Cycle (music)

Inmusic,acyclecan be several things.Acoustically,it is one complete vibration, the base unit ofHertzbeing one cycle per second.^[1]Theoretically, aninterval cycleis a collection of pitch classes created by a sequence of identical intervals. Cycles are also individual pieces of larger works, like themovementsin a suite, symphony sonata, or string quartet.^[2]This can range from settings of the Mass or asong cycleto an opera cycle. Another cycle is the complete performance of an individual composer's work in one genre.^[3]

Harmonic cycles—repeated sequences of a harmonic progression—are at the root of many musical genres, such as thetwelve-bar blues.In compositions of this genre, thechord progressionmay be repeated indefinitely, with melodic and lyrical variation forming the musical interest. The formtheme and variationsis essentially of this type, but generally on a larger scale.

Composition using atone rowis another example of a cycle of pitch material, although it may be more difficult to hear because the variations are more diverse.

Rhythmic cycles

Indian classical music

InIndian classical music,a specific rhythmic structure known as atalais repeated through the length of the raga, and used as a basis for improvisation of the drum parts.

Music of Indonesia

In thegamelanmusic of Indonesia, there are nestedgongcycles which determine the rhythmic framework of the piece. This sort of cycling is calledcolotomy.In the same way as specific harmonic cycles determine the genre of many Western pieces (like the blues), gamelan pieces are classified according to their colotomic structures. Some other styles of music, such asgagakuorpi phat,have been analyzed colotomically.

Sub-Saharan African music traditions

Rhythm in Sub-Saharan Africais typically generated by multiplecross-rhythmic cycles,in relation to a primary cycle of four main beats.^[4]This basicmusical periodhas a bipartite structure; it comprises two rhythmically opposedcellsof two beats each.^[5]The four-beat cycle is a shorter period than in European music. This explains the stereotype of African music as "repetitive". The cycles have a beginning and an end, with the two joining.^[6]The lead instrument, or soloist, may temporarily contradict the primary cycle withcross beatsand larger phrases, but awareness of the cycle is ever-present.^[7]In many sub-Saharan andDisaporamusics, akey pattern,typically played on a bell, establishes the basic cycle orperiod.

Mixed cycles

Different types of musical cycles can overlap. One example isisorhythm,the medieval practice of using melodic and rhythmic cycles in one or two voices. There is a certain sequence of pitch material (known as thecolor) and a separate sequence of rhythmic values (known as thetalea), which has a different length. If the lengths of the two cycles arerelatively prime,a complex melody will emerge. Most compositions using this technique end when the two cycles coincide.

A similar process is used inserial music,although the number of different overlapping cycles can be quite large, and encode a wide variety of musical parameters, such asdynamics,articulation,timbre,register,and so forth.

Opera cycles

Richard Wagner'sRing Cycleconsists of four individualoperas.
Giacomo Puccini'sIl tabarro,Suor Angelica,andGianni Schicchiform a set of three one-act operas, intended to be performed together and collectively titledIl trittico.
Germaine Tailleferre'sDu style galant au style méchantis made up of four chamber operas which parody a different operatic form or style^[8]
Robert Ashley'sPerfect Lives,Atalanta,andNow Eleanor's Ideaform a trilogy.
R. Murray Schafer'sPatriais composed of twelve separate works, which he classifies as "music theater".
Karlheinz Stockhausen'sLichtconsists of seven individual operas named after the days of the week.

References

^Randel, Don, "Cycle",The Harvard Dictionary of Music,Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 1986, p. 218.
^G. M. Tucker andRoger Parker,"Cyclic Form", The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).
^"cycle." In The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham. Oxford Music Online,http:// oxfordmusiconline /subscriber/article/opr/t114/e7623(accessed December 25, 2011).
^Ladzekpo, C.K. (1996). Web. "Main Beat Schemes,"Foundation Course in African Music.Web.http://home cast.net/~dzinyaladzekpo/PrinciplesFr.html
^Peñalosa, David,The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principles and African Origins.Redway, CA: Bembe Inc., 2010, p. 65ISBN 1-886502-80-3.
^Kubik, GerhardTheory of African Music(Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) v. 2. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2010, p. 41.ISBN 978-0-226-45694-2
^Kubik 2010, p. 41.
^Catherine Miller (2003).Jean Cocteau, Guillaume Apollinaire, Paul Claudel et le groupe des six: rencontres poético-musicales autour des mélodies et des chansons.Editions Mardaga. p. 110.ISBN 9782870098523.

[1] Randel, Don, "Cycle",The Harvard Dictionary of Music,Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 1986, p. 218.

[2] G. M. Tucker andRoger Parker,"Cyclic Form", The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).

[3] "cycle." In The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham. Oxford Music Online,http:// oxfordmusiconline /subscriber/article/opr/t114/e7623(accessed December 25, 2011).

[4] Ladzekpo, C.K. (1996). Web. "Main Beat Schemes,"Foundation Course in African Music.Web.http://home cast.net/~dzinyaladzekpo/PrinciplesFr.html

[5] Peñalosa, David,The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principles and African Origins.Redway, CA: Bembe Inc., 2010, p. 65ISBN 1-886502-80-3.

[6] Kubik, GerhardTheory of African Music(Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology) v. 2. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2010, p. 41.ISBN 978-0-226-45694-2

[7] Kubik 2010, p. 41.

[CM-8] Catherine Miller (2003).Jean Cocteau, Guillaume Apollinaire, Paul Claudel et le groupe des six: rencontres poético-musicales autour des mélodies et des chansons.Editions Mardaga. p. 110.ISBN 9782870098523.

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