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Credits

Music written and arranged by Carlos G. Plaza Vegas.

José Luis Espejo: Clarinet
Carlos Plaza: Keyboards, bass, drums

Featured image is Lake Macquarie (New South Wales – Australia) at dusk.

© 2017 Carlos G. Plaza Vegas. All Rights Reserved

For those of you acquainted with the thought of Walter Benjamin, let me clarify that this article does not pretend to be an analysis or critical review of his essay. Neither is this article an attempt to elaborate on his ideas. Rather, I take such concepts as “aura” along a very different, even opposite, path.

In addition to the concept of “aura” and its relation to the “ritual,” another element of Benjamin’s essay that sparked my attention is his description of the relationship between art and the masses. His essay, written in 1936, explores the characteristics of a new art – movies – to describe the transformation process affecting the arts. Although I will reflect on this insight later in this article, I cannot defer quoting a phrase Benjamin uses that effectively captures what I exposed in The Cult to the Ephemeral and its effect on Art:

Beyond conceptual differences, the notion of a work of art having an “aura” is interesting in itself. Referring to the “natural aura of things,” Benjamin describes it as:

In the case of a work of art, the aura is some sort of magical or energetic quality, consubstantial with the work with which it relates and indispensable for its manifestation. Now, my understanding of “aura” differs radically from Benjamin’s since he links the aura to the uniqueness or authenticity of a work of art. This unicity condition is Benjamin’s main premise to explain why the massive reproduction of a work of art results in the atrophy of its aura:

I believe, however, that the aura of a work is not inextricable from its original. Its survival through replicas depends partially on the quality of the reproduction, but also on other factors such as the type of relationship established between the work of art and its recipients. For different reasons, Benjamin points in a direction that is key to understanding the ideas that I will develop in this article:

Let us begin by developing the concept of the “aura” of a work of art. Benjamin is on the right track when he perceives the existence of an “energy” that emanates from an artwork. He attributes this energy to the cultural and historical background that attaches to each original work. He states that even the imperfections due to aging and wear form part of the work’s aura. It is logical, therefore, for Benjamin to consider that reproductions annihilate the aura because there are aspects of the original piece that are simply impossible to reproduce.

As I have insisted on my previous articles, “art is communication.” A work of art comes to life the moment there is communication between the work and its recipient. This communication is reflected in the impact that the work has over its beholder. The work of art is alive while this phenomenon takes place. The rest of the time, the work remains in an idle state. It has the potential to become art at any time.

I believe this potential is the aura of the work. When there is a connection between work and recipient, an auratic movement takes place. In other words, the potential energy of the aura becomes “kinetic aura” transporting all the elements of the work responsible for awakening in the recipient a wide variety of feelings, sensations, rational or subjective enjoyment, etc.

This potential energy has different gradations; that is, the aura of some works is more intense than others. Masterpieces contain a powerful aura while others, which should still be considered as works of art given their ability to communicate, have a weak aura capable of awakening just a fraction of what a “greater” work can produce.

The artist imprints the aura to his work during the creative process. This is where the soul of the work resides. The aura can reach out and touch our souls. Therein resides its power and unique capacity to move us in ways that we cannot describe rationally. I consider this to be what is most mysterious and fascinating about the phenomenon of artistic creation.

It is important to make a clear distinction between the concepts of “potential aura” and “kinetic aura”. The potential aura does not vary; it is linked to the work of art and it exists regardless of whether it is activated or not. On the other hand, the intensity of the kinetic aura depends on a number of factors. A work can have an enormous potential aura, and yet the communication with the recipient could produce an insignificant amount of kinetic aura, incapable of producing a substantial effect.

Let me illustrate this with a simple example. Let us suppose that we are in a crowded shopping mall, with reggaeton sounding at a high volume through the speakers system. You see someone approaching with a t-shirt that has an impeccable reproduction of the “Mona Lisa”. You had never seen that image before. It is more than likely that it would produce little or no impression on you. Benjamin would argue that this is a perfect example of how massive reproduction destroys the aura of works. However, if we could take this t-shirt to a room (always assuming that the reproduction is of the highest quality), lay it on a flat surface, hang it on the wall and create an appropriate environment with the correct illumination, probably a very effective artistic communication phenomenon would take place.

Thus, we see that the effectiveness of the artistic communication process or, in other words, the “intensity” of its “kinetic aura,” depends on factors that are not intrinsic to the original work of art. The “Mona Lisa” is “in essence” the same in the t-shirt as it is in the original painting at the Louvre museum. If we could move the painting from the Louvre and place it in an inappropriate setting, its kinetic aura would be severely diminished.

