Originally from Sherbrooke, QC, musicology听student Paul Bazin is in the final year of his PhD. He will be presenting his research this Saturday October 26th as part of a day-long听celebration of Canadian composers Bruce Mather and alcides lanza, marking their 80th听and 90th听birthdays. Find out more
The image above is a section of Bruce Mather's听, composed in 1978 for two pianos; one tuned a quarter-tone lower.听
What made you choose 海角社区 for your studies?
When I completed my master鈥檚 at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, I wanted to go elsewhere. I had no specific idea in mind. No projected advisor, no research topic. When the deadlines for inscriptions drew close, I put something together about composer Bruce Mather, met with Steven Huebner and Christoph Neidh枚fer, and decided to apply. I only sent an application to 海角社区, so I must have had a lucky star!
How has being a 海角社区 student influenced you and your research?
It most certainly helped to improve my English quite a bit! Prof. Roe-Min Kok provided me with a great deal of encouragement in my first year, when I kept stumbling against language barriers when trying to voice my ideas. I also became fascinated by ancient music, especially medieval music, thanks to Julie Cumming鈥檚 paleography class. The mandatory year-long training in notational transcription and theory may be the best class I鈥檝e attended in my whole time as a graduate student! Most of all, being a 海角社区 student - though it most certainly isn鈥檛 unique to 海角社区 - forced me to overcome the challenges of graduate school, mental health-related struggles, and to develop skills to cope with academic anxiety. Being better equipped to face these challenges - both on a human level and from a professional perspective 鈥� is something which I think will be useful for the rest of my life.
Explain your research in three sentences or less:
My research focuses on the microtonal music of Ivan Wyschnegradsky and its repercussions on the music of other composers. Bruce Mather (Canada) and Pascale Criton (France) are central figures in this exploration of creative forms of influence.
What led you to this particular topic?
During my undergraduate degree, I was a Research Assistant for the musicologist Jean Boivin, back in Sherbrooke, who鈥檚 one of the very few specialists of Qu茅b茅cois music. It is because of him that I chose to work on the music that is being written here! Back then, going through some old newspapers clips, I had come across an interview with composer Bruce Mather: he talked about an old Russian composer (Wyschnegradsky) he had met a few years prior to the interview, who had introduced him to the microtonal realm. Back then, I knew nothing about Mather鈥檚 music, but for some reason, the interview left quite an imprint in my memory. I therefore decided that I wanted Mather鈥檚 and Wyschnegradsky鈥檚 music, along with microtonality to be my PhD鈥檚 research topic! I managed to find Mather鈥檚 phone number, dared to give him a call and to explain my project - I remember my voice trembling a lot! With the manners of a true gentleman, and in his most concise way, Mather simply responded: 鈥淢y dear, I鈥檓 at your disposal!鈥� Fun thing: even though I am now a huge fan of microtonal music, I remember thinking, the very first time I heard someone talk about it: 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the point of composing music like this? It鈥檚 not even nice to the ear!鈥�
How does your research add to what was already known?
Neither Wyschnegradsky, nor Mather or Criton, have enjoyed considerable scholarly attention, even though there鈥檚 been a considerable increase in interest towards the music of Wyschnegrasdky in the past few years. Prof. Brian Cherney has also done work worthy of mention in promoting the music of Mather, along with other Canadian composers, in the Canadian Music concerts he organises every year. The music of these composers is also little known.
On one hand, there鈥檚 a sort of Wyschnegradskian myth growing these days, which builds a very romantic aura around him. Even though it serves the recognition of his work, it also tends to occult important aspects of his career. I鈥檓 trying to deconstruct the romantic figure of the lonely, visionary artist who sacrificed his wealth and comfortable life situation - his grandfather was a Minister of Finance under a Tsar, and his father was the Head of the St. Petersburg International Bank before the 1917 Bolshevik coup. On the other hand, it鈥檚 sort of well-known to specialists that Wyschnegradsky was a huge influence on both Mather and Criton, but few have addressed the actual forms of such an influence in their works. This is what I鈥檓 trying do.
Were there any discoveries that you found particularly surprising?
Mather鈥檚 music is fascinating, very interior, and has such a craft of scoring! What instrumental colours one can find in his music! Criton鈥檚 music is also one of the very few sounds worlds I鈥檝e had enormous pleasure discovering in the past few years. Textures, beatings, a sensation of timelessness, an understanding of things, also, which makes the discovery of the notions underlying her music a thrilling adventure in itself. Her听Wander Steps is a good example:
Who is going to benefit most from your research?
