Here is the second, and final, post on musical terms. Note that this list is not complete; if you encounter other terms, you can always look them up in a dictionary or on the internet.
A Measure is a rhythmic grouping or metrical unit that contains a fixed number of beats; in notated music, it appears as a vertical line through the staff.
A Movement is a section of a more extended work that is more or less complete in itself, although occasionally movements are linked together, either through the choice of a final inconclusive chord or by a linking note.
A Nocturne is a night-piece, music that evokes a nocturnal mood. It was developed as a form of solo piano music by the Irish pianist and composer John Field in the early 19th century, leading to its notable use by Chopin.
A Note in English is either a single sound or its representation in notation. American English refers to a single sound as a tone, following German practice.
The Octave is an interval of an eighth, as for example from the note C to C or D to D. The first note can have a sharp or flat providing the last note has the corresponding sharp or flat (i. e. C sharp to C sharp).
An Opera is a drama in which most of the actors sing all or most of their parts. The form developed at the end of the 16th century in Italy, from where it spread to other regions of Europe
Opus (from Latin: work) is generally used in the listing of a composer's works by opus numbers, usually abbreviated to Op. Opus numbers are not always a guide to the date of composition or even to the date of publication.
Forms of Oratorio change, but it remains primarily a work in which religious texts often with a narrative content are set for performance by singers and instruments.
The Overture is an introductory piece, often designed to initiate an opera or other dramatic work. also a possible independent composition, a concert movement, often with literary or geographical associations, or an occasional connotation.
Performance Practice indicates the attempt to perform music in the way the composer would have experienced it. The past 50 or so years has brought a renewed interest in musicology and the technology and scholarship necessary to construct copies of earlier instruments, which generally have somewhat different tonal qualities than modern instruments.
Pizzicato (Italian: plucked) is a direction to performers on string instruments to pluck the strings. A return to the use of the bow is indicated by the word 'arco', bow.
Rhythm, an essential element in music in one way or another, is the arrangement of notes according to their relative duration and relative accentuation.
Ritardando (Italian: becoming slower) abbreviated often to rit., is often used as a direction to players.
Scale: A series of tones or pitches in ascending or descending order. Scale tones are often assigned numbers (1-8) or syllables (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do).
A musical Score is written music that shows all parts. A conductor's score, for example, may have as many as thirty different simultaneous instrumental parts on one page, normally having the woodwind at the top, followed below by the brass, the percussion and the strings.
A Sharp, represented by the sign #, added before a note, raises its pitch by a semitone. In general terms music that is sharp may be simply out of tune, at too high a pitch.
Sonatas developed from an earlier form in which the melody instrument predominated to a form in which the keyboard assumed greater importance, with an optional accompaniment from a melody instrument. Greater degrees of equality between the two were achieved in the later violin sonatas of Mozart and the violin sonatas and cello sonatas of Beethoven.
Staccato, (Italian) "Separated." Notes which are held for less than their written value, or "separated" from one another. Notes written to be played staccato are often played in a pointed or spiky manner.
The String Family includes two types of instruments: bowed and plucked. The standard bowed string instruments, from highest to lowest, are violin, viola, cello and double bass. The harp and guitar are common plucked string instruments.
A Symphony may simply be defined as an orchestral composition generally in several movements.
Syncopation: A change in the expected rhythmic emphases: for example, stressing a weak (instead of a strong) beat, or replacing strong beats with a rest (silence). Syncopations disturb the regular, predictable pattern of strong and weak beats.
Tempo (Italian: time) means the speed at which a piece of music is played. Sometimes the exact tempo is given at the beginning of a piece of music with the number of beats to a minute, as measured by a metronome. More often tempo indications give the performer more latitude.
Tonality is a term for the principle of organization around a tonic, or home, pitch, based on a major or minor scale.
A Tone Poem is a symphonic poem, an orchestral composition that seeks to express extra-musical ideas in music.
Variation relates to the repetition of a theme in changed versions. It is possible to vary the melody, its rhythm and its harmony, or to vary by addition.
The family of Woodwind Instruments is less homogeneous in construction and sound production than the strings; it includes the piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bassoon and saxophone.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
A Glossary of Common Terms in Classical Music
It doesn’t take one long to realize that the world of classical music has its own language. I briefly introduced a few major terms in an earlier post; now I’d like to expand that list. These terms describe eras in musical history, different forms that classical music can take, and directions about how to perform it as the composer imagined it. This glossary will cover this post and the following one, too.
Although some of these terms will not be seen immediately, others will. Having some basic knowledge of these words will aid your understanding of music, performance and reviews or comments on classical music.
Baroque is now used in music to designate a period of musical history from about 1600 to about 1750, although any such delineation in history can only be a rough guide. The baroque era may conveniently be divided into three fifty-year periods, Early Baroque, Middle Baroque and Late Baroque. The first of these is typified by the Italian composer Monteverdi, the Middle Baroque by composers such as Henry Purcell in England or Lully in France and the Late Baroque by Johann Sebastian Bach, Handel and Vivaldi.
Classical music may designate fine music or serious music. More technically the word may refer to a period in the history of music, the later 18th century, the age of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. The classical may be differentiated from the so-called romantic, the relatively experimental and less formally restricted kinds of music that became current in the 19th century.
Romanticism In music it is most commonly applied to a period or the predominant features of the period, from the early 19th century until the early 20th. Features of romanticism in music include an attention to feeling rather than to formal symmetry, expressed in a freer use of traditional forms, an expansion of the instrumental resources of music and an extension of harmonic language.
Impressionism was used to describe an element of vagueness and imprecision coupled with a perceived excess of attention to colour in the early music of Debussy, who did not accept the criticism or the label, although his harmonic innovations and approach to composition have points in common with the ideals of Monet.
Neoclassical style in music indicates a 20th century eclectic return by some composers to various styles and forms of earlier periods, whether classical or baroque.
Accelerando (Italian: becoming faster) is a term to show that the music should be played at an increasing speed.
Accent refers to the emphasis on a beat resulting in that beat being louder or longer than another in a measure.
Allegro (Italian: cheerful, lively) is generally taken as fast, although not as fast as vivace or presto. Allegretto is a diminutive, meaning slightly slower than allegro. The term also appllies to a particular movement of a larger work.
Andante (Italian: walking) is a word used to suggest the speed of a piece of music, at walking pace.
Bar: a bar-line, a vertical line through the staff, came to be used to mark metrical units or bars (i.e., measures).Later, the bar-line came to be used immediately preceding a strong beat, so that a bar came to begin normally with an accented note.
The Brass section of the orchestra includes metal instruments where the sound is produced by forcing air through a cup-shaped or conical mouthpiece. The brass section usually consists of trumpets, trombones and tuba and French horns.
Cadenza is a virtuoso passage usually found near the end of a concerto movement or vocal aria . Cadenzas are often based on the themes of the piece in which they appear and are improvisatory in style. In the Classical and Romantic eras performers were expected to improvise or provide their own cadenzas, although Mozart began providing written cadenzas for some of his piano concertos.
A Cantata is generally a longer choral work that also uses solo voices, usually with instrumental accompaniment. The texts used may be sacred or secular, and may use solo voices without chorus or choir.
Chamber music is the term used to describe ensemble music for up to about ten players, with one player to a part.
While Chromatic notes in an ascending scale are taken from the note C, the following chromatic notes would be C# (C sharp), D# (D sharp), etc., notes not found in the diatonic scale of C major, which has no sharps or flats.
A Concertmaster is the leader of an orchestra (that is, the principal first violin) Also known in German as a Konzertmeister the term now concert master has found more general acceptance in other English-speaking countries, apart from Great Britain, where the word leader is still preferred.
A Concerto is a piece of instrumental music that contrasts a solo instrument or a small group of solo instruments with the main body of the orchestra. In the earlier 17th century the word had a more general significance, but in the early 18th century it came to mean primarily a work as described above.
Crescendo (Italian: growing, becoming louder) is frequently used as a dynamic instruction to performers.
Decrescendo (Italian: growing less) is used as a direction to performers, meaning becoming softer.
Diminuendo (Italian: becoming less) is used as a direction to performers to play softer.
A Divertimento is an instrumental composition intended for entertainment, usually in a number of movements. The term is used particularly in the second half of the 18th century. Haydn described his first string quartets as Divertimenti and the title is also used by Mozart and other composers of the period.
Dynamics are the levels of sound, loud or soft, in a piece of music.
An Etude is a study, intended originally for the technical practice of the player. Chopin, Liszt and later composers elevated the etude into a significant piece of music, no mere exercise.
The word "Flat", indicated by a sign derived from the letter b, shows that a note should be lowered by a semitone. In a more general sense music that is flat may simply be out of tune, its pitch below the accepted pitch.
A Fugue is a work of music with many voices based on a single melody, repeated in various ways. From simplicity comes richness and complexity.
Harmony describes the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes and the rules for building and their arranging a succession of chords. In other words harmony deals with chords, simultaneous sounds, and counterpoint with melody set against melody.
Improvisation is the creation of a musical composition while it is being performed, seen in Baroque ornamentation, cadenzas of concertos, jazz, and some non-Western music.
Key. A musical work in a "key" is melodically and harmonically orientated around a particular major or minor scale. For example, a composition in C Major will usually begin and end in that key, although excursions to other keys may occur. However, a passage in C Major may temporarily utilize notes that do not occur in that scale and still remain in C Major.
Largo (Italian: broad, wide, large and consequently slow) is used as a frequent instruction to performers.
Legato (Italian: smooth) is used as an instruction to performers. It is the opposite of staccato, which indicates a shortening and consequent detaching of notes.
The Libretto, literally, little book, is the text of an opera or similar vocal work, originally issued in a small printed book.
Although some of these terms will not be seen immediately, others will. Having some basic knowledge of these words will aid your understanding of music, performance and reviews or comments on classical music.
Baroque is now used in music to designate a period of musical history from about 1600 to about 1750, although any such delineation in history can only be a rough guide. The baroque era may conveniently be divided into three fifty-year periods, Early Baroque, Middle Baroque and Late Baroque. The first of these is typified by the Italian composer Monteverdi, the Middle Baroque by composers such as Henry Purcell in England or Lully in France and the Late Baroque by Johann Sebastian Bach, Handel and Vivaldi.
Classical music may designate fine music or serious music. More technically the word may refer to a period in the history of music, the later 18th century, the age of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. The classical may be differentiated from the so-called romantic, the relatively experimental and less formally restricted kinds of music that became current in the 19th century.
Romanticism In music it is most commonly applied to a period or the predominant features of the period, from the early 19th century until the early 20th. Features of romanticism in music include an attention to feeling rather than to formal symmetry, expressed in a freer use of traditional forms, an expansion of the instrumental resources of music and an extension of harmonic language.
Impressionism was used to describe an element of vagueness and imprecision coupled with a perceived excess of attention to colour in the early music of Debussy, who did not accept the criticism or the label, although his harmonic innovations and approach to composition have points in common with the ideals of Monet.
Neoclassical style in music indicates a 20th century eclectic return by some composers to various styles and forms of earlier periods, whether classical or baroque.
Accelerando (Italian: becoming faster) is a term to show that the music should be played at an increasing speed.
Accent refers to the emphasis on a beat resulting in that beat being louder or longer than another in a measure.
Allegro (Italian: cheerful, lively) is generally taken as fast, although not as fast as vivace or presto. Allegretto is a diminutive, meaning slightly slower than allegro. The term also appllies to a particular movement of a larger work.
