Résumés
Abstract
Brian Cherney’s pedagogical and compositional philosophy is examined from the perspective of transcendent intention. Both in teaching composition and in his own works, Cherney emphasizes technique, attention to details, a convincing formal architecture, and the power of music to give expression to fundamental human emotions and experiences. Drawing upon the philosopher Henri Bergson’s concepts about the “nature of creative consciousness,” the author finds striking parallels between Bergson’s ideas and Cherney’s music. Analytical observations on Cherney’s String Trio are tied to the composer’s pedagogical approach, which profoundly influenced the author both as a composer and as a teacher. Cherney’s String Trio confronts the listener with a work in which the spiritual expression of a universal impermanence is manifested in the music itself in various ways that are illuminated and discussed using specific musical examples.
Résumé
L’auteur examine la philosophie pédagogique et compositionnelle de Brian Cherney du point de vue de l’intention transcendante. Tant dans son enseignement de la composition que dans ses propres oeuvres, Cherney insiste sur la technique, le souci du détail, une architecture formelle convaincante et le pouvoir de la musique d’exprimer les émotions et expériences humaines fondamentales. S’inspirant des concepts liés à la « nature du conscient créatif » du philosophe Henri Bergson, l’auteur constate des parallèles frappants entre les idées de Bergson et la musique de Cherney. Il lie des observations analytiques sur le String Trio de Cherney à l’approche pédagogique du compositeur, qui a profondément influencé l’auteur comme compositeur et comme enseignant. Le String Trio de Cherney présente à l’auditeur une oeuvre dans laquelle l’expression spirituelle d’une impermanence universelle se manifeste dans la musique elle-même de diverses façons qui sont illustrées et explorées au moyen d’exemples musicaux précis.
Veuillez télécharger l’article en PDF pour le lire.
Télécharger
Parties annexes
Biographical note
Arlan N. Schultz is an associate professor of composition, theory, and digital audio arts at the University of Lethbridge and he is chair of the music department. His composition teachers have included Brian Ferneyhough, Roger Reynolds, Chinary Ung, Harvey Solberger, Michael Matthews, and Brian Cherney. He has won many awards both for his academic work and for his compositional activity. His music has been heard in performances and broadcasts in Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Austria, Greece, Poland, and Hungary.
Bibliography
- Bergson, Henri. 1992. The Creative Mind: An Introduction to Metaphysics. Trans. Mabelle L. Andison. New York: Carol Publishing Group. (Published originally as La Pensée et le mouvant, 1934; English translation New York: Philosophical Library, 1946.)
- Cherney, Brian. 1983. Program notes for his String Trio in the liner notes for Radio Canada International LP recording RCI 537. Performance of the String Trio by Otto Armin, violin; Rivka Golani, viola; Peter Schenkman, cello. Rereleased in 2011 on Ovation, Volume 4. CBC Records CD-CMCBX 00211, Disc 3 (of 4).
- Damasio, Antonio R. 1994. Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New York: G.P. Putnam.