Outer Rim Territories

Wow.

YouTube - OK Go – This Too Shall Pass – RGM version.

YouTube - World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale.

HT: Lehmann

YouTube - O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide – LSB 355.

From the excellent opening plenary of Siemon-Netto at this year’s Good Shepherd Insitute:

I was born in Leipzig, virtually in the shadow of the Thomaskirche. When I was four, my parents began taking me to the motet or cantata services in the Thomaskirche every Friday or Saturday. This might sound alien to present-day parents, Lutherans included, who do not introduce their kids to music saying that they were “too busy” for that and preferred to spend some “quality time” with their children, like munching hamburgers together.

I spent most of World War II in Leipzig. This is why a blend of two kinds of acoustical impressions has been resonating in my head ever since my childhood – the sound of bombs and sound of Bach.

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Singing for Joy
When I attended a Stammtisch for accordian players I was surprised at how lustily they sang the old German folk songs. It was quite delightful. Americans don’t gather to sing – except in Church. That is a shame, because there is a great deal of joy in singing together. One of the musicians there (who is heavily into all types of folk music) lamented to me that music has become something one consumes rather than something one produces. Read more…

One of my best memories from vicarage is being invited over to the Mosner’s for singing in German and gemütlichkeit. There is a definite thrill to the singing together. You realize the beauty of this gift when you share in it outside of church. All the more precious when we sing in the Divine Service. I miss a good chorus that sings for the heck of it.

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 Largely, the experts on this terrific podcast agree: music in surround can work… but it must be conceived in surround. Too often music is composed in stereo (two speakers) then jiggered into 4 or 6 speakers. The net result is vacuous and unintentional. The future of music in surround is download. Unfortunately few consumer interfaces can encourage this, not offering a multichannel output except lossy DTS or Dolby Digital. On the other hand, physical media players (Bluray) can accomodate high-resolution multichannel via both analog and digital outputs. 

The real issue is basically ignored in the podcast. Music is not intentionally listened to but serves a function of background noise or ambiance. I’m not disputing the usefulness of some music as creating positive sonic atmosphere. But much of the serious music composition is intended for listening and contemplation. 

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Fine Tuning: All Kids Can Sing

The other day, I was listening to small groups sing canons (for a grade). One senior was having a hard time with pitch (well, several do, but this one in particular). It so happened that I could hear a couple of pitches that he was singing in tune. He was singing way too low (trying to sing an octave below where the men sing the canon). That means that his lowest notes were really unsingable, with rare exception. When he got to the upper notes he hit the “D” below middle “C”. When I asked him to do that again, he did and, after a little coaching, began singing the canon in the right octave and, by in large, on the right pitch. I asked him if he understood what had just happened and he kind of shyly grinned. I asked if he had every done that before and he admitted no. It was a breakthrough for him! I learned something and so did he – but so did the class. Their lack of skill in singing is not due to an inherent inability to do so, but because they have not used their voices in such a way since they were little children. When they have time and someone to teach them those voices come back! 

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Olympics | Star-spangled outrage continues to build | Seattle Times Newspaper Blog
Yes, they cut-off the National Anthem… BUT what is worse is that the
“arrangement” of our National Anthem is AWFUL. First, it is played by an
orchestra and should be performed instead by a BAND like the US Marine Band
in Washington DC.

Second, the arrangement is “tricked up” and is filled
with harmonic suspensions which smply don’t fit. It frankly creates a
very “feminine” kind of impression, almost “impressionistic” in the French
musical composer’s tradition. It sounds AWFUL! And, it is way too slow!

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I write this as I mellow out from a Sunday morning. Two services and teaching Sunday school always takes a bit out of me. This afternoon I’m relaxing to a few films I’ve had sitting around for a rainy day. Its not raining but I have no reason to go outside. The house is creaking and groaning under the strain of the wind.

So, the first film I pull out is “Once.” I haven’t seen anything in a while that is as emotionally moving. What is unique about the film is that the narrative is done with music and not acting. The acting and story would seem to be in the backdrop. Yet you get carried away in the story anyway.

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