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John Latartara

University of Mississippi, Music, Faculty Member

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I'm an associate professor of music theory at the University of Mississippi and received my doctorate in theoretical studies from New England Conservatory of Music. My research focus is musical timbre in both Western European and Asian music. I have published on how timbre operates and generates musical form in works by Hildegard von Bingen, Machaut, Beethoven, Chopin, Cage, Oval, Merzbow, Classical Thai singing, and Chinese Qin music.
Address: The University of Mississippi
Music Department office r.164
C/O John Latartara
University, MS
38677

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Papers by John Latartara

Machaut's Monophonic Virelai Tuit mi penser : Intersections of Language Sound, Pitch Space, Performance, and Meaning

Journal of Musicological Research, 2008

While analyses of vocal music often highlight connections between textual meaning and musical str... more While analyses of vocal music often highlight connections between textual meaning and musical structure, less common is the study of language sounds in relation to musical structure. This presentation explores Guillaume de Machaut’s virelai Tuit mi penser, highlighting connections that exist between language sounds, pitch space and meaning. Vowel and consonant content is analyzed in the text, and computer images are used to study the language sounds of an actual performance. One of my main conclusions is that Tuit mi penser not only displays a cogent pitch space structure, but also projects a vivid sound design created through the language sounds of the text. The language sounds, pitches, and registers often reinforce one another, working in tandem to convey the imagery and meaning of the text.
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Laptop Composition at the Turn of the Millennium: Repetition and Noise in the Music of Oval, Merzbow, and Kid606

Twentieth-Century Music, 2010

Laptop composition – the creation and performance of music primarily using laptop computers – eme... more Laptop composition – the creation and performance of music primarily using laptop computers – emerged as an important musical activity in the last decade of the twentieth century. While much has been written about the cultural and conceptual significance of this new music, less has been published regarding the sonic structure of specific works. This article explores the musical structure and design of compositions by three laptop composers at the turn of the millennium: 'Untitled #2' by Oval (Markus Popp), 'Cow Cow' by Merzbow (Masami Akita), and 'Powerbookfiend' by Kid606 (Miguel De Pedro). Each piece is analysed using spectrographic images, representations of musical sound that allow for the precise measurement of frequency and intensity. Repetition and noise are revealed as musical characteristics common to all three pieces, defining both smaller-scale patterns and large-scale designs. Using the conceptual vocabulary of Paul Virilio and Gilles Deleuze, repetition and noise are framed in relation to a 'machine aesthetic' and 'difference and repetition'. With the turn of the millennium computer music has become ubiquitous. Advances in computer technology allow composers not only to distribute their music more widely (by creating sound files for instant dissemination or posting on the internet) but also to create and shape sound itself into seemingly infinite forms. From this plethora of sonic bits and bytes a new generation of composers has emerged. These composers perform in concert and create recorded tracks using the laptop computer as their primary instrument.

Multidimensional Musical Space in Hildegard's ―O rubor sanguinis: Tetrachord, Language Sound, and Meaning

Indiana Theory Review, 2004

This paper reveals concordances between pitch space and vowel sounds in Hildegard von Bingen’s O ... more This paper reveals concordances between pitch space and vowel sounds in Hildegard von Bingen’s O rubor sanguinis. The antiphon not only displays a cogent pitch and register structure, but also projects a vivid timbre design created through the vowels of the text. I argue that vowel sounds correspond to, and help corroborate, the antiphon’s progression through pitch space—thus both vowel sounds and pitch space work in tandem to express the imagery and meaning of the text. I begin by discussing medieval language and music connections as revealed through current research as well as in medieval theoretical treatises. Next, I discuss the concept of tetrachordal pitch space as understood during the twelfth century, highlighting specific links between vowel sounds and these tetrachordal regions in the antiphon. Two performances of the antiphon are then compared using computer images, or spectrographs, which display the physical sonic profile of the combined vowel and pitch sounds. These images demonstrate how specific language-sound transformations seen in the text are also reflected in the musical timbre of the performances. Throughout my analysis I explore the domain of semantics, identifying ways in which the music’s pitch space and language sounds help express the meaning of the words.

The Timbre of Thai Classical Singing

Asian Music, 2012

This article explores the timbre of Thai classical singing with an emphasis on uan, a wordless vo... more This article explores the timbre of Thai classical singing with an emphasis on uan, a wordless vocalization based upon specific vowels and consonants, using spectrographic images. Spectrographs are computer images that visualize the fundamental, overtones, and noise-like sounds of a performance. Uan can be reduced to five basic sounds and are analyzed individually and then placed within a musical context. Performances from different generations and musical lineages are contrasted and compared in relation to timbre. I argue it is the relative timbral consistency of the five basic uan sounds, connecting musical generations and lineages, combined with the unique characteristics of each performance that defines the distinct sound of Thai classical singing.

Cage and Time: Temporality in Early and Late Works

College Music Symposium, 2007

The structural importance of time in John Cage’s music is well recognized and can be traced back ... more The structural importance of time in John Cage’s music is well recognized and can be traced back to his early works from the 1930s and 1940s, where he first formulated his concept of musical structure based on temporal duration. Although recent studies have revealed micro and macro rhythmic hierarchies in Cage’s early works and also stress the importance these rhythmic structures had on his later music, little has been offered detailing the specific temporal relations between his early and later works. Through analyses of A Room (1943) and Ryoanji (1983-84), I argue there are two ways Cage uses time in both early and late works. First, both A Room and Ryoanji use multiple temporal layers simultaneously. Second, regularity of pulse is de-emphasized and irregularity emphasized through both the juxtaposition of multiple temporal layers and anomalies within each layer. Although separated by forty years, the musical element of time emerges as the intersecting structural device for A Room and Ryoanji.

Pedagogic Applications of Fourier Analysis and Spectrographs in the Music Theory Classroom

Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, 2008

This paper discusses music analysis in relation to images of musical sound using spectral or Four... more This paper discusses music analysis in relation to images of musical sound using spectral or Fourier analysis. Fourier analysis allows us to make pictures of musical performances, which reveal the fundamental, overtones, and complex noise-like sounds. These images provide an acoustic basis for our musical perceptions. The recent history of Fourier analysis in relation to musical analysis is discussed first, and then three analyses are presented using works from a variety of periods and cultures, including a prelude by Chopin, a Japanese gagaku work, and a computer piece by Markus Popp. Chopin is discussed in relation to comparative performances, Japanese gagaku is explored in relation to timbre, and Markus Popp is looked at in relation to non-notated electronic music. Each work highlights a specific approach that can be taken using spectral or Fourier analysis.

Theoretical Approaches toward Qin Analysis: Water and Clouds over Xiao Xiang

Ethnomusicology, 2005

This paper analyzes the Qin composition Water and Clouds over Xiao Xiang, using a variety of West... more This paper analyzes the Qin composition Water and Clouds over Xiao Xiang, using a variety of Western theoretical and/or analytical approaches. Mode, pitch, motive, register, rhythm, timbre, and form are each explored. Schenkerian influenced linear graphs are used to show motivic and melodic connections, and computer spectrographic images reveal the timbre of specific moments as well as the entire work. One of the main conclusions is that the form of the work is in a state of constant flux.
.

Analysis, Performance, and Images of Musical Sound: Surfaces, Cyclical Relationships, and the Musical Work

by Michael Gardiner and John Latartara

Current Musicology, Sep 22, 2007

The following article explores specific relationships between analysis, performance, and images o... more The following article explores specific relationships between analysis, performance, and images of musical sound. Different performances of C.P.E. Bach’s Fantasia in C minor and Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata Op. 106 First Movement are analyzed and compared using spectrographic computer images. We argue these performance images have two important benefits in relation to analysis and performance. First, these images can be used to highlight details of musical surface. For example, images of the opening arpeggio of Bach’s Fantasia in C minor are examined in relation to a clavichord and fortepiano performance highlighting differences of instrumentation, dynamic contour, and performance decisions. Also, two different performance images of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata are explored highlighting divergent ways pedaling and dynamics alter the surface details of the opening theme. Second, these performance images provide an alternative to the prevailing analysis and performance paradigm that has, for the most part, moved linearly from either analysis to performance, or from performance to analysis. We propose that a cyclical relationship can be formed between score, performance, and performance image, connecting all three to each other. Finally, we discuss how these images help generate a non-score based conception of the musical work.

Machaut's Monophonic Virelai Tuit mi penser : Intersections of Language Sound, Pitch Space, Performance, and Meaning

Journal of Musicological Research, 2008

While analyses of vocal music often highlight connections between textual meaning and musical str... more While analyses of vocal music often highlight connections between textual meaning and musical structure, less common is the study of language sounds in relation to musical structure. This presentation explores Guillaume de Machaut’s virelai Tuit mi penser, highlighting connections that exist between language sounds, pitch space and meaning. Vowel and consonant content is analyzed in the text, and computer images are used to study the language sounds of an actual performance. One of my main conclusions is that Tuit mi penser not only displays a cogent pitch space structure, but also projects a vivid sound design created through the language sounds of the text. The language sounds, pitches, and registers often reinforce one another, working in tandem to convey the imagery and meaning of the text.
.

Laptop Composition at the Turn of the Millennium: Repetition and Noise in the Music of Oval, Merzbow, and Kid606

Twentieth-Century Music, 2010

Laptop composition – the creation and performance of music primarily using laptop computers – eme... more Laptop composition – the creation and performance of music primarily using laptop computers – emerged as an important musical activity in the last decade of the twentieth century. While much has been written about the cultural and conceptual significance of this new music, less has been published regarding the sonic structure of specific works. This article explores the musical structure and design of compositions by three laptop composers at the turn of the millennium: 'Untitled #2' by Oval (Markus Popp), 'Cow Cow' by Merzbow (Masami Akita), and 'Powerbookfiend' by Kid606 (Miguel De Pedro). Each piece is analysed using spectrographic images, representations of musical sound that allow for the precise measurement of frequency and intensity. Repetition and noise are revealed as musical characteristics common to all three pieces, defining both smaller-scale patterns and large-scale designs. Using the conceptual vocabulary of Paul Virilio and Gilles Deleuze, repetition and noise are framed in relation to a 'machine aesthetic' and 'difference and repetition'. With the turn of the millennium computer music has become ubiquitous. Advances in computer technology allow composers not only to distribute their music more widely (by creating sound files for instant dissemination or posting on the internet) but also to create and shape sound itself into seemingly infinite forms. From this plethora of sonic bits and bytes a new generation of composers has emerged. These composers perform in concert and create recorded tracks using the laptop computer as their primary instrument.

Multidimensional Musical Space in Hildegard's ―O rubor sanguinis: Tetrachord, Language Sound, and Meaning

Indiana Theory Review, 2004

This paper reveals concordances between pitch space and vowel sounds in Hildegard von Bingen’s O ... more This paper reveals concordances between pitch space and vowel sounds in Hildegard von Bingen’s O rubor sanguinis. The antiphon not only displays a cogent pitch and register structure, but also projects a vivid timbre design created through the vowels of the text. I argue that vowel sounds correspond to, and help corroborate, the antiphon’s progression through pitch space—thus both vowel sounds and pitch space work in tandem to express the imagery and meaning of the text. I begin by discussing medieval language and music connections as revealed through current research as well as in medieval theoretical treatises. Next, I discuss the concept of tetrachordal pitch space as understood during the twelfth century, highlighting specific links between vowel sounds and these tetrachordal regions in the antiphon. Two performances of the antiphon are then compared using computer images, or spectrographs, which display the physical sonic profile of the combined vowel and pitch sounds. These images demonstrate how specific language-sound transformations seen in the text are also reflected in the musical timbre of the performances. Throughout my analysis I explore the domain of semantics, identifying ways in which the music’s pitch space and language sounds help express the meaning of the words.

The Timbre of Thai Classical Singing

Asian Music, 2012

This article explores the timbre of Thai classical singing with an emphasis on uan, a wordless vo... more This article explores the timbre of Thai classical singing with an emphasis on uan, a wordless vocalization based upon specific vowels and consonants, using spectrographic images. Spectrographs are computer images that visualize the fundamental, overtones, and noise-like sounds of a performance. Uan can be reduced to five basic sounds and are analyzed individually and then placed within a musical context. Performances from different generations and musical lineages are contrasted and compared in relation to timbre. I argue it is the relative timbral consistency of the five basic uan sounds, connecting musical generations and lineages, combined with the unique characteristics of each performance that defines the distinct sound of Thai classical singing.

Cage and Time: Temporality in Early and Late Works

College Music Symposium, 2007

The structural importance of time in John Cage’s music is well recognized and can be traced back ... more The structural importance of time in John Cage’s music is well recognized and can be traced back to his early works from the 1930s and 1940s, where he first formulated his concept of musical structure based on temporal duration. Although recent studies have revealed micro and macro rhythmic hierarchies in Cage’s early works and also stress the importance these rhythmic structures had on his later music, little has been offered detailing the specific temporal relations between his early and later works. Through analyses of A Room (1943) and Ryoanji (1983-84), I argue there are two ways Cage uses time in both early and late works. First, both A Room and Ryoanji use multiple temporal layers simultaneously. Second, regularity of pulse is de-emphasized and irregularity emphasized through both the juxtaposition of multiple temporal layers and anomalies within each layer. Although separated by forty years, the musical element of time emerges as the intersecting structural device for A Room and Ryoanji.

Pedagogic Applications of Fourier Analysis and Spectrographs in the Music Theory Classroom

Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, 2008

This paper discusses music analysis in relation to images of musical sound using spectral or Four... more This paper discusses music analysis in relation to images of musical sound using spectral or Fourier analysis. Fourier analysis allows us to make pictures of musical performances, which reveal the fundamental, overtones, and complex noise-like sounds. These images provide an acoustic basis for our musical perceptions. The recent history of Fourier analysis in relation to musical analysis is discussed first, and then three analyses are presented using works from a variety of periods and cultures, including a prelude by Chopin, a Japanese gagaku work, and a computer piece by Markus Popp. Chopin is discussed in relation to comparative performances, Japanese gagaku is explored in relation to timbre, and Markus Popp is looked at in relation to non-notated electronic music. Each work highlights a specific approach that can be taken using spectral or Fourier analysis.

Theoretical Approaches toward Qin Analysis: Water and Clouds over Xiao Xiang

Ethnomusicology, 2005

This paper analyzes the Qin composition Water and Clouds over Xiao Xiang, using a variety of West... more This paper analyzes the Qin composition Water and Clouds over Xiao Xiang, using a variety of Western theoretical and/or analytical approaches. Mode, pitch, motive, register, rhythm, timbre, and form are each explored. Schenkerian influenced linear graphs are used to show motivic and melodic connections, and computer spectrographic images reveal the timbre of specific moments as well as the entire work. One of the main conclusions is that the form of the work is in a state of constant flux.
.

Analysis, Performance, and Images of Musical Sound: Surfaces, Cyclical Relationships, and the Musical Work

by Michael Gardiner and John Latartara

Current Musicology, Sep 22, 2007

The following article explores specific relationships between analysis, performance, and images o... more The following article explores specific relationships between analysis, performance, and images of musical sound. Different performances of C.P.E. Bach’s Fantasia in C minor and Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata Op. 106 First Movement are analyzed and compared using spectrographic computer images. We argue these performance images have two important benefits in relation to analysis and performance. First, these images can be used to highlight details of musical surface. For example, images of the opening arpeggio of Bach’s Fantasia in C minor are examined in relation to a clavichord and fortepiano performance highlighting differences of instrumentation, dynamic contour, and performance decisions. Also, two different performance images of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata are explored highlighting divergent ways pedaling and dynamics alter the surface details of the opening theme. Second, these performance images provide an alternative to the prevailing analysis and performance paradigm that has, for the most part, moved linearly from either analysis to performance, or from performance to analysis. We propose that a cyclical relationship can be formed between score, performance, and performance image, connecting all three to each other. Finally, we discuss how these images help generate a non-score based conception of the musical work.