The Confiteor in Bach's Mass in B minor comprises three continuous yet contrasted sections. T... more The Confiteor in Bach's Mass in B minor comprises three continuous yet contrasted sections. The entire movement is marked with cut-¢ time signature; the second section (introducing the words et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum) is preceded by an Adagio; and the final section (starting with the same words) is marked Vivace ed allegro. These markings are usually assumed to have been penned by J. S. Bach himself, or under his guidance. In this article, I examine the meaning and implications of these performance instructions from the combined perspectives of performance practice studies (specifically, what these performance indications might have meant for Bach and his contemporaries-and how subsequent editors interpreted them), performance analysis (different performative interpretations of this passage, as documented in sound recordings), as well as melodic-harmonic analysis and reception studies. The paper focuses on four case studies (performances conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncou...
Bach, famously, did not write operas. He did, however, write dramatic works and movements, rangin... more Bach, famously, did not write operas. He did, however, write dramatic works and movements, ranging from the comic to the nearly erotic. His sacred cantatas contain several scenes, monologues and dialogues involving metaphorical characters. The most common characters are Jesus (usually portrayed by a bass) and the Soul (usually portrayed by a soprano). The narrative in these cantatas (eg, Cantatas BWV 21, 57, 140, 149, 199) is largely similar: the Soul first expresses fear and insecurity as she awaits Jesus; she then ...
The myth of Mordecai Seter (1916-94) as "a composers' composer," based on his abstract late style... more The myth of Mordecai Seter (1916-94) as "a composers' composer," based on his abstract late style, ignores the exceptional public success of Seter's magnum opus-the oratorio Tikkun Ḥatzot (Midnight Vigil, 1961), for which Seter, one of the Israeli Five, received public and critical acclaim and prominent national and international awards. The accessibility and resulting popularity of Midnight Vigil creates a contrasting myth. The oratorio draws on traditional Jewish-Yemenite materials and Western compositional techniques, and celebrates the national Zionist narrative of destruction, exile, and redemption. Ample primary sources present the Midnight Vigil as a national treasure, and oppose the image of the composer as the "Hidden Seter." The stature of canonical composers is frequently underpinned by myths concerning their life and work-and by later attempts to deconstruct these myths. Myth-producers and myth-debunkers are often united, first and foremost, by their admiration of a composer's music. 1 A locus classicus of demythologizing and re-mythologizing can be found in the reception history of Johann Sebastian Bach: scholars and critics have sought to dismantle his image as the Fifth Evangelist, or as a musical Pythagoras, 2 usually out of concern that these forbidding images might drive listeners away from admiring Bach's music. 3 1
This article deals with two of my works, both of which were to expand, is reflected at all levels... more This article deals with two of my works, both of which were to expand, is reflected at all levels of the microstruccomposed to literary texts in Arabic. The first is one of my ture and macrostructure of my works. shortest compositions and the second is one of the longest. The Gown of Night 1 (1988), for magnetic tape, is based on 2. COMPOSITIONAL PROCESSES the voices of Bedouin children articulating a text by Muhammad Ghana'im (Israel) and lasts 2 minutes and 42 2.1. Inspirational sources seconds. Like Two Branches 2 (1989), a cantata for chamber choir, two oboes, kanun (or piano), violoncello and a set of In the late 1980s I became increasingly interested in supplemented tar drums, is based on text by Al-Khansamicrotonal music. In October 1988 I made a special who lived in the Arabian Peninsula in the sixth century trip to Graz to attend its innovative festival, AD-and lasts 42 minutes. The ongoing process involving Musikprotokoll, Steirischen Herbst, devoted in its the composition of these two works in the late 1980s entirety to microtonal music. At that time I was resulted in their successive appearance in 1988 and 1990.
term “Rhetorical music ” as an appropriate alternative to the label “Early music ” – a term that ... more term “Rhetorical music ” as an appropriate alternative to the label “Early music ” – a term that “expresses the essence of the musical spirit prior to the Romantic Revolution ” (p. 12). His statements reflect the views of many ‘Early ’ musicians, beginning with Leonhardt and Harnoncourt. Despite this, rhetoric receives surprisingly little attention from “outsiders ” – critics, listeners, “mainstream” performers, philosophers, even musicologists – in their discussions of HIP (historically-informed performance). This curious situation reflects a wider misunderstanding. Many “outsiders ” still think of historical performance as a predominantly technical exercise, focused on means rather than ends. Richard Taruskin, one of the movement’s most influential critics (and admirers), for example, writes that HIP musicians are content with reconstructing the original sounds, insofar as these can be empirically recoverable; they are not really interested in the expressive effect that composers ...
