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Unit 8: Revolutionary Music (Chapter 55 (War is Hell: Berg and…
Unit 8: Revolutionary Music
Chapter 55
War is Hell: Berg and Expressionist Opera
Social Advocacy & Musical Innovation
1900s
Replacement of tonality-12 tone method
mathematical design of music
Artist's shed light on social problems
2nd Viennese School
Schoenberg teacher
Alban Berg & Anton Webern Students
1st Viennese School- Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven
Twelve-Tone Method
Schoenberg developed a system to replace tonality
Serialism- method of composing with 12 chromatic pitches (all important)
Tone row- Arrangement of the 12 pitches
Ex: 2, 12, 1, 5, 4, 7, 8, 3, 6, 10, 9, 11
Alternate forms of tone row
Transposition: same order of intervals; starts different pitch
Inversion: notes move in opposite direction (up instead of down)- so row appears upside down
Retrograde: reverse order or backwards
Retrograde inversion: upside down & backwards
Alban Berg (1885-1935)
Rose to fame with Wozzeck
Active teacher and promoter of Schoenberg School
Born in Vienna, studied with Schoenberg, master and mentor that shaped his outlook on art
Also known for
Violin concerto,
Lulu, Lyric Suite
Berg's
Wozzeck
Opera in 3 acts; 5 scenes; orchestral interludes
Originally a play by Buchner- expressionist play on real-life events; Berg wrote libretto
1922
Characters
Wozzeck- soldier
Marie- common-law wife of Wozzeck
Son of Wozzeck & Marie
Captain
Doctor
Drum Major
Modern- 12 tone technique & Romantic-German romantic expressionism
Sprechstimme: speak singing
Leitmotifs- melody that repeats is symbolic
Story:
Wozzeck did this for $
Wozzeck unhappy in love affair with Marie
Wozzeck a soldier, but is a victim of evil Captain & Doctor- they performed experiments on him
Marie cheats on him and Wozzeck cuts her throat
Wozzeck goes insane and returns to her death scene and drowns himself (
LG 46
)
movement alternates between metric and free-flowing
tonal and atonal language; dissonant and chromatic
eerie mood created by a celeste and unusual instrument combinations; colorful orchestral effects
Ending is the child of the 2 notified of his mother's death
Chapter 33
Disrupting the Conversation: Beethoven and the Symphony in Transition
The Symphonic Revolution & Beethoven
Beethoven wrote 9 symphonies
3 periods to his music-early, middle, late
Early- until (1802) Symphony 1 & 2
In style of Mozart & Haydn
Middle- (1803-1814) Symphony 3-8
Symphony 3- "Eroica"- Begins revolution of changing symphonic sound
Originally dedicated to Napoleon
Personal narrative of individual heroism
Late- (1814-1827)
Symphony 9- adds choir (chorale) with final "Ode to Joy"
Music transitioned from Classical to Romantic era
Beethoven & Politics
Many composers responded to political climate- they are artists
"Ode to Joy" finale widely used for political aims, a ringing prophecy of the time when "all people will be brothers"
Ex: built a music bridge between North and South Korea
Intense, collective endeavor toward a common purpose
Beethoven a supporter of democracy
Napoleon (at first)
A French general, who rose to power after the French Revolution (1789-1799)
Great Britain democratic parliament system (
Wellington's Victory
)
celebrated the British victory over the Napoleon army at the Battle of Vitoria, in Spain
Symphony 1- Before the Revolution
Style of Mozart & Haydn
Form- Sonata Allegro
Begins to explore:
Sfz-Sforzando
Winds becoming more prominent
more solos
Musical joke- beginning
Changing tempo within the form
Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21 (1801)- Movement 1 FOCUS
1st time it has a title
Ex: Vienna Philharmonic
no diversity, no women in orchestra
strings plucking at beginning, don't really know what's happening
very disjunct, no melody
weird scale and then sounds better and exciting (new mood)
fast tempo
featuring winds have a new section
Symphony 3- Uprisings Begin
Classical tradition but...
