The substantial aspect of Kuchka’s music is the evasion of a dominant function by not raising the 7th scale degree, and eventually leads to plagalism or the use of modes. However, the utilization of a dominant function either as a major chord or as a major-minor seventh chord exist in all songs of this oratorio. In song no. 2, the dominant function occurs as a major chord (m. 18, m. 30, and m. 119) and as a major-minor seventh chord (m. 46), while a minor dominant only occurs in parts that are in the C# Aeolian mode. In song no. 3, which is a thoroughly composed song and the only song that consists largely minor modes (fig. 21), the existence of a dominant function causing the D minor to be the appropriate key instead of a D Aeolian. Even though the dominant function in song no. 3 is either without the 7th scale degree (m. 34, m.56, m. 78), or with a raised 7th scale degree placed on a weak beat (m. 60), or only the fifth scale degree to signify a dominant function (m. 152), nonetheless, the harmonic progression that occurs before the implied dominant chord strengthens the function. Another example, the E7 chord at the end of the song nos. 4 and an A major chord at the beginning of the …show more content…
6 shows another example of the usage of chromatic chords where the song starts in the ‘wrong’ harmony. The key signature indicates that the song is either in the key of G major or in E minor yet the pitches do not represent any one of those keys. Furthermore, the pitches largely do not represent a chord because the upper part is a chromatically descending parallel thirds or fifths until the music arrives at the ‘right’ harmony (fig. 24). The music arrives at a D7 chord in m. 14, however, another chromatically descending thirds follows the D7 until the music arrives at a G64 chord in m. 19, and finally at a G chord in m. 22 (fig. 24). This phenomenon is similar to Arnold Schoenberg’s roving harmony or Alban Berg’s creeping harmony, and indeed, Shostakovich adored
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a cosmopolitan European composer and piano virtuoso of the Romantic era. Although it was his place of birth, Liszt spent most of his formative years away from Hungary, though he returned to his homeland many times over the course of his life. Liszt’s allegiance to Hungary can be found in many of his compositions through the Hungarian-Gypsy folk idiom verbunkos; however, most analyses of his “Hungarian” music are oversimplified and exoticist because of a nationalist perspective. Shay Loya, a contemporary Lisztian scholar, asserts that focusing on Liszt’s “Hungarian” works from a purely nationalistic perspective “obscures the real extent of the verbunkos idiom in Liszt’s compositions as well as the complex interaction of that idiom with other topics and styles, and ultimately with other expressions of identity.” With this in consideration, I intend to use a transcultural approach to analyze the influence of verbunkos idiom in the music of Franz Liszt. Liszt incorporated the verbunkos idiom into “Hungarian” works, along with works that were not nationally allied, to further both Romantic and Modernist ideals in his music.
Aristotle’s Appeals — Discuss the song’s logos, pathos, and ethos separately (in subsections, if you wish); which of these is the most effective in the song, and stating why you think so. Remember, “why” is the big question in this paper – for every opinion you give, you must tell why you believe it.
McKenna, John J. ANQ. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Vol. 11 of Roethke's Revisions and the Tone of `My Papa's Waltz.'. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Dec. 2013. .
Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil—also referred to as his Vespers, is a collection of 15 works for solo alto, tenor, and choral that he composed in under two weeks. The ranges for the singers in this work as well as the intonation and breath control were thought to be absurd and profound. To find basses capable to sing it would be "as rare as asparagus at Christmas” as the conductor Nikolai Danilin put it. But Rachmaninoff claimed "I know the voices of my countrymen!” and he did indeed! The text for this work is taken directly from the Russian Orthodox All-Night vigil ceremony as well as various plainchant melodies. “The 15 movements of the Vespers together form the core of a well-known Russian Orthodox monastic service” (Rodman). The work premiered in 1915 during World War I “and Russians were hailing the Vespers as a masterpiece even before the performance began” (Rodman). His eight-voiced choral textures are part of the reason why this was such a popular work. In Rodman’s quick analysis of the Vespers he talks about how the chant-like homophony created a texture of “sobriety, and power…[and] his harmonic language is tonally grounded with frequent pedal points, but also rich modal and chromatic inflections. Antiphonal textures (Nos. 2, 8, 10) and liturgical refrains (Nos. 3, 9, 11, 12) evoke the incense-choked atmosperes of the church. At the same time, local text details can inspire him to exsquisite passages, such as the radiant harmonic shift before the first tenor solo (No. 4) and the clusters of angelic melismas at the climax of No. 7. ” The country was still recovering from the Russian Revolution in 1905 so this work was just what was needed at the time of political turmoil that Russia was in. It was “enthusiastically received by the audience and critics alike. Alexander Kastalsky thought the Vigil
The transition to the closing section (in Bb Major) occurs in bar 79. The horn is playing the "sigh" motif but in the last note it uses...
The music of George Frideric Handel has been celebrated throughout time, especially his oratorio work. Handel’s oratorios are considered to be some of the best in existence. However, much discussion and reverence is given to his Messiah, while the others are not as commonly subject to this praise. Therefore, I will investigate the origin and creation of the oratorio, Esther by Handel, with focus on his music for the scene. I will argue that Handel expresses the drama and emotion of this biblical story through the musical elements he employs, particularily
It is undeniable that Iannis Xenakis made use of many different mathematical theories such as the golden section, the Fibinacci series, and stochastic laws, in his music. In this essay, I will show the reader how extensively these principles governed much of his compositional process. I will also present the reader with examples where these different principles and theories are evident in his music.
Here, Beethoven takes melodic expression to a new level: The appoggiatura in bars, 14 and 16 create a harmonic tension over a diminished 7th chord that creates “the highly expressive progression used by nineteenth-...
Seyersted, Per, and Emily Toth, eds. A Kate Chopin Miscellany. Natchitoches: Northwestern State University Press, 1979.
Many say that music has evolved over the years. This essay shall explore the elements of two versions of one song. It shall discuss the correlations and disparities of these songs and confer how it has been revolutionised to entertain the audiences of today.
ABSTRACT: Humanity requires for its satisfaction Beauty and Good, that is, love, wisdom, and courage. Put differently, the necessity of order, equilibrium, and harmony. These values ground one of the most elevated planes of the spiritual life: music. Its moral force in the education of the mind, soul, and behavior of the human person has been emphasized by the ancient Greek philosophers. This important message exists as a pattern crossing the centuries. I will try to reveal the unity ¡¥ethics¡¦/ethike - ¡¥music¡¦/melos by using the semiotic organon.
To ignore the Emperor concerto and its heroic sublimity when discussing the early developments of the Romantic era and the ending of classicism, would be to altogether ignore a fundamental transitive step in the passage of classicism to romanticism
A strong relationship between the music and the text can be seen throughout the melodic line, particularly in measures 22-23; 26; 32-33; and 36 as the soloist sings the word “ah!” This word is particularly emotive and in fact does not even act as a word, but rather something closer to a sigh. The music reflects this by placing multiple notes on one syllable, stretching it melismatically to mimic the drawn-out and lethargic nature of sighing. Additionally, each instance of “ah!” involves an arching line within the melody (this is particularly evident in measures 26 and 36), which further solidifies the resemblance to sighing (an act that involves a “swell” of breath). The idea of sighing occurs in many instances throughout this piece, even acting outside of the melodic line. The string accompaniment contains occasional slurs, and these slurs usually occur on a strong beat moving to a weak beat (e.g. see both violin parts in measure 9). This adds to the...
The four initial movements received a premiere in 1968, while the fifth movement was added to the work after the first performance, and received its first performance in the Donaueschingen Festival by the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra in the following year. It was only in 1970 when the New York Philharmonic performed the now complete work under the baton of Leonhard Bernstein. Sinfonia quickly drew attention from the critics and scholars. Bernstein himself stated that the piece was a representative of the new direction classic music was taking after the pessimistic decade of the sixties . Among its five movements, the central movement seemed to attract more attention due to its enigmatic metalinguistic character and to the multiple musical quotations incorporated into the work. In this paper, I will compare analytical strategies on the third movement of Sinfonia in order to prove that Luciano Berio intention was to trace a personal narrative about music history by the examination, commentary, and extension upon the scherzo of Gustav Mahler’s 2nd
...e. Adorno sees the repetitive leitmotivs in opposition to structured, temporal musical forms whereas Berg ‘following the impulse of his creative strength…never lost sight of the totality of the musical whole’ despite the wholesale reworking of the traditional sonata form.’ (Adorno, Berg, 53).