Early Video Game Music

Do I have any video game fanatics out there? Did you know that video game music is actually an area of musicological study that emerged within the last decade? This month I would like to step away from the highbrow topics in music history and look at something that any modern-day gamer can appreciate: video game music. We will briefly look at how the use of music in gaming has evolved from the first coin-operated games all the way to present day entertainment systems.

I must admit that I am not an expert when it comes to video games. That’s why when this topic idea came to me I immediately contacted longtime friend, musicologist, and video game music specialist, Sarah Pozderac-Chenevey. She kindly provided much of the information you will read in the coming weeks.

Did you know that the earliest known coin-operated game with sound was developed in 1897? Invented during a gambling prohibition, this game was marketed as a music machine. Though the sounds it created were more mechanical rather than musical, this new music machine allowed avid gamblers a means to satisfy their addiction while avoiding breaking the law.

Into the 20^th century, arcade games became the avenue by which people could experience this early form of “gaming.” It wasn’t until the 1970s that we see the first game with continuous sound: Space Invaders. Because they were limited on space, programmers could not do much with the Space Invader soundtrack and stuck to using a lamenting tetra chord heard in the clip below. What they did not realize when developing the game, however, was that the game sped up during gameplay as fewer items remained on the screen. As the game sped up, so did the music. Coincidently, this added tension and suspense to the game. Watch here.

Have you ever played the Space Invader arcade game? Though an early form of music in gaming, do you find the accidental increased music tempo an effective way to build suspense in the game?

Join me next time as we look at Atari and NES!

Look and Listen: Mondrian and Adams

Piet Mondrian’s Minimalist work, shown here, causes my thoughts to turn to Adams’ Harmonium. Listen to an excerpt from this piece while examining Mondrian’s piece and allow both the visual and audio to work together. Can you think of any other piece of music that would complement this artwork?

Minimalism in Music: Steve Reich

This week we are exploring Minimalism in both art and music. On Monday we looked at Frank Stella as an example of a Minimalist painter. How do characteristics of Minimalism find their way into music?

Steve Reich is an example of a composer who uses Minimalism in his music. His 1967 Piano Phase is a fascinating work that exemplifies Minimalist features. Composed for two pianos, the duo begins by repeating the same figure in unison multiple times. Eventually, one pianist pulls ahead, putting them out of sync with one another and causing dissonance. They repeat this new figure several times, rhythmically still the same but melodically different. This process of one pianist pulling ahead continues until both pianists are back playing together in unison at the end. The use of repetition and simple forms and procedures classifies this as Minimalism.

Listen to Reich’s Piano Phase and let me know if you enjoy Minimalism in music.

Minimalism in Art: Frank Stella

For our final week’s discussion of music and art this month, I chose to talk about Minimalism. There are, of course, other great examples of movements found in both music and art and I will most likely return to this topic at a later point. If you have any suggestions of what you may want to see in an upcoming music and art post, feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Frank Stella is one example of a Minimalist artist. His HyenaStomp is one example of Minimalism in the visual arts.

 Stella’s painting includes a simple spiral pattern using straight lines and bright colors. Minimalism uses minimal materials, simplified forms and procedures, and repetitive ideas. It does not represent any sort of emotion but displays a reaction to the complexity found in other art movements.

Do you enjoy Minimalist artwork? Do you have a favorite artist or painting from this period? 

Look and Listen: Braque, Stravinsky, and Cubism

Georges Braque’s Violin and Candlestick
Courtesy of wikiart.org 

Georges Braque’s Violin and Candlestick, shown above, is an example of Cubism. Stravinsky’s Petrushka provides a musical example of a work that has Cubist tendencies. Listen to this piece while examining Braque’ artwork. Do you think Cubist music effectively complements Cubist art? Can you think of any other piece of music that would effectively accompany this artwork?

Cubism in Music: Erik Satie

This week we are exploring Cubism in both art and music. On Monday we looked at Pablo Picasso as an example of a Cubist painter. How do characteristics of Cubism find their way into music?

Erik Satie is an example of a composer who uses Cubism characteristics in his music. His 1917 ballet Parade provides the perfect example of how a composer can portray Cubist ideas within a musical score. The ballet is written by Jean Cocteau with choreography by Léonide Massine. In order to depict the Cubist idea of overlapping fragments, Satie uses jazz elements, a whistle, siren, and typewriter in his score. These features were unheard of at this point in history and audiences did not respond well.

Here are a few excerpts from Satie’s score to Parade. Notice the costumes, set design, choreography, as well as music. Do you enjoy this Cubist work?

Cubism and Pablo Picasso

Cubism is yet another type of movement that has a history in both the music and visual art worlds. Pablo Picasso is one example of an artist who employed Cubism in his work. His Guitar Player (1910), seen below, shows how this movement maps itself onto the visual arts.

 

Pablo Picasso, Guitar Player (1910)
Courtesy of wikiart.org

The Cubist style features three-dimensional objects represented on a two-dimensional plane. This is done by using geometrical shapes such as cubes (hence “Cubism”) and overlapping them in a fun, sometimes colorful, way.

