Journal articles on the topic 'Vocal duets Analysis, appreciation'

Most gibbon species produce salient duet calls at daybreak. Duets start with low frequency barks by males, followed by the female great call, and end with a short, and often complex, male-dominated coda. The female great call itself typically climaxes via a crescendoing increase in pitch, tempo, or both and characteristically features bilaterally symmetrical parabolic structures, which can manifest both in the distribution of vocal units over time as well as in frequency. Male codas appear to anticipate and even complete many of these female-initiated parabolas. Employing spectrograms of species-typical great calls from nearly all gibbon species ( n = 12), I plotted coordinates of the upper-most frequency of each vocal unit. Using these x = time and y = frequency coordinates (plus x-differences), I tabulated the parabolas with the best possible second order polynomial fits for each species’ great call. Measures of parabolic fit for each call were then compared to quantitative locomotor estimates for each species. All forms of parabolic assessment had positive correlations with leaping bout percentages across species. These results indicate that gibbon duets may function to signal a fundamental understanding of parabolic shapes—presumably useful in landing airborne locomotor (especially leaping) bouts spanning canopy elements—enabling concordant execution of arboreally projectile acrobatics.

AbstractWe report on long-range duet interactions among twelve wild groups of lar gibbons (Hylobates lar) in Thailand. Statistical analysis demonstrates that groups were more likely to respond with an answering duet to a duet sung by a neighbouring group than to one sung by a non-neighbouring group in the population. A distinctive pattern of response among neighbours was to wait until a neighbouring group had finished its duet before immediately answering with a duet, resulting in avoidance of overlap between the two duets. Non-neighbours did not exhibit this pattern. The effect is shown to be due solely to neighbour status and not to the degree of mutual audibility of the duets. There was no evidence that, when duets overlapped, the first group to sing modified the length of its duet in response to the second duet, whether given by a neighbour or by a non-neighbour. In general, among those groups which responded to one another's duets, there were no identifiable leaders and followers: the order of duetting groups was random. We discuss why neighbours interact more by duet than do non-neighbours, and consider what may be the functions of avoiding overlap of duets.

Abstract Abstract. We provide the first detailed analysis of the vocal behavior of Pacific coast Plain Wrens (Thryothorus modestus modestus). Male Plain Wrens sing two categories of song phrase; one phrase is given as a solo song or duet introduction (I-phrases), while the other is sung primarily during duets (M-phrases). Females sing only one category of song phrase, usually during duets (F-phrases). Both sexes have repertoires of their respective song categories. Plain Wren duets show extreme temporal coordination: duets typically begin with male I-phrases, which are followed by the rapid alternation of female F-phrases and male M-phrases. These patterns are congruent with the solo and duet singing behavior of a sister taxon to the Plain Wren, the Canebrake Wren (Thryothorus modestus zeledoni). Our analyses of Plain Wren songs and duets reveal pronounced differences between males and females and contribute to our understanding of the complex duetting behavior of Thryothorus wrens.

Bird vocalizations might be used for specific recognition, territorial defense, and reproduction. Bioacoustic studies aim to understand the production, propagation and reception of acoustic signals, and they are an important component of research on animal behavior and evolution. In this study we analyzed the sound structure of duet vocalizations in pairs of Myiothlypis leucoblephara and evaluated whether the vocal variables differ among pairs and if there are differences in temporal characteristics and frequency of duets between pairs in forest edges vs. forest interior. Vocalizations were recorded from 17 bird pairs in three remnants of Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil. Six of the bird pairs were situated at the edge of the forest remnant, and 11 were in the interior of the remnant. The duets of different pairs between forest areas showed descriptive differences in the frequency, number of notes per call, and time between issuance of calls, with the main distinguishing feature being a change in frequency of a few notes in the second part of the musical phrase. The minimum frequency of vocalization was reduced at the private area than in the other two remnants (p <0.05). The duets of birds in the forest edge and forest interior did not significantly differ in minimum or maximum frequency of phrases (p> 0.05), phrase duration (p> 0.05) or number of notes per phrase (p> 0.05). Myiothlypis leucoblephara did not show a specific pattern with respect to issue of phrases in duets, but instead showed five different patterns, which were variable among pairs. There was a sharp decline or alternation in frequency between notes in the second part of the musical phrase for recognition among pairs. Variation in vocalization among M. leucoblephara duets may play a role in pair recognition.

Many groups of animals defend shared resources with coordinated signals. The best-studied of these signals are the vocal duets produced by mated pairs of birds. Duets are believed to be more common among tropical-breeding species, but a comprehensive test of this hypothesis is lacking, and the mechanisms that generate latitudinal patterns in duetting are not known. We used a stratified sample of 372 songbird species to conduct the first broad-scale, phylogenetically explicit analysis of duet evolution. We found that duetting evolves in association with the absence of migration, but not with sexual monochromatism or tropical breeding. We conclude that the evolution of migration exerts a major influence on the evolution of duetting. The perceived association between tropical breeding and duetting may be a by-product of the migration–duetting relationship. Migration reduces the average duration of partnerships, potentially reducing the benefits of cooperative behaviour, including duetting. Ultimately, the evolution of coordinated resource-defence signals in songbirds may be driven by ecological conditions that favour sedentary lifestyles and social stability.

