Cecilian Club Presents Alan Wasserman's Music Hour

What
do you expect to hear when a piece is called “Reverie”? What do
you think of when you know a piece is by Beethoven or by Debussy? On
Friday, April 27th, 2018, Alan Wasserman discussed
“Expectations in Music,” and the ways composers can fulfill our
expectations or confound them, at his Music Hour, sponsored by the
Cecilian Music Club.

Alan
began by asking the audience what they anticipated hearing as he
played “Reverie” by Debussy. Some expected flowing, dream-like
music; others associated Debussy with lush harmonies. After
performing the piece, Alan asked if our expectations had been met.
The piece did sound flowing and dream-like, there were lush
harmonies, but there were also unexpected chord changes in the music.
Alan played it again, and we all agreed that a second performance
allowed us to hear more in the music than we heard the first time.

With
a performance of “Happy Birthday,” Alan demonstrated how a
certain chord can cause us to anticipate the chord that will follow –
for example in the key of C major, a G major chord, or the V chord,
leads us to anticipate C major, the I chord. When an expected chord
doesn't arrive, tension – and interest – is created. In
Beethoven's last movement of the Moonlight Sonata, the composer
confounds expectations by sudden changes of key and tempo. His music
moves from melodic to rhythmic and back again. Chopin's Nocturne,
Opus 72 No 1, surprises us in a different way by using polyrhythms -
one hand playing 3 beats to a measure and the other hand playing 4
beats to a measure. The feeling is literally off-beat. Alan
illustrated these surprises with beautiful performances of these
lovely pieces.

Alan's
Music Hours are free and open to the public. If you are interested in
joining our mailing list, send an email to Alan at alanwass@aol.com
and you will be notified when Music Hours are scheduled. Alan
Wasserman is one of the Cecilian Music Club's premier performing
artists, and you can read more about him, including future
performances, on his website, www.alanwassermanpianomusic.com.
The Cecilian Music Club, an organization of music teachers,
performers, and music lovers was founded in 1883, and is dedicated to
the study and performance of classical music. For more information,
or to become a member, visit our website at www.cecilianclub.org.