Andante (Italian: walking) is a word used to suggest the speed of a piece of music, at walking pace.
Bar: a bar-line, a vertical line through the staff, came to be used to mark metrical units or bars (i.e., measures).Later, the bar-line came to be used immediately preceding a strong beat, so that a bar came to begin normally with an accented note.
The Brass section of the orchestra includes metal instruments where the sound is produced by forcing air through a cup-shaped or conical mouthpiece. The brass section usually consists of trumpets, trombones and tuba and French horns.
Cadenza is a virtuoso passage usually found near the end of a concerto movement or vocal aria . Cadenzas are often based on the themes of the piece in which they appear and are improvisatory in style. In the Classical and Romantic eras performers were expected to improvise or provide their own cadenzas, although Mozart began providing written cadenzas for some of his piano concertos.
A Cantata is generally a longer choral work that also uses solo voices, usually with instrumental accompaniment. The texts used may be sacred or secular, and may use solo voices without chorus or choir.
Chamber music is the term used to describe ensemble music for up to about ten players, with one player to a part.
While Chromatic notes in an ascending scale are taken from the note C, the following chromatic notes would be C# (C sharp), D# (D sharp), etc., notes not found in the diatonic scale of C major, which has no sharps or flats.
A Concertmaster is the leader of an orchestra (that is, the principal first violin) Also known in German as a Konzertmeister the term now concert master has found more general acceptance in other English-speaking countries, apart from Great Britain, where the word leader is still preferred.
A Concerto is a piece of instrumental music that contrasts a solo instrument or a small group of solo instruments with the main body of the orchestra. In the earlier 17th century the word had a more general significance, but in the early 18th century it came to mean primarily a work as described above.
Crescendo (Italian: growing, becoming louder) is frequently used as a dynamic instruction to performers.
Decrescendo (Italian: growing less) is used as a direction to performers, meaning becoming softer.
Diminuendo (Italian: becoming less) is used as a direction to performers to play softer.
A Divertimento is an instrumental composition intended for entertainment, usually in a number of movements. The term is used particularly in the second half of the 18th century. Haydn described his first string quartets as Divertimenti and the title is also used by Mozart and other composers of the period.
Dynamics are the levels of sound, loud or soft, in a piece of music.
An Etude is a study, intended originally for the technical practice of the player. Chopin, Liszt and later composers elevated the etude into a significant piece of music, no mere exercise.
The word "Flat", indicated by a sign derived from the letter b, shows that a note should be lowered by a semitone. In a more general sense music that is flat may simply be out of tune, its pitch below the accepted pitch.
A Fugue is a work of music with many voices based on a single melody, repeated in various ways. From simplicity comes richness and complexity.
Harmony describes the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes and the rules for building and their arranging a succession of chords. In other words harmony deals with chords, simultaneous sounds, and counterpoint with melody set against melody.
Improvisation is the creation of a musical composition while it is being performed, seen in Baroque ornamentation, cadenzas of concertos, jazz, and some non-Western music.
Key. A musical work in a "key" is melodically and harmonically orientated around a particular major or minor scale. For example, a composition in C Major will usually begin and end in that key, although excursions to other keys may occur. However, a passage in C Major may temporarily utilize notes that do not occur in that scale and still remain in C Major.
Largo (Italian: broad, wide, large and consequently slow) is used as a frequent instruction to performers.
Legato (Italian: smooth) is used as an instruction to performers. It is the opposite of staccato, which indicates a shortening and consequent detaching of notes.
The Libretto, literally, little book, is the text of an opera or similar vocal work, originally issued in a small printed book.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Saga of Cincinnati Chili
Cincinnati Chili. I’ve never visited Cincinnati. In fact, I don’t think I’ve been anywhere near it. However, I did find a Cincinnati-style chili parlor in San Diego - after it had gone out of business. Let me tell you about my saga of Cincinnati chili.
One of my favorite sections of the newspaper is the food section. I have been reading them for many years. I even have an album in which I’ve mounted a considerable number of recipes I have clipped from various food sections.
One week either the San Diego Union or the San Diego Tribune (long since merged in the San Diego Union-Tribune) had a feature story on Cincinnati Chili. I was intrigued, and saved the article and recipe. But I didn’t try it out right away. When I decided to give it a go, I discovered the recipe was missing, I found it gone. (Ah, more oxymorons.)
In desperation, I searched the local branch of the library, finding nothing even remotely close to what I could remember from the recipe. At that time, it wasn’t too difficult to access a computer in the public library. (Now it’s a matter of making a reservation and/or waiting a while to use a computer.) I plugged “Cincinnati chili” into what must have been an archaic search engine. Then I combed through the results, alighting on one that seemed to have all the right stuff. I printed it, took it home and cooked up a batch.
Right now you may be asking “What is Cincinnati Chili? What makes it so special?” Cincinnati Chili is not all like southern or tex-mex chilis that we have become accustomed to think of as chili. It was developed by Greek immigrants in the Cincinnati area. They used ingredients with which they were most familiar - things like cinnamon, clove, allspice, bay leaf, vinegar and chocolate. (Yes, chocolate, but the unsweetened variety.) Over time they came up with various ways to serve it. One-way (as it was called) is simply the chili itself. 2-way is chili served over spaghetti. 3-way adds a grated cheddar cheese topping, 4-way includes chopped onions with the cheese topping, and 5-way adds beans.
After finally finding this holy grail of Cincinnati chili recipes, I began cooking it from time to time, especially when I was feeding a large number of people. My family likes it, but it didn’t catch on with them as it did me. One day I took some to work for lunch. Someone asked about it, so I brought more in the next day for this person to try. She shared it with her mother, and came back with the report “This stuff is the bomb! It’s the real thing.” Turns out she was from Cincinnati, but I didn’t know it.
This is one recipe that I don’t tinker with as I do with others. I cook this one as is. If I’ve whetted your appetite, or at least piqued your curiousity, as I hope I have, you can locate this recipe online at members.cox.net/jjschnebel/cinnchil.html.webloc.
Bon appetit!
One of my favorite sections of the newspaper is the food section. I have been reading them for many years. I even have an album in which I’ve mounted a considerable number of recipes I have clipped from various food sections.
One week either the San Diego Union or the San Diego Tribune (long since merged in the San Diego Union-Tribune) had a feature story on Cincinnati Chili. I was intrigued, and saved the article and recipe. But I didn’t try it out right away. When I decided to give it a go, I discovered the recipe was missing, I found it gone. (Ah, more oxymorons.)
In desperation, I searched the local branch of the library, finding nothing even remotely close to what I could remember from the recipe. At that time, it wasn’t too difficult to access a computer in the public library. (Now it’s a matter of making a reservation and/or waiting a while to use a computer.) I plugged “Cincinnati chili” into what must have been an archaic search engine. Then I combed through the results, alighting on one that seemed to have all the right stuff. I printed it, took it home and cooked up a batch.
Right now you may be asking “What is Cincinnati Chili? What makes it so special?” Cincinnati Chili is not all like southern or tex-mex chilis that we have become accustomed to think of as chili. It was developed by Greek immigrants in the Cincinnati area. They used ingredients with which they were most familiar - things like cinnamon, clove, allspice, bay leaf, vinegar and chocolate. (Yes, chocolate, but the unsweetened variety.) Over time they came up with various ways to serve it. One-way (as it was called) is simply the chili itself. 2-way is chili served over spaghetti. 3-way adds a grated cheddar cheese topping, 4-way includes chopped onions with the cheese topping, and 5-way adds beans.
After finally finding this holy grail of Cincinnati chili recipes, I began cooking it from time to time, especially when I was feeding a large number of people. My family likes it, but it didn’t catch on with them as it did me. One day I took some to work for lunch. Someone asked about it, so I brought more in the next day for this person to try. She shared it with her mother, and came back with the report “This stuff is the bomb! It’s the real thing.” Turns out she was from Cincinnati, but I didn’t know it.
This is one recipe that I don’t tinker with as I do with others. I cook this one as is. If I’ve whetted your appetite, or at least piqued your curiousity, as I hope I have, you can locate this recipe online at members.cox.net/jjschnebel/cinnchil.html.webloc.
Bon appetit!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Why listen to classical music?
Indeed, why? I have shown that we are surrounded by classical music in its varied forms from diverse sources. However, our response to much of this music is passive - it’s there, we may or may not be aware of it or pay attention to it. Should we become more active in pursuing an active response to classical music in our lives? Both ancient tradition and modern science agree: “Yes!”
Let me offer some cautionary words first. While it is true that these benefits can be derived from classical music, some other forms of music may offer some of these, too. Not all classical music selections may offer these benefits. For instance, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring caused a riot at its premiere; it was so “new” and controversial that the audience rose up against this music. (This has happened to other pieces of classical music, too, especially some that have “thrown away the mold” to install some new concept in its place.)
This being said, if you Google the search term “benefits of classical music,” you will find a large number of sites that, in general, share the same information from various resources.
There does seem to be some consensus on the subject.
Classical music is a major part of cultural history, at least in the Western world. (It is interesting to note that the past 30 - 40 years have produced many talented classical musicians from the Asian world - Japan, Korea, China, for example. The Suzuki method of teaching to play an instrument began in Japan, where violinist Shinichi Suzuki developed the concept of making children better people though music.)
It would be difficult to understand music today without some knowledge of its development and place in past culture. The whole scope of developing the melodic line that is so pleasing to Western ears, then the harmonies that underlie the melody, as well as ways to annotate it (write it down on paper) and bring about the instruments through which to perform the music is tied to classical music. Some understanding of this history can be helpful to a better appreciation of the music that we listen to today, even if it isn’t classical.
Music has been called the “universal language.” Although people of different cultures, languages and ethos may not be able to communicate with one another, through classical music one might observe simultaneous smiles or trickling tears as diverse audiences hear it performed. Classical music (indeed, music in general) promotes the social contract of loving one’s neighbor and doing good to them when possible.
Classical music has an enduring quality, not passing fancy as so much popular music. Classical music has lasted and been performed repeatedly over the centuries because of its universal and long-lasting appeal. Not all classical music. however, is so enduring; some is of such quality that it has been shelved. However, in today’s world of knowing, even the most obscure works of the most obscure composers are constantly the quest of musicologists’ searches, and the income for performing forces as well as recording companies.
Classical music offers an extremely wide range of emotional impact - sad, happy, manic, depression, anger, love, fright, delight. You may experience any of these as you listen to any particular piece of classical music. After some time and you become more familiar with classical music, you can easily choose to listen to music that matches or can change your current mood. This music inculcates a broader range of sensitivity than other forms of music. Somewhat tangentially, classical music has a very wide scope of feelings and their expressions. Sometimes people may think that listening to classical music alone is very narrow. However, for a number of reasons - forms, dynamics, historic styles, instrumentation and size of performing groups - this music is broader and more encompassing than other styles of music. Begin to listen attentively and see if this music doesn’t stretch your mind as well as your emotional palette.
There are social consequences that may be derived from classical music. Tests in both London and in Florida have shown that problem areas where classical music is played become less problematic as rates of hostility and crime went down. Classical music can form a bond between individuals, either singly or as part of a group. There are music lovers who come together around a single composer, a single musical era and even a single piece of music. Sharing of musical knowledge and favorites builds camaraderie.
