Finnissy: English Country Tunes

For my last "chosen piece," I wanted to find something interesting to me. I researched to find out what pianists generally think is the hardest piece of music ever written. While it is clear that this is a loaded question (and depends heavily on the strengths and weaknesses of the performer), I did come across an interesting piece by Michael Finnissy (b. 1946). The score of one section is below:



(a side note: I can (barely) read music, and I really enjoy looking at piano scores, even if I can't come close to playing them. For some reason, I find them beautiful in their own way)

Of course, writing down a collection of the hardest notes to play doesn't make something music, but playing it does (YouTube video), at least in some respects. Listening to this piece is almost (but not quite) like listening to someone banging on a piano as fast as they can. It's the not quite that gets you. The piece is incredibly dissonant, and really hard to listen to as music. The movement and range is ridiculous, if you can even call it movement and not banging. But the difficulty is that at the end of the day, like John Cage's 4'33", we must admit that it at least resembles music.

Cage: 4' 33"

Author

John Cage (see author description in previous post)

About the Piece

• Genre is general instrumental
• indeterminacy plays large role in piece
• background noise "is" the music
• perhaps the most controversial piece of all time
• three movements
  
• Wikipedia Article
• YouTube Video
  

Purpose

• question the meaning of music and the distinction between music and noise
  

Reflections

I still don't know what I think about this piece. I could argue either way as to whether it is music, but I'm not really sure myself. It is certainly something that can never be imitated, and raises the interesting question that transends music: What is nothing? That is a far more loaded question even than "what is music?"

Prokofiev: Toccata in D minor Op.11

Author

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953: Russian)

• wrote first piano compositions at age 5
• composed his first opera at age 9
• graduated top of his class from the St. Petersburg Conservatory
• wife was arrested in 1948 for "espionage"
• died on March 5, 1953, the same day as Stalin
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

• Genre is piano toccata
• as title indicates, piece possesses minor key tonality throughout
• theme throughout involves alternating of two low D's
• piece is very tense throughout
• lots of fast movement throughout piece
• no clear melody is ever established
• strong use of dissonance
• huge range: parts of the piece are played with one hand in the highest register of the piano and the other in the lowest
  
• theme returns at the end, slows down, fades, then transitions to dramatic Coda including a glissando
• YouTube Video
  

Purpose

• entertainment
• virtuosity
  

Reflections

I love this piece. The amount of hand movement and the shear number of notes is incredible. I especially like seeing the pianist playing notes inside one hand with the other (the two hands superimposed). As for the musical quality of the piece, I love the tension built throughout the piece that finally bursts into a dramatic glissando in the Coda.

Copland: Billy the Kid

Author

Aaron Copland (1900-1990: American)

• born in Los Angeles, attended Pomona College
• studied in Paris
• realized that a new public for contemporary music was being created by the radio, phonograph, and film scores
• attempted to simplify music so that it would communicate to the larger public
• used many "old west" songs as inspiration for some of his works
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is orchestral suite (originally for ballet)
• uses tunes from numerous cultural songs: Git Along, Little Dogies is the strongest of these themes
• also includes tunes from Great Grand-Dad, The Old Chisholm Trail, The Streets of Laredo, and Goodbye, Old Paint
• several meter shifts, including a dance meter
• extensive use of percussion
• upbeat, very "old west" sounding

Purpose

• entertainment
• American nationalism
  

Reflections

I am not so interested in this piece. It's too "new" to be exciting and old, but not different enough to grab my attention. It probably doesn't help that the romantic ideal of the old west never really apealed to me. It may also just be the context; after the fantastic experimentation of Rite of Spring, Tromba Lontana, and Sonata No. 5, I just didn't enjoy the return to the usual quite as much.

