The String Quartet #2, Opus 17 was written in Hungary sometime between the years of 1915 and 1917. Bela Barok, who was a Hungarian composer, composed this quartet. It is split up into three separate movements and is in the key of A minor. His first movement is called Moderato, which means moderately, in the manner of a march. This movement is in classical sonata form. This means that there is an exposition, development, recapitulation, and sometimes a coda. The piece begins on a sound that appears to be atonal making it sound very dissonant. The second movement was named Allegro molto capriccioso and is in Rondo form. Rondo form means that there are reoccurring themes and is commonly in (ABACABA). The final movement called Lento is now at a slow tempo representing suffering. I was impressed on the way the feeling changed through this piece. The way it changed from being atonal and not as pleasing to the ear to a sense of suffering at the end was moving.
String Quartet #18 in A Major, K. 464 was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This piece was completed in the winter of 1785 and w...
Volondat, Pierre-Alain, perf. Variations OP 20. By Clara Schumann. Rec. 15 May 2010. Saphir Productions, 2008. Florida College's Classical Music Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Conclusively, while being one of his earliest works, Mozart’s Minuet in F Major (K.2) is far from primitive. His use of repetition and subtle melodic and rhythmic variations keep the melody interesting enough to retain the listener’s attention. Not only this, but the harmonic surprises of the modulation and deceptive cadence keep the listener guessing in the best way possible. While at the surface this work may seem like nothing more than an AABA 32-bar dance, there is much more than that hidden throughout the work. If this is what Mozart was capable of at the mere age of six, it is unsurprising that his legacy remains to this day.
Dmitri Shostakovich was one the greatest Russian composers of all time during the twentieth century. During the end of World War I, the Russian Revolution initiated to topple the Russian Czar, Nicholas II, from power by the Bolshevik Party. The Russian Revolution led the establishment of Communism in the Soviet Union led with an “iron fist” by the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. In the Soviet Union, the number of civilian deaths caused from victims of war, famine, and government purges, is estimated between thirty and forty million (Wright, 350). The Communist Party are responsible for these terrors, which affected all segments of society, including intellectuals, artists, and musicians (350). Furthermore, the Soviet regime used musical propaganda
David Fanning and Laurel Fay. "Shostakovich, Dmitry." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 14 Apr. 2012 .
Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 was his last and longest symphony he composed. While listening to this breathtaking piece of music, one specific aspect of this piece stood out to me; this being the instrumentation. In this symphony, many different instruments were used. While listening, I recognized many of them. A flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings make up this famous piece that is known world-wide by millions of people.
It is clear that Beethoven’s stands as being significant in development of the string quartet to a massive extent in creativity and innovation. His early quartets show great influence of those from the Classical period and with his own, has influenced his contemporaries and later composers. The quartets published later in his life show even greater imagination and use of expression. It is also through similar uses of texture, harmony, rhythm and counterpoint that composers of the Romantic period and the 20th century wrote their own string quartets. Beethoven’s however prove a huge advancement in how string quartets are written and the intensity of emotions that they portray.
Antonio Vivaldi is a famous Italian baroque composer, known by most Suzuki violin students who study his concertos or by audiences everywhere who have heard and love his composition of the Four Seasons. Having grown up as students of the Suzuki Violin Method, we recognize this composer and have experience performing his pieces. In addition to his many concertos written for solo violin, Vivaldi composed many concertos intended to be performed by two solo violins, accompanied by a small orchestra. Because we are both violinists, we chose to analyze the second movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins in A minor, RV 522, included in his L’Estro Armonico works.
...ers and the audience. The dramatic nature of this piece alone is something to be reckoned with as it is extremely passionate. The symphony is presented in 4 movements as is common and begins with a Poco Sostenuto- Vivace, followed by a Allegretto movement, Presto movement, and finally ends on an Allegro con brio movement. the central theme of this piece is introduced in the first movement by a flute playing in tripple meter continuously ascending up the scales rising in dynamic contrast, continuing to grow into a louder and more stark contrast between it’s highs and lows. Consistently dance like, the piece is celebratory of its roots buried in historical Austrian music that has been present in the culture for years. The accomplishments of the soldiers for which the piece was composed for are easily told of simply by the energy and power present throughout the piece.
In the first part of this recital the vivaldi, contained a string Quartet. After the first intermission, I looked down at the podium and noticed that the precussions were added which included the timpani, bass drum, tylophone, and cymbals. In this recital Nancy Menk was the conductor, Judith Von Houser was the soprano which played a high note, and Mary Nessinger was the Mezzo-soprano which played a slight softer note. This part of the concert was divided into four pieces. First there was the Magnificant by M. Haydn (the orchestra accompaniment was edited from the composer's manuscript by Mark Nabholz). This piece consisted of strings without violas, two french horns, and an organ.
The year is 1788 as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began to work on his last three symphonies during a time of strife for musicians as the Austro-Turkish War continues to war on in Austria. Tired from moving his family from central Vienna to the suburbs of Alsergrund all while in debt to his ears as he continued to borrow money from friends including a fellow mason, Michael Puchberg, Mozart finished his final symphony on August 10, 1788. This piece, nicknamed the “Jupiter Symphony,” coined by impresario Johann Peter Saloman, was Mozart’s longest symphony with a total of four movements, a typical symphonic form during the Classical era. The Jupiter Symphony totals to about forty five minutes of music ending with a quintuple fugato that brings back the five melodies introduced in the final movement making the closer one of the most complex examples of counterpoint that has ever been created. My goal shall be to give the reader a sense of Mozarts life at the time of this composition, a detailed analysis of all four of these movements, as well as a look at why this piece was seen as a work of innovation.
...re was very interesting transitions between the variation, for example, string section plays the variation from low to high, when they reach the highest note, the brass family takes over and continue with the scale and make it more higher. Tremolo style was used in this piece, which is a quick ups and downs stroke mode. The music were very soothing and attracted the audience. Lastly, they end the piece with the same variations that was played at the beginning.
Historical. This brilliant composition is considered as one of the two most important violin concertos of the German Romantic period, with Mendelssohn’s vi...
“‘Concerto’ described works whose individual lines, instrumental or vocal, were assembled into a harmonious whole (Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra).”The conductor of this piece was Pierre Boulez. This composition has five moments which are the introduction, games of Paris, elegy, interrupted Intermezzo, and the finale. The instruments I noticed in this performance were the Violin, Viola, Cello, Flute, Timpani, Horn, Harps, Double Basses, Oboe and Tuba. According to the program this took place at the Hieronymus Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal. The Hieronymus Monastery is a gorgeous performance space. The monastery has high ceilings with a large arch. The ceilings even have a beautiful circular designs there is several arches within the buildings that give the area a sophisticated appearance. The color gives the place a golden tone. Where the audience is sitting there is columns in the middle with an intricate design on each one and the columns seem to have a glow effect. The space behind the orchestra is a wall with beautiful designs and arches. Within these arches are mosaic pictures that add color to the golden tone. This place is so exquisite it leaves one speechless. When the conductor comes onto stage the audience claps and the conductor bows. Boulez was much different in his entrance then Janson, Janson smiled when bowing as Boulez did not. The first movement
Next, was the longest movement, Molto vivace. Dominated by D minor, this movement resembled the introduction of the opening theme in the first movement but with more lightheartedness. Also called a scherzo because of its “dancelike” theme, this section utilized the Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Timpani, and Strings. I also noticed a downbeat around every three beats throughout the fast tempo in this section.
The second period of time for music is the Renaissance period. During this time frame music was reborn and it went through a lot of changes and the way music was written and understood. In this period of time, the composers were expe...