Long-range vocal communication in socially monogamous titi monkeys is mediated by the production of loud, advertising calls in the form of solos, duets, and choruses. We conducted a power spectral analysis of duets and choruses (simply “duets” hereafter) followed by linear discriminant analysis using three acoustic parameters—dominant frequency of the combined signal, duet sequence duration, and pant call rate—comparing the coordinated vocalizations recorded from 36 family groups at 18 sites in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Our analysis identified four distinct duetting patterns: (1) a donacophilus pattern, sensu stricto, characteristic of P. donacophilus, P. pallescens, P. olallae, and P. modestus; (2) a moloch pattern comprising P. discolor, P. toppini, P. aureipalatii, and P. urubambensis; (3) a torquatus pattern exemplified by the duet of Cheracebus lucifer; and (4) the distinctive duet of P. oenanthe, a putative member of the donacophilus group, which is characterized by a mix of broadband and narrowband syllables, many of which are unique to this species. We also document a sex-related difference in the bellow-pant phrase combination among the three taxa sampled from the moloch lineage. Our data reveal a presumptive taxonomic incoherence illustrated by the distinctive loud calls of both P. urubambensis and P. oenanthe within the donacophilus lineage, sensu largo. The results are discussed in light of recent reassessments of the callicebine phylogeny, based on a suite of genetic studies, and the potential contribution of environmental influences, including habitat acoustics and social learning. A better knowledge of callicebine loud calls may also impact the conservation of critically endangered populations, such as the vocally distinctive Peruvian endemic, the San Martin titi, P. oenanthe.

AbstractA new species of tyrant flycatcher (Suiriri islerorum) is described from the cerrado region of Brazil and adjacent eastern Bolivia. The species previously had been confused with Suiriri suiriri affinis, with which it is syntopic at multiple sites. The new species was first identified by voice. Although cryptically similar to S. s. affinis in many respects, the new species is readily identified by all vocalizations, bill size, color pattern of the tail, and shape of the central rectrices. Most distinctive are the male–female duets, which are accompanied by dramatic wing-lifting displays not performed by any congeners. Reciprocal playback experiments of tape-recorded vocalizations demonstrated that the new species and S. s. affinis do not respond to one another's vocalizations. We provide information on the natural history of the new flycatcher, along with spectrograms of its various vocalizations. We also provide vocal analysis of all other named taxa in Suiriri, and discuss the various intrageneric relationships. In particular, S. s. affinis and S. s. bahiae, although distinct morphologically, are vocally and behaviorally similar, and respond to one another's vocalizations in playback experiments.

