MusiLLection

Raised by parents who knew and could appreciate the good and the beautiful and possessed the pretense to properly cultivate them, Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy lived a comfortable and balanced life, which allowed him to serve variously and with dedication the art of music. The uninterrupted life that ensured him family well-being, as well as the broad education he acquired, helped him to ideally develop his artistic gifts, so that he became one of the most popular composers of his time. As well as being a great composer, he was an excellent pianist, a good violonist, a wonderful organ player and an inspirational conductor. There were many happy times for the German musician who saw his music conquer foreign places, while he remained persistently faithful to the musical tradition of his land. Nevertheless, he accepted well-intentioned the beneficial effects of the natural environment which he observed and measured with combinations of his feelings in his numerous journeys an...

from Book 5, Op. 62 The term "Song Without Words" was introduced by Mendelssohn to describe a solo piano that employs a singing melody accompanied by bass (left hand). He published eight books with such "Songs" over a period of thirteen years. What we present here comes from the Fifth Book published in 1843. Mendelssohn wrote a total of 48 compositions of this kind. These are familiar miniatures that were written to be played in the evenings at friendly gatherings. Mendelssohn deliberately wrote these songmelodies without words, because he thought words would limit the emotional wealth he wanted to express. This short work, written in 1842-4, is a dark and imposing mourning march. Perfectly crafted and measured, it conveys a sense of gentle melancholy and like almost all of these pieces, it is unpretentious and sincere.

Handel was an eccentric composer, preferring the passionate cheers of a full opera room, rather than the polite applause of a palace hall. Maybe because chamber music didn't fit his temperament, he didn't compose many such works. These four concertos (from a group of six) came from a combination of works composed in 1734 to celebrate the wedding of Princess Anne, the daughter of King George II, Handel's employer. At the time, Handel was going through a critical period in his career as an opera impresario, due to the diminishing interest of his audience and the cancellation of lucrative contracts. Probably the composer published the concertos for financial reasons. Concerto Grosso No.1: However, these works in no way give the impression of accidental collation for speculative reasons, but instead have grace and are real works of art, which only imperceptibly testify to their true origin - from earlier compositions. For example, the third part of concerto No. 2 - the fugue -...

Orchestral: Rhapsody in Blue Concerto in F for piano and orchestra An American in Paris Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra Cuban Overture Variations on "I Got Rhythm" Piano works: Three Preludes Musicals Theatre credits: George White's Scandals Primrose Lady, Be Good! Tell me More Tip-Toes Funny Face Girl Crazy Of Thee I Sing The Rainbow Oh, Kay! La La Lucille Musical Films: Shall We Dance? A Damsel in Distress The Goldwyn Follies The Shocking Miss Pilgrim Opera: Porgy and Bess Songs: Swanee The Man I Love Embraceable You The Way You Look Tonight I Got Rhythm Oh, Lady Be Good! It Ain't Necessarily So Summertime

Maurice Ravel conducting the orchester, probably at London's Queen's hall on April 14th, 1923. 1875  Maurice Ravel was born   on March 7 in Cibourne, near the French-Spanish border. 1889   Became a student at the Conservatory of Paris. 1895  He writes the first major works, Habanera and Menuet antique (first published work). 1905   Fails for the fourth time to win the Grand Prize of Rome. 1909   Completes his first opera, "The Spanish Hour" . 1912   Completes his first ballet, "Daphnis et Chloe" . 1915   Enlisted as a guide in the French army. 1917   His mother dies. 1925   Completes the opera "The Child and the Spells" . 1928   First tour of the United States, composes "Bolero" . 1932   Car accident interrupts his synthetic activity. 1937   Dies on December 28 in Paris after brain surgery. Because of Ravel's almost ideological attachment to the detail of the composition, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky call...

Telemann's talent of composing beautiful religious cantatas coexisted with his ability to write simple, folk melodies, of which Don Quixote is an excellent example. Telemann infuriated many people with compositions, including the Don Quixote orchestral suite. In his days it was a rule tat composers of religious music did not engage in profitable complementary works, such as the composition of "light" music. The followers of tradition believed that anyone who was able to commit such frivolity could not be serious about his religion. But Telemann was definitely serious. His cosmic works were humorous, but Don Quixote conveys his message as convincingly as any of his religious works. Don Quixote was completed in 1761 proving that the composer's talent for creating beautiful melodies, did not dry up over the years. Fighting the windmills This suite has seven parts. Inspired by the Spanish writer Cervantes' famous novel Don Quixote , it recounts a day of the life of...