Cage: Sonata V

Author

John Cage (1912-1992: American)

• born in Los Angeles, attended Pomona College
• invented what he called the "prepared piano"
• much of his music reflects his preoccupation with East Asian philosophy
  
• composed many works involving chance and indeterminacy
  
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is non-Western music
• Prepared piano is used to emulate non-Western sounds
• irregular length phrases
• score looks relatively normal, but piece doesn't even sound like a piano (it's amazing what a few screws and rubber bands can do)
• meter is unclear and rhythm is constantly changing
• binary form
• distinctly different timbre (actually, quite a few different timbres, all coming from the same instrument)
  
• YouTube Video
  

Purpose

• experimentation
• entertainment
• expression of Eastern ideas and music in Western instruments
  

Reflections

I love this piece! Of all the pieces in this course so far, this is probably my favorite. Wow! It's fascinating to me how all of those different timbres can come from a piano just by putting screws and rubber bands in the back of it. The preparing of the piano is something I think would be fun to experiment with. It's too bad that it's not good for the piano. Whatever people may say about Cage's 4'33", they cannot deny that this is art and creativity in its finest.

Adams: Tromba Lontana

Author

John Adams (b. 1947: American)

• minimalist
  
• educated at Harvard University
• went to teach at San Francisco Conservatory in 1972
• composes operas, symphonic works, film scores, chamber music, piano solo pieces, and other forms of music as well
  
• won a Pulitzer Prize for On the Transmigration of Souls (2002) about 9/11 terrorist attacks
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is orchestral? (genre for this piece is not easily defined)
• title means "Distant Trumpet"
• commissioned by the Houston Symphony Orchestra
• piece consists mostly of call and response between two trumpets
• strings are there in the background, but barely audible
• triangle? or some other percussion instrument is the only other thing clearly heard (the book says it is a glockenspiel)
  
• piece is not pure call and response between the trumpets, since the two trumpets participate in some more complex counterpoint as well
  

Purpose

• entertainment
• piece was commissioned, so we can't say too much about the author's purpose or non-monetary reasons for writing it
  

Reflections

I don't know what I think about this work. The first time I heard it, I though it was dumb. Two trumpets, and not really doing that much exciting either. But it has grown on me. The more times I hear it, the more I realize how beautiful it is. The fact that the entire rest of the orchestra is there, and playing, but your concious mind never really percieves that fact is at the very least interesting. I actually also like the "minimalist counterpoint"(?!?) expressed in this piece. All told, I think this is a well written piece of music.

Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon

Author

Claude Debusse (1862-1918: French)

• impressionist
  
• parents kept a china shop
• entered the Paris Conservatory at age eleven.
• established a reputation as one of the wittiest critics of his time.
• died during the bombardment of Paris in March 1918
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is symphonic poem
• "lyrical, sinuous melodies that repeat"
• ternary form, (very loosely)
• lots of fast moving sixteenth notes throughout, but they don't intensify the piece, but rather contribute to silkiness
• work has a very smooth feel to it
• characteristic instruments include strings, flute, oboe, harps, clarinets, and English and French horns
• free flowing; gives a sense of floating
• several melodic themes repeated throughout
  

Purpose

• entertainment
• inspired by a poem

Reflections

I like this piece too, but not this late in the quad, when I haven't had enough sleep and I am tired. It's a beautiful, dream-like piece, but listening to it without falling asleep can be difficult. I like all of the movement on the oboe and flute parts; movement is one of my favorite things to hear in orchestral pieces. The gliding sixteenth notes in this piece are fantastic. Not my favorite piece so far, but certainly worth hearing again.

Stravinsky: Rite of Spring

Author

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971: Russian)

• father was the leading bass singer at the (Russian) Imperial Opera
• parents wanted him to study law, pursued musical studies on the side at University of St. Petersburg
• received his first major commission in 1910
• became an American citizen in 1945
• considered the most celebrated figure in twentieth century music
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is ballet, though it is often performed as a concert piece for orchestra
  
• harsh, percussive chords set rhythm that doesn't quite fit into any clear time signature (since accents are in weird places)
• melody smooths out a very little bit before tensing up again
• strange time signatures throughout, including 9/8 and 7/8
• uses strings for percussive effect, brass and woodwinds to eek out a melody of sorts
• this particular selection gains speed throughout
• more irregular accents and trills end the movement
  

Purpose

• entertainment
• perhaps he wanted to make a statement?
• perhaps he felt this was the next step in progression?
• perhaps he wanted to honor old Russian traditions?
• no one really knows what exactly Stravinsky was thinking
  

Reflections

I actually really like what Stravinsky is doing here. The huge, awkward sounding chords and strange folk melodies with weird time signatures keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what will come next. The strange time signatures (9/8?!?) also contribute to the sound of foreignness of the piece. Overall quite enjoyable.

Wagner: Die Walküre

Author

Richard Wagner (1813-1883: German)

• father was a minor police official
• only received about 6 months of instruction in music theory
• married and produced first operas at age 23
• was part of an unsuccessful revolution in 1849, fled to Switzerland
• music gained acclaim again in 1864 when an admirer of Wagner's music ascended the throne of Bavaria.
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is music drama (German opera)
• based on Norse sagas and a Medieval German epic
• dotted rhythms heighten anticipation throughout
• "swirling" woodwinds
• vast size of orchestra is apparent from music
• female vocalist opens the "Call" section
• text language is German
• we hear a repeated "ride" theme (triumphant but anticipatory, major key) several times
  
• repeated use of the word "Hoyotoho" (no clear meaning)

Purpose

• entertainment
• German nationalism, resurrecting German myths
  

Reflections

I actually kind of like this piece, though as before, it is a little out of place (see previous post). The accompaniment definitely possesses similar qualities to the Lord of the Rings movies and the Star Wars movies, which feels good and brings back happy memories. Perhaps that happens a lot: pieces that we like often we like mostly because they bring back something fond.

Verdi: Rigoletto

Author

Giuseppi Verdi (1813-1901: Italiain)

• born in northern Italy, father was an innkeeper
• wealthy merchant supported him through his musical studies
• married his benefactor's daughter
• operas took on patriotic value.
• wrote a total of 28 operas, including one when he was almost 80
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is opera
• inspired by Victor Hugo
• selection is a quartet
• text language is Italian
  
• begins with a male aria about the fickleness of women (intended to reflect more on the character of the singer than the character of women in general)
  
• first aria is strophic
• middle section is through-composed
• final section has ABAC form with a coda
• contains substantial vocal counterpoint
  

Purpose

• entertainment
• opera performance, to tell a story with music
  

Reflections

I feel like opera isn't meant to be heard this way...it should be performed as a whole and not in an excert and should be accompanied by acting. Also, I think it is designed to be in the dialect of the people, and I don't speak Italian. The arias are pretty, but not what I would call beautiful. Altogether, this was not one of my favorite pieces.

Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

Author

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869: French)

• father was a physician
• first started medical school, then gave up medicine for music
• loved Shakespeare and Beethoven
• had produced most of his most famous works by age 40
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of thedescription comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is symphony
• makes use of an idée fixe that runs through the whole symphony
  
• descending first theme
• triumphant, bright second theme
• second theme sounds vaguely like a march
  
• development plays with themes: more staccato, more brass, or even inverted theme A
• includes a lot of notes from a funny sounding brass instruments (are these the ophicleides?)...sounds almost but not quite like a trumpet
  

Purpose

• entertainment
  

Reflections

It is interesting to me that an artist in the 19th century would write a symphony about an opium trance (this sounds eerily like the favorite topic of the 1960s and 1970s). I suppose that really was the kind of thing that happened in the Romantic era, though. Unfortunately, the whole concept of idée fixe is lost if you listen to only one movement. Also, knowing what the symphony is about helps a lot, but it isn't self-evident from the music itself (hence some introduction would be needed in a performance setting).

Chopin: Polonaise

Author

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849: Polish)

• considered the national composer of Poland
• educated at the Conservatory of Warsaw
• moved to Paris at age 21, where he spent most of the rest of his life
• died at age 39 of tuberculosis
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of thedescription comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is polonaise (polish military dance)
• ternary dance form (A-B-A') with internal repeats:
  A (a-a b-a b-a)-B(c-c'-c-c' d-c-c' d-c-c')-A (a-b-a)
• completely in major keys
• "stuttery" rhythm that would be difficult to dance to
• lots of repetition
• lots of staccato
• wide spacing between chords in different hands
• 3/4 meter, though it is hard to pick out because of the jumpiness of the rhythm
• triplets pervasive throughout
  

Purpose

• military dance
  
• entertainment
• dance in general
  

Reflections

This piece doesn't do much for me. I generally like the solo piano pieces, but there is just too much repetition in this one. It really is meant to be background music to a dance, so listening to it as forground noise is a little boring. Also, it doesn't feel like a very "smooth" piece. The starting and stopping of the rhythm is interesting and unique at first, but then it just gets annoying.

