New Sounds for Woodwinds by Bruno Bartolozzi; Reginald Smith BrindleReview by: Joscelyn GodwinNotes, Second Series, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Dec., 1968), pp. 248-249Published by: Music Library AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/894006 .

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rights organizations. The format and printing are exceptionally good and no- tably easy on the eyes.

The prefaces to the volumes are models of clear explanation, and if you are look- ing for a bonus, it's there: good essays by Mr. Shapiro on the trends in and influences on poular music during the period covered by each volume. Popular Music is suitable for all kinds of libraries, including those without music specialties.

RUTH HILTON New York University

Practical Guide to Music Notation for

Composers, Arrangers and Editors. By Carl A. Rosenthal. New York: MCA Music, 1967. [86 p.; paper, $3.75]

The stated purpose of this book is to "...enable the composer or arranger to put music on paper in such a manner that it will convey his intentions to those who reproduce his music-be it the en- graver, the copyist or the performer." The author adds that the book "...also places at the disposal of the editor of both old and new music the principles of systematic editing...." A further purpose, nowhere explicitly stated but implicit in much of the exposition dealing with the physi- cal aspects of notational practice, is to give directions to the "autographer," whose business it is to produce music manuscript which, through photolitho- graphy, serves as a substitute for the costlier process of engraving. This last objective probably accounts for what may be thought an over-elaborate presentation of such matters as the proper shape of note-heads, length of stems, details of vertical alignment, and similar matters. This emphasis is understandable in view of the author's extensive experience as an autographer, alluded to in a prefa- tory note.

In addition to detailed information on mechanical matters of musical ortho- graphy, there are recommendations-often given in the form of dogmatic directives- regarding the use of dynamic and expres- sion marks, accidentals, measure and re- hearsal numbers, metronome markings, clefs for use with various instruments, abbreviations for orchestral and band in- struments, use of guitar diagrams, string designations for bowed instruments, and

rights organizations. The format and printing are exceptionally good and no- tably easy on the eyes.

The prefaces to the volumes are models of clear explanation, and if you are look- ing for a bonus, it's there: good essays by Mr. Shapiro on the trends in and influences on poular music during the period covered by each volume. Popular Music is suitable for all kinds of libraries, including those without music specialties.

RUTH HILTON New York University

Practical Guide to Music Notation for

Composers, Arrangers and Editors. By Carl A. Rosenthal. New York: MCA Music, 1967. [86 p.; paper, $3.75]

The stated purpose of this book is to "...enable the composer or arranger to put music on paper in such a manner that it will convey his intentions to those who reproduce his music-be it the en- graver, the copyist or the performer." The author adds that the book "...also places at the disposal of the editor of both old and new music the principles of systematic editing...." A further purpose, nowhere explicitly stated but implicit in much of the exposition dealing with the physi- cal aspects of notational practice, is to give directions to the "autographer," whose business it is to produce music manuscript which, through photolitho- graphy, serves as a substitute for the costlier process of engraving. This last objective probably accounts for what may be thought an over-elaborate presentation of such matters as the proper shape of note-heads, length of stems, details of vertical alignment, and similar matters. This emphasis is understandable in view of the author's extensive experience as an autographer, alluded to in a prefa- tory note.

In addition to detailed information on mechanical matters of musical ortho- graphy, there are recommendations-often given in the form of dogmatic directives- regarding the use of dynamic and expres- sion marks, accidentals, measure and re- hearsal numbers, metronome markings, clefs for use with various instruments, abbreviations for orchestral and band in- struments, use of guitar diagrams, string designations for bowed instruments, and

rights organizations. The format and printing are exceptionally good and no- tably easy on the eyes.

The prefaces to the volumes are models of clear explanation, and if you are look- ing for a bonus, it's there: good essays by Mr. Shapiro on the trends in and influences on poular music during the period covered by each volume. Popular Music is suitable for all kinds of libraries, including those without music specialties.