The effectiveness in the transformation of the potential aura depends on a number of factors. If we are talking about a reproduction, its quality is obviously fundamental. A poor, pixeled reproduction of the Mona Lisa will not generate a significant reaction even if we place it in the best possible environment. The disposition of the recipient is another key factor. Benjamin is quite right when he says that “art demands recollection.” And this is where the “ritual” becomes significant.

Benjamin links aura with ritual, and ritual, in turn, with tradition and culture. This is a very good observation:

We can see that Benjamin insists on the idea of attributing to the aura only the uniqueness implied in the original work of art. Following my line of argument, if we continue to assume that both the original work and its (quality) reproductions have potential aura, we can extrapolate what he says about the importance of the ritual. With all due respect, I will transform his phrase:

“The unique value of the “authentic” work of art is based in the ritual where it had its first and original useful value”

into

“the communicative capacity of a work of art depends on the disposition of the recipient and the conditions under which such communication is produced.”

Let us illustrate the importance of the ritual by reflecting on the resurgence of vinyl records. For many people, this revival has no logical explanation. It is even more puzzling in the case of modern recordings that live in the digital domain from the moment of their creation. Therefore, their migration to an analog domain cannot result in a significant change of their audio characteristics.

Sales of vinyl records continue to grow nevertheless, including new editions of works originally recorded analogically as well as new recordings, totally digital from beginning to end. We can find in the ritual an explanation to this phenomenon. The listening experience of a vinyl record involves a totally different disposition from the listener. This media facilitates a setting that favors listening with the appropriate state of recollection. If the listener’s disposition is correct, that is, if he does not play the record as background music but sits and listens to the music while examining the artwork, reading the lyrics, etc., the optimal conditions are created for the maximum transmission of kinetic aura. The listener can assimilate the totality of the work’s aura, all its auratic potential. For this listener, the experience is very different, much more intense, than when he listens to the digital version. Many attribute this difference to “something” in the analog environment that transforms the work. But, in the majority of cases, what happens is that when we listen to digital versions, we do so in a completely different setting: using headphones while riding on the bus or driving, for instance. Many are not conscious of the fact that the key is in the ritual, not in the audio characteristics.

I do not want to imply that there cannot be an effective communication when one listens to a CD or a downloaded file. But it is much less likely that the ideal conditions will be met for an effective communication. We listen to digital versions while moving from one place to another, or as background to other activities. It is true that many people listen to CDs the same way as those who collect vinyl records, but there is a subtle difference: those who listen to CDs in a recollected setting do so because they want to. Those who listen to a vinyl album in such an environment do so because they have to. You cannot listen to a vinyl record while riding a bus, for instance, and therein lies its major appeal.

I hope the above explanation shows the importance of the ritual. I do not link the ritual to its cultural, magical, religious or historic background, as Benjamin does. In my view, the ritual, in terms of its relationship with art, is nothing more than a set of characteristics (procedures and settings) that place the recipient in an adequate state of recollection to have the best possible disposition to undergo the act of communion with the artistic work.

I want to emphasize the words “disposition”, “communion” and “recollection,” because these words summarize well those aspects of humanity that are being dissolved in the “entertainment society,” as I described in my article The Cult to the Ephemeral and its effect on Art. Indeed, as Benjamin says:

I cannot extend on this statement without transforming it into an analysis of Walter Benjamin’s ideas. However, it is important to note that Benjamin’s notion of “art politicization” is closely linked to his Marxist vision of society, where what is most important is the day-to-day ordinary activities of the proletarian mass. Benjamin argues that the destruction of aura is a positive development since it allows art to be detached from its cultural and traditional context, transforming art into something that can be reused, reassembled, and recombined in a rhizomatic fashion.

Evidently, I strongly disagree with this position since I consider that this manipulation of art is heretic. But consistent with my determination to stay away from politics in these articles, I will just highlight that Benjamin, already back in 1936, was able to perceive the profound cultural changes that were about to occur at a great scale with the massification that occurred half a century later, propelled asymptotically by the Internet:

“Distraction” (or entertainment) as a type of social behavior.

Today we can say that entertainment has become a pattern of behavior that will be considered as one of the most important identity signs of society in the late XX and early XXI centuries.

