In this week's episode, Craig Peaslee reimagines formal music theory analysis and takes the listener to the arena of competitive music performance through the lens of a radio sportscast.

This episode was produced by Zach Lloyd along with Team Lead Evan Ware. Special thanks to peer reviewers Nate Mitchell and John Heilig. Additional thanks to Indigo Knecht, Spencer Long, Megan Lyons and Jody Diamond.

SMT-Pod’s theme music was written by Maria Tartaglia, with closing music by Yike Zhang. For supplementary materials on this episode and more information on our authors and composers, check out our website: https://smt-pod.org/episodes/

Welcome to SMT-Pod, the premier audio publication of the Society for Music Theory. In this week's episode, Craig Peaslee reimagines formal music theory analysis and takes the listener to the arena of competitive music performance through the lens of a radio sportscast.

This copyrighted sportscast is presented by the authority of the Office of the Commissioner of the Overtone Series. Any rebroadcast, retransmission, account, or description of this event, without the express written consent of the International Music Circuit is strictly prohibited.

[Radio Station Call Sign]

The Wonderful World of Notes is on the air, I’m Richard Long in for Peter Schickele, joined by the five-time Tritone Intercontinental Touring Series champion and golden baton winner Kenny Reid.

Great to be with you as usual, Dick.

Today we have an incredible competition in the International Music Circuit’s Overtone Series: Johanna Beyer’s Music of the Spheres, Ken...

I can’t think of a better day for a little music and I gotta say, we are in prime conditions for some heavy post-tonal action. Johanna Beyer’s Music of the Spheres is a perfect event for new listeners to get hooked on modern music as well as catch a glimpse of the excitement that can regularly be found on tour throughout the International Music Circuit.

A look at our competitors and today’s “Tale of the Tape” sponsored by Rudi’s Tuxedos and Formal Wear, reasonable rates on rentals and sales of only the finest custom-fit suits and dresses for your events. Rudi’s: Fine Italian Suits without the Italian Sixths.

The lineup that we’ll be hearing today features some great musicians, Dick. Starting with Benny “The Rebel” Page, who has racked up an impressive record on this season’s Overtone Series and currently sits atop the standings. The rookie Cory Fica has a ton of potential and an infectious

exuberance for new music.

And rounding out today’s trio is Michel Cloutier, a future Hall of Famer, who started late this season due to contract negotiations, but, with the help of his team led by the Robert Hatten and Seth Monahan Musical Agency, he recently signed a record-breaking contract and has been racking up tour victories ever since.

Cloutier never ceases to amaze me, Ken. Looking at the field of play, we see that Beyer’s course is fairly straight-forward, initially accelerating downhill only to turn around and go right back up the slope on a grueling incline over the second half.

This piece is a real two-halfer, Dick—a near mirror image. Its uniqueness lies within its symmetrical design that shows a formal structure clearly stemming from Beyer’s implementation of Modernist approaches.

Due to this symmetry, what can we anticipate hearing over the course of the performance?

I expect to hear the themes from the first half reoccurring in the second-half, only in retrograde.

Hopefully these backward themes in the second half will be easy to understand.

Fortunately, our production crew set-up all of their equipment prior to getting kicked out of the bullpen by Benny Page. Our microphones were hot throughout Page’s warm up session giving us the opportunity to get acquainted with the themes now.

While our producer gets the clips cued-up from Page’s bullpen session, let me ask you Ken, when you were in the midst of your unprecedented run of five-straight championships, what was your typical approach to each new competition.

Well, before I’d ever pick-up my Chapman Stick, I would delve into a study of the full score, get acquainted with the whole work: the form, the themes, the techniques I would need to employ, and search for relationships between each section and every part.

So, there is much more to being a virtuoso than great performance technique?

Yah, as my old instructor Rick Gustafson would always say, “proper preparation prevents poor performance.”

Which brings us to our next installment of “Keeping Score with Ken.” Brought to you by Lorgnette’s Galilean Binoculars, bringing you closer to the action for over 200 years. What were you able to find in your score study of Johanna Beyer’s Music of the Spheres , Ken?

