Ferarra, Chapter 7 An Eclectic Method for Sound, Form and Reference

The Eclectic Method

Up until this point, Dr. Lawrence Ferrara has given us a complete overview on the history of philosophy in art and its key points and key players in his book, Philosophy and the Analysis of Music: Bridges to Musical Sound Form and Reference. Finally now, in Chapter 7 of the book he has revealed the bridge between these philosophical approaches by demonstrating and defining an eclectic analysis. In his explanation, he insists that a listener must “maintain a stance marked by openness to any level of musical significance” when using an eclectic analysis of musical works. It is from this openness that one might tap into all the significant questions possible behind the existence of work itself. There are ten steps to Ferrara’s eclectic analysis in the subsequent order, Historical Background, Open Listening, Syntax, Sound-In-Time, Musical and Textural Representation, Virtual Feeling, Onto-historical World, Open Listening again, Performance Guide, and finally a Meta-Critique. Their breakdowns are as follows:

Step One

Historical Background - here is where we begin by asking questions like, “What are some important dates of the piece and its composer?”; “What were the characteristic styles form this period?”; “What was the socio-political climate in which the composer wrote?” Many times in early classical music the church had a large influence into ‘how’ and ‘what’ was allowed to be composed. This is the section to deal with these types of questions.

Step Two

Open Listening – This is pretty self-explanatory. Now is when we actually listen to the piece, along with a score if available, and take in the overall sounds, structure, and messages in the work.

Step Three

Syntax – In this step we can begin to look at all the structural forms in the music.
We would look at the significant forms present(i.e. Verse-chorus-Verse; ABA; etc.)

Step Four

Sound-In-Time – Also referred to as a phenomenological description, we can begin to deal with how the sound itself affects the listener. Things like what metaphorical aspects are present and the analysis itself can now shift into a more poetic description of the music.

Step Five

Musical and Textual Representation – Here in the analysis we move into the first of three referential perspectives. Here we can talk about things that specific voicing or phrases represent. Does the specific timbre of the lead melody remind you of something relative to the music’s message as a whole? Are there rhythmic aspects which call up a certain idea?

Step Six

Virtual Feeling – Part to of the referential approach. How does the music sound? Is it happy, sad, anxious? This does not mean the music is itself sad or happy but something with the phrasings has a quality reminiscent of an abstract feeling.

Step Seven

Onto-Historical World – The third and final referential part. This is something that grows out of the syntactical and sound-in-time analysis. What sort of worlds does the music play around in? Here is where you bridge the analysis you have done in steps three-six. Staying grounded in the levels of the previous steps you can look for locations in time that are present in the music. Even though the piece was written in Germany in the 21st century can you hear something based on the musical form and referential context that speaks of London during the Victorian era?  These questions should relate mainly to the artist them-self, being of the world in which the 'art' was created.

Step Eight

Open Listening – Here again is the return to the music itself. Any level of significance may be discussed. Using the previous six sections is there now something that becomes eminently clear since you have all these areas now active parallel to each other?

Step Nine

Performance Guide – This is to aid performers in the overall comprehension of the work. It is a section to wrap everything together to instruct a performer how these elements found “inside” the music can be utilized in a piece. This is where your discoveries can be fused to a multi-leveled frame in which to help a performer prop up their own nuances in performance.

Step Ten

Meta-Critique’ – Lastly a meta-critique is a place to express how well the eclectic analysis itself came together. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the topics discussed in the analysis?

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REACTION

Ferrara points out that there are many forms of analysis of music, (Shenkerian, Cliftonian, etc.) however, if you are to deal with music like a scientific method you will miss much that exists behind the music due to the limitations of the specific analytical method. Yes, they are affective in there own right but a full rounded comprehension is better. Ultimately, using an eclectic method unites theory and practice in a full and complete form.