Richard Strauss

Lately, I was asked who my favorite composer was. My response was, "that's a cruel question." Naming your favorite composer is like naming your favorite star, or your favorite place to eat in western NC (if you're my friend Adrian). There are so many from which to choose and all of them offer something different. However, an answer was expected and the first legitimate answer was Richard Strauss. There is so much of his music that I have been listening to lately, and as I told one of my friends, I have never left a listening session of one of his works without being moved in someway.

What makes Strauss so different? It's hard for me to tell. He is in many ways just like his contemporaries who were also Wagnerians (as in, in the school of composing like Richard Wagner), like Wolf, early Shoenberg, Schreker, etc. But what sets him apart from these folks is his unique and touching way of creating a melody related to an elusive 19th century undergirding harmony. The phrases are masterfully created that only mature players/singers, or immature players/singers wishing to grow by leaps and bounds, can spin with ease. His heart was in so much of his music (as with most other composers), that it really shows through in his orchestration and choice of timbre. For instance, he had great admiration for his father who was a french horn player. Many of his pieces include some line that allows for the french horn to be exposed. His wife was a soprano and he wrote a vast repertory of song with his wife in mind. This isn't new for composers to do, however, much of his contributions to the world of music involve a level of harmonic and lyrical profundity that most composers can only aspire to.

What pieces should one listen to if one is not familiar with Strauss? Well, you could being with Also sprach Zarathustra, a tone poem that you might have heard in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Strauss composed five tone poems, including the aforementioned as well as Death and Transfiguration an earlier work which is closely related to a later work Four Last Songs for soprano. Four Last Songs incidentally is for soprano and includes increased sensitivity to the horn melodies, serving as a tribute to both his father and his wife. Start with these works and then listen to Jessye Norman sing some of his songs, and you will be feasting on the goodness that is Richard Strauss. Happy Listening!

Music from outer space!!

The Planets, op. 32, Gustav Holst

Perhaps one of my wife's favorite works, The Planets, may be a very approachable work to listen to for those of us that aren't used to listening to symphonic art music.

Written between 1914-1916, this work was influenced by some who were very interested in astrology, including the composer. The Planets is for orchestra, although I have lately read that it was for two pianos originally. Holst takes the listener through the solar system's planets beginning with the planet closest to earth, Mars. He then works his way from Mars, to Venus, then to Jupiter and so on. Pluto was not discovered as a planet until 1930, and therefore was not included in this work. Holst named the movements after the planets and the planet's corresponding Roman diety:

1- Mars, the Bringer of War

2-Venus, the Bringer of Peace

3- Mercury, the Winged Messenger

4- Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

5- Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age

6- Uranus, the Magician

7- Neptune, the Mystic

All of these are for orchestra and vary in intensity. Neptune includes two three-part women's choruses and is the first orchestral piece to have a written "fade out." My wife has termed this movement, Neptune, the Creepy. It does have an eerie presence which adds to the diversity of character between movements. Mars begins with a "bang" to get you going. Many people enjoy Jupiter. You will find that you will recognize Jupiter from the Reeses commercial. If you decide to listen to this piece, which you should, you would find it best to start with Mars, or Jupiter. It is not completely necessary to listen in order. Jupiter is interesting also in that it begins with a certain bustling theme and is abruptly interrupted by this chorale like melody. I am not sure if this melody is an English folk tune or not. Holst, like many of his contemporaries was very interested in folk music. After the iteration of the chorale like melody, the original bustling melody comes back. Very interesting and inspiring.

There is so much to say about these works, but I think this gives you a start. I could give you some other quick thoughts though... Holst was influenced by Richard Wagner, and Richard Strauss; was friends with Ralph Vaughan Williams; composed the tune to "In the Bleak Mid-winter" as well as many other carols; and was disappointed that the success of op. 32 overshadowed most of his other works. If you like Holst, you will probably like other composers like him including Vaughan Williams, Copland, Ravel... to name a few.

This is definitely worth your listening. This is fun listening... Mars is great to vacuum to!

Gregorian Chant

So, based on this and former posts, one might wonder if I am an early music fan. Well, I am, however, not to the exclusion of all the other wonderful music that has shaped tradition and history.

I go through phases. Some music really speaks to me profoundly in different ways depending on what mood I am in. A couple of weeks ago, I was really into the late Romantic stuff: Wagner, Mahler, Strauss, Korngold, Shoenberg, etc. And while I will discuss the glories of their endeavors at length some other time, I will today discuss something that came many centuries earlier. Today's discussion involves chant, particularly Gregorian Chant. It is so named because it was Pope Gregory (6th C.) that spearheaded collecting the music for worship and centralizing its use for individual parishes. In the 9th century, Charlemagne would allow for this type of church singing to be codified and standardized for worship purposes.