We have seen that the manifestation of the artistic phenomena depends on the intensity of its aura and the recipient’s disposition. The ritual creates an appropriate environment for the disposition of the recipient, but, ultimately, his attitude is what determines the outcome. Even if one follows the ritual under a perfect setting, the intensity of the artistic manifestation will be diminished unless the disposition of the recipient is adequate. Now we can see the relevance of Benjamin’s quote introduced at the beginning of the article:

This idea reinforces the arguments exposed in The Cult to the Ephemeral and its effect on Art where I speak about the need to be more selective and not to fall into the temptation of becoming massive art consumers. Simply, we cannot be massive art consumers without reducing dramatically the kinetic aura and, therefore, greatly diminishing the manifestation of the artistic phenomenon as I understand it. If we could express this idea mathematically, the intensity of the artistic phenomenon as a result of adequately listening and assimilating a short selection of works would be greater than the result of “listening on the fly” to a large number of works. By “listening on the fly” I do not mean listening briefly to fragments of an album. In my opinion, listening to an album a couple of times, or maybe even more but while paying attention to other matters, is still “listening on the fly.” Listening to five different album, let us say, on a single day cannot produce an effective communication unless we are already wholly acquainted with each work and we have enough time to put all our attention to each listening session.

I insist on the need to be more selective. Do not try to listen to every new album on the market, but rather focus your attention on works whose style or authors are more akin to your aesthetic preferences. Of course, this does not mean that one should not be open to trying other styles, but always maintaining the motto: “less is more.”

A final note

A good friend of mine, while proofreading this article, came across this interesting video. The Washington Post decided to do an experiment and put the famous violinist Joshua Bell, with his $3.5 million dollar violin, on a Metro station during morning rush hour. Look at what happened:

The conclusions of the study were centered around topics such as whether beauty exists or not, or the current superficial approach to life, the rat race (much in line with my article The Cult to the Ephemeral and Its Effect on Art), the snobbish attitude towards classical music, etc. However, another explanation might be that the conditions were not met for an effective transformation of potential into kinetic aura. I argue that if we could place the same 1100 people in an appropriate setting (for example, a beautiful cathedral with an excellent acoustic) and Bell played exactly the same music, a much higher percentage would have been moved by Bach’s art even if the concert was free and nobody knew who the violinist was. What happened in the Metro, was that there was hardly any artistic manifestation at all in spite of the enormous potential aura of the work.

Let’s change the scene: Bell is not a violinist but rather an excellent art rock album urging fans for attention. And fans are rushing by the album while thinking: “I cannot spend so much time on you, there’s so much new music to be listened to….”.

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Welcome to the fourth edition of the Classic of the Month. Today we will submerge in the world of “Starless” by King Crimson.

As I mentioned in last month’s article Progressive Rock – a Misleading Tag one of the most prominent characteristics of this genre is, as a neo-baroque expression, the development of thematic material aimed at building one or several climaxes throughout the piece. Other 2 characteristics of neo-baroque that represent this genre very well and are key to the construction of “Starless” are:

• the aesthetic of repetition and variation
• a desire to evoke states of transcendence

“Starless” is a perfect example of how the use of repetition and variation, as well as harmonic resources, can be used to gradually build a series of climaxes. The obsessive repetition of single notes is hypnotic and helps to create a unique environment that naturally leads to the climaxes that have made this song an all-time classic.

Starless uses a couple of harmonic resources that are very common in progressive rock (and in classical music as well): harmonic pedals and a couple of cadences known as “deceptive” and “suspended”. But before we describe how these resources are used in the piece, we need first to make a crash course in basic principles of tonality.

Tonality and “expectation” go hand in hand. In the discussion that will follow, when I talk about “attraction” and “intensity of the attraction” what I mean is what our mind has been trained to “expect” and how “strong” this expectation is.

To describe tonality without having basic notions of music theory is tricky but let’s give it a shot. In order to achieve this, let’s think of notes as magnets with different intensities, and even different polarities. In my article Tonality and the Purpose of Life I explained that the way tonality is perceived is by creating a hierarchy of notes. So, once we perceive a tonal center, notes immediately have ranks assigned. Some are heavily attracted to the tonal center, others are attracted but to a lesser degree and this allows them to be used as pivotal points to modulate to other tonalities. And others are not attracted, quite the opposite, their polarity is reversed and tend to move away from the tonic. These notes, and the chords (that is, 3 or more notes played simultaneously) built around them are used to create dissonant chords.

