In this episode you’ll hear from Professor Vasili Byros from Northwestern University about his experience as a period composer. Vasili talks about his 18th century musical diet and how the compositional process of composers like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven was related to jazz and pop music of today more than you may think!

Music for this episode was from Vasili's compositions:

"Fuga in B Minor" vimeo.com/85967917

"Prelude in D Minor" www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.15.21.…xamples.php?id=32

You can find Vasili's complete bio and more at his website: www.vasilibyros.com

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Vasili Byros is chair of the department of music studies and coordinator, advanced music theory curriculum (undergraduate) at Northwestern University. Professor Byros researches the compositional and listening practices of the long 18th century as linguistic and cultural pursuits, drawing on frameworks in music theory, history, and cognitive and social psychology, in order to reconstruct “insider” perspectives on music of the period. Byros’ research has dealt with issues of key perception and tonality, interactions between local and large-scale musical grammars, intersections between syntax and semantics, and musical communication (musical wit and humor in Mozart, and spiritual abnegation in Beethoven). 
His work takes a holistic view of the musical languages of the long 18th century, combining viewpoints from schema theory, Formenlehre, topic theory, and historical pedagogies. Along these lines, Professor Byros is currently working on a book project that examines musical creativity in the long eighteenth century from theoretical, analytic, and artistic/practical vantage points. In recent years, Byros has been developing period (or historically informed) approaches to composition, with period compositions of his own, as extensions of his work in historically informed listening, while drawing parallels with historically informed performance. 
He is also coordinator and course-designer of the advanced music theory curriculum at Northwestern, which is based on 18th-century period composition. Additional recent teaching includes upper-level and graduate courses on subjects ranging from classical form and advanced tonal analysis, to seminars on schema theory and historical informed musicking.

Episode 2: Creating Music in Old Styles with Vasili Byros

The International Music Foundation is dedicated to presenting free high-quality classical music performances and music education experiences in the Chicago metropolitan area for people of all ages and degrees of musical awareness so they can experience how music enriches life.

Episode 2: Creating Music in Old Styles with Vasili Byros

Rob Yaple