Schubert: Erlkonig

Author

Franz Schubert (1797-1828: German)

• born in a suburb of Vienna
• learned the violin from his father and piano from his older brother
• immersed himself in German Romanticism
• died at age 31, dying wish was to be buried near Beethoven
• life was a romantic symbol of the artist's fate
  
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is Lied
• piano with solo male vocal accompaniment
• minor key tonality, with one or two switches to major key
• very dark
• common time, but with lots of triplets.
• text language is German
• extensive text painting; piano is a "character" in the story
  

Purpose

• entertainment
• lieder were meant to be sung in small settings and not performed on big stages
  

Reflections

As I noted in one of my concert reports, I love solo piano music. This is close to the same thing (piano and one singer). I like the text painting and minor key usage. For some reason, I seem to like pieces in minor keys more. I hope that doesn't mean that I am a sad person. I think it must be that when people are sad, freightened, or in an otherwise "minor key" mood, their emotions seem to be more sincere.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

Author

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827: German)

• father was a singer and abusive alcoholic
• moved to Vienna in 1792, studied under Haydn
• functioned under a modified patronage system: he did not work for a specific family of aristocracy, but rather was supported by the aristocracy as a whole
• went deaf later in life
  
• Wikipedia Article
  

About the Piece

(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)

• Genre is symphony
• Wikipedia Article
  

First Movement:

• exposition is introduced with the "four most famous notes in history"
• first four notes establish a motive for the rest of the piece
  
• first theme is fiery, intense, and in C major
  
• second theme is sweet, lyrical and in E-flat major
• second theme builds into closing theme
  
• closing theme is energetic, faster, but still in E-flat major
• the entire exposition is then repeated
• Development plays with the established motive
• motive decreases from 4 notes to three to two to finally 1, and then reestablishes the familiar 4 note motive to lead into the recap
• recapitulation includes an unexpected solo cadenza
• this time the second theme is in C major
  
• new theme added in recap, still in C major
• ends with an extremely long coda
  

Second Movement

• smooth and soothing first theme with mostly strings opens the movement
• theme two has more "tension" before it "bursts" in the middle
• a quiet transition leads back into the smoothness of theme 1
• Beethoven plays with rhythm and timbre in the first variation
• 2nd variation is embellished with 32nd notes, lots of "filled in" movement
• theme 2 does not appear in the second variation
• transition to 3rd variation follows
  
• theme 2 then appears with its second half first
• then theme 2's second half is repeated quieter and in a minor key
• finally a more triumphant variation of theme 1 before the long coda
  

Third Movement

• rising theme (Scherzo) on the lower strings gives way to rhythmic pattern from first movement
• scherzo gives way to fugal texture, c major, more quick movement on lower strings
• sherzo returns, resulting in a ternary form, ABA
• timpani leads low thumping transition into triumphant first theme of movement 4
  

Forth Movement

• first theme is strong and brilliant, in C major and G major
• second theme is similar in brilliance, contains more triplet rhythms
• development begins with a key change
• short-short-short-long throughout development (as well as both themes)
  
• recap avoids exposition's modulation between C major and G major
• long coda finishes this movement again
• coda gains energy and builds to a triumphant, staccato ending
  

Purpose

• entertainment

Reflections

Listening to this piece gave me the clear impression that I was hearing one of the greatest works of music of all time. The interplay of emotions between loud and soft parts is stunning, and the variety of instruments used demonstrates that finally, in Beethoven's era, the symphony seems to have arrived. Beethoven almost never does exactly the same thing twice, which captivates the listener's attention. The interplay between the four movements makes for an altogether coherant and beautiful piece.