The Performing Arts in Western Civilization

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The Performing Arts in Western Civilization

• New York University

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Housekeeping (2/10/05)

• Quote of the day
• I know!
• Christopher Walken

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Agenda - 2/10/05

• Taxonomy of Aesthetic Inquiry
• Who was Wittgenstein?
• Yet another eclectic analysis
• (Penny Lane-1967)

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Taxonomy of Aesthetic Inquiry

• Meta theory
• Theory
• Meta criticism
• Criticism
• Art experience
• Ecker, David W. and Eugene Kaelin. "The Limits of
  Aesthetic Inquiry A Guide to Educational
  Research," in Philosophic Redirection of
  Educational Research. 1972, p.267.

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Levels of Aesthetic Inquiry

• Meta - prefixed to the name of a subject or
  discipline to denote another which deals with
  ulterior issues in the same field, or which
  raises questions about the nature of the original
  discipline and its methods, procedures, and
  assumptions.

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Taxonomy of Aesthetic Inquiry

• Art Experience - The act of viewing, listening,
  or generally experiencing an artwork.
• Criticism - The action of criticizing, or passing
  judgment upon the qualities or merits of
  anything, in this case, the artwork.
• Meta-criticism - The identification of "causally
  significant absences" in critical approaches
  which lead to transformation of the practices
  that sustain them. A meta-critique may or may not
  include an explanation of the absence. If so,
  then an explanatory critique may follow on to
  lead to a negative evaluation on the causes and
  so lead to corrective action.
• Theory - A statement of what are held to be the
  general laws, principles, or causes of something
  known or observed.
• Meta-theory - The identification of "causally
  significant absences" in theoretical approaches
  which lead to transformation of the practices
  that sustain them.

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Levels of Aesthetic Inquiry

• In the context of the eclectic method, the
  Meta-Critique is the step in which the author
  provides a detailed critique of the strengths and
  weaknesses of the previous analysis.
• This step includes specific recommendations for
  future research.

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Who was Wittgenstein?

• One of the most influential figures of the 20th
  century, Ludwig Wittgenstein developed a
  philosophical system that sought to define the
  role of language as it relates to the categorical
  processes of human thought. By concentrating on
  the functional aspect of linguistic systems, he
  was able to raise serious questions that resonate
  through all levels of human activity.
• Born in Vienna in 1889, Wittgenstein went on to
  study engineering in Germany and England. While
  in England, he developed a passionate interest in
  mathematics and subsequently began to read
  philosophy at Cambridge University with George
  Edward Moore (1873-1958). Before completing his
  degree, however, he left to enlist in the
  Austrian army and fought as an infantryman during
  World War I.
• While in the war, he compiled a series of
  detailed philosophical notebooks that were
  eventually published in 1922 as the Tractatus
  Logico-Philosophicus. After the war, Wittgenstein
  submitted this seminal work as his doctoral
  thesis, and thus began a distinguished academic
  career.

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Influential Works Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus
(Wittgenstein I)

• Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1922)
• Builds on Bertrand Russell's studies in logical
  analysis to create a world in which various facts
  are stored by the brain as pictures, and then
  expressed by a language built on logical
  structure.
• For Wittgenstein, elemental sentences contain the
  basic data conveyed by the senses, while logical
  and mathematical propositions are formal
  redundancies. All else is nonsense.
• Wittgenstein contended that metaphysics and
  ethics are terms used to describe those ideas
  that transcend the limitations of human language.
  
• "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be
  silent."
• 
  (Tractatus 7)
• Thus, Tractatus provided the impetus for the
  logical positivist school of philosophy and its
  decidedly anti-metaphysical viewpoint.

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Wittgenstein and Kuhn

• The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1970),
• In this work, Thomas Kuhn questioned the presumed
  objectivism that is associated with various
  levels of research.
• He demonstrated the presence of implicit
  prejudices or professional biases at work in all
  scientific activities.
• This idea of a community-driven belief system can
  be traced back to the work of philosopher Ludwig
  Wittgenstein in the book, Philosophical
  Investigations.