Beyer starts us off on these two notes: F & E, a half step interval. From that simple motif, Beyer gives a masterclass in creating a work from a very limited palette of material. What happens when that half-step pair is moved around a little? Well, Beyer gives us this 8-note theme [ plays primary theme - PT ], we can clearly hear the half-step relationship.

We just heard Benny Page playing the Primary Theme from his bullpen session

Now, here is that same theme in retrograde. [RPT played]

I hear four pairs of notes, with each coupling a half-step apart.

Exactly! For a secondary theme, Johanna Beyer doubles the interval, instead of a half-step we hear a whole-step between the pitch couplings.

[ plays secondary theme ]

Another eight-note theme.

And now the retrograde version of the Secondary Theme

[RST played]

It also sounded like some of the notes were the same as in the Primary Theme, Ken.

Very good Dick. [ playing both themes together ] Both are eight-note themes beginning on F with the 6th and 7th notes in each theme the same - a C and Bb, respectively. In retrograde, the 2nd, 3rd and 8th notes are identical.

Aside from the themes Ken, anything else we should listen for in today's competition?

I think we can expect for the performance to conclude on a restatement of materials from the beginning in their original form. Perhaps a recap of the primary theme or maybe even the introductory material. This is a common approach to bringing a piece full circle.

Something I couldn't help but notice, as we did our pre-game walkthrough, was the placement of the triangle markers. What stood out to me is that they were not at regular intervals.

Beyer took these intervals from the Fibonacci playbook, Dick, we have triangle markers lighting up measures 5, 13, 21, and so on. [ triangle pattern playing in background ] Consequently, being a symmetrical course, the triangle markers we are hearing now are found descending the Fibonacci sequence during the second half.

Going even further, I see instruments 1 and 2 have staggered entrances in measures 3 and 8, respectively.

That’s right Dick, further cementing that Beyer is not just writing tunes, she has specific geometric equations for the spheres’ music. Now, out of our competitors today, Benny Page tends to find mathematical patterns and coordinates his gameplan around such formal designs.

I look forward to hearing Page’s advanced tactics, Ken. Traditionally, a Music of the Spheres competition is held featuring electronic instruments, but today we are in for a real treat as our competitors, in a nod to Beyer’s first string quartet, will be on acoustic instruments – in fact, I can’t think of a sanctioned event of this work that has been entirely acoustic.

This one change will undoubtedly make for a unique experience today, Dick. Speaking of Beyer’s first string quartet one need only to look at the final movement wherein Beyer explores some of the same ideas she incorporates in Music of the Spheres. Of particular interest are the

glissandi.

Right you are, Ken. What’s incredible about Music of the Spheres is that the pitch, tempo and dynamic all feature the glissando. For more on this, let’s slide down to the stage for tonight’s Stage Left Report from our very own Helen Bach.

Thank you Dick. Glissandi affecting multiple musical parameters is an idea championed by Henry Cowell in his unpublished treatise The Nature of Melody. In which, Cowell argues that in the same manner one can slide from one pitch to another, a steady crescendo or diminuendo would be a glissando of the dynamic. Likewise, an accelerando or ritardando would be a glissando of the tempo.

Johanna Beyer’s Music of the Spheres , features an ongoing accelerando and crescendo over the entire first half and a continual ritardando and diminuendo over the second half. These elements combined with the glissandi into each new pitch in every instrument is a showcase of how Cowell’s theoretical concept can be implemented throughout a work.

According to reports by musicologists Marguerite Boland, Melissa de Graaf, and Kelly Hiser, Johanna Beyer’s life and career intertwined with other New York-based modernist composers, such as Ruth Crawford, Charles Seeger, and Henry Cowell. Her engagement with this music community encouraged her to synthesize a variety of musical influences, including European traditions, avant-garde experimentations, and American jazz.

