182: Giovanna Barbati (Partimento and Improvisation on the Cello)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Today I speak to cellist and viola da gamba player Giovanna Barbati, whose repertoire extends from early to contemporary music and who has a special interest in improvisation. She appears frequently as a soloist, she plays her own music and has given the first performance of a number of works for solo cello. She has recently recorded the complete works for cello by Francesco Supriani (Da Vinci CD) with the ensemble Les amies Partimentistes. We discuss improvisation upon a ground, Francesco Supriani's diminution technique works, partimento and the cello, music theory/composition, and more!
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144: Sietze de Vries (Classical Improviser, Organist)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Professor Sietze de Vries, famed for his mastery in classical improvisation, joins the show to talk about his education, training, approach to music, music education, and demonstrates classical improvisation in multiple styles, and time periods.
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158: Nicholas Baragwanath (Hexachordal Italian Solfeggio)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Professor Nicholas Baragwanath, author of the groundbreaking "Solfeggio Tradition" (published by Oxford University Press), returns to the show to talk about Hexachordal Italian Solfeggio. This was the method of solfege instruction that was employed at the famed 18th-century Neapolitan Conservatories, using 6-note overlapping hexachords, instead of the usual 7-note systems we use today. Professor Baragwanath answers popular questions and demonstrates solfeggio in numerous settings, from beginner lessons to more advanced examples.
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157: Ewald Demeyere (Fedele Fenaroli's Partimenti and Pedagogy)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Professor Ewald Demeyere returns on the show to discuss his critical edition of Fenaroli's partimenti collection and discusses Fenaroli's approach to pedagogy and partimento realization.
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154: Partimento Panel (Gjerdingen, Sanguinetti, van Tour, Cafiero)
Nikhil Hogan Show
In this episode, I am joined by eminent professors Robert O. Gjerdingen, Giorgio Sanguinetti, Peter van Tour, and Rosa Cafiero, in a special panel session about the subject of partimento. We discuss the history of its modern research, the definition of partimento, why partimento died out, the problem with modern harmony instruction in conservatories today, the practical applicability of partimento in modern times, the future of partimento, and more.
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174: Niels Berentsen (1300-1500 Polyphony | Improvising Vocal Counterpoint)
Nikhil Hogan Show
I talk to Professor Niels Berentsen about the beginnings of improvised counterpoint, the reconstruction of incomplete music by Johannes Ciconia, computational analysis of counterpoint, teaching 15th/16th century canon, improvisation in the classroom at the Haute école de musique, the long history of improvisation models, and more. Niels has taught the theory and performance of medieval and Renaissance music at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague since 2011. He received his PhD from Leiden University in 2016. Since 2018 he is professor of improvised counterpoint at the Haute École...
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167: Solfeggio Panel (Baragwanath, Gjerdingen, IJzerman, van Tour)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Today we have a special episode dedicated to Solfeggio, featuring Professors Nicholas Baragwanath, Job IJzerman, Robert O. Gjerdingen, and Peter van Tour. The famed students of the 18th-century Neapolitan conservatories undertook an extensive 3-year course of hexachordal solmisation using guidonian syllables before they were allowed to touch an instrument. This excellent training preceded partimento and written counterpoint studies. We discuss all aspects of this pedagogy, whether it is worth learning today, its benefits, and answer numerous audience questions.
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177: Robert O. Gjerdingen (Music Schema Theory)
Nikhil Hogan Show
I'm delighted to share this interview recorded yesterday with the great Professor Robert O. Gjerdingen, focusing greatly on Music Schema Theory as revealed in his groundbreaking 2007 monograph "Music in the Galant Style". In addition, we discuss Roman Numeral Analysis, Harmonic Function Theory, Hugo Riemann, Tonality, Dahlhaus, and Schenker, and he answers numerous audience questions, enjoy!
