Bernhard Henrik Crusell

            The most known finish composer before the great Sibelius, is a man by the name of Bernhard Henrik Crusell. Crusell, (1775-1838) was a virtuosic clarinetist, who both preformed and composed. He was born in Nystad, Finland before moving to Stockholm, Sweden in 1791 were he would remain living for the rest of his life. Crusell maintained a position as the principal clarinetist with the Hovkapellet royal court orchestra. During his life in Stockholm, Crusell traveled to Germany to both studied and preform. It is said that he both studied and performed under Beethoven and Mozart while in Germany. He is known for his experimentation with different clarinet and reed styles, such as paying with an 11 keyed clarinet and turning the reed downwards in the middle of passages to achieve different playing styles.

            As far as compositions go, Crusell is most known for his clarinet concertos, but he is also responsible for writing the first Finish opera, as well as several pieces for orchestra. His composition style follows the generic rules of Viennese Classicism that was most popular at this time. However, Crusell did tend to pull ideas from French opera which he become most familiar with as he worked for the court orchestra.

            The most popular of Crusell’s clarinet concertos, is the Concerto No. 2 in F Minor Op. 5. These pieces show off the dynamic range of the clarinet that can be achieved by playing with a reed flipped rather than the range of notes that are negatively affected by this action.  This is the last of a series of concertos by Crusell that was first performed sometime in 1815 by Crusell himself. Crusell dedicated this piece to Czar Alexander 1 of Russia. The Allegro movement (0’00”-6’50”) begins with a slow opening theme but soon becomes agitated (0’30”) getting faster and more anxious until the clarinet enters with a variation of the same Allegro theme on the second time through the exposition (2’04”).  The recapitulation (3’24”) is driven by the clarinet soloist as is the rest of the piece.

Asiado, Tel (2004). “Bernhard Henrik Crusell” Mozart Forum

           

            Bernhard Henrik Crusell. 2011. Hutchinson’s Biography Database, 1

Reel, J. (n.d.). Concerto for clarinet & orchestra

Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 5, in E flat major, Op. 73,  “Emperor”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0rKfxFguH4

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany on December 17, 1770. He was born into a family of court musicians, and displayed musical talent at a very young age. By age sixteen, Beethoven was in Vienna working with other composers and crafting his style. Throughout his prolific career as a composer, Beethoven experienced three main “periods” in which his works evolved as he matured. The period in which Piano Concerto no. 5 was written is the middle period, also referred to as the “Heroic Period” in Beethoven’s career. This period was largely defined by the fact that Beethoven had affirmed that going deaf was imminent, and his works represented struggle and triumph by composing very large-scale works. 

a.) Piano Concerto no. 5 is his final piano concerto, written around 1809 to 1811. It was composed as a dedication to Archduke Rudolph, who financed Beethoven’s work, and was also a student of Beethoven. It premiered on January 13, 1811 at the Palace of Prince Joseph Lobkowitz in Vienna. This was a private premier, but there was a public performance in Leipzig on November 28, 1811. 

b.) The genre is Piano Concerto. This example is interesting due to the fact that is has such a massive first movement. It is also interesting that the first movement begins with a piano cadenza, rather than ending with the cadenza which would be more traditional. Movement one lasts about twenty minutes, which is roughly half of the entire piece. In addition, the coda in movement one is exceptionally long, which was another one of Beethoven’s unique and innovative methods. 

c.) The form is a three movement concerto, although some have claimed it is almost symphonic due to its grand size and scale. The large first movement (Allegro), opening with a cadenza and closing with a very long coda, are the immediately unusual aspects of this concerto. The second movement (Adagio) is much softer and quieter, which is rather typical of compositions like this one. Adagio lasts about ten minutes, before immediately transitioning into movement three (Rondo). Also lasting about ten minutes, rondo shuffles through several different themes before concluding triumphantly, but abruptly. 

d.) This piece seems to fall somewhere in between Classical and Romantic, but contains attributes from both eras. The general form and style adheres to many Classical characteristics, but Beethoven was innovative and exercised his creativity. Once again, movement one breaks the traditional mold by beginning with a cadenza and containing such a large coda. In general, it seems to have a more Classical style, but would not be considered entirely traditional.

Sources:

Taruskin, Richard, and Christopher Howard. Gibbs. The Oxford history of Western music. New York: Oxford U Press, 2013. Print.

"Classy Classical." Classy Classical: Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major "Emperor", Op. 73. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

Automatisering, Roffel. "Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor': description -- Classic Cat." Classic Cat - the free classical music directory. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

Beethoven's 7th Symphony

The premiere of Beethoven’s 7^th symphony was one of his most successful concerts. It was performed to benefit soldiers who had been wounded in the battle of Hanau. The audience was miserable because of Napoleon’s rule, and loved the symphony because of its energy and beauty. It was performed 3 times within 10 weeks of its premiere. The second movement (Allegretto) of this symphony is possibly Beethoven’s most popular composition, and was encored at the premiere. It is typically performed separately from the complete symphony, and has been used in many films and pop culture.

While most of Beethoven’s symphonies have obvious meanings and messages, this symphony is considered to be the one most left open to interpretation. There are many different ideas as to what this symphony meant; some examples from the time period include “a procession in an old cathedral or catacombs (Joseph d’Ortegue, 1863), a love-dream of a sumptuous odalesque (F.L.S. von Durenburg, 1863), a tale of Moorish knighthood (A. B. Marx, 1859), scenes from a masquerade (Alexander d’Oulibisheff, 1857) or a sequel to the Pastoral Symphony”. Another irregularity about this symphony is its use of rhythm. It was typical of the time to interweave the same rhythmic motif throughout an entire work, as we see in Beethoven’s Fifth, but in this work each movement has its own unique rhythm. In the second movement, the rhythmic motif is a quarter note followed by two eighth notes, followed by two quarter notes. This constantly pulsating rhythm drives the piece at a melancholy-feeling tempo.

            This movement, from what I can tell, is in the form of a double variation. Most used by Haydn, this form employs two themes, then alternates variations on both themes. Often there is a coda at the end.

From the video below, this is my analysis of this movement. (This could be very wrong, but I think I did a pretty good job.)

0’00” Theme A in A minor-low strings

0’42” Variation on A in A minor-building

1’20” Variation on A in A minor-high strings

1’57” Variation on A in A minor-full orchestra

2’40” Theme B in C major

3’50” fugato on A-modulating

5’25” Variation on A in A minor

5’42” Variation on B in A major

6’16” Coda of A

6’30” Restatement of A in A minor

 Sources:

YouTube

http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics4/beethovenseventh.html

Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# minor, Op 27, No. 2, "Moonlight Sonata"

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C# minor, Op. 27, No. 2: Sonata quasi una fantasia (“Moonlight Sonata”) – Beethoven (1801)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXjhc8EbY4I

This piece was written at the end of the “early” period of Beethoven’s life, when he was becoming noticeably deaf. It was actually published around the same time he wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament in 1802, which detailed his despair and struggle against his deafness. At this time he began withdrawing from society and his musical style was beginning to change to reflect his inner struggle. The sonata is subtitled by Beethoven, “Sonata in the manner of a fantasia,” and was later titled “Moonlight Sonata” by the Romantic poet, Ludwig Rellstab, in 1832.

a.       The piece was dedicated to one of his aristocratic students, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, whom he was rumored to be in love with. It was first premiered by himself around 1801-1802. It was said that he played the third movement so aggressively that some of the piano strings broke during the performance. The piece became extremely popular after its publishing, though Beethoven felt he’d “written better things” (2).

b.       During this time, most sonatas were beginning to be written specifically for the pianoforte, which had almost completely replaced the harpsichord. Sonatas by definition contain 3-4 movements, usually fast-slow-fast. Beethoven, however, was perhaps the greatest developer of the sonata and altered this classic form dramatically. Every piece he wrote changed the piano sonata in a different way; using varying dramatic texture, and dynamic contrasts and “instabilities” (3). The movements of this piece move in an irregular developmental progression, rather than following the fast-slow-fast outline of the classic sonata. The first movement is slow and meditative, the second more lively, and the third a “tempestuous” Presto Agitato movement (1). He also revisits the same arpeggio theme in all three movements – a technique not often employed by other Classical composers.