I hope that this work will benefit the composers I鈥檓 writing on in the first place. I see my work as a modest contribution to their recognition. I hope performers might get interested in playing this music, learning its secrets, and bringing it to those who wish to discover new sonorities. Both Mather and Criton are living composers and have done exemplary work for the recognition of Wyschnegradsky鈥檚 舱耻惫谤别. I think it is important that we also acknowledge their own creative contributions to our cultural world.
What is coming up next for you?
On October 26th, there鈥檚 a concert here at Schulich in celebration of Bruce Mather鈥檚 80th birthday, and of alcides lanza鈥檚 90th birthday. I鈥檒l be presenting my work on the Mather/Wyschnegradsky relationship in the afternoon (learn听more about the event). After the concert, the latest issue of journal Circuit, musiques contemporaines - a journal that I鈥檝e been editorial secretary and administrative coordinator of for the past two years - will be released.
I鈥檝e co-edited this special microtonal issue with Prof. Robert Hasegawa, who happens to be my co-adviser, and has been a solid rock during my academic journey. As well as our own papers, we鈥檝e commissioned papers from others, including 海角社区 Prof. Philippe Leroux and alumni听Landon Morrison and Charles-Antoine Fr茅chette.
I鈥檓 looking forward to continuing working for Circuit after my graduation in Spring 2020, and to getting some rest before considering what the next step will be!
What advice would you give to new students in your program?
Don鈥檛 compete with your peers; instead, you should care for them. Throughout my years at Schulich, I found that I was much stronger when surrounded with friends whom I trusted and felt respected by. Share ideas, talk, go out for a beer (or a few beers).
Know the worth of the work you do, yet be humble and modest about it. Nobody wants to be surrounded by people who keep boasting about their numerous realizations鈥�
If you get anxious about the future, get out there. Network outside of academia. In doing so, you might find work opportunities that鈥檒l bring a bit of money in, which could well end up levelling down performance pressure you can feel if the academic path is the only one you know!
Mental health is vital. Talk to your peers, talk to your advisor. Get help if need be. Take time everyday to do something that鈥檚 not school related - it鈥檚 ok (and it鈥檚 good) not to reach your limits everyday!
Where is your favourite place to study?
I used to work a lot from home, in my 鈥渙ffice鈥�! I also used to go to the Collection nationale, at the BAnQ Grande Biblioth猫que. For a year听now, 鈥淭h猫sez-vous?鈥� has been the one place that I go to really get reading work done. To write my dissertation chapters, I lock myself away in monasteries! There, I can write several pages a day, and get some peaceful time listening to the monks singing during the liturgy of hours. I need silence to work, and to keep anxiety at bay鈥�
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Camelia Sinensis tea room is a fantastic place, even though I hardly manage to find enough free time to go downtown only to grab tea. My garden is also a heaven of peace during the Summer and Fall! 26 square meters of vegetables, squash, lettuce, tomatoes, melons, peas, beets, carrots, flowers; life! I water my garden, pluck weeds, care for every plant. At night I read novels, cook with my girlfriend and, lately, have been preparing our house towards the birth of our daughter!
What is your earliest musical memory?
My mother holding me while singing Dream a Little Dream of Me. I must have been two or three years old. Some chromatic melodic figures in this song still bring me back in time and provide me with an unexplainable sensation of colour!
If you hadn鈥檛 ended up in music, what would your alternate career path have been?
Good question. Likely a gardener! Or an author! I keep thinking that someday, I鈥檒l write something else than academic papers. An epistolary fiction, perhaps鈥�
What was the last book you read?
贬耻驳辞鈥檚 Notre-Dame de Paris. I have quite nerdy tastes when it comes to reading, and Hugo is surprisingly nice to read, once you get used to the language. I wish woman characters were pictured as stronger figures though鈥�
If you were offered a return plane ticket to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Corsica! I long to go back to Corsica, to trek across its mountains, 2000 meters high above the sea!听
If you could invite any four notable figures from history (or alive today) to a dinner party, who would they be and why?
My great-grandfather, my grandparents (all four are still alive!) and my daughters! I wish they all had the chance to meet, as they鈥檝e all been significant听figures in my life and time unfortunately won鈥檛 allow for five generations to interact. We could listen to Machaut and Josquin des Prez in the background, they could ask me why I ventured into music (I would struggle to find a suitable answer鈥�).
Paul Bazin's lecture "Bruce Mather: Disciple of Infinite Spaces" is at 1pm on Saturday 26 October 2019, in A-832, Elizabeth Wirth Music Building.听
Read more about the rest of the day's events here.听
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