Kodály's Works for Piano: Comments on Technical Features and Historical Contexts

There is a gap separating Kodály's Seven Pieces for Piano, op. 11 from his Nine Pieces for Piano, op. 3. The differences of style, structure, and texture cannot be explained in terms of development, let alone progress in any sense. With op. 11, Kodály undertakes a shift of paradigms from instrumental principles to a kind of vocal orientation within instrumental music. Op. 3 stands in the tradition of autonomous instrumental music, of Liszt and French music in particular, and displays similarities to early piano works by Bartók. In op. 11, that instrumental paradigm and its core principle of indirect expression are called into question. Instead Kodály aims at direct expression, vocality on the piano. Since a piano cannot sing, the pieces op. 11 can be seen as failing in terms of Classical-Romantic composing standards. This paper argues that in dealing with the distinction between instrumental and vocal music, Kodály takes up a major topic of Musical Modernism (Carl Dahlhaus) and exposes himself deliberately to the risky question of “When is Art?” (Nelson Goodman)

A grammatical description of Golpa: a dying Yolnu language

This thesis is the first detailed description of Golpa, a seriously endangered Yolŋu language that is still proudly spoken by very few people on Elcho Island, in the north eastern corner of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. Only one the remaining speakers is still fluent. Yolŋu languages belong to the Pama-Nyungan language family. Within the Yolŋu language bloc Golpa is counted among the Nhaŋu language varieties which have received the leat linguistic attention. Nhaŋu used to be spoken by a number of clans all along the Wessel Islands. The Golpa clan is the only one left from these Nhaŋu speaking Wessel clans. Other Nhaŋu varieties are spoken westwards towards Milingimbi and Maningrida. However, they differ from Golpa (and presumably also from the other already extinct and not documented Wessel Island Nhaŋu varieties) in regard to their lexical and grammatical inventory. The grammatical description is based on the analysis of the morphological and syntactic constructions exhibited in the created text corpus and on data obtained in the course of elicitation. Some data was collected by observing actual conversations in Golpa. The description mainly rests upon data obtained from two fluent speakers and two semi-speakers. Therefore, this grammatical account differs from descriptions based on data from many speakers in a lively speech community. Like other Yolŋu languages, Golpa is typologically agglutinative, synthetic and predominantly dependent marking, showing no required order for S, A, V or O. Yolŋu languages mainly differ from each other in regard to their verbal systems. This is also the case when comparing Golpa with other Yolŋu varieties. However, unlike all other languages in that region, Golpa does not have any auxiliaries. Also, there are some distinct grammatical phenomena which appear to be related, at least to some degree, to the infrequent use of the language and the obsolescence process. It is remarkable that despite the very small number of (semi-)speakers and the limited use of the language over the past decades, Golpa still is a fully functional language with no pathological signs. It still shows a great amount of complexity and a large number of categories.Diese Arbeit ist die erste grammatische Beschreibung der Golpa Sprache. Golpa ist eine akut vom Aussterben bedrohte Yolŋu Sprache, die nur noch von sehr wenigen Klanmitgliedern auf Elcho Island gesprochen wird. Die Insel befindet sich im äußersten Nordosten von Arnhem Land im Northern Territory, Australien. Nur noch einer der verbleibenden Sprecher beherrscht die Sprache fließend. Yolŋu Sprachen gehören der Pama-Nyungan Sprachfamilie an. Innerhalb der Yolŋu Sprachen zählt Golpa zu den Nhaŋu Mundarten. Diese sind am wenigsten beschrieben. Nhaŋu wurde von einer Reihe von Klans auf den Wessel Islands gesprochen. Von diesen existiert nur noch der Golpa Klan. Weitere Nhaŋu Mundarten werden weiter westlich bei Milingimbi und Maningrida gesprochen. Allerdings unterscheiden sich diese sowohl hinsichtlich des Vokabulars als auch hinsichtlich einer Reihe von grammatischen Elementen von Golpa (und wahrscheinlich auch von den anderen bereits toten und nicht dokumentierten Wessel Island Nhaŋu Mundarten, zu denen Golpa gehört). Die grammatische Beschreibung basiert auf der Analyse von morphologischen und syntaktischen Konstruktionen, die dem selbst aufgebauten Textkorpus entnommen oder durch Elizitationstechniken gewonnen worden sind. Einige wenige Daten sind auch durch Beobachtung von Konversationen in Golpa gesammelt worden. Nahezu alle Daten stammen von lediglich zwei fließenden Sprechern und zwei Semisprechern. Diese Golpa Grammatik ist daher nicht mit Beschreibungen zu vergleichen, die auf Daten von einer Vielzahl von Sprechern aus einer lebendigen und dynamischen Sprachgemeinschaft beruhen. Wie andere Yolŋu Sprachen auch ist Golpa eine agglutinierend-synthetische Sprache, die vorwiegend grammatische Relationen an der NP ausdrückt (dependent-marking) und keine rigide Satzstellung aufweist. Yolŋu Sprachen unterscheiden sich generell vor allem im Verbalsystem voneinander. Golpa weicht hier allerdings erheblich von anderen Yolŋu Sprachen ab, da es keine Auxiliare hat. Auch weist Golpa eine Reihe von grammatischen Merkmalen auf, die, zumindest teilweise, auf die recht eingeschränkte Nutzung der Sprache und den damit verbundenen Sprachabbauprozess zurückzuführen sind. Bemerkenswert ist, dass trotz aller Sprachabbaumerkmale, einer enorm kleinen Sprecherzahl und einem seit mehreren Jahrzehnten anhaltenden eingeschränkten Sprachgebrauchs im Grunde keine pathologischen Kennzeichen offenbar wurden. Golpa ist nach wie vor eine voll funktionstüchtige Sprache mit viel Komplexität und einer großen Zahl an Kategorien