Medical science has shown repeatedly that classical music has much to commend it as a part of music therapy. The tempo (speed) of a composition can speed up or slow down a heart’s rate of beating, as well as respiration. Classical music seems to reduce production of the hormone cortisol, which is a major component in stress, thus relieving stress. Both chronic pain and post-operative pain have been significantly reduced through listening to classical music. It is thought that the music offers a patient something other than pain to focus on, and gives a measure of control over unmitigated focus on pain. Along with production of anti-cortisol hormones, classical music has been shown to boost the production of hormones that increase one’s immunity. Listening to classical music also gives a “lift” that enables greater endurance. Perhaps this is why so many walkers, joggers and runners have their portable music systems plugged into their ears as they exercise.
What are the effects of classical music on the brain? One theory suggests that certain musical selections have the ability to increase concentration and focus, enabling better learning functions and later recall. A popular approach to this is called the “Mozart Effect,” wherein studies have shown that certain kinds of cerebral activities are enhanced as the music of Mozart accompanies the study and followup activities mental grasp of spatial concepts. While the Mozart Effect is not accepted unanimously, most professionals accept the basic tenets described above. It is possible that other types of music can produce a similar effect, but doubtful that just any other kind of music can do so. Music by Mozart (and others) apparently opens neural pathways to enable quicker and easier learning and the ability to remember what was learned.
When I worked as a driving instructor, I normally tuned the car radio to a classical music station. Many of my students were teens, and a large number of them commented about how that seemed to calm their nerves to make learning easier. In fact, many of these students spoke of teachers at school who played recordings of classical music in class to enhance the learning environment.
Since classical music can be relaxing, slower-paced tuneful music can aid one’s sleep patterns. One can sleep naturally, and awaken without the side effects of sleep medications.
Finally, there is even a little-known financial component to classical music. Many farmers have learned that cows give more milk, chickens, more eggs, etc., whenever classical music is piped into their living quarters. Also, beware of shopping in a store that plays classical music over its PA system. Studies have shown that people tend to spend more money in such an environment.
There you have it - a number of good reasons to encourage listening to some classical music. When you are tired, stressed, have to study, need a little extra “oomph,” or any other conditions described above, try some classical music. Let it have its best effects on you, too.
Let me offer some cautionary words first. While it is true that these benefits can be derived from classical music, some other forms of music may offer some of these, too. Not all classical music selections may offer these benefits. For instance, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring caused a riot at its premiere; it was so “new” and controversial that the audience rose up against this music. (This has happened to other pieces of classical music, too, especially some that have “thrown away the mold” to install some new concept in its place.)
This being said, if you Google the search term “benefits of classical music,” you will find a large number of sites that, in general, share the same information from various resources.
There does seem to be some consensus on the subject.
Classical music is a major part of cultural history, at least in the Western world. (It is interesting to note that the past 30 - 40 years have produced many talented classical musicians from the Asian world - Japan, Korea, China, for example. The Suzuki method of teaching to play an instrument began in Japan, where violinist Shinichi Suzuki developed the concept of making children better people though music.)
It would be difficult to understand music today without some knowledge of its development and place in past culture. The whole scope of developing the melodic line that is so pleasing to Western ears, then the harmonies that underlie the melody, as well as ways to annotate it (write it down on paper) and bring about the instruments through which to perform the music is tied to classical music. Some understanding of this history can be helpful to a better appreciation of the music that we listen to today, even if it isn’t classical.
Music has been called the “universal language.” Although people of different cultures, languages and ethos may not be able to communicate with one another, through classical music one might observe simultaneous smiles or trickling tears as diverse audiences hear it performed. Classical music (indeed, music in general) promotes the social contract of loving one’s neighbor and doing good to them when possible.
Classical music has an enduring quality, not passing fancy as so much popular music. Classical music has lasted and been performed repeatedly over the centuries because of its universal and long-lasting appeal. Not all classical music. however, is so enduring; some is of such quality that it has been shelved. However, in today’s world of knowing, even the most obscure works of the most obscure composers are constantly the quest of musicologists’ searches, and the income for performing forces as well as recording companies.
Classical music offers an extremely wide range of emotional impact - sad, happy, manic, depression, anger, love, fright, delight. You may experience any of these as you listen to any particular piece of classical music. After some time and you become more familiar with classical music, you can easily choose to listen to music that matches or can change your current mood. This music inculcates a broader range of sensitivity than other forms of music. Somewhat tangentially, classical music has a very wide scope of feelings and their expressions. Sometimes people may think that listening to classical music alone is very narrow. However, for a number of reasons - forms, dynamics, historic styles, instrumentation and size of performing groups - this music is broader and more encompassing than other styles of music. Begin to listen attentively and see if this music doesn’t stretch your mind as well as your emotional palette.
There are social consequences that may be derived from classical music. Tests in both London and in Florida have shown that problem areas where classical music is played become less problematic as rates of hostility and crime went down. Classical music can form a bond between individuals, either singly or as part of a group. There are music lovers who come together around a single composer, a single musical era and even a single piece of music. Sharing of musical knowledge and favorites builds camaraderie.
Medical science has shown repeatedly that classical music has much to commend it as a part of music therapy. The tempo (speed) of a composition can speed up or slow down a heart’s rate of beating, as well as respiration. Classical music seems to reduce production of the hormone cortisol, which is a major component in stress, thus relieving stress. Both chronic pain and post-operative pain have been significantly reduced through listening to classical music. It is thought that the music offers a patient something other than pain to focus on, and gives a measure of control over unmitigated focus on pain. Along with production of anti-cortisol hormones, classical music has been shown to boost the production of hormones that increase one’s immunity. Listening to classical music also gives a “lift” that enables greater endurance. Perhaps this is why so many walkers, joggers and runners have their portable music systems plugged into their ears as they exercise.
What are the effects of classical music on the brain? One theory suggests that certain musical selections have the ability to increase concentration and focus, enabling better learning functions and later recall. A popular approach to this is called the “Mozart Effect,” wherein studies have shown that certain kinds of cerebral activities are enhanced as the music of Mozart accompanies the study and followup activities mental grasp of spatial concepts. While the Mozart Effect is not accepted unanimously, most professionals accept the basic tenets described above. It is possible that other types of music can produce a similar effect, but doubtful that just any other kind of music can do so. Music by Mozart (and others) apparently opens neural pathways to enable quicker and easier learning and the ability to remember what was learned.
When I worked as a driving instructor, I normally tuned the car radio to a classical music station. Many of my students were teens, and a large number of them commented about how that seemed to calm their nerves to make learning easier. In fact, many of these students spoke of teachers at school who played recordings of classical music in class to enhance the learning environment.
Since classical music can be relaxing, slower-paced tuneful music can aid one’s sleep patterns. One can sleep naturally, and awaken without the side effects of sleep medications.
Finally, there is even a little-known financial component to classical music. Many farmers have learned that cows give more milk, chickens, more eggs, etc., whenever classical music is piped into their living quarters. Also, beware of shopping in a store that plays classical music over its PA system. Studies have shown that people tend to spend more money in such an environment.
There you have it - a number of good reasons to encourage listening to some classical music. When you are tired, stressed, have to study, need a little extra “oomph,” or any other conditions described above, try some classical music. Let it have its best effects on you, too.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Film Scores as Classical Music
I’d like to return to my series of posts opening up the topic of classical music. I believe I have sufficiently demonstrated that we are exposed to classical music through many means. However, we may not recognize that music as “classical” music. I have tried to use this music as a bridge from its use in popular culture to its greater expression in the concert hall. From there, I hope you might be motivated - or simply curious - to explore classical music in greater depth.
My last post in this series listed film scores that were created by composers who were generally known first for their output of classical music. Some of these films were musicals, so that’s not a stretch of the imagination to understand. Others wrote accompaniment soundtracks that had little or no musical "fact" in the plot itself.
There was a time when I was a voracious reader of periodicals that offered critical reviews of classical recordings. Some of these publications are no longer available. Some have been bought out and included in other publications; e.g., High Fidelity magazine was taken over by Stereo Review, merging the two into one. I may be mistaken, but I think these together have further evolved into Sound and Vision, with a widened scope including video arts as well as musical arts. Other publications have apparently decided that there is no longer a need to review recordings of popular and often-recorded works, so they have turned to the unfamiliar, unknown and little-played composers and compositions. This is great for anyone who wants to get (almost) completely off the beaten path to explore new music. Subsequently, I built a decent library, first on LPs, then on cassettes and now on CDs, of recordings that had received considerable acclaim in the critical realm. Of course, these reviews are all subjective, and I didn’t always agree with critics evaluations and conclusions. It was also frustrating to read a rave review of a familiar and loved piece of music, only to read another a short time later; it was a never-ending chase after the “best” performance.
Some years ago, I noticed that film score reviews began showing up in these periodicals. The case was being made, although often implicitly, that music composed as film scores could (should?) be considered a legitimate successor to the classical, romantic, impressionistic and early pre-20th century modern composers. Contemporary classical composers, always trying to find a new way to look at music, left traditional compositional, tonal, structural and instrumental elements to create “new” music that, to me, often just wasn’t very conducive to listening to and enjoying. Film composers, since they must appeal to a wider audience, generally have been constrained to stay closer to traditional classical music.
So the question arises: Are people who compose film scores in line with the three Bs of classical music - Bach, Beethoven and Brahms? The issue has been hotly debated, so I’d like to offer a definitive answer. Yes...and no. That is my humble opinion. All that follows are collected random (an oxymoron?) thoughts that have entered my mind from time to time.
Traditional classical composers often composed for larger instrumental groups, utilizing the instruments that were available to them. Yes, there were solo compositions and works for smaller groups, but it seems that the majority of the music was for larger musical forces. Classical composers used different keys and tempos (speeds) to focus on a particular mood or pace of action. Traditional classical composers worked within tonal structures, that is to say, the recognized major and minor musical keys with their appropriate intervals between each note. Classical music is often descriptive, that is, a musical portrayal of something else. In simplest terms, Beethoven’s “Moonlight” sonata is a musical representation of a moonlit evening. Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique tells a story of passion; a young man falls in love with an actress, who refuses his attentions. In a rage, he kills her, then, ultimately, is judged and convicted and given a death sentence. After a musical representation of his head being separated from his body and rolling away, there follows the sound of the rollicking joy of wicked spirits who delight in all that has happened. Another example can be seen in Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony, which depicts an entire day’s events from sunrise to night time, with the majority of the music describing one explorer’s ascent and descent into the Alps and what he encounters. He meets with cows in a meadow, with gusting wind and a heavy rain storm among other things. These were nearly always harmonious, although composers sometimes threw in a short dissonant section for some effect. Composers of film scores follow these same elements, although they may not be as developed as classical music. So there are a number of ways in which composers of film scores clearly acknowledge their classical heritage.
However, classical music often follows a strict pattern that prescribes its form. It may have 3 or 4 or more sections (or movements), with each one separate from the others, although there may be a repeated theme, or motif, among several sections. It is said that classical music is “linear” in that there is a steady progression from beginning to end of each section as well as from section to section, finally reaching its conclusion at the end of the entire work.
Film composers don’t follow this pattern; they write music to accompany the action of the screen. There is primarily one movement with several parts, including “cyclical” repeating themes but they do not always follow classical form. A couple examples of these recurring themes are “Tara’s Theme” from Gone with the Wind, and “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago. Perhaps another is the two-note threat theme that recurs menacingly in Jaws. These sometimes occur at unexpected times in classical music forms.
