Curated Exhibit
Drew J. Jackson
Department of History, Embry Riddle Online University
HUMN 240: History of Communications Technology
Ms. Megan Velez
March 2, 2022
Seikilos Epitaph
Source: https://www.mfiles.co.uk/scores/seikilos-epitaph.htm
Owner: National Museum of Denmark
Composer: Seikilos
This artifact is an engraved tombstone bearing a short song. It is the oldest known written piece of music, and was thought to have been composed by a Greek man for his wife, as it has the words ‘from Seikilos to Euterpe’ etched into it as well. It is written in Boethian notation.
Notated Office Book of Franciscan Sisters with Processional Chant
Source/Owner: Library of Congress
Composer: Svato Schutzner
This book is an interesting piece of musical literature, comprising many pieces of music for chorus. It is written in Gregorian Chant style notation, with Latin words making up the hymns. It is believed to have been written at some time in the 1500’s on 114 pages of paper. Its purpose was as a collection of music written and performed for weekly church events.
Sixteenth Century Manuscript Partbook Fragments
Source/Owner: Library of Congress
Composer: Unknown
This leaf is one of eight fragments of a musical score, some leaves partially damaged and missing up to half a page. The music was written in staff notation in Bass clef sometime between 1564 and 1584. This piece was likely used for religious services and gatherings.
Ride
Owner: Boosey and Hawkes
Composer: Samuel Hazo
Ride is a concert piece for a large band, written and published in 2003. The piece was thought up by Hazo during an intense car ride down a country road in Pennsylvania. Ride is written in modern staff notation, and was designed to be performed in concert halls and theaters for entertainment or accompaniment.
Leaves From the Vine - Synthesia
Owner: Nickelodeon
Composer: Jeremy Zuckerberg
Arranger: AtinPiano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bFSr3pZFjc&ab_channel=AtinPiano
This is a YouTube video of Leaves From the Vine, being showcased through synthesia. An unconventional style of musical notation for piano, synthesia is a video that shows a set of piano keys and has lines scroll down from above to instruct the viewer on which keys to press to play the song. The intentionality of this video is most accurately described as a piano tutorial. It is always shown on a screen due to its moving nature.
We Will Rock You: Guitar Tab
Owner: Mike Stone
Composer: Mike Stone (Queen)
This is a guitar tab section featuring the song ‘We Will Rock You’ by the band Queen. The use of this style of notation is generally meant to be instructional, similar to that of Synthesia.
Curatorial Statement
This exhibit is one that focuses on the differences in musical notation throughout history, as well as how and why musicians and composers use their music to communicate thoughts, emotions, or messages to others. The main goal of the exhibit is to put music into a new and different light than most people think about it as. To many, music is just sounds and tones put together in different ways to produce satisfying harmonies and melodies. To others, music is their one true form of expression, whether it is to express their feelings or experiences.
There are many things that can be expressed through song or musical pieces. One very popular thing is love and affection. Love songs have been used throughout the world more times than can be counted, so it seems fitting that the oldest known piece of written music we have today is a love song. The artifact known as the Seikilos Epitaph is this piece, and this is why this particular artifact sits at the beginning of my exhibit. This tombstone has ancient Roman musical notation carved on it, and is thought to be given to a woman named Seikilos from her partner, due to the engravings seen on it. This artifact shows perfectly how music is more than just sound and words, at least to those who write it. Music can be used to express complex thoughts and emotions that would be nearly impossible to convey through just speech. With the right melodies and tones, someone can use their speech to say one thing, and also introduce completely separate or supporting feelings or ideas through the music.
Another extremely popular use for musical communication is for people to share and support their faith and beliefs. Church music has been around for thousands of years, and not always in the formal choral style most people think of. These ideas can even go as far back as ancient civilizations praying and chanting to their gods. Whether formal or informal, the use of music to portray or spread religious beliefs has been around for a long time, and likely won’t ever go away. The Book of Franciscan Sisters with Processional Chant shows off many of these songs and hymns, using the power of music to inspire and influence the emotions of others. This artifact, as well as a few others in my exhibit, are paramount to showing just how powerful music can be as a form of communication with a vast number of people, even through hundreds of years.
There is a common misconception about communication that can often be done away with when using musical communication as an example. The idea that communication itself is simply a message from one party to another, one being the sender(s) and the other being the receiver(s), is not necessarily the case in terms of music. This idea implies that the sender of the information has all of the control and that the listener is not a part of the message or the message’s meaning. This however, is almost never the case when music is involved. Yes, the sender, or in other words, the composer or performer, is the one physically sending out the message. Although this exchange may seem one-sided, the listener plays a very active role in the communication as well, and that is all due to their personal interpretation of the music (Hargreaves, 2005). No two people hear a piece of music or a song the same way, and their receipt of the message will always be at least slightly different. An example of this idea comes through the piece titled Ride by Samuel Hazo. This was a piece that I played in high school, and it came from a very specific experience that the composer had. He thought up this piece while on a very fast-paced and intense car ride through the countryside in Pennsylvania. When I played this piece, however, to me it sounded like you were running from something, constantly thinking you were finally free, only to realize time and time again that it was still upon you, until the very end when you’ve finally escaped for good. Our instructor explained to us the meaning and origin behind this piece, and even though I understood the background and idea, whenever we played it, my mind always went back to the chase. This idea is also one of the most interesting and beautiful things about music, that so many individuals can hear the same exact thing and be brought mentally to completely different places.
Musical notation can also be used to educate others in numerous ways. The main way this is done is through things like the program Synthesia, as well as guitar tabs. These things can be used to instruct one or many people how to perform certain types of musical styles, or specific songs at a time. These styles of notation are much more modern than most of the other artifacts in this exhibit, and their purpose is more than just a message. Their use, especially with Synthesia. Is not only to listen to the song for entertainment, but also to learn how to play the piece in a much more simple manner than with traditional musical notation styles. This style of notation is something that has fewer options or possibilities for interpretation, as it is often meant more for teaching someone how to perform the piece, rather than listening to it and coming up with their own ideas and feelings about it.
References
Hargreaves, D. H. (2005, July). How do people communicate using music. Reaserchgate. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260204178_How_do_people_communicate_using_music
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