In that article I also argue that the reason why tonal music has been so strongly engrained in our culture is because it has been able to create a frame of reference. In other words, we have been trained to “expect” an outcome when we hear a series of chords. Even if we have no music training, if we listen to this series of chords we automatically expect the outcome:

In tonal music, a cadence is a sequence of chords that concludes a musical phrase. When we hear a series of chords and expect the next one, what is happening in the background is that one of many different cadences is in action. These cadences have been used for centuries and are at the core of this “aural conditioning” that has built the tonal frame of reference in the western culture. When we hear the chord that we are expecting, probably a cadence known as “perfect” has occurred. What I played in the previous example, was a perfect cadence.

If, on the other hand, instead of the chord that you are expecting you hear another one, then you probably heard one of several cadences known as “interrupted” or “deceptive” cadences. Some “deceptive” cadences use a chord known as “Neapolitan 6th” for this purpose. Let me give you an example. First let’s listen to a perfect cadence:

In this case, I start in F, and play a couple of chords that lead me back to F, where I started. Straightforward and predictable.

Now let’s change this perfect cadence into a “deceptive” one, using the Neapolitan 6th chord. This chord is an example of many that can be used to move the tonal center. I will play the same F chord again and the first of the two chords used in the previous example. But then, at the third chord (0:03) you will hear the Neapolitan 6th. I will use it to move the tonal center. After playing two more chords, I will finish in B flat instead of F. So, I used the Neapolitan 6th chord to build a cadence that allowed me to modulate from one tone to another.

Let’s listen to this example by Camel, who uses the “Neapolitan 6th” in their suite “Harbour of Tears”:

Before moving on, let’s go a little further in the explanation of tonality. When we define a tonal center, the chord that sits on the tonal center is called “tonic”. The other chords are assigned ranks, whose names are suggestive of how closely related they are to the tonic. It may or may not explain why humans have adopted the tonal structure that we have, but the fact is that the second most important chord, in terms of its magnetic attraction to the tonic, is called “Dominant Chord” or “V”, which happens to match the first harmonic tone that appears in the harmonic series after the fundamental tone itself (and its octave). The magnetic attraction between the dominant and tonic is evident for all westerners.

As you will see, the note B, that sits next to the tonic: C, has an irresistible temptation to move towards the tonic.

This note is very important in the dominant chord because it can determine the 2 modes used extensively in Western music: major and minor.

Other chords have different rankings depending on how strongly they lead back to the tonic. The names are:

As I said, we have been conditioned to expect how these chords relate to each other, even with no music training.

One of the most famous sequence of chords is the one defined in Pachelbel’s canon in D Major. Most of you have probably seen this video where the comedian Rob Paravonian shows how this sequence of chords have been used and abused in every music genre. For those reading the article, here it is in case you have never seen it.

Playing with these harmonic expectations is the basis for the creation of tension and distension in tonal music. There are innumerable ways to disrupt cadences and to modulate from one tonal center to another. They require a good understanding of harmony and are far beyond the scope of this simple introduction. However, there is a resource that is very easy to construct and maybe that is why it has been used so extensively in progressive rock: harmonic pedals.

A very important note in any chord is the first, or lowest, because it helps identify the tonal center. In a simple chord, here it is:

To see how important it is, let me play the same tonic – dominant chord, playing the bass at a higher volume,

Now listen to what happens if I invert the order of the bass note:

This harmonic resource is used very frequently by prog composers like Tony Banks.

A harmonic pedal is built by keeping the bass note constant while changing the harmony. Examples in progressive rock are countless. So, let me give you an example in classical music. This is how it is used by Rachmaninov in his Piano Concerto No. 2 Opus 18 in C minor. The piece starts with a harmonic pedal but not in the tonic but instead the subdominant: F. Before introducing the main theme, it moves to the dominant (G) and ends in C, the tonic, and the main theme is introduced. Listen to the first 30 seconds in this interpretation by Anna Fedorova and the North West German Philharmonic conducted by Martin Panteleev:

The coda of the second movement is one of the most beautiful passages that I have ever listened to. The harmonic pedal moves effortlessly until it is kept steady in the end. For those of you reading the article and watching the video examples, notice at 00:37 that the double bass players are playing the E note in the air. This is the lowest pitch of the instrument. Their left hand is resting in the body of the instrument. This harmonic pedal is kept until the end of the movement only interrupting the pedal for a moment, when the soloist plays the dominant (B) to finish the piece in the tonic: E.

The following is a good example of both resources – harmonic pedal and deceptive cadence, used in conjunction.

