Czech Folk Song Suite of Traditional songs (Harvest Song); arranged by Merle Isaac
Saturday at the Symphony by John O’Reilly
Variations on a Ground by Marsha Chusmir Shapiro
Concert Piece for Strings by Elliot del Borgo
Fantasia on Amazing Grace by Elliot del Borgo
Saturday at the Symphony
I got excited when I found this piece in the music library at Farnsworth Middle School because it is full of opportunities to learn string techniques and it incorporates some of my favorite classical music pieces. When John O'Reilly arranged Saturday at the Symphony, he thought about what a great Saturday night program would look like. His basic draft might have looked like this:
Or, he might have thought about a progam in this way:
Title: Musical Timeline
1. Something old: a selection from the Baroque period of music history.
2. A "crowd-pleaser" from the Classical or Romantic era of music history.
3. Something new: a piece using a modern or otherwise less-familiar compositional technique.
2. A "crowd-pleaser" from the Classical or Romantic era of music history.
3. Something new: a piece using a modern or otherwise less-familiar compositional technique.
Or, he might have thought about a progam in this way:
Title: European Travels
1. France
2. Finland
3. Germany
1. France
2. Finland
3. Germany
What he came up with was this:
Title: Saturday at the Symphony
1. Rondeau by Jean-Joseph Mouret.
2. Finlandia by Jean Sibelius
3. Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms
1. Rondeau by Jean-Joseph Mouret.
2. Finlandia by Jean Sibelius
3. Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms
Jean-Joseph Mouret was a talented French singer and composer who specialized in writing dramatic works (operas, and other stage productions) during the Baroque era (1600-1750). Even though most of his works are no longer performed, Mouret's name survives today thanks to the popularity of the Fanfare-Rondeau from his first Suite de Symphonies, which has been adopted as the signature tune of the PBS program "Masterpiece Theater," and it is a popular musical choice in many modern weddings. A Junior Brass Quintet also does a great job with their arrangement of Rondeau.
Finlandia, by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, is a symphonic poem first written in 1899. Originally, Finlandia had been part of a larger composition which was later reworked. This youtube.com creation describes the political struggles of Finland with Finlandia as the soundtrack. Some students may recognize a theme in Finlandia from the Christian hymn Be Still, My Soul or the national anthem of the short-lived African state of Biafra.
Finally, O'Reilly incorporates themes from Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms. Have you ever been excited to do something, but nervous that you might not do it well? If so, you and Brahms have something in common:
Brahms began writing his first symphony in 1854, and it wasn't performed in public until 1876. Brahms was very critical of himself, causing him to destroy much of his early work. Plus, his friends and colleagues had great expectations for him: to create a symphony as good as the symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven had died almost 30 years before Brahms began writing his first symphony, but the expectations still weighed heavy on his mind. He wanted so badly to write a good symphony, but he was afraid of what the critics would say.
What emerged was his Symphony No. 1 in c minor. This symphony is often called "Beethoven's Tenth" (because Beethoven only wrote 9 symphonies). Brahms had done it! He had created a symphony as memorable and beloved as those of Beethoven. Brahms would go on to write 3 more symphonies in his lifetime, all of which are still played today.
Here is an excerpt from the 4th movement of Symphony No. 1 performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle. Just like Sibelius wrote nationalistic music for his home of Finland, Brahms was also inspired by the musical heritage of his native Germany. Listen how one of the world's best orchestras plays music that was written especially for them. Also, watch Sir Simon Rattle conduct. Does he always conduct in a 4/4 pattern? How do the musicians stay together if he doesn't always give them a beat? Why would he conduct this way?
Finlandia, by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, is a symphonic poem first written in 1899. Originally, Finlandia had been part of a larger composition which was later reworked. This youtube.com creation describes the political struggles of Finland with Finlandia as the soundtrack. Some students may recognize a theme in Finlandia from the Christian hymn Be Still, My Soul or the national anthem of the short-lived African state of Biafra.
Finally, O'Reilly incorporates themes from Symphony No. 1 by Johannes Brahms. Have you ever been excited to do something, but nervous that you might not do it well? If so, you and Brahms have something in common:
Brahms began writing his first symphony in 1854, and it wasn't performed in public until 1876. Brahms was very critical of himself, causing him to destroy much of his early work. Plus, his friends and colleagues had great expectations for him: to create a symphony as good as the symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven had died almost 30 years before Brahms began writing his first symphony, but the expectations still weighed heavy on his mind. He wanted so badly to write a good symphony, but he was afraid of what the critics would say.
What emerged was his Symphony No. 1 in c minor. This symphony is often called "Beethoven's Tenth" (because Beethoven only wrote 9 symphonies). Brahms had done it! He had created a symphony as memorable and beloved as those of Beethoven. Brahms would go on to write 3 more symphonies in his lifetime, all of which are still played today.
Here is an excerpt from the 4th movement of Symphony No. 1 performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle. Just like Sibelius wrote nationalistic music for his home of Finland, Brahms was also inspired by the musical heritage of his native Germany. Listen how one of the world's best orchestras plays music that was written especially for them. Also, watch Sir Simon Rattle conduct. Does he always conduct in a 4/4 pattern? How do the musicians stay together if he doesn't always give them a beat? Why would he conduct this way?
Variations on a Ground
In learning Variations on a Ground, we talked about what a "variation" is. In music, variation is a formal technique where material is altered during repetition; reiteration with changes. Changes may be harmonic, melodic, contrapuntal, rhythmic and of timbre or orchestration. Variational sections depend upon one type of presentation of material, while developmental sections use many different presentations and combinations of material. Listen to some variations as they appear in famous classical works:
Niccolò Paganini's Variations on "God Save the Queen" for solo violin. Paganini was a violin virtuoso who played both violin and viola and is credited with developing the modern style of violin playing.
The International Tchaikovsky Competition is one of the most famous and prestigious music competitions in the world. Held in Moscow, this competition takes place every 4 years (beginning in 1958), making it much like a musical olympics. It is open to pianists, violinists, cellists, and vocalists (unfortunately, no violists or bassists -- Tchaikovsky didn't write the same type of solo literature for these instruments) from every country. In this youtube.com selection, 1990 prizewinner Gustav Rivinius plays the Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations.
Unfortunately, no video footage exists of the great Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Rachmaninoff playing his own set of variations. Many composers have used Paganini's Caprice No. 24 for solo violin (here, played with an accompaniment created by Robert Schumann..also a set of varitions) as inspiration for even more variations. This youtube.com video is very helpful in understanding the nature of variations because each section is labeled. What is interesting in Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is that the 1st variation comes before the Theme, as opposed to after it.
Edward Elgar wrote a thought-provoking set of variations based on the personalities of his friends. His Enigma Variations can be listened to in its complete form using this link, but the most popular variation is probably that of Nimrod. This powerful and moving recording was made in 1997 by the Chicago Symphony performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Watch the string players and see how they use the speed and pressure of their bowstroke to enhance the emotion and dynamic build of the piece.
