Overview

Music is surrounded by movement, from the arching back of the guitarist to the violinist swaying with each bow stroke. To John Paul Ito, these actions are not just a visual display; rather, they reveal what it really means for musicians to move with the beat, organizing the flow of notes from beat to beat and shaping the sound produced. By developing ""focal impulse theory,"" Ito shows how a performer's choices of how to move with the meter can transform the music's expressive contours. Change the dance of the performer's body, and you change the dance of the notes. As Focal Impulse Theory deftly illustrates, bodily movements carry musical meaning and, in a very real sense, are meaning.

Full Product Details

Author:   John Paul Ito
Publisher:   Indiana University Press
Imprint:   Indiana University Press
Weight:   0.612kg
ISBN:  

9780253049957

ISBN 10:   0253049954
Pages:   398
Publication Date:   05 January 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Accessing Audiovisual Materials Preface Copyright Acknowledgments Part I: Introduction 1. Introducing the Focal Impulse and its Theory 2. Foundations in Music Theory and Cognitive Science Part II: Basic Focal Impulse Theory 3. The Basic Concept of the Focal Impulse 4. Focal Impulses and Meter: The Simplest Cases 5. The Sound of Focal Impulses 6. More on Focal Impulses and Meter 7. A Taxonomy of Syncopations Part III: Expanding Focal Impulse Theory 8. Special Cases of Focal Impulse Placement 9. Anticipations and Secondary Focal Impulses 10. Inflecting Focal Impulses Downward and Upward 11. More Advanced Uses of Inflected Impulse Cycles 12. Performing Metrical Dissonance Part IV: Connecting Focal Impulse Theory 13. Connections with Psychology 14. Connections with Other Music Scholarship Part V: Applying Focal Impulse Theory 15. Metrical Dissonance in Brahms 16. The First Movements of the Brahms Sonatas op. 120 Conclusions: Placing Focal Impulse Theory in Larger Contexts Glossary: Focal Impulse Symbols and Their Definitions References Discography Index

Reviews

John Paul Ito introduces the central concept of his latest book, Focal Impulse Theory: Musical Expression, Meter, and the Body, with an anecdote familiar to musicians: a fellow musician stops during a rehearsal and suggests the music should feel in two rather than four. How and why does the suggestive, more prominent beat in two versus four make such a difference in musical interpretation? Throughout the rest of the book, Ito untangles the abstract and hazy notions around meter, pulse, and feel. . . . Ito has clearly done extensive data collection and research for his book. If asked whether Focal Impulse Theory is better suited as a performance or teaching guide, I would classify it as a study on feel, what happens between large and small beats, and large and small measures. Succinctly put, it's an in-depth guide to the practical aspects of the role meter plays in musical performances for musicians. -- Laurel Yu * Journal of the American Viola Society *

John Paul Ito introduces the central concept of his latest book, Focal Impulse Theory: Musical Expression, Meter, and the Body, with an anecdote familiar to musicians: a fellow musician stops during a rehearsal and suggests the music should feel in two rather than four. How and why does the suggestive, more prominent beat in two versus four make such a difference in musical interpretation? Throughout the rest of the book, Ito untangles the abstract and hazy notions around meter, pulse, and feel. . . . Ito has clearly done extensive data collection and research for his book. If asked whether Focal Impulse Theory is better suited as a performance or teaching guide, I would classify it as a study on feel, what happens between large and small beats, and large and small measures. Succinctly put, it's an in-depth guide to the practical aspects of the role meter plays in musical performances for musicians. -- Laurel Yu * Journal of the American Viola Society * For music theorists, performers, and students alike, this remarkable book will open up new ways of feeling and thinking about meter, expression, and embodied performance. -- Jonathan De Souza - Western University * MTO - a journal of the Society of Music Theory *

For music theorists, performers, and students alike, this remarkable book will open up new ways of feeling and thinking about meter, expression, and embodied performance. --Jonathan De Souza - Western University MTO - a journal of the Society of Music Theory John Paul Ito introduces the central concept of his latest book, Focal Impulse Theory: Musical Expression, Meter, and the Body, with an anecdote familiar to musicians: a fellow musician stops during a rehearsal and suggests the music should feel in two rather than four. How and why does the suggestive, more prominent beat in two versus four make such a difference in musical interpretation? Throughout the rest of the book, Ito untangles the abstract and hazy notions around meter, pulse, and feel. . . . Ito has clearly done extensive data collection and research for his book. If asked whether Focal Impulse Theory is better suited as a performance or teaching guide, I would classify it as a study on feel, what happens between large and small beats, and large and small measures. Succinctly put, it's an in-depth guide to the practical aspects of the role meter plays in musical performances for musicians. --Laurel Yu Journal of the American Viola Society

Author Information

John Paul Ito is Associate Professor of Music Theory in the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions