Artykuły w czasopismach na temat „Piano quartets – Scores and parts”

Background. The article provides an analysis of L. Beethoven’s piano quartets through the prism of the ensemble writing and composition experience by W. A. Mozart. The disclosure of the successive ties between the two great Viennese classics in the field of chamber instrumental music contributes to the scientific understanding of the history of this genre, which is not sufficiently covered in musicology. The analysis revealed that the four piano quartets of L. Beethoven are focused on Mozart’s prototypes, or rather, on sonatas for violin and piano. It was found that the formative principles of Beethoven’s piano quartets grow from the above-mentioned compositions by W. A. Mozart, but the content and the ensemble-dramatic solution reflect the independence and originality of the young composer’s thinking, revealing the sprouts of a future mature style. The purpose of this article is to disclose the ways of rethinking the prototypes of Mozart in the piano quartets of L. Beethoven. The piano quartets of the latter serve as the musical material of the article: No. 1 Es-dur, No. 2 D-dur, No. 3 C-dur WoO 36, and No. 4 Es-dur op. 16. Results. L. Beethoven changes the algorithm of ensemble events contained in Mozart’s opuses, where the theme is presented in turn by piano, violin, followed by the conversation of the two. The composer immediately includes all members of the quartet in the presentation of the leading material, which specifies this genre, revealing its “intermediateness” between the intimacy of the trio and the “representativeness” of the concerto. Since the genetic origins of the genre of the piano quartet are the trio sonata, the string quartet and the clavier concerto with the accompaniment of a string ensemble, these genres influenced the type of Beethoven’s piano quartets. Thus, Beethoven’s Bonn quartets resemble in their writing a string quartet; and the piano quartet Es-dur op. 16 resembles a clavier concerto with orchestra. These compositions are related to the first of the above mentioned prototypes by the consistent application of the trio principle, which is expressed in various combinations of ensemble voices. In the timbre refraction, the trio-principle underlies the pairing of stringed instruments, where the bowed instruments form a strictly homophonic vertical with the traditional functional relationship according to the “upper voice ‒ bass ‒ middle” model. Another dimension of the trio principle arises when one of the string parts of the piano is displaced, as a result of which a multi-timbre sound field is formed. There is an obvious desire of the composer for the equality of four voices in the piano quartet. At the same time, the timbre uniqueness of the piano and the virtuosity of its part make it possible to recognize in it the leader of the ensemble union. Conclusion. The leading role of the piano in L. Beethoven’s piano quartets brings this genre closer to a piano concerto. At the same time, the piano has a variety of role functions: it can act as an equal partner, being one of the voices of the quartet score; as a concert instrument demonstrating its virtuoso capabilities; as a leader of an ensemble, a kind of conductor, giving impetus to performance, initiative in ensemble play. Similar functions can be observed in W. A. Mozart’s sonatas for violin and piano, which L. Beethoven was guided by.

Background. Nowadays, the typology of the piano quartet is actively studied by the modern scientists. The genesis of this genre is becoming more contentious. As pointed out by L. Tsaregorodtseva (2005), and earlier I. Byaly (1989), a connection of concerts for clavier solo accompanied by a string ensembles and a string quartet form a foundation for a genre of the piano quartet. N. Samoilova (2011) sees the origin of this genre in ensembles with clavier, L. Tsaregorodtseva (2005) ‒ in the historical and cultural situation of the last third of the 18th century, including the genre (string quartet and piano concerto), structural and compositional (sonata form), organological (instrument condition), performing (pianism development). I. Byaly (1989) and I. Polskaya (2001) consider the trio principle as the basis of ensemble genres, including the piano quartet. A conjunction of these opinions let us perceive the piano quartet as the result of the synthesis of various compositional and genre principles of ensembles, which formed the basis of the classical structure of the genre. Its creators are believed to be W. A. Mozart, the author of two piano quartets: No. 1 g-moll KV478 and No. 2 Es-dur KV493 (1785; 1786), and L. Beethoven, who composed four piano quartets: WoO 36 № 1 Es-dur, № 2 D-dur, № 3 C-dur (1785) and op. 16 Es-dur (1801). In these compositions of the classical era the defining attributes of the genre were multitimbrality, which manifests in keyboard and string instruments; ensemble players equality; signs of various types of utterance, including those inherent in a string quartet and clavier concerto involving a group of strings; sonatas and symphonies; as well as the type of composition, built on the model of “fast-slow-fast” with the obligatory sonata Allegro in the first position. In the romantic era, the boundaries of the genre expand in terms of content, structure, interpretation of the ensemble. The first attempt to increase the scale of the cycle belongs to C. M. Weber, who brought it closer to the composition of the string quartet through the introduction of Menuetto. However, the final fourpart cycle is set by F. Mendelssohn, who replaced Menuetto with Scherzo, which becomes the normative model for the romantic tradition of the genre. Objectives. The purpose of this article is to determine the role of F. Mendelssohn’s piano quartets in the evolution of the genre in general, and in the romantic era in particular. Results. Three piano quartets by F. Mendelssohn present a picture of his youthful attitude. The musician’s early composing ability allowed him to turn to the creation of works of this genre without fear. This genre usually attracts the attention of artists in their mature period of creativity, having mastered various genres, including chamber-instrumental ensembles (W. A. Mozart, R. Schumann, J. Brahms). It is easy to observe the commonalities of F. Mendelssohn and young Beethoven, who also composed the piano quartets in the early days of his oeuvre. F. Mendelssohn has composed three piano quartets: No. 1 c-moll (1882), dedicated to Prince Antoine Radziwill, No. 2 f-moll (December 1823), dedicated to Karl Zelter, and No. 3 h-moll (January 1823) – to Goethe. The skill of using large structures, the depth of musical thought, and even the sings of his future style are starting to find expression in Mendelssohn’s youth compositions. The four-part structure of the composition cycles reveals the young composer’s interest in the works of L. Beethoven, in particular in his piano sonatas. Distinctly clear analogies are also found in «Aurora» op. 53 and «Appassionata» op. 57. R. Larry Todd (2003) also points to the similarity of the original themes of the Piano quartet No. 1 c-moll by F. Mendelssohn and the piano sonata in the same key KV457 by W. A. Mozart. It defined by the initial course of the sounds of the basic triad, as well as the use of symmetrical question-answer constructions, contrasting in mood. The connections between these two compositions are even more evident in the finale, which begins with a theme directly borrowed from the last part of W. A. Mozart’s sonata (as identified by the author of this article). In Quartet No. 2 f-moll, connections with the music of L. Beethoven are not limited to allusions to the famous piano sonatas of the Viennese classic. The first part of F. Mendelssohn’s cycle contains several definite signs of Beethoven’s influences: the development of the code is significantly expanded in the sonata form, and in a monumental reprise the young author defines the extreme dynamic level fff. In Adagio (Des-dur) there is a wide enharmonic palette, including several sharp keys. The next part, labeled as Intermezzo, provides a transition to the «explosive» finale, which opens with a «rocket-like» theme, driven by an ascending line of chromatic bass. Piano Quartet No. 3 h-moll is the work that determined the choice of F. Mendelssohn’s professional composer career, which was highly appreciated by L. Kerubini. Mastery of the musical form is manifested in a significant expansion of the scope of the cycle and each of its parts. Adhering to the strategy of virtuoso interpretation of the piano part, which was chosen in the first two opuses, the author, at the same time, subordinates the tasks of demonstrating the pianist’s instrumental possibilities to the purpose of disclosure the dramatic idea of the work. At the same time, he does not brake the principle of equality of ensemble members, borrowed from his predecessors in any of his piano quartets. Conclusions. The analysis revealed the following indicators of the romanticization of the piano quartet genre in the work of F. Mendelssohn. These are: the scale of the content and composition of the cycle; the large coda sections in the first and final parts; the poetic completion of the lyrical second parts, as it is in “songs without words”; brilliance of the final parts; dominance of minor keys; equality of ensemble members with the “directorial” function of the piano and others. The high artistic qualities of F. Mendelssohn’s piano quartets attract the attention of many performers, among which the Foret Quartet demonstrates the most adequate interpretation of these works.

The history of the genre of the sonata written for violoncello and pianoforte begins in 1796 with the five sonatas by Beethoven opp. 5, 69 and 102. The sonata op. 69 is a model for its special role until the 20th century: the lyrical character of the opening theme with a fantasy-like closing solo-cadenza and a fermata. Since the 1st Sonata of Brahms (1865), it was mostly young composers like Strauss (op. 6), Pfitzner (op. 1), Reger (op. 5) and Dohnányi (op. 8) who followed this tradition. As also the Sonata op. 4 by the young composer Kodály (1909) whose opening Adagio as “Fantasia” has the same conceptions: rhapsodic melody with closing cadenza and a fermata. The final return of the Adagio establishes a cyclic unity. The first performance of the sonata in 1910 with string quartets by Kodály and Bartók founded the beginning of modern music in Hungary. Also the Sonatina, originally the 3rd part of Sonata, published in 1922, has a Lento-introduction with rhapsodic-like parts wich begins a process-like evolution of composition. A relationship with the special features of the Sonata for Cello and Piano in the history of the genre includes also works by Debussy (1915) and Hindemith (1919).

This article analyzes the historical and cultural background of F. Schubert’s achievements in the field of chamber vocal music, in particular, in correlation with the vocal and piano parts. We are talking about the fact that the basis of Schubert’s Lied are the traditions of German and Austrian folk songs, the work of minnesingers, meistersingers, predecessor composers. Reliance on folklore determines the intonation, the rhythmic and structural patterns of Schubert’s songs. The influence of the masters of minnesang and meistersang is felt in the harmony and composition logic of the Austrian genius. The legacy of Mozart and Beethoven is especially close to the romantic achievements of Schubert. In the chamber-vocal music of these Viennese classics are used different types of correlation between the vocal and instrumental music scores: accompaniment prevails according to the principles of the general bass, but there are already some examples of relative independence of the music score ensemble. There appear instrumental introductions, conclusions, interludes. The texture of the piano part is diversified according to the types of presentation, and contains an imitation of the sounds of nature.

Background. A play principle is one of the essential properties of the artistic worldview and creative thinking of C. M. Weber. Declaring itself in works of different genres, it takes on many different shades, speaking in the form of comic, ironic, characteristic and carnival. In the instrumental opuses by the composer, the play aspect appears in complex of texture, articulation, intonation and thematic, dynamic and formative techniques that lead to immediate visual and theatrical associations. Expression of play principles in this genre sphere can be considered, on the one hand, as various types of ensemble dialogue, and on the other hand, as virtuosity, producing aesthetic pleasure and sincere joy. The Piano Quartet by the composer, a typical example of the instrumental and play beginnings in the work by C. M. Weber, is a part of repertoires of many ensembles, but it has not yet become an object of serious scientific interest. The question of the historical and stylistic affiliation of C. M. Weber is debatable, as evidenced by significant differences in the views of scientists on this issue. Some of them, as La Mara (1886), R. Teryokhin (1983), R. Mizitova (1999), see him as the custodian of the Viennese classical tradition, focusing on “mozartianism” of C. M. Weber, others, as J. Warrack (1976) and B. Smallman (1994), considered him as one of the pioneers of romanticism. The former notes the improvisational nature of the emergence of the quartet cycle, the latter ‒ the elegance of writing and the unusual form of the last part, which served as a model for creating the finale of instrumental opuses for subsequent romantic composers. The pianistic texture by C. M. Weber as reflection of the virtuosoromantic direction is described in the works of N. Kashkadamova (2006) and O. Skorbyaschenskaya (1993). The aforementioned works also note the unusual form-making of the composer and the fantasy nature of his Minuets-Scherzo, that anticipate the experiments of F. Mendelssohn and other romantic composers. I. Karachevtseva (2015: 24) takes a special position toward the work by C. M. Weber acknowledging it as “the quintessence of a new artistic and stylistic quality that defines the boundary between two historical eras”. Objectives. The purpose of this article is to identify the genre, dramatic and the shaping characteristics of the Piano Quartet by C. M. Weber as a manifestation of play logic. Results. The play principle is manifested at all levels of the text of Weber’s work: genre, compositional, dramatic, thematic. C. M. Weber does not resort to the typical of classical piano ensembles three-part cycle, but to the four-part, placing Minuet between Adagio and the Finale. In our opinion, the inclusion of the Minuet in the sonata cycle is due to the theatrical and playful mindset of C. M. Weber. This assumption is corroborated by the nature of the dramatic logic of the Piano Quartet cycle, where in each part the listener (including the performer) something unusual, captivating and witty lies in wait. Playful interest in the movement’s intrigue extends even to Adagio, which by its nature is less likely to surprise. The entire first section of this part is built of short statements, changes in the types of movement, rhythmic pulsation, contradicting dynamic shades, and ultimately figurative details, as a result of which instead of a holistic meditative theme, a dynamic, instrumental “mise-en-scene” arises. Equally fractional is the main part of the sonata Allegro, where the delicate phrase of the solo piano is suddenly interrupted by the irritated intonation of the sf and ff trills, and the exhorting statement of the string trio makes the piano to have second thoughts. We observe the play logic of the event canvas as the piano and string trio are endowed with their own thematicism, “personified”. The Minuet is unexpected in a minor modus (g-moll) in the context of a major composition (B-dur), the rapid change of textural-thematic units, and the simplicity of the trio theme ‒ in the spirit of rural German dances, contrasting the blasting extreme parts. The final rondo (Presto) plunges into a whirlpool of refrains and episodes, creating the impression of carnival fuss and kindling the listener’s “interest in continuation”, and the multipart composition turns into a comparison of musical “scenes”, anticipating the principles of constructing miniature cycles of R. Schumann. Conclusions. The thematic plethora of the Piano Quartet by C. M. Weber, a totally dynamic character, the violation of the classical linearity and predictability of the plot provide the author with a gargantuan opportunity of ensemble dispositions. The composer follows to the parity of communicants achieved by W. A. Mozart in his piano quartets, grouping them into various combinations. Among them, there are a dialogue of the piano and string trio, a melodic communication of the strings against the background of the figured movement of the piano, the solo of the string instrument against the background of keyboard chords, as well as the pianos’ solo in the context of dialogue at the composition level. Thus, assigning primary importance to the play principle, C. M. Weber signifies a universal factor in creating stylistic harmony, which covers figurativelythematic, compositional, ensemble spheres. In structuring of the cycle and its individual parts, in the course of the music-event process, in the art of ensemble writing, the composer showed his mastery creating the “second reality” that merges with play in its intrinsic value.

Background. The muscles related to piano practice are mainly concentrated in the fingers and upper limbs, and the muscles related to other parts of the body are weak. Compared with other sports injuries, the injuries caused by piano practice are mainly chronic injuries caused by long-term strain of the upper limbs, and acute injuries rarely occur. The purpose of this study was to analyze the therapeutic effect of hand muscle injury caused by piano practice. Method. A total of 60 patients with hand muscle injury caused by piano practice admitted to our hospital from January 2019 to June 2020 were selected. According to the number random grouping method, they were randomly divided into two groups. There were 30 patients in the observation group, including 20 males and 10 females, aged 24-53 ( 39.51 ± 7.01 ) years old, and the course of disease was 1-5 ( 3.24 ± 1.62 ) months. In the control group, there were 30 patients, including 18 males and 12 females, aged 24-56 ( 39.62 ± 7.17 ) years old, and the course of disease was 1.5-5 ( 3.14 ± 1.71 ) months. If the observation group experienced excessive pain, the group took ibuprofen sustained-release capsules. On weekdays, exercise your fingers 2-3 times per day. After the intervention, the wrist joint function score of the observation group was higher than that before the intervention. Results. Before treatment, there was no significant difference in pain level scores between the two groups ( P > 0.05 ). After treatment, the limb pain score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group. The effective rate of hand tendon rehabilitation in the observation group was 93.33%. The effective rate of hand tendon rehabilitation in the control group was 70.00%. The comparison results showed that there was statistical significance ( P < 0.05 ). The score of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group, with statistically significant differences ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Piano workouts can cause hand muscle difficulties, which can be alleviated by daily finger gymnastics. Daily finger exercises are simple and not limited by time and place. Piano practitioners can use the spare time of daily training and performance to exercise for a long time, so as to prevent or recover finger muscle damage caused by piano practice. It has the potential to help pianists avoid hand muscle injuries when practicing while also allowing music to reach its full potential.

Background. The name of Amanda Maier (married – R&#246;ntgen-Maier), the Swedish violinist, composer, pianist, organist, representative of the Leipzig school of composition, contemporary and good friend of С. Schumann, J. Brahms, E. Grieg, is virtually unknown in the post-Soviet space and little mentioned in the works of musicologists from other countries. The composer’s creativity has long been almost completely forgotten, possibly due to both her untimely death (at the age of 41) and thanks to lack of the research interest in the work of women composers over the past century. The latter, at least in domestic musicology, has significantly intensified in recent decades, which is due in part to the advancement in the second half of the XX and early XXI centuries of a constellation of the talanted women-composers in Ukraine – L. Dychko, H. Havrylets, A. Zagaikevych, I. Aleksiichuk, formerly – G. Ustvolska, S. Gubaydulina in Russia, etc. Today, it is obvious that the development of the world art is associated not only with the activities of male artists, but also with the creative achievements of women: writers, artists, musicians. During her life, A. Maier was the well-known artist in Europe and in the world and the same participant in the musical-historical process as more famous today the musicians of the Romantic era. Objectives and methodology. The proposed study should complement the idea of the work of women-composers of the 19th century and fill in one of the gap on the music map of Europe at that time. The purpose of this article is to characterize the genre-stylistic and compositional-dramaturgical features of selected chamber music works by A. R&#246;ntgen-Maier. In this research are used historical-stylistic, structural and functional, analytical, comparative, genre methods. Research results. Carolina Amanda Erika Maier-R&#246;ntgen was born in Landskrona, Sweden, where she received her first music lessons from her father. Then she studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, where she mastered playing on the several instruments at once – violin, cello, piano, organ, as well as studied the music theory. She became the first woman received the title of “Musik Direktor” after successfully graduating from college. She continued her studies at the Leipzig Conservatory – in the composition under Carl Reineke and Ernst Friedrich Richter direction, in the violin – with Engelbert R&#246;ntgen (concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the father of her future husband J. R&#246;ntgen). She toured Europe a lot, firstly as a violinist, performing her own works and her husband’s works, alongside with world classics. After the birth of her two sons, she withdrew from active concert activities due to the deterioration of her health, but often participated in music salons, which she and her husband organized at home, and whose guests were J. Brahms, C. Schumann, E. Grieg with his wife, and A. Rubinstein. It is known that Amanda Maier performed violin sonatas by J. Brahms together with Clara Schumann. The main part of the composer’s creative work consists of chamber and instrumental works. She wrote the Sonata in B minor (1878); Six Pieces for violin and piano (1879); “Dialogues” – 10 small pieces for piano, some of which were created by Julius R&#246;ntgen (1883); Swedish songs and dances for violin and piano; Quartet for piano, violin, viola and cello E minor (1891), Romance for violin and piano; Trio for violin, cello and piano (1874); Concert for violin and orchestra (1875); Quartet for piano, violin, viola and clarinet E minor; “Nordiska Tonbilder” for violin and piano (1876); Intermezzo for piano; Two string quartets; March for piano, violin, viola and cello; Romances on the texts of David Wiersen; Trio for piano and two violins; 25 Preludes for piano. Sizable part of the works from this list is still unpublished. Some manuscripts are stored in the archives of the Stockholm State Library, scanned copies of some manuscripts and printed publications are freely available on the Petrucci music library website, but the location of the other musical scores by A. Maier is currently unknown to the author of this material; this is the question that requires a separate study. Due to the limited volume of the article, we will focus in detail on two opuses, which were published during the life of the composer, and which today have gained some popularity among performers around the world. These are the Sonata in B minor for Violin and Piano and the Six Pieces for Violin and Piano. Sonata in B minor is a classical three-part cycle. The first movement – lyricaldramatic sonata allegro (B minor), the second – Andantino – Allegretto, un poco vivace – Tempo I (G major) – combines lyrical and playful semantic functions, the third – Allegro molto vivace (B minor) is an active finale with a classical rondosonata structure. The Six Pieces for Violin and Piano rightly cannot be called the cycle, in the Schumann sense of this word, because there is no common literary program for all plays, intonation-thematic connections between this musical numbers, end-to-end thematic development that would permeate the entire opus. But this opus has the certain signs of cyclization and the common features to all plays, contributing to its unification: tonal plan, construction of the whole on the principle of contrast, genre, song and dance intonation, the leading role of the violin in the presentation of thematic material. Conclusions and research perspectives. Amanda Maier’s chamber work freely synthesizes the classical (Beethoven) and the romantic (Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann) traditions, which the composer, undoubtedly, learned through the Leipzig school. From there come the classical harmony, the orderliness of her thinking, clarity, conciseness, harmony of form, skill in ensemble writing, polyphonic ingenuity. There are also parallels with the music of J. Brahms. With the latter, A. Maier’s creativity correlates trough the ability to embody freely and effortlessly the subtle lyrical psychological content, being within the traditional forms, to feel natural within the tradition, without denying it and without trying to break it. The melodic outlines and rhythmic structures of some themes and certain techniques of textured presentation in the piano part also refer us to the works of the German composer. However, this is hardly a conscious reliance on the achievements of J. Brahms, because the creative process of the two musicians took place in parallel, and A. Maier’s Violin Sonata appeared even a little earlier than similar works by J. Brahms in this genre. Prospects for further research in this direction relate to the search for new information about A. Maier’s life and creativity and the detailed examination of her other works.

Through his compositional contributions, Ferdo Wiesner Livadić enriched the Croatian (sacral) musical creativity of the age of Romanticism, realizing – alongside thirty church/sacral »small form« pieces – also one mass in Latin (Missa in C), and one in Croatian, with the title (Missa croatica pastoralis) as well as the titles of its parts/movements in Latin. By observing the autographical scores of the two Livadić’s masses, certain reflections regarding their similarities and differences had resulted; first of all, in terms of textual and language base, composition structure, performers’ ensamble, composing procedures and use of musical expression elements, their purpose, and finally, their artistic range and significance. Created at the time of predominance of small, chamber music forms, especially solo songs, piano miniatures and reveilles, Livadić’s masses, among a multitude of works of the composers of the time, and especially within the Croatian church musical heritage, mean the continuity of a multi-Century tradition of that music genre. While Missa croatica pastoralis is related to the pastoral (folk) one voice masses with the organ accompaniment (with inserted text/extensions of the Kajkavian dialect), the concerto vocal-orchestral Missa in C, with its musical features and its base on the international music vocabulary, manifests a compound of Classicist simplicity and early Romantic lyricism, representing the essence of Livadić’s creativity in the area of sacral music.

The article examines the phenomenon of emotions as one of the leading patterns of creation of the vocal score of the singer-actor, the communicative intermediary between the composer, the librettist, the singer-actor and the listener-viewer. Opera as a synthetic art unites together music, poetry, production, scenography, the art of face-paint and costumes. By means of melody, its rhythmical and intonational texture builds up and ciphers those emotions which the singer must arouse from the listener-viewer. Frequently composers in the piano-vocal scores of their operas have provided descriptions of the stage settings, as well as nuances of stage motion and plastic, in order to bring out emotional colors to a greater degree by means of pantomime. In such situations it is important to research the means of operatic expression not merely from the point of view of musicology or theater studies. The phenomenon of opera requires study in a direct connection with psychology, physiology and sociology of culture. The authors of the article update the concept of the emotional score of the vocal parts of the operatic composition presenting a completed form from the positions of psycho-physiology of emotions and emphasizing the importance of its examination. The vocal part of Herman from Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades is chosen as the object of studies.

A simple reason to make Dimitar Nenov’s Four sketches for a symphonic orchestra part of the curriculum is their high artistic value. Even though they are a comparatively early opus, the Sketches were written with respectful professionalism and impress listeners with the impact they make. Another significant consideration that makes working on Four sketches for a symphonic orchestra scores in the orchestra-conducting classes especially valuable and useful, is the opportunity for the trainees to get to know the work better and acquire important conducting skills. The process of analyzing and perceiving a work of music from the viewpoint of its interpretation, in this case – from the point of view of preparing oneself for interpreting it in academic work with the help of a pedagogue and an accompanist, is radically different comparing it to the process of listening to it recorded or in a live performance. A conductor’s approach to this process enables him to delve into making the work from the point of view of the following: - deep consideration of the structure of the cycle; - understanding the inner links between separate parts; - building a unique set of the images in a single sketch. At the same time, the manual work on the composition helps one to develop important conducting skills like a - sense for processional dynamics; - good initial selection of tempos; - clear conveying of even the minutest changes of tempo; - simultaneous manual presentation of contrastive dynamics in various orchestral layers; - clearly differentiated strokes; - sense for artistic measure in order to portion various musical tools of expression in compliance with the inner logics of using them. Solving the overall performer’s and particular manual issues with the help of the teacher contributes for the comprehensive professional development of the students.

In the monograph Mosaic of Memories, Snežana Nikolajević presented the life and work of Zoran Hristić, a composer, radio and TV editor, music writer, a man who loved art, family, people, socializing. His work and life were inspiring to look at from different aspects – both biographical and musicological. The author of the monograph and the composer had an extremely harmonious, friendly and collegial relationship that resulted in wonderful texts, compositions, dedications, interpretations, shows. Therefore, it is quite natural that Zoran Hristić wanted, and Snežana Nikolejvić realized in an original, but above all interesting, accessible and interesting way, a monograph that will be interesting to both music professionals, music students, as well as art lovers and Zoran’s admirers, of which there were many. Through chapters with the titles: piano, orders, highlights, stage, screen, radio, roots, attitude, coda, we follow the chronology of Hristic’s life and professional path, along with honest, warm statements of friends and associates. The following spoke about Zoran: pianist Vesna Kršić, theologian Dragan Vukić, violinist Jovan Kolundžija, choreographer Slavko Pervan, composer, arranger, instrumentalist Slobodan Marković, Marija Ćirić, music theorist, sound engineer Zoran Jerković, traditional flute player Bora Dugić and dentist Gordana Lazarević, Zoran’s life companion during the last years. In addition to the textual material, which in a natural flow leads from the description of life events, periodization and chronological events to musicological analyses, valuable material is represented by photographs from a private archive as well as parts of sheet music, Zoran’s texts, synopsis and manuscript scores. In the coda of the Mosaic of Memories, there is a clear conclusion that Zoran Hristić had a rich, meaningful and successful life, and endowed with talent and beauty, he was ready to enjoy it.

In order to explore and analyze the effect of music therapy interventions on college students with excessive anxiety, this paper selected 240 year 2017- to year 2020-enrolled undergraduates from a comprehensive university in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, in Central China as research objects. These college students had been diagnosed as excessive anxiety and were randomly divided into two groups—intervention group and control group—with 120 students in each group. The control group received conventional mental health treatment for college students, while the intervention group received music therapy interventions on this basis with 3 times a week for 24 times. The instruments used in the music therapy include piano, percussion instruments, melodic instruments, and diffuse instruments; the specific implementation of each therapy is divided into five parts: warm-up, rhythm percussion, song singing, instrumental ensemble, and music appreciation. The study results show that before treatment, the excessive anxiety score of college student in the control group was 63-76 with an average score of 72.58 ± 5.27 ; after treatment, that was 45-64 with an average score of 54.46 ± 6.82 ; before treatment, the excessive anxiety score of college student in the intervention group was 62-78 with an average score of 72.56 ± 5.51 ; after treatment, that was 26-44 with an average score of 33.19 ± 5.51 . Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the excessive anxiety scores between the two groups of college students ( P > 0.05 ); after treatment, the excessive anxiety scores of the two groups were lower than those before treatment, and the reduction degrees in the intervention group were bigger than those in the control group, with statistically significant difference ( P < 0.05 ). Therefore, music therapy interventions can significantly reduce the excessive anxiety of college students; the analysis also shows that factors such as gender, grade, major, origin, repertoire type, therapy type, and anxiety type could affect the effect of music therapy interventions to some certain extent. For example, the effect of music therapy interventions on college students in psychology or related majors is better than that of students in other majors; the effect of receptive music therapy is better than that of creative and improvised music therapy; the effect of music therapy interventions on college students’ life event, romantic relationship, and social anxiety is better than that on college students’ test and job-hunting anxiety.

Statement of the problem. Since the 18th century, oriental theme have been firmly established in French classical music . Camille Saint-Sa&#235;ns (1835–1921) did not miss it in his vocal cycle “Persian Melodies” for voice and piano op. 26 (1870), which he transformed later into a picturesque symphonic canvas “Nuit Persane” op. 26-bis (1891). The very fact of such a transformation cannot fail to arouse research interest, especially since the score became not just a vocal-orchestral version of “Persian Melodies”, but acquired features of spectacular theatricality. If the early period of the composer’s work was marked by such significant achievements as Piano Quintet (1855), Christmas Oratorio (1858), Piano Trio No. 1 (1863), Introduction and Rondo-capriccioso (1863), Piano Concerto No. 2 (1868), numerous m&#233;lodies and sacred motets, then with the outbreak of the FrancoPrussian War (1870–71), the composer’s productivity decreased. It is indicatively that in 1870, when he wrote only a few compositions, “M&#233;lodies Persanes” was among them. What significance, in the context of the composer’s creative evolution, was his appeal to the images of the East? How exactly does he reveal the oriental theme? Elucidation of this question, along with the study of the author’s style of C. Saint-Sa&#235;ns, became the purpose of our research. Objectives, methods, novelty of the research. The following tasks were implemented: the main facts from the history of creation, first performances, sheet music publications of “M&#233;lodies Persanes” and “Nuit Persane” were summarized; A. Renaud’s poems, which became the poetic basis of these works, were translated; the form, intonation structure and logic of harmonic development in each of the numbers of the Cantata were analyzed; the semantic constructions and the features of the musical dramaturgy of the work were characterized; and specific details of the orchestral writing were revealed. For analyzing the work, historical, genre and style, structural and functional, comparative, and systematic research methods were used. The vocal cycle “M&#233;lodies Persanes” (the “prototype” of the Cantata) has attracted some research attention (Noske,1954; Ladjili, 1995; Johnson, 1997; Zeng Tao, 2016; Bertaux, 2021). There are significantly fewer studies of the cantata “Nuit Persane” op. 26-bis. One of the first reviews belonging &#201;. Baumann (1905) emphasizes the difference between the Persian and the African Orient. Some research aspects are covered in the text materials dedicated to the 2007 CD edition of the Cantata. Y. G&#233;rard (2008) provides valuable facts from the history of the work, while W. Yeoman (2008) focuses more on its musical construction. H. Macdonald draws the parallels with “The Damnation of Faust” by H. Berlioz and come to conclusion that a number of C. Saint-Sa&#235;ns’ works “evoke the Muslim world, but none with more potency than Nui Persane”(Macdonald, n.d.). The mentioned materials leave considerable space for further, more in-depth research into the score by C. Saint-Sa&#235;ns, including the reproducing the oriental flavor in it, which determines the novelty of our study. Research results. The first decades of C. Saint-Sa&#235;ns’ composer work (1850s–1860s) marked by the creation of the outstanding chamber-vocal compositions, such as “Rising of the moon”, “Waiting”, “The Bell”, “The death of Ophelia”, “Moonlight”, “Sadness”, “The song of those who set sail upon the sea”. The song cycle “M&#233;lodies Persanes” (1870) became a worthy continuation of previous successes. C. Saint-Sa&#235;ns turned to the collection of poems “Les Nuits Persanes” (1870), created by his friend A. Renaud (1836–1895). Each of the six m&#233;lodies (“The Breeze”, “Empty Splendor”, “The Lonely Woman”, “Sword in Hand”, “In the Graveyard”, “Spinning”) is dedicated to a particular person – P. Viardot, M. Tr&#233;lat, A. Holm&#232;s, H. Regnault, E. Jadin, L. Pagans. In the spring of 1891, C. Saint-Sa&#235;ns decided to rework the song cycle. At the request of the composer, A. Renaud wrote a scenario for new version. The score was created in Algeria from November 21 to December 16, 1891. In addition to two soloists (contralto, tenor) and a symphony orchestra, a choir and a narrator were included into the score. The new work was called “Nuit Persane” ор. 26-bis and actually became a cantata, despite the absence of a genre designation on the title page of the score. From the very beginning, the features of the plot were laid in the “prototype” – the song cycle op. 26. In our opinion, it was the reason for the processing into a cantata, and not into a orchestral setting, like “Summer Nights” (1841) by H. Berlioz, or “Songs of a Wayfarer” (1884–85) by G. Mahler. Soon after the Cantata was written, some its fragments were performed at the concert on February 14, 1892 (Th&#233;&#226;tre du Ch&#226;telet, Paris) conducted by &#201;douard Colonne. The performing was so good that the work was repeated the following week. The orchestral and piano scores were printed in 1893–1894; these editions were decorated with exquisite illustrations by G. Clairin, C. Saint-Sa&#235;ns’s friend. The cantata was fully performed on January 3, 1897 by the Soci&#233;t&#233; des Concerts du Conservatoire. The critics and the audience took it very favorably. The cantata includes five of the six romances of “M&#233;lodies Persanes” (without “Empty Splendor”, but with partial use of this musical material), and two new movements (“Flight” and “Swans”). Therefore, a total of seven movements were formed into four parts. Each part is preceded by the orchestral prelude with the narrator telling about the upcoming events. Conclusion. The cantata “Nuit Persane” combines emotional spirituality with the compositional skill, which made it possible to achieve significant expressiveness with a fairly economical use of musical means. The leading constants of C. Saint-Sa&#235;ns’ style are clearly revealed in the sophistication of the writing, variety and detail of the design of this score. Regarding the specific melodic-harmonic, modal, rhythmic elements, the analysis of the work revealed a fairly dosed use of them, that testifies a moderate tribute to orientalism. As a result, there was a musical narrative about the events in the East, but still on behalf of the European C. Saint-Sa&#235;ns.

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.

Abstract Confidence measures of branch reliability play an important role in phylogenetics as these measures allow to identify trees or parts of a tree that are well supported by the data and thus adequate to serve as basis for evolutionary inference of biological systems. Unreliable branch relationships in phylogenetic analyses are of concern because of their potential to represent incorrect relationships of interest among more reliable branch relationships. The site-concordance factor implemented in the IQ-TREE package is a recently introduced heuristic solution to the problem of identifying unreliable branch relationships on the basis of quartets. We test the performance of the site-concordance measure with simple examples based on simulated data and designed to study its behaviour in branch support estimates related to different degrees of branch length heterogeneities among a ten sequence tree. Our results show that in particular in cases of relationships with heterogeneous branch lengths site-concordance measures may be misleading. We therefore argue that the maximum parsimony optimality criterion currently used by the site-concordance measure may sometimes be poorly suited to evaluate branch support and that the scores reported by the site-concordance factor should not be considered as reliable.

Bones are one of the oldest materials used to create musical instruments. Currently, the world’s oldest known instruments are flutes made out of bones (Turk, Turk, and Otte 11). In fact, bones have been used to create or enhance musical instruments in a variety of settings throughout history and in modern day instrument making. Bone bull roarers, jaw bone percussion, clappers, trumpets, drum shells, lyres, or construction parts, such as frets, plectrums, pipes and pipe fittings, embouchure adjustments, or percussive strikes are just a few of the more common uses of bones in musical instrument construction. One man even made a guitar out of the skeleton of his dead uncle to memorialise the person who influenced his musical tastes and career (Bienstock). Bones can therefore be taken as a somewhat common material for making musical instruments. All of these instruments share a common trait, and not just the obvious one that they are all made out of or incorporate bones. None of these instruments are intended to represent something monstrous. Instead, they represent the ephemeral nature of humanity (Cupchik 33), a celebration of lineage or religious beliefs (Davis), or simply are the materials available or suitable to create a sound-making device (Regan). It is not possible to know the full intentions of a maker, in many cases, but a link to monstrosity and a representation of the ‘horrific’ or ‘freakish’ seems missing for the most. There are instruments, however, that do house this sentiment and some that utilise bones in the construction with the purpose of making this connection between the remains and something beast-like. In this article, I argue that the Bone Guitar Thing (BGT) built and played by raxil4 is one of those instruments. Introducing the 'Thing' Raxil4 is the stage name of sonic artist Andrew Page. He has been playing his Bone Guitar Thing for almost twenty years in a variety of settings (Page, email interview, 25 June 2021). The instrument has undergone slight changes during that time, but primarily it has retained its specific visual, timbral, and underlying associative features. The BGT is complex, more so than it may seem at first. By investigating the materials used, the performance techniques employed, and raxil4’s intentions as a musician, instrument maker, and community member within his circles of activity, the monstrous nature of the BGT comes to light. The resultant series of entanglements exhibits and supports a definition of what is a 'monster' that, like several definitions in monster theory discourse (Levina and Bui 6; Cohen 7; Mittman 51), includes challenging that which may be seen as ‘normal’ and thereby may nurture levels of unease or fear. However, in the case of the BGT, that which is monstrous is simultaneously being taken as something positive alongside its beast-like characteristics, and rather than evolving into something that needs to be repressed or eliminated, the ’monster’ here becomes a hero or champion, colleague, or even a friend. The Bone Guitar Thing is not really a guitar. It is a zither with a piece of driftwood for a base, (currently) five strings, and an electric pick-up (see Fig. 1). The bridge for the instrument is two bones, and the pitch and timbre of the strings is sometimes changed with bones used for Cage-like preparation (Cage 7-8; Bunger). Bones are also used to play the instrument, sometimes like a plectrum, others like a hammered dulcimer, or occasionally, simply pounding the string or the soundboard with great force to make a combination of percussive and string sounds. Glissandos are created by using the plectrum bones as a slide, and Page also uses jaw bones to introduce ratchet sounds, string scraping, and precise pitch bending (with the sharper edged part of the bones) (raxil4, “Livestream”). The instrument is electric, so the bones are enhanced with guitar pedals (typically reverb, distortion, and octave-splitter; Page, email interview, 25 June 2021), but the tonal qualities retain a semblance of the bone usage. Fig. 1: raxil4's Bone Guitar Thing. Photograph: Andrew Page. Page often uses the BGT as part of his sonic arsenal to perform dark ambient music, noisescapes, improv music, or live film soundtracks both in live concerts and recording situations. He plays solo as much as with ensembles, and more often improvises his music or parts, but occasionally works with predetermined organisation or scores of some description (although he admits to typically abandoning predetermined passages or scores during live performances; Page, email interview, 14 July 2021). Currently in London, raxil4 presents concerts in a variety of settings, typically well-suited for his brand of sonic art, such as Ryan Jordan’s long-running concert series Noise=Noise (raxil4 feat. King Sara), experimental music shows at the Barbican (raxil4 + King Sara + P23), and dark ambient showcases promoted and arranged by one of his record labels, Sombre Soniks (Wright). Sounds beyond Words: Monstrous Music One series of performances in which raxil4 used the BGT took the form of an immersive theatre show produced by Dread Falls Theatre called Father Dagon, based on the works of horror author H. P. Lovecraft. The performance incorporated a breaking of the ’fourth wall’ in which the audience wanders freely through the performance space, with actor- and sometimes audience-interactive musical performances of partially improvised, partially composed passages by musicians located throughout the set. Director and writer Victoria Snaith considered the use of live, semi-mobile, experimental music dispersed through the audience (mixed with an overall backing soundtrack) as heightening the intensity of the experience by introducing unfamiliar aspects to the setting. She discusses having made this decision based on Lovecraft’s own approach to story-telling that highlights a sense of unfamiliarity and therefore sense of “fear of the unknown”. The usefulness of creating unfamiliarity in this context can serve to support the parts of the narrative that contains supernatural and monstrous aspects. Given that the elements of the supernatural and horrible monsters in Lovecraftian tales are primarily indescribable (both because Lovecraft would recount beasts and fantastic magical happenings in his works as being such, and because in a practical theatrical situation, these things would be impossible to describe, especially without text or specific props or costumes, which the show purposefully uses sparingly, also as a conscious choice to embrace the unknown). Sounds created on instruments that are unique, or generated through unusual performance techniques would lend themselves to being more difficult to describe, and therefore fitting to support a desire to present something regarded as also difficult to describe, that being supernatural happenings or horrific creatures. (Connor 77) Page’s use of the BGT in these performances added directly to this notion both sonically and visually. The homemade nature of his instrument increased the potential that audience members would be less familiar with the source of his sounds, even if they were watching him perform, and the resultant soundscape he provided introduced harsh timbres, undulating pads, and aggressive punctuation of movement. Page sees the BGT as an instrument “reclaimed from the watery depths” (matching the theme of the show’s narrative), therefore as one fitting into the Lovecraft show “quite nicely” (Page, email interview, 25 June 2021). He likens the sounds created by the BGT as presenting “otherworldly melodies” akin to those played by Erich Zann (a character in another Lovecraft story who conjures a gateway to an alternate dimension full of indescribable creatures and nightmares via performing unusual music on his viola de gamba), which Page also sees as fitting (ibid.). His instrument in this setting as a producer and provider of unfamiliarity is supportive of constructing and maintaining a definition of “monstrous” or “terrifying” (Levina and Bui 6). Fig. 2: raxil4 performing in Dread Falls Theatre's Father Dagon, London 2012. Photograph: Pierre Ketteridge. Finding Community in the 'Freakish' Raxil4 also notes that the Bone Guitar Thing is appropriate for creative input within improv music circles (Page, email interview, 25 June 2021). Generally speaking, contemporary improv music (meaning the broad genre) is improvised performance focussing on sonic exploration over melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic content (even though all will be present in most cases; Toop 132-137). In my experience working with improv musicians since 1981, I find that these performers typically attempt to create sounds that are unusual or unexpected. Players often embrace extended techniques, repurposing non-musical items to be sound-making devices, and employ self-built instruments. Improv musicians seek to break free from the constraints of what may be seen as Western standard musical practices (ibid.), but they simultaneously strive to uphold some parallel aspects of artisanship and virtuosity, perhaps as a means to validate their departure from Classical/mainstream music norms. The instruments and approaches can be seen as factors that separate the experimental artists from the conservatory-based performers, yet still affords them the clout of being hard-working, innovative, expressive, and professional. As the name implies, improv music emphasises improvisation. André Hodier (23-36) in his classic book The Worlds of Jazz likens improvising jazz musicians to an alien race who battle each other on a daily basis (via jazz battles) in order to see who resides at the top of the improvisation chain. Improv musicians (some of whom come from a jazz background) tend to engage in this sort of hierarchical status ranking system using a much more ’polite’ and co-supportive mentality (at least in the scenes in which I have been privileged to participate). Improv musicians can occasionally embrace a friendly attitude that one should surpass the experimental nature of other performers, and may do so by presenting a new sound, technique, or instrument. The BGT can serve this function. It can stand out among other improv musicians’ gear, even if a majority of the instruments are self-built, through its use of bones and its intentional evocation of something horrific. Improvised music is sometimes looked down upon by musical communities who value conservatory training, popular music, or more traditional Western classical approaches to music. Referring to avant-garde jazz in the 60s and 70s, Valerie Wilmer (6) recounts that critics and Classical music enthusiasts perceived experimental and improv music as “‘freakish’ and only worthy of passing interest”. The dynamic is different today, but the overall attitude remains, at least in part. The improv music scene is creatively valid, but in comparison to conservative or more mainstream music, incorporates more experimental practices, therefore sometimes musical form, interactions, and preparation is less obvious to audience members outside the experimental music circles. The Bone Guitar Thing also plays into this construction. It is artistically valid, yet perhaps simultaneously challenging to the less-experienced listener. The BGT in this setting is multifunctional. Page (email interview, 25 June 2021) sees the BGT as a means to cut through or rise above other improv musicians, partly by being more recognisable as a “freakish” instrument at performances where the music is already considered freakish by some outsiders. Additionally, the fact that Page has taken the time to make this instrument, and uses notably practiced techniques to create the sounds he introduces, may position him as an innovative professional, rather than a non-trained imposter. The BGT can (at least for raxil4, but for others as well) become a monster among monsters that allows Page to validate his brand of creativity (Ibid). Musical ’freakishness’ appears in other settings as well. An example of this is a performance in which raxil4 took part where an ensemble provided experimental music for a live tattooing event (raxil4, “Listening”). Here, the congruency with being monstrous or freakish is perhaps more overt. Similar to the soundscape being performed, Fenske (6) points out that tattoos may still be seen as unfit or unexpected for certain classes, genders, or education levels, and may even still be associated with illustrated circus performers of the past. Furthermore, Kinzey (32) suggests that avant-garde and counter-culture communities (such as ones where tattooing and live music converge in a single event) often value uniqueness that serves to “erase boundaries between everyday life and art”. The combined performativity of live music and tattoo inking (both the artistic activity and the art itself) associates raxil4 and the BGT with this non-mainstream circle (to some degree), potentially conjuring an identity of something freakish or monstrous to people with different values. Engaging with Expressive Objects The conception and evolution of the Bone Guitar Thing has its roots in personal experience, art experimentation, and material culture related to Page’s life and the musical communities in which he played and plays. In the past, Page endeavored to make small sculptures to be given as Christmas and birthday