Uprisings begins with:
Form- Scherzo with a Trio- 1st time Trio appears in a symphony
Length- twice as long as Mozart & Haydn and scrutinized for in reviews
Context- Napoleon
Harmony & Emotion- 2nd movement is a funeral march
Symphony No. 3 in Eb Major, Op. 55 "Eroica" (Heroic)-1803-4- Movement 3 FOCUS
Symphony 5- Out of Conflict Comes Victory (
LG 23
)
Conflict in movement 1 to victory in movement 4
Movement 1
Motive: short-short-short-LONG
dominates whole piece
fate knocking at your door (Beethoven's description)
Ex: da, da, da, daaaa
Sonata-allegro form, with extended coda (new source of explosive energy)
C minor, dramatic shifts between major and minor tonality
Allegro con brio (lively, with vigor)
homophonic
Four movements but a UNIFIED piece
Movement 2
Serene theme and variations: varied rhythms, melodies, harmony (major and minor)
Still uses the motive, relates to 1st movement
Andante con moto
Flowing triple meter
A- flat major
Movement 3
Scherzo with no stop going into the 4th movement
opens with a rocket theme by cellos and double basses, after a trio a modified version returns, followed by a transitional passage to final movement where timpani sounds
more conjunct, quick trio theme
Allegro
C minor scherzo, trio in C major
homophonic
A-B-A' form
Themes in low strings, pizzicato strings at the return of the scherzo, timpani in transition to the last movement
Movement 4
Much energy & passion
forceful dynamics (forte/piano)
Cyclical motive
motive from one movement returns in a later one
Allegro (without pausing from Movement 3)
Uses the motive
More instruments
piccolo, contrabassoon, trombones
Model of the genre
Symphony 9- With Victory Comes Freedom & New Ideas
"Ode to Joy"- poem by Schiller
Large production- more musicians
1st example of using voices/choir in a symphony
Romantic era established
His greatest work & one greatest works in classical musical world
Symphony No. 9 in d minor, Op. 125 (1822-1824)- "Ode to Joy"
was a stigma- couldn't write more than 9
Chapter 69
Reality Shows: Adams and Contemporary Opera
Contemporary Opera
Not a documentary, not completely accurate
Deeper truths found in his stories based on fiction
History represented in opera
John Adams (B. 1947)
Educated at Harvard
steeped in serialism, but listened to rock in dorm room
1972 moved to San Francisco
advocate for contemporary music
Style
minimalist
Ex of works:
Phrygian Gates
and
Shaker Loops
Neo-Romantic- accessible & deeply expressive
Stage works often topical and controversial
Ex:
The Death of Klinghoffer
(1991), based on the 1985 hijacking of a cruise liner by Palestinian terrorists
Adam's
Doctor Atomic
(
LG 65
)
2005
Opera (3rd one)
Libretto
Peter Sellars
Based on memoirs, government documents, poetry & Hindu scripture
Focuses on the last days and hours before the first atomic test in 1945
Hopes and fears, awe and trepidation
Hugely complex subject, combining science and art & criticized at the time
Rich and dark score
Opera raises moral questions
At the Sight of This (
LG 65
)
Chorus and Orchestra
Setting- New Mexico, 1945
Bhagavad Gita
- Chapter 11- Hindu Scripture
Short/choppy repetition of ideas
After each section there is a refrain
sing refrain together as group
Lots of syncopation & accents on offbeats
VERY dissonant
Mysterious electronic sounds
Brass & timpani are featured
Chapter 42
Sounding a Nation: Grieg and Orchestral Nationalism
Musical Nationalism
Political conditions in 19th century Europe encouraged the growth of nationalism
Composers expressed nationalism in a variety of ways
Basing music on songs and dances on their people
Dramatic works based on folklore or peasant life
Works celebrating national heroes, historic events, or scenic beauty
Since the 19th century, sense of community tied to the concept of nationality
Distinctive culture and heritage shared by people who live in a common territory
Political expression sometimes banned
Music builds community cohesion
Schools of Musical Nationalism in Europe
England
Vaughan Williams
English Folk Song Suite
almost patriotic, sounds like country-side
