CXXI. ADAMS, John: Harmonielehre

CXXI. ADAMS, John (1947-       )

Harmonielehre (1985)
1. Part I
2. The Anfortas Wound
3. Meister Eckhardt and Quackie
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Simon Rattle, cond.
(40:32)

First Movement

What Adams calls "choral gates" begins with a massive E minor chord spread out among the entire large orchestra, with the upper winds playing harmonized arepeggios.

The music gradually shifts keys as little motifs:

jump on top of the repetitive chords. Soon a melodic strain in the winds soars above the eighth-note arpeggios, now in the lower strings -- staccato notes from the trumpets ...

Second Movement

Basses, divisi a 4, rumble out carefully spaced chords, while muted celli proclaim a slithering melody.

Tension builds as motifs ascend:

and descend:

Third Movement

CXX. REICH, Steve: Mallet Quartet

CXX. REICH, Steve (1936-       )

Mallet Quartet (2009)
1. Fast
2. Slow
3. Fast
Sandbox Percussion
(14:18)

also
PUPARIA
an animated film by Shingo Tamagawa
(first movement only)
(2:59)

Of the many pieces Reich has composed for mallets, this one seems sweeter, more relaxing, with much variation. "Thinly textured," Reich admitted of the second movement.

So much the better.

CXIX. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus: "Queen of the Night" aria from "The Magic Flute," K. 620

CXIX. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)

"Queen of the Night" aria from "The Magic Flute," K. 620 (1791)
Diana Damrau, soprano
The Royal Opera
(3:00)

To hear a soprano sing a high F without strain or vocalistic theatrics is both a pleasure and a thrill. Listen to Damrau hit that high F!

CXVIII. STOCKHAUSEN, Karlheinz: Gesang der Jünglinge

CXVIII. STOCKHAUSEN, Karlheinz (1928-2007)

Gesang der Jünglinge (1955-56)
KS, electronics
Josef Protschka, voice
(13:42)

Wikipedia.

Musique concrète is a complicated subject.

The term was first used in connection with the French composer Pierre Schaeffer, who wanted to create a "symphony of noises."

Noises, sounds ... even the human voice, as in this entry ... can be electronically manipulated to produce something different than the original.

Why? you are asking fervently -- hoping this noise will just go away.

But it won't. Not in 1955, and certainly not today, when every pop star uses autotune or samples an old song and remixes it. That, too, is musique concrète!

To adjust one's ears to this type of music may be a challenge, I don't know. I've been listening to Stockhausen since I was a child, and his music and the music of Haydn are one and the same to me.

**

In this case, the voice is manipulated and combined with purely electronic sounds.

The text is from the Book of Daniel.

CXVII. FRANCK, César: Symphony in D Minor

CXVII. FRANCK, César (1822-1890)

Symphony in D Minor (1888)
1. Lento; Allegro ma non troppo
2. Allegretto
3. Finale: Allegro non troppo
Frankfurt Radio Symphony
Marc Minkowski, cond.
(40:47)

This is special.

This is the first music I recall hearing when I was perhaps five or six.

My oldest sister, Lynn (z'l) was playing this in her bedroom down the hall from mine, and not being sleepy, I stayed up and listened to the music with unusual attention (considering my youth) ...

I certainly didn't realize it at the time, but this symphony  -- Franck's one and only -- employs a cyclic device where the main theme is repeated not only in the first movement, but throughout the entire symphony:

The second movement features an English Horn solo. This scandalized the French critics:

"Who ever heard of a cor anglais in a symphony? Just name a single symphony by Haydn or Beethoven introducing the cor anglais?"

And what a lovely melody! Haydn or Beethoven never wrote for harp, either:

The third movement introduces a new theme:

but eventually the original theme comes back gently and then with a concluding roar.

CXVI. MYASKOVSKY, Nikolai: Symphony #2 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 11

CXVI. MYASKOVSKY, Nikolai (1881-1950)

Symphony #2 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 11 (1911)
1. Allegro
2. Molto sostenuto -- Adagio serioso, ma espressivo
3. Allegro con fuoco -- Presto
Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra
Gottfried Rabl, cond.
(42:06)

Not to be confused with the great poet, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Nikolai showed his talent at a young age, but was discouraged from a career in music by his military family.

But eventually -- in 1906, at 25 years old -- he enrolled in the St. Petersburg Conservatory, studying with Lyadov and Rimsky-Korsakov.

The oldest student, he became fast friends with the youngest, Sergei Prokofiev, who would have been about 15.

Often described as the "father of the Soviet symphony," Myaskovsky wrote 27 of 'em! That's just one less than the combined total of Tchaikovsky (6), Prokofiev (7) and Shostakovich (15)!

