Papers by Nicholas Cornia
Estimating the strength of causal effects from observational data is a common problem in scientif... more Estimating the strength of causal effects from observational data is a common problem in scientific research. A popular approach is based on exploiting observed conditional in-dependences between variables. It is well-known that this approach relies on the assumption of faithfulness. In our opinion, an even more important practical limitation of this approach is that it relies on the ability to distinguish independences from (arbitrarily weak) dependences. We present a simple analysis, based on purely algebraic and geometrical arguments, of how the estimation of the causal effect strength, based on conditional independence tests and background knowledge, can have an arbitrarily large error due to the uncontrollable type II error of a single conditional independence test. The scenario we are studying here is related to the LCD algorithm by Cooper [1] and to the instrumental variable setting that is popular in epidemiology and econometry. It is one of the simplest settings in which causal discovery and prediction methods based on conditional independences arrive at non-trivial conclusions, yet for which the lack of uniform consistency can result in arbitrarily large prediction errors.
Thesis Chapters by Nicholas Cornia
Bachelor thesis about madrigal performance practice of Italian Madrigals in the XVI century. This... more Bachelor thesis about madrigal performance practice of Italian Madrigals in the XVI century. This brief work illustrate several examples from original sources about ornamentation, cultural context and relation to music theater. Also I dedicated the and of it to a reflection to Historical Informed Practice based on the "Open Work" of Umberto Eco.
Drafts by Nicholas Cornia
Seminar paper about Robert Franz's (1815-1892) arrangements of J.S. Bach vocal works. An analysis... more Seminar paper about Robert Franz's (1815-1892) arrangements of J.S. Bach vocal works. An analysis of his arrangements of cantatas BWV 27 and 37 is presented in detail.
In this brief paper I would like to illustrate the mutual influence of Classical and Jazz music t... more In this brief paper I would like to illustrate the mutual influence of Classical and Jazz music through two
compositions written by American composers Scott
Joplin (1867/68 - 1917) and Gunther Schuller (1925
- 2015). While the first dedicated his whole life to
be considered a ”legitimate” composer of Western-
European Classical music, instead of a ”mere” Rag-
time player, the latter took the effort to create a synergy between the new Jazz idiom of his time and
compositional techniques, like Schoenberg’s 12-tone
system. Unfortunately both Joplin and Schuller’s efforts got lost in the ”losers” side of Music History
and their compositions received bitter critics from
both jazz and classically trained musicians, public
and critics.
Bachelor Thesis Royal Conservatory Ghent, Belgium, 2018
Teaching Documents by Nicholas Cornia
This handbook has been made by the author during his stage at the Alamire Foundation and KU Leuve... more This handbook has been made by the author during his stage at the Alamire Foundation and KU Leuven in 2019.
The book presents the annotation system used for a specific data-set of ligatures in Petrus Alamire's music manuscripts. Most of the images have been digitized in the IDEM Database (https://www.idemdatabase.org/).
Books by Nicholas Cornia
I consider myself neither a researcher nor a musician, but rather a special combination of the tw... more I consider myself neither a researcher nor a musician, but rather a special combination of the two. Even within the boundaries of performance, I have experienced several musical styles and traditions, from Free Jazz to Medieval improvised counterpoint. Curiosity is probably my best trait and I am very grateful to my loved ones, friends and family, for their support and understanding through these long years of studies, from Mathematics to Classical Music through Jazz saxophone. This work is the result of years of curiosity and passion and I am happy to share it with everyone interested in the fascinating subject we call music. My aim has been to provide the readers with suggestions and practical resources for their further personal research in Historical Popular Music. Special thanks to my soulmate Lidwien, my teachers and all the members of Le Vecchie Musiche. vii viii CONTENTS CONTENTS music education (Larson, 2019), so that we can fill the performative and aesthetic gap with the Pop and Jazz practices. Furthermore this interesting repertoire could function as a bridge between Classical and Jazz music theories and practices, at artistic as well as pedagogical level. I believe it would be fruitful to first learn from popular music of a given period before appreciating the masterworks of their contemporary art music. We should not forget that geniuses like Beethoven or Bill Evans, to cite some, were aware of the popular music of their time and their contribution was mainly to find wonderful variations and combinations of the popular musical patterns of their time. Overview chapters Chapter 1-Mannerist Pedagogy This chapter explains some fundamental concepts of Mannerist Music Theory, such as the hexachordal system, solmisation according to the so-called Guidonian hand and the basso continuo notation for accompaniment. Two-part pedagogical music examples (bicinia) are also discussed, with a selection of transcriptions for practical application. Afterwards I am discussing the Mannerist