From these influences, Beyer's compositions are characterized by an economic approach, balanced forms, and a commitment to experimentation. The Kennedy-Polansky musical research team notes that Beyer's disciplined focus on the development of a single idea serves as an example of the minimalist approach later popularized by composers such as Steve Reich and Philip Glass.

Beyer’s contributions have gained renewed attention in recent years, as scholars and performers alike recognize her vital role in the evolution of American music. And Music of the Spheres exemplifies her economic approach, experimentation, and balanced form. Further information can be found at Frog Peak Music - a composer’s collective.

Thank you Helen, The Stage Left Report was brought to you by Marshall’s Swinging Stick Emporium - Marshall’s has the best batons: new and used, and don’t forget the onhand experts available for all your baton repairs and custom fittings. When you think batons, think Marshall’s Swinging Stick Emporium.

Oh! Here we go!

Our competitors are now taking the stage where we will join the public address announcer Joseph King to introduce today’s starting line-up.

[audio: No Escape by Craig Peaslee]

Welcome to today’s main event, a rundown of Johanna Beyer’s Music of the Spheres. Our competitors today: In the left lane, sporting the Union Jack on his chest and a number 1 on his back, from the United Kingdom, violinist Benny “The Rebel” Page [ boos ]

Playing second fiddle, wearing the blue suit and tie, in the far-right lane, coming all the way from Arkansas: Cory Fica. [ applause ] And in all white, wearing the No. 3 bib, and in the center lane the Frenchman violist Michel Cloutier. [ thunderous applause ]

As a courtesy to the performers and other audience members, please take this moment to silence all mobile phones and personal devices, remember that recording and flash photography are not permitted during performance. And now, it’s time for competitive classical music!

What’s going on here, Ken? They’re not following the program!

This intro is actually written at the end of the score [ flips page ]

AH, right you are, Ken!

and clearly indicates that it then leads into Music of the Spheres . This percussion intro allows the competitors to get to their starting positions –

What sounds are we hearing Ken?

Well Dick, the score calls for a Lion’s-Roar, but here we have a superball mallet being dragged along the head of a bass drum and a few strikes of the triangle in a pattern that will be occurring throughout the course today.

A wave by the heavily favored Cloutier as he plays to the crowd, Fica digs into his starting block on the right. The rebel Page readies himself on the left. We have the final chimes indicating to be at the ready. Out of the din Cloutier takes the early lead and sets a steady pace.

This is exactly what Cloutier wants, Dick, look for him to continually set the pace with this two-note figure – a classic 0-1 set – expect the others to jockey for position on variations of this same figure.

Cloutier shows an easy motion gliding between F and E. In the left lane Benny Page, up a few octaves, is imitating Cloutier while augmenting his motion as they make their way through the first triangle markers. Suspending a high F, Page appears ready to strike. Page is moving beyond the oscillating F and E and embarking on something new as Fica enters the scene on the far right. What is Page doing?

Page is developing the Primary Theme on that half-step interval. We’ll have to listen carefully to how Page and Fica utilize this material to challenge the Frenchman.

Coming out of the second triangle markers, Cloutier is really looking strong out there as Fica plays second fiddle a full beat behind on an augmented version of Page’s theme. In the left lane, Page is making a move on some new material, where does this idea come from?

Page is now on the secondary theme, applying augmentation to pitch using intervals of a whole step rather than staying with the half-step.

There was an E-flat in there too, what is Page thinking?

Some dissonant counterpoint, unless he can really work it, that E-flat might come back to haunt Page in the wake of Cloutier’s steady F and E.

On the far right, Fica has latched onto the primary theme while trailing the other two by a single beat. Now Page, on the left, is combining the two themes into one longer theme!

A masterful stroke, Dick! Right out of the fourth triangle marker, Page ties everything together to slip by Cloutier and take the lead.

A half-step from the primary theme followed by a whole-step of the secondary theme and Page finds himself out front, with the Frenchman hot on his heels, and the plucky American rounding things out.

I expect Fica to make a move soon, Dick, thus far he has opted to draft behind the others.

