Reflections on my year music blogging

On this New Year's Eve, I'd like to analyze and reflect on my year of blogging about composers on their birthdays. I spent some time analyzing all of my blog posts on composers, including mundane details like number of words I wrote, number of links I included, etc. I tallied all my results up in an excel spreadsheet tried to make sense of it all. Hope it's interesting to you!

First post:
November 12, 2007 (Borodin)

Last post:
October 26, 2008 (Scarlatti)

Total Posts:
53 (on 57 composers)

Composers by broad music era:
Baroque 6
Classical 5
Romantic 23
Modern 23

Words written:
24,538 (total)
463 (average per blog post)

Links to music:
396 (total)
7.5 (average per blog post)

Comments:
75 (total)
1.4 (average per blog post)

Most posts in a month: 13 (March)
Least posts in a month: 1 (July)

Top Ten longest blog posts (# of words):
1. Bach (2,010)
2. Mahler (1,300)
3. Mozart (1,208)
4. Brahms (1,156)
5. Handel (1,059)
6. Ravel (1,017)
7. Beethoven (984)
8. Rachmaninov (936)
9. Liszt (791)
10. Shostakovich (757)

Top Ten most links to music:
1. Bach (38)
2. Brahms (25)
3. Rachmaninov (25)
4. Ravel (16)
5. Beethoven (14)
6. Liszt (14)
7. Mahler (14)
8. Grieg (13)
9. Prokofiev (13)
10. Tchaikovsky (13)

Shortest blog post:
Boccherini (91 words)

Fewest links to music:
Borodin (no links!)

Well, I've really spent way too long on this ridiculous post. It took me several hours to make the spreadsheet tabulating everything. I guess it's the scientist in me coming out or something.

Yes, I spent a whole lot of time blogging this last year. I have no idea how many countless hours were spent, not only writing, but listening to / watching hundreds of youtube videos, searching for great musical performances. I find it interesting that I did only about 20% of my blogging on Baroque and Classical period composers combined, with the other 80% on the Romantic and Contemporary composers. This definitely agrees with my bias for music of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Note, however, that Bach completely blew away all the competition for longest post and number of links to music. Although I favor 19th and 20th century music in general, Bach is probably my favorite composer, and that is reflected in my posts. Below is my attempt at a top ten list of who my actual favorite composers are.

My Top Ten favorite composers:
1. Bach
2. Mozart
3. Beethoven
4. Chopin
5. Brahms
6. Ravel
7. Rachmaninov
8. Liszt
9. Mahler
10. Schubert

I think it would be more accurate to make three groups: 1-5, 6-7, and 8-10. The top 5 have all been my favorite at some point, and are equals in my mind, though Bach is usually the favorite. Ravel and Rachmaninov are further down, but wonderful. The last 3 are wonderful, too, but I could just as easily have put three other composers that didn't make the list here.

Before I wrap up this post, I'd like to extend my apologies to the following composers, who I would have liked to blog on, but didn't end up having enough time. Maybe I will come back to them another time...

Alban Berg
Fernando Sor
Leopold Godowsky
Henri Vieuxtemps
Bedrich Smetana
Johann Strauss
Louis Gottschalk
Jules Massenet
Erik Satie
Isaac Albeniz
Mikhail Glinka
Feruccio Busoni
Edward Elgar
Tomaso Albinoni
Richard Strauss
Eugene Ysaye
Ottorino Respighi
Henryk Wieniawski
Enrique Granados
Alexander Glazunov
Moritz Moszkowski
Leonard Bernstein
Georges Enesco
Johann Pachelbel
Anton Bruckner
Darius Milhaud
Antonin Dvorak
Charles Griffes
Gustav Holst
Paul Dukas
Giuseppe Verdi
Camille Saint-Saens
Charles Ives
Georges Bizet
Niccolo Paganini
John Philip Sousa
Paul Hindemith
Carl Maria von Weber
Benjamin Britten
Olivier Messian
Zoltan Kodaly
Edward MacDowell
Giacomo Puccini
John Williams

The Many Sonatas of Scarlatti

Domenico Scarlatti was born on this day in 1685 in Italy. He was a contemporary of Bach and Handel, both of whom were born in the same year in Germany.

Scarlatti is perhaps most well known for his over 550 keyboard sonatas. They were originally written probably for harpsichord, but now tend to be played just as much on the piano. They largely follow a simple two-section pattern, each with a repeat, and tend to be short - usually 5 minutes or less. They are delightful little gems. Many are extremely beautiful and profound, and can be extremely challenging to play.

The great Vladimir Horowitz played lots of Scarlatti, especially near the end of his life. Here he is at a ripe old age of 82:
- Sonata in E Major, L. 224, showing off a brilliant light touch and lightning fast arpeggios.

- Sonata in B minor, L. 33, expressing an amazing depth of expression and interconnecting melodies and harmonies.

- Sonata in E Major, L. 23, a very common and popular Scarlatti sonata with a very sunny disposition and jaunty rhythm.

Here's an amazing performance by Martha Argerich of the Sonata in D minor, K. 141, a very fast, impressive piece with lots of repeated notes.

Here's a very old recording of the legendary Arturo Benedetti Michaelangeli playing Sonata in B minor flawlessly.

Gyorgy Cziffra was generally known for his romantic music, especially that of Liszt, but here he is playing some impressive Scarlatti, although I must say he alters the character of the pieces in a romantic tradition at times:
Sonata in D Major, K. 96, a technically difficult piece, and Sonata in A Major, K. 101, a more laid back piece, but full of fast parts, too.

Some people transcribe his works for other instruments, such as guitar:
Sonata in D minor, K. 1, a very popular sonata.

Here is the guitar legend, Andres Segovia playing the Sonata in C minor, K. 11 transcribed into D minor for guitar, one of Scarlatti's best.

I'll end with one of his sonatas played on harpsichord, probably as it was originally intended. Here is the fast and relentless Sonata in D minor, K. 517.

The Ultimate Virtuoso Pianist-Composer

The great pianist-composer Franz Liszt was born in Hungary today in 1811. He is well-known for writing (and playing) some of the most technically difficult piano music in the world, music which at the time perhaps only he and a few others could play. But today the music finds its way into many concerts and competitions, and continues to amaze listeners and inspire young hopeful pianists.

Liszt's contemporaries included Chopin and Schumann (both one year older), as well as Wagner (two years younger). The latter composer eventually became his son-in-law, after Liszt's daughter Cosima (herself born illegitimately from an affair Liszt had with a married countess) left her husband, the pianist-conductor Hans von Bulow, and ran off with Wagner. When asked about what he thought of this, von Bulow supposedly said "Had it been any other man than Wagner, I would have killed him" - he idolized Wagner's music genius, and apparently didn't hold any grudges. What colorful lives!

Anyway, Liszt's music is not necessarily known for his compositional genius like Mozart, Beethoven, or Bach. Nor does he have an overwhelming amount of original memorable themes in his compositions. However, he deserves a place amongst the great composers for his forward-thinking in compositional styles, his amazing virtuosity, and his impact on composers that came after him.

Here are some interesting and important compositions:

- Grand Galop Chromatique, a wildly insanely difficult piece, played by the great Liszt interpreter, Georges Cziffra. This represents the typical "dazzling showmanship" Liszt that characterizes much of his music.

- La Campanella (from the Paganini-Liszt Etudes), a very famous and difficult transcription of a theme from one of Paganini's violin concertos. It shows off the "fast and light" virtuosity in much of Liszt's music, done masterfully here again by Cziffra.

- Liebestraum #3 ("Dream of Love"), one of Liszt's most popular and beautiful piano pieces, played here beautifully by Artur Rubinstein.

- "Annees de Pelerinage" ("Years of Pilgrimage"), three sets of pieces from when the composer was in Switzerland and Italy. These are really nice pieces, full of picturesque scenes. Au bord d'une source ("By the side of a spring") is one of my absolute favorites, both to play and listen to. Think of a mountain spring, beginning as a small trickle, getting progressively larger, finally into a noisy brook. Here is Au lac de Wallenstadt ("At the lake of Wallenstadt"), another piece from the same suite. You can hear the waves lapping calmly against the shore. The previous two are from his Switzerland year, and next one from his Italy year. "Apres une lecture du Dante - Fantasia Quasi Sonata" (After reading Dante) - one of Liszt's most original pieces of music, depicting Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. Here is a performance by Alfred Brendel, parts 1 and 2, preceded by a fascinating brief introduction to the piece. Finally, in the third set of the Annees de Pelerinage, is another one of Liszt's most famous compositions, "Les Jeux d'Eaux à la Villa d'Este" (The Fountains of the Villa d'Este), a very forward-looking composition that had a strong influence on both Debussy and Ravel, the impressionists.

- Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, possibly the most famous piece Liszt ever wrote, thanks to Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, and many other usages of this piece in films, etc. It's one of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by Liszt, and is very free-form, with immediate-appeal themes and lots of dazzling virtuosity that is very fun to listen to. Here is the piece, played by Cziffra.

- Piano Concerto #1 in Eb Major, a delightfully free-spirited work, combining impressive difficult bravura passages, tender themes (in the 2nd movement especially), and light, shimmering sound effects (helped by extensive use of the triangle, pizzicato strings, high woodwinds, and upper register of the piano). It also shows Liszt's considerable skill in orchestration, something that his colleague, Chopin, lacked. Here is the piece played by Martha Argerich, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th movements.

I could really go on a lot longer than this, as there are quite a few more amazing and interesting pieces. I'll end with one of his "Transcendental Etudes", specifically, No. 8, "Wild Jagd" (Wild Hunt). This piece is near and dear to my heart, as I learned it and played it for about 2 years, in several competitions when I was in high school. Looking back, I don't think I really ever played it that well (it's tough!), but it sure was fun. I think it strongly contributed to my repetitive-stress injury when I was 17 and had to quit piano concerts for a year and re-train with the Dorothy Taubman Approach under the direction of my then new teacher, Robert Ward. Here then is the Wild Hunt, played terrifically by Claudio Arrau.

English Impressionism

Ralph Vaughn-Williams was born yesterday in 1872 in England. His music is impressionistic, although very different from the "Father" of impressionism, Debussy. I think that in all of his music there is a deep nostalgic twinge - a longing for beauty and for things to be at peace. He knew what England was like before World War I and how it was changed after, and I'm sure this had an influence on his works.

There are two works I'd like to highlight in particular. The first is Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis - this piece for strings is featured in the 2003 film, Master and Commander (one of my favorite movies). It brings me to tears when I hear it, especially thinking about where it is used in the movie. As someone has commented on the youtube posting - "This music is in sync with the action on the screen...of a sailor overboard who must be cut loose...and abandoned in the middle of the Pacific to save the 'Surprise' from sinking...as the spar to which he clings becomes a sea anchor. Both the horror and the beauty and the immensity of the act of cutting him lose into oblivion is brilliantly expressed in this music..."

Perhaps is his most famous (and for good reason) is The Lark Ascending, a piece for violin and orchestra. This piece makes me cry... hard... every time I hear it. I don't know if there exists another piece of music more clean, pure, beautiful, nostalgic, soothing, uplifting (OK, so I probably have said this about 20 other pieces this past year... but c'mon - listen to it and you'll understand!). Here is the last 7 minutes of the piece, set to scenery of rural England. The wikipedia article says - "The composition is intended to convey the lyrical and almost eternally English beauty of the scene in which a skylark rises into the heavens above some sunny down and attains such height that it becomes barely visible to those on the ground below."

Australian music of the present

Carl Vine was born on this day in Australia in 1954. I have only really heard two pieces by this composer.

Piano Sonata No. 1 (written 1990) - this was my introduction to Carl Vine. I first heard Michael Kieran Harvey (the Australian pianist to whom the work was dedicated) play it at the one and only Ivo Pogorelich International Piano Competition more than a decade ago (in Pasadena, California) and win the grand prize. It is a work that has immediate appeal for its astounding complex rhythms, ethereal sections, shimmering pianism, and fierce, raw, intense emotion. It is also extremely difficult to play - I've been working on it on and off for a couple years now, and it is probably out of my league. The 1st movement starts out slow and dark, with lots of jazz-like tone clusters. It becomes quicker-paced, moving into spell-binding rhythms and interesting tonal harmonies. Then it becomes somewhat atonal and builds into a grand, wild, tonal theme (at 3:17) and finally crashes down, but then builds a second time into the same theme (at 4:17). Again it crashes, meanders, then finds itself in a thoughtful, ethereal theme shimmering to the end.

The 2nd movement is the heart of the piece. It starts off very soft, shimmering at a lightening-quick pace, wild, chaotic, yet ordered (if that makes any sense). The perpetual motion continues, building into a loud rushing-water-like theme that climbs up and then loses steam, plunging down into a deep pool of water........ then tone clusters on the low and high ends of the piano are played slowly while a pensive theme plays in the middle register. This continues for awhile until things become more atonal and restless, furiously building back into the original theme, this time faster and louder. Then finally everything erupts, as if a volcano was bubbling and just waiting to spew (4:36). The rest of the piece is full of angry passion, relentless in its drive and pursuit. Just when you thought it couldn't get any more wild, the tempo DOUBLES (5:25) and the REALLY wild chase ensues, then lets up a little bit with low rumblings (6:32), then with a final burst of violence (7:10), the piece's energy just falls out the bottom, the original theme from the 1st movement returns, and everything fades into nothingness. What a wild piece!

Since then, I've become acquainted with one other piece by Vine, his Celebrare Celeberrime - a celebration for orchestra (written 1993). Thanks to my wife, who heard it on the radio and thought I'd like it - she was right. It sounds like there is a didgeridoo in the orchestration - how cool is that?

Classical Music Meets Jazz, in America

Today the American composer George Gershwin was born in 1898. Gershwin's music is where classical meets jazz. He started early in life as a pianist, and together with his older brother, Ira, eventually wrote many popular songs, such as "I Got Rhythm".

His first major classical work is Rhapsody in Blue, perhaps the most well-known American work of our time. Fantasia 2000 made a cartoon to go along with it, as seen/heard here (parts 1 and 2). Apparently Gerswhin told one of his biographer's the following: "It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise... And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished from its actual substance."

Another one of his popular pieces, "An American in Paris" was written by him after a brief stay in Paris, where he tried to study with Nadia Boulanger, Maurice Ravel, and a few others. None of these teachers worked out. Ravel refused to teach him - he was too impressed with Gershwin's jazz style and instead suggested that Gershwin teach him. I got the following quote from wikipedia, apparently from the program notes at the premiere:

"My purpose here is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere." When the tone poem moves into the blues, "our American friend ... has succumbed to a spasm of homesickness." But, "nostalgia is not a fatal disease." The American visitor "once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life" and "the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant."

Here are the first, second (The Blues), and third movements. This is classy-jazz at it's best!

Another one of my favorites, although not as well-known or loved, is his Concerto in F, a full-length, three-movement piano concerto, orchestrated completely by the composer himself (Ferde Grofe had orchestrated his Rhapsody in Blue). Here is the end of the 2nd movement and entire third movement. It gives a great taste of the bluesy 2nd movement (very moving piece), and the energetic, driving, machine-gun of a 3rd movement, which absolutely holds me spell-bound whenever I listen to it.

Let's finish with one of his most famous piano pieces - Prelude No. 2 from his 3 preludes for piano. Hope you've enjoyed this classical jazz!

Composer of Soviet Russia

Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich was born today in 1906. He is a somewhat eclectic composer, having started out by borrowing from many other styles, such as Mahler, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Hindemith, etc., but also clearly influenced by Bach and Beethoven. When I first heard his music, I couldn't identify it. I learned to always guess that if I couldn't tell who the composer was (and it sounded late-romantic to modern), it was probably Shostakovich. His style grew and became very much his own, however, turning into one of the most popular composers of the middle-20th century.

Shostakovich stayed in Soviet Russia his whole life, and his already nervous character was not helped much by the official denunciations of the Soviet party on two occasions. He was also given awards by the Soviets at other times. His was a difficult life, trying to please, but also inwardly in turmoil about joining the party and giving into their pressure.

His music is very unique and interesting, though I am only beginning to really get into it. Here are a few pieces I have enjoyed.

Piano Concerto No. 1 (1933) - an interesting piece, also featuring a trumpet in a kind of supporting role. Here is a pretty wild excerpt of the young composer himself playing the final cadenza and finale of the last movement of the piece. Shostakovich usually played his own works very fast and apparently said once "let's play fast so the audience doesn't get bored". When asked why he would speed up, ignoring his own metronome markings, he said something like "my metronome at home doesn't work anyway, so let's just ignore those markings!"

Piano Concerto No. 2 (1957) - a very cheerful piece, more-so than most of his other works. The first movement was introduced to me when I watched Fantasia 2000 for the first time - it is played to the visual of the Steadfast Tin Soldier, and fits so well, it almost seems like the piece was written for Disney!

Piano Quintet in G minor (1940) - one of his best known and loved chamber works. I had the good fortune to perform this in college. It is a monumental work, full of intense passion, brooding introspection, tenderness, and both vulgar and lighthearted humor. It is in 5 movements. The first movement begins with the piano, building to an intense interaction between the strings, then dies down again and becomes more brisk, only to build and slow down to more intensity. It leads into the second movement, a very beautiful, introspective fugue starting with the violins, then cello, then viola, then finally piano. This is one of the most moving (and yet intellectually satisfying) pieces in the modern literature! It gets very dissonant and intense before calming down again and disappearing quietly. The third movement is all fun and games - racuous melodies, confusing rhythms, ironic and full of humor - lots of fun to play! The fourth movement is more steady, introspective, tinged with sadness and regret. It leads directly into the fifth movement as out of darkness into the light - a quietly contented, cheerful, and later, joyous and downright triumphant movement. The ending is so carefree and refreshing after all the preceding intensity. A real treasure!

It also had real impact on the people during the time it was written. Apparently the following quote is from Rostislav Dubinsky, violinist of the Borodin Quartet, out of his book, Not By Music Alone: "For a time the Quintet overshadowed even such events as the football matches between the main teams. The Quintet was discussed in trams, people tried to sing in the streets the second defiant theme of the finale. War that soon started completely changed the life of the country as well as the consciousness of the people. If previously there was the faint hope of a better life, and the hope that the 'sacrifices' of the revolution were not in vain, this hope was never to return. The Quintet remained in the consciousness of the people as the last ray of light before the future sank into a dark gloom."

Shostakovich wrote 15 symphonies as well, the first composer to have broken the "Curse of the 9", which Beethoven started more than a century before (all major symphonists after Beethoven died while writing their 10th symphony, or never got close to 10 symphonies - Schubert, Dvorak, Mahler, Brahms...) I really don't know any of them, so I'm not going to link them here. That's about all I can handle right now...

The Father of Atonality

The Austrian-Jewish composer Arnold Schoenberg was born today in 1874. Known as the "emancipator of dissonance", Schoenberg started out as a continuation of the romantic tradition of Brahms, Wagner, Richard Strauss, and Mahler, but in the early 1900's, he moved into atonality. His twelve-tone-row technique was a method that gave equal treatment to all 12 half-steps in the chromatic scale, leaving his compositions without a key signature.

His earliest important work is called "Transfigured Night", still written in a late-romantic tradition with heavy use of chromaticism (such as Wagner's Tristan and Isolde). Here is an excerpt.

A few years later, Schoenberg was to come up with his revolutionary ideas. Here is a short film documenting his ideas. Here is a short piano solo piece illustrating the result of his compositional style.

Perhaps to most of us, it is more enjoyable to listen to people talk about Schoenberg's music than to listen to the music itself. :) Furthermore, listening to people describe Schoenberg who love his music really helps one understand it better. Here's a really fascinating discussion and excerpts of a rehearsal of his piano concerto by Mitsuko Uchida, who describes the music and her love for it with great eloquence. Also, Glenn Gould and Yehudi Menuhin discuss Schoenberg and then play a piece together.

I consider myself somewhat musically educated. I can appreciate a wide variety of music, even very modern sounding stuff. I have a hard time getting excited by Schoenberg, however. Oh sure, I find some of it interesting and even fascinating (see excerpt of Uchida above). But it seems that when tonality is lost, the emotional range of the music is severely limited. Can atonal pieces express anger, rage, despair, depression, fear? Absolutely - maybe they are the best for these emotions. They may even be able to evoke a spirit of lightheartedness or humor. But can atonal music express joy, peace, contentedness, fulfillment, beauty? I am inclined to think not. I'm not saying this music has no place. Under the right conditions and at the right time, this music is appropriate (certainly would help in certain movies!). But I think going atonal has lost a large depth of what music can express...

Rachel's reactions to Wagner

I missed Richard Wagner's birthday on May 22, partially because I was so busy, and partially because I didn't feel inspired at the time. I don't really listen to his music much, and never have been much into opera.

But just a few days ago, as I was driving to the store with my 2-year-old, Rachel, I turned on the radio to listen to some music. Jim Svejda of classical KUSC was introducing a piece by Wagner. It was a 1940's recording of the Prelude from his opera, Tristan and Isolde, arranged for violin, piano, and orchestra, for a movie. Svedja's words were something like "this overblown, emotional rendition was calculated to leave not a dry eye in the audience". I half-listened as we drove and half-day-dreamed about I can't remember what (my eyes were dry, though).

When we arrived at the market, I turned off the music and the car and opened up the door to get Rachel out. She looked very forlorn, and was quietly saying "it's OK... it's OK... it's OK" (note: Rachel has begun at a very young age to practice "self-talk" when she's distressed). I couldn't figure out what had upset her, unsuccessful at getting her to tell me what the matter was. Then it dawned on me.

Me: "Rachel, did the music make you sad?"
Rachel: "Yeah." (tears start flowing and she starts wailing and crying)
Me: "It's OK, baby. Music makes daddy cry sometimes, too."
Rachel: (still wailing and crying)

Then I got her out of the car and she settled down pretty quickly, softly saying "it's OK... it's OK" to herself every few minutes, and every couple hours for the rest of the day.

Well, here is the famous prelude from Tristan and Isolde. It's actually quite an amazing piece. It is a very important composition, in which Wagner began to push the limits of tonality and harmony, influencing others after him (such as Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Schoenberg), eventually leading to the atonality of the 20th century. It is also very, very emotional, and can really tear you up inside if you're in a certain mood.

Rachel listens to another piece by Wagner quite regularly. The Ride of the Valkyries is probably Wagner's most famous work (besides the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin), part of his opera, Die Walkure, from his famous Ring Cycle. I have grown up hearing this piece in all sorts of settings, from cartoons, to computer games, to... hearing it every morning at 7am blasted in the halls of my college dorm during finals week (a very odd tradition at my very fine undergraduate institution). I also heard it in its original context, while watching part of the opera in a class during college. It's quite a fine, moving, piece of music.

Rachel likes "The Ride" much better than she likes the Prelude to Tristan and Isolde. My wife got a birthday card last year that plays The Ride when you open it up. She gave it to Rachel to play with, and now Rachel totes it around the house, opening it up, giggling when she hears the music, and saying "It's Vogno! (Wagner)"... but she did cry the first time she heard it as well. This time, though, it was clearly out of fear, and not sadness. She was only about 14 months old at the time, and was rather startled when she opened the card up and this intense music started to play.

Well, there you have it. My daughter is extremely sensitive to music. Not unlike her daddy. I still remember when she was 6 months old and I played my wooden recorder for her. I played a very haunting melody that Dickon plays from the movie The Secret Garden (1987 version), and she started to curl her lip under, got tears in her eyes and cried. This happened every time I played that piece, until she finally grew to cry every time I played the recorder. Then I had to stop playing the recorder altogether for about a year. She isn't afraid of it anymore. Music does powerful things to her emotions, even from such a young age!

French Impressionism

Claude Debussy was born today in 1862 in France. Debussy was rather ahead of his time. His music sort of bridges the gap between romantic and contemporary styles. His music is the prototype of the impressionistic period, although he didn't particularly like that label.

I used to adore Debussy's music, listened to it all the time, and played through it a lot. I'm slightly bored with it now, and I think Ravel has much more depth. Debussy's music is very refreshing, though - a wash of colors.

As usual, although he wrote a lot of music, I am mostly familiar with his piano compositions. I particularly enjoy the following:

- Suite Bergamesque - contains his most famous work, "Claire de lune"

- Children's Corner - dedicated to his 3-yr-old daughter, these are delightful little pieces. Includes his famous "Golliwog's Cake-Walk", a sort of rag-time sounding piece that sarcastically quotes Wagner's Tristan and Isolde theme in the middle.

- Estampes - 3 beautiful pieces, each depicting a different country/ethnicity. The first is Pagodes, depicting Javanese music.

- Images - 2 sets of 3 pieces each: includes the famous "Reflections in the Water", a wonderful little picture of all sorts of water - deep, still, pools leading into gurgling streams followed by a majestic waterfall, finally ending again with quiet pools. Also includes "Goldfish" - more water, with lots of splashing around. These pieces are a great example of his impressionistic style.

- Preludes - some of his most popular piano pieces, these have been compared to Chopin's preludes. Two of the most famous are "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" and "The Sunken Cathedral". The last prelude, "Fireworks" is an example of one of how far he travelled from the romantic period into truly modern music. It is full of sparks and poppers, both small and large displays of fireworks.

The Greatest Jazz Pianist

I know I've focused on the lives of classical composers up to this point, but I can't pass up the opportunity to highlight someone with just as much talent and musicianship as those I've previously blogged about.

The great American jazz pianist Bill Evans was born on this date in 1929 in New Jersey. Even though I'm such a die-hard classical music fan, I've gotten into jazz as a result of Bill Evans, and I've learned parts of his pieces by ear because the sounds and rhythms he produced so intrigue me.

From the wikipedia article: "In addition to introducing a new freedom of interplay within the piano trio, Evans began (in performances such as "My Foolish Heart" from the Vanguard sessions) to explore extremely slow ballad tempos and quiet volume levels which had previously been virtually unknown in jazz. His chordal voicings became more impressionistic, reminiscent of classical composers such as Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin, and Satie..."

Perhaps that's why I like his music so much - I love the music of these composers! Here's a lovely performance of the above-mentioned "My Foolish Heart" from 1965. He sure plays and looks like a serious musician - no flamboyance here, just pure music.

The first music I heard of Bill Evans was his solo album "Alone". It is amazing stuff. Here's the opening number on that album, "Here's That Rainy Day", and here is another number, "On A Clear Day".

Here are some other highlights, from the Bill Evans Trio:
Waltz for Debby, George Gershwin's Summertime, and Nardis.

Bill Evans was also an educator, and he had some interesting ideas about composing, improvising, and performing, as viewed here, an excerpt from the film, "The Universal Mind of Bill Evans". Evans makes the case that improvisational jazz is really a compositional form - a looking back to the days of Bach, Mozart, Chopin, etc., in which composers and performers were one and the same, and composing 1 minute of music often took place in 1 minute, not in days or months (Bach was the ultimate improviser, and many of his compositions sound like improvisatory material). Interesting thoughts.

Tragically, Evans struggled with an addiction to heroin probably since the 1950's, which he seemed to overcome, only later to get hooked on cocaine. Drugs undoubtedly contributed to his early death in 1980. Here is an amazing performance of In Your Own Sweet Way one year prior to his death, with his last trio. He sure looks different here!

I hope you've enjoyed this detour into the world of jazz, highlighting one of it's most talented composers/performers.

My Daughters Are So Talented, Part 2

My other daughter, Rachel, has had a 2-year head-start over Rebekah on acquiring talent. If I listed all her talents, it would take me too long. Here are some that come to mind (currently age 2 years, 1 month):

Rachel knows a lot about classical music already (big suprise, huh?). She recognizes the faces and says the names of the following classical composers: Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Debussy, McDowell, and Rachmaninoff. She recognizes Baroque music, and knows that Bach and Handel are both from this period. She can recognize music specifically by Bach and Mozart sometimes even if she's never heard it before.

She is very particular about music. The other day, I sang a song she knows, except I sang the harmony instead of the melody, and she got very upset. At first I had no idea what the problem was. Then I sang the melody instead, and she blurted out "that's bettoh (better)!". She still has not sung yet, but I suppose that will come soon. Do kids start singing around 3 y/o usually? I know I started singing when I was probably 2 1/2, but I suppose everyone's different. Rachel also gets up on the piano with me and presses single notes at a time, saying "what's dat?" whereupon I say "that's A (or B, or E-flat, etc.)" and she repeats what I say with delight. This goes on for a while sometimes...

Rachel has her favorite music. Her all-time favorite is what she calls "acappella" - a CD of the Haven of Rest A Cappella hymns from 1991. I'm actually rather pleased she likes it. It's one of my favorites, too. I even bought the sheet music and I frequently sing along with the bass part. She also loves to listen to Chris Tomlin, See the Morning, which is really good stuff, too. She also used to specifically ask to listen to Bach piano music, and she generally enjoys all of Bach's works that I play. She has such good taste!

It has become a ritual of hers, when I sit down to play the piano, to request songs, specifically from Walt Disney's Jungle Book movie. "Want the bear song!" (I then proceed to play "The Bear Necessities"). "Wanna sing the gorilla song!" (I switch to playing "I Want To Be Like You-Hoo" - the song "King Louie" of the apes sings to Mowglie). "Wanna sing the elephant song!" (I play the March of the Elephants). "Wanna sing the girl song!" (I play the last song of the movie, sung by the girl Mowglie meets in the Man-village). She dances and claps pretty wildly with a huge grin on her face whenever I play any of these songs. What a cutie!

What else does Rachel know? Her shapes, colors, letters (she says the words to the ABC song), numbers (she counts up to 30), about 10% of the U.S. states (she has a states puzzle), a few books of the Bible, days of the week, months of the year, and probably a lot of other things I'm forgetting. She also plays hard. We go on walks around the neighborhood several times a week after dinner. There is a path away from the streets that she likes to run on. And I mean run. She runs the WHOLE WAY with a few breaks to pick up some rocks, etc. I think it's probably close to a mile if you count going both ways. Maybe she'll be a long-distance runner when she grows up?

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment of my multi-talented Rachel:

My Daughters Are So Talented, Part 1

My daughters are so talented. Of course, I suppose I'm biased, but I'll let you judge whether or not I'm correct. This post will be devoted to the many talents of my youngest daughter, Rebekah. She is only 190.5 hours old right now, yet she can:

1. Sleep
2. Eat
3. Poop
4. Pee
5. Cry
6. Dance (with a little of daddy's help)
7. Enjoy Scarlatti sonatas played by daddy on the piano
8. Make hilarious faces that could rival any veteran thespian

And now... the moment you've all been waiting for.
I present to you the many faces of Rebekah:

A New Addition to the Family

I'd like to take a little welcome break from composer birthdays to announce that we have a new addition to the family. Our beautiful Rebekah was born on August 6 around 9 pm. We just got home from the hospital this morning and everyone's getting a much-needed rest. Similar to my other daughter, Rachel, Rebekah has some newborn jaundice and had to be kept an extra night on phototherapy. Slightly inconvenient, since we had to spend the night in the waiting room, with my wife nursing her in the nursery every 3 hours (my wife had used up her maximum of 2 post-partum nights in the hospital already). But Rebekah's bilirubin is leveling off, so there is no need for home phototherapy. Yippee! Isn't she adorable? Aren't both my kids the cutest little things you ever saw?

Disney Music

I know I'm a little bit late with this Birthday, but on July 22, 1949, American composer/singer/song-writer Alan Menken was born in New York. I just heard a program on classical radio today interviewing him, and thus the blog-post.

As the program host, Jim Svejda, noted, Menken is growing to be one of the most award-decorated film composer/song-writers of all time, in some ways coming close to Alfred Newman and John Williams. According to wikipedia, he has won 12 awards (academy awards, tony awards, etc) and has been nominated for 10 more on top of that. His most popular music has been from recent Disney animated films, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the recent Disney film, Enchanted.

I remember watching Beauty and Beast in the theater when it came out. I was only 13 years old at the time (why would a 13-year-old boy care about sissy fairy-tales?) As soon as the movie began, I was absolutely transfixed by the music in the prologue to the story, and I remember getting goose-pimples all over and my eyes moistening up with tears. Needless to say, Beauty and the Beast is probably my favorite Walt Disney animated movie (although Robin Hood comes pretty close, for different reasons).

Do you have Mahleria?

The Austrian-Jewish composer Gustav Mahler was born today in 1860. For some reason, Mahler has more of a "cult-following" than most other classical composers, which has led some to diagnose those in the following as having the disease, "Mahleria". I myself greatly enjoy much of Mahler's music, leading me to think I had a touch of this illness. However, when I did a little bit of reading online, I realized my illness is nothing compared to some. Here is an incredibly funny medical description of Mahleria, especially funny if you've taken a medical microbiology course and have read a little bit about Mahler's life in relation to his symphonies.

Here's a long thread from some individuals clearly infected with Mahleria (the beginning post admits it outright). There are some interesting comments about his music in here, especially the first post, which gives a short summary of each of Mahler's symphonies.

Here is a link to a more in-depth analysis of Mahler's symphonies and songs than you'll probably ever want to read, from a man who has been listening to and studying Mahler's works for more than 40 years. I couldn't even make it through the first symphony's commentary, it was so long, but skimming this is pretty interesting if you know the music already, or if you're really motivated to know which recording you should buy of each Mahler symphony.

As those I link to have written, much of Mahler's music is programmatic. His music is extremely emotional, ranging from the most tortuous heart-wrending cries to the grandest exultations of rapture. Even though Mahler is not my favorite composer, I think I would rather go to a concert of a Mahler symphony than any other piece of music. The dynamic range of his works, from the ultra-soft to the fullness of the large brass sections and deafening crashes have a tendency to utterly amaze one sitting in a concert hall. The performance I went to of Mahler's 5th symphony some 10 years ago I will never forget as the most amazing musical concert I have ever attended. I was shedding so many tears from the pathos of the first 3 movements, that I was too emotionally exhausted to thoroughly and properly enjoy the tender 4th movement and the joyous 5th movement. Sigh... maybe I do have a touch of Mahleria.

On to the music. If you are new to Mahler, and don't have the natural tendency to enjoy loud, emotional late-romantic music, I would suggest beginning with his 4th symphony. Mahlerites always refer to it as "remarkably understated" or something of the sort. It was the first Mahler I ever heard, and it didn't take me too long to really enjoy it. It is his shortest symphony (usually a little under an hour), and is in only four movements (many of his symphonies are 5 movements, and two are even 6 movements). Here is the lovely classical-sounding first movement, parts 1 and 2. Here is the mysterious and ghostly (yet very lyrical) second movement. The third movement (parts 1, 2, and 3) forms the core of the symphony and is a very tender, yearning, beautiful song-like piece. This is truly heavenly music - take the time to listen to it and I think you'll agree! The fourth movement is a poem about heaven from a child's viewpoint, sung by a soprano, and is exquistely beautiful as well. What a perfect way to end Mahler's most peaceful and accessible symphony.

Mahler's first four symphonies are called the Wunderhorn symphonies because the themes presented in them draw some from his song cycle of the same name. All but the first have a singing component in it. His 1st symphony is probably the next most accessible, with a lot of the same scenic and pastorale beauty found in the 4th. However, there are some heart-wrending cries in the stormy 4th movement that are not found in the 4th symphony, and there is a strange funeral march to the tune of "Frere Jacques" in a minor key. Here is the opening of the 1st symphony, depicting the early morning with dawn awakening and birds calling, eventually breaking into a beautiful melody that communicates contentedness and joy.

The 2nd symphony, called "Resurrection", was one of Mahler's most successful symphonies during his day. Here is an excerpt of the opening movement, a funeral march depicting the death of Mahler's "hero" that is the subject of his first symphony. The gargantuan 3rd symphony I really don't know at all, and is the longest symphony ever written, clocking in at about 100 minutes. I've heard it a couple times and there are some really beautiful moments, especially the 6th (and final) movement. It didn't enjoy the popularity that the 2nd symphony did during Mahler's time. One reviewer wrote "the composer should be shot".

Mahler's symphonies 5 to 7 are in his second period, and none have a vocal component. As I've already mentioned, I'm very fond of his 5th symphony. It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, it proved just as much or more rewarding than any of the other symphonies. Here is the opening of the 1st movement, another funeral march (yes Mahler was preoccupied with death - lots of personal tragedies in his life, I'm sorry to say). Here is the exquisitely beautiful and famous Adagietto (4th movement), which may very well be Mahler's most well-known piece of music.

The 6th symphony I really haven't listened to more than once or twice, but it is supposed to be a real masterpiece, although very dark and tragic. There are two (or three depending on which version you have) "hammer blows" in the last movement, which supposedly depict fate and the impending doom that Mahler had weighing on him. Mahler designed his own hammer and podium to go with it - check it out in this brief excerpt - pretty manly instrument!

The 7th symphony is about the night. The middle three movements (two of which are labeled "Night-music") is how the symphony got it's nickname - "Song of the Night". The 2nd movement is a melancholy march with frequent woodwind cadenzas depicting the night-calls of birds. The 3rd movement depicts midnight and is a rather ghostly nightmare. The 4th movement takes a turn toward the tender side, with mandolin and guitar accompaniment to a lovely melody. The 5th and final movement bursts forth with fanfares and joy - Mahler himself stated of it " and now for the daytime". The 7th is supposedly poorly understood and not well-liked, but I recently got a recording of it and really have come to appreciate it. Here is the opening of the 2nd movement.

Mahler's last symphonies - Nos. 8, 9, "Das Lied von der Erde", and 10 (unfinished) are from his last period of writing, in which he starts to push tonality even further, with his 9th and 10th bordering on atonality in places. Mahler was superstitious about writing a 9th symphony, since every major composer after Beethoven that wrote 9 symphonies died shortly after (Beethoven, Schubert, Dvorak, Bruckner, etc.). So after the 8th, he wrote "Das Lied von der Erde" (The Song of the Earth), a song-symphony with a tenor and contralto alternating singing each movement, set to some Chinese poetry. Out of these late symphonies, I'm particularly fond of this work. Here is the lovely fourth movement, "Of Beauty".

Mahler also had many song cycles (none of which I've actually listened to), including "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" (The Youth's Magic Horn), the basis of much of his early symphonic works, "Kindertotenlieder" (Song's on the Death of Children), "Ruckertlieder", and others.

I hope you've enjoyed this brief and selective tour into the world of Mahler, whether or not you have a touch of Mahleria.

Rhythmically Russian

Russian Composer Igor Stravinsky was born on June 17 in 1882. Stravinsky has been hailed as one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century.

Of his contributions to music, one is his unusual use of rhythms. One musicologist has said that "Stravinsky is perhaps the only composer who has raised rhythm in itself to the dignity of art", and the composer Aaron Copland was very influenced by Stravinky's use of rhythms. Stravinsky also made use of polytonality, or musical lines in multiple clashing keys at the same time.

His early compositions can be seen as Russian nationalistic. The most famous are his first three ballets, The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring.

Here is an old video of the composer himself conducting part of The Firebird, which has a very late-romantic feel to it. If it sounds familiar to you, it may be because Fantasia 2000 has used some of the music from this ballet for its finale (the one about the spring sprite and elk vs. the "volcano bird").

The music I'd like to play of Petrushka is a piano version made by the composer himself of some pieces from the ballet. Here are the first and second movements - notice the competing rhythms in the two hands, clever chord patterns, and lightning fast arpeggios in the first piece; and in the second piece (starting at 2:33), the striking dissonances that resolve into ethereal flittings and floatings - this is really fascinating music! Finally, here's a fragment of Shrovetide Fair, which gives a taste of the relentless rhythmic drive and repetition of chords that is so often part of Stravinsky's music.

The Rite of Spring is probably Stravinsky's most famous (and most infamous) work. It has very interesting and beautiful moments, but mostly it is full of brutal dissonance and very complex rhythms. The 1913 Paris crowd listening to its premiere did not like it at all - there were boos, tomatoes thrown, and riots throughout! It's likely that both the dissonant music as well as the ballet was offensive to them, given that the work is about pagan rituals and human sacrifice. I think I'd rather avoid watching the ballet myself! Here is a link to a four-hands version, played by one person (he recorded the 1st part and plays over it with a special piano). This gets a bit thick at times (whereas the many different instruments of the orchestra and each unique timbre do the piece more justice), but it is interesting to hear some of it on piano if you're already familiar with the piece. Here is the version played for the original Disney Fantasia movie, Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. I personally find this very interesting to watch - it seems to enhance the music for me, and is much more uplifting to me than Stravinsky's own program for the piece, which I find frankly disturbing.

All the above compositions were from Stravinsky's early period. His middle period of composition is termed Neoclassical. During this time, he wrote music which reinvestigated the compositional style of the classical period. One such piece is his Symphony of Psalms. Just prior to writing it, Stravinsky had a re-awakening of his Christian faith, and this is partly what inspired him to write the piece. Here is the third movement (Psalm 150) of the work.

Although I don't have any examples to play, his last period of composing featured music written with twelve-tone-row technique (serialism), in which the 12 half-steps of the chromatic scale are all treated equally and used in a certain order. The effect is atonality in music. This compositional technique was popularized by the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg, and will be explored here more on his birthday.

Composer of My Ancestry

The Norwegian Composer, Edvard Grieg, was born on June 15 in 1843. Much of his music draws largely from Norwegian folk music. Grieg was quite a gifted pianist, and had the opportunity to study in Leipzig, Germany. His piano music shows clear influences from Liszt, Schumann, and Chopin.

One of the most popular compositions (and rightly so) is his Piano Concerto in A minor. The piece is often compared with Schumann's Piano Concerto in the same key, which Grieg heard Clara Schumann perform in Leipzig in 1858 (he composed his own concerto 10 years later). The first movements of both pieces begin with a short piano cadenza leading into an orchestral introduction of the first theme, followed by a repetition of the theme in the piano. After this follows some quicker piano passage-work and eventually the second theme. I've also observed that Rachmaninoff's 1st piano concerto is clearly influenced by both of these concertos, with the same type of program at the beginning. Listen to the first movements of the Schumann, Grieg, and Rachmaninoff 1st piano concertos to see what I mean.

Here is the continuation of the Grieg 1st movement and the 2nd movement (starting at 4:20), and the third movement (starting at 0:45). The second movement of this piece is to me one of the most beautiful movements in all of classical music. I know that since I'm Norwegian, too, I'm probably biased, but it's not like I've ever even been to Norway or know any of the language or culture. But there is something so pure and wistful about the 2nd movement (clearly influenced by the 2nd movement of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, another one of the most beautiful pieces in all of classical music).

Another very popular work by Grieg is the music he wrote for Henrik Ibsen's play, Peer Gynt. He put some of the music together into two Peer Gynt Suites, from which we get Morning Mood, Anitra's Dance, In the Hall of the Mountain King, and Solveig's Song among others. Although Grieg was influenced by a lot of the mainstream Romantic composers of his day, these last few compositions should give a taste of his unmistakable sound, probably because of the Norwegian folk music influence. I'm getting misty-eyed right now thinking about how my Grandmother used to ask me to play Solveig's Song for her on the piano all the time (she immigrated from Norway).

Grieg also wrote a lot of little piano pieces, many of which are included in his suites of Lyric Pieces, wonderful little gems, some profound and difficult, but most of them quiet little understated pieces. Here's a few: Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, March of the Dwarfs, The Butterfly, Melody, and Peace of the Woods. I've recently been playing through these and bought a 7-CD set of all of Grieg's piano works - delightful to listen to!

The Poet Speaks

Robert Schumann was born on this day in 1810 in Germany. Schumann is a very interesting person to learn about in many ways. He was of a very passionate temperament, was mentally unstable, was a very well-respected music critic, and of course wrote lots of very beautiful music that has stood the test of time.

Schumann would also have been possibly considered a great pianist, but while studying piano with the great Friedrich Wieck, he injured his right hand permanently and so gave that up as a career and focused on composing instead. He did fall in love with Wieck's daughter, Clara, however, and eventually married her (after a long legal battle with her father, who was very much against their union). Clara turned into one of the greatest pianists of her day, and often showcased her husband's piano works after he composed them.

An example of this is his Piano Concerto in A minor. This piece is one of the most popular romantic piano concertos in the repertoire today. Many very beautiful themes, lots of spontaneity (typical of Schumann), and impressive pianism. It was first performed by Clara. Here is a performance by the great virtuoso Martha Argerich, who I'm sure could have rivaled Clara had she lived at that time: first movement, parts 1 and 2, 2nd movement, and 3rd movement.

Schumann's skills as a writer and music critic gave him the unique opportunity to assist other younger composers and musicians who greatly benefited from his generous encouragement and enthusiasm. Schumann helped both Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms in their careers as musicians. Brahms became very close to the Schumanns later in life. Although many writers have played up that he was in love with Clara and speculate about an affair, it is unlikely that anything untoward happened between them, although Clara and Brahms did become very good friends after Schumann died (in an insane asylum).

Here are some more of Schumann's best:

Toccata, Op. 7 - a monstrously difficult piece, requiring immense technique and endurance. It displays unbridled joy and passion, but has lots of light-hearted parts, too.

Carnaval, Op. 9. This work is a set of 20 short pieces, each of very different character, very spontaneously jumping between tender/slow and frantic/fast moods. Several pieces are written with certain people in mind, such as Clara Wieck (not yet his wife), a different love-interest (displaced by Clara), composer Chopin, composer Paganini, etc. It is a very likeable piece, and very passionate. Here are the opening few pieces.

Schumann also wrote 4 symphonies, all of which are quite good. Here is the opening movement of the 3rd symphony, "Rhenish".

Finally, probably his most well-known and loved little gems, the "Scenes from Childhood", Op. 15. They are little piano pieces in which the composer reminisces about his childhood as an adult. Here they are, pieces 1-8 and 9-13. By the way, the last piece in this set is entitled "The Poet Speaks", in case you were wondering about the title of my blog entry.

Armenian Folk Music

Today in 1903, Aram Khachaturian was born in Georgia (then Imperial Russia) to an Armenian family. He enjoyed music from a young age, but did not study formally or learn to read music until he was older.

He initially was a supporter of communism and its ideals, joining the party in 1943. But after writing his third symphony (which was intended to be dedicated to the communist party), he was denounced by communist leaders (who also attacked two other popular Russian composers, Prokofiev and Shostakovich). This attack shocked him and forced him to reconsider his positions.

Khachaturian was also very proud of his Armenian heritage, and he incorporated Armenian folk-music into his compositions. His most famous work of music is the "Sabre Dance" from his Ganaye ballet, which is played in all sorts of movies, cartoons, TV shows, etc. Here is an excellent performance of it.

Other than the previous piece, my main exposure to Khachaturian is through his Piano Concerto from 1936. It is modern and dissonant, but is full of very moving themes and dazzling piano passage-work. It is truly romantic at it's heart, despite the modern sounds throughout. The second movement is especially beautiful, and the whole piece is full of themes that sound like folk-music. Here is a recording of this piece, 1st movement parts 1 and 2, 2nd movement, and 3rd movement.

More of Classical Hollywood

Erich Korngold was born on this day in 1897. I never really paid attention to who he was until recently when I heard part of a program devoted to his life and music on the radio. He was essentially a romantic composer stuck in an era that was pushing atonal serialist music. Korngold was also the first serious composer that wrote music for Hollywood, having written full scores for some 16-or-so films in the mid 1900's, and influencing many film-score composers after him. Due to his work in Hollywood, he was not taken seriously by other composers of the day, and he died thinking his music would sink into oblivion. However, after his death, the interest in his non-film music has grown large due to his influence in Hollywood and film scores.

His violin concerto remains his most popular work. It was written in 1945 and premiered by the great violinist Jascha Heifetz in 1947. Listen/watch here to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd movements. It's quite a nice piece of music, with a late-romantic feel. Though some of it does sound like it could go well as film-music (several of it's themes are taken from his film scores), it has a lot of depth and feeling, and many interesting, sometimes somewhat modern, passages and melodies.

Avant-garde "music"

Gyorgy Ligeti was born today in 1923 in Romania.

Ligeti's music is best known in the general public for his music in several Stanley Kubrick films, including "2001: A Space Odyssey". Concerning one of the movements from his Requiem, for Soprano and Mezzo Soprano solo, mixed Chorus and Orchestra (1963-65), the wikipedia article written on Ligeti says: "It is a massive (twenty-part choral) quasi-fugue where the counterpoint is re-thought in terms of the material, consisting of melismatic masses interpenetrating and alternating with complex skipping parts. It was a part of this movement that accompanied the enigmantic monolith scenes in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey." Remember that eerie music? I sure do, and I haven't seen the movie for probably a decade.

Ligeti wrote 3 books of piano etudes later in his life, some of which I've heard in concert and I think are kind of interesting. I found this rather frightening (but rather gimmicky) performance of one of them on youtube:
Etude No. 13, "The Devil's Staircase". The pianist contrasts it with Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze" for effect (hey, I have to link to some real music at least once on this blog entry!).

Finally, his Poeme Symphonique for 100 Metronomes, "written" in 1962. Here's the musical "score", just in case you'd like to read it while you listen. You gotta love the avant-garde!

Two of the Greatest Romantic Composers, Part 2

Brahms' music starkly contrasts Tchaikovsky's. The emotions that come through are powerful, but reserved and controlled, not wild and frantic. However, aside from a few selected works, Brahms' music doesn't have the immediate appeal that Tchaikovsky's does. Yet I find that his music is deeper and becomes more satisfying with each listen. The deeper I get into a particular Brahms piece, the more I am in amazement at the complex, intellectual brilliance that went into the composition. Yet the rugged beauty in his music doesn't need an intellectual understanding of it to enjoy it.

Here are some of my favorites of Brahms.

Orchestral music:

Piano Concerto No. 1 - a monumental work of genius. Although very difficult for the pianist, there is no gratuitous "showing-off" - the orchestra and piano work together to create musical ideas and cohesiveness. Unfortunately, the concerto was received very harshly when the composer premiered it, with an icy silence after one performance, and hissing by a later audience. That sort of thing would be unheard of today - and today's music isn't close to being in the same league! Here is pianist Stephen Hough discussing the piece after playing it. Here is the monumental concerto, parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (First movement up to part 3, 5:15; Second movement up to part 5, 2:20, Third movement the rest). The second movement is one of my favorite pieces of all time. My piano teacher recalls his teacher telling him "It will create a chapel in your soul!" It is full of calm and beauty, and the climax in the middle is very moving. The other two movements are powerful and full of austere beauty.

Piano Concerto No. 2 - an even more difficult piece for the pianist, and even more integrated into the orchestra part, such that it was called "a symphony with piano obbligato" in early days. It has four movements, making it even larger than the first concerto (if that were possible!). This ranks as one of the most difficult concertos of all time (up there with Rachmaninoff 3rd). I think of it as one of the most satisfying musical meals I could ever have. The longer the better (it is usually about an hour long)! It is more pastorale and less austere than the first concerto, and the emotions in the piece run the whole gamut. Here is the first movement, parts 1 and 2. The second movement, which Brahms jokingly called "a tiny wisp of a scherzo" is here. The third movement is a beautiful slow movement, complete with a cello solo. Here are parts 1 and 2, the latter also containing part of the fourth movement, which is light-hearted but still full of power and beauty, concluding here.

Violin Concerto - one of the greatest violin concertos of all time. It can be very austere and serious, especially in the first movement, but there are more light-hearted and tender moments as well, especially in the 2nd and 3rd movements. Critics of his time have said that it is not a concerto for violin as much as "against the violin" and others have said it was "unplayable". It is indeed a hard piece, but it has stood the test of time and is one of the most loved works of all time today. Here are the first, second, and third movements (the first is incomplete here).

Double Concerto - Brahms' last composition for orchestra, it is a concerto for violin and cello together. It is characteristically austere and powerful, but not without lots of beautiful writing and good humor in many places. The opening is especially powerful, with the orchestral outburst followed by a cadenza for the cello, then violin, then both together before the orchestra comes back to have a longer introduction. This a moving piece! Here are parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. The middle movement (part 3 here) is particularly tender and full of the "deep" Brahms beauty.

Four Symphonies - all four of his monumental symphonies are precious jewels. They were late in coming, due to the composer's dissatisfaction and highly self-critical nature. The first symphony was finished in his 40's, and is a tour-de-force. The last movement is very reminiscent of Beethoven's 9th symphony, and so Brahms was dubbed as the continuation of Beethoven - very high praise, but which I think is appropriate. The second symphony is very pastorale and beautiful - probably my favorite Brahms symphony. Since this blog entry is too long already, I'll link only to the third movement, my favorite. I would highly recommend this recording, which is a performance of Brahms and Tchaikovsky's last symphonies (Brahms 4th, Tchaikovsky's 6th) as well as some absolutely brilliant commentary (about 20 minutes per piece) by the great conductor, Leonard Bernstein. It includes other pieces on it as well, with commentary. This will give you a good idea of the musical genius in the creative process by both of these composers in their symphonies.

Variations on a Theme of Haydn - a set of variations on a theme unlikely by Haydn, but that doesn't matter. It's one of his most accessible works, but this doesn't mean it's not deep! The mood changes throughout, from very thoughtful and pensive to unabashedly joyful. I was only able to find a 2-piano version worth listening to (the orchestral version is superior), but here is the opening.

Chamber Music:

Brahms wrote lots and lots of chamber music. It tends to be pretty thick and heavy, but is, once again, quite satisfying in a way that no other composer can match (except perhaps Bach or Beethoven).

Violin Sonatas - he wrote 3, all of which are an incredible feast for the soul. Here is the first movement (parts 1 and 2) of the G major sonata. Brahms also wrote two viola sonatas, originally written as Clarinet sonatas, later transcribed for viola. They are both wonderfully rich and a joy to listen to and play, as are his two cello sonatas.

Brahms also wrote several piano trios and piano quartets, all amazing and monumental works. However, his Piano Quintet in F minor (written for piano and string quartet), to me is the peak, the pinnacle, of all chamber works written for piano and strings. Yes, you heard me right. I know that's kind of a strong statement, but that's how I feel. All four movements are astounding in their passion and integration between the instruments. It is a very serious work with a passion and energy unmatched by any other piece I know of. The most amazing and innovative movements are the 3rd and 4th. The third movement has a driving force and passion in it that stirs my soul every time I listen to it. The fourth movement has extraordinary harmonies in it, pushing the envelope of Romantic music. Listen especially to 7:00 on to the end - so much passion and fire!