The 19th Century saw many composers come to light as they made a mark on the art music world. Unknown at the time, they would soon be remembered for their work in decades to come. As music developed so did the various ways to portray the piece that was being played. One type of art music that emerged at the time was ‘programme music’. This was defined as where the “composer intends to guard the listener against a wrong poetical interpretation” . In other words it was a way to correctly convince an audience of the story with a number of movements. Composer Camille Saint – Saens was one of the many who did this exceptionally well. Throughout his lifetime, 1835 – 1921, he was known to be one of “France’s most gifted musicians” . Many of his works are still used today and have helped inspire many in not only the musical world, but outside of it as well.
In 1886 Saint – Saens composed a piece of programme music titled The Carnival of the Animals. It consisted of fourteen movements, each of which were dedicated to an animal. ‘Animals were a lifelong fascination’ for Saint – Saens allowing him to craft one of his most famous pieces. It was a gift for his friend Charles Lebouc who was a veteran cellist and seemingly was the only influence for this work. Saens was captivated by the impression of a swan during one of Lebouc’s concerts. This then motivated him to compose this piece of programme music. However, this piece was not made public as he wished to be taken seriously as a
Many composers use various techniques in which they communicate the distinctly visual. John Misto’s ‘The Shoe-Horn Sonata’ and Alexander Kimel’s ‘The Action in the Ghetto of Rohatyn, March 1942’ represent significant issues in our world by using various literary and dramatic techniques. Through using these techniques it is evident that the composers of these texts allow the audience to ‘see’ with our eyes as well as with our minds. The many literary and dramatic techniques have the ability to create a visual that
Similar challenges are presented by Romantic music; if a composer does not provide an explicit programme e.g. Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique it is up to the performer to interpret whether one was meant and to what extent it should be portrayed in a performance.
In The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern symbolizes the characters lack of free will by comparing the circus and their lives to birds being held in cages. Celia and Marco lost their privacy and freedom at a young age because they were forced and manipulated by Hector and Alexander. They are like birds stuck in a cage, unable to go where they please, controlled by their masters. They are not the only ones who are stuck though. Bailey entered a tent, “no longer a door to be found” (142).
inspiration for the composition of the piece, as it was written in French to make use of the language’s sound and enhance its decadence.
‘Impressionism’ was a derogatory term first used to mock Claude Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise, and other later paintings that were patterned after his revolutionary style. At a time when artists took great pains to make their artwork look as life-like as possible, the quick brushstrokes and blurry figures in Monet’s paintings looked anything but realistic to the art critics. Because of its focus on mental images, Impressionism later came to include not only visual arts, but also certain music as well. Debussy and Ravel are two of the most famous Impressionist composers, and our textbook states that what sets their style apart is that “instead of dealing with human emotions, [their] music evoked the atmosphere of nature” (p. 704). This type of
Bergeron, paradoxically yet successfully, chooses to get to the core of the French mélodie by looking at it from a distance. Her focuses on the mélodie’s complex relationship with the German Lied, the pedagogical movements of the French language in the late-nineteenth century, and Claude Debussy’s opera Pelléas et Melisande in order to “examine the range of French expression [Debussy] puts on stage and how he represents that range in music” are all indirect yet inventive ways in which Bergeron embraces the challenges of defining this elusive vocal genre (xiii). Perhaps Bergeron sets out to define the French mélodie through indirect methods for exactly that reason; a genre as complex as the mélodie could not be fully understood if one attempted to get to its center through traditional means. Stating that French art song is “a musical repertory based on […] delicacy and restraint […]”, Bergeron clearly has a grasp on
They say what’s old is new again. There is nothing new under the sun. What goes around comes around. History repeats itself. These may be just a few banal sayings, but they might hold true for classical music as well. Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin is one such example. Written during the neo-classical and neo-baroque movements of the early 1900s, this clever piece ties together French musical traditions, baroque styles, and World War I in just six short pieces. This essay will detail the origins of the suite form and the neo-classical neo-baroque movement, and compare Le Tombeau de Couperin with Bach’s French Suite no. 5 in G Major, BWV 816.
