Saturday, April 8, 2017

William Sterndale Bennett

Sir William Sterndale Bennett was born April 13, 1816 and died February 1, 1875. He was an English composer, conductor, pianist, and teacher. When he was 10, he entered the London Royal Academy of Music. He stayed there until he was twenty years old. In 1837, Bennett started teaching there. Also, when Bennett was twenty he met Felix Mendelssohn who later invited him to Leipzig because he was impressed at the work Bennett had been doing. During the 1840s-50s, he performed as a pianist and directed the Philharmonic Society. After taking time off from composing, Bennett, in 1858, returned to composing; however, his works were considered old-fashioned and didn't gain interest from the public. From 1856-1866, he was Professor of Music at Cambridge University. in 1866, he became the Principal of the Royal Academy of Music. When he took this position, he prevented the Academy from permanently closing. In 1872, he was knighted. In 1875, he died and is buried in the Westminster Abbey in London. His legacy survived with his grandsons.

His compositions vary in different genres including piano solo, chamber music, orchestral, choral, and song. The piece I chose is his 'Pas Triste, Pas Gai' which translates into 'Not Sad, Not Cheerful'. 'Pas Triste, Pas Gai' is a Rondeau and part of Opus 34. I believe it follows closely to the rules of a rondeau because it seems to return back to an A section after exploring another section. It was composed in 1854 and published a year later in 1855. The piece represents the style of the Romantic time period. The performance date and information of this piece is unknown because of its level of importance during this time.

The following video is of a man playing the piece. You can tell the piece was written by a pianist due to the stylistic changes and level of difficulty. The piece almost sounds as if it is telling a story because it slows down to an idea and immediately starts back fast as if saying something.

http://www.imslp.org/wiki/Rondo_%27Pas_Triste,_Pas_Gai%27,_Op.34_(Bennett,_William_Sterndale)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sterndale_Bennett
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_William_Sterndale_Bennett
https://books.google.com/books?id=8huC0Jmgh4UC&pg=PA463&lpg=PA463&dq=Pas+Triste,+Pas+Gai+Bennett&source=bl&ots=wxjstUsloN&sig=qEsK-OU-4NpI-BE__RgFGd8X3wA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjYvM3_nJbTAhWn54MKHXwtAqUQ6AEIRzAM#v=onepage&q=Pas%20Triste%2C%20Pas%20Gai%20Bennett&f=false
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7 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 10, 2017 at 10:46 AM

    I feel like Bennett is a good example of what we were discussing in class this morning. He is part of the 99.9% of composers that produce incredible music yet are never "famous" or reach that "celebrity status".

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    1. jmmessamoreApril 28, 2017 at 11:05 PM

      I like this perspective. It goes hand in hand with the idea of marked and unmarked music-- being run of the mill and, oppositely, standing out. I know we covered the fact that German music was considered unmarked because they were so well known as being magnificent composers. But it's interesting that Bennett was not considered a marked composer, perhaps because he was English and non-German composers were not highly praised because they lacked "German-ness" (which is paradoxical in my opinion). After listening to this piece, which i found very enjoyable, I ask myself, why didn't his career flourish even more so than it did? I'm sure after researching this composer, i'd find out but still, I dig this piece.

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  2. Erin SkaggsApril 19, 2017 at 12:26 PM

    I think it's interesting how English composers of this time are rarely mentioned, as the focus is all on composers who were German or spent their career there. It definitely demonstrates the powerful influence the German ideals had on what composers were famous and successful.

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  3. esterhazyApril 19, 2017 at 5:25 PM

    There were a number of active and successful English composers in the 19th century (Hubert Parry is probably my favorite), but they didn't influence composers in mainland Europe and weren't taken seriously by those who controlled the narrative. Most of the English composers were primarily church musicians and wrote a lot for organ and choir.

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  4. UnknownApril 23, 2017 at 5:24 PM

    It's sad to me that he didn't get much credit or praise for his compositions because they were "old-fashioned". This is a beautiful piece!

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  5. UnknownApril 26, 2017 at 7:44 AM

    I really enjoyed listening to this piece! It feels very conversational, like the pianist has something to say.

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  6. esterhazyMay 4, 2017 at 12:21 PM

    You say that "his works were considered old-fashioned," but then you say that this "piece represents the style of the Romantic time period." Aren't those kind of opposite claims? If it's old-fashioned, what makes it sound old? If it's a good representative of Romantic style, what makes it sound up-to-date? (Good questions to answer for anyone who still needs to leave comments...)

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