Category: Choice Cuts

Theodore Kim
V00960161
Music 116
Dr. Patrick Boyle
December 9, 2020

Optional Blog Prompt D for Choice Cuts

Compose 7 of your own Yoko Ono-inspired instructional compositions/pieces/drawings, echoing the brevity of the original Ono pieces. Then “perform” at least two of them and briefly write about that experience.

PAINTING OF ‘AW HELL NAW’

Give a tip to a busker. Then, ask them for
a refund. If they refuse, take your tip back
by force. If they try to stop you, take the whole
jar/hat/instrument case and run.

MALEVOLENCE PIECE

Fold someone else’s laundry, but turn everything
inside out. Giggle with malevolent glee!

PAINTING OF DEMISE

Stand on your bed and pretend to get shot.
Try to get up and pretend to get shot again.
Pretend that your attacker puts two more in
your stomach for good measure.

PERSPECTIVE PIECE

Look up at the night sky and contemplate
the universe. Take a deep breath.

PAINTING FOR PLAIN STUPIDITY 

Play chicken with an oncoming car moving
at high speeds. Win.

POPULAR PIECE

Pop as many parts of your body as you can
simultaneously and repeatedly. 

YOLO PIECE

Eat McDonalds in a Walmart parking lot
at 4:00AM. Get kicked out by a security officer.
Find a playground and play on the swings.

My performance of PAINTING FOR PLAIN STUPIDITY was extremely successful. I may have caused a manned vehicle to veer off the road and plow into a tree, but I won. Theo ‘1,’ Family Minivan ‘0.’

During my performance of PAINTING OF DEMISE, I was dramatically downed by the first bullet. I clutched my wound and attempted to reach for my imaginary weapon, but caught the second bullet too soon. My attacker buried two more into me before I burst into laughter. The performance was certainly a refreshing change of pace from the usual hustle and bustle of life.

Theodore Kim
V00960161
Music 116
Dr. Patrick Boyle
December 9, 2020

Optional Blog Prompt C for Choice Cuts

Define “serialized timbre.” Articulate your own ideas on how you would serialize timbre, and where possible give specific examples.

Serialized timbre, in my estimation, is a specific series of different timbres that repeats. To serialize timbre for a single instrument, I would select at least a few different timbres, gather the same number of performers, and assign a timbre to each performer. For example, with three pianos and players, I could have one play with a standard piano timbre, one with a felt pad between the strings and the hammers so that the timbre is muffled, and one with metal tacks attached to the hammers so that the timbre is metallic and in a ‘honky-tonk’ style. To apply this series of timbres to music, I could separate, say, a Mozart piece into individual phrases, and have the pianos of different timbres take turns playing each consecutive phrase. The timbre could change at each beat, if desired. In either case, the phrases or notes could rotate timbres in turn, or play simultaneously to create an interesting combination of timbres. 

Perhaps each key of a piano could be modified to produce a different timbre, and then a set of serialized pitches could determine the order of timbres – or vice versa! A set of serialized timbres could determine the order of pitches to create melodies.

I could gather three pianos of different timbres, similar to the first example, but apply the serialized set of timbres to a rhythmic piece consisting of one pitch. While this may not be another way of serializing timbre, I think it would make for a cool musical work. 

The ways of serializing timbre that I have presented include gathering many of the same instruments and giving each a different timbre, and taking one instrument and giving each string/key/etc. a different timbre. In both setups, I would then apply a series of the used timbres to a piece. I am sure that these ideas are nothing groundbreaking – thus, I would love to learn more about all the ways musicians have serialized timbre in the past, and are doing it today!

Theodore Kim
V00960161
Music 116
Dr. Patrick Boyle
December 9, 2020

Optional Blog Prompt B for Choice Cuts

Discuss your interpretation of the controversy surrounding the premiere of “The Rite of Spring.” What was the big deal? Specifically, begin a discussion about at least one other musical event, composition, or situation that created a similar type of violent public outrage and compare/contrast it to The Rite situation.

To me, “The Rite of Spring” was controversial for being different from traditional western classical music, and in disagreement with some people’s views on ‘appropriate’ and enjoyable music. Some of the unusual characteristics of “The Rite of Spring” include a brutal and jarring plot, an orchestral emphasis on percussion, unexpected accents, polymeter, polyrhythm, ostinato, and strong dissonance. These characteristics were fascinating and innovative to some, and displeasing to others. I imagine that these differing opinions caused the controversy and the riots at the premiere. 

The concert, featuring Yuja Wang, and the musical comedy duo Hyung-ki Joo and Aleksey Igudesman combined virtuosic performance with comedy, which is uncommon in classical performance. While the concert did not create violent public outrage, it did cause controversy through its sexual and racial humour. According to a New York Times article by Joshua Barone, “some of the jokes … were a shame, especially considering that much of the evening was delightful;” however, in response to Barone’s initial review of the concert, someone argued that “some of the jokes were stupid … but not offensive,” which shows that both the concert and the premiere of “The Rite of Spring” attempted to be outside of the norm, and received mixed reviews as a result. Also, visual arts played an important role, and were partly responsible for the controversy in both performances. The two performances differ in musical style. “The Rite of Spring” possessed a modernist style of music, while the concert featured more traditional western classical music. The concert also had three performers, as opposed to “The Rite of Spring’s” orchestra and ballet troupe. Although the concert was not as violence-provoking,” it is one example of a musical event that caused controversy comparable at all to that of the premiere of “The Rite of Spring.” Indeed, it shows how unusual the uproar and riots surrounding the premiere are.

Works Cited

Barone, Joshua. “Was Yuja Wang’s Concert Satirical or Offensive? It’s Complicated.” The New York Times, 15 Feb. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/arts/music/yuja-wang-igudesman-joo-carnegie-hall.html. Accessed 9 Dec 2020.

Theodore Kim
V00960161
Music 116
Dr. Patrick Boyle
December 8, 2020

Optional Blog Prompt A for Choice Cuts

Cage states “there is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time. There is always something to see and hear. Try as we may to make a silence, we cannot.” Discuss this statement in relation to Cage’s landmark experiment in composition “4’33.”

In my experience of “4’33,” I constantly heard and saw something. I heard my heartbeat, my breath, the creaking of my headphones, and the shifting of my hair as I looked at my computer screen, and around the room. The more I tried to ‘make silence,’ the sharper these sounds became. This experience reminded me of mindfulness meditation, which, from my understanding, involves simply noticing the sensations that arise in consciousness. Mindfulness meditation also reveals, among other things, that there is no empty space or time, much like “4’33” does. This suggests that “4’33” can involve not only sound, but sight, touch, taste, and smell as well.  Thinking back on my experience, I felt, for example, my feet on the floor, my butt in my seat, and my back against the chair. I had the aftertaste of breakfast in my mouth; a peanut butter banana sandwich, an orange, and yogurt. Finally, I faintly smelled my mom’s perfume on me from hugging her before. While Cage may not have intended it, those who experience “4’33” may notice many or all of their senses more keenly, as I did.

My experience of “4’33” made me consider how I appear during performances, and use ‘silence’ when I play. My piano instructor tells me that a performance begins when you enter the stage, and ends when you exit the stage, and my experience of “4’33” emphasizes this point. If I want to deliver a complete performance, I should consider everything from my walk to the piano, to my bow at the end. While there was no empty space or time during my experience of “4’33,” the ‘silence’ created suspense and anticipation. Perhaps I could use this ‘silence’ to my advantage, for example, to build suspense before beginning a piece.