This one -- an early effort -- shows the distinct influence of Tchaikovsky, yet has such originality in form, development of ideas, which frankly never reach the idyllic lyricism of Tchaikovsky's, for example -- but which are more motivic, cellular pieces which he slowly develops and refashions.

Take this slightly strange theme, filled with chromatic movement, which permeates the first movement:

The second movement is even stranger, opening with a haunting chromatic movement and a plaintive bassoon:

The third movement opens with lower strings in unison, barking out a weird theme which begins with a leap of a Major Seventh:

CXV. BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van: Symphony #6 in F Major, Op. 68 ("Pastoral")

CXV. BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van (1770-1827)

Symphony #6 in F Major, Op. 68 ("Pastoral") (1808)
1. Allegro ma non troppo. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande (Awakening of cheerful feelings on arrival in the countryside)
2. Andante molto mosso. Szene am Bach (Scene by the brook)
3. Allegro. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute (Merry gathering of country folk)
4. Allegro. Gewitter, Sturm (Thunder, Storm)
5. Allegretto. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm (Shepherd's song. Cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm)
Berlin Philharmonic
Bernard Haitink, cond.
(44:46)

and I thought my sketchbooks were hard to read ...

**

A non-musician friend of mine once asked me, "what makes Beethoven so great?"

I replied that I thought his simplicity was covered in complexity. For example, look at the simple harmony which opens the work:

Just a quiet shift from tonic to dominant, with one sub-dominant (the IV) chord thrown in. The melody skips along like a stone on a lake. After the fermata, the seconds violin take up a phrase, while the firsts decorate it.

It's all so simple. And yet things get awfully complex after awhile. Near the end of the movement, Beethoven shouts the theme out -- firmly -- in the subdominant (10:38):

Second Movement

Meanwhile, look how peaceful things are down the by the brook (12:40):

At the end of the movement, Beethoven gives us a musical picture of the birds he hears (nightingale [flute]; quail [oboe] and cuckoo [clarinet]:

Third Movement

Happy countryfolk! Note the delicate dance in the unison strings (24:41):

Fourth Movement

Note how Beethoven paints the scene of the coming storm (30:12).

The celli and basses start off the a threatening tremolo, pianissimo. The second violins play a staccato, bouncy line -- the country folk are still dancing!

But see how the first violins come in with a threatening three-note phrase! The storm is coming!

After the storm, notice how Beethoven uses the final two bars to introduce the final movement with a V of V -- that means that he's using a G7 (dominant to C Major) to set up the initial use of that dominant before he settles back into F Major ... magic! (34:09)

End of Fourth/Fifth Movement

CXIV. BACH, J.S.: Cantata #111: "Was mein Gott will, g'scheh allzeit," BWV 111

CXIV. BACH, J.S. (1685-1750)

Cantata: "Was mein Gott will, g'scheh allzeit," BWV 111 (1725)
1. Chorus: Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit
2. Aria (bass): Entsetze dich, mein Herze, nicht
3. Recitative (alto): O Törichter! der sich von Gott entzieht
4. Aria (alto, tenor): So geh ich mit beherzten Schritten
5. Recitative (soprano): Drum wenn der Tod zuletzt den Geist
6. Chorale: Noch eins, Herr, will ich bitten dich
J.S. Bach Foundation
Noëmi Sohn-Nad, soprano
Claude Eichenberger, alto
Hans Jörg Mammel, tenor
Peter Harvey, bass
Rudolf Lutz, harpsichord, cond.
(20:58)

Boulanger once told me that if I wanted to understand part-writing -- or for that matter, understand anything about music -- I needed to start with the cantatas. I've taken her at her word and have been working my way through the first 200 -- slowly, but surely.

This is one of 52 chorale cantatas, which are simply cantatas which use a previously written hymn -- in this case, one by Albert, Duke of Prussia, published in 1554.

The original hymn:

Now notice the cantus firmus of the hymn in the soprano part.

And see how Bach ornaments the plainchant with running scales in the continuo and staggered entrances by the singers.

Two arias and recitatives follow, with the final chorus based on the cantus, using the last stanza of the hymn, but richly harmonized for four voices.

CXIII. BERG, Alban: Lyric Suite

CXIII. BERG, Alban (1885-1935)

Lyric Suite (1925-26)
1. Allegretto gioviale
2. Andante amoroso
3. Allegro misterioso -- Trio estatico
4. Adagio appassionato
5. Presto delirando -- Tenebroso
6. Largo desolato
Secession Quartet
Stephanie Ko, violin
Makiko Iwakura, violin
Chia-Chin Hsiao, viola
Kenta Uno, cello
(32:19)

This great masterpiece is filled with hidden secrets.

As we discussed in the Violin Concerto (Post VI), Berg didn't use a twelve-tone row in the same manner as his fellow Viennese School composers, Schoenberg and Webern.

He might use a kosher row with 12 notes, none repeated -- but he would form the notes of the row into interval groups.

