Rhythm-symposium

Rhythm Symposium
LCM Composition, in collaboration with LCM Live, is pleased to present Rhythm Symposium, a study day dedicated to rhythm in composition, performance and theory, encompassing a conference of academic talks, lecture recitals, and live performances. The Rhythm Symposium will be held at London College of Music, University of West London, on the 3rd of February 2022. Further information and details can be found on the official event page LCM Rhythm Symposium.

Call for Papers

 * Deadline for submissions: Friday 17th December 2021
 * Date of Symposium: Thursday 3rd of February 2022
 * Organization: LCM Composition, London College of Music, University of West London
 * Contact email:
 * Dr. Simone Spagnolo: simone.spagnolo@uwl.ac.uk
 * Henry Taylor: 21367991@student.uwl.ac.uk
 * Leonardo Landini: 21335708@student.uwl.ac.uk

Context and Scope
‘Everyone agrees: it is difficult to talk about rhythm in music’ (Caplin, 2002) but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. The Aristoxenans, who existed around 350 B.C. in ancient Greece, believed that music consisted of two foundational elements: melos, which refers to scales, intervals, orchestration and vocalization, and rhythmos, which gave strength and form to melos (Williams, 1911). The Aristoxenans took great care to develop a set of theories that expressed, among other things, rhythm and their ideas and laws surrounding its organization. Unfortunately, these theories were partly forgotten when, later in history, the church deemed music not an artistic expression, but exclusively as vehicle to relay religious text and teachings, and many of the ancient Greek musical practices faded away. (Ibid) More recently, and with the rediscovery of Aristoxean theories, modern theorists such as Harald Krebs and Maury Yeston have written rare tomes dedicated specifically to the investigation of how musical rhythm ‘works’, leading Yeston to promote the development of a ‘general theory of rhythm’ (Yeston, 1976). Though progress is being made, it has been slow. Musical form, harmony, melody and texture continue to be centerpieces of conversation in theoretical circles, and while these elements are important, not fully considering the role of rhythmos leaves us with an incomplete, non-holistic understanding of our music. Terms such as ‘metrical dissonance’ remain illusive to many, and ideas and theories concerning how rhythm contributes to the construction of music remains relatively undeveloped in many musical analyses, textbooks, and theoretical papers. In a 2002 paper titled Theories of Musical Rhythm in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries William Caplin states that ‘the language of time and rhythm is complex, contentious, and highly metaphorical’ and thus, our understanding of rhythm remains opaque because of it (Caplin, 2002). We must thoroughly investigate important questions such as ‘what is an accent?’, and ‘do the groupings of measures create a sense of larger-scale rhythm?’ among many others in order to gain a better understanding of the ‘pathology of musical rhythm’ (ibid; Krebs, 1999). This symposium aims to promote a critical investigation into granularities of rhythmic function. For instance: what functions different rhythms could possibly have? How do these functions relate to one another? And how does rhythm fit in with the harmonic, melodic, performance and textural elements of music? Most relevantly, how does rhythm mean, and how can we use it as a vehicle to signify? We are calling for papers related to the study, composition and performance of rhythm. This symposium aims to draw upon a wide variety of fresh, cultural and scholarly perspectives in relation to rhythm in music, contribute valuable research to this field, and enable students to explore intellectual matters through both academic and performative exchanges.

Proposals
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit proposals for:


 * Individual Papers (20 minutes + 10 minutes for Q&A)
 * Lecture Recitals (20 minute lecture + 10 minutes for Q&A)
 * Group Presentations (20 minutes + 10 minutes for Q&A)
 * Academic Posters (A3 Poster + 10-minute presentation)

Proposal submissions for the Rhythm Symposium may include, but are not limited to:
 * Rhythm in composition (concert, film and theatre composition)
 * Rhythmic analysis and/or theory
 * Rhythm in performance (musical and non-musical performance; we are happy to consider proposal regarding rhythm within the performing arts in toto)

Please submit as follows, including name, institution (if applicable), email address and AV requirements (if any).


 * Individual Papers and Lecture Recitals: up to 250-word abstract and 250-word biography;
 * Group Presentation: up to 250-word abstract and 250-word biography for each presenter;
 * Academic Poster: up to 250-word abstract and 250-word biography.

Your proposal has to be sent via email to:
 * Dr. Simone Spagnolo: simone.spagnolo@uwl.ac.uk;
 * Henry Taylor: 21367991@student.uwl.ac.uk;
 * Leonardo Landini: 21335708@student.uwl.ac.uk

Essential References

 * Caplin, W. 2002. Theories of musical rhythm in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, in T. Christensen (ed.), ‘The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory’ (The Cambridge History of Music, pp. 657-694). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 * Williams, C. 1911. The Aristoxenian Theory of Musical Rhythm (reprint). Miami, FL: HardPress Publishing, 2013. Yeston, M. 1978. The Stratification of Musical Rhythm. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
 * Krebs, H. 1999. Fantasy Pieces: Metrical Dissonance in the Music of Robert Schumann. New York: Oxford University Press.