Perhaps another aspect of classical music vs. film score lies with the audience. Whereas past generations seem to have been able to sit through longer works in their entirety, today’s audience has become accustomed to hearing sound bytes. Popular songs run 4 to 6 minutes in length. It is hard for many people to hear and understand the continuity of a longer piece of music. It seems that the longest sound bytes now, other than movies themselves, come to around 8 - 10 minute segments of television programming between commercials. I am inclined to think that many people “miss” most of the music in a film simply because of its length and its “lesser” role of accompanying what’s really important on the screen.
The parallels between classical music and film music are not exact, but offer strong hints of their continuity. Purists will decry any such similarities, but it seems that their reasons are more emotional that rational. They insist that classical music is “high art,” while movie scores are not. Who can really say what is high art and what is popular art? Much of the music written by classical composers was written as popular art, not high art. I’m sure my limited insights into the question and its resolution are not the last thoughts, and that the debate will continue. If you listen to and compare classical music and popular film music (which I encourage you to do), what do you think?
My last post in this series listed film scores that were created by composers who were generally known first for their output of classical music. Some of these films were musicals, so that’s not a stretch of the imagination to understand. Others wrote accompaniment soundtracks that had little or no musical "fact" in the plot itself.
There was a time when I was a voracious reader of periodicals that offered critical reviews of classical recordings. Some of these publications are no longer available. Some have been bought out and included in other publications; e.g., High Fidelity magazine was taken over by Stereo Review, merging the two into one. I may be mistaken, but I think these together have further evolved into Sound and Vision, with a widened scope including video arts as well as musical arts. Other publications have apparently decided that there is no longer a need to review recordings of popular and often-recorded works, so they have turned to the unfamiliar, unknown and little-played composers and compositions. This is great for anyone who wants to get (almost) completely off the beaten path to explore new music. Subsequently, I built a decent library, first on LPs, then on cassettes and now on CDs, of recordings that had received considerable acclaim in the critical realm. Of course, these reviews are all subjective, and I didn’t always agree with critics evaluations and conclusions. It was also frustrating to read a rave review of a familiar and loved piece of music, only to read another a short time later; it was a never-ending chase after the “best” performance.
Some years ago, I noticed that film score reviews began showing up in these periodicals. The case was being made, although often implicitly, that music composed as film scores could (should?) be considered a legitimate successor to the classical, romantic, impressionistic and early pre-20th century modern composers. Contemporary classical composers, always trying to find a new way to look at music, left traditional compositional, tonal, structural and instrumental elements to create “new” music that, to me, often just wasn’t very conducive to listening to and enjoying. Film composers, since they must appeal to a wider audience, generally have been constrained to stay closer to traditional classical music.
So the question arises: Are people who compose film scores in line with the three Bs of classical music - Bach, Beethoven and Brahms? The issue has been hotly debated, so I’d like to offer a definitive answer. Yes...and no. That is my humble opinion. All that follows are collected random (an oxymoron?) thoughts that have entered my mind from time to time.
Traditional classical composers often composed for larger instrumental groups, utilizing the instruments that were available to them. Yes, there were solo compositions and works for smaller groups, but it seems that the majority of the music was for larger musical forces. Classical composers used different keys and tempos (speeds) to focus on a particular mood or pace of action. Traditional classical composers worked within tonal structures, that is to say, the recognized major and minor musical keys with their appropriate intervals between each note. Classical music is often descriptive, that is, a musical portrayal of something else. In simplest terms, Beethoven’s “Moonlight” sonata is a musical representation of a moonlit evening. Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique tells a story of passion; a young man falls in love with an actress, who refuses his attentions. In a rage, he kills her, then, ultimately, is judged and convicted and given a death sentence. After a musical representation of his head being separated from his body and rolling away, there follows the sound of the rollicking joy of wicked spirits who delight in all that has happened. Another example can be seen in Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony, which depicts an entire day’s events from sunrise to night time, with the majority of the music describing one explorer’s ascent and descent into the Alps and what he encounters. He meets with cows in a meadow, with gusting wind and a heavy rain storm among other things. These were nearly always harmonious, although composers sometimes threw in a short dissonant section for some effect. Composers of film scores follow these same elements, although they may not be as developed as classical music. So there are a number of ways in which composers of film scores clearly acknowledge their classical heritage.
However, classical music often follows a strict pattern that prescribes its form. It may have 3 or 4 or more sections (or movements), with each one separate from the others, although there may be a repeated theme, or motif, among several sections. It is said that classical music is “linear” in that there is a steady progression from beginning to end of each section as well as from section to section, finally reaching its conclusion at the end of the entire work.
Film composers don’t follow this pattern; they write music to accompany the action of the screen. There is primarily one movement with several parts, including “cyclical” repeating themes but they do not always follow classical form. A couple examples of these recurring themes are “Tara’s Theme” from Gone with the Wind, and “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago. Perhaps another is the two-note threat theme that recurs menacingly in Jaws. These sometimes occur at unexpected times in classical music forms.
Perhaps another aspect of classical music vs. film score lies with the audience. Whereas past generations seem to have been able to sit through longer works in their entirety, today’s audience has become accustomed to hearing sound bytes. Popular songs run 4 to 6 minutes in length. It is hard for many people to hear and understand the continuity of a longer piece of music. It seems that the longest sound bytes now, other than movies themselves, come to around 8 - 10 minute segments of television programming between commercials. I am inclined to think that many people “miss” most of the music in a film simply because of its length and its “lesser” role of accompanying what’s really important on the screen.
The parallels between classical music and film music are not exact, but offer strong hints of their continuity. Purists will decry any such similarities, but it seems that their reasons are more emotional that rational. They insist that classical music is “high art,” while movie scores are not. Who can really say what is high art and what is popular art? Much of the music written by classical composers was written as popular art, not high art. I’m sure my limited insights into the question and its resolution are not the last thoughts, and that the debate will continue. If you listen to and compare classical music and popular film music (which I encourage you to do), what do you think?
Sunday, November 15, 2009
First Steps in Classical Music
I had planned to conclude the series I had been offering to demonstrate the concept that we hear (and often recognize) classical music from various sources around us - even though we may not know the actual name. I haven't been able to complete that thought today, so am taking a brief break. In the meantime, I'd like to continue with some listening suggestions.
Visitor to New Yorker: Pardon me, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?
New Yorker: Practice, practice, practice.
How can someone get to know, like and even recognize classical music composers and even individual pieces? Listen, listen, listen.
Do you recall this scene from Mr. Holland’s Opus? Mr. Holland is an aspiring composer who must struggle as a music appreciation/band leader/driver training teacher just to make ends meet. His career as a composer is always on the back burner it seems. Then his wife tells him she’s pregnant. Mr. Holland is stunned; how will this affect his love of music composition? He can’t find words to say anything, leaving his wife in tears because he isn’t overjoyed to hear this news. He tells her a story about how he came to love the music of John Coltrane. A friend in the record shop introduced him to John Coltrane one day, and young Mr. Holland listened to it. He didn’t like what he heard. But he listened to it again, then again, then again and again and again. The result? He came to love John Coltrane’s music. His wife, wiping tears from her eyes, said “If that’s a lie, it’s the most beautiful lie I’ve ever heard.” Similarly, Glen Holland’s excitement grew as he contemplated the coming of their child.
Where do you start on this musical trek? I’d suggest beginning with the familiar, even though it might not be familiar by composer or name. Here are some suggestions, perhaps with some personal reflections.
Haydn’s Surprise Symphony (# 94): The opening theme of the second movement is an old folk song “Ah, vous dirai je maman,” better known to us as “Twinkle, twinkle little star.” Listen to the surprise. There have been a number of guesses about the surprise. Why do you think Haydn put it there? (Mozart also wrote a set of piano variations on the same theme.)
Haydn is often called the father of the symphony. He developed the form, then wrote 104 or so symphonies himself. He is similarly the popularizer of the modern string quartet, having written around 68 string quartets. His string quartet # 62 (opus 76 # 3) includes a set of variations on the Austrian National Anthem. (If you attend church you may know the melody as “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken.")
Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. Listen to the opening Toccata. It’s the theme that is traditionally and classically played for a spooky sound effect. Traditional Phantoms of the Opera played it, and, so did Captain Nemo in the music chamber aboard the Nautilus. The Toccata is fairly short, the Fugue is considerable longer. A fugue is a more developed form of a round. Do you remember singing Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream, at which point another group began singing these words as you continued with Merrily, merrily, happily merrily Life is but a dream. This is called a round. A fugue is like a round. If you listen to the Fugue, listen to the theme as it makes its entry with another grouping of instrumental sounds, and try to note how it all ends.
I’ve mentioned repeatedly The William Tell Overture by Gioacchino Rossini. Listen to it. You may not recognize the opening part, but when this overture moves into the second part, you’ll hear a theme that was often played in cartoons. Finally, the third section includes the big fanfare that has long been associated with The Lone Ranger. (Hi-yo Sil-ver away!)
Beethoven as a major composer has written pretty complex music, but also some beguilingly simple tunes, too. What beginning pianist has not played “Fur Elise?” Or who hasn’t heard at least the opening of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata? Of course, there is the grand opening of the 5th symphony, often called “fate knocking at the door.” During World War 2, Churchill popularized the music by adopting its opening notes - da, da, da, dummm - as the musical equivalent of the Morse code letter V, for victory.
To get acquainted with the instruments of the orchestra turn to Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Purcell. The narrated version is called A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, with introduction of the music, then introduction of the various instrumental sections of the orchestra and each of their members as they perform variations on the original theme.
Of course, not all classical music is slow and heavy. Some of the works listed above are lighter. But for classical music “lite” listen to music of Jacques Offenbach, either his Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld, or as music from a ballet put together from Offenbach’s works called Gaite Parisienne. You may even feel like dancing the Can-Can from either of these music selections.
Well, there are some starting points that are easy on the ears. You don’t have to rush out and buy CDs of this music. Some of it you may find it on YouTube. Try a resource called Instant Encore; some of these may be there. There is a delightful children’s program called Classics for Kids, although its goal is to inform and introduce children of all ages to composers and some of their music. You can Google Classics for Kids, or search for it at www.prx.org. Although there are a number of P2P apps out there, I don’t want to push any of them because of possible copyright violations. You might also try Googling the term “free classical music resources” to see what pops up, although they are seldom “free.”
So get out there and listen, listen, listen. I’m sure you’ll find something even on this short list that you’ll enjoy and want to hear again and again.
Visitor to New Yorker: Pardon me, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?
New Yorker: Practice, practice, practice.
How can someone get to know, like and even recognize classical music composers and even individual pieces? Listen, listen, listen.
Do you recall this scene from Mr. Holland’s Opus? Mr. Holland is an aspiring composer who must struggle as a music appreciation/band leader/driver training teacher just to make ends meet. His career as a composer is always on the back burner it seems. Then his wife tells him she’s pregnant. Mr. Holland is stunned; how will this affect his love of music composition? He can’t find words to say anything, leaving his wife in tears because he isn’t overjoyed to hear this news. He tells her a story about how he came to love the music of John Coltrane. A friend in the record shop introduced him to John Coltrane one day, and young Mr. Holland listened to it. He didn’t like what he heard. But he listened to it again, then again, then again and again and again. The result? He came to love John Coltrane’s music. His wife, wiping tears from her eyes, said “If that’s a lie, it’s the most beautiful lie I’ve ever heard.” Similarly, Glen Holland’s excitement grew as he contemplated the coming of their child.