On Wednesday we will look at how one composer, Erik Satie, used Cubism in music. Did you know that Picasso actually used this Cubist style of artwork to design sets and costumes for Satie’s ballet, Parade (1917)? Here, we can see music and art working together to contribute to the greater creation.

Pablo Picasso’s Costume Design for Satie’s Parade

Courtesy of wikimedia.org 

Do you enjoy Cubist artwork? Do you have a favorite artist or painting from this period? 

Look and Listen: Kirschner and Berg

Ludwig Kirschner’s Erna with Cigarette
Courtesy of wikimedia.org 

Ernst Ludwig Kirschner’s Erna with Cigarette, shown above, is an example of Expressionist artwork. Listen to Berg’s Expressionist music, Piano Sonata, Op. 1, while examining Kirschner’s painting. Do you think Expressionist music effectively complements Expressionist art? Can you think of any other piece of music that would effectively accompany this artwork?

Expressionism in Music: Arnold Schoenberg

This week we are exploring Expressionism in both art and music. On Monday we looked at Edvard Munch as an example of an Expressionist painter. How do characteristics of Expressionism find their way into music?

Arnold Schoenberg is an example of a composer who used Expressionism in some of his compositions. Like Expressionist painters, Schoenberg uses distortion (in melody rather than brushstroke) as well as dissonances and fragmented rhythms to convey fear and anxiety in his work. His Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16 is one example of Expressionism in music. Listen to the first piece and notice Schoenberg’s attempt to create a sense of fear of oncoming undesirable circumstances. This first piece of Op. 16 was later titled “Premonitions” at the request of the publisher.

Listen to this first piece and let me know if you think Schoenberg effectively conveys the Expressionism seen in Munch’s The Scream.

Expressionism in Art: The Scream

Continuing our music and art discussion this week, let’s explore the movement known as Expressionism and look at how it maps itself onto the visual arts as well as musical composition.

Edvard Munch’s The Scream (1895) is a prime example of Expressionist artwork. This famous piece depicts a sexless creature in the midst of a horrific scream, most likely reflecting Munch’s own anxiety toward the modern age.

Edvard Munch, The Scream (1895)

Courtesy of wikimedia.org 

Expressionist artists work to convey subjective emotions rather than objective scenes in their art. These emotions are an expression that results from a specific object or circumstance and are typically characterized by negative qualities including isolation, tension, stress, and fear. In painting, artists attempt to convey their Expressionist tendencies by distorting or exaggerating figures and using pure colors. 

Do you enjoy Expressionist artwork? Do you have a favorite artist or painting from this period?

A Boat Upon the Ocean

Courtesy of w-dog.net

Henry Moret’s Impressionist painting, shown above, causes my thoughts to turn to Ravel’s A Boat Upon the Ocean. Listen to this stirring piece while gazing at Moret’s gorgeous artwork and allow both the visual and audio to work together to create a mood. Can you think of any other piece of music that would complement this artwork?

Debussy Evokes the Movement of the Sea in La Mer

This week we are exploring Impressionism in both art and music. Yesterday we looked at Claude Monet as an example of an Impressionist painter. How do characteristics of Impressionism find their way into music?

Claude Debussy is one example of an Impressionist composer. Like Monet’s paintings, Debussy attempted to create a sense of detached observation in his music. Rather than creating clear stories or emotions as in much music of the Romantic period, Debussy evokes images or moods that aren’t necessarily clear. These images are created through the use of motives that do not necessarily develop but may change slightly throughout the work, as if looking at the scene at various perspectives. Debussy also used exotic scales such as the pentatonic (5 note) scale as well as unresolved dissonances amongst other techniques in his compositions.

One example of Debussy’s Impressionist output includes La Mer. This is an orchestral work that is meant to depict the movement of the sea through the use of rapidly alternating musical images. Debussy wrote this piece with inspiration from his childhood memories of the sea. Listen to La Mer and let me know if you think Debussy effectively evokes the movement of the sea.

Music and Art: Impressionism

Throughout history, we can observe that many movements within the music world often go hand in hand with what innovative techniques and ideas are simultaneously being explored within the visual arts. This month, let’s take a look at several of these movements found in both music and art, discussing how both composers and artists attempted to express these new ideas within their work.

This week, let’s first look at one of my favorite historical movements in both music and art: Impressionism. French painter Claude Monet is a prime example of an Impressionist artist, his painting, Impression: Sunrise (1872) influencing the name of the artistic movement.

Claude Monet, Impression: Sunrise (1872)
Courtesy of wikimedia.org 

Impressionist artists attempt to depict an impression of images within nature rather than displaying a realistic, detailed picture. Many Impressionist paintings appear as though you are gazing at a scene off in the distance, sensing only ideas of what may truly exist. Monet is known to express these artistic ideas through the use of blurred brushstrokes and contrasting colors. This leaves it up to the viewer to discern the details within their own mind.

Do you enjoy Impressionist artwork? Do you have a favorite artist or painting from this period?