Since there was recognition of higher powers, there has been expression of this recognition through singing. Gregorian chant is just this. Based off of ancient Hebrew forms (i.e., cantillation and psalm tones), Gregorian chant has a rich historical influence.

Just like everything else, Gregorian chant is organized. Its organization involves 8 modes. Much of chant is found to be in one of these 8 modes. When you see on a CD case, "Kyrie" Mode IV, you know that the melody was organized within the fourth mode, to put it simply. These modes come from ancient understandings of musical, or tonal organization. The Greeks put these things into words and labeled them for their geographical relevance. There is much more to be said about this subject. A lot of technical stuff could be mentioned, however, this can give you a bit of a framework in understanding how this music is organized tonally.

This blog was worth writing. I was listening on the radio and Amazon.com had posted highest sales for CDs of 2008, and the recording was "Chant" as recorded by the Monks of Santo Domingo Silos. This is a wonderful recording to have. They have also recorded a CD of funeral and evening liturgy which looks excellent. I love my copy of "Salve Regina" as recorded in a french monastery... can't remember which one. Go out and listen to chant. It has influenced almost all of the music we hear today, and certainly almost all of the music we sing in church!

Palestrina: Pope Marcellus Mass

Pope Marcellus Mass, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, c. 1568

When I first started to get into classical music, I hadn't realized that choral music was such big thing. I knew of the Beethoven symphonies, and the organ music of Bach, and the piano music of Mozart, but where are you hearing the choral music of Dufay, or Josquin, or Palestrina? Sadly, you don't hear too much of this music performed, or even played on the radio. Our local station doesn't seem to play too much choral music. Sure, you hear every interminable piano concerto by every second or third rate classical or romantic composer, but the vast repertory of choral music isn't something regularly heard. This is also a curious thing for me being a choral conductor. I am around many choral musicians and most of us become and are becoming so aware of the choral music repertory that we forget that a lot of everyday people don't know about vast riches of this genre.

Palestria, or Giovanni, or John from Palestrina was a court composer like many of his day. This mass was a part of Palestrina's second book of masses. Palestrina began work under Pope Julius and was adored by this religious leader. Appointed as maestro of the Cappella Guilia by Julius, Palestrina composed music to be performed in and for the church. Working on what would become the Marcellus mass, Julius dies and is succeeded by a dude who would take the name Marcellus. Pope Marcellus serves for three weeks, yes, weeks, and then dies. It was after this that Palestrina would no longer experience the glories of composing such exquisite music as Marcellus's successor, Pope Paul IV, would reform in such ways that limited the stretch of Palestrina's compositional freedom. So, we see one of the most popular masses, the Pope Marcellus Mass or, Missa Papae Marcelli, before the reforms of Pope Paul IV.

Coming from the second book of masses, 1567, Marcellus Mass is one that stands the test of time. With the second book of masses, Palestrina himself writes "I have, therefore, worked out these Masses with the greatest possible care, to do honor to the worship of almighty God, to which this gift, as small as it may be, is offered and accommodated."

My favorite movement is the Kyrie. I wish that I could have a chance to conduct it soon, however, it may be a while. I love the Agnus Dei after that... great stuff. Something that draws me to listen closely to the works of Palestrina is his use of plagal cadences, or "amen" cadences. A type of cadence I have heard practically from the womb, makes me wonder if there is something primitive about it's nature. Nonetheless, the work is of exquisite (there's that word again) quality and you must listen to it soon. He sets, obviously seen to some of us, the ordinary of the Mass (i.e., Kyrie, Gloria, Creed, Sanctus, Agnus Dei). For 6 voices, (2 soprano and 2 bass parts) this must be performed soon! Listen to it... do it, you won't regret it. Download Westminster Choir College singing it, Simon Preston conducting. You won't go wrong!

Retooling...

After a great conversation with my wife tonight, I have decided to refocus my aim for listening experiences. It would be more practical for the reader of these blogs, if there are any, to read of and be inspired to experience the impact of listening to many different works by many different composers. It would serve a small market to discuss only Bach. I will leave that to my organist friend, Kenneth who would discuss the works of Bach much more intelligently.

The goal: to publish a list of works and recordings worth searching out, describing adequately the impact on me as listener and the possibilities for those who wish to seek out the work discussed. This blog is perfect for people who might like classical music but don't know how to go about listening to it. This blog will be good for those who have just started listening but feel they have very little direction. It will also be helpful for those of you who might just be interested in this type of music and would like to read some random guy's observations and interpretation. Whatever the case may be, enjoy the reading and let me know if you enjoy what I have recommended or discussed! The next post will appear shortly.

