Discussion of the specifics of John Cage's borrowings from Erik Satie. Examination of his essays,... more Discussion of the specifics of John Cage's borrowings from Erik Satie. Examination of his essays, including "Defense of Satie" (1948), and a letter to Peter Yates written in the same year, permit greater specificity than has been the case in earlier analytical discussions concerning what, exactly, Cage heard in Satie's music.
An examination of modes of listening and analysis for selected movements of Cage's Sonatas and In... more An examination of modes of listening and analysis for selected movements of Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, with focus on the dialectic between continuity and discontinuity, and a study of the impact of Cage's Table of Preparations in the perception of form and structure.
Nicolò Paganini (1782–1840) has long been viewed
as an emblem of virtuosity, his music heard, if ... more Nicolò Paganini (1782–1840) has long been viewed as an emblem of virtuosity, his music heard, if at all, through the variations and adaptations of other composers. This historical neglect and the Paganini mythos notwithstanding, the twenty-four Caprices, op. 1, published in 1820, establish his place as a serious composer whose innovations must be considered in any assessment of early Romanticism. In the Caprices, two voices seem to speak. The first is lyrical and draws on the vocal and operatic roots of Paganini’s musical upbringing. The second I have labeled the questive voice. Romanticism is an aesthetic of distance; the questive voice is a means of traversing the immensity that is the one essential feature of early Romanticism in its incarnations. This immensity manifests itself in the wide registral space opened and explored in the Caprices; in the motivically driven, asymmetrical construction of many passages found therein; and in the extensive harmonic reach of many of the Caprices. This article presents close readings of Caprices nos. 1, 2, 4, 9, and 10, drawing on Schenkerian methodologies and work by Ratner, Caplin, and Burnham to articulate the lyrical/questive dichotomy and interplay between technique and expression in these singular works by a singular composer.
Discussion of the specifics of John Cage's borrowings from Erik Satie. Examination of his essays,... more Discussion of the specifics of John Cage's borrowings from Erik Satie. Examination of his essays, including "Defense of Satie" (1948), and a letter to Peter Yates written in the same year, permit greater specificity than has been the case in earlier analytical discussions concerning what, exactly, Cage heard in Satie's music.
An examination of modes of listening and analysis for selected movements of Cage's Sonatas and In... more An examination of modes of listening and analysis for selected movements of Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, with focus on the dialectic between continuity and discontinuity, and a study of the impact of Cage's Table of Preparations in the perception of form and structure.
Nicolò Paganini (1782–1840) has long been viewed
as an emblem of virtuosity, his music heard, if ... more Nicolò Paganini (1782–1840) has long been viewed as an emblem of virtuosity, his music heard, if at all, through the variations and adaptations of other composers. This historical neglect and the Paganini mythos notwithstanding, the twenty-four Caprices, op. 1, published in 1820, establish his place as a serious composer whose innovations must be considered in any assessment of early Romanticism. In the Caprices, two voices seem to speak. The first is lyrical and draws on the vocal and operatic roots of Paganini’s musical upbringing. The second I have labeled the questive voice. Romanticism is an aesthetic of distance; the questive voice is a means of traversing the immensity that is the one essential feature of early Romanticism in its incarnations. This immensity manifests itself in the wide registral space opened and explored in the Caprices; in the motivically driven, asymmetrical construction of many passages found therein; and in the extensive harmonic reach of many of the Caprices. This article presents close readings of Caprices nos. 1, 2, 4, 9, and 10, drawing on Schenkerian methodologies and work by Ratner, Caplin, and Burnham to articulate the lyrical/questive dichotomy and interplay between technique and expression in these singular works by a singular composer.
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as an emblem of virtuosity, his music heard, if at all,
through the variations and adaptations of other composers.
This historical neglect and the Paganini
mythos notwithstanding, the twenty-four Caprices,
op. 1, published in 1820, establish his place as a
serious composer whose innovations must be considered
in any assessment of early Romanticism.
In the Caprices, two voices seem to speak. The
first is lyrical and draws on the vocal and operatic
roots of Paganini’s musical upbringing. The second I
have labeled the questive voice. Romanticism is an
aesthetic of distance; the questive voice is a means
of traversing the immensity that is the one essential
feature of early Romanticism in its incarnations.
This immensity manifests itself in the wide registral
space opened and explored in the Caprices; in the
motivically driven, asymmetrical construction of
many passages found therein; and in the extensive
harmonic reach of many of the Caprices. This article
presents close readings of Caprices nos. 1, 2, 4, 9,
and 10, drawing on Schenkerian methodologies and
work by Ratner, Caplin, and Burnham to articulate
the lyrical/questive dichotomy and interplay between
technique and expression in these singular works by
a singular composer.
Drafts by Jeff Perry
Books by Jeff Perry
as an emblem of virtuosity, his music heard, if at all,
through the variations and adaptations of other composers.
This historical neglect and the Paganini
mythos notwithstanding, the twenty-four Caprices,
op. 1, published in 1820, establish his place as a
serious composer whose innovations must be considered
in any assessment of early Romanticism.
In the Caprices, two voices seem to speak. The
first is lyrical and draws on the vocal and operatic
roots of Paganini’s musical upbringing. The second I
have labeled the questive voice. Romanticism is an
aesthetic of distance; the questive voice is a means
of traversing the immensity that is the one essential
feature of early Romanticism in its incarnations.
This immensity manifests itself in the wide registral
space opened and explored in the Caprices; in the
motivically driven, asymmetrical construction of
many passages found therein; and in the extensive
harmonic reach of many of the Caprices. This article
presents close readings of Caprices nos. 1, 2, 4, 9,
and 10, drawing on Schenkerian methodologies and
work by Ratner, Caplin, and Burnham to articulate
the lyrical/questive dichotomy and interplay between
technique and expression in these singular works by
a singular composer.