Fica glides along with his offbeat stride, as the trio reaches the turnaround where the tempo and dynamic plateau. Page in front returns to the imitating augmented F & E. some extra triangle markers signifies that we’ve reached the midway point. And out of the corner, Cory Fica has taken the lead! The American is now cruising backwards in the right lane, and Page quickly falls in line to make the retrograde transition as well.

I think we may have to go to the board, Dick. It appears that Fica dropped a note and cut the corner in order to take the lead out of the turnaround.

Fica will surely have to answer for that. With six lengths to go and all uphill, Fica attempts to pull away but Page and Cloutier easily keep up with the American. Page now back to combining the two themes but in reverse order!

Remarkable

Out of the eighth set of triangle markers, Fica remains a beat ahead as Page returns to the primary theme in retrograde and makes a high move to skirt around Cloutier and into second.

We can clearly hear Page on the left rotating between three distinct themes, Dick. After passing through each of the triangle markers, Page begins one of those themes anew, and here he is on a retrograde version of the secondary theme.

And there’s that E-flat.

Yah!

Any other expectations over the rest of the second half?

Well Dick, the lengthy diminuendo and ritardando over the second half have always been the most difficult portion in Music of the Spheres to get right as performers tire. And, fatigue is already showing effects on the tempo, expect our trio to eventually reach a snail’s pace and the dynamic to diminish to a whisper.

Retrograde versions of the Primary Theme can be heard by Page on the left and Fica on the right as he clings to his lead. Fica is first to reach the final triangle markers. Sliding from E to F, Fica gets tripped up! Page leaps to an incredibly high F to avoid getting entangled. Fica is clearly struggling to regain his fingering as he attempts to cling to his lead.

Oh geez!

Down goes Fica! Fica has dropped out!

This is devastating, Dick, especially after his dropped note earlier.

Page, now in the lead, regains his form as he pirouettes and begins another primary theme now in its original form. Fica gets back up and follows in Page’s footsteps, only a full measure

behind.

Fica may very well have gotten tripped up here because of his dropped note earlier, misplacing his phrasing over the entire second half.

Cloutier pulls up alongside Page, it’s neck and neck folks! Page concludes the theme and eyes the finishing line as he slowly enters the final triangle markers. Fica can’t quite complete the primary theme and can only gasp on a long G-sharp. With a steady hand, Cloutier is finishing strong and makes a final move as Page attempts one last leap, but it’s the Frenchman who breaks the finishing tape and coasts into the winner's circle on his final four steps. What a finish!

Well Dick, Cloutier once again demonstrates that sticking to a game plan, no matter how simple, is a surefire way for success. Every motion on Beyer’s course had purpose and direction.

Right you are, Ken. The official results are Michel Cloutier with the win, Benny Page placing in second, and Cory Fica a third place showing. We’ll be back with the totals and analysis right after this break for station identification.

You are listening to the Overtone Series International Music Circuit on WK-SMT, powered by the Mandela Effect and broadcast with Diegetic Acousmatic Sound. From Humpybong to Punkydoodles Corners, over the islands of the Gulf of Mexico, and throughout the deep south of the far north. One-Oh-Eight-point-Seven WK-SMT, part of the Wonderful World of Notes Network.

Well Ken, that was an exhilarating performance of Johanna Beyer’s Music of the Spheres.

It sure was Dick - why, I.. I still have goosebumps!

I want to begin with the turnaround, where Cory Fica in the right lane cuts the corner nearly a full measure early and drops a note out of the Primary Theme’s set. For those keeping score, we’re going to pick up the replay at measure 54, the very beginning of the midpoint triangle markers.

[ Replay Begins ]

Here, Fica glides along with his offbeat stride. And, right there, Fica clearly drops a note and it’s in fact an A that should kickstart the retrograde return trip. Even those listening carefully may have missed Fica’s error. But, the Primary Theme is already established by this point and Fica’s problems really start with him beginning to retrograde earlier than the others. On the F & E oscillations, he starts with an offbeat E and doesn’t complete the fourth iteration of the introductory material. After the fourth E, he leaps up a tritone to B-flat. Any performer will tell you it would have been easier to get to that B-flat from an F.