Where do you start on this musical trek? I’d suggest beginning with the familiar, even though it might not be familiar by composer or name. Here are some suggestions, perhaps with some personal reflections.
Haydn’s Surprise Symphony (# 94): The opening theme of the second movement is an old folk song “Ah, vous dirai je maman,” better known to us as “Twinkle, twinkle little star.” Listen to the surprise. There have been a number of guesses about the surprise. Why do you think Haydn put it there? (Mozart also wrote a set of piano variations on the same theme.)
Haydn is often called the father of the symphony. He developed the form, then wrote 104 or so symphonies himself. He is similarly the popularizer of the modern string quartet, having written around 68 string quartets. His string quartet # 62 (opus 76 # 3) includes a set of variations on the Austrian National Anthem. (If you attend church you may know the melody as “Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken.")
Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565. Listen to the opening Toccata. It’s the theme that is traditionally and classically played for a spooky sound effect. Traditional Phantoms of the Opera played it, and, so did Captain Nemo in the music chamber aboard the Nautilus. The Toccata is fairly short, the Fugue is considerable longer. A fugue is a more developed form of a round. Do you remember singing Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream, at which point another group began singing these words as you continued with Merrily, merrily, happily merrily Life is but a dream. This is called a round. A fugue is like a round. If you listen to the Fugue, listen to the theme as it makes its entry with another grouping of instrumental sounds, and try to note how it all ends.
I’ve mentioned repeatedly The William Tell Overture by Gioacchino Rossini. Listen to it. You may not recognize the opening part, but when this overture moves into the second part, you’ll hear a theme that was often played in cartoons. Finally, the third section includes the big fanfare that has long been associated with The Lone Ranger. (Hi-yo Sil-ver away!)
Beethoven as a major composer has written pretty complex music, but also some beguilingly simple tunes, too. What beginning pianist has not played “Fur Elise?” Or who hasn’t heard at least the opening of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata? Of course, there is the grand opening of the 5th symphony, often called “fate knocking at the door.” During World War 2, Churchill popularized the music by adopting its opening notes - da, da, da, dummm - as the musical equivalent of the Morse code letter V, for victory.
To get acquainted with the instruments of the orchestra turn to Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Purcell. The narrated version is called A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, with introduction of the music, then introduction of the various instrumental sections of the orchestra and each of their members as they perform variations on the original theme.
Of course, not all classical music is slow and heavy. Some of the works listed above are lighter. But for classical music “lite” listen to music of Jacques Offenbach, either his Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld, or as music from a ballet put together from Offenbach’s works called Gaite Parisienne. You may even feel like dancing the Can-Can from either of these music selections.
Well, there are some starting points that are easy on the ears. You don’t have to rush out and buy CDs of this music. Some of it you may find it on YouTube. Try a resource called Instant Encore; some of these may be there. There is a delightful children’s program called Classics for Kids, although its goal is to inform and introduce children of all ages to composers and some of their music. You can Google Classics for Kids, or search for it at www.prx.org. Although there are a number of P2P apps out there, I don’t want to push any of them because of possible copyright violations. You might also try Googling the term “free classical music resources” to see what pops up, although they are seldom “free.”
So get out there and listen, listen, listen. I’m sure you’ll find something even on this short list that you’ll enjoy and want to hear again and again.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Classical Music Composers as Composers of Film Scores
There are a number of classical composers who ventured into the realm of film scores. Most of these began their creative output by composing "regular" classical music, then added music scores for films. Some of these were asked to do this because of their name and reputation, in short, their popularity. A few others branched out into classical music after beginning with film scores' I think John Williams is a good example of this. However, all of these composers (and others) have composed some form of classical music - a concerto, a suite, a symphony, etc. The list looks quite ragged, but, because of its length, I decided to list this way, even after significantly abridging it.
Aaron Copland
Of Mice and Men (1939) The North Star (1943) The Red Pony (1948) The Heiress (1949) Something Wild (1961) [rereleased as Music for a Great City (1964)]
Phillip Glass
Koyaanisqatsi (1982) The Thin Blue Line (1988) Powaqqatsi (1988) Secret Window (2004) Neverwas (2005) The Illusionist (2006)
The Secret Agent (1996) [1931] Dracula (1999)
Cassandra's Dream (2007) Mr Nice (2009)
Bernard Hermann
Citizen Kane (1941) The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) Jane Eyre (1944) Anna and the King of Siam (1946)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) On Dangerous Ground (1951)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) The Trouble with Harry (1955) The Kentuckian (1955) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) A Hatful of Rain (1957) Vertigo (1958) The Naked and the Dead (1958) The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
North by Northwest (1959) Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) Psycho (1960)
The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960) Mysterious Island (1961) Tender Is the Night (1962) Cape Fear (1962) Jason and the Argonauts (1963) The Birds (1963) Marnie (1964) Torn Curtain (1966) (unused score) Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
The Bride Wore Black (1968) Obsession (1976) Taxi Driver (1976)
Erich Korngold
Captain Blood (1935) The Green Pastures (1936) Anthony Adverse (1936)
The Prince and the Pauper (1937) Another Dawn (1937) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) The Sea Hawk (1940) The Sea Wolf (1941) Kings Row (1942) Between Two Worlds (1944) Of Human Bondage (1946)
Sergei Prokofiev
Lieutenant Kijé (1934) Alexander Nevsky (1938) Ivan the Terrible, Op. 116 (1942-5)
Miklos Rozsa
The Thief of Bagdad (1940) Jungle Book (1942) Sahara (1943)
Double Indemnity (1944) Spellbound (1945) The Lost Weekend (1945)
A Double Life (1947) Madame Bovary (1949) The Asphalt Jungle (1950) Quo Vadis? (1951) Ivanhoe (1952) Julius Caesar (1953)
Ben-Hur (1959) King of Kings (1961) El Cid (1961)
Sodom and Gomorrah (1963) The Green Berets (1968)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974)
Providence (1977) Last Embrace (1979) Time After Time (1979) Eye of the Needle (1981) Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
Franz Waxman
Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Fury (1936) Captains Courageous (1937)
A Christmas Carol (1938) The Young in Heart (1938) Rebecca (1940)
The Philadelphia Story (1940) Suspicion (1941) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) Humoresque (1946) Dark City (1950) The Furies (1950) Sunset Boulevard (1950) A Place in the Sun (1951) Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) Stalag 17 (1953)
Rear Window (1954) The Silver Chalice (1954) Mister Roberts (1955) Peyton Place (1957)
John Williams
Diamond Head (1963) The Killers (1964) None But the Brave (1965) The Rare Breed (1966) John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965) Valley of the Dolls (1967)
A Guide for the Married Man (1967) How to Steal a Million (1968) Heidi (1968) The Reivers (1969) Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) Jane Eyre (1970)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) The Poseidon Adventure (1972) The Cowboys (1972)
Cinderella Liberty (1973) Tom Sawyer (1973) The Towering Inferno (1974)
Earthquake (1974) The Sugarland Express (1974) Jaws (1975)
The Eiger Sanction (1975 Family Plot (1976) Midway (1976)
The Missouri Breaks (1976) Black Sunday (1977)
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Jaws 2 (1978) The Fury (1978) Superman (1978) 1941 (1979)
Dracula (1979) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
SpaceCamp (1985) Empire of the Sun (1987)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) (Adapted by Alexander Courage.)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987) Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Presumed Innocent (1990) Home Alone (1990)
Hook (1991) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) Far and Away (1992)
Jurassic Park (1993) Schindler's List (1993) Sabrina (1995) Sleepers (1996)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) Amistad (1997) Home Alone 3 (1997) [Main theme only] Saving Private Ryan (1998) Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Angela's Ashes (1999) The Patriot (2000) A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) Minority Report (2002)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) [Adapted by William Ross]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) The Terminal (2004)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) War of the Worlds (2005)
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) Munich (2005) Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
It should be evident that there is a considerable body of evidence that classical composers have contributed significantly to the field of film scores. In the next post, I would like to discuss that relationship between classical music and "movie music."
Aaron Copland
Of Mice and Men (1939) The North Star (1943) The Red Pony (1948) The Heiress (1949) Something Wild (1961) [rereleased as Music for a Great City (1964)]
Phillip Glass
Koyaanisqatsi (1982) The Thin Blue Line (1988) Powaqqatsi (1988) Secret Window (2004) Neverwas (2005) The Illusionist (2006)
The Secret Agent (1996) [1931] Dracula (1999)
Cassandra's Dream (2007) Mr Nice (2009)
Bernard Hermann
Citizen Kane (1941) The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) Jane Eyre (1944) Anna and the King of Siam (1946)
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) On Dangerous Ground (1951)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) The Trouble with Harry (1955) The Kentuckian (1955) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) A Hatful of Rain (1957) Vertigo (1958) The Naked and the Dead (1958) The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
North by Northwest (1959) Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) Psycho (1960)
The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960) Mysterious Island (1961) Tender Is the Night (1962) Cape Fear (1962) Jason and the Argonauts (1963) The Birds (1963) Marnie (1964) Torn Curtain (1966) (unused score) Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
The Bride Wore Black (1968) Obsession (1976) Taxi Driver (1976)
Erich Korngold
Captain Blood (1935) The Green Pastures (1936) Anthony Adverse (1936)
The Prince and the Pauper (1937) Another Dawn (1937) The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) The Sea Hawk (1940) The Sea Wolf (1941) Kings Row (1942) Between Two Worlds (1944) Of Human Bondage (1946)
Sergei Prokofiev
Lieutenant Kijé (1934) Alexander Nevsky (1938) Ivan the Terrible, Op. 116 (1942-5)
Miklos Rozsa
The Thief of Bagdad (1940) Jungle Book (1942) Sahara (1943)
Double Indemnity (1944) Spellbound (1945) The Lost Weekend (1945)
A Double Life (1947) Madame Bovary (1949) The Asphalt Jungle (1950) Quo Vadis? (1951) Ivanhoe (1952) Julius Caesar (1953)
Ben-Hur (1959) King of Kings (1961) El Cid (1961)
Sodom and Gomorrah (1963) The Green Berets (1968)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974)
Providence (1977) Last Embrace (1979) Time After Time (1979) Eye of the Needle (1981) Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
Franz Waxman
Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Fury (1936) Captains Courageous (1937)
A Christmas Carol (1938) The Young in Heart (1938) Rebecca (1940)
The Philadelphia Story (1940) Suspicion (1941) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) Humoresque (1946) Dark City (1950) The Furies (1950) Sunset Boulevard (1950) A Place in the Sun (1951) Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) Stalag 17 (1953)
Rear Window (1954) The Silver Chalice (1954) Mister Roberts (1955) Peyton Place (1957)
John Williams
Diamond Head (1963) The Killers (1964) None But the Brave (1965) The Rare Breed (1966) John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! (1965) Valley of the Dolls (1967)
A Guide for the Married Man (1967) How to Steal a Million (1968) Heidi (1968) The Reivers (1969) Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) Jane Eyre (1970)
Fiddler on the Roof (1971) The Poseidon Adventure (1972) The Cowboys (1972)
Cinderella Liberty (1973) Tom Sawyer (1973) The Towering Inferno (1974)
Earthquake (1974) The Sugarland Express (1974) Jaws (1975)
The Eiger Sanction (1975 Family Plot (1976) Midway (1976)
The Missouri Breaks (1976) Black Sunday (1977)
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Jaws 2 (1978) The Fury (1978) Superman (1978) 1941 (1979)
Dracula (1979) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
SpaceCamp (1985) Empire of the Sun (1987)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) (Adapted by Alexander Courage.)
