The Concert in California Theatre San Bernardino - Essay Example

The title of the concert, the location of the concert, the date, and the time – 5 points
• Sensational Strings 3 pm 16 January 2011 California Theatre San Bernadino.

• A complete list of all musical pieces and composers/arrangers. - 15 points
• Vivaldi 4 Seasons, Op 8 N° 1-4
• Spring
• Summer
• Autumn
• Winter
• Mozart Piano Concerto N° 12 in A Major, K414
• Allegro
• Andante
• Allegretto

• Describe the onstage arrangements of the orchestra,
• Vivaldi's small string orchestra
• the soloist at each concerto was different
• the harpsichord was behind the violins
• Mozart
• small chamber orchestra: strings, oboes, horns, bassoons
• the grand piano was in front of the orchestra, she could see the conductor and he could see her when he slightly turned towards the first violinist
• –10 points

• A concise, full description of what you heard (talk about ALL of the individual musical pieces). – 15 points
• Vivaldi 4 Seasons, Op 8 N° 1-4: Each Separate season was a Baroque Concerto and approximately 10 minutes in length. 4 separate Concertos
• Spring: Allegro, largo, Allegro
• Summer: Allegro non molto, Allegro, Adagio, Presto
• Autumn: Allegro, Adagio non molto, Allegro
• Winter: Allegro non molto, Largo, Allegro
• They were short and the music showed as if we were listening to the different seasons. Summer and Spring had the storms. About one minute after the allegro, perhaps at the non-molto, the storm started. It kept starting and stopping

• Mozart Piano Concerto N° 12 K 414 about 25 minutes. Each movement was much longer than the Vivaldi. It was strange the comparison. I thought the Concerto form had 4 movements.
• Allegro
• Adante
• Allegretto. It sounded as though Mozart was making fun of us at several moments.

• Vivaldi is known as the red priest because of his flaming red hair. In paintings, he was shown wearing a wig. His Four Seasons is a perfect example of programmed music. It was unheard of at the time. Beethoven would be the next person to use it in his Pastoral symphony. Vivaldi received his first musical training from his father but was initially ordained as a priest. He was dismissed from the priesthood after a year and was able to devote his life to music. In the 17th century, it was part of any religious training to have complete musical training. The girl's orphanage had over a thousand girls who were trained to become nuns. This provided Vivaldi with an abundance of talented girls with whom he had access to a constant orchestra and girls who could play a multitude of instruments. Perhaps this is why he was such a prolific composer. He set the precedent of a baroque concerto of three movements ABA or allegro andante allegro leading to the longer classical concerto. Bach admired his work but it was only in the 20th century that many scores were found hidden in Turin, Italy. http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics/vivaldi.html

• The Four Seasons were published in 1725 but Vivaldi alluded that they had been written well before. They were four concertos out of 12 to be published for this patron. He wrote over 500 concerti in all. The theory that Vivaldi wrote the sonnets which correspond to the concertos is only confirmed on the basis that each sonnet is divided into three parts explaining to the player how the music is to be interpreted. Some say they were written afterward http://www.sanbernardinosymphony.org/PDF's/ProgramNotesJan11.pdf
• Mozart's Piano Concerto N° 12 K414 represents one of his first compositions after he moved to Vienna. Mozart's father was his most avid fan, his teacher, and his friend. He was opposed to his moving from his secure post in Salzburg to Vienna and become a freelance musician. It was common for musicians and composers to travel from London, Paris, and Vienna in the 18th century. This is why so many different styles and influences of different composers were part of the classical scene. http//www.questia.com/History Of Western Music Groves. 2001 New York Norton. In the last years of his life, he wanted to write something different and wrote the Vienna Concertos. "In Writing his father in 1782, the concertos for piano and orchestra are a happy medium between what is too easy and too difficult; they are very brilliant, pleasing to the ear, and natural. Those who are connoisseurs can derive satisfaction and those who are less learned will be pleased" I have left the quote in Mozart's words because in three documents it is repeated. For those who know Mozart's music, he wrote the Marriage of Figaro in Vienna. Read More