Nature-based solutions for sustainable, resilient, and equitable cities

Nature-based Solutions for Cities brings diverse perspectives from across the globe together to describe the state of the art in advancing nature-based solutions (NBS) for cities. Our goal is to provide a handbook for graduate students, early-career professionals, and emerging and advanced scholars to begin working with NBS in ways that consider multiple perspectives, disciplines, and ways of knowing. Together, the chapters in this book aim at understanding how NBS can be better managed, planned, and engaged with, and to center questions of NBS for whom and for what NBS are planned and implemented in cities. Through chapters led by experts in both global south and north contexts, we describe key knowledge and learning for advancing the interdisciplinary science of NBS in, for, and with cities and discuss the frontiers for next-generation NBS

Parks Under Stress: Air Temperature Regulation of Urban Green Spaces Under Conditions of Drought and Summer Heat

In times of urbanization and climate change, urban green spaces and their ecosystem services are pivotal for adapting to extreme weather events such as heat and drought. But what happens to the provision of ecosystem services when green spaces themselves are compromised by heat and drought? In this study, we assessed the air temperature regulation by two structurally distinct inner-city parks in Leipzig, Germany, that were strongly affected by the heat and drought periods in 2018 and 2019. We used a dense network of in-situ measurements and machine learning to create spatially explicit maps of air temperature distribution at a fine-scale neighborhood level for a 24 h period during the summer heat wave in 2019. The results showed that the larger, tree-dominated park could maintain spaces of relative coolness at any time, whereas the other rather open, grass-dominated park was strongly heated during the daytime but provided relatively cool air during the night and early morning. We found a maximum spatially averaged cooling effect of green spaces versus the built-up surroundings of 1.1°C in the morning. In the afternoon, however, when air temperatures peaked at nearly 40°C, cooling was limited to shaded areas, leading to average differences between green spaces and built-up surroundings below 1°C. Our spatially explicit maps indicated that the “cooling distances” of green spaces, i.e., cooling effects that extend beyond the boundaries of a park, are negligible during dry and hot conditions. We conclude that vegetation structure, particularly the configuration of trees, is key to designing heat and drought-resilient green spaces and thus maintaining ecosystem service provision under the challenges of climate change. Urban planning needs to account for larger green spaces that are complemented by decentralized, well-distributed small-scale green infrastructure that intersperses the built infrastructure such as roadside greenery and vegetated backyards.Peer Reviewe

Wrapping of Web Sources with restricted Query Interfaces by Query Tunneling

AbstractInformation sources in the World Wide Web usually offer two different schemes to their users, an Interface Schema which the user can query and a Result Schema which the user can browse. Often the Interface Schema is more restricted than the Result Schema, moreover many sources offer keyword-search interfaces only. Thus query capabilities of such sources are very small and a useful integration into a mediator-based information system using query capabilities is almost impossible. We propose the Query Tunnelling architecture for the wrapping of these restricted web sources. Wrapping of sources by Query Tunneling hides restrictive query interfaces and makes such sources fully queryable based on their result schema. The process of Query Tunneling is divided into two main steps, Query Relaxation to make a higher order query suitable to a restricted interface and Result Restriction in order to filter the results using the original query

Towards mainstreaming nature-based solutions for achieving biodiverse, resilient, and inclusive cities

