Chamber Music Script

Welcome to the first installment of the Bowen Passenger show, where we provide an in-depth weekly piece on important issues in the music industry. Think of it as the John Oliver focusing solely on the music industry without that sexy British accent. Music is seriously a language of the world and hobby of the public. So join me for 10 minutes, because you might just learn something new about music after listening to this podcast. Don’t be believe me? Get this, What did the beach say as the tide came in? Long time no sea.

Today’s main topic is chamber music. The duet, trio and quartet, dot dot dot. Obviously, you might ask, what about solos? By convention, chamber music usually does not include solo instrument performance. Yes, lone wolves, we aren’t even mentioning you today.

Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room, so basically it’s like performing for Donald Trump’s inauguration. Small crowd, small hands, small music.

This specific genre takes its initial form back in the time of darkness and knights. Back then, the majority use of instruments is to accompany singers. Of course, the melody line can also be “sung” by an instrument, thus creating the purely instrumental ensembles. Is it because some people just could not sing? I don’t know, but you know who you are. That’s right Kevin, you cannot sing, period. During the Baroque period, the genre is still not defined but the form is becoming more conventional. Baroque chamber music had each instrument played the same melodic materials at different times, creating a complex, interwoven fabric of sound. Thus, every instrument is equal in the sense of the performance, think of it as the members of One Direction. In the second half of the 18th century, patrons would invite street musicians to perform for their family or friends. Composers would write suitable suites of dances and tunes at the request of patrons and performers. While some musicians during that time are so poor can’t even be paid attention, one of these composers is Joseph Haydn, the rich and famous one of the Haydn family who once cut off the ponytail of a fellow chorus member, true story.

Apparently, mentioning “Papa” Haydn specifically is not a coincidence. He is normally seen as the father of the modern form of chamber music. His way of composition eventually became the conventional style, dominating the world for the next two centuries.

Following his lead, the instruments stopped “plagiarizing” each other. Instead, they started developing their own characteristics, unlike the hairstyles of these composers back in the 18th century. In a chamber music performance, the instruments would become individuals involved in a discussion. They not only contribute their own opinions but also commenting on each other. This idea was further expanded by people like Mozart.

Throughout the 18th century, the composer was normally an employee of an aristocrat, and the chamber music he or she composed was for the pleasure of aristocratic players and listeners.

I just have to say, if time is money, are ATM's time machines?

As time goes by, chamber music is usually referred as “the music of friends”. When the pop, electronic and most contemporary music genres crave for larger and larger audience, the chamber music still holds a valid place in the heart of classical musicians. Recent surveys suggest there is a resurgence of home music making. In the radio program "Amateurs Help Keep Chamber Music Alive" from 2005, reporter Theresa Schiavone cites a Gallup poll showing an increase in the sale of stringed instruments in America.

SCHIAVONE: And it seems that more people are doing it. According to a recent Gallup survey commissioned by the International Music Products Association, sales of stringed instruments, such as violins and cellos, were up by almost 5 percent last year. Sales of fretted instruments, like guitars, were up almost 15 percent. These increases do not include purchases by students, professionals or church groups. Joe Lamond is the association's director, and he has a good idea who's buying.::

Mr. JOE LAMOND (International Music Products Association): I would really look to the demographics of the boomers. You know, we've got some 77 million baby-boomers entering that period of their life where they've had some success in their jobs, their kids are a little bit older and, in many ways, they're starting to look for some things and some hobbies that make them feel good. And there's very few thins that can kind of bring back some of their best memories of their youth than playing music and playing in a band.::

To all the Millennials ready to hit the stop button of this podcast, indeed, the chamber music in the 21st century is still apparently being motivated by the baby boomers. Yeah, the good old generation of people who don’t give a shit about you and voted for Trump, as they said. But this doesn’t mean chamber music is simply a thing of the past. It is no less cool than your rap songs, metal rock or electronic dance music, which is apparently the reason you got high at the rave last night. Remember, producers and DJs like Disclosure, Clean Bandit and Zedd are all trained classical musician first before adding those fancy effects to their productions. So youngsters, if you think the classical musicians are old, be one yourself and be bold.

Another example, many guitar players nowadays still start with classical guitars due to its cheaper price and the more nail-friendly strings. Imagine a scene of chamber musicians playing in their homes with friends and a small audience, especially if the players are amateur. Smaller audience represents less stress and more room for errors. Additionally, playing in a duo, trio or quartet eliminates some challenges facing solo musicians such as the articulation of bass notes and melody through only one person and one instrument only, and of course the loneliness. Again, sorry soloists. One person can focus on the melody while the other ones take care of the baseline.

Contrasting chamber music with orchestral music would easily reveal another major benefit of this form of performance, which is its practicality of gathering a few performers as opposed to an entire orchestra. Because let’s face it, you aren’t good enough to make it into the symphony orchestra, better know it sooner than later. Plus, this interpretation of the classical music is the economy version, the gateway drug to help you and your friends hooked on this incredible genre.

Finally, the mobility of this form also comes handy in various scenarios.

Several groups such as Classical Revolution and Simple Measures have taken classical chamber music out of the concert hall and into the streets. Simple Measures, a group of chamber musicians in Seattle, gives concerts in shopping centers, coffee shops, and streetcars.

And starting last week (August 10th), Newburyport Chamber Music Festival director David Yang is bringing the chamber music to the crowd. According to Wicked Local Georgetown, that’s right, wicked~~~. Yang is doing open rehearsals at the Commune Café, at Jabberwocky Bookstore, at Chococoa, where the audience gets to choose what Yang and other musicians play, from the big stack of music that he is bringing from his own library. A nice refresher for all the attorneys and politicians in the area, I bet.

The performances are great representations of Steve Reich’s influential work, “Different Trains.” The live instrumental part, a string quartet, in this case, blends with the recorded voices and sound effects.

To conclude this piece, this model of adapting the classical music to listeners’ tastes in an intimate way is influential and modern. While there is no agreement about the number of chamber music players, the opportunities for amateurs to play have certainly grown.

That’s it for this week, keep in touch with us on twitter at bowenpassenger. Use the hashtag memberofthechamber to share your thoughts on chamber music. More related social media campaign will be available, stay tuned to our website Bowenpassenger.com and twitter. Talk to you next week.