...Allegro The themes are all lyrical. A very peculiar beginning on a repeating pedal note D which strangely acts not as the tonic but the root of dominant 7th to the key of G major. The first right hand chord (C-natural - F-sharp - A) comes highly unexpected. It almost evolves in the key of G major before unconvincingly settling in D and it promptly re-starts, still "shifting" towards G major in the repetition of the first theme. Nowhere a solid V - I (dominant - tonic) evolution is seen during that first exposition of the main theme. The 24 bars long repeating pedal note D on the bass, acting sometimes as the tonic root and at other times as root of dominant to G major creates an enchanting and unique atmosphere. One other beautiful second theme starting at F-sharp minor evolves towards A major. This theme is also set up in a very particular arrangement. It is fully orchestral the melody is conveyed with both hands at two octaves distance filled with tremolos all figuring a strings orchestra setting with first violins and cellos at the cantabile part and second violins...
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...studied with Christian Gottlob Neefe. Neefe once wrote about Beethoven in the Magazine of Music saying, “If he continues like this, he will be, without a doubt, the new Mozart.” For a while he also studied with composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In 1792, Vienna became his permanent residency where he studied with Austrian composer Joseph Haydn. In the early 1800’s, Beethoven’s hearing started to decline. 1814 was his faming peak. Two of his most famous works were: Wellington’s Victory op. 91 in 1813 (otherwise known as the Battle Symphony) and The Glorious Moment op. 136 in 1814. His works done between 1818 through 1826 included: the Sonara in B-flat major op. 106 in 1818, the Missa Solemnis in D-major op. 123 in 1823, the Thirty-Three Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli in Cmajor op.120 in 1823, the Symphony No. 9 in D-minor op. 125 in 1824, and his last string quartets. Throughout his life he wrote: one opera, five piano concertos, nine symphonies, thirty-two piano sonatas, and string quartets. MUSIC One of Beethoven’s famous piano sonatas is entitled the Moonlight Sonata. The Moonlight Sonata is remembered best for it’s dream-like opening. This work was composed in 1801 and dedicated to Giulietta Duicciardi, a student of his. This sonata is divided into three movements, otherwise known as Sonata- Allegro Form. The first...
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...Carnegie Hall more than 140 years later all the more special. The program directed by Latvian Andris Nelsons also included, besides the aforesaid work, Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No.90 in C Minor, Johannes Brahm’s Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op.90 and Johann Strauss’s waltz Seid Umschlungen, Millionen (“Be Embraced, You Millions”) –which was actually dedicated to Brahms- as a surprise encore. Also known as Saint Anthony Variations, Brahms composed his Variations during a summer stay in Lake Starnberg near Münich during a time where he had finally, after the premiere of A German Requiem in 1868, achieved recognition throughout Europe. He based his work on a theme in Chorale Saint Antoni originally attributed to Haydn, although in the nineteenth century this was questioned and the piece remains unattributed to this day. Brahms composed two versions of this work –one for two pianos, the other for orchestraboth of which consist on a theme on B-flat major, eight variations and a finale in passacaglia form. The night started with Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No.90 in C Major, a piece in sonata form composed for one flute, timpani, viola, cello, bass and two oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets and violins. The first movement –the Adagio- introduces, the listener to the piece by a sharp contrast between forte and an eight descending notes in piano. We are then presented –in a piano violin- the essential element of the first theme. Then, the music picks up a faster pace and energy until it reaches a dialogue...
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...The concert I visited was Beethoven’s 7th Symphony on Sunday April 6; the conductor was Edo De Waart. Included in the concert there was a performance of Symphony of Wind Instruments, this was created by Ivor Stravinsky there were multiple different wind instruments used in this piece, there was three flutes; two oboes; English horn; three clarinets; three bassoons; four horns; three trumpets; three trombones; tuba. John Adam’s violin concerto was played in the concert, this had instruments from many different groups it consisted of, two flutes; two oboes; two clarinets; two bassoons; two horns; trumpet; percussion; two keyboard samplers; strings. As for Beethoven’s Symphony he used multiple different instruments, two flutes; two oboes; two clarinets; two bassoons; two horns; two trumpets; timpani; strings. The event was held at the Pabst Theatre, the Pabst was built in 1895, and is actually the fourth oldest continually operating theatre in the United States. The Pabst Theater was previously called Das Neue Deutsche Stadt-Theater and was built by Captain Pabst, this theatre was burnt down, and Captain Pabst immediately started rebuilding the theatre, as it only took eleven months, and that is why it is called Pabst theatre today. One very prominent soloist at the concert was a woman named Leila Josefowicz who “is the chosen interpreter of several leading composers” . Some of these composers include: John Adams, Oliver Knussen, Thomas Ades, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Josefowicz...
