The Playlist of Classical Music with Details - Essay Example

The playlist consists of three pieces from the Baroque and three pieces from the Classical era by composers who exemplify the characteristic traits of their respective eras. JS Bach: Toccata & Fugue in D Minor (1708) Url: http://www.rhapsody.com/search/track?query=toccata+&+fugue+in+d+minor,+bwv+565+by+johann+sebastian+bach Composer and organist, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is one of the most famous and prolific composers from the Baroque era. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor for organ is easily the most famous piece in the organ repertoire. The toccata was a fixture in Baroque music meant to demonstrate a player's dexterity on the keyboard. Bach's Toccata in D minor opens with single-voice ornaments played in the upper ranges of the keyboard. (Druckenbrod) A motif, doubled at the octave, is reiterated throughout the parallel major section of the piece. This toccata is strewn with finger-taxing ornaments and flourishes so typical of the Baroque era. The fugue was also the form of choice during the Baroque era and Bach is touted as one of the best fugue writers. A fugue is contrapuntal with room for free counterpoint within the framework (Libbey, 247). Bach's Fugue in D minor exemplifies his brilliance in scoring multiple voices, interweaving melodies made up of 16th notes above an implied pedal point. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor are on this playlist because they are outstanding examples of two forms particularly important to the Baroque era, illustrate the development of tonality in this era with Bach's use of keys, particularly in the fugue, and demonstrate the emotional and dynamic range available to the Baroque composers. Bach had an indelible effect on the development of music and definitely deserves to be included in the time capsule. Vivaldi: Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, Spring: Allegro (1725) Url: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/janacek-chamber-orchestra/album/vivaldi-four-seasons/track/concerto-no-1-in-e-major-op-8-rv-269-la-primavera-spring-i-a Antonio Vivaldi's (1678-1741) The Four Seasons is one of the earliest examples of program music. The Four Seasons is a group of concertos for solo violin, string quartet and basso continuo – typical of the Baroque era. Inspired by a set of four sonnets, these works demonstrate virtuosity in all players but especially the soloist. The first movement Allegro from the Spring concerto is perhaps the most famous movement and one of the most demanding scores for the players (Gengaro). The first movement of Spring makes immediate use of the terraced dynamics typical of Baroque; a loud opening sequence followed by a quieter passage and then again a louder one with clear dynamic divisions. The melodic lines, particularly in the solo violin, are ornamented with trills and mordents typical of the Baroque era's indulgence in ornamentation. The solo violin triplet flourishes above the agitated 32nd notes of the quartet require virtuosity while also depicting the mounting anticipation as spring becomes summer, as the world shakes off winter in the programmatic style typical of later eras. This work, while still exemplary of the Baroque era, also hints at the future of music, moving away from the Baroque absolute to the new and programmatic thus making this piece by Vivaldi a necessary inclusion in the time capsule. Handel: Hornpipe suite no. 2 in D Major, Alla Hornpipe (1717) Url: http://www.rhapsody.com/search?query=handel+the+water+music+suite+no.+2+in+D+Major+alla+hornpipe+hornpipe+ Handel (1685-1759) composed this orchestral suite for the entertainment of George I played from a barge on the river Thames. The 50 piece ensemble included the first use of French horns in English music (Libbey, 953). The second suite in D major consists of 5 movements. By tradition Baroque suites consist of various dance movements, each in the same key. The second dance from suite no. 2, also known as Alla Hornpipe, is the movement chosen for time capsule inclusion. This hornpipe title refers to a dance specific to Britain in lively 3/4 time. Typical of Baroque music, this movement contains all the frills and ornaments demanded by the era. There are also contrapuntal passages and passages wherein the horns and strings have an imitative conversation. The dynamics are created using the typical terrace device as well as using texture to create the more dramatic flourishes. No explanation of the Baroque would be compete without the inclusion of the suite and so Handel's Water Music earns its place in the time capsule. Mozart: Piano concerto no. 21 in C major: 2nd movement (1785) Url: http://www.rhapsody.com/search?query=Mozart:+Piano+Concerto+No.