Top10 Cliches of the Avant-Garde

[snyprrr]

1) flute flutter-tonguing

2) classical guitar playing a quick row, never to be heard from again!

3) big, ultra dissonant piano cluster chords

4) piano sounding like a cat walking on the keys

5) accordion playing a tone row

6) Music from '70s Myster/Cop Shows: bass & electric guitars playing tone rows

7) someone,... a performer, who is instructed to emote

silence

9) field recordings as 'Art'

10) 'There Is No 10'


What say you?,... haha...

[Coco]

1955-1969: vibraphone

[eyeresist]

5) accordion playing a tone row

My god. I can't even imagine something so horrible.

[snyprrr]

1955-1969: vibraphone

Yes! That came to me afterwards as a 'Duh' moment. Yes, that really IS the winner. Amazing how it all boils down to the ole vibraphone,... haha, where would Columbo be?

...ah, that is so more than funny...


Piece for flute, vibraphone, guitar, harpsichord, & elec. bass guitar (or Hammond??)

Wait a minute,... that sounds awfully familiar,...mmm,... anyone?

[eyeresist]

A quick Google reveals numerous instances (or near enough) of this "devil's combo".

[Coco]

I think there's a Takemitsu piece with that combo (sans bass guitar)

also:

1929-1935: obligatory vampy sax
80s spectralism: "screaming" clarinet harmonics

[eyeresist]

The musicians march in
Then they all march out!

[Brian]

Can an instrumentation become a cliche? Every composition student at my university was required to write one work for Pierrot ensemble.

[eyeresist]

Can an instrumentation become a cliche? Every composition student at my university was required to write one work for Pierrot ensemble.

Pierrot ensemble = flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano, named for Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, which also had a mezzo-sop.

I imagine writing for this combination would demonstrate the student's skills across a wide area, whilst restricting their ambition for the work.

[petrarch]

Pierrot ensemble = flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano, named for Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, which also had a mezzo-sop.

I imagine writing for this combination would demonstrate the student's skills across a wide area, whilst restricting their ambition for the work.

It also allows a wide range of timbres and textures. It inspired Boulez's Marteau.

[Brian]

Still, you don't see anyone being made to write quartets for fin du temps ensemble. And the wiki list of works for Pierrot ensemble is truly enormous. It does combine five very, very popular instruments but I think it's at least somewhat faddish.

[Grazioso]

4) piano sounding like a cat walking on the keys

That doesn't give cats enough musical credit:

http://www.youtube.com/v/TZ860P4iTaM

[Grazioso]

The musicians march in
Then they all march out!

Sounds suspiciously like Haydn's "Farewell Symphony." Now we know where Schnittke got his ideas!

[petrarch]

Still, you don't see anyone being made to write quartets for fin du temps ensemble. And the wiki list of works for Pierrot ensemble is truly enormous. It does combine five very, very popular instruments but I think it's at least somewhat faddish.

Perhaps because the fin du temps ensemble was a circumstantial combination, whereas the Pierrot was carefully chosen? I agree it got a bit overused--but then, if the music is good, who cares? (does piano solo get overused?)

[karlhenning]

Perhaps because the fin du temps ensemble was a circumstantial combination, whereas the Pierrot was carefully chosen?

That's true, but it's a good combination.  And now that there is the Quatuor as a reference work, when a group of four players get together to prepare it, they (may) wish to work together on other pieces . . . .

Similarly (though not avant-garde) . . . since Debussy's example, a passel of music has been written for flute, viola & harp.

[snyprrr]

That doesn't give cats enough musical credit:

http://www.youtube.com/v/TZ860P4iTaM

LOLZ,.. yea, I've seen that,... that's great!!


Maestro?,... shhh,... he's 'listening'!

[snyprrr]

The musicians march in
Then they all march out!

Now is the time on Sprockets ven ve dance!

[snyprrr]

I'll go along with the PL Ensemble (probably WITH percussion) being the PosterChild for this sort of thing. I had a couple of CRI cds with various US academics ploughing the field. I have learned to steer clear of this grouping simply because, like Brian says, EVERYONE MUST write for this combo,... to the point that most of the music sounds the same (American Academic Serialism).

I think the 'Devil's Combo' is surely a '60s reaction to the PL Ensemble, as if to say, Hey, we've come a long way since PL, haven't we? Can anyone think of a film or TV show,... or, is anyone watching Mannix right now? I'm still hearing that vibraphone!

[snyprrr]

Here's one: Knowing Glances, like when the performers either look at the audience or each other as if to say, Yea, this tone row is sweeeeet!,... look at meeeee!!

[Brian]

I've seen the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment do knowing glances in Mozart and the Pavel Haas Quartet do them in Beethoven. I don't think it's reflective of insider information, just enthusiasm.

And thanks for pointing out another cliche "ensemble": percussion. I guess actually I should be thrilled that there are now percussionists so talented, and composers so ready and willing, that we now have a big body of percussion concertos and solo percussion music. Free all the instruments!