Post on the Composer’s music that you connected with the most. Discuss specific pieces by that composer- For example:
What did you hear? What did they make you think of? How did they make you feel? What was particularly “Romantic” about the compositions? Did any remind you of things we read or artistic pieces we looked at?
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The Romantic composer that I feel like I connected the most with was Richard Wagner, specifically his piece "Tristan and Isolde". In this piece, there was a soothing composition with a male and female opera singer that seemed to be conversing with each other. While listening to this, I thought about love. It seemed as if love at first sight was occuring and the singers were describing their sudden realizations about the other person. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. It also made me think about the concept of love and how different people express it to each other. Wagner's piece was used extremely effectively to convey these emotions typically associated with love. Out of the texts we read, this reminded me the most of "The Tempest". When Miranda and Ferdinand first see each other, they have an outburst of feelings similar to the ones i heard in Wagner's piece.
ReplyDeleteKyle S.
The composer I enjoyed the most was Franz Liszt. His sound was that of a large orchestra. His song Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2 was my favorite becuase it was light and flowy, starting with a piano playing lightly but gradually getting faster and louder. Then, the rest of the orchestra joined in and the sound became grand and big. It reminded me of a carnival and gave off a happy feeling. It also made me think of Faust when Meph and Faust go to Walpurgis Night. This scene came into my head because the composition was caotic and fun and that made me think of all the people on the mountain in that scene.
ReplyDeleteKelsey G
Upon listening to the various composers of the Romantic time the one composer that stood out to me the most was Franz Liszt. The work that I enjoyed the most was that of Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2. It sounded jubilant but also forceful at the same time. The various instruments used by the Liszt made me feel happy and I enjoyed tapping along with the rhythm. The composition expressed raw emotion of rejoice and happiness. While listening to this work, I was reminded of the second scene in Faust when the whole town was up and about during the easter holiday.
ReplyDelete-Jeff B
One thing I forgot to mention was how personal Wagner's piece sounded. It truly expressed the Romantic ideal about a person's internal feelings. The speaking between the two singers conveyed their own personal feelings toward each other, thus displaying a Romantic view point and a romantic feel.
ReplyDeleteKyle S.
The composer that I connected with the most was Robert Shumann. I was particularly inspired by his musical piece, "Carnaval." Like his biography mentions, Shumann composed music that all seemed to have a very gentle, dream-like, mystical quality to it. "Carnval" is a very pure piece of music, for it is played entirely on the piano. It is very tranquil and peaceful with no other instruments penetrating the sweet sound of the piano. For me, this composition reminds me of Miranda from Goethe's "Faust." Miranda has a very difficult life; she is an orphan who has to learn to mentally mature at such a young age because of the hardships she faces. This leads her to find relief in daydreaming: a form of escape from her troubling reality. While listening to this composition, I can almost imagine Miranda sitting in her bedroom daydreaming, wishing she could be a young, innocent girl again.
ReplyDelete-Kelsey F.
I felt as though I made the greatest connection with Tchaikovsky. In all of his pieces on the website, I felt that each composition Romantically portrayed intense emotion in its composition. In Swan Lake, the finale of the song clip begins to build through the ascension of notes. I liked that the song was soothing, but brought about anticipation toward the end. I also really enjoyed the popular 1812 Overture. Like Swan Lake, it was able to build toward the finale. I found it interesting that to accent the song, Tchaikovsky uses deep and loud cannon-sounds, while in Swan Lake, he is able to use lighter, softer noises to the same effect.
ReplyDeleteThe melody of Swan Lake reminded me of Ariel, effeminate and airy. The 1812 Overture, however, reminds me more of Prospero toward the end of the Tempest. Here, Prospero finally achieves all he desires and in his mind, all is right. In all its glory, the 1812 Overture would be an appropriate and bold expression of Prospero's newfound fulfillment.
-Shelby
The composer that I really liked was Wagner. I love Wagner's style of music because he wrote for operas and therefore his pieces were very dramatic. The way he ends his pieces is very grand and empowering. It makes me good and like I can do anything. The way that he has the whole orchestra sustain a note and then have the brass play a fanfare over it but with many moving line underneath is genius. I believe that his use of the entire orchestra is fantastic and he is great at having his pieces build and grow into that grand finale such as the ones heard in "Siegfried's Funeral March" or "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral". So many different lines are going on at the same time but there is still a prominent and recurring theme throughout. I believe that the many layers and the drama of his music is what makes it Romantic. He also breaks the rules a little too because he uses many minor and dissonant sounds. This generally was not widely used before. However the minor chords that he writes creates tension in the music which makes the music want to resolve. He strings that listener along with many different tension and crunch chords until he finally resolves. This final resolution is very satisfying to hear and is one of the key to his amazing composing skills.
ReplyDelete-Allison
Igor Stravinsky, a Romantic composer, creates music that I believe to hold many Romantic qualities. I heard a lot of fluts and Picolas that were playing very quickly and almost reminded me of birds in nature. While listening to his music, I though a lot about nature. "The Fire Bird" and the "Rite of Spring" were to pieces that had many elements that reminded me of nature. In "The Rite of spring" there is a lot of percussion and flutes that are playing crazily in the background. This reminded me of chaos in nature, perhaps a storm. "The Fire Bird" reminded me of walking in a field with birds all around me. Both of these pieces seemed as thought they were telling a story to the listener, which is a huge trend in the Romantic period.
ReplyDelete-Haley
http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/MP3/slavdance.mp3
ReplyDeleteAntonín Dvorák
Born: Mühlhausen, September 8, 1841
Died: Prague, May 1, 1904
Certainly the greatest composer that Bohemia produced, Dvorák’s fame as a musician spread during his lifetime throughout Europe and to America, where he served as artistic director of the National Conservatory in New York City from 1892 to1895. Composing music in almost every conceivable genre during his career, many of his chamber works, symphonies, and concertos have entered the general repertory. The use of Bohemian folk dances in many of his works is typical, and among Dvorák’s most successful works are two sets of Slavonic Dances, originally composed for piano, four-hands, and which he later orchestrated. One of the most exciting of these is the Slavonic Dance, op. 46 no. 8. His nine symphonies are infused with the flavor of the Bohemian countryside, even his most famous, the Symphony No. 9 in E minor, nicknamed "From the New World". It is in the third movements of many of these symphonies where Dvorák gives free rein to the music of his homeland, as he does in the Symphony no. 7 in D minor.
I strongly connected with Antonín Dvorák and his Bohemian nationalist music. The song "Slavonic Dance op. 46 no. 8" was his best work in my oppinion and greatly encapsulated the Romantic ideals of his time period. Dvorak's music represented his country, Bohemia and the curious folk-culture that was created there. The light and airy woodwinds and flutes, supported by gentle, yet flowing String intstruments gave me a feel for Bohemian countryside. The brass and percussion, on the other hand, struck me as a rallying cry for the Bohemian people to celebrate heritage. The combination of the two created an effect of a beautiful landscape filled with loyal and passionate countrymen. This compostion is especially Romantic to me because of its nationalist and folk roots and because of the raw passion and emotion behind the playing. Of all the pieces we have read, this playing reminds me of Dracula somewhat, for the Slavic culture and the mystery of the Slavs that aid Dracula. But it also reminded me of the beauty of Nature, such as Ariel did in The Tempest with his playful and light ways. Through its beautiful, happy feel, but also its intense and passionate playing, "Slavonic Dance op. 46 no. 8" is a definite Romantic masterpiece.
With a thousand trumpets proclaiming my love,
Daniel "Virtuoso" McNulty
Felix Mendelssohn:
ReplyDeleteScherzo from "A Midsummer Night’s Dream” made me think of Ariel from The Tespest flying around. I feel like it portrayed a lot of happy emotions and feelings of well being and care-free. granted Ariel wasn't free, i just imagined him feeling free for a brief amount of time when away from Prospero.
Symphony no. 4 in A major made me think of an old fashioned styled town. it incorporated a lot of light flowy sounding notes in this piece. Also, it reminded me of the "happy times" in novels such as Wuthering Heights and Faust. It felt carefree and loving. Very cute.
-Feen
Didn't finish this in class and just closed it out without thinking...
ReplyDeleteSo I'm using a site--I think the one we were using in theory...to get the profile/general info
http://www.dsokids.com/listen/ComposerDetail.aspx?composerID=28
Both pieces I listened to:
are programmic pieces. (Scheherazade is based on a book, Arabian Nights)
-huge orchestras/huge sound
-lots of percussion
Scheherazade:
-programmatic (I think it's really cool how the third movement, called The Young Prince and the Young Princess, there's a very nice clarinet solo which is returned by the flute later on--the clarinet=prince, the flute=the princess)
-bigorchestra/big sound
-very lyrical parts (which isn't played in that sample--the lyrical sections are more in the earlier movements)
-lots of percussion
-DYNAMIC CONTRAST
-reoccurring themes (many imitated thoughout the piece by different solo instruments)
-it's in 4 movements, but each is 9-12 minutes long
I looked up Capriccio espagnol on Youtube which is the other piece I listened to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJjaZz6AgV4&feature=related
-again, very lyrical in sections
-lots of percussion to get the whole latino thing going on
-it's a big orchestra clearly
-again dynamic contrast
-based on Spanish folk melodies
-reaching out to a different culture besides your Europpean classical
After thinking about it for a while, I don't think I can say either of these pieces reminded me of anything that we've read...they both have such a distinct style of their own and have their own stories which happen to be very different from anything we've read, at least from what I can tell. I do get very clear images though, that really go along with the stories--and I think that was the point. Scheherezade for instance, there's a lot of sailor stuff having to do with the story (Korsakov originally wanted to be a sailor which is interesting...) and I can really hear it, mostly through the use of percussion. And the last movement is called...something to do the the ship breaking against a cliff (it's a long title) and the music is really agitated and paniky and I see the cymbals as the raging sea crashing up against the rocks and the sinking ship (and that in itself has the powerful Nature in Romanticism now that I mention that...) OH--then I guess if anything it would remind me of the Tempest, or the Tempest part of the Tempest. The cymbals you might say would be the lightning bolts or the sea as well...what's interesting, there's like a violin solo, all on its own...it's like a lonely voice panicking when nothhing's left and I see a guy looking around frantically at the destruction and at his own death awaiting but you think the worst is over until the cliffs come again and there's also some flute parts before that crazy part that resemble a sea shanty with a tambourine in there. It's a cool piece (and I happen know this one well as you might've guessed...) Only heard a sample of the Spanish one, but I hope to get to get to know it better, and other ones, through this project.
I enjoyed listening the Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1. It is a piece I am familiar with, having rehearsed and performed it. Liszt's use of frequent dynamic changes, short and light passages, ornamental flourishes (trills, grace notes, etc.), and ritards and accelerandos give the piece a very flirtatious and carefree mood. It reminded me most of the Tempest, particularly Ariel and Miranda. Ariel airiness and desire for freedom is mirrored in the music, as is Miranda's flirtatious romance with Ferdinand. The push and pull mood of the piece also reflects Ariel's multiple flirtations with freedom, only to be pulled back into service by Prospero. I can also say from experience that it is a fairly technically challenging piece, which would fit into the common Romantic aspect of increased virtuosity compared to earlier Classical and Baroque music.
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