The Witches of Eastwick (1987) Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Presumed Innocent (1990) Home Alone (1990)
Hook (1991) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) Far and Away (1992)
Jurassic Park (1993) Schindler's List (1993) Sabrina (1995) Sleepers (1996)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) Amistad (1997) Home Alone 3 (1997) [Main theme only] Saving Private Ryan (1998) Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Angela's Ashes (1999) The Patriot (2000) A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) Minority Report (2002)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) [Adapted by William Ross]
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) The Terminal (2004)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) War of the Worlds (2005)
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) Munich (2005) Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
It should be evident that there is a considerable body of evidence that classical composers have contributed significantly to the field of film scores. In the next post, I would like to discuss that relationship between classical music and "movie music."
Friday, November 13, 2009
There’s another type of music that isn’t, strictly speaking, classical music, but it shares a lot in common with it. This is the musical.
Within the classical music realm we have operas, opera comique operetta. Operas are often quite dramatic, and every part is sung; there are no spoken roles. In opera comique we begin to hear spoken dialogue between musical singing, although the singing certainly takes the majority of the presentation. From opera comique, which developed primarily in France, we begin to see other composers “lighten up,” offering musical stories in a lighter vein, sometimes comical, sometmes satirical, but always considerably shorter than most operas. Among the earliest of these is Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. Operettas that ensued from other countries continued to lighten up, paving the way for what we know as musicals.
Among the operettas that were penned, some of the most popular were Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow and Johann Strauss Junior’s Die Fledermaus (“The Bat”) and Der Zigeunerbaron (“The Gypsy Baron”). From America, Czech-born Rudolf Friml wrote a number of operettas, among which are Rose Marie and The Vagabond King. An Irish-born American composer named Victor Herbert wrote the popular operettas Babes in Toyland, The Red Mill, Naughty Marietta and Sweethearts. Born in Hungary, Sigmond Romberg added to the list of beloved operettas: Blossom Time, The Student Prince, The Desert Song, and The New Moon. Finally, no list would be complete without including the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. Their tongue-in-cheek way of poking fun of English society were poorly disguised. Their operettas included H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, but they wrote quite a few more. These were probably their best-known operettas.
What does all this have to do with music today? For one thing, although their day has passed, a number of songs from operettas became quite popular. Some of these are “Toyland” and the “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (yes, the same one used in Abbott and Costello’s movie version titled after this song) from Herbert’s Babes in Toyland. “A Kiss in the Dark,” “Kiss Me Again,” and “Every Day is Ladies’ Day with Me” are from Herbert’s The Red Mill. The song “Rose Marie (I Love You)” comes to us from Friml’s operetta Rose Marie. (Bet that was a big surprise!) From Gilbert and Sullivan we have “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General,” and “When I Was a Lad.”
Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy popularized a number of songs in some of their movies. One of these was “’Neath the Southern Moon” from Herbert’s Naughty Marietta. Perhaps you’ve heard “I’m Falling in Love with Someone,” or the “Italian Street Song,” or “Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life” from the same operetta. I remember hearing all of these on the radio as popular songs when I was a lad (with my apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan.)
The next step in large scale popular music was the musical, originally on Broadway, but many became films as well. By this time, musicals had longer plots and mostly spoken lines with songs interspersed throughout the whole. In its early days, producers preferred a classically-trained voice for the singing stars. Ezio Pinza, for example, a well known Metropolitan Opera star, was tapped to sing the songs for Rossano Brazzi as Emile de Becque. Although musicals preceded the 50s and 60s by a considerable time, these decades saw the greatest fruition of musicals - on stage and on screen.
Here is a partial listing:
Berlin, Annie Get Your Gun
Porter Anything Goes
Loewe Brigadoon
Loewe Camelot
Hammerstein Carousel
Webber Cats
Webber Evita
Bock Fiddler on the Roof
Gershwin Funny Face
Styne Funny Girl
Loesser Guys and Dolls
Herman Hello Dolly
Hammerstein The King and I
Porter Kiss Me, Kate
Schonberg Les Misérables
Menken Little Shop of Horrors
Leigh Man of La Mancha
Schonberg Miss Saigon
Willson The Music Man
Loewe My Fair Lady
Youmans No, No Nanette
Gershwin Of Thee I Sing
Hammerstein Oklahoma
Bernstein On the Town
Loewe Paint Your Wagon
Webber The Phantom of the Opera
Gershwin Porgy and Bess
Larson Rent
Kern Show Boat
Hammerstein Sound of Music
Hammerstein South Pacific
Bernstein West Side Story
You will note that, in order to be a bit more streamlined and because our focus is on the music, I have listed the composers’ names, but have omitted the names of the lyricists.
I would be surprised if you couldn’t close your eyes and point at one (or more) of these and not recognize at least one song that was derived from the musical. Try it. (While not vouching for all their veracity, Wikipedia is a quick reference source that will list songs in each of these musicals. Look any of these up by title and you should see a listing of songs from that musical.)
Within the classical music realm we have operas, opera comique operetta. Operas are often quite dramatic, and every part is sung; there are no spoken roles. In opera comique we begin to hear spoken dialogue between musical singing, although the singing certainly takes the majority of the presentation. From opera comique, which developed primarily in France, we begin to see other composers “lighten up,” offering musical stories in a lighter vein, sometimes comical, sometmes satirical, but always considerably shorter than most operas. Among the earliest of these is Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. Operettas that ensued from other countries continued to lighten up, paving the way for what we know as musicals.
Among the operettas that were penned, some of the most popular were Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow and Johann Strauss Junior’s Die Fledermaus (“The Bat”) and Der Zigeunerbaron (“The Gypsy Baron”). From America, Czech-born Rudolf Friml wrote a number of operettas, among which are Rose Marie and The Vagabond King. An Irish-born American composer named Victor Herbert wrote the popular operettas Babes in Toyland, The Red Mill, Naughty Marietta and Sweethearts. Born in Hungary, Sigmond Romberg added to the list of beloved operettas: Blossom Time, The Student Prince, The Desert Song, and The New Moon. Finally, no list would be complete without including the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. Their tongue-in-cheek way of poking fun of English society were poorly disguised. Their operettas included H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance, but they wrote quite a few more. These were probably their best-known operettas.
What does all this have to do with music today? For one thing, although their day has passed, a number of songs from operettas became quite popular. Some of these are “Toyland” and the “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (yes, the same one used in Abbott and Costello’s movie version titled after this song) from Herbert’s Babes in Toyland. “A Kiss in the Dark,” “Kiss Me Again,” and “Every Day is Ladies’ Day with Me” are from Herbert’s The Red Mill. The song “Rose Marie (I Love You)” comes to us from Friml’s operetta Rose Marie. (Bet that was a big surprise!) From Gilbert and Sullivan we have “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General,” and “When I Was a Lad.”
Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy popularized a number of songs in some of their movies. One of these was “’Neath the Southern Moon” from Herbert’s Naughty Marietta. Perhaps you’ve heard “I’m Falling in Love with Someone,” or the “Italian Street Song,” or “Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life” from the same operetta. I remember hearing all of these on the radio as popular songs when I was a lad (with my apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan.)
The next step in large scale popular music was the musical, originally on Broadway, but many became films as well. By this time, musicals had longer plots and mostly spoken lines with songs interspersed throughout the whole. In its early days, producers preferred a classically-trained voice for the singing stars. Ezio Pinza, for example, a well known Metropolitan Opera star, was tapped to sing the songs for Rossano Brazzi as Emile de Becque. Although musicals preceded the 50s and 60s by a considerable time, these decades saw the greatest fruition of musicals - on stage and on screen.
Here is a partial listing:
Berlin, Annie Get Your Gun
Porter Anything Goes
Loewe Brigadoon
Loewe Camelot
Hammerstein Carousel
Webber Cats
Webber Evita
Bock Fiddler on the Roof
Gershwin Funny Face
Styne Funny Girl
Loesser Guys and Dolls
Herman Hello Dolly
Hammerstein The King and I
Porter Kiss Me, Kate
Schonberg Les Misérables
Menken Little Shop of Horrors
Leigh Man of La Mancha
Schonberg Miss Saigon
Willson The Music Man
Loewe My Fair Lady
Youmans No, No Nanette
Gershwin Of Thee I Sing
Hammerstein Oklahoma
Bernstein On the Town
Loewe Paint Your Wagon
Webber The Phantom of the Opera
Gershwin Porgy and Bess
Larson Rent
Kern Show Boat
Hammerstein Sound of Music
Hammerstein South Pacific
Bernstein West Side Story
You will note that, in order to be a bit more streamlined and because our focus is on the music, I have listed the composers’ names, but have omitted the names of the lyricists.
I would be surprised if you couldn’t close your eyes and point at one (or more) of these and not recognize at least one song that was derived from the musical. Try it. (While not vouching for all their veracity, Wikipedia is a quick reference source that will list songs in each of these musicals. Look any of these up by title and you should see a listing of songs from that musical.)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Classical Music in Hymn Tunes in Classical Music
The Kindly Kurmudgeon # 17 11/12/09
It is interesting to note that a full cycle may occur in classical music. That is, a classical melody may be adopted for a hymn text, then, later, another classical composition incorporated the hymn tune into yet another classical work. A few examples should tell the story.
American composer Charles Ives lived early in the 20th century (1874-1954). He served as church organist, but also composed a considerable body of music himself. Ives seemed to have a way of weaving classical themes and hymn tunes together into a continuous, although sometimes disconcerting, work. One was his first string quartet. Another is his first violin sonata. He wrote a number of hymns and variations on others.
Perhaps both his serious and comedic genius shine through best in his fourth symphony. Here you will here a variety of church hymns, such as Watchman Tell Us of the Night, In the Sweet By and By, Bringing in the Sheaves, Beulah Land. But they don’t always play at different times. Sometimes, Ives had them playing at the same time, but in different keys! To this he often added popular tunes, such as Turkey in the Straw , Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean , Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair and Camptown Races. In this music, he intended to point to a day in the park where one could hear church music in one corner, popular music in another and a poorly-rehearsed marching band in another. Sometimes, if you listen carefully, you will hear them all at once in a wonderful cacophony of familiar music.
By the say, Ives was a very successful insurance salesman who developed the concept of financial planning. His music was an avocation for him. Good thing, too, because his music is sometimes so strange that, at that time, few people would want to listen to it.
Another American composer borrowed hymn tunes for his Symphony on a Hymn Tune. His name was Virgil Thomson. In this symphony you won’t hear multiple tunes playing against each other. They appear singly in various orchestrations and arrangements. If you listen, you will hear How Firm a Foundation and Yes, Jesus Loves Me rather prominently played throughout the work.
A couple more American composers who borrowed hymn tunes are William Schuman and Aaron Copland.
Schuman wrote a composition called A New England Triptych, in which there is a section called Chester. Hymn tunes often have a name assigned to the tune itself; Chester is one of these. It is the tune that accompanies us when we sing Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun.