This is the coda of Triptych – Noon Mist published in issue #2 of Phaedrus. Notice that the bass keeps a constant note “A” – the harmonic pedal. It runs through three complete cycles; the third chord prepares a return to the tonic but the fourth chord breaks the cycle – a deceptive cadence. The fourth and final time, the harmony finally resolves but in “A” Major instead of “a” minor. Let’s listen to it:

Sometimes the harmonic pedal expands, forming a chord that remains static, building tension and a hypnotic atmosphere until the chord finally resolves. Pink Floyd use this resource masterfully in “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”. At the beginning of the piece, the pedal is kept for more than 2 minutes (I mean in the original piece, not this fragment) before resolving (1:11). For 30 seconds the tonal center moves, and in 2:13 another static pedal section starts, beneath the famous 4-note motif played by the guitar. Notice the very different character of these 4 notes when, at 3:18 it finally resolves:

We are now prepared to take on the analysis of Starless.

In Starless, another type of cadence called “suspended” is used very effectively. In this case, what happens is that you are not thrown off in another direction like in the case of a “deceptive” cadence but rather almost come to conclusion, but not quite. You are left suspended, very close to the real resolution, but not there yet.

Let me play for you the opening measures so you can easily identify where the suspended cadence is.

The cadence is suspended by keeping the harmonic pedal; in other words, by not moving the bass to the tonic. Even though the section is in G minor, the bass note is playing a D and keeps that note creating a harmonic pedal that doesn’t resolve as one would expect. For those with music knowledge, you will see that the D in the bass creates the second inversion of the G minor chord:

The natural cadence would be this:

Those of you who know the piece well, will have already detected what I am about to say: this cadence is not resolved until the very end of the piece. Let’s listen to all the sections where this cadence appears:

And in the end of the piece (between 00:12 and 00:13 in the example) it finally resolves:

Let’s go through the piece analyzing its structure. Eric Tamm in his article “From Crimson King to Crafty Master” states that Starless is in a loose Sonata form. I disagree because in my opinion the only aspect in common with a Sonata form is that the piece has 2 themes and a long development section. It is true, as he claims, that modern sonatas don’t follow the format following the strict classical rules; for example, in the 20th century, it is common to present the 2 themes on unrelated tonalities, however, the fundamental characteristic of a Sonata form is the development of the themes presented during the exposition. This doesn’t happen in Starless, aside from the fact that the horn briefly presents the vocal theme in the middle of the “C” development. But let’s discuss this as we move through the piece. In my opinion, the structure is:

A (twice) – B (twice with a short interlude) – A (once) – B (once) – C (instrumental – independent development with an interlude that re-exposes B) – A’

The C section leads to the recapitulation of “A” labelled A’ because, as described earlier, the cadence is finally resolved.

Section A

Under a straight 4/4 rhythm, the section presents 2 themes, the first one is based on mellotron strings and the second introduces a guitar based melody. The second time, the guitar moves up an octave when playing the second theme.

Section B

This is the only vocal section of the piece. It has a single theme, backed by embellishments provided by the saxophone. As in section A, it is also in G minor. These are the lyrics:

Sundown dazzling day
Gold through my eyes
But my eyes turned within
Only see
Starless and bible black

Ice blue silver sky
Fades into grey
To a grey hope that omens to be
Starless and bible black

Old friend charity
Cruel twisted smile
And the smile signals emptiness
For me
Starless and bible black

It would appear that these lyrics present a reflection on the fact that reality is dependent on our interpretation of what we perceive. The scene depicted can be interpreted in opposite ways.

The lyrics provide three interpretations of what is being perceived, that would likely come from a person with a profound depression:

In the middle of a “dazzling dusk” with “gold pouring through my eyes”, my eyes turn within and I only see “Starless and Bible Black”.

As dusk approaches (Ice blue silver sky, fades into grey), the shades of grey are interpreted as an omen of a dark and ominous future.

The smile of a friend is perceived as charity, the smile turns into a twisted and cruel grin. His smile transforms into emptiness within.

But, from a different perspective, the scene could have been: On a bright afternoon, oblique sunbeams project a special light, as one sees a good friend approaching us while he smiles. Soon the sun disappears giving rise to a beautiful landscape of colors that slowly turn into grey.

Of course, the music of “Starless” would not have provided a good setting for this second interpretation…

Notice that the main vocal theme is repeated twice. The first time, a deceptive cadence in the phrase “Bible Black” is used to prepare the repetition, the second time, it resolves. When the vocal theme is presented again, the deceptive cadence reappears in 0:26, moving the tonality to C (that is, modulating to C) and setting the scene for the long instrumental section.