Background. In 2018, the 170th anniversary of the death of Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848) was commemorated. G. Donizetti created 74 operas of various genres and themes. He was the head of the Italian opera school in the second half of the 1830s, picking up the baton from G. Rossini and V. Bellini and anticipating G. Verdi’s searching. Having an apparent melodic gift, excellent skills of composing, knowledge of musical theatre, he created his works extremely quickly and easily – up to 3–4 operas per year, which caused repeated critical attacks. Opera works by G. Donizetti got a hard futurity. This music laid hold of audience in the 1830s–40s, but practically got out of the repertoire by the end of the 19th century, giving way to the masterpieces by G. Verdi and R. Wagner. Its revival began in the 50s of the 20th century, thanks to remarkable interpretations of great performers, in particular Maria Callas, Joan Alston Sutherland, Montserrat Caballé (since 1965), and others. A new success of opera masterpieces arose due to the fact that performing concepts restored the original author’s conception. Among the researchers and listeners, G. Donizetti’s operatic works eclipsed other spheres of his creativity, such as instrumental and chamber vocal music. But at the same time, G. Donizetti lived in the times of the widespread distribution of the romance, and the rapid growth of its popularity in the amateur and professional performing environment. He was an outstanding expert of vocal music and could not ignore this genre. Naturally there is a need for a more attentive approach to such a little-studied topic, as the composer’s chamber vocal music. Objectives. Gaetano Donizetti’s chamber-vocal creativity is the object of this study. The subject is the song cycle “Summer Nights in Posillipo” (“Nuits d’été à Pausilippe”) in terms of individual composer style. The objectives of offered article are not so much fi ll existing gaps on this issue, as taking a closer look at the romance genre, which is eclipsed by the composer’s opera compositions. The author of this work uses classical methods of analysis of historical and theoretical musicology. Results. Studies on the composer style of G. Donizetti in the Russian and Ukrainian languages are very limited in both quantitative and thematic terms. Most sources, including in other languages, consider opera works by the composer. The exact number of Donizetti’s romances is still unknown (from 250 to 270). The song cycle “Nuits d’été à Pausilippe” / “Summer Nights in Posillipo” (1836), consisting of 12 songs, is also not considered in the scientifi c literature. Typical for the fi rst third of the 19th century is the chronotope of this cycle, in which the poetics of the geographical toponym and the symbolism of the night are combined. Posillipo is a distinctive place in the northern part of the Gulf of Naples, with its unusually picturesque landscape and artifacts of ancient culture. The name of the song collection by G. Donizetti corresponds to the popular literature formula of the 1830s – “Florentine Nights” (1833) by H. Heine, “Egyptian Nights” (1835) by A. S. Pushkin, and others, in which the genre of the “night” novelistic cycle embodied. The musical implementations are “Night Pieces” op. 23 (1839) by R. Schumann, song cycle “Summer Nights” op. 7 (1841) by G. Berlioz, which were created in the period of composition writing (1836) by G. Donizetti. The novella-like character of “Summer Nights in Posillipo” is represented by incompleteness of lyric utterance, free alternation of fragments within the boundaries of a given topic, the variability of timbre solutions, varied choice of authors of poetic texts. Six solo numbers (Nos. 1–6) are supplemented by six duets for various timbre sets (Nos. 7–12, for 2 sopranos, soprano and mezzo-soprano, soprano and tenor, tenor and bass). The poems by four poets of Romanticism are involved: Leopoldo Tarantini (Nos. 1, 8, 10, 12), Carlo Guaita (No. 2), Michele Palazzolo (Nos. 7, 11), Francesco Puoti (No. 9), Victor Hugo (No. 6). Also the poems of the anonymous poet (No. 3) and the folklore text (No. 5) are used here. The cycle is “multilingual”, the Italian language coexists with the Neapolitan and French. The love theme prevails. We can talk about creation of a poetic-collective image entitled Homo amore. Solo songs (Nos. 1–6) form conditional self-contained cycle, which is distinguished by genre diversity. This is evidenced by both the designations of the composer himself (Barcarolle – No. 1, Romance – No. 2, Arietta – No. 3, Ballade – No. 4, Neapolitan song – No. 5), and signs of other genres (opera monologue – No. 1, Chivalric romance – No. 2, Serenade – No. 3, Alba – No. 6). The second little cycle is formed by the duets Nos. 7–12. The composer designates Nos. 7–11 as nocturne, while Nos. 12 as brindisi, or drinking song. G. Donizetti’s nocturnes are glad and lyrical, motile, virtuosic, theatrically spectacular. Life and earthly pleasures are glorifi ed in sounding. The atmosphere of a brilliant ball evening is felt here. The unifying factor in duets are the principles of the texture organization of vocal parts. The fi rst one is associated with the interaction of voices-parts with each other according to the principle of anti-phoning singing (Nos. 7, 9, 11). The second principle is associated with the simultaneous sounding of two voices (Nos. 8, 10, 12). The role of intonation relatedness at the songs is signifi cant. The thematism of twelve songs can be divided by the type of melodic core. As a result, there are three groups: I – themes Nos. 1, 2, 5, 8, 10; II – Nos. 3, 6; III – duets Nos. 7, 9. Conclusions. The applying of the “intonation vocabulary” of the epoch is refl ected in numerous allusions between the melodies of the romances by G. Donizetti and the works of his contemporaries (M. Glinka, F. Schubert) and successors (R. Hahn). The biggest interest is the composer work with the form. Acting within the framework of the repeatability (melodic and structural) and stanza form, G. Donizetti seeks to overcome this necessity in every possible way by various means. The structure of his romances “lives”, naturally unfolds in time, obeying the laws of vocal music. The results of “Summer Nights in Posillipo” analysis allow us to conclude about the originality of G. Donizetti’s creative decisions in the genre of romance.

Music performance belongs to music recreation activities, is through singing, musical instrument performance, and vocal conductor, including a variety of artistic means, to convey music to the audience with real sound effects that can be felt, and can play its social function. Emotional state is a part of the whole attitude, which is consistent with introverted feelings and intentions in attitude, and is a complex and stable physiological evaluation and experience of attitude in physiology. This paper first introduces the concepts of music performance from the perspective of music appreciation and music ability. Then based on the emotional feature learning of matrix factorization constrained nonnegative matrix factorization and model optimization algorithm are used to analyze the emotional aspects of music. Finally, through the experimental comparison of the difficulty of emotion in various artistic creations, a conclusion is drawn. The research involves matrix decomposition, mathematical modeling, model optimization, digital audio technology application, and other fields. In the third part of this paper, the constrained nonnegative matrix factorization, the constrained nonnegative matrix factorization with external information, and the model optimization algorithm are used to study the mathematical modeling.

