Mus 4 Final

Gretchen am Spinnrade

"Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel" the poetry is from J. W. von Goethe's play Faust in this play (and opera), Gretchen falls in love with a man who has made a pact with the devil • their love is doomed • in the play, she recites this poem as she is sitting at a spinning wheel, distraught over her situation • Schubert brilliantly uses the piano to represent the constant motion of the spinning wheel "sound painting" • captures both the physical motion of wheel, as well as Gretchen's restless and anguished state of mind

Debussy's "Reflets dans l'eau"

"Reflections in the Water" • from a collection of pieces for solo piano, called Images (1905) • as the name Images implies, these pieces are largely concerned with sound painting • here, Debussy is using the sounds and textures of the piano to suggest the rippling effects of light on the surface of water • Debussy accomplishes this with ambiguous harmonies, and fast "rippling" flurries of notes

"Der Erlkönig"

"The Elf King" • composed in 1815 (age 18) another poem written by Goethe • tells the story of a man and his young son on horseback • pursued by an evil supernatural spirit • the singer has to play four characters: • the narrator, the father, the son, the Elf King • sound painting: fast repeated notes in the piano represent the galloping hooves of the horse

"Der Doppelgänger"

"The Phantom Double" • composed in 1828 (the last year of Schubert's life) • poetry by Heinrich Heine • a musical depiction of self-alienation and derangement

timbre

"colors" of sound

lieder

"lieder" is the German word for "songs" • a lied is a piece for solo voice and piano, sung in German (plural is lieder) • a special emphasis on the musical interpretation of poetry •

sprechstimme

"speech-singing", a mixture of speaking and singing

Franz Schubert

1797-1828 • born and lived in Vienna, Austria we know very little about his private or personal life • there have been many competing stories since his death Schubert wrote over 600 lieder he was a prolific reader and had friendships and relationships with many poets he invented a new form of music, the song cycle • by the age of 17 he was composing mature works • the first of these was "Gretchen am Spinnrade" Schubert attempted rather unsuccessfully to write several operas • later in his life, he wrote a lot of fantastic instrumental music, including symphonies and chamber music

Hector Berlioz

1803-1869 • born in La Côte-Saint-André, near Lyon (southeast France) • the son of a rural physician, he initially went to Paris to study medicine • but even at this time he had ambitions to become a composer • in 1830, Berlioz won the prestigious Prix de Rome • this recognition created anticipation for his symphony

Claude Debussy

1862-1918 • born in the suburbs of Paris to a working-class family • at age 10 he went to study at the Paris Conservatory at school he was a controversial figure for his refusal to follow traditional rules of harmony • in 1884 he won the Prix de Rome he felt himself drawn towards new ideas • he was fascinated with music from Eastern cultures and began incorporating non-Western scales and approaches to timbre

Alban Berg

1885-1935 • born in Vienna, Austria had a troubled adolescence with academic problems, messy love affairs, a suicide attempt • began studying with Schoenberg in 1904 (age 19) • up until that point he had been composing in the Romantic style • he quickly became one of Schoenberg's most important and devoted students •

The Modern Period

1890-1950 a new generation of composers, inspired by Wagner, exhibited a restless desire to experiment and innovate, which would last throughout the 20th century • the first of these were Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, and Claude Debussy • a spirit of innovation defines and unites the Modernist period the Modernists see themselves as part of an unbroken chain of historical development • they value innovation above all else • for this reason, it is impossible to define a single, unifying aesthetic of the Modern period • we often divide Modernism into a variety of subsets: • Impressionism, Expressionism, Primitivism, Neo-classicism, Futurism

Act 1 musical structure

ACT I - each scene takes its form from Baroque and Classical instrumental music • Suite, Rhapsody, March and Lullaby, Passacaglia, Rondo • each scene also introduces us to a new character

Act 2 musical structure

ACT II - takes the form of a five-movement symphony • Sonata, Fantasia and Fugue, Adagio, Scherzo, Rondo

Act 3 musical structure

ACT III - a series of variations or inventions (compositional exercises which develop a single musical idea through variation) • Scene 1 - Invention on a theme • Scene 2 - Invention on a single note (B) • Scene 3 - Invention on a rhythm • Scene 4 - Invention on a chord • Scene 5 - Invention on rhythmic perpetual motion

Second Viennese School

Arnold Schoenberg (1847-1951), Alban Berg (1885-1935), Anton Webern (1883-1945)

Schubert's Later Years

Beethoven died in 1827, Schubert only one year later • Schubert was an intense admirer of Beethoven's music, and his influence is strong • around 1822 Schubert contracted syphilis, which would ultimately lead to his death • what is known is that in the last years of his life, his music entered a new phase • dramatic, serious, innovative, at times extremely dark

Wozzeck part 3

Berg uses a variety of musical and narrative devices which often have an alienating effect on the listener • sprechstimme and atonality • intentionally "ugly" singing and harsh sounds in the orchestra • characters who say and do horrible things • violence, assault, death • ultimately his is concerned with depicting the cruel imbalances of power that make Wozzeck and Marie's life so difficult • this is Berg's distorted, subjective depiction of the world post-WWI

Alban Berg part 2

Berg's mature music is dominated by two opposing forces: • a desire to create emotional, potent, often beautiful music • an opposing desire to infuse his music with mathematical and logical order, and to build it around hidden structures —complexity for complexity's sake

Paris in 1830

Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique was premiered in Paris in 1830 • important historical event that year: • July Revolution: three days of bloody fighting in the streets of Paris • in response to new censorship laws, the people forced King Charles X (who's Bourbon Monarchy had been in power since the fall of Napoleon 50 years prior), and installed king Louis-Phillipe • proceeds from Berlioz' concert went to benefit those wounded this was also the year of the premiere of Victor Hugo's play Hernani • an important work in Romantic literature • many scholars say that 1830 was the true beginning of the Romantic era in France

Symbolists

Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud • used images and subtle suggestions rather than precise statements to evoke moods and feelings

symphonie fantastique five movements

Five Movements: 1. Reveries - Passions 2. A Ball (waltz) 3. Scene in the Country (adagio) 4. March to the Scaffold 5. Dream of a Witches' Sabbath

Wozzeck main characters

Franz Wozzeck (baritone) • Marie (soprano) • Captain (tenor) • Andre (tenor) • Doctor (bass) • Margaret (mezzo-soprano) • Drum-Major (tenor) • Marie's son (child)

Harriet Smithson

Harriet Smithson was a Shakespearean actress • in 1827 she was in Paris, performing in productions of Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet • Berlioz attended the performances and became immediately infatuated Berlioz was completely infatuated, although she was barely aware of his existence he eventually heard rumors of an affair with her manager, and this caused his feelings to turn strongly against her by 1830, he had moved on from Smithson and was engaged to a pianist named Camille Moke by 1830, he had moved on from Smithson and was engaged to a pianist named Camille Moke Berlioz' tendency to idealize and obsess over the object of his affection is built into the very fabric of the Symphonie •

Act 1, Scene 3

Marie and her neighbor Margaret watch a passing military parade • Margaret taunts Marie about her flirtations with the Drum-Major • after it passes, Marie puts her child to bed and sings a lullaby • Wozzeck visits briefly and tells Marie of his apocalyptic visions • he refuses to stay the night with Marie and their son • the scene ends with Marie lamenting the hopelessness of people living in poverty

Act 1 scene 5

Marie encounters the Drum-Major and flatters him • he attempts to rape her, and she fights him off • then realizing the hopelessness of her situation, and the power that the Drum-Major has over Wozzeck, she agrees to sleep with him • the grotesque imbalances of power that have been explored in the preceding scenes result in this tragic act of betrayal • Marie sees no other possible future for herself

"Marie's Lullaby" Act I, Scene 3

Marie sings a dark and beautiful lullaby to her child • the singing style is lyrical, without sprechstimme, and virtuosically explores the extremities of the soprano's range • the words of the lullaby mirror the hopelessness of her own situation • Berg alternates between two musical themes • they are both tonal and lyrical

Minimalism/Process Music

Minimalism is music based on the repetition of small patterns or fragments over long periods of time • as opposed to almost all music that came before, Minimal music is not concerned with musical arrival points (climax), narrative, or dramatic trajectories • instead, the internal processes of the music become the focus • the patterns are typically changed slowly over time, and the listener is able to track the progress of their development • for this reason, it is sometimes called Process Music

Come Out (1966)

Reich was asked to make a piece for the benefit of the Harlem Six • a group of six black men put on trial for the murder of a woman during a NYC riot • the men had been severely beaten in jail, all but one of them were ultimately found innocent • Reich was given 70-hours of audio interviews with the men to use in a "sound collage" • he chose only a four-second loop • Daniel Hamm (19) says: "I had to, like, open the bruise up, and let some of the bruise blood come out to show them." • to prove he had been beaten by police • Reich creates the entire work (13m) out of the final five words of Hamm's sentence

Piano Phase (1967)

Reich's first instrumental work to use the phasing technique • a duet for two pianists (each with their own piano) • they play the same 12-note melody, repeated over and over (starting out perfectly in unison) • Piano 1 maintains the same tempo, Piano 2 speeds up slightly, so that the notes come out of synch [0:42] • after a few seconds of chaos, the rhythmic beat lines up again, but now P2 is one note ahead of P1 [1:00] • once the new pattern is firmly established, P2 speeds up again until they are now two notes ahead [1:20-1:45] • this process continues through all twelve notes of the melody, until the two pianos are once again in unison [9:36] once the pianos have come back into unison, Reich shortens the melody from twelve notes to only eight [10:17] once they return to unison, he shortens the melody again, this time with only four notes [16:51] when they return to unison, the piece ends • this gives the work a three-part structure, each part shorter than the one before

Act 3, scene 2 Invention on Rhythm

Scene 3 begins immediately following the crescendos of Scene 2 • the subject of this invention is a fixed rhythm • Scene 3 begins with this rhythm in the piano the rhythm is passed around between the piano, the other instruments and the voices — it is nearly always present • it suggests Wozzeck's manic state as he flirts with Margaret and then is overcome with paranoia • at the end of the scene, Margaret discovers the blood on Wozzeck's hands • Berg effectively uses the chorus to display the crowd's growing horror

Hector Berlioz pt 2

Symphonie fantastique (1830) • subtitle: "Episodes in the life of an artist" • a five-movement symphony that breaks with many of the structural traditions of the Classical period • requires a LARGE orchestra of at least 90 players • harmonically adventurous • Berlioz uses the orchestra in new ways to create a variety of exciting timbres • narrative: the music of the symphony tells a dramatic story about a lovesick artist • the composer provided a program

"Colloque sentimental" from Fêtes galantes pt 2

The piano begins in a harmonically ambiguous haze. Every time the first ghost speaks, it is accompanied by a birdlike figure in the piano. When the second ghost speaks, it is often only accompanied by a monotonously repeating tone The nightingale returns for the last line of text, and then seems to fade away into the distance.

Act 3, scene 2 Invention on a Single Note (B)

Wozzeck and Marie are walking in the woods near the pond • they both see a red moon rising • Wozzeck kills Marie and runs away to the tavern • throughout the scene, a single note (B) can be heard almost constantly it moves around the entire orchestra sometimes high, sometimes low it may represent Wozzeck's intent to get revenge on Marie, which she gradually becomes aware of as the scene progresses • when Marie first notices the rising red moon, we hear a series of rising dissonant chords (3:07) • Wozzeck's apocalyptic visions are coming true