Let's look at the first three bars:

Specifically, the first violin part:

Notes 1-2 form a Minor Second
Notes 3-4 form a Minor Third
Notes 5-6 form a Perfect Fourth
Notes 7-8 form a Perfect Fifth
Notes 9-10 form a Major Sixth
Notes 11-12 form a Major Seventh

(note the C-Flat is written enharmonically as a B-Natural)

We can further group the row as follows:

This reverse coupling of the hexachord gives Berg an additional serial tool, which extends his extraordinary musical vocabulary, with which to spin his magic.

Berg additionally uses his tempo indications in all six movements to form "secret" pairings:

Movement 1 (allegretto gioviale) is moderately fast; the second (andante amoroso) moderately slow.

Movement 3 (Allegro misterioso) is fast and the fourth (adagio appassionato) slow.

Movement 5 (Presto delirando) is very fast and the sixth (largo desolato) very slow.

The third movement -- played muted and sul pont. is a hushed, rushed wall of string sound!

The sixth movement requires the cellist to retune his C-string to a lower B:

This quartet greatly influenced Bartok (see Post V).

We spoke of secrets, earlier ...

The work is secretly and cryptically dedicated to Hanna Fuchs-Robettin, with whom Berg had an affair in the 20's ... He uses her initials combined with his own to form this four-note sequence: H-F-A-B. (In modern notation that is B-Natural-F-A-B-Flat -- most notable in the third movement) ...

In addition, researchers have found a "secret" song -- from a poem by Baudelaire -- hidden in the last movement.

De profundis clamavi
(from Flowers of Evil)

To you, you sole dear one, my cry rises.
Out of the deepest abyss in which my heart has fallen.
There the landscape is dead, the air like lead
And in the dark, curse and terror well up.

Six moons without warmth stands the sun.
During [the other] six darkness lies over the earth.
Even the polar land is not so barren --
Not even brook and tree, nor field nor flock.

But no terror born of brain approaches
The cold horror of this icy star
And of this night, a gigantic Chaos!

I envy the lot of the most common animal
Which can plunge into the dizziness of a senseless sleep ...
So slowly does the spindle of time unwind!!

CXII. HOVHANESS, Alan: And God Created Whales

CXII. HOVHANESS, Alan (1911-2000)

And God Created Whales, Op. 229, No. 1 (1970)
Seattle Symphony
Gerard Schwartz, cond.
(12:20)

Hovhaness, one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century, led a fascinating life (see above link). Born to an Armenian father and American mother, he identified strongly with his Armenian heritage.

In this work, he incorporates the taped sounds from humpback and bowhead whales with the orchestra, which plays in a pentatonic style, with some aleatoric elements.

CXI. HINDEMITH, Paul: Trombone Sonata

CXI. HINDEMITH, Paul (1895-1963)

Trombone Sonata (1941)
Jeremy Wilson, trombone
Caleb Harris, piano
(10:48)

One of most important works in the literature for trombone.

Hindemith set out to write a sonata for just about every instrument. They are all great recital pieces, and most trombonists have this near the top of their list.

I learned this at a young age and tried to perfect it over the years. I once played it with a pianist who looked at his part with confidence, and then became flummoxed by the third or fourth bar. The piano part is very difficult.

There is a wonderful meme going around the internet on sites devoted to music -- and anyone who has played one of these sonatas instantly gets the joke:

Note the hand-busting piano part:

The second movement (3:06) is lyrical:

The third movement (5:53) is "swashbuckling":

The fourth movement (8:01) recaps all the previous themes.

CX. HAYDN, Franz Joseph: Symphony #101 in D Major

CX. HAYDN, Franz Joseph (1732-1809)

Symphony #101 in D Major ("The Clock") (1793-94)
1. Adagio
2. Andante
3. Menuetto. Allegretto
4. Finale. Vivace
The New Dutch Academy Orchestra
Simon Murphy, cond.
(28:08)

Ah, late Haydn ...

This is the ninth in the of the 12 so-called "London Symphonies," composed during two separate visits to England.

It was during this time that Beethoven studied with Haydn (in Vienna); one can hear the influence. By this point, Haydn -- the assured master of the symphonic form -- is using the winds in a more prominent role; is cascading through modulations, not too far afield -- and writing unforgettable melodic music.

First Movement

The opening Adagio (in D Minor) had to have caught Beethoven's ear. It is exquisite, landing on F Major, before finally stopping on the Dominant A Major. The imaginative Presto follows:

Second Movement

From whence the nickname derives! Tick-tock goes the accompaniment to an elegant melody in the First Violins:

Third Movement

Standard Minuet and Trio. Nice flute solo in the Trio.

Fourth Movement

A tuneful finale, with Haydn moving chromatically in the harmony much more than he did in his earlier works.