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Influential Works (contd) Philosophical
Investigations (1953) (Wittgenstein II)

• Published two years after the authors death in
  1951, Philosophical Investigations revised the
  position that Wittgenstein put forth in
  Tractatus.
• For Wittgenstein, direct reference is only one
  part of linguistic function. The actual
  representation of meaning is not essential to
  linguistic success.
• The assertion here is that the meaning of words
  is predicated upon their use in a variety of
  language games.

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What are Language Games?

• Language Games is a term used by Wittgenstein to
  define the ongoing process of human linguistic
  development.
• In his view, human beings constitute a large
  community within which a variety of
  language-games are played.
• He asserts that the non-specific nature of
  ordinary usage is not a problem, but rather the
  reason that language development has been so
  prolific.
• Therefore, one should not attempt to fix meaning
  through reference, since connotation is governed
  by ordinary usage.

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Language Games (contd)

• For Wittgenstein, the meaning of a word or phrase
  is determined by the set of informal rules that
  determine its use in everyday lifenothing more,
  e.g., Donnie Brasco.
• Wittgenstein goes on to assert that even
  fundamental mathematics constitutes another form
  of the language-game.
• In his view, the simplest arithmetic function (1
  1 2) is merely a way we have agreed on in order
  to speak and write about relative values.

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Eclectic Method

• Open ListeningsSeries of listenings guided by
  Husserls principle of epoche (the suspension of
  the natural attitude). In this step, one attempts
  to bracket out all pre-existing judgments
  (positive or negative) related to the work in
  question
• Historical Backgrounda brief description of
  biographical information about the work in
  question. An attempt to place the work within an
  historical framework
• SyntaxIn this step, a conventional method of
  analysis is applied to the database. Here, one
  would attempt a suspension of hermeneutical and
  phenomenological analysis. In the adaptation of
  the eclectic method presented here, this step
  also includes a description of the various
  recording techniques used in creating the track
  in order to foreground their possible impact on
  the composition and arrangement of the work.
• The Sound-in-TimeDuring this step, the analyst
  attempts to engage the work from a
  phenomenological perspective. It is well-placed
  immediately following the syntactical analysis,
  since it involves a bridging from technical
  terminology into metaphorical language used to
  describe the sound-in-time.
• Musical and Textual RepresentationIn this step,
  the analyst reports on the various referential
  meanings that lie in the program or text of the
  work.

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Eclectic Method (contd)

• Virtual FeelingThe listener / analyst reports on
  the way the work is expressive of human
  feelingsvirtual forms (Langer)
• Onto-historical WorldThrough the use of
  hermeneutics, the analyst describes how the work
  expresses the onto-historical world of the
  artist.
• Open Listenings / ViewingsA return to step two
  in which the several levels of significance are
  engaged within a dynamic tapestry.
• Meta-critique - The author provides a detailed
  critique of the strengths and weaknesses of the
  previous analysis. This step includes specific
  recommendations for future research.

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Open Listening - Penny Lane

• Series of listenings guided by Husserls
  principle of epoche (the suspension of the
  natural attitude).
• In this step, one attempts to bracket out all
  pre-existing judgments (positive or negative)
  related to the work in question.

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Historical Background - The Beatles

• Probably the most popular, influential and
  enduring musical group of the 20th century, the
  Beatles almost single-handedly reshaped rock 'n'
  roll from a genre of throwaway singles by
  faceless stars to an artistic medium with
  recognizable images and idols.
• The Beatles placed the emphasis on a group,
  rather than a single individual (like Frank
  Sinatra or Elvis). They also set an example for
  all rock acts to follow with their strong sense
  of self-determination, going against their record
  company and management on many issues, even
  refusing to tour at the height of their
  popularity.
• Their countless hit singles have become
  modern-day folk songs, covered by hundreds of
  individuals and groups and inspiring countless
  more, and have sold more copies than those of any
  other band in history.