Act 1, Scene 2

Wozzeck and his friend Andres are out collecting firewood • as they work, Andres sings a "hunting song" • the melody of his song is tonal throughout the scene Wozzeck has a series of terrifying/prophetic visions, and interrupts Andres' song to ask if he sees them too • Berg uses this dramatic situation to effectively blend two vocal styles: traditional singing (Andres) and sprechstimme (Wozzeck)

Act 3 Scene 4 Invention on a Chord

Wozzeck escapes the tavern and returns to the scene of his crime • he attempts to hide the knife by throwing it in the pond • as a blood-red moon rises, he wades into the water to wash the blood from this clothes, and drowns • the Doctor and Captain pass in the night and hear the final moans of Wozzeck as he dies • the music of this scene is all based on a single chord made of six notes •

Wozzeck Act 1 Scene 1

Wozzeck is shaving the Captain's beard • the Captain lectures Wozzeck with a series of "intellectual" ideas • Berg illustrates the Captains pompous stupidity with a vocal part that is comically ugly • alternates frequently between singing and sprechstimme • extreme high notes on the most pompous words • this vocal part is an example of how Berg uses sprechstimme and atonality to created a distorted image of the Captain • the Captain eventually criticizes Wozzeck for having a child out of wedlock • Wozzeck responds by quoting Biblical scripture, and by saying that the poor do not have the luxury of morality •

song cycle

a collection of songs for solo voice and piano with a related theme and overarching narrative • two of his greatest works: Die Schöne Müllerin and Winterriese (by Schubert)

Movement 4: March to the Scaffold

a grim march that moves relentlessly to its bloody conclusion we seem to hear the crowds taunting him as he is led past [2:45] • in his final moments, we hear the beginning of the idée fixe melody in a solo clarinet [3:57] • but it is cut off by the fall of the guillotine's blade, and we hear his head fall into the basket (represented by plucked strings) [4:05] • the movement ends with triumphant chords celebrating the artist's demise

Expressionism

a movement that began in Germany at the turn of the 20th century (first in painting and poetry) • the Expressionists attempt to present the world solely from a subjective perspective Expressionist artists and poets distort the world radically for emotional effect, in order to evoke moods or ideas • an early example: Edvard Munch's The Scream (1893) • in music, Expressionist composers favored atonality over traditional harmony the three core composers of the Expressionist style were centered in Vienna, and for this reason we call them the Second Viennese School

Impressionism

a movement that began in the visual arts in Paris in the 1870s and 1880s • painters like Monet, Degas, and Renoir used visible brushstrokes and splashes of color to suggest movement and the effects of light on a subject in poetry, the rules of syntax, rhyme, and structure are broken down • concrete ideas are replaced with juxtapositions of words that offer symbolic mysteries

program music

a piece designed according to some preconceived narrative, or to evoke a specific idea and atmosphere • uses music to tell a story, without words

symphonic poem or tone poem

a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other nonmusical idea frees the composer from traditional symphonic structures

inventions

a series of variations or inventions (compositional exercises which develop a single musical idea through variation) these inventions allow Berg to experiment with novel musical ideas

Pierrot Lunaire, op. 21

a work for singer and chamber ensemble, premiered in 1912 • one of Schoenberg's most celebrated and performed works • settings of 21 poems by Albert Giraud • written in the atonal style: for voice, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano • the singer performs mostly in sprechstimme the composer specifies the singer's pitches and rhythms • the singer never sustains the pitch, but rather allows it to drop or rise in the manner of speech • the result is a heightened, stylized form of speech with a musical quality •

Act 3, scene 2 Invention on a Single Note (B) part 2

after Marie is dead, Berg does something truly unusual (4:45) • all the instruments of the orchestra play the same note (B) in unison • each instrument group joins one by one, growing louder and louder in a dramatic crescendo • this crescendo explodes into a dissonant chord • after a silence, the orchestra plays another long crescendo on B, this time in octaves instead of unison, with added snare and bass drum rolls (5:07) • these octaves stack up and cover the entire range of the orchestra • when the second crescendo reaches its peak, the music proceeds immediately to the next scene in the tavern • this is one of the most striking and famous moments in the opera

Movement 2: A Ball

after a mysterious and exciting introduction featuring the harp, the artist finds himself at a party where people are dancing the waltz (0:37) • this movement features virtuosic parts for TWO harpists • an example of a unique timbre (sound color) • helps to contribute to the lush, party-like atmosphere • the idée fixe appears at 2:08, and then is transformed into a waltz-tune

Music for 18 Musicians

after experimenting with phasing in the 1960s, Reich began to develop larger-scale works that explore slow-changing rhythmic and harmonic patterns over long periods of time • his most famous is Music for 18 Musicians • his first attempt at writing for large ensemble • to be performed by 18 musicians, some of whom play multiple instruments • based on a repeating cycle of 11 chords • slowly moves through this cycle of chords while exploring a variety of subtly shifting rhythms and timbres

Debussy's Legacy

although his music was revolutionary and inventive in terms of harmony and form, this is coupled with beautiful expression and complex emotional potency he had a strong influence on future generations of composers (particularly in France and the United States)

Richard Wagner's "Prelude" from Tristan und Isolde

an extremely important moment in music history: the premiere of Richard Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde • premiered in 1865, Munich, Germany • the "Prelude", which opens the opera, was revolutionary in terms of harmony • a series of harmonically ambiguous and dissonant chords this revolutionary idea helped to change the way that Western composers think about harmony this is the beginning of modern harmony

The Romantic Period

approximately 1820-1900 • characterized by the desire to break out of boundaries typically placed on the arts • first began in literature and painting • an interest in the personal, supernatural and political • we often use the term "romantic" to refer to love almost always framed from the male perspective, it is all-consuming, life-changing, and often unreciprocated • Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique is a good example

Steve Reich (b. 1936)

b. 1936 in New York, NY • pioneered a movement of music called Minimalism Reich has a background in Jazz drumming • as a young composer, he was interested in the hypnotic effects of repetitive patterns, and in ways that they could be changed over time • he came up with a new compositional method called phasing Reich was also an early pioneer of electronic music, which he used to explore his phasing techniques • he made experimental compositions with magnetic tape recorders

Wozzeck

based on Woyzeck, a fragmentary play by German writer Georg Büchner (1813-1837) • with 26 incomplete scenes first performed in 1913 — Berg saw a performance in Vienna in 1914 • inspired by the real-life case of Johann Christian Woyzeck (1780-1824) • in 1821, Woyzeck murdered his common-law wife, after falling into a jealous rage • his trial was famous throughout Europe; "Insanity defense" used for the first time! • Berg changed the spelling of the character's name to make it easier to pronounce • instead of working with a librettist, Berg took the text directly from the play, cutting and rearranging it when necessary

Movement 3 : A Scene in the Country

begins with a peaceful opening: two shepherds call back and forth to each other • rustling of trees (a gentle tremolo in the strings, sound painting) [1:09] • the idée fixe appears, interrupted by fits of fear and anger [6:06] • one of the shepherds begins playing again, but this time the second shepherd is missing — instead we hear foreboding rolls of thunder in the timpani [11:33] • we expect to hear the second shepherd, but the silence followed by thunder becomes a devastating depiction of loneliness this thunder is created with FOUR timpani

The Romantic Period pt 2

common characteristics: large orchestras, wide range of dynamics, new and exciting timbres • in opera, two monumental composers took the genre to new dramatic heights: • Richard Wagner (Germany) • Giuseppe Verdi (Italy) • both composers sought to fully integrate drama and music expanded the role of the orchestra within the storytelling

"emancipation of the dissonance"

developed a system for composing in which traditional harmonic structures were completely avoided • instead, dissonance becomes the stable sound atonality - the result of this emancipation

Salon Concerts

during this time in central Europe, education and literacy were continuing to expand in the upwardly mobile middle class • it became very common for wealthy or well-educated families to put on small private concerts, called salons beginning in 1821, Schubert began participating in salon concerts that featured his music prominently • eating, drinking, socializing and dancing were equally as important as the music itself • meant for entertainment, not for profit •

"Colloque sentimental" from Fêtes galantes

from a collection of mélodies (Fétes galantes) composed in 1904 • the title translates to "Sentimental Dialogue" • a setting of an evocative poem by symbolist Paul Verlaine • Verlaine's poem describes a wintry scene in which two ghostly figures pass by this song requires the singer to play two characters and a narrator • however, unlike "Der Erlkönig", Debussy cloaks this poem in a haze of ambiguous mystery • there is remarkably little drama, it is as if they poet is observing himself as one of the ghosts

atonality

harmonic structures built on dissonance rather than consonance • does not exist in a specific key

Arnold Schoenberg part 2

he believed that atonality was the inevitable next step in the development of harmony • he adopted full atonality hesitantly at first, but ultimate believed it was his duty • he inspired disciple-like devotion in his students, particularly Alban Berg and Anton Webern, who adopted his style with enthusiasm • these three core composers of the Expressionist style were centered in Vienna, and for this reason we call them the Second Viennese School

Claude Debussy pt 2

he received his first international acclaim with his opera Pelléas et Mélisande (1902) which he had been working on for over a decade with the exception of his one opera, Debussy's works tended to be smaller in scale • he wrote many songs for solo voice and piano (mélodies), as well as works for solo piano • his most famous early piano work is "Clair de lune" / "Moonlight" (1890) • his works often have evocative titles that link them to images of nature or people this tendency towards programmatic references is another reason he was often labeled an Impressionist an important work: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune • in English: Prelude to the afternoon of a faun • premiered in Paris in 1894 • Debussy believed that the age of the symphony was over, that Romantic composers had taken the form to its conclusion • instead, he was interested in a form called the symphonic poem or tone poem

Berg the Soldier

in 1914, Berg had his first major success with Three Pieces for Orchestra • this personal success occurred against the backdrop of the outbreak of World War I • Berg, along with Schoenberg and Webern, joined the Austrian army out of patriotic duty • at this time, during his spare moments, he began sketching ideas for his first opera, Wozzeck

Debussy melodies

in addition to his works for orchestra and piano, Debussy is known for his mélodies Debussy was very interested in the poetry of the Symbolists Debussy's ability to synthesize poetry into music is unparalleled • each of Debussy's mélodies is a perfectly crafted little world of its own

MUSIC AFTER WWII part 2

in music, some composers continued to work with the atonal language of the Second Viennese School • took it to new extremes • some experimented with new forms of notation to maximize dissonant potential • other composers sought new pathways forward: • improvisation (influenced by jazz) • randomization (leaving things up to chance) • meditative music (drones, silence, deep listening) • microtonality and new forms of tuning • new technologies (recording, computers)

absolute music

instrumental music composed purely as music, and not intended to represent or illustrate something else

chamber music

intimate music performed by a small compliment of musicians for a small audience • i.e. string quartets, piano trios, and lieder

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune pt 2

main theme: a solo flute playing a wandering melody • this solo flute is meant to suggest the faun's flute from the poem • it is rhythmically and harmonically ambiguous • this theme returns frequently throughout the work • each time it returns, Debussy varies the theme in some way

Movement 1: Reveries - Passions (check slides for music)

once the idée fixe has been introduced, Berlioz takes us on an adventurous journey through the artist's unpredictably changing emotions

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)

one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century • also a music theorist, teacher, critic, and painter was also a successful Expressionist painter The Red Gaze (1910) Schoenberg's most famous painting an excellent example of the Expressionist style • sought to achieve what he referred to as the "emancipation of the dissonance" •

Debussy's "Reflets dans l'eau" pt 2

opening: a slow section featuring a recurring three-note melody in the left-hand of the piano proceeds intuitively through a variety of colors, moods, and textures however, as a way of providing structure to the piece, Debussy returns to the opening material with its three note melody twice more, changing its character each time