In his short passage from the earth - he lived for only thirty-seven years - Georges Bizet never tasted the happiness of success. Yet this admiredly gifted composer also possessed a work, the opera Carmen , which was meant to be one of the most popular music compositions. The constant compromises he was forced to make have certainly been an obstacle to the enjoyment of the popularity he deserved. His opponents outnumbered his supporters. But considering that Nietzsche proposed Bizet's music as an antidote to the sonic rationality, dogmatism and meticulousness of Wagnerian lyrical dramas, we understand that the acceptance or rejection of the French composer's music was primarily a matter of not as much objective value and assimilated disposition as prejudices and antagonisms. In his short and not particularly bright life, some relatively time devoted to primary musical creation. He did not make the most of his abilities and facilities, but composed music full of freshness and c...

Special method of highlighting psalms (and other prayers), used in Anglican mass since the 17th century. It consists of a kind of correct recitation, characterized by rhythmic and melodic types, more or less stable. These formulas are repeated identically in each of the two halves, in which each verse of the sung text is divided. The Anglicano canto, whose first traces date back to the Middle Ages, stands out from the typical chanting of catholic mass, mainly because, unlike it, it harmonizes in four parts, but follows fairly simple rules.

Beethoven's only opera "Fidelio" - the myth of a political prisoner, Florestan, saved by his wife Leonore - had a complicated history. The premiere of the opera was given in Vienna in 1805 (the same time as the Heroic Symphony), entitled Leonore. Beethoven then revised the play and presented the opera again the following year, but soon withdrew this new form. For these first versions, as well as for another project that never materialized, he composed the overtures Leonore no. 1, 2 and 3. In 1814, Beethoven revised the opera again, changing its structure from three to two acts and including this new introduction. The opera was presented in its final form under the title Fidelio and was particularly successful. Compared to the earlier versions of Leonora No. 3, a work of symphonic dimensions and high drama, Fidelio's Overture is a more accurate and more "professional" work. It begins with the full orchestra interpreting one of these powerful lyre little ...

The themes of love and desire that characterize  Berlioz 's music also appear in Thomas Gainsborough's painting. Operas: Benvenuto Cellini, op. 23 Les Troyens Béatrice et Bénédict Les francs-juges Symphonies: Symphonie fantastique, op. 14 Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale Choral and vocal works: La Révolution Greque: scéne héroique La mort d’ Orphée Hurts scènes de Faust, op. 1 Sardanapale Grande Messe des Morts Le cinq Mai, chant sur la mort de l’ empereur Napoléon, op. 6 La damnation de Faust Orchestral: Overtures:                  - Waverley, Op. 1                  - Le Roi Lear, Op. 4                  - Le carnaval Romain, Op. 9                  - Le corsaire, Op. 21 Choral and Vocal works: La depit de la Bergère La mort de Cleopatre Herminie Aubade Le Roi de Thulè

Gershwin 's Three Preludes for Piano form a satisfying set: two fairly short and vivid parts on each side of a more extensive, slow center piece. - Allegro ben ritmato e deciso The first prelude has a playful lyrical rhythm and an appealing melody, which hints at Latin American rhythms such as the rumba and their close relationship with those of jazz. - Andante con moto e poco rubato The second prelude is the best known of the three. It is an other example of Gershwin's special way of editing the blues, with the slow, sluggish melody sounding over a canvas of repetitive chords for the left hand. A central part changes from minor to major and also transfers the melody to the left hand or bass line. - Allegro ben ritmato e deciso The rhythm of the final prelude takes us to the living world of dance, inspired from jazz.

Liszt 's love of Hungarian gypsy music initially inspired him to publish a series of works entitled Hungarian National Melodies. Much of the material was transformed into Hungarian Thapsodies and produced over a long period of time, starting in 1846. These works were first written for piano. Some, like this one, the composer later orchestrated them. The music begins darkly, with the deep strings playing in unison. Then the violins evolve the original melody, sad and nostalgid, followed by a solo of the cello. For a very short time, the key changes from minor to major, but emotional relaxation is temporary. The atmosphere of the work is generally melancholic and sceptical. The tragic mood, created by the strings that often play on the substrate of the dark chords of the wood and brass instruments, prevails until the last sad note.