The conductor Helmuth Rilling documented his views on Bach’s B minor Mass in two different media:... more The conductor Helmuth Rilling documented his views on Bach’s B minor Mass in two different media: in addition to his three recordings, he wrote a monograph on this work, containing detailed analyses and performance instructions for each movement. Surprisingly, the recording that seems most consistent with the conductor’s verbally-stated views is his 1999 version – the one most chronologically distant from the book. In the book, Rilling repeatedly exhorts performers to trace the ebb-and-flow of tension within the music. His earlier performances, however, often display an internal rigidity which belies this ideal. This disparity might represent a tension between Rilling’s aesthetics and his adoption, in the 1960s and 1970s, of a performance style better-suited for the projection of strict Unity of Affect, reflecting the influence of several of Rilling’s mentors and erstwhile colleagues. In subsequent years, Rilling and his ensembles have gradually adopted a more locally flexible perfo...
The conductor and musicologist Joshua Rifkin distinguishes between two modes of musical performan... more The conductor and musicologist Joshua Rifkin distinguishes between two modes of musical performance—“reading” and “interpretation” (Sherman 1997, 379; Rifkin 2008, 33). 2 He defines “reading” as a relatively “straight” realization of the musical notation (understood, to the highest degree possible, as the composer and his contemporaries would have understood it) “on a high level of execution and thoughtfulness” (Rifkin 2008, 33). An interpretation involves more blatant performative interventions, avoiding the pretense of “letting the music speak for itself” and seeking, instead, to communicate the performer’s own artistic vision. Richard Taruskin made a similar distinction between “crooked” and “straight” musicians.
Review of several recent recordings of Bach's choral and vocal music. Published in Early ... more Review of several recent recordings of Bach's choral and vocal music. Published in Early Music, August 2015, pp. 541-515.
Goldberg: Early music magazine= Revista de …, 2008
... Claves para la interpretación de la música barroca. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldbe... more ... Claves para la interpretación de la música barroca. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Revista de música antigua, ISSN 1138-1531, Nº 51, 2008 , págs. 56-67. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. ...
Goldberg: Early music magazine= Revista de …, 2007
... Ars polemica: El Orfeo de Monteverdi como credo artístico. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización:... more ... Ars polemica: El Orfeo de Monteverdi como credo artístico. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Revista de música antigua, ISSN 1138-1531, Nº 45, 2007 , págs. 44-56. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. ...
Goldberg: Early music magazine= Revista de …, 2007
... Los Oratorios de Bach. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Re... more ... Los Oratorios de Bach. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Revista de música antigua, ISSN 1138-1531, Nº 48, 2007 , págs. 58-71. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. Acceso de usuarios registrados Usuario. Contraseña. Entrar ...
Goldberg: Early music magazine= Revista de …, 2006
... El drama litúrgico en la "Pasión según San Mateo" de Bach. Autores: Uri Golomb; Loc... more ... El drama litúrgico en la "Pasión según San Mateo" de Bach. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Revista de música antigua, ISSN 1138-1531, Nº 39, 2006 , págs. 48-59. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. ...
This selection of discs raises a number of questions concerning scoring and rearrangements, not l... more This selection of discs raises a number of questions concerning scoring and rearrangements, not least regarding keyboard continuo. Yet, ultimately, the issue remains the character of the interpretations, rather than the choice of hardware.
The 14th Biennial Conference on Baroque Music took place at Queen's University, Belfast,... more The 14th Biennial Conference on Baroque Music took place at Queen's University, Belfast, from 30 June to 4 July, and was chaired by Yo Tomita. Writing about a conference which featured a keynote address should be made easier by virtue of the focal point which such a lecture ...
JMM: The Refereed On-Line Journal for Multi- …, 2005
The concept of musical gesture is usually linked to the experiential or performative aspect of mu... more The concept of musical gesture is usually linked to the experiential or performative aspect of music. In his online lecture series on the subject, 1 Robert Hatten defines Gesture asa movementthatmaybeinterpretedassignificant(adefinitionwhichcloselymirrorsthe OED' ...