Gugak (Korean traditional music) is a great legacy of the Korean people, which has developed creatively through the long history of contacting with foreign music. However, it has been neglected in school education, and its importance has gradually increased through the revision of the curriculum. This study intends to figure out whether gugak education is actually expanding in the school field and to study development plans by analyzing the current status of gugak education in 10 middle schools located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. As a result of analyzing the gugak class hours in the 10 middle schools for three years, they are 24.7 hours on average, or 19.7% of the entire music class hours, which are considerably lower than the number of Western music class and far below the proportion of curriculum or textbooks. The distribution of the proportion of gugak class hours is 8.4% ~ 31.8%, which shows that there is a significant deviation by school. The intensive completion system is implemented by 8 schools, and the distribution by area is 41.9% for appreciation, 32% for instrumental music, 19.6% for singing, 5.8% for daily life, and 0.6% for creative writing. There is only one school that organizes all areas evenly. Moreover, due to the COVID-19, the vocal and wind instrument performance classes have decreased while the appreciation classes have increased relatively, for which alternatives are required.…

Folk vocal music is an important part of music majors in colleges and universities (CaU), and the core of music education is AE. Therefore, in vocal music teaching, students should be guided to understand the beauty of music and to use vocal performance as an aesthetic experience so as to cultivate their aesthetic appreciation ability. As one of the national musical instruments, Chinese Zither has a unique musical charm. Its traditional aesthetic value is high, which can bring people beautiful music enjoyment. This paper takes Chinese Zither as an example to study the aesthetic teaching methods in college national instrumental music teaching. In the process of research, we use a combination of a variety of research methods to study two classes of music major in our school. This paper first uses the literature analysis method to elaborate the AE and then uses the questionnaire survey method to study the college students’ understanding and views on the national instrumental music. Then, through the case analysis method, it analyzes the achievements and interest changes of the students after the introduction of aesthetic teaching in Chinese Zither teaching. At the same time, through expert interviews, it summarizes the teaching of national instrumental music in the CaU aesthetic teaching strategy and the use of mathematical analysis on the relevant data processing. This study found that before the introduction of aesthetic teaching in Chinese Zither teaching, the good rate of class 2 students was only 33.33%, and after the introduction of aesthetic teaching in Chinese Zither teaching, the good rate of students in class 2 reached 86.67%. Therefore, the introduction of aesthetic teaching in Chinese Zither teaching can effectively improve students’ learning level. This also shows that in the teaching of ethnic music, the introduction of aesthetic teaching and the combination of aesthetic art and music art can effectively improve the learning level of students.

This paper is based on the discussion about the cryptocurrencies and its impact on the financial industry. However, the adoption of cryptocurrencies is a different matter because right now the Bitcoins is considered as for wealthy, developed and tech-savvy cultures. Based on the analysis about the points of differences of the currency a countries profile can be developed who are more likely to adopt the Bitcoin. The cryptocurrencies are considered a potential solution against the accessibility, exchange, fraud, and inflation. Moreover, the prices are considerably increasing because the demand for core good is growing rapidly relative to supply. As per the analysis the fiat currency system is considered as the main reason for the future inflation however it will not cause any significant problem in the overall financial industry. The growing demand for housing is also increasing the price of lumber that also increased in the prices of wood. Consequently, all the related goodwill becomes more expensive following the trickle through the economy. Moreover, the asset market also contributes considerably to the inflation. An increase in the price of certain commodity incentivizes the people who are producing those commodities. In this regard, the producers withhold the supply of those commodities that eventually results in increased prices. Furthermore, the inflation can also be caused by the supply shock like the interruption in oil supply to Southern US caused by Katrina devastated. It caused fluctuation dramatically in the real exchange rates instead of producing desired results. The fluctuation also triggers the development of three asymmetries in the exchange market. The first factors that come into play is the loss aversion which means that the losing side will suffer more loss vocally and acutely as compare to the less vocal winning side during the time of depreciation or appreciation. Hence, the fiscal policy will experience more disturbances.