Section C

The first thing to notice, is that C section is based on a 13/8 metric. I will put a few measures so you can try to count them. The way to know when the measure ends, is when the bass figure starts again.

In case you couldn’t identify the beats, let me count them for you:

The “C” section is in C minor, so the tonal center is around C. Let’s see how tension is built in this section.

The bass pattern presents the main resource used in Starless to create tension: After playing the tonic “C”, it sits for a while on F# before moving to G (the dominant) and then back to C through E flat. The interval between C and F# is made up of three whole tones and is usually referred to as a “Tritone”. The Tritone is traditionally known in music as the “diabolus in musica” (The Devil in music). By the way, the Tritone is used extensively in progressive rock. This single note, F#, immediately starts to build tension in this section of Starless.

The first repetitive note in the guitar is a G, which is the dominant of C and therefore builds a very stable and consonant chord.

The bass moves to F, the subdominant of C, which is a standard harmonic sequence, but keeps the same pattern, this time creating the Tritone between F and B.

While this is happening in the bass, the guitar picks a note none other than F#; that is, the same Tritone from C introduced previously by the bass. So, we are now confronted with a tonal ambiguity: Are we still in C or did we move to F? So, even if you have absolutely no training in music, as a listener, you already start to feel uneasy in your chair, just a few seconds into section C:

The guitar goes back to G, and the bass back to its pattern on C. So, everything would point back to stability if it weren’t for the stringent B, slightly out of tune moving down towards B flat, and then played an octave higher but in B flat, also a bit out of tune and moving up towards B. In the context of the tritone played by the bass, this ambiguous note that moves between B and B flat works as a catapult and throws you right into a starless void. And we’ re are only 35 seconds into section C … Remember that, in addition to this, we are still moving under a 13/8 metric.

Finally, both bass and guitar play the G note (the dominant of C), and the tension built is relaxed because we move back to C, as we are all expecting, in order to start the cycle once again. Notice that this passage is on 4/4. So, in every cycle, when we reach G, the metric changes to 4 beats and back to 13 when the next cycle begins.

On the second cycle, you hear a couple of wood blocks. They are played in 4/8 not in 13/8. Therefore, they start to shift as the cycle progresses. Try to count them. Also, the guitar, always in obsessive single note repetition, starts moving up the C scale until it reaches B. In the tonality of C, B is the note most heavily attracted to C, so when the bass moves to C, we are expecting the guitar to do the same, but instead, it stays on B. This is the beginning of the section that builds the famous Starless climax:

On the third cycle, the drums finally come into play, as the guitar continues to obsessively play B instead of C. Notice that, at the end of the previous cycle, the wood blocks play a few irregular beats and when the drum pattern settles, the wood blocks go in patterns of 3, instead of 4.

Bruford masterfully starts building tension as the guitar ascends: C, D, E flat, F, F# while gradually transforming from a clean to a distorted sound, and we reach a first climax plateau when in the fourth cycle, the guitar reaches G (1:10 in the example), but gliding back and forth between F# (the tritone) and G. In this fourth cycle, the drum is at full force, with clever percussion embellishments. The guitar again goes back to the Tritone, as in the beginning of the section, but an octave higher and keeping the distortion as opposed to the clean sound that appeared in the beginning of section C. Let’s listen to the third and fourth cycles:

We reach an interlude in 4/4, where two syncopated guitars support the lead guitar as it ascends. For those of you with more music knowledge, notice that additional tension is achieved by using a whole-tone scale as it moves up an octave from “G” to “G”.

We reach the second climax plateau when the sax improvisation starts, while the rhythm returns to 13 beats, but doubling the speed using sixteenth notes. The improvisation lasts for 2 full cycles. Notice that between the 2 cycles, the metric goes to 4/4, letting a bit of breathing space before returning to the 13/16 metric. The guitar chords signal the beginning of each measure, both 13/16 and 4/4:

Another interlude appears, based on an instrumental version of section “B” with an oboe and a cornet instead of the voice.

We finally reach the next to last climax plateau and the longest one: for two full cycles, doubling the speed of the initial section C, the guitar stays obsessively moving from G to F# (the tritone). Bass and drums at full force, and a second rhythm guitar further contributes to this sonic tsunami.

