tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post3637021958915609433..comments2024-03-26T15:57:13.443+00:00Comments on On An Overgrown Path: Beethoven's grand slamUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-9542523301761337862010-10-25T18:24:25.321+01:002010-10-25T18:24:25.321+01:00Email received from Jeff Harrington:
Slam, that&#...<i>Email received from Jeff Harrington:</i><br /><br />Slam, that's what I've always called 'Oomph'. <br /><br />This reminds me of a discussion I had about 10 years ago on an electronic music forum where they were discussing the use of parametric compressors. I remarked that the way that composers in the past made bands of music louder was through orchestration, and in the way they voiced their chords. I used as an example how Beethoven could take a Haydn-sized chamber orchestra and make it seem like the gates of heaven were opening merely be cleverly arranging his chords and instruments in such a way that the power distribution created an effect of loudness and possibly even an effect of more instruments than there really were. <br /><br />The guys on the forum were very interested in this, and this started a discussion as to how a composer, even one using purely electronic means, could make their music louder in bands by chord voicings. I called it a kind of 'acoustic compression'; compression by non-electronic, merely musical means. <br /><br />Of course, you've been suggesting ways that a conductor can produce increased 'Slam' by his musicianship. But there has to be the desire to make music more visceral. That has to come first!<br /><br />Jeff<br />http://parnasse.com/jh/blog/Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-42104486953652491672010-10-23T20:51:02.449+01:002010-10-23T20:51:02.449+01:00This reminds me of a recording of Beethoven's ...This reminds me of <a href="http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=15300" rel="nofollow">a recording of Beethoven's Fifth</a> with Peter Eötvös conducting the Ensemble Modern that is close-miked and mixed to really maximize the sonic punch. One of my more favorite versions of the Fifth out there.<br /><br />One trade-off I've always noticed about unprocessed sonic slam—maybe because I'm too damn tall—is that it tends to come at the cost of audience comfort. Letting the orchestra off its leash in Symphony Hall in Boston has resulted in some of the most viscerally overwhelming waves of noise I've ever experienced, and it's in part because all the seats are hard-edged, seasoned wood things that kill the back.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10936327293692397100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-84056754516657186612010-10-23T03:27:48.162+01:002010-10-23T03:27:48.162+01:00Hi, Pliable - Always really appreciate it when you...Hi, Pliable - Always really appreciate it when you talk about audio/acoustics. It's so crucial to the musical experience and so little written about. This post tops the list, though. I think you're really on to something here. <br /><br />There's a text I bought years ago trying to figure out audio and it was called "Sound Reinforcement" and the introduction talked about how what you really want to do is enhance the natural sound, not crank everything up to eleven.<br /><br />Sounds like the professionals have been pursuing that notion and have really refined it with the new digital possibilities.<br /><br />I know that with my little group, the minimal audio system I've put together to balance our sound by reinforcing weaker parts of the EQ spectrum has made all the difference in audience response.<br /><br />But the best thing about this post is "slam". That's just a terrific and very handy way of talking about how to engage an audience. Looking forward to seeing where this path will lead.Lyle Sanford, RMThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312150272934828223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-64732876189772354232010-10-22T12:29:21.827+01:002010-10-22T12:29:21.827+01:00Britten Sinfonia are wonderful. I went to a perfor...Britten Sinfonia are wonderful. I went to a performance of their program with Pekka Kuusisto of music by Purcell gently rearranged by Nico Muhly at the Concertgebouw. Tight playing and a "transparent" sound. Some ensembles sound woolly, that was certainly not the case here.<br /><br />As for distant murmur, that has never been my experience. I did go to a Prom this year and was a bit amazed about the sound quality which was awful compared to Amsterdam. But perhaps I'm spoiled.Michiel van der Kraatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17332490904820044829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-81092087191412068562010-10-21T19:04:37.233+01:002010-10-21T19:04:37.233+01:00JoshMc, welcome to the path and thank you for your...JoshMc, welcome to the path and thank you for your thoughtful contribution.<br /><br />I have to confess that until recently I was dismissive about the use of amplification in classical music. But two things have made me rethink that position.<br /><br />First people like Jonathan Harvey, whose opinion I respect hugely, are saying we need to question classical music's performance conventions. <br /><br />Secondly, I am starting to understand what digital sound enhancement can add. As I say in my post, it is not about rock style bass bins. A CSTB technician explains in the link in my article:<br /><br /><i>'The amount of sound energy added to the hall is very small (the sound is not noticeably ‘amplified’)</i><br /><br />Classical music should never sound like "a distant murmur." We need to understand what electro-acoustic sound enhancement systems can offer before we dismiss them.Pliablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10616598845886342325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8060605.post-79304352347308550242010-10-21T18:25:21.254+01:002010-10-21T18:25:21.254+01:00I just started following your blog so I missed out...I just started following your blog so I missed out on the last post about adding bass to classical music but I can remember going to my first opera at the Met and being thoroughly underwhelmed. I grew up on rock, hip-hop and electronic music and, while I knew classical music wasn't amplified, I didn't expect it to sound like a distant murmur. Granted, I was in the cheapest seats in the place but that's because it was all I could afford and probably all any curious music fan would be willing to shell out to see what an opera is like for the first time.<br /><br />So, I asked on a forum of composers whether it would be beneficial for classical music to go amplified, w/o giving my opinion. The response was astoundingly negative. I felt as though I had just made a joke about their mothers. One person even claimed that it's better to not be amplified because it allows them to figure out who's a good singer and who isn't, relating a story about how a poor singer ruined an opera he recently attended. Do we really want to sit through terrible performances just so we can decide who's good? It's a silly method anyway. Pop music fans know when a singer is good or not, how do they do it if it's only possible without amplification?<br /><br />There are definitely plausible ways to add it in and create a better experience for people, especially underwhelmed new fans, that doesn't destroy the delicate dynamics that the genre requires. I think this is the fear that stops it from happening.<br /><br />Hope you don't mind the length.joshisanonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02858689289521564817noreply@blogger.com