c.       The style and form of this piece are rather loose and improvisational (like a “free-flowing” fantasia), suggested by the subtitle (“Sonata in the manner of a fantasia”) (1). The first movement follows sonata form harmonically, (C# minor (i), to G# Major (V), back to C# minor) but does not follow the exposition-development-recapitulation system of sonata form. This also reiterates the improvisational fantasia theme. The second Allegretto movement is a more traditional scherzo followed by a trio, written in bright, major keys. The final movement satisfies the traditional sonata form, back in C# minor. This intense and passionate movement is considered to be the “most important,” which Beethoven often saved for last to complete his dramatic development (4).

d.      Beethoven is often referred to as the “bridge” between the Classical and Romantic periods. This piece is Classical in technical terms, where it follows clear and slow harmonic progressions, cadences frequently, and has a clear melody line. However, there is much more underlying emotional development and a deeper meaning to this piece than that of the Classical style. In this way it is very Romantic, as a great deal of emphasis is placed on the “individual expression” of the composer (in Beethoven’s case, “suffering”) through the music (5).  Rather than following the classic form, he alters it to highlight the emotional progression of the piece.

Sources:

(1)    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Moonlight-Sonata

(2)    https://www.lifesolved.com/moonlight-sonata-beethoven/

(3)    http://www.gate.net/~nnomoto/beethoven/sonatas2.htm

(4)    http://www.classiccat.net/beethoven_l_van/27-2.info.php

(5)    The Oxford History of Western Music 

Chopin's Sonata No.2 in B flat minor, Op. 35

Frederic Chopin, 1810 to 1849, was a Polish composer and pianist during the Romantic era.  Many sources noted Chopin as Poland’s greatest composer.  Chopin’s father was employed as a tutor for aristocratic families in Warsaw.  His mother introduced him to music at an early age and by six years old he was playing and composing.  Chopin’s family recognized his skill and hired Wojciech Zywny for lessons. By 1818, Chopin was performing in salons and writing his own compositions. 1826 found him with several compositions for the piano and his parents enrolled him in Warsaw Conservatory of Music.  Chopin studied here for three years until his parents recognized the need for a broader musical experience.  He was sent to Vienna and had his performance debut in 1829.  During the next eighteen years he only gave around thirty performances and preferred to play in a quieter atmosphere of a salon.  He made a living by selling his compositions and teaching piano.  His style was technically demanding and quite successful. He befriended Franz Liszt, Felix Mendelssohn, and Vincenzo Bellini. Chopin engaged in a turbulent relationship with a woman that went by the name George Sand.  Some of his greatest compositions were produced during this period.  He died of tuberculosis at thirty-nine years old.  He requested that Mozart’s Requiem be played at his funeral and his funeral was delayed for two weeks as the church was still resisting female singers in the church.  The church eventually relented and Chopin was granted his request.  His body is buried in a cemetery in Paris but his heart is entombed in a pillar at a church in Warsaw.

Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor one of Chopin’s two successful sonatas.  With four movements, we see Chopin link them together as an organic whole.  The first movement is titled Grave – Doppio movimento. This movement is in B flat minor in modified sonata form.  The primary theme is absent in the recapitulation and the movement ends in B flat major. Movement two is titled Scherzo in E flat minor and in ternary form. This movement ends in G flat major.  The first and second movements are similar in their chromatic harmony and octaves.  Both movements have a similar mood of anguish and struggle.  Movement three is labeled Marche funebre: Lento.  Also in B flat minor, it ends surprisingly warmly in G flat major. Movement four, Presto, is quite strange as it is short, has no identifiable parts, and abrupt in its ending.  The third and fourth movements have a similar ternary movement with a lyrical melody surrounded by chordal sections.  The fourth movement is somewhat an extension of the third movement, known as the “Funeral March”.  The fourth movement is meant to portray the atmosphere of a deserted graveyard after the Funeral March.  Chopin paints a dark tale beginning with the struggle of life’s journey that ultimately ends in death. 

