Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was born in 1844 and lived until his death in 1908. He was born in Tikhvin, Russia, and by the time he was nine, he had written his first composition. Music was never thought as a profession for Rimsky-Korsakov until much later. Both his brother and his father were naval officers, and he was expected to become one as well. As a child Rimsky-Korsakov loved to play the piano and had an excellent ear and perfect pitch. His parents never really took notice to this. Instead, they sent him to naval school to become a mariner and to follow the footsteps of his brother and father. In 1861, at the naval college in St. Petersburg, Nikolai met Balakirev who encouraged him to focus more on his musical studies. …show more content…
Rimsky-Korsakov admired Nadezhda's presentation, and found that they had much in common. They shared their beliefs, imaginings, and ideas for the future. In 1871 Nadezhda became Rimsky-Korsakov's fiancee. Two years later Rimsky-Korsakov gave up and resigned his commission to be a naval officer. This was also the year Nikolai presented his first opera. It was a piece long time coming, and a lot of events had happened while he was working on it. For example, he got married, his brother died, and he went on his honey moon. Not specifically in that order. This opera, titled Pskovityanka , was a big hit. The house was always full through the ten performances of this …show more content…
Sad as it is, the composition was lost in the Russian Revolution, but it is believed to be one of the best works of Stravinsky, before “Firebird” of course.
From the information I have already written, you can clearly see that Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was one of the most prolific and influential composers of all time. In his opera “Tale of Tsar Saltan” we hear the famous tidbit, Flight of the Bumblebee. This is such a prominent piece of music, and I could hardly believe my eyes when I read that Rimsky-Korsakov had written this. I was so amazed. But Rimsky-Korsakov isn’t one of those guys who “writes one and is done”, his compositions express so much more than words can say. He has pictures in his mind while he writes music. I see images in my head when I listen to it. These factors make up the best compositions. Overall Rimsky-Korsakov’s pieces are the essence of Russian heritage and they are quite underrated, but he was in the “Mighty Five” so you know his pieces were good. He was a great master of orchestral sound painting, no one can compete with him even in today’s age. Nowadays people should learn from
Peter Sculthorpe is an Australian composer who is renowned for his experimentation and exploration of ideas and symbolism in his music. His music is a representation of his feelings in response to socio-cultural, political and historical viewpoints. For instance, his String Quartet No. 16 is a representation of the emotions of refugees trapped in detention centres. It consists of five movements entitled Loneliness, Anger, Yearning, Trauma and Freedom. Musical elements such as pitch, duration and other expressive devices show how effectively Sculthorpe evokes the feelings of refugees through each movements, especially the movements Trauma and Freedom.
Russian composers of Prokofiev’s time were generally restrained and classical in their approach. (In class) Prokofiev on the other hand was known for his romantic tendencies for which he was scorned. However, his Symphony no.1 is known as his “classical” symphony as it is extremely classical in form and was written according to classical design attempting to emulate the style of Haydn. Similarities between Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony no.1 and Haydn include its orchestrion size and use of the sonata allegro form, of which is classical. Although Prokofiev's symphony is classical in many aspects, elements of Prokofiev's unique voice are clearly heard. (Ferris)
Fay, Laurel E. ‘Shostakovich vs. Volkov: whose Testimony?’ The Russian Review (October 1980), pp. 484-93.
Chekhov is part of a non-typical category of artists, because he did not believe in his genius, on the contrary, there is evidence that he believed that his work will not conquer time and posterity. Spectacular, just like Russia at the border between the 19th and 20th century, Chekhov was born the son of serfs in 1860 ( Tsar Alexander will abolish serfdom in 1861) only to become a landlord 32 years later, and a neighbor of Prince Shakovskoi. He bought the Melikhovo estate (unconsciously imitating Tolstoy, the patriarch of Iasnaia Polyana), not far from Moscow, with 13 thousand rubles of which he has paid an advance of five thousand. Chekhov is the true precursor of the theater of the absurd.
Today, when we hear music of any kind, we can only thank a certain person, and that person should be Ludwig van Beethoven. This is how I heard the music, piece by piece with some help to understand and ... ... middle of paper ... ... ers--over the canopy of stars Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen!
"In Shostakovich we have the paradigm of a new, essentially political form of complex inward adjustments, one which requires a new kind of symphony." (Norris 177) Although a lifelong communist and an intense Russian patriot (he applied for and was granted membership into the Communist party in 1960), Dmitri Shostakovich composed under constant fear of public condemnation, often for what he perceived as the most contradictory reasons. He strongly believed in a profound bond between the composer and his society which enabled him to work, survive, and develop, but also which fostered an air of confusion when he felt he was wrongly criticized. In 1968, he was quoted as saying, "Soviet music is a weapon in the ideological battle. Artists cannot stand as indifferent observers in this struggle." (Blokker 133) He believed that composers could not retreat into private, creative worlds; rather, they must deal with the socio-political problems of the day, however bitter the experience. He felt that 'good' music lifts and heartens the people for work; it might be tragic, but it must be strong. This quotation reinforces his interdependence with the Soviet state. He realized that his works were entirely public, and as such, should be written with not only the audience in mind, but also with the thoughts of how a strict government might react.
David Fanning and Laurel Fay. "Shostakovich, Dmitry." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 14 Apr. 2012 .
Horton , Andrew J. . "The Forgotten Avant Garde: Soviet Composers Crushed by Stalin." Central Europe Review 1.1 (28 June 1999): n. pag. Web. 19 Mar 2011. .
One of the best things about this genre, is that every composer who has worked within it has approached it a different way. Remarkably, when the same composer is using the inspiration of a novel for one score and then the inspiration of a painting to another, you see that even the same composer will differentiate in their musical design depending on their source of inspir...
...alonen. Symphony: Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publishers, 2003.
Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor is a shining example of Edvard Grieg’s excellence and why he’s considered highly for his influence during the Romantic period. In the same breath, Arthur Rubinstein’s interpretation should be similarly lauded for a wonderful arrangement of said piece. It is performed in an active B theme, with a rhythm of 4/4. The harmony is in A minor and C major, proven homophonic and in sonata allegro form.
He published his first orchestral works, a symphony and an opera, by 1869 (1). Inspired by E. T. A. Hoffmann’s libretto, Tchaikovsky wrote his best-recognized ballet, The Nutcracker (“Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky” 2).The Nutcracker lends an ironic understatement to Tchaikovsky because of the ballet’s cheerfulness and Tchaikovsky’s various forms of mental stress he faced throughout his life (2).... ... middle of paper ... ...
Tchaikovsky is one of the most popular of all composers. The reasons are several and understandable. His music is extremely tuneful, opulently and colourfully scored, and filled with emotional passion. Undoubtedly the emotional temperature of the music reflected the composer's nature. He was afflicted by both repressed homosexuality and by the tendency to extreme fluctuations between ecstasy and depression. Tchaikovsky was neurotic and deeply sensitive, and his life was often painful, but through the agony shone a genius that created some of the most beautiful of all romantic melodies. With his rich gifts for melody and special flair for writing memorable dance tunes, with his ready response to the atmosphere of a theatrical situation and his masterly orchestration, Tchaikovsky was ideally equipped as a ballet composer. His delightful fairy-tale ballets, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker are performed more than any other ballets. Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky's first ballet, was commissioned by the Imperial Theatres in Moscow in 1875. He used some music from a little domestic ballet of the same title, composed for his sister Alexandra's children in 1871.
as famous as "TO BE OR NOT TO BE" or other classical pieces in his
"To me he seemed like a trapped man, whose only wish was to be left alone, to the peace of his own art and to the tragic destiny to which he, like most of his countrymen, has been forced to resign himself." Nicholas Nabokov on meeting Shostakovich in 1949 in New York