David's report on the music of Samuel Barber was good, and included some nice examples of music. We listened to Adagio for Strings, Essay No. 1, and a couple of songs. Other great music includes his piano concerto, Summer Music, piano pieces, and a couple of volumes of beautiful songs. Samuel Barber, one of and perhaps my favorite 20th century composer, is known for his post-tonal, neo-romantic style music that has an elegant, lyrical quality bathed in rich counterpoint and powerful emotion. But do not be deceived by the term neo-Romantic, for this describes the traditional forms and lack of experimentalism, but does not limit the remarkable language which ranges from tonal to 12-tone, rhythmic simplicity and extreme complexity. Each song, piece is distinctly Barber but also original to itself, containing a consistency not applicable to anything but that work. This makes his music highly unified but also quite varied. From choral works, operas, symphonies, concertos, piano pieces to songs, Barber covered the gamut of music literature. At times edgy and angular, other times warm and resonant, Barber's music has something for everyone.
Onward to a brief discussion of mega-talent Bela Bartok who composed operas, string quartets, piano works, concertos, and chamber music. Known for his Hungarian folk-based music, Bartok experimented with exotic scales, modes, meter, and harmonic complexity. We listened to his 2nd Piano Concerto and referenced his string quartets. Mentioning Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta we began to look at the influence of the Fibonacci Series and the Golden Mean on art and music. Bartok's adherence to the intriguing number series is an extension of what many scholars consider to be one of the elements of great works of art. Further study is warranted on this concept, but there is no question that music that withstands the test of time is generally molded around the Golden Mean idea.
Okay, name a piece you are currently preparing and find the Golden Mean.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Paul Hindemith's Horn Sonata for my senior recital...the Golden Mean is at the Lebhaft section. He really just throws it in your face that the climax is right there.
ReplyDeleteI found this to be very challenging with regard to how my pieces are constructed and performed. The easiest one of my pieces to see using this idea was Debussy's Clair de Lune. If we look at the animato section a little over halfway through, we realize this is not only the loudest section in the piece, it is also the most intense because of the speed and quick register changes. Basically similar to Alex's piece, the climax is quite evident in this spot.
ReplyDeleteTo me in most of my other pieces, climaxes were in spots that did not follow the golden mean, which means I'm probably looking at something wrong.
I don't believe that all of my pieces follow the 'Golden Mean' principle. One where I can see it is in 'Ständchen' by Schubert. After the 2 verses it reaches it's climax (this is about 2/3 through the piece.
ReplyDeleteI only have one piece this semester so far since I am only taking 30 minute clarinet lessons. It is Bernstein Clarinet Sonata No. 1. I believe the Golden Mean of the second movement is right at the very end where the clarinet holds out a high F. It is a really good piece.
ReplyDelete