On Mon, Mar 3, 2014 at 11:48 PM, LizR <lizj...@gmail.com> wrote: > Without listening to that (since I'm at work) I am under the impression > that "Carmina Burana" is, at the beginning at least, 4 beats to the bar, > not 3? > > Maybe I missed the point. I am not "musical" (except that I like listening > to music). > > Everybody with the good fortune of being able to hear is musical, which your post demonstrates.
If I remember score correctly and listen to the video, the turning wheel part beginning at around 0:25, is triple meter, as is the beginning. 3/2 at "semper crescis" around 125 bpm, but your musicality tells you "wtf are they going on about? The orchestra is pumping groups of 2 and/or 4!", which is correct. But this is a bit subtle to convey in writing. This impression is due to orchestra's rhythmic displacement of groups of four quarters imposed onto triple meter cycling of half notes every two measures of 3/2. The orchestra plays/repeats a four quarter note motif three times every two bars. But this does not line up with the vocals in terms of strong and weak rhythm events of both lines; which creates a beautiful locking effect in overall rhythm. The four note orchestra motif "fills the gaps" of the overall triple meter, scattering weak and strong accents, framing the vocals often starting on 2. The low orchestra/percussion hit is the real reference point every two, four, or eight measures. Since the vocal supports much of the main line, as Nadia Boulanger would have put it, it is large part of the main property of these passages (0:25 in video, with "boom" designating low orchestra note and/or percussion): boom, 2, 3, 1, 2, (3= not sung), Boom, 2, 3, 1, 2, (3= not sung) Boom etc. Boom, sem-per cre-scis-(rest) Boom aut-de cre-scis (rest) Boom etc. Counting this way, you'll hear the macro structure of the main line as composer intended in triple meter. I don't know whether this obfuscates more than it helps enjoyment of the thing, though... especially since composers don't want to make numeric structure too transparent and trivial as they want to give people their money's worth! In qualia terms the overall triple meter is culprit for the spinning; and the chugging mechanic four note motifs and low blows of orchestra I'd assign to relentless, military judgement of fate and fortune, I guess. That damned wheel keeps spinning: stories of power, threats, shocks, pyramids, fortune etc. here :-) PGC > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