Background. In Ukraine both musicologists and performers (in particular the choirs conducted by well-known choirmasters) do much for the further development of the home Bach studies. For instance, the direction of the ‘choral bahhiana’ was actively developed by the leading choirmasters of that time professor M. Berdennikov (Kiev), Y. Kulik (Kharkiv) in the 60’s and 70’s. It is known that future students of the choral conducting departments first learn the choral heritage of J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel, as a rule, at the piano lessons at children musical schools and secondary schools. Unfortunately, their choral works aren’t often sounded today in the concert halls of musical academies and universities of arts. This music seemed to move from the concert stage to the classrooms. Analysis of publications according the topic. Among the researches that highlight the problems of the style of the sacred works of J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel, it is necessary to point out the fundamental studies of I. Givental and L. Gingold, M. Druskin, T. Livanova, V. Protopopov, A. Schweitzer, articles of modern authors by K. Berdennikova, N. Inutochkina, Y. Lyashenko, V. Semenuk, G. Skobtsova. However, the questions of the specifics of choral vocal technique remain, as a rule, outside the attention of scholars and they constitute the topic’s relevance of the article. Methods. The usage of the historical method contributed to the research of the educational choral performance at the present stage. It is involved structural-functional and intonational methods for establishing dramatic works’ features and concretization of their spiritual content. The comparative method is used to determine the differences between vocal style of J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel’s works and the technique of working with them. Objectives. The main goal is systematization of theoretical and practical observations with the performance of J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel’s choral works by the choir of the Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts students. The article is devoted to highlighting the problems of the performing process and the specifics of the choir practice of students with compositions by J. S. Bach (Cantata No. 140, ‘Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme’ and Magnificat) G. F. Handel (Dettingen Te Deum in D major, HWV 283). Results. The holding of the 22nd International Music Festival “Kharkiv Assemblies” devoted to the J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel’s oeuvre in 2015 was a significant event not only for Kharkiv but also the whole Ukraine’s musical life. The choir of the Kharkiv National Kotlyarevsky University of Arts students traditionally participated in it as in previous years (art director – Honored Art Worker of Ukraine, professor S. Prokopov, choirmasters – laureate of the all-Ukrainian competition H. Savelyeva, award winner of the all-Ukrainian competition O. Fartushka). The choir performed Magnificat and Cantata No. 140 by J. S. Bach ‘Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme’, fragments from the Dettingen Te Deum in D major, HWV 283 by G. F. Handel (the last two works are Kharkiv premieres). The work with them took place in short order and so it caused of some vocal technique difficulties and the problems of performative concept and performative style. Complaxities were intensified by the lack of necessary acoustic accumulation and the practical experience of performing the music of the Baroque by many young choirmasters, members of the choir group. The importance of studying the musical heritage of composers of genius in order to make a conductor-choirmaster personality is emphasized in the article. The main difficulties of learning choral scores due to the lack of performing experience, certain acoustic accumulation of choral music of the late baroque period which students of choral conducting specialization have. The approximation to the true understanding of the performing style of choral music by J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel may be provided with conditions of a thorough in-depth studying their works. The main tasks of the performative choices are described: appreciation of the entire depth of the spiritual content of J. S. Bach’s and G. F. Handel’s music by young performers, the correlation between vocal and instrumental principles, rational and emotional ones. One of the main tasks of the choir practice of students with J. S. Bach’s cantata No. 140 «Watchet auf, ruft uns die Stimme» was an adequate presentation of composer’s style. The composer treats the human voice as equal to the orchestra. Therefore, the vocal-instrumental nature of Bach’s choral style needs another way of sound-building, a greater unity of voices than our home choral music needs. They consider specific methods and techniques of work on such executive factors as tempo-rhythm, strokes. The questions of choral vocal technique, in particular, vocal intonation (significance of timbre expression, usage of different types of respiration, clear diction, active articulation) are raised. J. S. Bach’s interpretation of voice as an instrument, demands from performers a great deal of its mobility, almost virtuosity, especially in contrapuntal sections. As for the vocal style of G. F. Handel, the influence of the operatic style, which is felt in his oratorios and cantatas is emphasized. Conclusions. The choir practice of students and performing by the student choir of German composers’ genius works, the communication of young performers with outstanding conductors, singers (including foreign ones) became for them the true school of craftsmanship, promoted the professional growth of the choir group, revealed its new performance capabilities. Choral music of J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel should move from the educational audiences of universities and academies to the specific halls. The works of genius need to include in student choral groups’ repertoire.