Further research could be done to identify how the compositional styles of 19th Century opera composers influence the development of post-nineteenth century music
Disney 's Fantasia (1940) lies in a class separate from all other animations of program music. While its initial reception was less than stellar, it has since become a standard film in home collections. Theatrical performances, games, and many other derivatives of the brand now exist. Despite this, it has also generated a fair amount of controversy. For example, it contains scenes that allude to Darwin’s theory of evolution, and others that display negative racial stereotypes. Yet the most controversial scene at the movie’s premiere was the animation of Beethoven 's Sixth, the Pastoral Symphony. This feature upset many classical music lovers who objected to the idea of giving Beethoven’s symphony an explicit storyline and a set of images that he did not have in mind. The Pastoral Symphony is likely the most familiar example of program music, but most musicians and critics seem to agree that this does not give a free pass to any form of interpretation. In the intro to Fantasia, the narrator addresses this by cautioning the listener that the video clips were created based on the musical interpretations of animators, not of trained musicians. From that cautionary message to articles published as recently as this year, Fantasia remains a topic of controversy, influenced by factors such as audience familiarity and general views on Beethoven himself. The reach of this influence is not limited to reviews of the Pastoral Symphony feature, but rather extends to the whole
Should animals be held captive in zoos and aquariums just for entertainment. Yes or No? The author of source one” The Use of Animals in Entertainment”,the author of source two,” Jump to it!” and the video“ Should Animals Be Used as Entertainment”there are clearly some comparisons and also plenty of contrasting the video and source one and the video are clearly on the same page that animals should not be held captive and forced to do stupid tricks. Also,in source two and one they are on completely different sides the author in source two doesn't want the frogs to be in the wild because he races them, but the speaker of source one believes that it's wrong to take frogs from their natural habitat.
gale in France and as well in Saint-Saëns’s career. Admits the chaos, Saint-Saëns bore an incredible amount of notable works during and following the war, however, the pinnacle of this thesis is the often neglected but monumental, Marche Héroïque (1870). Within the confines of this work the much larger question of music and duty is how Saint-Saëns’s Marche Héroïque served to combat and subsidize the adoption of foreign music (especially German) in times of war? In addition, what was the longevity of the piece, and comparably, how did it differ from the military works of Schubert? More pressing, how did Saint-Saëns’s Marche, his participation in war, and post-war activities, redefine patriotism in regards to a musical
Composer Howard Goodall looks at the extraordinarily productive musical period between 1650 and 1750, in which many of the musical innovations we take for granted today were invented. The orchestra; the overture, which led, ultimately, to the symphony; satisfying chord sequences, which gave music a forward momentum; modern tuning, which, for the first time, allowed composers to move from one key to any other they chose, and for different instruments to easily play together; the concerto, the oratorio, and, not least, the piano. In an age when Newton put in place the basic laws of science, musicians did the same thing in music. No wonder, in an age that also saw great advances in clock-making, that much of the music of this period sounds like
Igor Stravinsky is commonly considered to be one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. Yet we know so little about him, and what we do know about him is controversial at best. This is a man who changed the way music was composed not once, not twice, but three times. As one begins to uncover the truth about this great composer, only more questions arise. Even in his native country of Russia interest in Stravinsky is down. Where he was once idolized in the sixties, his name is now uncommon. This demonstrates how Igor Stravinsky was one of the geniuses from the generation we studied. Although his name and face may be forgotten, the legacy that he created as a pioneering composer of the twentieth century will never be lost.
Music is a very powerful tool. It has the power to bring happiness or sorrow. It can stir up old memories that someone has forgotten. In Berlioz’s case he uses one of his most famous pieces, Symphonie Fantastique to tell a story. Berlioz combines the use of instrumentation, rhythm and dynamics in a stunningly effective way that conveys to the listener a tragic tale of an artist, whose true love didn’t reciprocate his feelings leading him down a path of self destruction.
All art, including music, is directly influenced by the environment in which the artist lives. It is impossible to create art in a vacuum, unaffected by the society and events surrounding you. The time period, location, and social changes and innovations can have a direct effect on the art produced. Political events, especially wars, can have a strong influence on the music and art produced at that time. For example, music may become more patriotic during a time of war as the composers strive to publicize their national pride. I will explore this idea through the composer Igor Stravinsky and his three most famous ballets in terms of music and choreography. Since I have a retrospective perspective, I will be able to analyze the situation