Joseph Haydn and Bob Dylan - Essay Example

? Number] Joseph Haydn and Bob Dylan Outline: Introduction Musical background Joseph Haydn’s background and involvement in music Bob Dylan’s background and involvement in music Characteristics of music Haydn’s music Dylan’s music Stylistic elements of music Haydn’s style of music Dylan’s style of music Conclusion Introduction Joseph Haydn and Bob Dylan are two of the most loved music composers of their respected times. Haydn was a music composer in the late 18th and early 19th century whereas Dylan is a living legend who has changed the style of popular music in the 20th century. Musical background Joseph Haydn’s background and involvement in music: Haydn was born in Austria and was attracted towards music since he was a toddler. He started to play the guitar and sing at a very early age when he started to sing with the church choir. The choir-master was J. M. Franck who began to teach the little boy and soon he chose Haydn to sing in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. As he entered his teenage years, his voice had started to crack and left the choir by force. After he was left to fend for himself he earned money as a composer, musician and teacher. His talent and teaching attracted many of the students who wanted to learn more about music, and soon he rented an attic where he started a formal musical program. In these years he composed divertimenti and string quartets which were the styles of music at that time (Grave 34). In 1761 Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy appointed Haydn as the Vice-Kappellmeister of his own private musical institution. With this opportunity Haydn did experiment many combinations of instruments and vocals with freedom. After the death of the prince, Haydn was appointed by Johann Peter Saloman who was a violinist from London and soon he became the most successful composer ever seen. He composed hundreds of compositions and that gave a new and ever lasting effect to the classical music. His quartets initiated a new art that is still alive today. Bob Dylan’s background and involvement in music: Robert Zimmerman was the name given to Bob Dylan by his parents. He was born in Minnesota and spent his childhood years in listening to blues and the country stations on radio. He was thus attracted to rock and roll so he formed many bands while was in high school. He also performed many songs of Elvis Presley in Golden Chords. His interest in rock and roll music also gave a way to the American folk music. For him he said that rock and roll music was not enough as it did not reflect the realistic features of life. With folk music he got the chance to get into a more serious thing as the songs were filled with despair, sadness, and faith and deep feelings (Shelton 142). While he was in university he became involved in the Dinkytown folk music circuit. During those days he started calling himself Bob Dylan as influenced by Dylan Thomas’s poetry. Dylan’s early songs like ‘The Times That Are a-Changin’’ and ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ became the anthems of the Civil Rights and anti-war movements. His song ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ created new parameters in popular music. He used electric instruments in his recordings. On the other hand Haydn was called the Father of the String Quarter and Father of the Symphony due to his contribution to these forms of music. He also played a part in developing the piano trio and the evolution of sonata form. Characteristics of music Haydn’s music: Both the composers had their own way to compose their music. They created a new era in the music industry through the use of their instruments, materials, talent and thought. Haydn’s music was a different type of genre which was popular at that time. He gave a new look to the classical music by developing huge structures out of simple and short musical motifs. His work marked the development of the sonata form and he was fond of music that established similar dominant and opening themes. He also initiated the double variation form in classical style which showed variations on alternative themes. The most important characteristic of Haydn’s music is its humour. His music contained many humorous musical jokes that attracted the listeners. Since it was the time where the structure of government and lifestyle was different, most the work he wrote was to please a prince. The tones he composed mostly depicted his personality. His music depicted a special creative and playful imagination which blended the folk music and the mysterious colour of the classical style. Haydn had composed hundreds of symphonies which were well known across the Europe during his lifetime, and later these served as a model for the other works of that genre. The originality and style of those symphonies are still wondered at today. Even the composers of today state that the finest of all music is the string quartets of Haydn. Haydn was a perfectionist and even though he worked with Mozart and Beethoven, his music reached the levels most of the times. His originality, depth and sense of melody were better than the other two. Haydn’s quartets are well known and loved for the passion and expressiveness that the listener goes through. At first his violin was the soloist with other three instruments but late they played all instruments equally. The best of his quartets were the set of six called Erdody (op. 76). The Third in C Major is among the greatest written quartets (Grave 34). Dylan’s music: Dylan has been influenced by many of the diversified personalities in the world of music and poetry. When he was composing a pop music piece, he had two basics that he had to follow; he wanted to choose a serious topic on which he writes serious lyrics, and secondly he wanted to compose an irresistible melody of major chords. The most important characteristic about Dylan’s pop music is that he did not want them to be cliche and thus he also wrote lines that tended to make less or no sense. ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ was his first free song according to him. Through his compositions, he was able to express freely all his diverse influences at one place. Dylan was continually inspired to create something new thus he put together all his influences and connected them to create a catchy song. He usually didn’t know what he is writing or composing but he was always excited about how it would come out to be. These were his insights that shaped the process of creativity. At first his music didn’t make sense to the audience who had been listening to classical and meaningful music, but later it was appraised and loved by many, and is still loved today (Shelton 142). Stylistic elements of music Haydn’s style of music: Haydn’s music often depicted a serious character but his music had propulsive rhythms. The early music was rather slow in tempo and relaxed, but later the composer added an emotional depth to the music and the slow movements increased. The symphonies and quartets had strong beats which clearly faster. As Haydn was a composer of the classical period where most of the musicians served as servants in the royal courts and in front of the monarchs, his music was powerful yet slow. The rhythms were strong and catchy but the music could not be very loud in order to maintain the decorum (Summerer 29). The composer had great rhythmic and textural variety that impressed the monarchs. When he played the piano, his music showed a lightening and relaxing style unlike his symphonies and quartets. The Sonata in E-Flat, No. 52 was published in 1800 in England as the Grand Sonata for the Piano Forte. The music began like the French Overture playing full chords in dotted rhythms. In this work also Haydn exploited the power and scope of the piano thoroughly. In his last days, his Piano Sonatas were a part of the latest fashions and developments in music. He also contributed greatly in the piano literature. Through the use of his instruments, he created a mood of simplicity in his music. He used the mass patterns accompanied with his melody to give an original texture to his music. He was known across Europe and elsewhere for his originality, freedom of style, melodic fluency, humour and the command of form. Dylan’s style of music: Dylan’s music at first was considered as depressing and poetic. He also chose religious and protesting themes in regard to the events going on around him. He is also known for a variety of legendary folk songs. The genre of his music was blues, country, rock, folk and gospel. As he was influenced by many people in his life, and as the events in the society around him unfolded, he composed many songs suitable for that time. Dylan was an exceptional master of music. He was influenced by many poets, musicians and lyricists and thus all his music work contained creativity and seriousness. He wrote his songs himself which delivered poetic rhythms and textures that came from his influences in life. Even though the type of music he overall created was different than one another, his work was loved and appreciated across the globe (Marshall 118). Conclusion Both the composers worked in different time periods and created a different era of music. Their music is still loved today by many as they remember the attractive music tracks. Haydn composed songs at a time when there were no concerts, studios or recordings, in fact songs were sung for the monarchs and royal courts because of which the music had to be simple and decent. On the other hand Dylan is a living legend who has got the chance to show his talent with an immense variety of songs; all of which portray his originality and sense of creativity. It is evident that not only the musical backgrounds of composers but the characteristics of the society in which they live also affect their style of music. Work Cited Grave Floyd. The String Quartets of Joseph Haydn. NY: Oxford University Press, 2006 Summerer Eric. Franz Joseph Haydn. NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2006 Shelton Robert. No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. USA: Hal Leonard, 2011 Marshall Lee. Bob Dylan: The Never Ending Star. USA: Polity, 2007 Read More