Wozzeck part 2

premiered in Berlin in 1925 • three acts, each with five scenes • there are orchestral interludes between each of the scenes • Wozzeck is a lowly soldier who is mistreated by those in authority • he is gradually driven insane and has apocalyptic visions • his growing paranoia ultimately destroys his loving relationship with Marie, his common-law wife and mother of his son • in addition to traditional operatic singing, Berg frequently uses sprechstimme

salon

private events for family and friends • often hosted by women • had chamber music

Come Out (1966) part 2

repeats the words "come out to show them", establishing a steady sonic rhythm • begins with two channels which start off in unison, but slowly phase out of synch • eventually the two channels are split into four [3:00], and then eight [8:35] • these changes happen slowly and gradually • the words are ultimately obscured, and the listener is left with only their rhythmic and melodic nature • after building to maximum density, the piece slowly fades away

melodies

settings of French poetry for solo voice and piano

Impressionism pt 2

similarly, Impressionist composers began to juxtapose harmonies and timbres in order to suggest emotions, places, and movement • in the process, they began to discover new ways of exploring harmony • new combinations of chords that violate the old "rules" of harmonic convention • remember: music from the Classical and Romantic periods was designed around clear tonality • the harmonic structure, or key, is easily definable and stable • in contrast, Impressionists intentionally employed ambiguous tonalities, where the key is unclear • they placed a great emphasis on orchestration, and explored a variety of subtle and evocative timbres • one of the first and most famous: Claude Debussy

symphonie fantastique/ Idee Fixe

tells the story of a young musician of "morbid sensibility and ardent imagination." The musician, "frustrated in love, tries to kill himself with opium but instead of death the drug gives him powerful hallucinations." • these hallucinations result in the fantastical elements of the fourth and fifth movement in the first movement, the artist encounters a woman and immediately falls in love • throughout the symphony she is represented by a recurring melody, which Berlioz calls the "Idée Fixe"

symphonie fantastique/ Idee Fixe pt 2

the idée fixe, or "fixed idea" represents the artist's obsession with his beloved • after he first sees her, he cannot get her out of his mind, and thus he hears her melody wherever he goes • it is first presented in the opening movement, and appears in each the remaining four • over time it is transformed and treated in a variety of ways

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune pt 3

the opening section [0:00-3:04] • slow and dreamy, Debussy builds this section around several variations of the faun's opening melody, exploring a wide range of timbres in the orchestra a more active, passionate section follows [3:04 - 6:27] new themes are based on ideas taken from the first section • the flute is not featured as prominently, now the most important melodic material is given to the clarinet, then the oboe, and finally the strings • this section culminates in a beautifully restless and amorous melody in the strings [5:19] final section [6:25 - end] • 6:27 - the opening melody returns in the flute, then is passed around other instruments in a series of variations, and mixed with other themes • 9:17 - the final time we hear the faun's melody, it is presented in harmony (as opposed to a solo line with chordal accompaniment)

Berlioz's writing

the program for Symphonie fantastique is somewhat autobiographical • in his personal writings, Berlioz often frames himself as the hero in a Romantic drama • major themes in his writing include: • infatuation at first sight • hopeless longing for "the unobtainable one" • the idea of space-defying and time-conquering love • these ideas are all present in the Symphonie's program the story of the Symphonie is directly linked to events in Berlioz' own life • at the time of composition, Berlioz was obsessed with an Irish woman named Harriet Smithson

The Program in the Music (Berlioz)

the relationship between the program and the music is not concrete he intended it to guide the listener's experience • an alternative to classical forms like sonata and theme and variation • the opium-fueled nightmares of the final two movements provide an opportunity to experiment with the orchestra in exciting new ways • throughout, Berlioz' music can be characterized by it'sflexible, unpredictable nature

MUSIC AFTER WWII

the second world war devastated much of Europe • the aftermath of this chaos and destruction triggered the beginning of the Postmodern Era • the second world war devastated much of Europe •the arts in the Postmodern Era splinter into hundreds of factions • in the visual arts, full abstraction was embraced by artist like Jackson Pollock • no longer concerned with the representation of concrete forms .but other movements, like the pop art of Andy Warhol were not far behind

orchestration

the selection of specific instruments or instrument combinations in order to produce desired musical effects and timbres

After Wozzeck

the success of Wozzeck brought Berg considerable prestige and financial security • he began work on another important opera Lulu, which was premiered after his death • another important late work: Violin Concerto (1935) • when the Nazis took power in 1933, his music was placed on a list of degenerate music • life became suddenly more difficult • he moved to the countryside with his wife, where he had a hard time securing a performance of Lulu • Berg is still celebrated today for his accessible and lyrical approach to Schoenberg's radical "emancipation of the dissonance"

magnetic tape recorders

the tape allows for splicing, overdubbing, and re-recording • allows him to create complex works that would be impossible in live performance

Act III, Scene 5 — Invention on a Rhythmic Perpetual Motion

the final scene of the opera features a group of children (including Marie's son) playing • another child run's on stage, saying that Marie's body has been discovered • the other children run off to see, but Marie's son continues to play by himself, oblivious • there is a constant, flowing rhythm to the entire scene • it has a circular nature, it is as if it could go on forever • this represents the circular nature of the actions of the opera • Marie's son cannot escape the cycle of poverty and violence • he could easily grow up to be like Wozzeck

postmodern era

this is not so much a period in the arts, rather a general term for the social, cultural, and economic environment in the post-war years •

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

this single-movement symphonic poem is more intimate and smaller in scope than the Romantic symphonies that were common earlier in the century • Debussy significantly reduced the size of the orchestra when compared to works by Berlioz, Wagner, Brahms, etc. • based on a long poem, "The Afternoon of a Faun" by Stéphane Mallarmé, a French symbolist poet • the symbolists used images and subtle suggestions rather than precise statements to evoke moods andfeelings • Tells the story of a young faun who is playing his flute alone in the woods. He becomes aroused by passing nymphs and pursues them unsuccessfully. He then chooses to fall asleep and to pursue them in his dreams. • Debussy does not attempt to directly tell this story in music

Three Piano Pieces (Drei Klavierstücke), op. 11

three short movements for piano, written in 1909 • a time of personal hardship for Schoenberg • these works are Schoenberg's first attempts at complete atonality • the third movement ("Bewegt") embodies Schoenberg's Expressionist style • "Bewegt" means "with motion" • violently emotional, it juxtaposes extremes in dynamics and mood • there is a lack of repetition or development of thematic material • instead, it proceeds like a stream-of-consciousness diatribe •

phasing

two or more instruments play the exact same material, but one is slightly faster than the other • they start playing together, but gradually go out of synch • if the musical material is a short, repetitive patern, eventually, the two instruments will synch back up • the process is analogous to two tape or record players playing the same thing at slightly different speeds phasing in instrumental music requires extreme virtuosity on the part of the performers

Movement 5 : Dream of a Witches Sabbath

two terms explained: • sabbath: a day of religious observance, in this case, a funeral • Dies irae: a well-known Gregorian chant (in Latin) that is sung at a funeral the devilish scene was inspired by a scene from Faust, and a poem by Victor Hugo

program

which explains this story and how it unfolds over the course of the five movements

Berlioz's orchestration

while audiences in 1830 blamed some of Berlioz' most adventurous harmonies on his youthful inexperience, the work was widely praised for its innovative orchestration in addition to increasing the size of the orchestra, Berlioz found new ways to use the instruments

MUSIC AFTER WWII John Cage

• 4'33'' by John Cage (1952) • an extremely important moment in American Postmodernism • a three-movement work that can be performed by any instrument or combination • four minutes and thirty-three seconds of complete silence • the "music" is the ambient sounds of the environment and the audience • comparable to the white canvases of American painter Robert Rauschenberg • for Cage, it was a philosophical and spiritual exercise (influenced by Zen Buddhism) •