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...3-8 Romantic 1817-1827: The establishment of new forms and a personal style which was much more Romantic on paper and in feel. Symphony No. 9 7 Beethoven is known as the developer of the symphony. His extensive development of musical material, themes and motifs usually by modulation resulted in his works being very long and expressive. He also continued to expand the “development” section of his works, adding not only length but also substance.8 This essay will set out to discuss the aspects of the symphony that Beethoven developed with regards to: the programmatic aspects of his symphonies, which instruments he used/added to the symphony (instrumentation), the structure of the symphony, his use of forms and how he used his instruments (orchestration). Programmatic aspects of his symphonies Programme music is purely instrumental (without words) music which is based on an extra-musical stimulus and a programme symphony is a symphony which has a programme. The whole work usually has a subtitle and sometimes each movement has a subtitle as well.9 Programme elements can be seen in Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony (Eroica) which is associated with the concept of heroism, his 5th Symphony which can be seen as an overcoming of his fate (deafness) and the 6th Symphony (Pastoral) which has a subtitle for each movement.7 Beethoven said of his 6th that the “work can be perceived without description”, because it clearly has depictions of bird...
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...Program notes are generally used as an element in the application of both classical and contemporary music. The purpose is to provide historical and background information on the piece and in some cases details about the composer. It also allows the audience to retrieve some sense of what to expect when listening to the work that is being offered. The reaction that I received in regards to Beethoven Fifth Symphony, First Movement; was that I immediately noticed the very catchy but strong opening that was displayed in my ears. In the beginning it was as if there were knocking on a door or someone running through a dark corridor of some sort. Then later there was light, then heavy repetition that went on along different levels and style etiquette. The program notes allowed me to understand the piece just a little bit since I can not read music quite well. I did notice very briefly, the flats pattern that was orchestrated in the music. The specific details that was overlooked if I did not have read the description beforehand, was the strong inspiration of what Beethoven held during that era. It was as if he had a lot to say and it was started to build up inside. If I were to described this piece in one word it would be “moving”. The reason for which is because it gives one a desire to become motivated. I would not have described this piece by Beethoven any differently. Mr. Downes' description of the message was very true and I agree 100 percent on his commentary...
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...Analysis of Excerpts of Representative Composers In 1930 Igor Stravinsky wrote the piece Symphony of Psalms, which he intended to be of great contrapuntal development. Three movements comprise the work, each one including some polyphonic writing. Undoubtedly the second movement is the most highly contrapuntal; it is set as a double fugue. Figure 2.8 shows an excerpt that pertains to the exposition of the second movement of Symphony of Psalms, measures 1-19. Although some scholars argue that the formal aspects of this movement are not strictly fugal, the exposition follows the traditional procedure of a fugue. The four subject entries are spaced evenly with the exception of the third one, which appears two measures later. The first answer appears on the dominant key accompanied by the countersubject in measures 6–10 followed by two measures of new material, developed motivically from the last two bars of the subject. In measure 13 the second answer appears on the original key with a variation of the countersubject on flute 1, and new contrapuntal material on the oboe. Finally the third answer is exposed in measure 18,...
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...The Florence Symphony Orchestra performed their concert called, Polish-French connection, on October 17th 2016. It was performed at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in Florence, SC. They are an orchestral ensemble which consists of many string instruments (Violin and Cello), Brass (Trombones and French Horns), woodwinds (Flutes, clarinets, and oboe), the keyboard instruments and the percussion. They performed the works of Frédéric Chopin and his Piano Concerto No.1 in E Minor Op. 11. As well as Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony No.3 in C Minor OP. 78. Overall the musical choice and sounds were marvelous, and the performers themselves played very well and executed the music and sounds of each arrangement and movements perfectly....
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...I chose to respond to Symphony No. 5, I (opening) because this is one of my favorite pieces. When I was little my mother would play this song almost every single day. It is one of the most popular pieces by him and in the classical genre. Although Beethoven’s symphony No. 5 is classified as a classical piece it really pushes the borders on the genre of classical music. Symphony No. 5 was composed by the German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven between the years 1804-1808. The first performance of symphony no 5 was in 1808 at Theater an der Wien in Vienna Austria. A lot of people who know of classical music can tell this piece from any other music because the Symphony No. 5 has a very distinctive four-notes opening, which is short-short-short-long...