Reconnecting humanity to the biosphere must be a focus in cities. Transforming cities to be inclusive, equitable, resilient, and sustainable requires rethinking our relationship to nature, and investing in urban development, design, and governance that brings nature into the center. We provide seven key insights drawn from the chapters in this book: (1) put nature-based solutions (NBS) first in adaptation to climate change in cities; (2) make equity and justice central in the design, planning, management, and governance of NBS in cities; (3) ensure biodiversity is a priority in urban planning for NBS; (4) employ and design NBS to improve human health in cities; (5) realize NBS in cities with inclusive urban planning and innovative governance approaches that respond to local context dynamics; (6) assess the holistic value of urban nature to make a case for NBS in cities; and (7) bring art into NBS and position art as a NBS in cities

Nature-Based Solutions for Cities

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly being adopted to address climate change, health, and urban sustainability, yet ensuring they are effective and inclusive remains a challenge. Addressing these challenges through chapters by leading experts in both global south and north contexts, this forward-looking book advances the science of NBS in cities and discusses the frontiers for next-generation urban NBS

Patterns of Urban Green Space Use Applying Social Media Data: A Systematic Literature Review

Scientific interest in the potential of urban green spaces, particularly urban parks, to improve health and well-being is increasing. Traditional research methods such as observations and surveys have recently been complemented by the use of social media data to understand park visitation patterns. We aimed to provide a systematic overview of how social media data have been applied to identify patterns of urban park use, as well as the advantages and limitations of using social media data in the context of urban park studies. We used the PRISMA method to conduct a systematic literature analysis. Our main findings show that the 22 eligible papers reviewed mainly used social media data to analyse urban park visitors’ needs and demands, and to identify essential park attributes, popular activities, and the spatial, social, and ecological coherence between visitors and parks. The review allowed us to identify the advantages and limitations of using social media data in such research. These advantages include a large database, real-time data, and cost and time savings in data generation of social media data. The identified limitations of using social media data include potentially biased information, a lack of socio-demographic data, and privacy settings on social media platforms. Given the identified advantages and limitations of using social media data in researching urban park visitation patterns, we conclude that the use of social media data as supplementary data constitutes a significant advantage. However, we should critically evaluate the possible risk of bias when using social media data.Peer Reviewe

Principles for urban nature-based solutions

Nature-based solutions (NBS) were introduced as integrated, multifunctional and multi-beneficial solutions to a wide array of socio-ecological challenges. Although principles for a common understanding and implementation of NBS were already developed on a landscape scale, specific principles are needed with regard to an application in urban areas. Urban areas come with particular challenges including (i) spatial conflicts with urban system nestedness, (ii) specific urban biodiversity, fragmentation and altered environments, (iii) value plurality, multi-actor interdependencies and environmental injustices, (iv) path-dependencies with cultural and planning legacies and (v) a potential misconception of cities as being artificial landscapes disconnected from nature. Given these challenges, in this perspective paper, we build upon and integrate knowledge from the most recent academic work on NBS in urban areas and introduce five distinct, integrated principles for urban NBS design, planning and implementation. Our five principles should help to transcend governance gaps and advance the scientific discourse of urban NBS towards a more effective and sustainable urban development. To contribute to resilient urban futures, the design, planning, policy and governance of NBS should (1) consider the need for a systemic understanding, (2) contribute to benefiting people and biodiversity, (3) contribute to inclusive solutions for the long-term, (4) consider context conditions and (5) foster communication and learning

Designing a knowledge co-production operating space for urban environmental governance lessons from Rotterdam, Netherlands and Berlin, Germany

Challenges for a sustainable urban development are increasingly important in cities because urbanization and related land take come up with negative challenges for the environment and for city residents. Searching for successful solutions to environmental problems requires combined efforts of different scientific disciplines and an active dialogue between stakeholders from policy and society. In this paper, we present a comparative assessment of the way policy-science dialogues have achieved knowledge co-production about strategic urban environmental governance action using the cities of Berlin in Germany and Rotterdam in the Netherlands as case studies. The ecosystem services framework is applied as a lens for policy-science interaction and a 'knowledge co-production operating space' is introduced. We show how policy officers, urban planners, practitioners and scientists learned from each other, and highlight the impact of this knowledge co-production for governance practice. We found that the concerted collaboration and co-creation between researchers and policy officers have led to mutual learning and establishment of relationships and trust in both cities. Not only the policy-relevance of research and its policy uptake were achieved but also new insights for research blind spots were created. In our conclusions we reflect on co-production processes with two types of conditions that we introduced to be most influential in the way knowledge can be co-created. These are conditions that relate to the way knowledge co-production processes are set-up and, conditions that relate to the expected value or benefit that the co-produced knowledge will bring across society, policy and practice