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A
Brief Survey of
My Music Theory Studies
.
. . My
involvement in composition and compositional-performance has
always required an exploration and analysis of issues and problems
related to Music Theory. My connection with it, therefore, is
principally practical.
.
. . During
High School I took two years of theory with Vincent Scelba.
When admitted to the Manhattan School of Music in the Fall of
1959 as a Piano Major, my high school work was sufficiently
advanced to place me ahead of the normal Theory placement for
Freshmen. When I changed majors in the Spring semester of 1960
to Composition, of course, my work in Theory changed significantly
since composers follow a different Theory track from the other
majors.
..
. . At
the MSM I met M.William Karlins who was at work on a Masters
in Composition. He went on to a distinguished career as composer
and educator; most recently on the faculty of Northwestern University.
I was led to study privately with Bill during most of my time
at Manhattan. My goals were specific. I wanted to pursue my
interest in Stefan Wolpe’s work (with whom Bill was then
studying); to learn principles of Serial or Row Composition
which Bill knew; and to carefully go through with him Hindemith’s
Traditional Harmony Book I. I composed official early
works with Bill, and covered Hindemith’s study not once,
but twice. During the early 1970’s, I adapted Hindemiths
text for use with my own students.
.
. . While
attending Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, in 1968, I
was required to study Counterpoint with Robert Lincoln. I did
not complete my Graduate studies at Rutgers, but I did continue
to work with Lincoln privately, studying tonal principles in
the music of Chopin and Ravel, principles to which Bob had introduced
me. He tutored me in the analysis of these composers along those
lines. Bob had studied with Nadia Boulanger and passed along
to me many of her concepts and particularly her approach to
compositional pedagogy andtwentieth century tonal music. We
continued to meet regularly while he was Chairman of Music at
Douglass College (also in New Brunswick, NJ) until his retirement
when he moved to Portland, Oregon.
.
. . .I
must here
jump back to my studies with Karlheinz Stockhausen in the Spring
of l964. Karlheinz was hired by the University of Pennsylvania
to cover George Rochberg’s composition classes. (Rochberg
was, during that period, in Buffalo NY as a Visiting Professor).
Karlheinz came to Philadelphia weekly and taught a morning class
in Composition and an afternoon Analysis class in which he played
tapes of and analyzed from the scores of, his own compositions.
It would hardly be an exaggeration to note that these studies
were a refined and high-level examination of modern theoretical
concepts of musical structure, concepts that he himself had
been instrumental in creating. To the surprise of many, I discovered
that Stockhausen had a serious and sober regard for the whole
tradition of musical composition and considers his own music
(as Schoenberg also did before him) a logical and natural expansion
of earlier principles.
..
. . In
1992 I began to work again with Ludmila Ulehla with whom I had
studied at the MSM. My purpose was to review Species Counterpoint
with her in order to produce a teaching manual for my own use.
I had originally studied this with Vittorio Giannini, as had
Ludmila. All too briefly, here is the main reason I wanted to
do this. There are two common versions of this specialized compositional
training device. One is purely historical (the modal 16th century
procedures), the other is a transformation of 16th century techniques
into an eighteenth century chord based affair. Vittorio’s
approach was neither. He maintained the linear melodic emphasis
of the modal practice but in a non-modal tonal harmonic context
without permitting the lines to be chord based.
..
. . Roland
Hanna is one of two names who figure in my Jazz studies; the
other being Art Murphy, former member of one of Phillip Glass’
performing groups. My friend and colleague Herbie Hancock recommended
Roland to me in 1969. Using the works of Ravel, Chopin, Scriabin
and Rachmaninov, Roland taught me how to abstract harmonic information
from these composers and “deploy” it in the context
of “compositional extemporization” (also known as
Jazz playing!). With Roland’s help I was at last able to
understand how to apply my compositional knowledge to my studies
and work as a Jazz musician. This problem was perhaps the most
agonizing of all the issues that have risen up during my artistic
life. I owe much to him for his careful work with me in bringing
me to understand how to do this.
.
. . The
completion of my Master’s degree in Composition from C.W.Post
College required that I study privately with Stefan Wolpe. It
was my very good fortune to be among the last of his many students.
There is no composer of the stature of Wolpe who thought about
and taught more about music theory than he. Our discussions
were largely about the possibilities for non-serialized formal
designs in our music, and his remarks were liberally sprinkled
with the most astonishing piano demonstrations. A book of reflections
on his teaching is being compiled to which I have contributed.
Stefan wrote an amazing variety of styles and types of music
as was revealed by the enormous quantity of music he left behind
unedited. (A task being completed by Austin Clarkson at York
University in Canada.) My involvement in Jazz and my previous
contacts with the Stockhausen-Boulez-Cage aspect of Post WWII
music provided much material for discussion in our lessons.
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