Interesting observations, Ken. Do you think, perhaps Fica simply overshot the A and kept going from there?

Yeah, I suppose that could be possible. After all, the retrograde theme should have started with that A.

Speaking of A’s, what about Benny Page? Cloutier snatched a victory out of Page’s grasp at the last moment. I think it was his leap to avoid getting entangled with Fica that proved to be Page’s undoing.

I don’t know Dick, something seemed off with Page over the whole course, he might have read the wrong form or maybe his game plan was too complex to successfully execute.

Page is known for his preparation, Ken; however, I concede anything is possible. After all, Page once prepared an entire concerto for a sonata competition.

That was ages ago, Dick

It still happened - We’re going to pass things to our very own Helen Bach, who is backstage with Benny Page for a post-game interview.

I’m in the green room, Dick. Obviously not the end result you were hoping for Benny, but a silver medal in any event certainly is a positive.

No, I was always told that in competition, “Second place is the first loser”

Oh! Um... that.. is ... uh, one way to look at it. In looking at the final score, I couldn’t help but notice a balanced approach switching with every triangle marker between the Primary Theme and the Secondary and Developed Themes.

Let’s be honest, it’s a rondo - plain as day. I can’t believe the other two didn’t catch onto that! Cloutier never developed an idea and Fica couldn’t get his long strides off the Primary Theme. I may have to file an appeal with the Composer’s Commission.

Lead violinist Benny Page, clearly not happy with today’s performance, back to you Dick.

Thank you Helen, now that is something, Ken. A player appealing to the Composer’s Commission doesn’t happen too frequently, does it?

Yah, that really is something, Dick. While it is rare for musician’s to file a petition, it is even rarer to convince the commission to overturn a result or decision. And, quite frankly, I don’t see how Benny Page will win his appeal. Although the lead instrument in Music of the Spheres does make use of the rondo form as a basis for structure, the full piece is clearly in a symmetrical form not rondo, which is understood with the thematic material being in retrograde throughout the second half.

In comparison to Page, both Cloutier and Fica had relatively simple game plans.

Yah, Cloutier oscillated on that F & E half-step interval for the duration and Fica focused on an augmented version of the Primary Theme.

Page also dug deep into his playbook and performed two more themes.

The Secondary Theme we discussed earlier, and going further, Page’s powerful bowings easily allowed him to keep up with Cloutier by augmenting the duration of each note by a ratio of 4 to 1. Whereas Fica’s rhythmic augmentation was an 8 to 1 margin when compared to Cloutier’s

original.

And, as you get situated at the keyboard for our “Kenny at the Keys” segment, what of the “masterful stroke” from Benny Page?

Ah, the two 8-note themes combined into one longer theme. I’m calling this the “Developed Theme” [ plays developed theme ], notice how this theme alternates between half-step and whole-step note pairs?

Of course the pitch material is taken directly from the Primary and Secondary themes.

Right you are Dick, and towards the end of this Developed Theme we have more shared notes between the two themes that affect the Developed Theme. A reiteration of C, the sixth note in both the Primary and Secondary Themes precedes the final two notes of the Secondary Theme - so, we essentially have three notes of the Secondary Theme here: C, Bb, and B. And the Developed Theme then closes with the final two notes of the Primary Theme: Bb and A.

I thought it was odd that both the secondary and developed themes were each only played twice. Once in the first half and once more, but in retrograde, over the second half of the work. Why did we not hear more of these two themes?

It keeps with Beyer’s overall symmetrical form.

But isn’t it a wasted chance to develop the material?

I don’t think so, Dick. After all, the secondary theme is already a development of the primary theme. What’s further, if more of the secondary and developed themes were implemented, Beyer’s course may very well be altered in a way that no longer fits with the aesthetics of her

time and place in history - to say nothing of the fact that the piece would likely be made longer, which may affect the listener’s attention as well as potentially causing more player injuries over the grueling second half.