+21,+K.+467,+2nd+Movement Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) is possibly the most famous composer to have ever lived. A child prodigy and prolific composer, no time capsule would be complete without one of his works. Mozart composed primarily for the piano. The Piano Concerto no. 21 exemplifies Mozart's ambition to create formal integrity and perfection within the work as well as maintaining substance even in the most virtuosic passages (Libbey, 528). The 2nd movement of this concerto in the subdominant key F major. This Andante is in three parts starting with the orchestra playing muted strings. The second part introduces the piano solo with a dreamy melody. This piece exemplifies Mozart's refined approach to melody, structure and emotion and thus exemplifies the Classical era's definitive sound: simple elegance. This is achieved through gentle but precise phrasing and the homophonic style reminiscent of the galant movement. This slow but sunny composition illustrates the main characteristics of the Classical era and of Mozart as a piano composer thus earning its place in the time capsule. Haydn: String quartet op 20 no. 4 in D Major: 2nd movement (1772) Url: http://www.rhapsody.com/search?query=String+Quartet+in+D,+Op.+20+No.+4:+II.+Un+poco+Adagio+affettuoso These six string quartets often dubbed the 'Sun' quartets aided in earning Joseph Hayden (1732-1809) the appellation, Father of the String Quartet (Libbey, 323). In these quartets, Haydn developed compositional techniques that would go on to define the genre for 200 years. The fourth quartet is by far the most popular. The second movement is a set of variations in D minor and can be described as Haydn's outright rejection of the superficial galant (Miller, 147). Not simply a piece for court entertainment, this movement is more profound. Haydn used a concertante method – the Classical era form mixing elements of the symphony and concerto forms whereby more than one soloist features in a given piece. In this movement, the variations see the solos shared between second violin and viola, cello and first violin. Indicative of the Classical era, this movement is refined, requiring precision phrasing and controlled emotion. A prolific composer excelling across all genres, the Classical time capsule would not be complete with a work by Haydn. Beethoven: Symphony no. 3 'Eroica' in E-flat: 1st movement (1803) Url: http://www.rhapsody.com/search?query=Beethoven+Symphony+no.+3+'Eroica'+:+1st+MvT. The third giant of the Classical era was Ludwig van Beethoven. A composer of piano music and symphonic works, the Eroica symphony is a culmination of the 18th Century symphony ideal composed during Beethoven's 'middle-period'. This work follows all the rules of Classicism: form, structure, weight of movements, and harmonic progressions. But it is an intense work, highly expressive and almost aggressive. The first movement in particular depicts this anger with pounding offbeat accents and harmonies in distant keys while still maintaining the expected sonata form structure, albeit an extended version of the form (Libbey, 209). Although still indicative of the Classical era, this work is twice as long as symphonies by Mozart and Haydn, and contains a range of emotion more characteristic of later Romantic works. The extreme emotion, the passion and boldness with which Beethoven hammers home his expressions of extreme feeling could be considered an example of the Sturm und Drang movement prominent in the late 18th Century (Libbey, 824). The recapitulation of the first movement features a horn entry many considered a mistake of either the player or the composer but which signified a radical novelty in Beethoven's composition techniques. The motivic, metric and harmonic surprises in this movement make this work a truly outstanding example of Classical music at its height, thus earning Beethoven his place in the time capsule. These six pieces by six outstanding composers are definitive examples of the music from their respective eras and each deserve their place in the time capsule. Bibliography: Druckenbrod, Andrew. A haunting tune, but is it really Bach's? Post-Gazette.com. 30 Oct 2005. Web. 23 Nov 2011. Gengaro, Christine Lee. Program Notes: Four Seasons. Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. 17 Oct 2009. Web. 23 Nov 2011. Libbey, Ted. The NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music. New York: Workman, 2006. Print. Miller, Lucy. Adams to Zemlinsky, A Friendly Guide to Chamber Music. New York: Concert Artists Guild. 2006. Print. Read More