"A London Symphony"
much fuller sound, movie-esque, more political dramaticism
Spain
Isaac Albeniz
Suite espagnole Op. 47, Cadiz
slower paced, type of Spanish song for dance
Asturias
guitar playing, fast paced and repetitive, almost like a dance
Czech
Dvorak
Serenade for Strings in E major Op. 22
doesn't sound like culture
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) & Scandinavian Nationalism
Stipend from Norwegian government allowed him to focus on composition
Goal was to create art accessible to all the public
International figure, notable for lyricism and use of folk music and dances
felt more at home with smaller-scale music works
Born in Norway, attended Leipzig Conservatory
Peer Gynt
, Suite No. 1
Play by Henrik Ibsen based on moralistic Norwegian folk tale
Grieg composed 22 pieces as incidental music for the play
1876
Later extracted 8 of them, created 2 4-movement suites
Because he wasn't happy with the result prior
Synopsis:
Peer, teenager, is lazy and scroundrel to women. He abducts and seduces a young girl who is the daughter of the Mountain King. Sisters vow to avenge her after finding out she's pregnant. Peer becomes a fugitive and takes up with a girl he once loved (Solveig). But he eventually heads off for more adventures for many years, including cavorting with an Arabian girl, Anitra. He returns home many years later to find that Solveig, now a middle-aged woman, is still faithful to him.
Listening excerpts (
LG 33
)
Morning Mood- atmospheric depiction of sunrise
6/8 meter
E major, with harmonic inflections; static chords
dreamy melody, with decorative grace notes
homophonic
A-B-A'
grows to loud climax; swells in dynamics, then dies away
flute, oboe, horn
In the Hall of the Mountain King- grotesque ballet music as troll daughters chase Peer
ghostly melody in two phrases, with a rising accented line
duple meter march; short, staccato notes and offbeat accents
B minor
homophonic
single theme over and over
huge crescendo and accelerando to a dramatic ending
Chapter 61
Classic Rethinking: Bartok and the "Neo-Classical" Turn
Modernist Nationalism
Music characteristics meaningful in a certain culture may change meaning when added to another art form
Departed from conventions of 19th century music
Integration of traditional & folk music into experimental art music
Musicologists
Phonographs were taken to villages to preserve songs as they were meant to be performed
Captured original music
Composers tried to retain that idea is new music
Bartok & Kodaly collected over 2,000 Eastern European songs & dances
20th Century Neo-Classicism
Revolt against romantic music & symphonic poem
Revival of older forms- fugue, toccata, concerto grosso & suite
Revolt against traditions and return to 18th century music idealism of Bach, Handel & Vivaldi
Key ideas:
Absolute music
Balance
Formality
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Musicologist
These songs served as "raw" material for his neo-classical style
Toured remote villages of Hungary to collect native songs
Moved to New York City in 1940 due to WWII
Born in Hungary
Used the features of Eastern European traditional music while adhering to Classical form
Ancient modes
Unfamiliar scales
Non-symmetrical rhythms
Uses different modes, harmonies and textures, things are repeated but changed everytime
Died from leukemia at 64 years old
Virtuoso pianist
Bartok's
Concerto for Orchestra
Commissioned in the summer of 1943
Orchestral concerto
5 movements, treats "the single orchestral instruments in a concertante or soloistic manner"
Movement IV,
Interrupted Intermezzo
(
LG 54
)
Two opening themes eventually return (B', A')
Irregular meters (2/4, 5/8, 3/4, 5/8)
Rondo-like form (A-B-A'-C-B'-A')'
Followed by a broad string theme (B)
Opening tune evokes Hungarian folk song in pentatonic from oboe and flute (A)
Mood disrupted by clarinet melody borrowed from Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 (C)
Soloists- oboe, clarinet & flute
Nostalgic and sentimental; violent interruption at idea of Nazi invasion
Polytonal and atonal harmonies; dissonant