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Classical music analysis
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Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
I attended Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on October 14, at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya and Southwestern Seminary Oratorio Chorus, directed by C. David Keith, performed it. Ludwig Van Beethoven composed the work. He composed it between 1811-1824. Beethoven composed the work in D minor, Op. 125 (“Choral”). His Ninth Symphony was his last symphony to compose. It was preceded by eight other symphonies. I was attracted to this work because it was the first symphony to include a choral. I found it astonishing that Beethoven was completely deaf when he finished this work.
The first movement is in sonata form - Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso. Strings and horns appear from the distance as if they had been already playing out of earshot. The music gradually intensifies in volume until the final explosion into the first subject. Then this whole process is repeated. The first movement shows a contrast of emotion that seems to return in the recapitulation befor...
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op.68, also known as the Pastoral Symphony was composed by Beethoven in 1808. Beethoven’s inspiration for this symphony came from his love for nature. The Pastoral Symphony is the only one of Beethoven’s symphonies that has five movements, the rest have four movements. Beethoven’s orchestra differed from that of earlier ensembles because he expanded his orchestras to include trombones, piccolos, and contrabassoons, although none of those three instruments appear in the first movement of the Pastoral Symphony (Yudkin, 2013).
The first movement is allegro (Schwartz, 2015). Began to explode in the timpani, introduced the main elements relating to the material. The tone color of began part is deep. After introduction, is a piano solo part, describes the whole movement found another melody. From here, contrasting grand and exquisite part of the music alternates. It will reach the climax Grandioso, where the band sounded original piano melody, accompanied by large triplet figure in the soloist. There is a fast triple ostinatos a cadenza which leads to the last one: speeding octaves and chords, eventually forming a triple F major chord ostinato 6 keyboard along a big run, so that the movement draws to a close.
To start, the first movement of the piece is in sonata-allegro form. It opens kind of abruptly, and starts with a three-note motive. The piece seems to be rapidly picking up and getting louder as it goes on. As the movement continues more towards the end, it starts to slow down and becomes more calming. We can hear the original three note motive come back again at the end.
During the Romantic Period, so much beautiful music was created. One famous composer of the Romantic Period is Antonin Leopold Dvorak. He composed several symphonies, concerti, operas, choral works, and some chamber music. One of his most well known symphonies is his final Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” Finished in 1893, this symphony is a great example of the fantastic music from the Romantic Period.
...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.
This is the second movement of the piece. It lasts around five minutes of the total 22 minutes of the whole Orchestral Suite. Air is written for trumpet, timpani, oboe, violin, viola and continuo. It is written in major key. The meter is duple, and I would dare to say that it is quadruple.
This was in a ternary form with the main scherzo in contrast with the trio and then returning to scherzo. The opening theme is comprised of wind instruments followed by horns playing loudly. The scherzo returns with a repeat of the opening winds. The strings then take over in pizzicato and then ending with a repeat of the first movement into the fourth movement. The transition from the third into the fourth movement was said to be one of the most famous in all of classical music. The fourth movement is in sonata form with a fortissimo ending. It is a compressed version of all three previous movements. The tempo increases to presto and harshly stops with a dominant cadence. With a recap crescendo. I chose to put the third and fourth movements together because they have a lot in common and have a bridge connecting the two. They seemed to be linked together better than any of the other movements had to another. The ending was beautiful but did leave me wanting
Beethoven, whose musical scores are still challenging musicians after several centuries, had significant hearing loss beginning at the age of 26. Yet as his condition worsened, he continued creating masterpieces that are enjoyed to this day. No one can argue Beethoven’s influence on the world.
Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 is the forerunner of the romantic symphony. It is programmatic, telling a story. It is based on nature, a common theme in the romantic era. While a typical romantic symphony still had four movements, Beethoven stretched this by adding a fifth movement.
Introduction The symphonies of Anton Bruckner have been known to be majestically spiritual having ‘cathedrals in sound’. Giving a brief background of the musician and composer, Anton Bruckner was born in Ansfelden. Anton’s father was a school master who did not want that his son be a musician. However, against his father’s will, Anton studied music at St. Florian monastery and became an organ player in the year 1851. Anton was much impressed by the music of Richard Wagner and extensively studied his music and after completing his studies he wrote "Mass in D Minor". At Vienna Conservatory, he was appointed as a music teacher in 1868 and from then on he was all the more the symphonies’ musician. Nevertheless, the symphonies he created did not receive a positive response and were thought about at being "wild" and "nonsensical" (Adante). His music was dominated by Eduard Hanslick. While Anton’s symphonies were most popular, he also wrote Masses, Motets and Chorals, while his symphonies were the most romantic his chorals were both conventional and contrapuntal in technique. About His Symphonies Symphony No. 1: Anton’s first symphony was composed and completed in 1866. In 1868, Anton performed this symphony in Linz, and afterwards left from Vienna where he spent his remaining life. Critics were not favorable towards his first symphony as the audience considered it as rough and too unconventional. Accepting this criticism, Anton revised his first symphony a year after its creation and called the new version of his first symphony as the Linz Version. Ever since, the Linz Version is the most famous and the most performed symphony of Anton. And it is the version mostly performed now. Dr. Carragan prepared a reconstructed version of the...
The plague known as the modern political news cycle has infected all realms of life, including (and certainly not limited to) Western Art Music. As world leaders gather at the G-20 summit, organized by its leader, Angela Merkel- who selected a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony be added to the itinerary. The reason for this selection may be its interpretation as a piece of unity and hope, but one thing is certain, it highlights the contemporary ignorance of WAM.
On Wednesday, June 14, 2017, I had the pleasure of watching the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Opus 125 by Ludwig Van Beethoven. The original performance was recorded and put on YouTube, May 7, 2015, in honor of its first premier 191 years before when Beethoven decided to share his 9th Symphony with the world even though he couldn’t hear it himself. The symphonic masterpiece was recorded at the beautiful Symphony Center Orchestra Hall in Chicago and conducted by Riccardo Muti. The performance was completely deserving of selling out every single seat for one hour and twenty-two minutes. In fact, the musicians did not disappoint, Stephen Williamson was in the first clarinet chair, alongside colleagues Mathieu
The piece opens with an allegro, minor melody with cymbal crashes and timpani rolls. There is a short pause then a major trill. Harp glissandos then accompany a legato oboe melody, which is repeated with a pizzicato string bass. The melody is then repeated by the whole orchestra. There is a crescendo with the tim...
...chestral introduction with an imperfect cadence. A strong rhythmic ¾ allegro passage, with sequences and descending scales is played by the orchestra, with timpani and cymbals. The music modulates, and a short, quiet woodwind passage is then alternated with an orchestral passage with dotted rhythms, creating a `terraced dynamics' effect. Part B begins with a major clarinet melody accompanied by pizzicato strings. A minor flute sequence follows, and is followed by a repetition of the oboe melody. A string sequence is then played, imitated by the oboe. There is a crescendo, then the rhythmic orchestral melody returns, alternated with a short flute passage. There are suspensions, descending scales and a crescendo, followed by a strong rhythmic passage with the timpani playing on the beat. Imperfect cadences are played, before the piece finishes with a perfect cadence.