Section A’

The last cycle leads to the re-exposition of theme “A”, this time finally resolving the cadence, as we saw previously. The moment when this cadence is resolved, at 0:33, represents to me the final and most intense climax of the piece:

Resources

All “Starless” musical examples have been taken from my personal copy of Red, based on the original master published in 1974.

The Neapolitan 6th example is taken from the suite “Harbor of Tears” included in the live album double CD “Coming of Age” by Camel.

The Pink Floyd example is an extract of “Shine on you Crazy Diamond”, included in the album “Wish you were Here”.

Background music

I use a couple of songs from the album “Elixir” by “Varga Janos Project”:

• Eldorado
• Rozsak A Folyon

And also the piece “Tango” from the album “Beau Soleil” by the band “Philharmonie”.

Here’s the entire Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 Opus 18 in C minor interpreted by Anna Fedorova and the North West German Philharmonic conducted by Martin Panteleev:

There are many cover versions of this piece. My favorite is this live version by the Hungarian band “After Crying” featuring John Wetton.

There are countless versions of Starless in the web, so I chose the latest incarnation of King Crimson which, at the time of writing of this article, is the “Radical Action to Unseat the Hold of Monkey Mind” (2015/2016)

As we can see, Ouroboros can be seen to represent a number of things: the cyclic nature of existence, duality, infinity and, most of all, the concept that the only thing that remains constant in the universe, is change. This concept can be represented perfectly by using a form know in music as “Theme and Variations”. Under this form, a Theme is presented and undergoes a series of variations, some of which can be so elaborated, that it is hard to identify the original theme.

“Ouroboros” presents 7 variations and a coda. The form of the piece is:

Intro – Theme – Var 1 …… Var 7 – Coda

The following chart shows when each section starts (in parenthesis) followed by its duration:
Ouroboros (Theme & Variations) (C. Plaza) – 16:03

• Theme – 1:41
• Variation I (1:42) – 0:46
• Variation II (2:28) – 1:04
• Variation III (3:32) – 0:38
• Variation IV (4:10) – 1:29
• Variation V (5:39) – 0:39
• Variation VI (6:18) – 2:44
• Variation VII (9:02) – 4:10
• Coda (13:12) – 2:51

In the examples, the timing without parenthesis is with respect to the whole piece. The timing in parenthesis shows when the alluded comment happens in the audio fragment.

Theme

The theme picked for Ouroboros is built in such a way that it can be easily recognized through its different variations. The piece starts with a metric of 12/8, that is, 4 groups of 3 beats. It can be counted easily if you follow the bass. The theme stands out clearly at 0:59 after the introduction:

The theme is repeated several times, with the guitar and synth playing at an interval of a Major 3rd. Notice that on 1:20 a supporting theme appears played by a string section.

Variation #1

This first variation is based on a polyrhythmic pattern. The drums play on 4/4, the guitar and strings keep the original 12/8 metric, and the bass plays a 13/8 pattern. As a result, there is a rhythmic displacement and all parts start to gradually move their accents to different places. The guitar introduces the theme and as it introduces the variation in 1:53 (0:09), it gradually moves towards the 13/8 metric of the bass, that starts to dominate. Therefore, the final measure of this variation ends with the bass, creating a sensation of leaving things “in the air” because the variation stops in the third beat of the 12/8.

Variation #2

This variation signals the start of another complex rhythmic section. Instead of modifying the theme, this variation is based on placing the theme under a different harmonic and rhythmic context. The beginning is on a fast paced 4 beat pattern, and when the theme is presented, the band shifts back to 12/8. Notice that at the beginning of the variation, the bass presents a motif that works as a contraction of the rhythmic structure of the theme. The synth joins the bass to form an interplay with parallel high and low pitches performance of the motif.

At 2:44 (0:16) the drum introduces a highly-syncopated pattern, sitting on what is already a complex syncopated structure built by the keyboards and the bass. As explained in Folkloric Rhythms in the Music of Kotebel, the drum pattern is based on an Afro-Venezuelan rhythm called “Luango”. The supporting theme starts at 3:18 (0:50) and is expanded.

Variation #3

This is a short variation where the initial bass pattern and timpani reappear. A harmonic pedal is introduced which a changing harmony, on top of which the guitar develops a lyrical transformation that leads to the fourth variation.

Variation #4

This is a keyboards-only variation. An arpeggiator is used in conjunction with a rich string pad to provide the base on which a synth creates a melody in fantasy form. The harmony turns more obscure as the section progresses until at 5:00 (0:50) the theme appears played by the synth while a stringent guitar repeatedly plays A and B flat, contributing to increase the harmonic dissonance of the passage. Many things are happening from a harmonic point of view, but are beyond the scope of this discussion. However, you may notice that the final chord in the variation is a polytonal chord that condenses the chords used in the previous passage.