RUTH HILTON New York University

Practical Guide to Music Notation for

Composers, Arrangers and Editors. By Carl A. Rosenthal. New York: MCA Music, 1967. [86 p.; paper, $3.75]

The stated purpose of this book is to "...enable the composer or arranger to put music on paper in such a manner that it will convey his intentions to those who reproduce his music-be it the en- graver, the copyist or the performer." The author adds that the book "...also places at the disposal of the editor of both old and new music the principles of systematic editing...." A further purpose, nowhere explicitly stated but implicit in much of the exposition dealing with the physi- cal aspects of notational practice, is to give directions to the "autographer," whose business it is to produce music manuscript which, through photolitho- graphy, serves as a substitute for the costlier process of engraving. This last objective probably accounts for what may be thought an over-elaborate presentation of such matters as the proper shape of note-heads, length of stems, details of vertical alignment, and similar matters. This emphasis is understandable in view of the author's extensive experience as an autographer, alluded to in a prefa- tory note.

In addition to detailed information on mechanical matters of musical ortho- graphy, there are recommendations-often given in the form of dogmatic directives- regarding the use of dynamic and expres- sion marks, accidentals, measure and re- hearsal numbers, metronome markings, clefs for use with various instruments, abbreviations for orchestral and band in- struments, use of guitar diagrams, string designations for bowed instruments, and

much other information of a supple- mentary character. At times this goes considerably beyond what might be ex- pected in a guide to notation. In dealing with "Dynamic Markings" the author fur- nishes a list of all possible combinations of the terms crescendo, decrescendo, and diminuendo with the modifiers poco, po- co a poco, nolto, and sempre, together with their meanings in English. It is hard to see the need for this in a book intended for composers, arrangers, and editors. It may be noted, incidentally, that a minor annoyance throughout is the absence of italic type, though it is frequently men- tioned in the text in connection with the use of such terms as those just mentioned.

Reference to the editing of music is frequent, most often in the sense of the activity of the publisher's editor who prepares a composer's music for the press. The editing of "old music" is only briefly dealt with in a final section, in addition to a few passing remarks elsewhere.

The organization of the mass of ma- terial dealt with is on the whole well handled; section headings provide a gen- eral guide, while an index enables the reader to find specific items not easily located from the section headings. A generous amount of music-type illustra- tion is provided for the most part, though on occasion one might wish for more where the verbal presentation is unclear. The literary style becomes rather clogged at times, while the sequence of ideas is sometimes obscured by the use of a series of one-sentence paragraphs where the thought is continuous.

In general, this would seem to be an example of a basically good idea some- what imperfectly realized. Composers and arrangers of experience-to say nothing of editors-are unlikely to find anything here which they do not already know. For those with limited experience, however, the book might well prove a valuable compendium of what is needed to make a written score agree with generally ac- cepted notational practice.

JOHN F. OHL Northwestern University

New Sounds for Woodwinds. By Bruno Bartolozzi. Trans. and ed. by Reginald Smith Brindle. London, New York,

much other information of a supple- mentary character. At times this goes considerably beyond what might be ex- pected in a guide to notation. In dealing with "Dynamic Markings" the author fur- nishes a list of all possible combinations of the terms crescendo, decrescendo, and diminuendo with the modifiers poco, po- co a poco, nolto, and sempre, together with their meanings in English. It is hard to see the need for this in a book intended for composers, arrangers, and editors. It may be noted, incidentally, that a minor annoyance throughout is the absence of italic type, though it is frequently men- tioned in the text in connection with the use of such terms as those just mentioned.

Reference to the editing of music is frequent, most often in the sense of the activity of the publisher's editor who prepares a composer's music for the press. The editing of "old music" is only briefly dealt with in a final section, in addition to a few passing remarks elsewhere.

The organization of the mass of ma- terial dealt with is on the whole well handled; section headings provide a gen- eral guide, while an index enables the reader to find specific items not easily located from the section headings. A generous amount of music-type illustra- tion is provided for the most part, though on occasion one might wish for more where the verbal presentation is unclear. The literary style becomes rather clogged at times, while the sequence of ideas is sometimes obscured by the use of a series of one-sentence paragraphs where the thought is continuous.

In general, this would seem to be an example of a basically good idea some- what imperfectly realized. Composers and arrangers of experience-to say nothing of editors-are unlikely to find anything here which they do not already know. For those with limited experience, however, the book might well prove a valuable compendium of what is needed to make a written score agree with generally ac- cepted notational practice.