Sources: 

http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/music/sonata-no-2-b-flat-minor-op-35-funeral-march-frederic-chopin

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124039949

http://culture.pl/en/article/breaking-it-down-chopins-sonata-no-2

http://www.allmusic.com/composition/piano-sonata-no-2-in-b-flat-minor-op-35-ct-202-mc0002390967

http://www.biography.com/people/frederic-chopin-9247162

Luigi Cherubini

Luigi Cherubini was born in 1760 in Florence, Italy, and died in 1842 in Paris, France. Most of his life was spent in France, but he was an Italian composer. Operas and sacred music are the two genres he mostly composed. He was a contemporary of Beethoven. Cherubini was taught music from his father starting at a young age. Before reaching adulthood, he had already composed a large amount of religious works. When he was twenty years old, Cherubini went to study in both Bologna and Milan after receiving a scholarship from the Grand Duke of Tuscany. After attending college, he began writing opera seria. He also wrote an opera buffa when he moved to London. When he moved to Paris, he wrote a tragédie en musique. Tragédie lyrique is an interesting genre because they are in French, about gods and kings, serious, elegant/courtly, and praises the monarch. The name of the tragédie lyrique is Démophoon. It possesses many of the characteristics of this genre. Jean-François Marmontel asked Cherubini to write this operatic work for him. Its first performance was in 1788 at the Paris Opera. After its first performance, it was not a hit to the French people because the text was too pompous, and there was an unnecessary sub-plot. Also, Cherubini could not amount to the style of Christoph Willibald Gluck.

 

 Démophoon contains twelve characters and a chorus role. It was written during the Classical Period. Démophoon is separated into three sections/movements. In the second act, one of the characters, Osmide, mourns the death of his wife and child. Cherubini creates an emotional impact in the orchestration to allow the audience to feel the pain of Osmide. The tragédie lyrique praises the king in the mythological story after he spares the life of a virgin. After a series of unfortunate events, happy news is received and a marriage occurs.

Démophoon- Overture
The overture in Cherubini's Démophoon is written for eight different instruments. Near the middle, the violin and viola parts have a faster melody line than the other instruments. There are also dotted rhythms to indicate that this is a French overture. 

 

Démophoon 

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Cherubini
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_XuFNcKI_s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9mophoon
http://imslp.org/wiki/D%C3%A9mophoon_(Cherubini,_Luigi)
http://www.allmusic.com/composition/d%C3%A9mophoon-trag%C3%A9die-lyrique-in-3-acts-mc0002358035
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jv5GwJn7RY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demofonte

Domenico Alberti

Domenico Alberti, famous not only for his accompaniment pattern, was a popular harpsichordist and singer during his time. Domenico Alberti lived from 1710-1740. He was born in Venice, Itally and as we all know Venice is an important city during this time because of all the culture going on during the time period. Today I am going to tell you a little bit about the man behind the Alberti bass accompaniment.
Unbeknownst to Alberti, millions of beginning pianist will learn something from him. During his time on Earth Alberti would frequently accompany himself singing by playing the harpsichord. He was very popular amongst his audiences and was known primarily for his left handed accompaniment pattern. It is believed that he wrote 36 sonatas, however only 14 of those have survived.
Op. 1, Sonata VI in sol magggiore is one of his sonatas that survived. During my research I could not not find exactly where this piece would be performed. My best guess would be in a concert hall of some sort. The time period I would presume would be in the 1730's and would more than likely be in Venice, Italy.
He mostly wrote keyboard pieces for harpsichord. Harpsichord was the instrument to write keyboard pieces for it because it only made sense for him to write his sonatas for it. His compositions aren't unusual unless you account for his dedication to not learning any different accompaniment patterns.
The form is binary form. All of his sonatas we have record of were in binary form. It is pretty typical of the time period. He doesn't do anything very strange and confusing in his form. It is very simple but interesting to listen to in my opinion.
His compositions are obviously classical. He was born during that era. He lived in the heart of music culture. He played keyboard pieces.

http://imslp.org/wiki/8_Harpsichord_Sonatas,_Op.1_(Alberti,_Domenico)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domenico_Alberti