The Violin Concertos

BWV 1041, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor

It would be difficult to match the elegance of these pieces (the violin concertos, unless one were to listen to Bach's harpsichord concertos which came before--sometime in Coethen, which I guess I will talk about later).

The energy of the first movement is exciting. The motives rush forward like waves, not to be corny or anything. These pieces always make me wish that I was proficient enough at the keyboard to fill out a continuo line. Maybe that will be a goal for next year.

The middle movement of 1041 has always struck me as somewhat profound even the orchestral writing alone. The dirge of its motion seems most like Bach particularly his writing in some of the cantata movements and in some movements of the passions. Then again, the first time I listened to this movement, which was a couple of years ago, I didn't think that it sounded like Bach. It was at the final cadence of this middle movement that I wondered if Bach was giving us a picture of what was to come. Although nothing of this is out of the ordinary for Bach's time, but I was left to wonder. It was almost like this dirge was heavier, almost Russian in a sense; this may sound ridiculous to most of you.

The final movement is filled with energy just like the first movement. The counterpoint is Bach's signature work. The solo violin plays an ornamented line that is indicative of the time. I listen to this and imagine the grand architecture of the high Baroque. The piece ends strongly in a minor, PAC.

BWV 1042, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Major

The first motive of this work is a major triad. How exciting. I don't compose much, particularly because of composers like Bach. The intimidation is too much! However, when I do compose I try to do as much as I can with the simplest melody that I can come up with. I have told my choir that there is much that can be done with a single scale. All this to say, that Bach elucidates the importance of the simple motives like a major triad in this case by developing these motives. Here comes the motive in the cellos, and wait is that now in the violas--all the while the solo instrument is playing the accompanying line. A section moving into B section.

Triad after triad after triad... finally a cadence and then more development. What a cadence in the B section. Da capo? It sounds like it, or some version of it. Large group/small group with soloist. Back to A. Strong cadence! Decoration, ornamentation...

Middle movement: lush. Without a score in front of me, I don't feel like I could intelligently discuss it's harmonic motion. However, like most of Bach, it is somewhat unpredictable within predictable parameters. One of the reasons for composing middle movements like these is to provide somewhat of a respite between the more highly energetic movements. This is common in concerto form. Composers do it all the time. I hate to say this because I know it's probably not a good musician thing to say, but sometimes I wish that these more decadent lush movements were at the end of a work. Nothing leaves me more fulfilled than these emotional escapes. Now, I must say that it isn't that the other movements are lacking emotion. But the place to which I am drawn in these slower movements in both 1041 and 1042 is a good place, a nice place, I wouldn't mind staying there just a little longer.

The last movement ends with the energy of the first movement. The motives are similar in many ways. It seems that maybe Bach spun out the melody from the first movement just a little more. However, I could be completely wrong. The similarities are there nonetheless.

Reading the liner notes, I am reminded that Bach was influenced by Vivaldi. My listening today makes me want to listen to the Four Seasons. I have never actually listened to that work. Although, I have heard Spring many times on commercials and as ring-tones.

Today's recording was Isaac Stern and the English Chamber Orchestra. Inspiring recording from the 70s. Not sure what's next... probably the Double Concerto and Violin and Oboe.

So, this is my first post. I haven't done anything like this in a long time. It is quite possible that very few people will ever be interested in this, but I could be wrong.

It is January 4. New Year's Eve/Day has come and gone and resolutions haven't yet been made. I was thinking, however, that perhaps a project for this next year (that would more than likely fall into the years to come) would be to listen through the works of Bach and write about the experience. The journaling would involve a record of the experience of listening to a piece or collection of pieces, a recording preference, the mood I am in when listening, the mood I am in when completing the listening, what I gained from listening to the work, what I can use practically, what questions I have upon leaving the work, and what I might want to listen to next, Bach or not Bach.

This isn't an attempt at being scholarly, I certainly don't have the time to do that, but if I am to allow myself to be disciplined enough to listen carefully to these works, I feel that writing about the process is necessary. I will begin with Bach, and there maybe other works by other composers thrown in, but my purpose now is to listen to the works of Bach and become familiar with the output of this composer.

Another question might be, how will I go about the process of listening? Chronologically? by BWV number? The answer: I don't know. I will listen as I listen, and make carefully sure that I have listened to all of Bach's works (at least the ones we know of) by the end of the project. I might begin with the instrumental works. Since I don't have the english translation of the libretti for the cantatas, those may wait a while. There isn't really anything set in stone about this other than that I want to listen to the works of this excellent composer and journal about it. If you don't care, that's fine. If you do, maybe you can listen with me and reply to these posts with your thoughts. Either way, have fun and allow me to have my fun!