Chapter 14 Reading:

Haydn Seek

Step 1

  • What are the instruments used in a string quartet? 2 violins, 1 viola, and 1 cello 

  • Describe the tempo & form characteristics of a string quartet.

A composition for four players of stringed instruments may be in any form. Quartets written in the classical period usually have four movements with a large-scale structure similar to that of a symphony: 

First movement: Sonata form, Allegro, in the tonic key;

Second movement: Slow movement, in a related key;

Third movement: Minuet and Trio, in the tonic key;

Fourth movement: Rondo form or Sonata rondo form, in the tonic key.

Describe musical elements heard in this movement from Haydn's String Quartet Op. 20 no. 5

(Musical Elements; Pitch, Rhythm, Dynamics, Tempo, Texture, Timbre, Form, Purpose, Harmony, Melody, Expression, Mood, Language, Style, etc.) This piece is in a very fast tempo, and is also polyphonic as many different layers are being played at once. It is definitely more stacatto and and has lots of dynamic changes.  

 

Step 2

  • What is an Oratorio? An Oratorio is a large-scale musical work for orchestra and voices, typically a narrative on a religious theme, performed without the use of costumes, scenery, or action

  • What language is used for Haydn's Oratorio, The Creation? It is in German

  • Describe the shifts in tonality(major/minor) and dynamics heard in The Heaven's Are Telling from the Creation. this piece starts major, powerful and strong. as it progresses, there is a shift to minor where is is more legato and soft. It then switches back and forth from the minor to shift back to major. 

 

Step 3

  1. Translation of the title 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'= A little night music

  2. Instrumentation Used The work is written for an ensemble of two violins, viola, and cello with optional double bass but is often performed by string orchestras.

  1. Movement Format

The work has four movements:

Allegro

Romanze: Andante

Menuetto: Allegretto

Rondo: Allegro

 

Step 4

  • Provide the following trivia regarding this excerpt from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni

  1. Brief plot synopsis: In the 17th century, in Spain, Don Giovanni is a legendary hero, Don Juan. He makes a move on any woman, and jilts his lovers. He never learns from his experiences, and there is a stone statue of the Commendatore in the graveyard. Suddenly, the stone statue begins to talk to Don Giovanni in a scary voice, and puts pressure on him to repent his evil deeds. When DOn Giovanni doesn't repent his sins, the statue leads him to hell. 

  2. Original language of the Opera: Italian

  3. Musical elements used to enhance the plot in this scene: In the beginning of the scene, the statue is singing an obscure, creepy melodic line that is very heavy. As the scene progresses, more polyphony is added as Don Giovanni begins to speak as well, and continues the strong, minor lines with heavy accents. The orchestra is mimicking the intensity of the voices with strong timpani hits as the melodic lines rise and fall. By the end, all voices are singing a strong forte in different textures, adding to this intensity. 

(Musical Elements; Pitch, Rhythm, Dynamics, Tempo, Texture, Timbre, Form, Purpose, Harmony, Melody, Expression, Mood, Language, Style, etc.)

Step 2

1. List 2 bits of trivia portrayed in the play/movie Amadeus that are factual.  1. Mozart did not get along with the Archbishop of Salzburg. The Archbishop mistreated him and eventually dismissed him. 2. Mozart loved billiards. In the movie there are many instances where he is playing or writing music at his billiards table. Mozart's good friend, tenor Michael Kelly, mentioned in his memoirs that he enjoyed countless games of billiards with him, and never won.
2. List 2 bits of trivia portrayed in the play/movie Amadeus that are fictional. Shortly before his death, Mozart slipped into unconsciousness and never awoke. This means that he probably died with his eyes closed, not open. Also, Mozart had not one child, but six. Unfortunately, only two survived to adulthood, Karl Thomas and Franz Xaver Wolfgang
3. What is a Requiem Mass? A mass for the dead. 
4. Why did Count Walsegg commission Mozart to compose a Requiem? He wanted to commemorate the anniversary of his wife's death on 14 February.
5. What 4 details from the Requiem Timeline(Wikipedia Link)interest you most? 1. It was interesting how Mozart didn't finish the mass and Sussmayr finishes it for him. 2. That the count wanted the mass to be written in honor of his dead wife 3. that the count wanted to take the requiem and call it his own work 4.That Mozart was writing the cantata up until the day of his demise. 
6. What posthumous diagnoses(Wikipedia Link) do you think is most believable? I believe that he most likely died from a sickness such as rheumatic fever, as he was always painted as a sickly child and had a weak immune system, and the symptoms leading to his death did not appear to be by poison, but by a feverish sickness. 
7. After listening to Dies Irae, how did Mozart musically capture the meaning of the text? This song, that translates to Day of Wrath, portrays these lyrics through strong accents and loud, angry orchestration. The angry minors also portrays the angsty mood of the piece. 
8. How does Mozart change the musical feeling in Confutatis for “Voca me cum benedictus”? The song starts out staccato, minor, forte, and fast. The use of strong attacks in the orchestra and male voices portrays the angst in the A section. However, the horn ascends and brings the piece back to a major key, with female voices singing legato phrases piano, changing the mood of the piece. 
9. Translate the Latin for  'lacrymosa' and expain how Mozart conveys this musically. Lacrymosa means weeping, and the legato notes of the piece written by Mozart portrays this beautifully. The piece ascends and descends with the use of crescendo.  
10. In what ways does the Queen of the Night aria portray ‘magic flute’ like sounds? The way this crazy soprano hits these high bouncy notes with such accuracy is definitely in parallel to a flute part. The high staccato lines that just are flicked away are very flute like. It definitely portrays "magic flute" sounds, as the rapid staccato notes are very prominent. 
11. After seeing the Papagena/Papageno duet, what do you think they are singing about? It appears that they are signing about finding a bird mate, and they are joyfully singing to each other about love. 
12. What might lead some to speculate that the Magic Flute Opera is full of hidden meanings and symbolism relating to Freemasonry/The Masonic Temple? We don’t know if Mozart and Schikaneder belonged to the same Masonic Lodge, but we do know that both of them were Masons, and that they were familiar with Masonic Symbolism and with the general ideals of Freemasonry. When Tamino, who is the main character of The Magic Flute, enters the Temple of Wisdom, he is in fact being initiated into the Masonic Mysteries, or into a mythical version of it: as you will see, there is a lot of talk about Isis and Osiris, of pyramids and sphinxes, etc. The symbolism employed in The Magic Flute is not known in its entirety. However, the story is a spiritual one, and many of the symbols employed are known to us: they are still employed in a spiritual context; they are still in use Freemasonry and within the occult. As Masons, Schikaneder and Mozart must have been familiar with basic occult history and symbology; elements of the Kabbalah and of Alchemy were certainly known to them. It is very easy to understand some of the more obvious symbols. 

13. What is a Concerto? A concerto is a musical composition for a solo instrument or instruments accompanied by an orchestra, especially one conceived on a relatively large scale.
14. How many movements do Concerto’s generally have?  It generally has 3 movements. 
15. Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto is cataloged as K.622.  The Magic Flute is K.620. The Requiem Mass is K. 626.
What does the 'K' stand for and what does it indicate when cataloging the music of Mozart?  The Köchel catalogue (German: Köchel-Verzeichnis) is a chronological catalogue of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, originally created by Ludwig von Köchel, in which the entries are abbreviated K. and KV.  In the decades after Mozart's death there were several attempts to catalogue his compositions, for example by Franz Gleißner and Johann Anton André (published in 1833), but it was not until 1862 that Ludwig von Köchel succeeded in producing a comprehensive listing.

16. The clarinet was more or less invented during Mozart's time.  He composed the Clarinet Quintet and the Clarinet Concerto for which friend? Enjoy this Cat Concerto by Tom & Jerry.  Mozart wrote this concerto for a friend, Anton Stadler, who was the most gifted clarinetist in Vienna. The Clarinet Concerto in A was Mozart's only concerto for that instrument, and he completed the work just two months before his death in 1791.
17. What were the results of the 1993 experiment that led to Mozart mania known as the ‘Mozart Effect’? In 1993 Rauscher et al.1 made the surprising claim that, after listening to Mozart's sonata for two pianos (K448) for 10 minutes, normal subjects showed significantly better spatial reasoning skills than after periods of listening to relaxation instructions designed to lower blood pressure or silence. The mean spatial IQ scores were 8 and 9 points higher after listening to the music than in the other two conditions.

18.  Give a brief synopsis of the outcome of Mozart's visit to the Sistine Chapel after hearing Allegri's "Miserere". After hearing "allegri's miserere" at age 14, Mozart went back to his lodge and transcribed the whole thing perfectly. It is also said that after having transcribed the piece, the young Mozart went back to St Peter’s to hear the work again, probably the same week, to compare his own score with the sung version

19.  Explain Mozart's involvement with the Weber family throughout his life. He was romantically involved with 2 girls from the family.  The ever-travelling Weber family — last seen in Munich, and now minus the departed Fridolin — had, by this time, moved to Vienna. Mozart was more than happy to lodge with them in St Peter’s Square. He had no hopes of rekindling his affair with Aloysia, who was now married, but his eyes did wander onto her younger sister, Constanze. Before long, he was in love again. Constanze was, in many ways, the perfect partner for Mozart. She was probably more than a match for his sometimes flighty, left-field humour; she was down to earth; she could run a house well. 

Chapter 15:

Roll Over Beethoven

Step 1

Use the Bagatelle No. 25 Fur Elise to answer the following questions

  • What is a Bagatelle? A bagatelle is a short piece of music, typically for the piano, and usually of a light, mellow character. The name bagatelle literally means "a short unpretentious instrumental composition" as a reference to the light style of a piece.

  • What is an Albumblatt? An Albumblatt is a short instrumental composition usually for piano, literally translating to a "album leaf" 

  • Describe some unique features of this composition.  Fur Elise is generally considered a bagatelle, a term that translates literally as "a thing of little value." In musical terms, however, a bagatelle is a short piece. ... However, there's also an argument that Fur Elise should be considered an albumblatt . Beethoven was almost ocmpletely deaf when he composed Fur Elise. 

  • Provide background as to the identity of "Elise". 

There are many theories about who "Elise" may have been; was she a real person, or was it just a term of endearment? There's also a theory that the person who unearthed the score after Beethoven's death misread the composer's handwriting, and that it really said "fur Therese."

If it was dedicated to Therese, that's almost certainly a reference to Therese von Rohrenbach zu Dezza, a student and friend of Beethoven. The story goes that Beethoven sought her hand in marriage but Therese rejected him in favor of an Austrian nobleman.  Another candidate for the role of Elise is Elisabeth Rockel, another female friend of Beethoven, whose nicknames were Betty and Elise. Or Elise could have been Elise Barensfeld, the daughter of a friend. 

Step 2

Use Beethoven's 5th,  Beethoven's Wig & Plink Plank Plunk to respond to the following questions

  • Why do you think that the 4 Note Theme from Symphony No. 5 is so well known? I think this theme is so well known because of the suspense that is carries. The most common story that is told is that Beethoven allegedly said that the opening of the symphony was supposedly symbolizing fate knocking at the door. "The other story going around at the time that Beethoven wrote it was that he had gotten the opening motif from the song of a bird. And that story just sort of fell away as the fate symbolism took over. But in Beethoven's time, and to Beethoven, that actually would have been a fairly noble way of getting a musical idea.

  • Why do you think this theme has been recycled in so many ways throughout history? The opening four notes were a crucial part of Europeans’ passive resistance to Nazi tyranny during World War II. The “V for Victory” campaign began in Belgium as a call for people to write the letter “V” as a sign of resistance. I believe these 4 notes, with all of its symbolic meaning, made it a pivotal part of music history that has been recycled because of its memorable qualities and symbolism.  

 

Step 3

Provide background trivia regarding Ode To Joy

  • The text-origin & meaning  Schiller's meanings in "Ode to Joy" are simple: Joy is needed for life and motivation, it is heavenly in origin and is available to mankind through a loving God. The proof of His love is found not only in nature's motivation to create perpetually, but also in nature's good things, such as the fruit of the vine. This is the evidence that should give all men hope, and allow them joy in that hope. The opening stanza and chorus of "Ode" are all-encompassing, welcoming the brotherhood of mankind into Elysium (Heaven), of which Joy is the daughter. There are far-flung images of restoration -- "Beggars become Princes' brothers" -- and mysticism -- "fire-imbibed ... thy magic powers reunite." Its climax is a "kiss to the entire world" -- Joy will embrace everyone, a concept that inspired philosopher/composers such as Nietzsche and Wagner in their world outlooks.

  • The context that Beethoven used it in. 

The “Ode to Joy” text that Beethoven employed, and slightly modified, was written by the German poet, Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, in the summer of 1785. It was a celebratory poem addressing the unity of all mankind. Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” was composed in 1824, in the final movement of his last, and arguably most famous, symphony, Symphony No. 9. The premiere took place in Vienna on May 7, 1824, and despite its unpracticed and under-rehearsed presentation, the audience was ecstatic. It was the first time Beethoven had appeared on stage in 12 years.

  • Ways in which this composition has been used throughout history. 

 In 1972, the Council of Europe made Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” its official anthem. Years later, in 1985, the European Union did the same. Although Schiller’s text isn’t sung in the anthem, the music conveys the same ideas of freedom, peace, and unity.

During World War I, German prisoners held captive by Japan introduced their captors to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Years later, Japanese orchestras began performing it. Then, after the devastating events of World War II, many Japanese orchestras began performing it at the end of the year, hoping to bring in enough audience members to help fund reconstruction efforts. Since then, it has become a Japanese tradition to perform Beethoven’s 9th symphony at the end of the year.

 

Step 4

Use THIS LINK or Julie Drive the access the Billy Joel/Beatles Influence interview

  • Provide a summary of Billy Joel's classical composer influences. Originally, the beatles were his biggest influence. However, he was always enchanted by Beethoven and his total obsession with music. Chopin, W.C, Mozart, were also in his list of favorite classical composers. 

  • Compare/Contrast Beethoven's Pathetique to Billy Joel's This Night. Beethoven's Pathetique is obviously more legato, slower tempo, and doesn't have the "doo wap" feel that Billy Joel'ls This Night has. However, when the chorus of This Night comes, it is clearly from the Beethoven's Pathetique with the chordal progression and classic cadence. 

 

Step 5

Use the Piano Sonata No. 14 Moonlight Sonata to answer the following

  • What is a Sonata? A sonata is a composition for an instrumental soloist, often with a piano accompaniment, typically in several movements with one or more in sonata form.

  • Provide background trivia regarding this composition's dedication. 

Beethoven dedicated one of his most famous works - known today as the "Moonlight Sonata" - to Countess Giulietta (Julia) Guicciardi.  His letters leave no doubt he was in love with her. Beethoven scholars (including the respected biographer Alexander Wheelock Thayer) believe that Ludwig proposed to Giulietta and that she was inclined to accept.  One of her parents, however - likely her father - would not allow it. When she did not have approval to marry Beethoven, Julia married Count Wenzel Robert Gallenberg (also a composer) instead. 

  • What are your specific feelings or thoughts in response to this composition? This piece has clear connotations of sadness and sorrow, through the minor, repeated arpeggios. Even without hearing the background of why the piece was written, you know it is filled with sadness. 

 

HONORS TRACK

Can Ludwig come out and play?

Option 1

 

A. Highlight the contradictions that filled Beethoven's life to include

  • His Father, Grandfather & Nephew Karl

  • His romantic interests, i.e. Immortal Beloved. 

  • His emotional and physical health

  • His attitude toward nobility

     Beethoven had a very hard life, but somehow managed to become one of the most accomplished and praised creator of the classic/romantic period. He had a father who was an abusive drunk who would beat him when he would play a note wrong, and forced him to play in a militaristic manner. This caused Beethoven to become very brash and angry himself, which was what shaped his image to the public for quite some time, though the public never lost respect for him as a musician. Though Ludwig had a horrendous relationship with his father, we was quite close with his grandfather, who died when Beethoven was only 3. Beethoven was also an uncle to his nephew Karl. Though Beethoven had good intentions, he put a very tight leash on Karl when he wanted only to be with his mother, which lead to the later attempt of suicide, proving to Beethoven he had failed at the attempt to father Karl. Beethoven also had little luck with romantic affairs, as he consistently fell in love with aristocratic women who only wanted to be with noblemen and would not marry Beethoven for his lower status. In one of his last passionate love letters, the women was addressed to as "the immortal beloved", who was a women named Antonie Brentano, who was bed ridden and Beethoven placed a piano next to her room to play, and they fell deeply in love. She also happened to be married to one of Beethoven's best friends. However, as always, Antonie was way out of Beethoven's class and would not be with him. As Beethoven obviously suffered from emotional trauma from his rejections and family issues, he also happened to suffer from many health issues as well. Beethoven grew increasingly deaf as he continued in his career. Historians have long suspected that Beethovensuffered from more than one health problem, possibly including inflammatory bowel disease, Paget's disease (abnormal bone destruction), liver disease, alcohol abuse, and kidney disease. As is widely known,Beethoven's most often described ailment was deafness. Beethoven was also what we would call an utter bohemian, where he despised convention and orthodoxy, and was not in the least interested in his appearance or surroundings. This born rebel turned up in aristocratic and fastidious Vienna, unkempt, ill-dressed and ill-humoured, with none of the polite airs and graces that might have been expected of him. Like every other composer in those times, Beethoven was obliged to rely on grants and commissions from wealthy and aristocratic patrons. But he was never owned by them. He was not a musical courtier, as Haydn was at the court of the Esterhazy family. What they thought of this strange man is not known. But the greatness of his music ensured him of commissions and therefore a livelihood. Paintings show nobelmen bowing their hats to Beethoven and him not even catching a glimpse. He really held no repsect for people of power, as his whole life was living and breathing music. 

 

B. Describe how these contradictions influenced his compositions to include

 

  • His musical accomplishments

  • His influence on other composers

  • Compositional connections to Napoleon

  • Rebellion from the Patronage System

Through the hardships Beethoven faced, he was one of the most accomplished musicians that the world has ever seen. Ludwig van Beethoven, the composer who, more than any other, changed music, the sound of music and what it is that composers do, wrote nine symphonies that jolted music out of itself. Life could never – would never – be the same again. I could go on and on about the hundreds of sonatas, symphonies, and more that Beethoven has composed, the most notable being Ode to Joy, Moonlight Sonata, Symphony No. 5, and Fur Elise. He played in the same room as Mozart, became one of Haydn's pupils, and got to be in Vienna, the city of music, where his career flourished. The history of 20th-century music, from Schoenberg to Stravinsky and Stockhausen, is often written like a soap opera of scandals and spats between composers (eager to explore) and performers (keen to show off) – a tradition that can be traced to Beethoven’s door.  By late 1803, Beethoven had sketched out his new epic symphony, the Eroica. It was inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution and dedicated to its hero, who then seemed to be the great liberator of the people: Napoleon.

Beethoven thought of himself as a free spirit, and he admired the principles of freedom and equality embodied by the French Revolution. He thought he recognized in Napoleon a hero of the people and a champion of freedom, which was why he intended to dedicate a huge new symphony to him.

But when Beethoven heard the news in late 1804 that Napoleon had crowned himself Emperor of France, he was disgusted. “He’s just a rascal like all the others,” he exclaimed. He then rid napolean from the title of his work and named it simply, "the Eroica". At the time, most "famous" musicians were obliged to rely on grants and commissions from wealthy and aristocratic patrons. But beethoven made it very clear that he was never owned by them. He was not a musical courtier, as Haydn was at the court of the Esterhazy family, which is what was the root of his rebellion from the patronage system. The patronage system had its pros, but the cons included isolation and restricted creativity, where musicians lived as servants with their patrons and were committed to composing what their boss wanted, and when they wanted it. Because of this, many musicians, such as Beethoven, during the classical era, rebelled against this system and moved to a more freelanced style.