The paper is devoted to theproblematics of the late style in composer creativity. The typologies of the late style described in the musical science works of recent years (including the thesesby E. Nazaikinsky and N. Savitskaya) are systematized. The characteristic of B. Britten’s chamberheritage is given in the context of the achievements of the English composer’s school of аnew musical renaissance of the twentieth century. The purpose of the research is to reveal the specificity of the last opus phenomenon. Achieving the goal of the research involves using the following methods: genre approach, historical approach and stylistic approach. The specificity of the last opus phenomenon is revealed by the example of the Third String Quartet by B. Britten, which is recognized as the composer’s last opus. The late style of the composer is characterized in terms of orchestration, techniques, genre preferences and stylistic unity. Exposition of the main material of the study includes compositional and stylistic analysis of the Third String Quartet by B. Britten. In the paperheritage of B. Britten is considered as an example of a creative composer process which has an explicit division into several periods. The name of B. Britten is associated with the highest achievements of the English composer school of a new renaissance in the twentieth century. The researchers distinguish three periodsof B. Britten’s creativity. The first period is characterized by the interest in chamber music and various chamber compositions, the variation as a principle of development as well as the genre certainty. The individual style of the composer is formed in vocal musicearlier and more intensively. The second period is characterized by expressive orchestral writing, figurative concreteness and clarity of structures. The late period of B. Britten’s creativity is characterized by the desire to find the most flexible form of the modern performance. The stylistic synthesis reveals a reliance on ancient types and forms of playing music: Gregorian chant, heterophony, anemitonicpenta-tonic system and church modes. Most of his works are marked by the asceticism of expressive means. The scores are written in a stingy, honed manner, the composer uses instrumental compositions with vivid coloristic capabilities, but implements them with a subtle sense of proportion. The paper deals with the specifics of the B. Britten’s late style. According to the concept of N. Savitskaya the late style is the final evolutionary stage which includes stylistic elements of the early and mature stages of the composer’s creative formation in an in-depth and concentrated form. The researcher identifies the following types of late style: prognostic, consolidating and reduced. B. Britten’s late style can be classified as consolidating one. The paper isconcerned with the phenomenon of the last opus. B. Britten created three string quartets. The appearance of the first two was connected with the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the death of H. Purcell. The Third Quartet was written thirty years later, in 1975, in Venice, and was first performed after the death of B. Britten in 1976. This work was the last instrumental composition the authorcompleted. The structure of the Third Quartetdeparts from the traditional form. It consists of five relatively short movements which form a kind of symmetrical arch. B. Britten originally used the term divertimento as a working description of the quartet. Each movement of the cycle has its own subtitle: Duets, Ostinato, Solo, Burlesque, Recitative and Passacalia (La Serenissima). All movements are written in three-part form (ABA). The slow lyrical movements of the quartet form a kind of arches inside the composition. The first movement, Duets, is in a sense the most abstract of all five parts. The beginning resembles a “double spiral” (two voices are closely intertwined and are an exact copy of each other). In the second movement, Ostinato, the idea of an ostinato, where a musical pattern is repeated over and over in the background, takes on a somewhat intrusive form. In the third movement, Solo, the lone violin line, moving through wide intervals, is accompanied mostly by only one other voice at a time. In the fourth movement, Burlesque, the world of parody entertainment, clowning, buffoonery is presented. The fifth movement is entitled La Serenissima, a reference to Venice. In this movement B. Britten quoted his own last opera, Death in Venice. The results of the research support the idea that B. Britten’s late style refers to consolidated type of late style. This conclusion is reached based ona specific analysis of the Third String Quartet by B. Britten. The Third Quartet accumulates as features of B. Britten’s late style as the asceticism of expressive means in writing, reliance on the frets of folk music and the rigor of writing. B. Britten’s enthusiasm for the traditions of folk music resulted in a desire for the texture of all the voices in his instrumental scores. The composer’s chamber music is characterized by detailed instrumentation. Despite all the possibilities of using modernist techniques in the creative process B. Britten can be traced to an academic style. It is worth noting the amazing unity of B. Britten’s style throughout his life. Individual composer style is constantly being refined, remaining homogeneous at the same time (there are not style shifts and differences). In addition, B. Britten had always been aimed at performers and often wrote instrumental works on order. Although B. Britten’s heritage is widely represented in Ukrainian and foreign musical science, the specifics of the composer’s late style is still a field for study and comprehension. The paper opens up prospects for the study of the last opus in the late period of the work of composers.

Background. The present of the national musical culture is characterized by a kind of synthesis between imitation of the original folk-instrumental traditions with the latest ideological models and performing means. The art of bandura players also occupies a proper place in the development of academic folk instruments of Ukraine. A prominent place in the diversity of ensemble groups of large forms is occupied by the bandura band “Sun” of Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, whose artistic director and conductor is a famous and talented bandura player, senior lecturer at the Department of Folk Instruments of Ukraine, Kharkiv National University of Arts Nadiya Melnik. The band has a unique performance portrait, relatively long creative path and its own genre and style specifics of development. Today the band is the only large educational bandura ensemble in Kharkiv, which presents the performing traditions of Sloboda Ukraine but, unfortunately, in the musicological discourse there are no studies on the creative activity of this artistic association, analysis of development specifics and its role in the development of bandura performance of Ukraine, which determines the relevance of the article. Many scholars such as: L. Yashchenko, V. Umanets, R. Kiyanovska, A.Ivanysh, T. Cherneta and others studied the development, the stages of formation and the specifics of activities of large bandura groups in Ukraine. The main attention of musicologists and bandura practitioners is devoted to the activities of powerful and leading large ensembles and bandura groups. Among them there are National Honored Bandura Band of Ukraine named after G. I. Mayboroda, bandura choir “Magician” of the Dnipro Academy of Music named after M. Glinka, bandura choir “Lyubava” of Poltava College of Arts named after M. V. Lysenko and others. However, the study of the creative activity of the bandura band “Sun” of Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts under the direction of N. V. Melnyk, which today has a strong potential and vividly represents the bandura performance not only of Kharkiv, but of Ukraine as a whole remains unnoticed. The purpose and objectives of the article are to highlight the main stages of formation and specifics of the creative activity of the bandore band “Sun” as a bright representative of modern bandura performance in Kharkov. To achieve this goal, the following tasks must be completed: – to identify the main stages of development of the bandura band “Sun”; – to analyze the performance and repertoire of the bandura band “Sun”; – to determine the specifics of the development of creative activity of the bandura band “Sun”. Methods. To achieve this goal and solve the main tasks of the article, the method of artistic and scientific research was used. Results. Basing on the method of art research, it was found that at the present stage the band is the only large group that represents the bandura performance not only of Kharkiv but also in the Sloboda region. Significant events in the artistic life of the participants are marked, which characterize the main milestones in the history of formation and development of the band: the period of the band, the first state recognition of bandura conductors as a professional artists, creation of a bandore band for the first time, winning the laureate title (I place at the all-Ukrainian competition which is called “Ring, bandura” (Dnepropetrovsk, 2004)). The synthesis of traditional performance forms with modern elements of music, combination of vocal and instrumental material and dramatization, melodic recitation, artistic experiments etc. is characteristic for the work of the artistic team. Conclusions. Summarizing all what is written above, we can say that the bandura band “Sun” is a powerful highly professional team with its own performance and drama approach, genre and style features and specific development features: combination of vocal-instrumental material and theatrical performance, melodic, etc. The high appreciation of the bandura players’ creative activity by the leading musicologists of Ukraine and the popularity of the famous artistic group testifies to its recognition in the musicological circle and among the fans of bandura performance in Kharkiv and in Ukraine as a whole.