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Historical Background - The Beatles (contd)

• Not content with their unprecedented commercial
  success, the Beatles began to take their music
  more seriously, shifting from covers and upbeat
  pop love songs to more introspective,
  experimental material, highlighted on December
  1965's Rubber Soul.
• Following the release of Revolver, their most
  mature effort to date, in August 1966, the
  Beatles embarked on their final U.S. tour,
  playing their last live show at San Francisco's
  Candlestick Park on August 29th. Henceforth, the
  band announced, they were going to eschew live
  performances to concentrate on more elaborate
  studio recordings.
• Rumors of a breakup were spread in the media as
  the band disappeared from the public. The Beatles
  spent much of early 1967 in the studio, recording
  their magnum opus, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
  Club Band. This groundbreaking concept album
  completely changed the way rock albums created
  it used numerous studio effects, placed the
  emphasis on the album as a whole rather than on
  singles, and rewrote the standard for cover art
  with its famous mannequin-based photo
  collage.Sgt. Pepper's later won four Grammys,
  including Best Album.

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Syntax

• Key B Major (?)
• Meter 4/4
• Form Verse Verse Refrain
• Verse Verse (solo)
  Refrain
• Verse Verse Refrain
• Refrain / Outro (with
  complete ending)
• Design Double-Tonic Structure
• Essentially a dialogue between two key areas.
• Tonic drone throughout verse
• The rhythmic pulse is march-like with an
  undercurrent of fast triplets and localized
  syncopations that emphasize, rather than
  challenge, the rigidity of the four-in-the-bar
  meter.

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Transcription of opening measures - Penny Lane
(1966)
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Syntax (contd)

• The modal focus of the song is clearly Major, yet
  the verse has a deft touch of the parallel minor
  key, and the refrain is modally inflected by the
  melodic flat seventh.
• The setting of the refrain in the key of
  flat-VII, though, is the single most unusual
  feature, and structurally, it provides ironic
  motivation for the upward transposition of the
  final refrain.
• The refrain is musically set off from the verse
  not only by this harmonic gambit, but by the
  additional technique of its being placed on
  melodically higher ground than the verse.

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Penny Lane - Recording Strategies

• Penny Lane (1967)
• Recorded 12/29/66, 12/30/66 1/4-17/67
• US Release 2/13/67 (A-side / B-side Strawberry
  Fields Forever)
• UK Release 2/17/67 (A-side / B-side Strawberry
  Fields Forever)
• Instrumentation
• McCartney - vocal, pianos, bass, harmonium,
  tambourine, effects
• Lennon -backing vocal, pianos, guitar, congas,
  handclaps Harrison - backing vocal, guitar
• Starr - drums, handbell
• George Martin - piano
• Ray Swinfield, P. Goody, Manny
• Winters, Dennis Walton - flutes, piccolos
• David Mason, Leon Calvert, Freddy Clayton, Bert
  Courtley, Duncan Campbell - trumpets, flugelhorn
  
• Dick Morgan, MikeWinfield - oboes, cor anglais
• Frank Clarke - double bass

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Penny Lane - Recording Strategies (contd)

• (1/17/67) (Studio Two, EMI Studios, London).
  Penny Lane is completed with the overdubbing of a
  piccolo trumpet part, played by David Mason using
  a B-flat piccolo trumpet.
• Paul McCartney had seen/heard Mason during a BBC2
  television program of the English Chamber
  Orchestra performing Bach's Brandenburg Concerto
  No. 2 in F Major.
• The Beatles Anthology 2 includes a remix version
  of Penny Lane that highlights features from the
  many different takes that make up the original
  master, including an alternate solo, an extra
  piccolo trumpet bit at the end, and an extra
  "suitable ending" (Disc two, Track 4).

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Abbey Road Studio Two
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Recording Strategies / The Sound-In-Time

• The instrumental mix has a wall-of-sound
  thickness that is more reminiscent of the Beach
  Boys' "Pet Sounds" aesthetic than it is of Phil
  Spector.
• The final track also shows some of the tell-tale
  signs of having been recorded with the tape
  running slow, in order to sound faster (not to
  mention "higher") on playback the most
  noticeable difference being the unnaturally fast
  vibrato in McCartneys vocal. (listen)
• The doubling of pianos at different speeds and
  pitches creates a discernible wash at the back
  of the track. This could be compared to a painter
  preparing his canvas before beginning to paint.
• This kind of approach to recording seems to
  foreground what might be called the musical
  canvas.
• Color

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Textual Representation - Penny Lane

• In Penny Lane there is a barber showing
• photographs
• Of every head he's had the pleasure to know.
• And all the people that come and go
• Stop and say hello.
• On the corner is a banker with a motorcar,
• The little children laugh at him behind his back.
• And the banker never wears a mack
• In the pouring rain, very strange.
• Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
• There beneath the blue suburban skies
• I sit, and meanwhile back
• In penny Lane there is a fireman with an
  hourglass
• And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen.
• He likes to keep his fire engine clean,
• It's a clean machine.

• Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
• A four of fish and finger pies
• In summer, meanwhile back
• Behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout
• The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
• And tho' she feels as if she's in a play
• She is anyway.
• In Penny Lane the barber shaves another customer,
• We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim.
• And then the fireman rushes in
• From the pouring rain, very strange.
• Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
• There beneath the blue suburban skies
• I sit, and meanwhile back.
• Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
• There beneath the blue suburban skies,

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Textual Representation (contd)

• Verses
• In Penny Lane there is a barber showing
  photographs
• Of every head he's had the pleasure to know.
• And all the people that come and go
• Stop and say hello.
• On the corner is a banker with a motorcar,
• The little children laugh at him behind his back.
• And the banker never wears a mac
• In the pouring rain, very strange.

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Textual Representation (contd)

• Choruses
• Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
• There beneath the blue suburban skies
• I sit, and meanwhile back
• Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
• A four of fish and finger pies
• In summer, meanwhile back

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Virtual Feeling

• Wistful
• Mourning the passing of an era, yet strengthened
  by the recollection.
• Past Frivolity - carefree existence (childhood)
• Skipping (triplets in underlying rhythmic pattern
  - verse)
• Present Immediacy - responsibilities confidently
  managed
• Strutting (dotted quarter note eighth note
  pattern in bass drum - chorus)

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Transcription of opening measures - Penny Lane
(1966)
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Onto-Historical World

• In Penny Lane (1967), the narrative attempts to
  set up a dialectical relationship between
  childhood reminiscences, and the self-assured
  stance of young adulthood.
• In some ways, this is similar to the experience
  described by Dylan Thomas in Poem in October.
• Curiously, this relationship is characterized by
  a shift in expectation with regard to the way in
  which memories are described compared with events
  from the here and now.
• Here, the past is portrayed with great
  specificity, while the present is couched in a
  metaphorical language that is rich in subjective
  allusion.
• In Movement I of the Abbey Road Medley, McCartney
  continues to explore the possibilities of this
  technique in a less schematic and perhaps more
  fully integrated fashion.

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Onto-Historical World (contd)

• Pre-war British culture engages post-war British
  culture.
• Additionally, the appearance of a so-called
  "Bach" (i.e. Baroque-era piccolo) trumpet in this
  Beatles' song is both uncanny and out of
  character to the extent that any similarity
  between the licks played here and the solo part
  of a certain "Brandenburg Concerto", said by
  McCartney to have inspired him, is (maybe by
  intention) both remote and ironic.
• Most significant, however, is the fact that the
  music and composer the solo alludes to are German
  (central european), and yet the solo seems
  decidedly British (!)

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Transcription of Bach trumpet solo - Penny Lane
(1966)
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Open Viewings / Listenings

• A return to step two in which the several levels
  of significance are engaged within a dynamic
  tapestry.
• The text of Penny Lane serves to disrupt
  traditional narrative structures in a way that
  suggest the influence of a Proustian approach to
  temporality.
• In that sense, Penny Lane could be said to embody
  the aspirations of early and mid-20th century
  artists to expand the parameters of their work
  beyond the time-bound restrictions of classical
  narrative.

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Meta-Critique

• The greatest weakness of the preceding analysis
  was that while describing the development of
  Penny Lane, the analyst seemed perhaps overly
  involved in the dramatic thrust of the work.
• In connection, the observations in the
  referential analyses were heightened in a way
  that seemed to parallel developments in the work
  itself. It is possible that the nature of the
  data that resulted from the referential analysis
  of Penny Lane was merely reflecting structural
  developments inherent in the work, but one should
  always attempt to maintain a critically
  reflective stance so as to offset the possibility
  of personal involvement having a negative impact
  on the analysis.

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Upcoming Assignments

• Langer, Language two full pages (minimum)
  summary due Thursday 2/17/05