausen specialist, Simon Smith. Read and listen to as much of this material as you can.

Read Stockhausen on Music: Interviews and Lectures Compiled by Robin Maconie. Book provided by the course.

A Guide to Stockhausen’s Music – The Guardian, London. Excellent introduction to Stockhausen’s music and thought.

Please study this, and follow as many links as possible; unfortunately, some of them are broken due to copyright. Listen to at least some of Stimmung.

Here is an incredible YouTube collection of many of Stockhausen’s lectures in English. Try at least a few.

Stockhausen and The Beatles – The Guardian, London. Really interesting description of how Stockhausen influenced The Beatles. Listen to at least some of the incredible Hymnen.

Listen to at least some of Stockhausen’s Kontakte, and read about it here.

Listen to Stockhausen’s Gesang der Jünglinge. Read about the masterpiece here.

Website of the Karlheinz Stockhausen Foundation. You’ll find everything about Stockhausen here.

]]>

Assignment 1 (Due Sept. 14)

Tue, 06 Sep 2016 21:49:52 +0000

Class

First homework assignment (for September 14)

Please read and/or watch the following material in preparation for Saturday’s performance at the American Repertory Theater [http://americanrepertorytheater.org/events/show/notes-field-doing-time-education] and next week’s class discussion.

Boston Globe article on “Notes From the Field”

https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2016/08/17/notes-from-field-art-anna-deavere-smith-intends-educate-and-engage/EfRb8u2ljlbt64p3nm1UrK/story.html

Anna Deavere Smith Artist’s Statement

http://www.gf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Artist-Statement-Anna-Deavere-Smith.pdf

Anna Deavere Smith’s 2005 TED Talk

https://www.ted.com/talks/anna_deavere_smith_s_american_character?language=en

Information to explore on Media Lab Opera of the Future Group’s City Symphonies

http://opera.media.mit.edu/projects/city_symphonies/#

Article on Toronto collaborative symphony in Sweden’s LOFT magazine

http://web.media.mit.edu/~tod/media/pdfs/LOFT_TorontoSymphony_8-13.pdf

Documentary on A Toronto Symphony project

http://watchdocumentary.org/watch/16×9-urban-symphony-video_3e82976a0.html?fb_action_ids=10152938153518953

Video excerpt of world premiere performance, A Toronto Symphony

For some background on the Barr Foundation and public art in Boston, consult the following. If possible before the next class, visit at least one of the works described in The Artery list of public art, and check out the 8 installations currently on the Boston Greenway:

The Barr Foundation – Arts & Creativity section

https://www.barrfoundation.org/arts-creativity

The Barr Foundation – strategies for arts and creativity

https://www.barrfoundation.org/strategies/arts-creativity

WBUR/The Artery list of 50 best works of public art in Boston

http://www.wbur.org/artery/2016/08/29/boston-best-public-art

Rose Kennedy Greenway – Public Art

http://www.rosekennedygreenway.org/visit/public-art/

]]>