Folk musicians belonging to the older generations and playing various instruments have been subject to rather exhaustive research in Lithuania since the end of the 20th century until the present. Various aspects of their music making, including the repertoire, changes in the style of their performance, the musician’s image, role and place in the community have also received considerable attention. However, traditional musicians belonging to the younger generation and their music making have scarcely fallen into the focus of study so far. The modern ethnomusicologists researching and appreciating the traditional music making devote considerable attention to the perspectives of the musicians and their surrounding community. Such a two-fold research, taking into consideration both the musician’s and the community’s approach, enables evaluating the general situation of the traditional instrumental and vocal instrumental music making in the community. By comparing the expressed views of the Lithuanian traditional musicians belonging to the younger generation and the perspectives of the surrounding community, the author of the article attempts establishing the kind of musicians that is in demand in the Lithuanian villages and small towns of the end of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century. The author of the article combines qualitative research (the in-depth partly structured multiple interviews) with documentary and biographical methods.According to the analysis, not only the roles of the traditional musician and the community, but also their mutual relationship has suffered considerable shifts in the nowadays culture. The functions of the musician as bearer, promoter and reviver of the tradition have become much more prominent. By adapting to the altering wedding traditions, the musician does not decline performing not only the functions of the former main participants of the wedding, but also those of the presenter of the whole event. The individual musical faculties and skills do not bear such importance in the eyes of the community members, as they do to the musicians themselves. The community mostly appreciates the universal capacities of the traditional musician, also ascribing importance to his tight relationship with the local traditions. The latter quality is important to the musicians as well; it includes the inherent feeling of the local music and its appreciation (from instrumentation and familiarity with the traditional local repertoire, to the live music making, and to the knowledge of customs and rituals, which are particularly important during various festive events and weddings). Since the tradition of the ritual communal singing is increasingly in decline, the capacity of the musicians to sing well and to start the appropriate songs as means of preserving and supporting this tradition is especially meaningful. It is safe to maintain that traditional musicians are currently people sensitively reacting to the changes in the traditional musical culture and actively participating in the local musical life until nowadays. To the contrary, rejection of the musical innovations renders the traditional musician incapable of competing with the requirements of the modern musical market. In such case, the musician may even have to stop playing and surrender his place to the professional or semi-professional wedding musicians with virtually no knowledge of the local musical customs, or even to the sound recordings.

Acoustic communication serves a crucial role in the social interactions of vocal animals. Duetting—the coordinated singing among pairs of animals—has evolved independently multiple times across diverse taxonomic groups including insects, frogs, birds, and mammals. A crucial first step for understanding how information is encoded and transferred in duets is through quantifying the acoustic repertoire, which can reveal differences and similarities on multiple levels of analysis and provides the groundwork necessary for further studies of the vocal communication patterns of the focal species. Investigating acoustic tradeoffs, such as the tradeoff between the rate of syllable repetition and note bandwidth, can also provide important insights into the evolution of duets, as these tradeoffs may represent the physical and mechanical limits on signal design. In addition, identifying which sex initiates the duet can provide insights into the function of the duets. We have three main goals in the current study: (1) provide a descriptive, fine-scale analysis of Gursky’s spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrumgurskyae) duets; (2) use unsupervised approaches to investigate sex-specific note repertoires; and (3) test for evidence of acoustic tradeoffs in the rate of note repetition and bandwidth of tarsier duet contributions. We found that both sexes were equally likely to initiate the duets and that pairs differed substantially in the duration of their duets. Our unsupervised clustering analyses indicate that both sexes have highly graded note repertoires. We also found evidence for acoustic tradeoffs in both male and female duet contributions, but the relationship in females was much more pronounced. The prevalence of this tradeoff across diverse taxonomic groups including birds, bats, and primates indicates the constraints that limit the production of rapidly repeating broadband notes may be one of the few ‘universals’ in vocal communication. Future carefully designed playback studies that investigate the behavioral response, and therefore potential information transmitted in duets to conspecifics, will be highly informative.