schematas, recurrent musical gestures that I am using for analysis. The names given to these patterns are inspired by popular grounds and dances of Mannerist Italy. The chapter ends with a brief illustration of verse metrics and strophe forms of Italian poetry. Chapter 2-Frottola and Madrigale Arioso The first case study of my reseach is the popular genre of f rottola and its link with solo-singing performance and declamation of epic poetry. The missing link between the practice of f rottola and early 17th century monody is the so-called madrigale arioso, subject of a recent musical project of Le Vecchie Musiche 2. I am providing transcriptions of early 16th century f rottole from Ottaviano Petrucci collections and madrigali ariosi inspired by Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem Orlando Furioso. Chapter 3-Canzonetta and Villanella The second case study is dedicated to the light madrigal forms of canzonetta and villanella and their relation with popular culture and amateur music practice. I am providing several transcriptions from Simone Verovio's late 16th century songbooks, as well as Neapolitan music from Rocco Rodio's collection and duets with guitar accompaniment by Flaminio Corradi and Girolamo Kapsberger. Chapter 4-Lauda and Falsobordone In this chapter I shall explore the intimate connection between popular music and the devotional genres of lauda and f alsobordone. Examples of music for religious theatrical representations and the practice of virtuoso singing upon a chord progression are also presented. I am providing transcriptions from laude collections of Serafino Razzi and Francisco Soto de Langa as well as f alsibordoni from several composers. Chapter 5-Actors and Stile Rappresentativo This chapter illustrates the influence of commedia dell'arte troupes on popular music and culture, as well as their importance for the development of monody and opera in the early 17th century. Main protagonists of this story are female actresses and musicians, who with their performances shaped the form of modern theatre. I am providing transcriptions of music theatre works, as well as songs inspired by commedia dell'arte actors and actresses, such as the intermedii for Giovanni Battista Andreini's play La Maddalena. Chapter 6-Arie and Alfabeto songs The last chapter of my dissertation is the one that has inspired its title. Songbooks for 5-strings Spanish guitar have probably the most explicit connection with Jazz and Pop fake books. Col-Wilbourne, E. (2016). Seventeenth-century opera and the sound of the commedia dell'arte. University of Chicago Press. Letanie Beata Virginis Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Christe audi nos. Pater de coelis deus, Miserere nobis. Sancta Maria, Ora pro nobis. Mater piissima, Ora pro nobis. Virgo clementissima, Ora pro nobis. Regina Angelorum, Ora pro nobis. Agnu Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, Miserere nobis. pas A 7 6 ta Prologo 1. Su le penne de' venti il Ciel varcando, Faretrato Fanciullo a voi ne vengo, Son tutta luce son di gloria il segno, Ad eccelsa Armonia voce accordando. 6. Su PECCATRICE dalla piuma indegna, Sorgi veloce, ti converti a CRISTO, Che ben qui fai nel Mar del pianto acquisto, Del Nocchier che alle stelle andar t'insegna. 7. Voi spettatori di sant'opra intanto, Con MADDALENA in questo Egeo solcate, Col pianto novo antico error lavate, Che oggi l'ira di Dio vinta è dal pianto. Canzonetta Spirituale 1. Oh gloriosa donna, Alta sopra le Stelle. Chi ti vestì della terrena gonna, Nutrito hai con le tue pure mammelle. 2. Oh gloriosa donna, Alta sopra le Stelle. Ciò che la prima madre, Ne tolse tu ne rendi. 3. Oh gloriosa donna, Alta sopra le Stelle. Perla sa porne fra le sante squadre, Scala sei fatta che all'empireo ascendi.
Uploads
Papers by Nicholas Cornia
Thesis Chapters by Nicholas Cornia
Drafts by Nicholas Cornia
compositions written by American composers Scott
Joplin (1867/68 - 1917) and Gunther Schuller (1925
- 2015). While the first dedicated his whole life to
be considered a ”legitimate” composer of Western-
European Classical music, instead of a ”mere” Rag-
time player, the latter took the effort to create a synergy between the new Jazz idiom of his time and
compositional techniques, like Schoenberg’s 12-tone
system. Unfortunately both Joplin and Schuller’s efforts got lost in the ”losers” side of Music History
and their compositions received bitter critics from
both jazz and classically trained musicians, public
and critics.
Teaching Documents by Nicholas Cornia
The book presents the annotation system used for a specific data-set of ligatures in Petrus Alamire's music manuscripts. Most of the images have been digitized in the IDEM Database (https://www.idemdatabase.org/).
Books by Nicholas Cornia
compositions written by American composers Scott
Joplin (1867/68 - 1917) and Gunther Schuller (1925
- 2015). While the first dedicated his whole life to
be considered a ”legitimate” composer of Western-
European Classical music, instead of a ”mere” Rag-
time player, the latter took the effort to create a synergy between the new Jazz idiom of his time and
compositional techniques, like Schoenberg’s 12-tone
system. Unfortunately both Joplin and Schuller’s efforts got lost in the ”losers” side of Music History
and their compositions received bitter critics from
both jazz and classically trained musicians, public
and critics.
The book presents the annotation system used for a specific data-set of ligatures in Petrus Alamire's music manuscripts. Most of the images have been digitized in the IDEM Database (https://www.idemdatabase.org/).