Daily Archives: December 11, 2013

Music Has Theory Behind it?

Music really has a whole lot of depth behind then what it seems. Most people listen to music without really considering how it was formed, or why certain notes are placed in a certain way. I was one of those people, and even worse for me, I played music without understanding it. But in high school, I took an AP Music Theory class, which really helped me see music in a totally different light.

I’ll try to explain how there is some logic behind all types of music, from movie music, electronic music, popular music, virtually all kinds of music.

As some may know, there are 7 notes that are primarily used in music: C,D,E,F,G,A,B. After B is a C, and the process repeats and repeats. When a composer creates a song, he or she usually sets it in a key, which is a group of notes that belong to that specific key. An example of this is the C Major Key, which consists of C,D,E,F,G,A,B, or the F Major Key, which consists of F,G,A,B flat (the note a half step below B), C,D,E.

The I (one) chord, known as the tonic,  is created by three notes that start with the first degree of the key, all with 3 half steps in between each note. So for the C major key, the I chord is C,E,G, and for the F major key, the I chord is F,A,C. The tonic chord is usually known as the chord of resolution and grounding.

The V (five chord), known as the dominant, is created by three notes that start with the fifth degree of the key, with each note having three half steps in between. So for C major key, the V chord is G,B,D, and for the F major key, the V chord is D,F,A. The dominant chord is usually know as the chord of tension and drama.

Most composers create music that revolve between the I and V chord, between the resolution and the tension. That’s how the basis of music is formed! I’d love to tell you more about different kind of chords and such, but I’d end up writing an essay or a book by that point.

Unexpected Art

Hey guys, so I recently stumbled across this one video where a homeless man shared one of his original poems. Within the poem he shared his story and truly expressed his feelings. Before watching the video I really never considered poetry and or great art coming from homeless people. Going to school in New York we pass by many homeless individuals on a daily basis but unfortunately we have become rather numb to their presence and as a result have gained to ability to easily walk right pass them without giving it a second thought. Art is a tool that can be used by anyone, and that being said inspiration for that art can come from anywhere. It made me rethink all of the times I walked by the homeless and reconsider the stories they might have behind their current lives.

NYC Squirrels

Why does it feel like the squirrel population in New York City is increasing? Everyday, I see more and more of them, and its freaking me out. I have always had problems with squirrels, partly because I hate rats, and I feel like squirrels have close connections with rats. So last summer, this squirrel below was just running around the rim on the top of the trash can. My friend and I were trying to walk across Union Square Park, until we saw the little show the squirrel was putting on for the public. I don’t know. Sometimes they’re cute. Sometimes they creep me out. I just hate when I’m trying to walk and they are in my way. Anyways, this one was definitely a creeper. Anybody else have issues with squirrels?

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Magritte: Ceci n’est pas un blog

Bonjour, tout le monde!

On our class visit to the Museum of Modern Art, I was very interested in the René Magritte exhibition, titled, “The Mystery of the Ordinary” and features his works from 1926-1938. Magritte was one of the famous Surrealism painters whose work pointed out the inconsistencies in language and visual representation, characterizing the surrealist movement. The art of the time period that the exhibition focuses on featured violent interpretations and innovative ways of thinking about reality and society.

“An object encounters its image, an object encounters its name.”–René Magritte

The idea that Magritte puts forth in this quote is evident in many of his paintings. One work that captured my attention was titled, “La Clef des songes,” (The Interpretation of Dreams). In the painting, images are paired with words that appear to have no correlation to the image, all except the panel in the lower right hand corner. There, Magritte painted a suitcase and below it, he writes, “the valise,” which is both a French and English word for suitcase. The other panels are all paired with non-sensical words that do not accurately describe the object above them. This interesting juxtaposition of language and image is one of Magritte’s signature ideas: words are constructed by society to describe objects, but the objects do not describe the names. We can name the object “the horse” to be “the door,” and the object would still be the same. (Also interesting to note: this painting is the same one that appears on the cover of the text, “Way of Seeing” by John Berger that we read for class.)

“An object is not so possessed of its name that one cannot find for it another which suits it better.”–René Magritte

Another work that attracted me is one that points out the distinction between painting and sculpture. Entitled, “L’évidence éternelle” (The Eternally Obvious), it depicts five parts of a woman’s body in separate canvases. The message behind the work was that this series of five paintings were blurring the lines between painting and sculpture, since it calls to our attention the use of the 3rd dimension outside each individual canvas. Seeing this work brought to my mind our trip to the Rox Gallery to see the exhibit, Delusions, where one of the photographs featured two nudes with lampshades over their heads (Regretfully, I don’t have a picture). In that work, the artist was bringing up the idea of the nude being an object if the face is covered, since it eliminates any special or distinctive properties. Magritte’s “L’évidence éternelle” reminds me of it because in four of the five canvases, the person is unrecognizable, but if seen as a whole, the five canvases form one picture of a unique person.

–Joanna Huang

Mason Hall

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Ever seen this? Its Mason Hall in our very own Baruch! It’s located on the 23rd St building. I’ve seen it once in my whole life because we had Freshman Orientation there in the beginning of the school year but I haven’t went back since. I loved the intricate detail on the wooden panels surrounding the curtains. I wonder how long it took to build everything! Plus, one can’t simply climb a ladder to create the detail. One has to climb a HUGE ladder to construct each curve. I don’t know if its just me, but I check out a theater’s surroundings before the show starts. The art of the theater and the style in which the stage is in makes the performance even greater. Even though we may not look at the stage beforehand, I feel it is essential to understanding the meaning behind the performance.