Abstract Vocal duets occur when 2 individuals vocalize in temporal coordination. In birds, duet participation functions to cooperatively defend shared resources, localize mates, and in some species, guard the mate. Previous work indicates that duetting tends to co-evolve with a non-migratory lifestyle, probably because the absence of migration facilitates greater cooperation between mates. We examined the evolution of duetting and migration in New World warblers (Parulidae), a group that has been largely ignored by duetting research. Of the 95 species in our analysis, we found evidence of duetting in 19 (20%) species, and evidence of migration in 45 (47.4%) species. Ancestral character reconstruction indicated that the last common ancestor of the New World warblers did not duet. Duetting evolved multiple times in this group, including 2 early origins and several more recent origins. Migration was present in the last common ancestor and was lost several times. Both duetting and migration exhibit phylogenetic signal. A phylogenetically explicit correlation analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between duetting and migration, in keeping with findings from other avian taxa. This study, the first description of the evolution of duetting in a large avian family with a temperate-zone origin, supports the hypothesis that duetting co-evolves with a sedentary natural history in birds.

The COVID-19 related confinement and social distancing had negative consequences on the health of individuals living with Parkinson's Disease (PD). In collaboration with a non-profit organization, we developed and implemented a daily online vocal stimulation group named “Musculation de la Voix” (MdlV) in April 2020. To better understand the potential of MdlV to diversify existing services available to people with PD experiencing vocal symptoms, this study aimed to explore participants' experience and perception of MdlV in terms of participation, motivations, feelings, perceived changes, and appreciation. The 45 individuals who registered to the Summer 2020 Semester of MdlV were invited to complete an online ten-question survey. Responses to the four close-ended questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics while statements provided in response to the six open-ended questions were subjected to an inductive qualitative content analysis. Thirty seven participants completed the survey. Results revealed that the sample of respondents was mostly constituted of individuals who were engaged in this activity since its very beginning (62,2%), participated daily (59,5%), intended to keep participating in the activity (97,3%), and had never received speech-language therapy (SLT) services before (72,97%). The qualitative analysis yielded one theme relating to prior services: “Previous SLT services are variable and perceived as beneficial but with limitations,” and three themes pertaining to MdlV: “Seeking improvement and support as initial motivations to engage in MdlV,” “Unanticipated benefits and desired gains catalyzing motivation to participate in MdlV,” and “Perceived limitations of MdlV and persisting needs.” Our study participants' engagement and motivation toward MdlV as well as the benefits they perceived in relation to this activity suggest that an online vocal stimulation group may be a promising complement to currently limited SLT services. As limitations and persisting needs were also identified, future studies are required to elucidate what aspect of MdlV works, for whom and how.

‘First mover advantage does not go to the first company that launches, it goes to the first company that scales’ (Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, ScaleIt, 2016 ). M. Andreesen defines scale-up as a company that has identified its product/market fit and has reached notable proofs of market traction (e.g., profitability, revenues, active users, registered users, market demand). It has been previously established that five interdependent core dimensions can be used to evaluate scale-up: customer, product, team, business model and financials. Most of the business failures result from falling apart of one or more of these dimensions with others. We in our article discuss the ‘customer dimension’ as the essence of scaling up. For running a profitable business, it is crucial to evaluate customers’ reviews, like their perception and expectation from the product and services in terms of service quality, deliverables, staff and management practices and pricing. This will increase customer satisfaction which will further boost the demand and popularity of the brand and business. The customers today are very vocal in sharing their experiences through social media blogs, channels, review sites and so on. These experiences need to be decrypted by the management to understand the customer’s point of view, their apprehensions and expectations. Sentiment analysis is one of the best ways to tap customer feedback. The usual way of analysis involves the bag of words model using ngrams. A more refined version is an ontology-based analysis. Research has also been done using the radial basis function kernel for support vector machines (SVMs) (for recognizing polarity of sentiments). Naïve Bayes algorithms have also been used in some sentiment studies along with linear kernel SVM classifiers. But we realized during the literature review that it is not enough to just classify the text into positive and negative or a few more categories. It is even more important to know which topics are being discussed by the customers, their intention behind the message and further the need to classify them as complaints, suggestions, appreciation or query and so on. Thus, we in our article discuss the solution to all these types of analyses using ‘deep sentiment analysis’. We discuss the case of a few current social topics and introduce ‘recurrent neural networks’ (RNNs) and ‘convolutional neural networks’ (CNNs) for sentiment and intent analysis. These advanced analytical techniques will help in the ‘pivoting’ of businesses by taking desired actions such as improving product quality, improving quality of services and increasing quality checks in areas with maximum negative reviews. This eventually will help start-up ventures in improving customer experience and gradually help in the scaling of ventures.