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...There are many popular composers whose music has made a great impact on the way that music is created, performed, and listened to all around the world. Each composer has their own unique methods that they used to create their pieces. The composer and musical piece that I will analyze is "Symphony No. 3 Eroica" by Ludwig van Beethoven. This piece of work focuses on various themes and elements that help portray it into a symphony. To further explain his musical piece, it is important to do an in-depth search on the piece's background, characteristics, and key elements. Beethoven was a very talented, dedicated, and hardworking German composer. "Widely regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived, Ludwig van Beethoven dominates a period of musical history as no one else before or since" (Knapp & Budden). Beethoven wrote "Symphony No. 3 Eroica" at an emotional and hard time in his life when he was in the early stages of going deaf. Writing musical pieces like this symphony are...
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...Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550, completed in 1788, is arguably one of his most popular works. It is one of only minor symphonies composed by Mozart, and is commonly referred to as the “great G minor symphony.” The theme of the opening movement is instantly recognizable, even by non-musicians. The second movement features a largely contrasting work in Eb major. This lengthy andante movement is entirely in 6/8 time. The piece features many instances of accompaniment ostinato in both the upper strings and horn. This can be seen within the opening page of the score. The first 4 measures feature a melodic line for string bass while the violas and violins have an eighth note ostinato. Then in the following measures...
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...Professor Dewey Music 1306 Concert Critique #1 I have never been personally a fan of the romantic orchestra music but going to listen to a concert live is breathtaking. I attended the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Masterpieces concert with music director Fouad Fakhouri performing Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.1 in D major. There was a full stage of musicians and a complete choir to back it up. The first half of the performance was a complete orchestra of woodwinds, strings, drums, brass, excreta and a four part choir. Overall the performance took no longer than thirty minutes to play the three-part Symphony of Psalms. This Symphony was much shorter than I was expecting. The symphony had the most soft and sweet chords following up with big, bold parts. The tempo would slow down just the slightest bit, the calm before the storm there was a bang of sound ringing from all around you and your almost startled but it is so lovely even at the volume and mixture of instruments you cant help but feel relaxed in the flow of notes. Stravinsky was born into a Russian Orthodox Church but soon left as a young man and though he was this origin he set a Latin text to his music, making it a more inclusive religious statement. Igor used the term “ Symphony” in the broadest sense, reflecting its etymology as the coming together of sounds, said to be why his orchestration is unusual. His melodies are stark and archaic, where he employs the octatonic scale...
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...(n.d.), "By the time Beethoven was 40 years old in 1810, he had given the world six symphonies, 15 piano sonatas, 10 quartets, five concertos, a ballet, an opera and a choral mass" (para. 1). Beethoven is one of the greatest masters in music composition with no doubt. He became so successful even though he was coming from an abusive family, became deaf at the age of 31, his love left him to marry another man and he got the custody of his nephew who hated him (Swimmer, 1998). Beethoven is my...
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...perfect balance (unless you're Beethoven). I'd say that dissonance and consonance were about equal during the classical period. 4. Chamber Music is music that is written for only a few instruments. A string quartet only has 4 instruments so it is definitely chamber music. Also piano sonatas are another example of chamber music. 5. The bridge in sonata form is where the key shifts from the tonic to the dominant or from minor to relative major. In Beethoven's 5th Symphony the bridge is very short and is simply a French Horn mirroring the opening theme instead of playing a new theme. 6. Beethoven's 5th is a powerful and unique symphony. It is very unusual for its very long coda piece that introduces a new theme which doesn't normally happen in codas. It also has a very short bridge as talked about in question number five. The most noticeable fact of the Beethoven's 5th is the widespread repetition of the first four notes that are played in the very beginning. Throughout the entire symphony that beginning melody is almost always being played by at least one instrument. 7. Richard Wagner's music contains leifmotifs which are...
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...Karis Miller Bob Pedersen Music Appreciation November 5, 2012 Berg/Debussy/Stravinsky Chicago Symphony Orchestra The concert video that I watched was called Berg/Debussy and Stravinsky with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by Pierre Boulez with soloist soprano Christine Schafer and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. On the video the full orchestra played three different composers musical works. Alan Berg, symphony selections from Lulu, there was also Claude Debussy’s Le Jet D’eau and Trois Ballades de Villon, and lastly there was Igor Stranvinsky’s The Firebird. This music was all from the Classical Period between 1750-1820. The first section that I choose to review was the last movement of Debussy’s music. The beginning of the fourth movements dynamics are Mezzo piano and with a tempo of accelerando. The soprano soloist begins singing allegro and builds the drama with her voice and with the help of the orchestra. The music soon climaxes fortissimo where the focal point is very dramatic and the orchestra is playing loud enough to her less of the soloist and more of the powerful sounds of the violins and the brass instruments in the orchestra. With many tempo changes, the music does an elaborate rise and fall beginning with much force and fortissimo and ending with a complete cadence that gives you a feeling of finality. I do think that the last cadence kind of left me feeling like I wanted more and didn’t want it to be over. I liked this piece very much but...
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