This article analyzes meter, phrase rhythm, and form in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G minor (1901). The starting point of the analysis is two different measures notated in 2/4, whereas... ▼ Abstract

This article analyzes meter, phrase rhythm, and form in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G minor (1901). The starting point of the analysis is two different measures notated in 2/4, whereas the rest of the piece uses 4/4 time signature. Like the tip of an iceberg, this seemingly innocuous change of time signature is connected to a set of interrelated phrase-rhythmic and formal processes that are invisible at first sight. These processes include: how the perceived (versus notated) measure changes as the form unfolds; how phrase-structural asymmetry engenders multiple ways to hear metrical shifts; and how these shifts relate to formal functionality and formal becoming after Janet Schmalfeldt’s use of the term. I offer one possible, metrically regular reading of the opening section and what happens with it in the recapitulation, which simultaneously resolves metrical ambiguities posed earlier and creates new ambiguities of formal function. ▲ Abstract

This is an analytical exploration of the interactions and disruptions of tonality, meter, and form in the first-movement exposition of C. P. E. Bach’s Symphony Wq. 183/1. I argue that... ▼ Abstract

This is an analytical exploration of the interactions and disruptions of tonality, meter, and form in the first-movement exposition of C. P. E. Bach’s Symphony Wq. 183/1. I argue that the piece manipulates these parameters in a fantasy-like way before settling into a more conventional course of events: this is an invitation for an analytical listening journey through an idiosyncratic musical work. In a secondary strand of the article, I speculate on the possibility that this piece relates to Kirnberger’s metric theories, which emerged in Bach's musical and intellectual milieu around the time of composition of this work. ▲ Abstract

The generic origin of Guillaume de Machaut’s virelais is highlighted by his preferred term “chansons baladées,” or danced songs. Whereas the traiditon of medieval dance song that he built upon... ▼ Abstract

The generic origin of Guillaume de Machaut’s virelais is highlighted by his preferred term “chansons baladées,” or danced songs. Whereas the traiditon of medieval dance song that he built upon featured regular metrical groupings—something to guide the steps—Machaut’s entries feature a metrical, melodic, formal, and even contrapuntal sophistication that attest to his elevation of the genre into an art song. This article focuses on the interpretation of metrical flexibility at multiple levels in the virelais, weighted and hierarchical groupings that emerge out of the composer’s steady mensural notation. These audible breaks from the entrained grouping are cued by Machaut’s occasionally irregular patterns of tonal organization, from surface melodic repetition to form-defining cadential layout. In all cases, my analyses aim to more closely unify tonal and metrical organization in these sophisticated songs. In a final section, I explore Machaut’s unique usage of opening rests in this genre as an artifact of its dance origins. ▲ Abstract

This article explores the American ballad “Stackolee,” which recounts “Stack” Lee Shelton’s murder of his friend Billy Lyons on Christmas night in St. Louis in 1895. The study focuses on... ▼ Abstract

This article explores the American ballad “Stackolee,” which recounts “Stack” Lee Shelton’s murder of his friend Billy Lyons on Christmas night in St. Louis in 1895. The study focuses on the ballad’s musical attributes and its combination with multiple formal patterns.

Unlike other murder ballads that emerged around the turn of the twentieth century, including “Frankie and Johnny,” “Railroad Bill,” and “Whitehouse Blues,” “Stackolee” does not associate exclusively with a particular musical pattern or scheme, instead intermingling with several. In this regard “Stackolee” resembles a “floating stanza,” a verse that crops up in many songs. But “Stackolee” is a “floating ballad,” because the entire song floats between different musical patterns. Like the ancient ballad “Barbara Allen,” “Stackolee” is, to use Charles Seeger’s term, “promiscuous,” because it associates with multiple musical frameworks rather than adhering to just one.

“Stackolee” appears in two main forms: a twelve-bar form, which combines with the “Frankie and Johnny” and “Railroad Bill” schemes, both ballad schemes that mostly support narrative songs about historical events; and an eight-bar form, which combines with the “How Long” scheme, which otherwise supports first-person lyric songs with conventional blues themes such as love and day-to-day life.

The ballad’s combination with different patterns demonstrates two different processes of lyrical development. Its association with the “Frankie” scheme shows how lyrics sometimes migrate between ballads that share the same pattern, whereas its combination with the “How Long” scheme shows how a separate lyrical branch may emerge where a ballad combines with a different scheme. ▲ Abstract

Joni Mitchell possesses a highly recognizable singing voice that has undergone major sonic change throughout her career. Reviewers have made observations about how age and lifestyle have altered her voice,... ▼ Abstract

Joni Mitchell possesses a highly recognizable singing voice that has undergone major sonic change throughout her career. Reviewers have made observations about how age and lifestyle have altered her voice, suggesting that these factors have worsened her voice. In this article, I analyze Joni Mitchell’s pitch and vocal timbre to describe her sonic change more fully. The purpose of this research is to study vocal timbre as a dynamic and evolving element of an artist’s sound, with an emphasis on aging as a natural and complex facet of the voice. I use a mixed methods approach employing quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques, and I relate my analysis to statements Mitchell has made about her vocal evolution. Results suggest that the changing features in Mitchell’s voice are not exclusively tied to age or lifestyle but indicate a decades-long process of creative decision making. This article reveals a methodological framework for analyzing the aging voice. ▲ Abstract

In its first twenty-six seasons, CBS’s reality television show Survivor attempted to evoke the diverse culture of each filming location through geographical reorchestrations of its theme song, “Ancient Voices,” arranged... ▼ Abstract

In its first twenty-six seasons, CBS’s reality television show Survivor attempted to evoke the diverse culture of each filming location through geographical reorchestrations of its theme song, “Ancient Voices,” arranged by Russ Landau. This article examines these reorchestrated versions to reveal how the show unintentionally homogenized the metric identities of distinct global cultures. By applying theories of metric dissonance and hypermeter, I develop an analytical model to study hypermetrical accent patterns, small-scale metric dissonance, and the metricity of introductory upbeat spaces. I then apply this model to demonstrate a clear geographic clustering of these metric features—particularly within Oceania—that functions as a stereotyped “island” sound lacking connection to actual local traditions. This article also grapples with this metric stereotyping to discuss how American media representations frequently distill complex cultures into familiar, oversimplified tropes for Western audiences. ▲ Abstract