This dissertation investigates developments in the performance of J. S. Bach's music in the secon... more This dissertation investigates developments in the performance of J. S. Bach's music in the second half of the 20 th century, as reflected in recordings of the Mass in B Minor, BWV 232. It places particular emphasis on issues relating to concepts of expression through performance. Between the 1950s and the 1980s, most Bach performers shared a partial consensus as to what constitutes expression in performance (e.g., intense sound; wide dynamic range; rubato). Arguments against the application of such techniques to Bach's works were often linked with the view that his music is more "objective" than later repertoires; or, alternatively, that expressive elements in Bach's music are self-sufficient, and should be not be intensified in performance.
The myth of Mordecai Seter (1916–94) as “a composers’ composer,”
based on his abstract late style... more The myth of Mordecai Seter (1916–94) as “a composers’ composer,” based on his abstract late style, ignores the exceptional public success of Seter’s magnum opus—the oratorio Tikkun Ḥatzot (Midnight Vigil, 1961), for which Seter, one of the Israeli Five, received public and critical acclaim and prominent national and international awards. The accessibility and resulting popularity of Midnight Vigil creates a contrasting myth. The oratorio draws on traditional Jewish-Yemenite materials and Western compositional techniques, and celebrates the national Zionist narrative of destruction, exile, and redemption. Ample primary sources present the Midnight Vigil as a national treasure, and oppose the image of the composer as the “Hidden Seter.”
The Confiteor in Bach's Mass in B minor comprises three continuous yet contrasted sections. T... more The Confiteor in Bach's Mass in B minor comprises three continuous yet contrasted sections. The entire movement is marked with cut-¢ time signature; the second section (introducing the words et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum) is preceded by an Adagio; and the final section (starting with the same words) is marked Vivace ed allegro. These markings are usually assumed to have been penned by J. S. Bach himself, or under his guidance. In this article, I examine the meaning and implications of these performance instructions from the combined perspectives of performance practice studies (specifically, what these performance indications might have meant for Bach and his contemporaries-and how subsequent editors interpreted them), performance analysis (different performative interpretations of this passage, as documented in sound recordings), as well as melodic-harmonic analysis and reception studies. The paper focuses on four case studies (performances conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncou...
Bach, famously, did not write operas. He did, however, write dramatic works and movements, rangin... more Bach, famously, did not write operas. He did, however, write dramatic works and movements, ranging from the comic to the nearly erotic. His sacred cantatas contain several scenes, monologues and dialogues involving metaphorical characters. The most common characters are Jesus (usually portrayed by a bass) and the Soul (usually portrayed by a soprano). The narrative in these cantatas (eg, Cantatas BWV 21, 57, 140, 149, 199) is largely similar: the Soul first expresses fear and insecurity as she awaits Jesus; she then ...
The myth of Mordecai Seter (1916-94) as "a composers' composer," based on his abstract late style... more The myth of Mordecai Seter (1916-94) as "a composers' composer," based on his abstract late style, ignores the exceptional public success of Seter's magnum opus-the oratorio Tikkun Ḥatzot (Midnight Vigil, 1961), for which Seter, one of the Israeli Five, received public and critical acclaim and prominent national and international awards. The accessibility and resulting popularity of Midnight Vigil creates a contrasting myth. The oratorio draws on traditional Jewish-Yemenite materials and Western compositional techniques, and celebrates the national Zionist narrative of destruction, exile, and redemption. Ample primary sources present the Midnight Vigil as a national treasure, and oppose the image of the composer as the "Hidden Seter." The stature of canonical composers is frequently underpinned by myths concerning their life and work-and by later attempts to deconstruct these myths. Myth-producers and myth-debunkers are often united, first and foremost, by their admiration of a composer's music. 1 A locus classicus of demythologizing and re-mythologizing can be found in the reception history of Johann Sebastian Bach: scholars and critics have sought to dismantle his image as the Fifth Evangelist, or as a musical Pythagoras, 2 usually out of concern that these forbidding images might drive listeners away from admiring Bach's music. 3 1
This article deals with two of my works, both of which were to expand, is reflected at all levels... more This article deals with two of my works, both of which were to expand, is reflected at all levels of the microstruccomposed to literary texts in Arabic. The first is one of my ture and macrostructure of my works. shortest compositions and the second is one of the longest. The Gown of Night 1 (1988), for magnetic tape, is based on 2. COMPOSITIONAL PROCESSES the voices of Bedouin children articulating a text by Muhammad Ghana'im (Israel) and lasts 2 minutes and 42 2.1. Inspirational sources seconds. Like Two Branches 2 (1989), a cantata for chamber choir, two oboes, kanun (or piano), violoncello and a set of In the late 1980s I became increasingly interested in supplemented tar drums, is based on text by Al-Khansamicrotonal music. In October 1988 I made a special who lived in the Arabian Peninsula in the sixth century trip to Graz to attend its innovative festival, AD-and lasts 42 minutes. The ongoing process involving Musikprotokoll, Steirischen Herbst, devoted in its the composition of these two works in the late 1980s entirety to microtonal music. At that time I was resulted in their successive appearance in 1988 and 1990.