Castanets can be considered as the national musical instrument of Spain, where they have been used since the Middle Ages. Today, as in the past, they relate to flamenco dancers (traditional, Andalusian dance). They are ringed rhytmically or rotary, contributing in particular to the emotional quality of the dance. Many composers of the 19th and 20th centuries used castanets in their compositions to add this particular "Spanish timbre". Castanets were usually made of chestnut wood (the Latin word castanea mens chestnut). However, today, various other hardwoods are used, such as walnut, rose or ebony. In the past, castanets were also made of ivory. The shellfish shape of the organ is important because it suggests that the first castanets were made of shellfish. This, in turn, suggests that this instrument was first used by residents of coastal areas. It is believed that these early performers may have been the ancient Phoenicians, although the origin of the instrument is not ful...

The man and the artist coexist in a unique way in Verdi. The approach of his personality reveals an innate sensitivity identical to the musical mood of romance. His music reveals an evolving anthropocentrism, which is not only dependent on the characters of his lyrical dramas. Dedicated to opera, he opposes logical sentiment, dialectic simplicity, philosophical worldview, life itself. Verdi was not a pioneer, he was not an innovator. "Let's go back to the old days. This will be progress" he believed, knowing well that such a dogmatic view would create a multitude of wars, not only for the present, but also for the future of his music. But the proponents of his music, including Igor Stravinsky and the facts, vindicated him. Serving the art of music with ingenuity envious and ingenuity modest and aristocratic at the same time, Giuseppe Verdi inconclusively enriched the repertoire of lyrical theatre. In the twenty seven romantic musical dramas he composed, the myth and musi...

Chopin was not the first composer to compose waltz for piano, but his approach was particularly unique. Many composers had written similar works, but Chopin's waltzes were not intended for dance. Chopin composed approximately twenty waltzes, bus only half were issued while he was alive. The rest of his work was published after his death and many even in a highly curated edition. One minute Waltz, Op. 63, No. 1 The "One Minute Waltz" needs considerable technical boldness. This work was meant to last about a minute, although it is not known whether any pianist - other than Chopin himself - ever achieved that. Waltz No. 7 in C minor, Op. 64, No. 2 This waltz is unusually expressive, drawing much of its effect from the interaction of different rhythmic patterns. It also includes a melody of exceptional beauty and emotion. Waltz in A flat Major, Op. 64, No.3 This waltz is simple and short and the thythm is relaxed. Here Chopin has chosen a pure structure. The solf central s...

Carmen is not only Georges Bizet 's mastercpiece, but also one of the most important operas of the 19th century. It takes place in Spain and it tells the story of a fiery young gypsy who falls in love with a young soldier. But as soon as he abandons everything for her, she abandons him, with tragic consequences. The orchestration of the suite does not betray the fascinating atmosphere of the original opera. Carmen Suite No. 1 was published in 1882. - Overture (Prelude) The Prelude of the suite begins with a theme from the cello wich is introduced from the background of the fibrillation of the violins above and the splash of strings below. So the atmosphere of the history is directly presented - its tensions, drama and passions. - Aragonaise The next part, Aragonaise , is a sound scene from the sunny world of southern Spain, where the drama is placed. The brass instruments convey the lively rhythm with slump. Only towards the end does the music darken momentarily, as strings, clari...

Felix Mendelssohn was born with all the privileges and without any of the adversity usually associated with the inpomplete genius who fights for recognition. His grandfather, Moses, was a self-made man of letters and a defender of the rights of the Jews. His father Abraham was a banker and got rich by breaking the embargo imposed by Napoleon on England in 1810. Shortly after Felix was born in 1809, the family left Hamburg and settled in Berlin. A family of talents One of the family's four children, Felix, showed off his talent at an early age, as did his older sister Fanny, who in more liberal times would have become a composer. It was she who exerted a great influence on Mendelssohn, who took his first piano lessons from his mother Lea, who was an accomplished pianist. But he soon got the teachers who would develop his great talent. Legendary teacher Carl Friedrich Zelter, aformer stonemason, introduced the nine-year old Mendelssohn to the Berlin society. Portrait of Mendelssohn ...