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156: Peter Schubert (Palestrina, Fux, Counterpoint)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Intro Start St. Pius X's Motu Proprio "Tra Le Sollecitudini" How did the Council of Trent affect Gregorian chant? What do you think of Organum and composers like Léonin and Pérotin? Johann Joseph Fux Knud Jeppesen Did Palestrina improvise or play the organ? Bach played on the accordion The Lute Exultate iusti by Viadana, sung by the Sistine Chapel in 1925 Historically Informed Performance Practice Has improvised counterpoint pedagogy become more prevalent in today's university music curriculums? Professor Schubert's YouTube Channel/s 19th century counterpoint Nadia Boulanger ...
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141: Job IJzerman (Harmony, Counterpoint, Partimento)
Nikhil Hogan Show
Intro Start Refinements in approach to teaching with "Harmony, Counterpoint, Partimento" since last interview Understanding the patterns in the book as "pure sounds" Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata K. 82 Thinking of cadences as schema and things that are polyphonic rather than modern terminology like PAC or IAC Joseph Haydn: "Surprise" Symphony No. 94 Thinking of 3-part harmony as complete instead of 4-part harmony missing a voice? Antonio Vivaldi: La Primavera Where do you typically take your musical examples from in the book? Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 43 ("Mercury"), 4th mvt How does...
info_outlineMy guest today is Pianist, Improviser, and Composer, Professor Noam Sivan! He is Professor of Piano Improvisation at the HMDK Stuttgart, and we will talk about his remarkable journey, his method to his improvisational craft, his new exciting Master’s degree programme in classical piano improvisation that he has created, and much more!
0:35 What’s your musical background?
1:21 Did you naturally improvise as a child?
1:56 Mother’s influence on creativity
3:25 Tell me about your formal music training in university
4:10 The influence of formal composition study in your undergraduate studies
6:16 Examples of apply a compositional technique in different musical languages
8:26 Did you face any pressure to become a modernist composer
10:00 What was your dream, to be a composer or performing pianist?
13:00 Masters degree
15:27 Studying with Carl Schachter
16:39 An example of Carl Schacter’s lessons in improvisation
17:42 What did your professors and peers think of improvisation during your student years?
20:25 Improvising cadenzas
21:06 Meeting Robert Levin
21:31 What did Robert Levin say about your improvising at the time?
23:17 What were the technical things that you worked on to take your improvisation to the next level?
26:30 What is your operating system behind your method of improvisation?
28:18 How did you choose the notes for your right hand improvisation?
30:03 How do you make sure your right hand is not creating contrapuntal mistakes when improvising?
32:55 What’s a good way to learn figured bass?
34:35 Do you need to study modern harmony to do what you are doing?
37:24 Studying with Milton Babbitt
40:34 Was the culture at Juilliard supportive of improvisation in Classical music?
41:24 Were the students you taught at the time completely new to classical improvisation?
42:33 What did Milton Babbitt think of improvisation and what you were doing?
43:37 Anecdotes of responses to your improvisations and classes in the early days
45:33 Did you receive negative feedback to improvisation?
48:17 Does being a composer and improviser give you an additional insight into interpretation of repertoire
50:03 Do you any comment on academic or competition style interpretations of repertoire?
52:47 When you have change your system of improvisation to accomodate more modern or contemporary styles of improvisation?
54:34 Do you still maintain the consonance/dissonance framework in a contemporary setting?
56:52 What is anchoring your contemporary improvisations, is it keys or the progression?
58:00 Are you thinking of intervals?
58:19 What tips can you give to more traditional improvisers to broaden their tonal palette into modern music?
1:01:43 Vincent Persichetti’s 20th Century Harmony textbook
1:03:44 How does a music educator grade student musical improvisations?
1:08:43 Professor Sivan’s new Masters degree programme on classical piano improvisation
1:11:19 How’s the reception to the Masters programme?
1:13:07 Do you require incoming students to have a background in improvisation?
1:14:38 How has the culture around classical improvisation now changed compared to when you began?
1:17:49 Professor’s Sivan album “Ambiro’s Journey”
1:18:48 What’s a good ratio for a modern performer’s recital pieces for improvised music, original compositions and traditional repertoire?
1:21:30 A memorable experience from your solo improvised piano recitals
1:24:21 Up to this point, what has been your proudest musical moment?
1:27:11 How are you different as an improviser today vs 10 years ago and how do you see yourself grow in the next 10 years?
1:31:31 Wrapping Up