term “Rhetorical music ” as an appropriate alternative to the label “Early music ” – a term that ... more term “Rhetorical music ” as an appropriate alternative to the label “Early music ” – a term that “expresses the essence of the musical spirit prior to the Romantic Revolution ” (p. 12). His statements reflect the views of many ‘Early ’ musicians, beginning with Leonhardt and Harnoncourt. Despite this, rhetoric receives surprisingly little attention from “outsiders ” – critics, listeners, “mainstream” performers, philosophers, even musicologists – in their discussions of HIP (historically-informed performance). This curious situation reflects a wider misunderstanding. Many “outsiders ” still think of historical performance as a predominantly technical exercise, focused on means rather than ends. Richard Taruskin, one of the movement’s most influential critics (and admirers), for example, writes that HIP musicians are content with reconstructing the original sounds, insofar as these can be empirically recoverable; they are not really interested in the expressive effect that composers ...
The conductor Helmuth Rilling documented his views on Bach’s B minor Mass in two different media:... more The conductor Helmuth Rilling documented his views on Bach’s B minor Mass in two different media: in addition to his three recordings, he wrote a monograph on this work, containing detailed analyses and performance instructions for each movement. Surprisingly, the recording that seems most consistent with the conductor’s verbally-stated views is his 1999 version – the one most chronologically distant from the book. In the book, Rilling repeatedly exhorts performers to trace the ebb-and-flow of tension within the music. His earlier performances, however, often display an internal rigidity which belies this ideal. This disparity might represent a tension between Rilling’s aesthetics and his adoption, in the 1960s and 1970s, of a performance style better-suited for the projection of strict Unity of Affect, reflecting the influence of several of Rilling’s mentors and erstwhile colleagues. In subsequent years, Rilling and his ensembles have gradually adopted a more locally flexible perfo...
The conductor and musicologist Joshua Rifkin distinguishes between two modes of musical performan... more The conductor and musicologist Joshua Rifkin distinguishes between two modes of musical performance—“reading” and “interpretation” (Sherman 1997, 379; Rifkin 2008, 33). 2 He defines “reading” as a relatively “straight” realization of the musical notation (understood, to the highest degree possible, as the composer and his contemporaries would have understood it) “on a high level of execution and thoughtfulness” (Rifkin 2008, 33). An interpretation involves more blatant performative interventions, avoiding the pretense of “letting the music speak for itself” and seeking, instead, to communicate the performer’s own artistic vision. Richard Taruskin made a similar distinction between “crooked” and “straight” musicians.
Review of several recent recordings of Bach's choral and vocal music. Published in Early ... more Review of several recent recordings of Bach's choral and vocal music. Published in Early Music, August 2015, pp. 541-515.
Goldberg: Early music magazine= Revista de …, 2008
... Claves para la interpretación de la música barroca. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldbe... more ... Claves para la interpretación de la música barroca. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Revista de música antigua, ISSN 1138-1531, Nº 51, 2008 , págs. 56-67. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. ...
Goldberg: Early music magazine= Revista de …, 2007
... Ars polemica: El Orfeo de Monteverdi como credo artístico. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización:... more ... Ars polemica: El Orfeo de Monteverdi como credo artístico. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Revista de música antigua, ISSN 1138-1531, Nº 45, 2007 , págs. 44-56. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. ...
Goldberg: Early music magazine= Revista de …, 2007
... Los Oratorios de Bach. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Re... more ... Los Oratorios de Bach. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Revista de música antigua, ISSN 1138-1531, Nº 48, 2007 , págs. 58-71. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. Acceso de usuarios registrados Usuario. Contraseña. Entrar ...
Goldberg: Early music magazine= Revista de …, 2006
... El drama litúrgico en la "Pasión según San Mateo" de Bach. Autores: Uri Golomb; Loc... more ... El drama litúrgico en la "Pasión según San Mateo" de Bach. Autores: Uri Golomb; Localización: Goldberg: Early music magazine = Revista de música antigua, ISSN 1138-1531, Nº 39, 2006 , págs. 48-59. Fundación Dialnet. Acceso de usuarios registrados. ...
This selection of discs raises a number of questions concerning scoring and rearrangements, not l... more This selection of discs raises a number of questions concerning scoring and rearrangements, not least regarding keyboard continuo. Yet, ultimately, the issue remains the character of the interpretations, rather than the choice of hardware.
The 14th Biennial Conference on Baroque Music took place at Queen's University, Belfast,... more The 14th Biennial Conference on Baroque Music took place at Queen's University, Belfast, from 30 June to 4 July, and was chaired by Yo Tomita. Writing about a conference which featured a keynote address should be made easier by virtue of the focal point which such a lecture ...
JMM: The Refereed On-Line Journal for Multi- …, 2005
The concept of musical gesture is usually linked to the experiential or performative aspect of mu... more The concept of musical gesture is usually linked to the experiential or performative aspect of music. In his online lecture series on the subject, 1 Robert Hatten defines Gesture asa movementthatmaybeinterpretedassignificant(adefinitionwhichcloselymirrorsthe OED' ...
This dissertation investigates developments in the performance of J. S. Bach's music in the secon... more This dissertation investigates developments in the performance of J. S. Bach's music in the second half of the 20 th century, as reflected in recordings of the Mass in B Minor, BWV 232. It places particular emphasis on issues relating to concepts of expression through performance. Between the 1950s and the 1980s, most Bach performers shared a partial consensus as to what constitutes expression in performance (e.g., intense sound; wide dynamic range; rubato). Arguments against the application of such techniques to Bach's works were often linked with the view that his music is more "objective" than later repertoires; or, alternatively, that expressive elements in Bach's music are self-sufficient, and should be not be intensified in performance.
The myth of Mordecai Seter (1916–94) as “a composers’ composer,”
based on his abstract late style... more The myth of Mordecai Seter (1916–94) as “a composers’ composer,” based on his abstract late style, ignores the exceptional public success of Seter’s magnum opus—the oratorio Tikkun Ḥatzot (Midnight Vigil, 1961), for which Seter, one of the Israeli Five, received public and critical acclaim and prominent national and international awards. The accessibility and resulting popularity of Midnight Vigil creates a contrasting myth. The oratorio draws on traditional Jewish-Yemenite materials and Western compositional techniques, and celebrates the national Zionist narrative of destruction, exile, and redemption. Ample primary sources present the Midnight Vigil as a national treasure, and oppose the image of the composer as the “Hidden Seter.”
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based on his abstract late style, ignores the exceptional
public success of Seter’s magnum opus—the oratorio Tikkun
Ḥatzot (Midnight Vigil, 1961), for which Seter, one of the Israeli
Five, received public and critical acclaim and prominent national
and international awards. The accessibility and resulting popularity
of Midnight Vigil creates a contrasting myth. The oratorio
draws on traditional Jewish-Yemenite materials and Western
compositional techniques, and celebrates the national Zionist
narrative of destruction, exile, and redemption. Ample primary
sources present the Midnight Vigil as a national treasure, and
oppose the image of the composer as the “Hidden Seter.”
based on his abstract late style, ignores the exceptional
public success of Seter’s magnum opus—the oratorio Tikkun
Ḥatzot (Midnight Vigil, 1961), for which Seter, one of the Israeli
Five, received public and critical acclaim and prominent national
and international awards. The accessibility and resulting popularity
of Midnight Vigil creates a contrasting myth. The oratorio
draws on traditional Jewish-Yemenite materials and Western
compositional techniques, and celebrates the national Zionist
narrative of destruction, exile, and redemption. Ample primary
sources present the Midnight Vigil as a national treasure, and
oppose the image of the composer as the “Hidden Seter.”