Perhaps the most familiar is the music used by Aaron Copland. In fact, he used this tune in several of his works. The tune is the old Shaker song ‘Tis the Gift to be Simple. Copland used this in his collection of Old American Songs. He also closed his beautiful ballet Appalachian Spring with this melody.
I don’t think that karma is the right word for it, but, most certainly, in this music “what goes around, comes around.” Hear it for yourself.
It is interesting to note that a full cycle may occur in classical music. That is, a classical melody may be adopted for a hymn text, then, later, another classical composition incorporated the hymn tune into yet another classical work. A few examples should tell the story.
American composer Charles Ives lived early in the 20th century (1874-1954). He served as church organist, but also composed a considerable body of music himself. Ives seemed to have a way of weaving classical themes and hymn tunes together into a continuous, although sometimes disconcerting, work. One was his first string quartet. Another is his first violin sonata. He wrote a number of hymns and variations on others.
Perhaps both his serious and comedic genius shine through best in his fourth symphony. Here you will here a variety of church hymns, such as Watchman Tell Us of the Night, In the Sweet By and By, Bringing in the Sheaves, Beulah Land. But they don’t always play at different times. Sometimes, Ives had them playing at the same time, but in different keys! To this he often added popular tunes, such as Turkey in the Straw , Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean , Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair and Camptown Races. In this music, he intended to point to a day in the park where one could hear church music in one corner, popular music in another and a poorly-rehearsed marching band in another. Sometimes, if you listen carefully, you will hear them all at once in a wonderful cacophony of familiar music.
By the say, Ives was a very successful insurance salesman who developed the concept of financial planning. His music was an avocation for him. Good thing, too, because his music is sometimes so strange that, at that time, few people would want to listen to it.
Another American composer borrowed hymn tunes for his Symphony on a Hymn Tune. His name was Virgil Thomson. In this symphony you won’t hear multiple tunes playing against each other. They appear singly in various orchestrations and arrangements. If you listen, you will hear How Firm a Foundation and Yes, Jesus Loves Me rather prominently played throughout the work.
A couple more American composers who borrowed hymn tunes are William Schuman and Aaron Copland.
Schuman wrote a composition called A New England Triptych, in which there is a section called Chester. Hymn tunes often have a name assigned to the tune itself; Chester is one of these. It is the tune that accompanies us when we sing Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun.
Perhaps the most familiar is the music used by Aaron Copland. In fact, he used this tune in several of his works. The tune is the old Shaker song ‘Tis the Gift to be Simple. Copland used this in his collection of Old American Songs. He also closed his beautiful ballet Appalachian Spring with this melody.
I don’t think that karma is the right word for it, but, most certainly, in this music “what goes around, comes around.” Hear it for yourself.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Classical Tunes in Church
Where else are we exposed to classical music themes, but may not know them? In church. This may appeal to a reduced audience, but most people have been in church at some time or other in their lives. Most churches have hymnals available with which singing congregants can follow the words and music of any selected song. (Unfortunately, many “up to date” churches are tending more and more to projecting onto a screen only the words without music.)
Many hymn tunes have been borrowed or adapted from classical themes. If you are in church, take a hymnal and check it out. (But not during the sermon, please!) Usually you will find under the title a couple of names, one on the left and the other on the right. The name on the left is normally that of the writer, while the name on the right is that of the composer or arranger or both. Some hymnals have a number of indexes at the back, including a composer index. Here are a number of hymns drawn from a couple of popular hymnals.
Adolphe Adam O Holy Night
Arne, Thomas Am I a Soldier of the Cross
Bach, Johann Sebastian (arr.) Ein Feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress is Our God)
Bach, Johann Sebastian O Sacred Head now Wounded
Bach, Johann Sebastian (arr.) Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light
Bach, J.S. & Gounod, Charles Ave Maria
Beethoven, Ludwig van Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Beethoven, Ludwig van May the Grace of Christ Our Savior
Brahms, Johannes We are God’s People
Gottschalk, Louis M. Holy Ghost, with Light Divine
Gounod, Charles Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies
Gretry, Andre My Faith has Found a Resting Place
Handel, Georg Frideric Hallelujah Chorus, from The Messiah
Handel, Georg Frideric Joy to the World
Handel, Georg Frideric While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Handel, Georg Frideric For unto Us is Born, from
Handel, Georg Frideric I Know that My Redeemer Liveth, fr. The Messiah
Handel, Georg Frideric Thine is the Glory
Haydn, Franz Joseph Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens, Adore Him
Haydn, Franz Joseph The Spacious Firmament
Haydn, Franz Joseph Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken
Haydn, Johann Michael O Worship the King
Mendelssohn, Felix Cast Thy Burden upon the Lord
Mendelssohn, Felix Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Mendelssohn, Felix Here, O My Lord, I See Thee
Mendelssohn, Felix In Heavenly Love Abiding
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Jesus, I My Cross have Taken
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus It is Good to Sing Thy Praises
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus O Could I Speak the Matchless Worth
Praetorius, Michael Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
Schubert, Franz Ave Maria
Schubert, Franz Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord
Schumann, Robert A Hymn of Joy We Sing
Schumann, Robert Lord, Speak to Me
Schumann, Robert We Give Thee but Thine Own
Schutz, Johann Jakob Sing to God Who Reigns Above
Sibelius, Jean Be Still, My Soul
Sullivan, Arthur S. Onward, Christian Soldiers
Tallis, Thomas God Moves in a Mysterious Way
Tallis, Thomas All Praise to Thee, My God
Vaughan Williams, Ralph For All the Saints
Vaughan Williams, Ralph At the Name of Jesus
A couple of notes to add:
1. During the early years of western music it was not uncommon to borrow themes from other composers. As a consequence, sometimes we see a composer named as creator of the melody, when in fact he simply may have arranged it or orchestrated it. Apparently, the bigger name stuck; the lesser name has been forgotten.
2. Over the course of many years, a number of Christian traditions (sects) have adopted their own versions of hymns and their tunes. Thus, a tune listed here may be different from one you are more familiar with. Also, some texts have had music written for them by more than one composer over a span of time, creating more confusion about the tune for a hymn.
Many hymn tunes have been borrowed or adapted from classical themes. If you are in church, take a hymnal and check it out. (But not during the sermon, please!) Usually you will find under the title a couple of names, one on the left and the other on the right. The name on the left is normally that of the writer, while the name on the right is that of the composer or arranger or both. Some hymnals have a number of indexes at the back, including a composer index. Here are a number of hymns drawn from a couple of popular hymnals.
Adolphe Adam O Holy Night
Arne, Thomas Am I a Soldier of the Cross
Bach, Johann Sebastian (arr.) Ein Feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress is Our God)
Bach, Johann Sebastian O Sacred Head now Wounded
Bach, Johann Sebastian (arr.) Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light
Bach, J.S. & Gounod, Charles Ave Maria
Beethoven, Ludwig van Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Beethoven, Ludwig van May the Grace of Christ Our Savior
Brahms, Johannes We are God’s People
Gottschalk, Louis M. Holy Ghost, with Light Divine
Gounod, Charles Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies
Gretry, Andre My Faith has Found a Resting Place
Handel, Georg Frideric Hallelujah Chorus, from The Messiah
Handel, Georg Frideric Joy to the World
Handel, Georg Frideric While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
Handel, Georg Frideric For unto Us is Born, from
Handel, Georg Frideric I Know that My Redeemer Liveth, fr. The Messiah
Handel, Georg Frideric Thine is the Glory
Haydn, Franz Joseph Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens, Adore Him
Haydn, Franz Joseph The Spacious Firmament
Haydn, Franz Joseph Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken
Haydn, Johann Michael O Worship the King
Mendelssohn, Felix Cast Thy Burden upon the Lord
Mendelssohn, Felix Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Mendelssohn, Felix Here, O My Lord, I See Thee
Mendelssohn, Felix In Heavenly Love Abiding
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Jesus, I My Cross have Taken
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus It is Good to Sing Thy Praises
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus O Could I Speak the Matchless Worth
Praetorius, Michael Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
Schubert, Franz Ave Maria
Schubert, Franz Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord
Schumann, Robert A Hymn of Joy We Sing
Schumann, Robert Lord, Speak to Me
Schumann, Robert We Give Thee but Thine Own
Schutz, Johann Jakob Sing to God Who Reigns Above
Sibelius, Jean Be Still, My Soul
Sullivan, Arthur S. Onward, Christian Soldiers
Tallis, Thomas God Moves in a Mysterious Way
Tallis, Thomas All Praise to Thee, My God
Vaughan Williams, Ralph For All the Saints
Vaughan Williams, Ralph At the Name of Jesus
A couple of notes to add:
1. During the early years of western music it was not uncommon to borrow themes from other composers. As a consequence, sometimes we see a composer named as creator of the melody, when in fact he simply may have arranged it or orchestrated it. Apparently, the bigger name stuck; the lesser name has been forgotten.
2. Over the course of many years, a number of Christian traditions (sects) have adopted their own versions of hymns and their tunes. Thus, a tune listed here may be different from one you are more familiar with. Also, some texts have had music written for them by more than one composer over a span of time, creating more confusion about the tune for a hymn.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Classical Music and Television
Classical Music as Heard on Television
When we turn to television, we don’t see as many classical themes associated with various programs. Why? I don’t know, but will make a few observations. Perhaps stricter copyright laws made classical music less available/more expensive to use. Pressure from union groups such as BMI or ASCAP may have brought programmers and producers to choose living composers’ music over (mostly dead) classical composers’ music. Perhaps union wages for groups that would be used to perform these themes became prohibitive. It is also possible that the move away from classical music toward so-called popular music lessened the demand for classical music on TV. However, these are simply conjectures, and I may be way off base. If you have accurate information, please respond; I’d be happy to be corrected.
At any rate, there were a number of television programs that did use classical music themes until the mid-60s and into the 70s. How many of these have you heard of? Better yet, how many of them do you, yourself, remember?
ABC-TV Reports Song Of The Blacksmith Gustav Holst
Action in the Afternoon (WCAU-TV) Billy the Kid Aaron Copland Alfred Hitchcock Hour Funeral March of a Marionette Charles Gounod
Alfred Hitchcock Presents Funeral March of a Marionette Charles Gounod
Big Story (NBC-TV) Ein Heldenleben Richard Strauss
Captain Midnight (DuMont TV) Flying Dutchman Overture Richard Wagner
Huntley Brinkley Report (NBC News) Symphony # 9, 3rd Movement Ludwig van Beethoven
Lone Ranger William Tell Overture Gioacchino Rossini
Masterpiece Theater (PBS TV) Fanfare from 'Rondeau' Jean Mouret
Olympics (ABC TV-NBC-TV) Fanfare Leo Arnaud
The Olympic Games John Williams
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon Donna Diana Overture Emil von Reznicek
Victory at Sea (NBC-TV) Orig. music: Richard Rodgers arr: R. R. Bennett
What in the World? (WCAU-TV) Fountains Of Rome Ottorino Respighi
Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste Bela Bartok
There were other ways in which classical music was heard on television, and some of these continue even today.
For example, there were a number of music-oriented programs that primarily offered classical music, such as Bell Telephone Hour. There were variety programs that, although airing mostly popular music, included classical music, too. Some of these were Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour and the Ed Sullivan Show, where you might hear a classical vocalist, violinist, or pianist perform amid popular music. Today, you occasionally hear classical music on the “talent” shows, as was the case on BBC with Paul Potts and Susan Boyle.