gifts from materials he found on the shore of the River Thames, many including bones. Page then began to create new musical instruments with what he had available. Page’s brother is a doctor specialising in gunshot wounds and knife trauma, and his apartment was filled with remnants of his brother’s occupation, including a number of crutches. From these, Page crafted his first instruments in this period: crutch harps that utilised the leftover medical devices to build stringed sound generators. He claims the instruments at first were not overly successful, so he began to experiment with his bone sculptures to create more serviceable instruments. An early attempt was a percussion instrument made from various found bones, which Page deemed the “Xylobone” (see Fig. 4). This instrument and advanced crutch harps (6-string tenor (see Fig. 3.) and 2-string bass) became his first arsenal of sound makers, but Page felt the instruments ultimately failed to meet expectations and opted to rethink his approaches and designs. Fig. 3: One of Page's 6-stringed crutch harps. Photograph: Andrew Page. Fig. 4: The Xylobone - raxil4's bone xylophone percussion instrument. Photograph: Andrew Page. The BGT was intended to be more “playable”, “expressive”, and audible to battle louder co-performers. As mentioned, the driftwood base and bones for the instrument originated from the River Thames. The electronics come from a destroyed guitar that was the result of performing in a previous project in which Page was the singer, where the guitarist “had a habit of smashing his guitars on stage, in a sort of expensive tribute to [grunge guitarist] Kurt Cobain" (Page, email interview, 25 June 2021). The BGT started off as a 6-string zither that used guitar-gauge steel strings, but according to Page, given the harsh performance technique of beating or scraping the strings with bones, he was encouraged to switch to using wound, bass-gauge strings, affording him a lower pitch and greater resistance to energetic performance practices. One tuning peg, however, snapped off quite early in its life (as it was in a thinner, more weathered part of the driftwood), leaving the instrument one string shorter. Page says he likes to think that the instrument decided itself that it would be a “5-stringed beast” (ibid.). Conclusion The Bone Guitar Thing is, in fact, beast-like, at least in the settings, sonic attributes, and mindsets of the player and the communities in which the instrument is played, but it may not be the case that this beast-like nature is equal to being monstrous. Cohen (3-25) in his discussion of seven potential monster theories outlines several different notions of what can be considered “monstrous” and relates the monster in each theoretical situation to those fearing the monstrous construct. Most closely related to the situation in which the BGT is observed is a parallel theory based on the concept of “Us versus Them”, meaning “Us” as those who are dealing with the monster in question, and “Them” as being those on the side of the monster or the monster itself (Cohen 19-20). However, with the BGT, the monster is not unanimous with “them”, but rather with “us”. In all the situations outlined here, the instrument takes on the role of a beast, but not a negative role for Page (email interview, 14 July 2021) or fans of raxil4 (Wright). Instead, the beast is more like part of the team of noise makers actively engaged in the community’s activities of creation, entertainment, identity, and validation of values upheld thereof. Each of the performance settings can be argued to exhibit a sense of welcoming outsiders or praising diversity, rather than ostracising it. The Lovecraft performance and story were constructed on the premise of questioning what is a monster and who determines that definition. The Bone Guitar Thing supports and interacts precisely within this parameter to enhance the artistic commentary presented. Within the improv music setting, the instrument assists Page to achieve uniqueness among that which is already unique and highlights the values of community including a show of innovation, exploration, and personal performance technique development. For the live tattooing, the instrument stands out as a unifying sonic flag, connecting other (perhaps less-monstrous) artists into a stronger group of alternative creatives. Effectively, the BGT is a 'freak among freaks', serving to simultaneously fit in and rise above, all while maintaining a sense of “us” within respective circles. The beast-like nature is not entirely an outward force. Page (email interviews, 25 June 2021 and 14 July 2021) is aware that he has received no formal education in music. He admits he is less familiar with music theory, and more familiar with the science and technology behind the music. Page considers himself to be experimental in his approach to sound creation, which he sees as being more unique due to ignoring the “rulebooks” (ibid.). As a result, he feels (at least a slight) pressure of feeling “unprofessional” or “correct” in the eyes of Western conservatory-trained musicians and composers or those with a similar mentality (Page, email interview, 25 June 2021). The BGT was also, to a degree, built to battle being told what was “right”. For Page, his instrument is akin to a beast that helped him break free of the constraints of Western tonal and virtuosic constraints. “I made my own [instrument] so that nobody could tell me I was playing it the wrong way” (ibid.). His “beast” helped him break down barriers and asserted himself as an innovative musician and creative professional. So, then, the Bone Guitar Thing is a monster; sonically, visually, and physically. It represents a monster, it is called “the beast”, and it takes on the role of a terrifying creature raging through (sometimes, extremely quietly – raxil4; raxil 4 feat. King Sara; raxil4 + King Sara + P23) soundscapes, settings, and performances, rallying the like-minded and routing the unsuspecting or “others”. That is an overdramatic take on the situation, perhaps, but the instrument does uphold a series of values and creative aesthetics that fosters positive relationships between the artist, the community, and the sonic and physical qualities of the zither. Rather than being a device that places a horrific barrier to be overcome in an “us versus them” scenario, the monster takes on an alternate role and becomes a source of empowerment for “outsiders” or marginalised groups or people (Mittman 51). Thus the Bone Guitar Thing allows Page to demolish barriers and amalgamate fellow community members into a larger version of “us” to create a space in which the beast is no longer a monster. References Bienstock, Richard. “Man Builds Guitar Out of His Dead Uncle’s Skeleton.” Guitar World 11 Feb. 2021. Web. 13 June 2021 <https://www.guitarworld.com/news/man-builds-guitar-out-of-his-dead-uncles-skeleton-uses-it-to-play-black-metal>. Bunger, Richard. The Well-Prepared Piano. Colorado Springs: Colorado College Music P, 1973. Cage, John. Empty Words: Writings ’73-’78. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University P, 1981. Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. “Monster Culture (Seven Theses).” Monster Theory: Reading Culture. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1996. 3–25. 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