JOHN F. OHL Northwestern University

New Sounds for Woodwinds. By Bruno Bartolozzi. Trans. and ed. by Reginald Smith Brindle. London, New York,

much other information of a supple- mentary character. At times this goes considerably beyond what might be ex- pected in a guide to notation. In dealing with "Dynamic Markings" the author fur- nishes a list of all possible combinations of the terms crescendo, decrescendo, and diminuendo with the modifiers poco, po- co a poco, nolto, and sempre, together with their meanings in English. It is hard to see the need for this in a book intended for composers, arrangers, and editors. It may be noted, incidentally, that a minor annoyance throughout is the absence of italic type, though it is frequently men- tioned in the text in connection with the use of such terms as those just mentioned.

Reference to the editing of music is frequent, most often in the sense of the activity of the publisher's editor who prepares a composer's music for the press. The editing of "old music" is only briefly dealt with in a final section, in addition to a few passing remarks elsewhere.

The organization of the mass of ma- terial dealt with is on the whole well handled; section headings provide a gen- eral guide, while an index enables the reader to find specific items not easily located from the section headings. A generous amount of music-type illustra- tion is provided for the most part, though on occasion one might wish for more where the verbal presentation is unclear. The literary style becomes rather clogged at times, while the sequence of ideas is sometimes obscured by the use of a series of one-sentence paragraphs where the thought is continuous.

In general, this would seem to be an example of a basically good idea some- what imperfectly realized. Composers and arrangers of experience-to say nothing of editors-are unlikely to find anything here which they do not already know. For those with limited experience, however, the book might well prove a valuable compendium of what is needed to make a written score agree with generally ac- cepted notational practice.

JOHN F. OHL Northwestern University

New Sounds for Woodwinds. By Bruno Bartolozzi. Trans. and ed. by Reginald Smith Brindle. London, New York,

248 248 248

This content downloaded from 195.34.78.245 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 19:32:47 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1967. [78 p., with 331/s r.p.m. recording in slipcase; $7.20]

The purpose of Bartolozzi's book is to make available the results of experiments made by the author with the assistance of four woodwind players. His interest in the expansion of the instruments' re- sources was kindled in 1960 by Sergio Penazzi, who showed him how multiple sounds could be achieved on the bassoon. Bartolozzi constructed, on the basis of phenomena commonly regarded as freak- ish, a catalogue raisonne of the unfamiliar sounds that can be produced with the four principal woodwind instruments. For all his categories of sounds he provides instructions for their execution on the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon: their equivalents for the other woodwinds may be deduced or discovered empirically.

His first offering is a list of unconven- tional fingerings intended to provide timbres different from those of the usual system, which, as he points out, is de- signed for a homogeneity of sound not entirely relevant to present-day music. Next comes a list of fingerings which pro- duce different tone qualities for a single note, together with harmonics available from them. The most useful item in this, the first section of the book, is a quarter-tone scale, with fingerings for each instrument.

The next section, on "multiphonic pos- sibilities," presents an impressive variety of chords, containing from two to six notes, for all of which fingerings are given. Bartolozzi reminds us that these are not exhaustive and that others doubtless re- main to be discovered and classified. Both he and his competent translator-editor, the English composer Reginald Smith Brindle, confess ultimate ignorance of the precise acoustical functions which give rise to these chords, although some explanation is attempted. This would be a fruitful field for the investigations of an interested physicist.

This reviewer's attempts to reproduce Bartolozzi's phenomena on the oboe (and the attempts of his flute- and clarinet- playing friends) have not met with un- qualified success. Some sounds are easy, others obviously need considerable prac- tice, with concentration on little-used fea-

Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1967. [78 p., with 331/s r.p.m. recording in slipcase; $7.20]

The purpose of Bartolozzi's book is to make available the results of experiments made by the author with the assistance of four woodwind players. His interest in the expansion of the instruments' re- sources was kindled in 1960 by Sergio Penazzi, who showed him how multiple sounds could be achieved on the bassoon. Bartolozzi constructed, on the basis of phenomena commonly regarded as freak- ish, a catalogue raisonne of the unfamiliar sounds that can be produced with the four principal woodwind instruments. For all his categories of sounds he provides instructions for their execution on the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon: their equivalents for the other woodwinds may be deduced or discovered empirically.

His first offering is a list of unconven- tional fingerings intended to provide timbres different from those of the usual system, which, as he points out, is de- signed for a homogeneity of sound not entirely relevant to present-day music. Next comes a list of fingerings which pro- duce different tone qualities for a single note, together with harmonics available from them. The most useful item in this, the first section of the book, is a quarter-tone scale, with fingerings for each instrument.