I recall (from the early 60s) that Leonard Bernstein conducted several Young People’s Concerts that aired on Sunday afternoons. During these concerts Bernstein introduced various topics related to and aspects of classical music. He covered a wide range of classical styles, and introduced young soloists who continued in the classical music world as “rock stars.”
By the way, the NY Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts began many years before Bernstein, and have continued since then on a regular schedule each season. Many other symphonies and classical music groups also offer children’s concerts and family concerts as a way to introduce young people (especially) and their families to the wonders of classical music.
I also remember that for quite a few Christmases NBC offered an annual presentation of a Christmas opera that had been commissioned from Gian Carlo Menotti. It was called “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” I was greatly disappointed when NBC’s rights to this expired, and they didn’t renew to continue it each Christmas. (Apparently, this was due to a rift between the network and the composer.)
While we are on the topic of seasonal music, I think it is not too uncommon for networks to program some classical music related to the season. Perhaps the best known examples might be Handel’s Messiah, which can be programmed for both Christmas and Easter. At Christmas, too, it is not unusual to see some production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet on TV.
Finally, Public Television is a contemporary mainstay for classical music. On PBS stations you can hear (and watch) broadcasts of major symphonies, e.g., NY Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. There are broadcasts of operas from the Metropolitan Opera, as well as Chicago’s Lyric Opera and the San Francisco Opera. (I have no intention of slighting other companies, but they don’t come to mind at this time. I am sure there are others.)
We can safely conclude that we have heard classical music themes on classic TV shows, and we still have the opportunity to hear, see and learn about classical music on TV today. Let’s take advantage of it whenever we can.
When we turn to television, we don’t see as many classical themes associated with various programs. Why? I don’t know, but will make a few observations. Perhaps stricter copyright laws made classical music less available/more expensive to use. Pressure from union groups such as BMI or ASCAP may have brought programmers and producers to choose living composers’ music over (mostly dead) classical composers’ music. Perhaps union wages for groups that would be used to perform these themes became prohibitive. It is also possible that the move away from classical music toward so-called popular music lessened the demand for classical music on TV. However, these are simply conjectures, and I may be way off base. If you have accurate information, please respond; I’d be happy to be corrected.
At any rate, there were a number of television programs that did use classical music themes until the mid-60s and into the 70s. How many of these have you heard of? Better yet, how many of them do you, yourself, remember?
ABC-TV Reports Song Of The Blacksmith Gustav Holst
Action in the Afternoon (WCAU-TV) Billy the Kid Aaron Copland Alfred Hitchcock Hour Funeral March of a Marionette Charles Gounod
Alfred Hitchcock Presents Funeral March of a Marionette Charles Gounod
Big Story (NBC-TV) Ein Heldenleben Richard Strauss
Captain Midnight (DuMont TV) Flying Dutchman Overture Richard Wagner
Huntley Brinkley Report (NBC News) Symphony # 9, 3rd Movement Ludwig van Beethoven
Lone Ranger William Tell Overture Gioacchino Rossini
Masterpiece Theater (PBS TV) Fanfare from 'Rondeau' Jean Mouret
Olympics (ABC TV-NBC-TV) Fanfare Leo Arnaud
The Olympic Games John Williams
Sergeant Preston of the Yukon Donna Diana Overture Emil von Reznicek
Victory at Sea (NBC-TV) Orig. music: Richard Rodgers arr: R. R. Bennett
What in the World? (WCAU-TV) Fountains Of Rome Ottorino Respighi
Music for Strings, Percussion & Celeste Bela Bartok
There were other ways in which classical music was heard on television, and some of these continue even today.
For example, there were a number of music-oriented programs that primarily offered classical music, such as Bell Telephone Hour. There were variety programs that, although airing mostly popular music, included classical music, too. Some of these were Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour and the Ed Sullivan Show, where you might hear a classical vocalist, violinist, or pianist perform amid popular music. Today, you occasionally hear classical music on the “talent” shows, as was the case on BBC with Paul Potts and Susan Boyle.
I recall (from the early 60s) that Leonard Bernstein conducted several Young People’s Concerts that aired on Sunday afternoons. During these concerts Bernstein introduced various topics related to and aspects of classical music. He covered a wide range of classical styles, and introduced young soloists who continued in the classical music world as “rock stars.”
By the way, the NY Philharmonic’s Young People’s Concerts began many years before Bernstein, and have continued since then on a regular schedule each season. Many other symphonies and classical music groups also offer children’s concerts and family concerts as a way to introduce young people (especially) and their families to the wonders of classical music.
I also remember that for quite a few Christmases NBC offered an annual presentation of a Christmas opera that had been commissioned from Gian Carlo Menotti. It was called “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” I was greatly disappointed when NBC’s rights to this expired, and they didn’t renew to continue it each Christmas. (Apparently, this was due to a rift between the network and the composer.)
While we are on the topic of seasonal music, I think it is not too uncommon for networks to program some classical music related to the season. Perhaps the best known examples might be Handel’s Messiah, which can be programmed for both Christmas and Easter. At Christmas, too, it is not unusual to see some production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet on TV.
Finally, Public Television is a contemporary mainstay for classical music. On PBS stations you can hear (and watch) broadcasts of major symphonies, e.g., NY Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. There are broadcasts of operas from the Metropolitan Opera, as well as Chicago’s Lyric Opera and the San Francisco Opera. (I have no intention of slighting other companies, but they don’t come to mind at this time. I am sure there are others.)
We can safely conclude that we have heard classical music themes on classic TV shows, and we still have the opportunity to hear, see and learn about classical music on TV today. Let’s take advantage of it whenever we can.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Classical Music is on the Air
Classical music is in the air. Perhaps it would be better to say “Classical music is on the air.” Although we don’t hear as much today, “old time radio” often had themes borrowed from classical music, and some even used music to underscore the drama of the program. Here are some examples of OTR (old time radio) themes. I guess this will be directed to older readers who might remember some of these programs. However there are others, like myself, who came after, and belatedly discovered the (often superior) entertainment that OTR offered. These are listed as program title, musical selection, composer.
Action Theater Piano Concerto in A minor (Edvard Grieg)
Adventures of Ace Williams Poet and Peasant Overture (Franz Von Suppe)
American School of the Air Leonore Overture # 3 (Ludwig von Beethoven)
Arabesque Scheherazade (N. Rimsky-Korsakov)
Author's Playhouse Adagio from Symphony No. 2 (Sergei Rachmaninoff)
The Big Story Ein Heldenleben (Richard Strauss)
Buck Rogers Les Preludes (Franz Liszt)
Captain Midnight Flying Dutchman Overture (Richard Wagner)
The Count of Monte Cristo Sylvia Ballet (Leo Delibes)
Escape Night on Bald Mountain (Modeste Mussorgsky)
The Family Hour Clair de Lune (Claude Debussy)
FBI In Peace and War March from Love for Three Oranges(Sergei Prokofiev)
Green Hornet The Flight of the Bumblebee (N. Rimsky-Korsakov)
Hilltop House Lullaby (Johannes Brahms)
I Love A Mystery Valse Triste (Jan Sibelius)
Jungle Jim William Tell Overture (Giacchino Rossini)
Kitty Keene None but the Lonely Heart (Peter I. Tchaikovsky)
Kraft Music Hall Rhapsody In Blue (George Gershwin)
Life Begins at Eighty Melody In F (Opus 3, No. 1) (Anton Rubinstein)
The Lone Ranger William Tell Overture (Gioacchino Rossini) Fingal's Cave Overture (Felix Mendelssohn)
Les Preludes (Franz Liszt)
Mandrake, The Magician The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Paul Dukas)
Mercury Theater on the Air Piano Concerto # 1, 1st movement (Peter I. Tchaikovsky)
Moon River Caprice Viennois (Fritz Kreisler)
Mr. District Attorney Ein Heldenleben (Richard Strauss)
Passing Parade Romeo & Juliet (Fantasy Overture)(Peter I. Tchaikovsky)
Philip Morris Theatre Grand Canyon Suite (Ferde Grofe)
Quiet, Please Symphony in D minor, 2nd mvmt (Cesar Franck)
The Road of Life Andante Cantabile (Peter I.Tchaikovsky)
The Shadow Omphale’s Spinning Wheel (Camille Saint-Saens)
We, The People Symphony No. 1, First Movement (Johannes Brahms)
Words And Music Largo from the Symphony, No. 9 (Antonin Dvorak)
You Are There Fanfare for the Common Man (Aaron Copland)
Action Theater Piano Concerto in A minor (Edvard Grieg)
Adventures of Ace Williams Poet and Peasant Overture (Franz Von Suppe)
American School of the Air Leonore Overture # 3 (Ludwig von Beethoven)
Arabesque Scheherazade (N. Rimsky-Korsakov)
Author's Playhouse Adagio from Symphony No. 2 (Sergei Rachmaninoff)
The Big Story Ein Heldenleben (Richard Strauss)
Buck Rogers Les Preludes (Franz Liszt)
Captain Midnight Flying Dutchman Overture (Richard Wagner)
The Count of Monte Cristo Sylvia Ballet (Leo Delibes)
Escape Night on Bald Mountain (Modeste Mussorgsky)
The Family Hour Clair de Lune (Claude Debussy)
FBI In Peace and War March from Love for Three Oranges(Sergei Prokofiev)
Green Hornet The Flight of the Bumblebee (N. Rimsky-Korsakov)
Hilltop House Lullaby (Johannes Brahms)
I Love A Mystery Valse Triste (Jan Sibelius)
Jungle Jim William Tell Overture (Giacchino Rossini)
Kitty Keene None but the Lonely Heart (Peter I. Tchaikovsky)
Kraft Music Hall Rhapsody In Blue (George Gershwin)
Life Begins at Eighty Melody In F (Opus 3, No. 1) (Anton Rubinstein)
The Lone Ranger William Tell Overture (Gioacchino Rossini) Fingal's Cave Overture (Felix Mendelssohn)
Les Preludes (Franz Liszt)
Mandrake, The Magician The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Paul Dukas)
Mercury Theater on the Air Piano Concerto # 1, 1st movement (Peter I. Tchaikovsky)
Moon River Caprice Viennois (Fritz Kreisler)
Mr. District Attorney Ein Heldenleben (Richard Strauss)
Passing Parade Romeo & Juliet (Fantasy Overture)(Peter I. Tchaikovsky)
Philip Morris Theatre Grand Canyon Suite (Ferde Grofe)
Quiet, Please Symphony in D minor, 2nd mvmt (Cesar Franck)
The Road of Life Andante Cantabile (Peter I.Tchaikovsky)
The Shadow Omphale’s Spinning Wheel (Camille Saint-Saens)
We, The People Symphony No. 1, First Movement (Johannes Brahms)
Words And Music Largo from the Symphony, No. 9 (Antonin Dvorak)
You Are There Fanfare for the Common Man (Aaron Copland)
Well, once again, we have a huge list of old time radio programs that used classical music. This is not an exhaustive listing. I left out a number of music programs that (obviously) used classical music for their themes. Notice, too, that we have all kinds of radio programs - adventure, drama, variety, musical, romance, mystery, sci-fi, suspense, documentary, comedy.
There are a number of websites that offer streams or downloads of OTR, many of them at no cost. You can become better acquainted with these melodies if you stream or download some of these programs and spend a bit of time listening to them, especially their opening music and/or main themes that recur throughout the program.
And so, classical music is "on the air."
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