I see! That was Kenny at the Keys folks, brought to you by the Modernists’s Composers Society bringing you the post-tonal music you never knew you needed. We’re going backstage with Helen Bach who is standing by with today’s winner Michel Cloutier.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get access to Cloutier, Dick, he was swarmed and whisked away by representatives of the Mush Yuppies Shoe Company seeking his autograph on an endorsement deal. However, I was informed that the commissioners office has acted quickly and penalized Cory Fica 15 Overtone Series points for cutting corners on the theme. Joining me now is Cory Fica, what are your thoughts on the league’s disciplinary action?

Well y’know, it is disappointing. I did see the replay and now I can’t unhear it, but I think this was an unfair call. Beyer had her reasons for altering the course right there, and I’m going to speak to my coach about what we can do to get the penalty dismissed - maybe even get the musicians union involved if we have to.

You came into this year highly regarded, a top draft pick by the Arkansas State Symphony, and with some of the biggest rookie expectations since Josh Bell. Are you at all concerned that your mishaps this season will adversely affect your standing with the orchestra?

Y’know, with it being my first season, the biggest difference in the professional circuit as opposed to the college recitals is the pace and speed at which events unfold. I did get called into a meeting with maestro Geoffreys, which was alarming, but he pledged his unwavering support for me and he encourages my involvement and growth in the Overtone Series’ chamber circuit. I have been learning a lot this season and I look forward to closing out the year strong, hit the woodshed a lot in the offseason, and return prepared to have a very productive sophomore season.

Thank you Cory. Once again Dick, the commissioners office quickly addressed today’s scandalous break from established palindromic technique with a stiff penalty on Cory Fica.

Thank you, Helen. That 15 point penalty will cost Fica dearly won’t it, Ken?

Yah, with that penalty he is the first performer this season to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

Before we go Ken, I want to talk about the dominating performance by Michel Cloutier, even though he wasn’t at the front of the pack the entire time - it seemed as though he was at the wheel from start, controlling the game like a conductor with a metronome glued to his wrist.

I’m glad you mentioned this Dick. Cloutier’s tactic, never veering away from the oscillating F-to-E half-step, allowed him to set and control today's performance. From the very beginning, Cloutier was in command of the tempo and the dynamics. Heck, even the tone and thematic material all derived from when Cloutier’s bow first struck the strings today. Cloutier’s unflappable focus shows why he is a world class violist.

Right you are Ken. Once again, the results to Johanna Beyer’s Music of the Spheres : Michel Cloutier with the win, Benny Page in second, and Cory Fica rounding out the podium.

Today’s broadcast was written and produced by Craig Peaslee. Production staff included Executive Editor of SMT-Pod Megan Lyons, Executive Producer Zach Lloyd, Associate Producer Nate Mitchell, Assistant Producer John Heilig, Onsite Engineers Indigo Knecht and Spencer Long. The performing ensemble consisted of Mitch Cloutier, Benita Dzhurkova, and Cory Fica, with vocal performances by David Ake, Christin Dahne, Andy Lorge, Nicholas Wray, and Jenny Young.

A special thank you goes out to Jody at Frog Peak Music - a composer's collective. Join us next time on the International Music Circuit when Bobby Corneau and the New York Mills Philharmonic look for redemption in a rematch against Heili Gahdonkazong. For Kenny Reid and all of us at the Wonderful World of Notes Network, I’m Richard Long and we thank you for listening on your affiliated SMT-Pod station.

[ Radio Station Call Sign ]

[Outro Theme by Yike Zhang.]

Visit our website, smt-pod.org, for supplemental materials related to this episode and to learn how to submit an episode proposal. You can join in the conversation by tweeting us your questions and comments to @SMT_Pod. SMT-Pod’s theme music was written by Maria Tartaglia, with closing music by Yike Zhang. Thanks for listening!