The next section, on "multiphonic pos- sibilities," presents an impressive variety of chords, containing from two to six notes, for all of which fingerings are given. Bartolozzi reminds us that these are not exhaustive and that others doubtless re- main to be discovered and classified. Both he and his competent translator-editor, the English composer Reginald Smith Brindle, confess ultimate ignorance of the precise acoustical functions which give rise to these chords, although some explanation is attempted. This would be a fruitful field for the investigations of an interested physicist.

This reviewer's attempts to reproduce Bartolozzi's phenomena on the oboe (and the attempts of his flute- and clarinet- playing friends) have not met with un- qualified success. Some sounds are easy, others obviously need considerable prac- tice, with concentration on little-used fea-

tures of finger and lip control, while still others are excluded by the fact that our instruments differ slightly from those spe- cified by the author. (Bartolozzi's oboe, for instance, is conservatoire system, rath- er than thumbplate; his flute has no low b.)

To prevent discouragement from lead- ing to despair and dismissal, we are pro- vided with both score and recording of Bartolozzi's Collage, in which a great num- ber of the "new sounds" are played, impeccably, by his fellow experimenters. Any composer or woodwind player who listens to this will find new doors opened for him: whether or not he cares to en- ter them, he should be aware of their existence.

JOSCELYN GODWIN Cornell University

Information Theory and Esthetic Per- ception. By Abraham Moles. Trans- lated by Joel E. Cohen. Urbana & London: University of Illinois Press, 1966. [217 p.; $7.50]

Applications of information theory to the arts have frequently suffered from two excesses. Some analysts have become preoccupied with minutiae and have ap- plied information theory to problems bet- ter handled by statistics. (For a survey of the applications of information theory to the study of musical styles and other problems, see Joel E. Cohen, "Informa- tion Theory and Music," Behavioral Sci- ence, VII [1962], pp. 137-163.) Others have overextended the basic ideas of informa- tion theory in an attempt to embrace all the arts in a general synthesis.

Abraham Moles's Information Theory and Esthetic Perception, first published as Theorie de l'information et perception esthetique by Flammarion & Ci' in 1958, is perhaps too ambitious in trying to encompass physics, psychology, and es- thetics into a single theory of perception. The attempt inevitably leads to over- simplification of data and looseness of thought. Still, the insights Moles presents should not be dismissed too quickly for their failure in "cutting through the complexity of reality." The questions he raises remain troublesome, and his at- tempt to deal with them may yet prove fruitful.

tures of finger and lip control, while still others are excluded by the fact that our instruments differ slightly from those spe- cified by the author. (Bartolozzi's oboe, for instance, is conservatoire system, rath- er than thumbplate; his flute has no low b.)

To prevent discouragement from lead- ing to despair and dismissal, we are pro- vided with both score and recording of Bartolozzi's Collage, in which a great num- ber of the "new sounds" are played, impeccably, by his fellow experimenters. Any composer or woodwind player who listens to this will find new doors opened for him: whether or not he cares to en- ter them, he should be aware of their existence.

JOSCELYN GODWIN Cornell University

Information Theory and Esthetic Per- ception. By Abraham Moles. Trans- lated by Joel E. Cohen. Urbana & London: University of Illinois Press, 1966. [217 p.; $7.50]

Applications of information theory to the arts have frequently suffered from two excesses. Some analysts have become preoccupied with minutiae and have ap- plied information theory to problems bet- ter handled by statistics. (For a survey of the applications of information theory to the study of musical styles and other problems, see Joel E. Cohen, "Informa- tion Theory and Music," Behavioral Sci- ence, VII [1962], pp. 137-163.) Others have overextended the basic ideas of informa- tion theory in an attempt to embrace all the arts in a general synthesis.

Abraham Moles's Information Theory and Esthetic Perception, first published as Theorie de l'information et perception esthetique by Flammarion & Ci' in 1958, is perhaps too ambitious in trying to encompass physics, psychology, and es- thetics into a single theory of perception. The attempt inevitably leads to over- simplification of data and looseness of thought. Still, the insights Moles presents should not be dismissed too quickly for their failure in "cutting through the complexity of reality." The questions he raises remain troublesome, and his at- tempt to deal with them may yet prove fruitful.

249 249

This content downloaded from 195.34.78.245 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 19:32:47 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions