On this day in 1797, Franz Peter Schubert was born in Vienna, Austria. Schubert was almost 30 years younger than Beethoven, but the two were composing much of their music at the same time. Schubert died only one year after Beethoven, and just as he desired, was buried next to him. He idolized Beethoven during his lifetime, but never had the guts to approach during his lifetime.
Schubert's music to me sounds at times like Mozart (his fellow Austrian), and at times like Beethoven, but he definitely has his own "voice". Although I mostly just know his piano music and a little bit of his orchestral music, Schubert is also well known for his many "lieder" or songs, of which he wrote over 600. The great pianist-composer Franz Liszt said that Schubert was "the most poetic musician who has ever lived". I think as a result of his well-developed poetic abilities and skill in writing songs, much of his other music "sings" especially well. His piano pieces are full of delicacy and singing melodies. His music has a simplicity running throughout, which I think stems from his lyricism; however he has a dark, brooding, even violent side as well that can really grab you. I think Schubert in many ways was just as much of a genius as Mozart and Beethoven, and he doesn't get the attention due him.
Schubert's music requires expert control of touch and tone on the piano because of his delicate lyricism, as the following pieces will show. Impromptu in Gb Major, D. 899 No. 3 is a very serene piece with "triplet" accompaniment throughout, so typical of Schubert. The Impromptu in Eb major, D. 899 No. 2, in contrast, is much swifter and more forceful, full of sweeping triplet scales and surprising key-changes.
Sonata D. 959, 4th movement has a beautiful melody Schubert used in more than one piece. Notice again the lyricism and "triplet" accompaniment in a lot of the piece. Schubert's last three sonatas, D. 958, 959, and 960 are some of the greatest piano works ever written. They are quite long (D. 960's first movement alone can go longer than 20 minutes), full of innovation, have a wide range of emotions, and are chock-full of beautiful themes and sub-themes. Besides the one above, one of my favorite movements in these three sonatas is the 4th movement of D. 958 (the video is of the last half of the movement). In the words of someone commenting on the video, the piece displays Schubert's darker side - "furious, sarcastic, sophisticated - a black hole full of dark energy!" Yet there still is much lyricism and beauty throughout.
I don't know much of Schubert's orchestral music except his last 2 symphonies. The earlier symphonies, to me, sound like Mozart, and are quite conservative. Here is the Symphony #8, "Unfinished", 1st movement - I think this is his greatest symphony, just two movements, both perfect. It has a dark, sinister opening and melancholy theme, with beautiful melodies harmonies throughout. The best way to listen to this piece is to buy a good recording and to make sure your stereo system has a subwoofer - helps a lot because the opening melody is carried by the double-bass viols.
For an example of one of his "lieder", here is the Erlkoenig. A frightening tale by Goethe, it tells the story of a father riding on horseback with his young son during the night, when the son cries to his father that the "Erlking" or "Elf King" (modern translation - the "Boogey Man") is nearby and is going to harm him. The father doesn't take his son seriously - "don't worry it's just the wind", etc., and they go back and forth... until it's too late. The singer has the challenge of switching between being the narrator, the father, the son, and the Elf King. The piano accompaniment on this is horrendously difficult because of the stamina needed to play fast repeated octaves and chords in the right hand throughout - meant to evoke the fast hoof beats.
The next two represent his chamber music. The Piano Trio in Bb Major is one of my new favorites (I just got the CD for Christmas). It is full of sunshine and beautiful themes. And... yes more triplet accompaniment throughout. The "Trout" Quintet, 4th movement is one of his most famous pieces. I had to put up this video because there are so many famous musicians in the same place playing together! (Barenboim - piano, Perlman - vioin, Zukerman - viola, Du Pre - cello, and Mehta - bass) This movement has some motifs in it that supposedly sounds like a swimming fish, thus the name.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Happy Birthday, Wolfgang!
Before discussing one of the biggest musical geniuses of all time, I'll make note of another fine composer. Edouard Lalo was born on this day in 1823 in France. His most famous work, "Symphonie Espagnole", reveals his Spanish descent, and although it is called a symphony, it's really basically a violin concerto. It is part of the standard romantic violin repertoire today, and for good reason. Listen to the delightful 5th movement played by violinist Jascha Heifetz. Lalo dedicated this work to Pablo de Sarasate, another fine violinist/composer who I'll discuss later.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was also born on this day, a little over a quarter of a millenium ago (1756) in Salzburg, Austria. Mozart may have the most "accessible" music of any composer - it is generally likable on first listen, and probably more widely known by the general public than any other. Who in the world doesn't recognize the opening of Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night-music)?
His accessibility doesn't mean that his music is shallow, however. There is great depth and many subtleties to be found in his works. He had a very difficult life, and wrote music more to escape his difficulties than to pour his emotions into his music. Unlike Beethoven, who disregarded many of the "rules" of composing and wrote things that shocked people for their bold sounds and forms (and got away with it), Mozart stayed within the rules, more or less. As a result, the emotional range of his music is not perhaps as obviously wide. But it provides great relief for the weary listener who has had a hard day. As a piano teacher of mine once said, Mozart's music produces the least "wear and tear" on the soul and uplifts it instead.
Mozart was flowing with musical ideas. In the words of another music-professor of mine, "Beethoven had to work out his music with many drafts, revisions, etc. Mozart simply took dictation..." as if someone were directly playing the music for him in his head and he simply wrote down what he heard. It's not as though he didn't have to work hard, though. From a very young age, he saturated himself with music of other composers and studied very hard. Hard work combined with a natural genius produced the results.
There is an anecdote of a young (12-year-old) Wolfgang traveling with his father, and coming to the Vatican, where a choir sang Allegri's "Miserere", a 12 minute-long A capella piece with a beautiful multiple-part harmony. The music was property of the Catholic church, and it was forbidden (upon pain of excommunication) to have a copy of it or sing it outside the church choir. The only problem with this was that Mozart listened to it once and memorized it. So he went home and wrote the whole thing out for memory. The churchmen heard about this, but what could they do but admire?
One other thing I need to get off my chest has to do with Mozart's character. The movie Amadeus, while entertaining (and full of beautiful music!), exaggerates Mozart's silliness and wild living. I read a book recently called "The Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers", which I highly recommend to anyone interested in the Christian influence and Christian lives of many of the classical composers. The chapter on Mozart was especially interesting. It noted that, yes, there was evidence that Mozart had written some very inappropriate things in some letters to a young female cousin when he was younger (and this should not be excused). But this is the exception, and has been exploited and overblown. Mozart had a very serious Christian faith which deepened as he grew older.
Apparently Mozart and his wife Constance had a strong marriage, and tales of Mozart's womanizing have supposedly been discounted. When they were engaged, he wrote to his father of his spiritual compatibility with Constance - "I found that I never prayed so heartily, confessed or communicated so devoutly, as when by her side. And she feels the same." When he was 31, just 4 years before his death, he wrote "I never lie down in my bed without reflecting that perhaps I - young as I am - may not live to see another day; yet none of all who know me can say that I am socially melancholy or morose. For this blessing I daily thank my Creator and wish it from my heart for all my fellow men." At another time he wrote, "Let us put our trust in God and console ourselves with the thought that all is well, if it is in accordance with the will of the Almighty, as He knows best what is profitable and beneficial to our temporal happiness and our eternal salvation."
So what about his music? Personally, I'm a fan of his 23 piano concertos (Nos. 5-27; the first 4 were just transcriptions of the works of another composer). In them are some of his best orchestral and pianistic writing, and some of his most memorable and beautiful themes. My personal favorites are the two minor-key concertos, No. 20 in D minor (K. 466) and No. 24 in C minor (K. 491). The latter inspired Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto, written in the same key. Listen here to the first movement of the Mozart K. 491. Another one of my favorites is his Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major (K. 453). The second movement is one of his most moving pieces. It feels like it tells a story, with the piano acting as a singer telling of both joys and disappointments. There are so many subtleties in this piece, and it is very emotional, yet the emotion is restrained... as if Mozart wants to let you into his deepest, darkest corners, but only if you listen closely and carefully. Here's your chance to do so (note the movement is broken into two videos).
This blog entry is already too long, but there are so many more wonderful pieces to be heard! Here's a smattering of his best:
- Piano Concerto No. 9 (K. 271), 3rd movement, dedicated to a woman-pianist Mozart knew (she must have been talented!)
- Piano Sonata K. 330 in C Major, 3rd movement, played by an 82 year-old Vladimir Horowitz. Mozart's piano music has been paradoxically said to be "easy enough for any child to play, yet daunting for the even the most skilled professional." Little kids can play Mozart and make it sound half-way decent (whereas they don't have big enough hands to even play the notes on pieces by Chopin and Rachmaninoff). To make Mozart sound professional, though, one has to play transparently, so that every note is heard, leaving the pianist very exposed. No running things together with the pedal and dropping notes unless you want to sound very sloppy. Horowitz was actually scared to play Mozart in public until his later years, even though he had a monstrous technique to play all the difficult Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and other piano pieces.
- Symphony No. 29 in A Major (K. 201), 1st movement, written when he was about 18!
- String quartet K. 465 in C Major, "Dissonance", 1st movement. The beginning sounds like it was written in the 20th century :)
- Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216, 3rd movement. Less than three minutes into it, the character of the piece changes and there's a very serious little interlude with violin over plucking strings, then back to the playful character shortly after. Genius!
- Ave verum corpus (K. 618), one of his last works. An incredibly beautiful, short piece for choir and orchestra.
- Kyrie, from the Requiem (K. 626), his last work, finished by one of his students. This is a powerful piece of music!
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was also born on this day, a little over a quarter of a millenium ago (1756) in Salzburg, Austria. Mozart may have the most "accessible" music of any composer - it is generally likable on first listen, and probably more widely known by the general public than any other. Who in the world doesn't recognize the opening of Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night-music)?
His accessibility doesn't mean that his music is shallow, however. There is great depth and many subtleties to be found in his works. He had a very difficult life, and wrote music more to escape his difficulties than to pour his emotions into his music. Unlike Beethoven, who disregarded many of the "rules" of composing and wrote things that shocked people for their bold sounds and forms (and got away with it), Mozart stayed within the rules, more or less. As a result, the emotional range of his music is not perhaps as obviously wide. But it provides great relief for the weary listener who has had a hard day. As a piano teacher of mine once said, Mozart's music produces the least "wear and tear" on the soul and uplifts it instead.
Mozart was flowing with musical ideas. In the words of another music-professor of mine, "Beethoven had to work out his music with many drafts, revisions, etc. Mozart simply took dictation..." as if someone were directly playing the music for him in his head and he simply wrote down what he heard. It's not as though he didn't have to work hard, though. From a very young age, he saturated himself with music of other composers and studied very hard. Hard work combined with a natural genius produced the results.
There is an anecdote of a young (12-year-old) Wolfgang traveling with his father, and coming to the Vatican, where a choir sang Allegri's "Miserere", a 12 minute-long A capella piece with a beautiful multiple-part harmony. The music was property of the Catholic church, and it was forbidden (upon pain of excommunication) to have a copy of it or sing it outside the church choir. The only problem with this was that Mozart listened to it once and memorized it. So he went home and wrote the whole thing out for memory. The churchmen heard about this, but what could they do but admire?
One other thing I need to get off my chest has to do with Mozart's character. The movie Amadeus, while entertaining (and full of beautiful music!), exaggerates Mozart's silliness and wild living. I read a book recently called "The Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers", which I highly recommend to anyone interested in the Christian influence and Christian lives of many of the classical composers. The chapter on Mozart was especially interesting. It noted that, yes, there was evidence that Mozart had written some very inappropriate things in some letters to a young female cousin when he was younger (and this should not be excused). But this is the exception, and has been exploited and overblown. Mozart had a very serious Christian faith which deepened as he grew older.
Apparently Mozart and his wife Constance had a strong marriage, and tales of Mozart's womanizing have supposedly been discounted. When they were engaged, he wrote to his father of his spiritual compatibility with Constance - "I found that I never prayed so heartily, confessed or communicated so devoutly, as when by her side. And she feels the same." When he was 31, just 4 years before his death, he wrote "I never lie down in my bed without reflecting that perhaps I - young as I am - may not live to see another day; yet none of all who know me can say that I am socially melancholy or morose. For this blessing I daily thank my Creator and wish it from my heart for all my fellow men." At another time he wrote, "Let us put our trust in God and console ourselves with the thought that all is well, if it is in accordance with the will of the Almighty, as He knows best what is profitable and beneficial to our temporal happiness and our eternal salvation."
So what about his music? Personally, I'm a fan of his 23 piano concertos (Nos. 5-27; the first 4 were just transcriptions of the works of another composer). In them are some of his best orchestral and pianistic writing, and some of his most memorable and beautiful themes. My personal favorites are the two minor-key concertos, No. 20 in D minor (K. 466) and No. 24 in C minor (K. 491). The latter inspired Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto, written in the same key. Listen here to the first movement of the Mozart K. 491. Another one of my favorites is his Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major (K. 453). The second movement is one of his most moving pieces. It feels like it tells a story, with the piano acting as a singer telling of both joys and disappointments. There are so many subtleties in this piece, and it is very emotional, yet the emotion is restrained... as if Mozart wants to let you into his deepest, darkest corners, but only if you listen closely and carefully. Here's your chance to do so (note the movement is broken into two videos).
This blog entry is already too long, but there are so many more wonderful pieces to be heard! Here's a smattering of his best:
- Piano Concerto No. 9 (K. 271), 3rd movement, dedicated to a woman-pianist Mozart knew (she must have been talented!)
- Piano Sonata K. 330 in C Major, 3rd movement, played by an 82 year-old Vladimir Horowitz. Mozart's piano music has been paradoxically said to be "easy enough for any child to play, yet daunting for the even the most skilled professional." Little kids can play Mozart and make it sound half-way decent (whereas they don't have big enough hands to even play the notes on pieces by Chopin and Rachmaninoff). To make Mozart sound professional, though, one has to play transparently, so that every note is heard, leaving the pianist very exposed. No running things together with the pedal and dropping notes unless you want to sound very sloppy. Horowitz was actually scared to play Mozart in public until his later years, even though he had a monstrous technique to play all the difficult Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and other piano pieces.
- Symphony No. 29 in A Major (K. 201), 1st movement, written when he was about 18!
- String quartet K. 465 in C Major, "Dissonance", 1st movement. The beginning sounds like it was written in the 20th century :)
- Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216, 3rd movement. Less than three minutes into it, the character of the piece changes and there's a very serious little interlude with violin over plucking strings, then back to the playful character shortly after. Genius!
- Ave verum corpus (K. 618), one of his last works. An incredibly beautiful, short piece for choir and orchestra.
- Kyrie, from the Requiem (K. 626), his last work, finished by one of his students. This is a powerful piece of music!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Beat-boxing flute player?
A friend told me about this guy a few days ago. Pretty amazing (and funny)! I'm sure one would have to be a terrific flute-player first, then learn beat-boxing, and not the other way around...
- Peter and the Wolf
- Super Mario Bros
- Inspector Gadget
- Peter and the Wolf
- Super Mario Bros
- Inspector Gadget
Monday, January 7, 2008
Modern French music
Francis Poulenc was born today in 1899 in France. He was part of a group of French composers known as "Les Six", the name having been inspired by "The Five" Russian composers (see Jan 2 blog entry). The composers were Poulenc, Milhaud, Auric, Durey, Honegger, Tailleferre, and they were loosely associated with composers Satie and Cocteau as well. The music they wrote is seen as a reaction against Wagnerism and impressionism (mostly Debussy and Ravel), although I personally think Poulenc's music sounds impressionistic (at least the little of it I know).
I was introduced to Poulenc's music on hearing his wonderful little three-movement piano piece "Mouvements Perpetuals" and his lovely "Intermezzo in Ab Major", both pieces which I play now and love. Both have a light-hearted nature and are full of a wash of colors, yet also have deep feeling and introspection in places. Enjoy!
I was introduced to Poulenc's music on hearing his wonderful little three-movement piano piece "Mouvements Perpetuals" and his lovely "Intermezzo in Ab Major", both pieces which I play now and love. Both have a light-hearted nature and are full of a wash of colors, yet also have deep feeling and introspection in places. Enjoy!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Music to end the world
Two very different composers from the romantic era of music were born today. Max Bruch was born in 1838 in Germany. He is considered part of the more conservative tradition of German Romantic Classicism (along with Brahms) instead of the more radical experimentalists of the time, which included Liszt, Wagner, and Berlioz.
Bruch's most famous work is his Violin Concerto #1 in G minor, which is part of the standard violin repertoire. Listen to the 1st and 2nd movements here and here and 3rd movement here. It's quite an enjoyable piece of music, rightly deserving it's popularity.
Alexander Scriabin was also born today in 1872 in Russia. He studied piano with the same teacher as Rachmaninoff (who was 2 years younger), and wrote lots of piano music. In his early days, he injured himself playing Balakirev's Islamey (see previous blog entry). Scriabin had some very interesting beliefs that affected his music. He started out sort of Chopinesque in his style, but gradually his music became atonal. He had very grandiose mystical beliefs, and began work on a large orchestral/multi-media work called Mysterium that he planned on performing at the Himalayas that would bring about the end of our world. Fortunately for us who hadn't been born yet, he never completed the piece and the world didn't end.
Scriabin had a "Mystic chord" that he employed in some of his later compositions, made up of C F# Bb E A D, usually in inversions. He also associated the notes on a keyboard with colors.
A lot of his piano music (particularly the early stuff) is very interesting and beautiful. His many preludes, etudes, and 10 sonatas are very popular among pianists today, and some of them are quite difficult and are standard repertoire in competitions. Here are a few samples from his earlier period: Etude in D# minor, Op. 8 No. 12, probably his most popular piece (and quite difficult!), Etude Op. 2, No. 1, another very popular piece, Nocturne for the left hand, Op. 9 No. 2, a very beautiful piece that you wouldn't know was for the left hand alone if you weren't watching, and finally, his Sonata No. 2, Op. 19, 2nd movement.
From his middle period: Etude Op. 42, No. 5, another popular piece. It is still very romantic, and tonal, though perhaps edgier than the previous pieces. Also written during this time is the 4th piano sonata, Op. 30, a very jazzy and generally happy piece, though definitely pushing the limits of tonality more than before.
Finally, from his last period, one of his last piano works, "Vers la flamme" (Toward the flame), Op. 72. This is a rather disturbing piece, as are a lot of his later works. The name says it all - it starts out slow and cool, but gets hotter and hotter as it progresses, until by the end, the heat is actually quite uncomfortable. Listen to it here with pianist Vladimir Horowitz, one of the few to give this piece the proper fire. Horowitz is one of Scriabin's greatest intepreters and also interacted with him during his lifetime. Apparently Scriabin told Horowitz that this piece also could be called "Toward the Sun".
Bruch's most famous work is his Violin Concerto #1 in G minor, which is part of the standard violin repertoire. Listen to the 1st and 2nd movements here and here and 3rd movement here. It's quite an enjoyable piece of music, rightly deserving it's popularity.
Alexander Scriabin was also born today in 1872 in Russia. He studied piano with the same teacher as Rachmaninoff (who was 2 years younger), and wrote lots of piano music. In his early days, he injured himself playing Balakirev's Islamey (see previous blog entry). Scriabin had some very interesting beliefs that affected his music. He started out sort of Chopinesque in his style, but gradually his music became atonal. He had very grandiose mystical beliefs, and began work on a large orchestral/multi-media work called Mysterium that he planned on performing at the Himalayas that would bring about the end of our world. Fortunately for us who hadn't been born yet, he never completed the piece and the world didn't end.
Scriabin had a "Mystic chord" that he employed in some of his later compositions, made up of C F# Bb E A D, usually in inversions. He also associated the notes on a keyboard with colors.
A lot of his piano music (particularly the early stuff) is very interesting and beautiful. His many preludes, etudes, and 10 sonatas are very popular among pianists today, and some of them are quite difficult and are standard repertoire in competitions. Here are a few samples from his earlier period: Etude in D# minor, Op. 8 No. 12, probably his most popular piece (and quite difficult!), Etude Op. 2, No. 1, another very popular piece, Nocturne for the left hand, Op. 9 No. 2, a very beautiful piece that you wouldn't know was for the left hand alone if you weren't watching, and finally, his Sonata No. 2, Op. 19, 2nd movement.
From his middle period: Etude Op. 42, No. 5, another popular piece. It is still very romantic, and tonal, though perhaps edgier than the previous pieces. Also written during this time is the 4th piano sonata, Op. 30, a very jazzy and generally happy piece, though definitely pushing the limits of tonality more than before.
Finally, from his last period, one of his last piano works, "Vers la flamme" (Toward the flame), Op. 72. This is a rather disturbing piece, as are a lot of his later works. The name says it all - it starts out slow and cool, but gets hotter and hotter as it progresses, until by the end, the heat is actually quite uncomfortable. Listen to it here with pianist Vladimir Horowitz, one of the few to give this piece the proper fire. Horowitz is one of Scriabin's greatest intepreters and also interacted with him during his lifetime. Apparently Scriabin told Horowitz that this piece also could be called "Toward the Sun".
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Leader of "The Five"
In 1837 on this day, Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev was born in Russia. He was a very skilled pianist, and is known for organizing a group of Russian musicians/composers known as "The Mighty Handful" or "The Five", which included Balakirev, Cui, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Borodin. Although Balakirev was the only professional musician amongst them, they were influential in bringing about a "Romantic nationalism" in Russian music.
I'm apparently not alone in knowing only one piece by Balakirev. His music is not widely played, except for one piece, particularly popular with pianists, due to it's impressive difficulty - "Islamey: an oriental fantasy". You can view it here played by Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky. This piece is pretty crazy. Watch the fingers fly, especially during the last minute or so.
I'm apparently not alone in knowing only one piece by Balakirev. His music is not widely played, except for one piece, particularly popular with pianists, due to it's impressive difficulty - "Islamey: an oriental fantasy". You can view it here played by Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky. This piece is pretty crazy. Watch the fingers fly, especially during the last minute or so.
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