Variation #5

A variation of the theme is immediately presented by the guitar. Notice the interplay between the bass and the piano. Both are playing unrelated syncopated patterns, but the cowbell in strict 4/4 helps bind everything together. At 6:00 (0:21) the piano joins the guitar in the development of the theme in preparation for the next variation, that starts with a piano solo.

Variation #6

The piano builds several complex harmonic chords by sequentially adding notes, and then changes to an ostinato arpeggio on top of which an augmented version of the theme is presented. Notice the theme is presented at half the speed and becomes a harmonic embellishment instead of the main melody. A new melody, inspired by the theme now working as a harmonic platform, is played by the synth and starts to build a climax until at 8:06 (1:49) the synth gives way to an extended guitar solo, inspired in the main theme. A snare drum with a march pattern contributes to build the momentum, paving the way for the longest and most intense variation: variation # 7. But first, let’s listen to variation # 6:

Variation #7

This variation alone lasts over 4 minutes. In this case, instead of a variation of the theme, this is really a development of it. The theme is expanded beyond the initial motif. In a way, Variation # 7 can be seen as the development section of the previous variations because it presents and expands what transpired earlier in terms of syncopation, harmony and instrumentation. This section is one of the most intense on all of Kotebel’s discography. The section that starts at 12:09 (3:08) finally shows the theme in all its extension building the final climax of the piece. The synth retakes the original main theme for the last time, before reaching the Coda.

Coda

The Coda is not based on variations of the original theme but rather on variations of the expanded theme as presented in variation # 7. It initially states new musical ideas which gradually transform into some of the developments presented in variation # 7. For example, in 15:07 (6:05), it creates a direct flashback to the syncopated section introduced in 9:35 (0:33), when the expansion of the original theme is exposed for the first time. Approaching the end of the piece, two fragments from variation # 7 are used as a final recapitulation: at 15:19 (6:17) a modified version of the piano passage presented in 10:00 (0:58) and the closing fragment at 15:32 (6:30) based on 11:25 (2:25).

Variation # 7 and the Coda account for approximately 40% of the whole piece. Let’s listen to them:

This is the MIDI template of the piece exactly as I originally conceived it, before sharing it with the other band members. It is a good example that shows the importance of the contribution of the rest of the band when working the arrangements. In addition to the guitar solo of Variation # 6, written by César, notice the innumerable contributions, especially the radical changes introduced in Variation # 2:

This is a video of Kotebel’s performance of Ouroboros at Silver Elephant, during Kotebel’s Japan tour in the summer of 2009. There is a version of this video at a lower resolution in the Internet, but this previously unreleased version includes Variation # 3 as well as the entire Coda:

Credits

Song written by Carlos G. Plaza Vegas. Guitar solo on Variation # 6 by César G. Forero. Arrangements by Carlos G. Plaza and Kotebel.

Carlos Franco: Drums and percussion
César G. Forero: Guitars
Jaime Pascual Summers: Bass
Adriana Plaza Engelke: Keyboards
Carlos G. Plaza Vegas: Keyboards

© 2009 Carlos G. Plaza Vegas. All rights reserved.

Todd Rundgren is a very prolific artist, with a wide discography not only as musician but also as a producer of known acts like Grand Funk Railroad, Hall & Oats, Meatloaf, among others. In 1974 he adventured into the realm of progressive rock and published “Utopia”, first album of this homonymous band.

The piece “Utopia” is presented in a live version, and has a duration of over 14 minutes. It has all the elements of excellent progressive and this piece alone would warrant a recommendation. But where I want to focus your attention is in the piece “Freak Parade”. The treatment of the vocal melodies and the arrangement is vert avant-garde even by the standards set by the great progressive bands of the moment. The piece “The Ikon”, with a duration of 30 minutes (amazing that they could fit it in the B side of the original vinyl edition) completes this excellent album.

Here’s a link to a live performance in 2011 of the entire “Utopia” album:

The following year, Rundgren released a solo album, also well ingrained in the progressive rock style, titled “Initiation”. The homonymous piece and “Born to Synthesize” are in my opinion the best in the album. In the case of “Born to Synthesize” one has to keep in mind that this production was made in 1975; therefore, all the effects were created by using analogic resources.

This is a live version of “Initiation”

Initiation

Born to Synthesize