Transcript M100: Music Appreciation Discussion Group Tuesday January 29

M100: Music Appreciation
Discussion Group
Ben Tibbetts, T.A.
[email protected]
Thursday April 4, 2013
Welcome! Please sign the attendance at the front of the room.
Today’s Agenda
• Pass back stuff
• Collect Ballad Assignment and Concert
Report #2
• Brahms (pages 317-325)
• Wagner (pages 308-316)
• Romantic Test next class (Tues. April 9)
remember it’s reading + lecture + discussions
Passing back stuff
No Classical tests yet.
I’m sorry…
• Please pass in Ballad Assignment
• and Concert Report #2
Before we get into the material today, a quick
correction/elaboration on last class:
Modified strophic form – “A form in which
each strophe is modified musically to fit the
text in a particular way.” pg.517
Johannes Brahms
1833-1897
German composer/pianist
Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, fourth movement
Fun fact: at the larger scale, this movement is an example of
ternary form – “a form consisting of three parts, labeled
ABA” –pg.518
…but on the smaller scale, it is also a theme and variations
on a simple 8-note melody
These structures are somewhat well-hidden and
unobvious. (Read pg. 318-319 for more information.)
Richard Wagner
1813-1883
German composer
Dissonance (adj. dissonant) – “the
sound of notes that clash, either
harmonically or melodically, and do
not seem to belong together.
Dissonance is a relative concept: what
was dissonant in one era is later
perceived as consonant.” pg.516
Consonance (adj. consonant) – “The
sound of notes together that our ear
finds naturally right. Like dissonance,
consonance is a relative concept that
can change over long periods of time.”
pg.515
The Ring of the Nibelungs
a set of operas (or an opera cycle)
The libretto of the Ring cycle (written by Wagner
himself) draws on northern European
mythology—many of the same sources Tolkein
drew from in creating The Lord of the Rings.
A magic ring has supreme powers of good and evil.
“Nibelung” here denotes a dwarf race. It is a
dwarf named Alberich who fashions this magic
ring from the “Rhine gold” (sacred gold stolen
from nymphs living in the Rhine river).
There are four operas in the cycle:
1. The Rhine Gold
2. The Valkyrie
3. Siegfried
4. Twilight of the Gods
Today we’ll listen to an excerpt from
The Valkyrie Act III (“Wotan’s Farewell”)
But first…
Leitmotif – “a brief musical phrase or idea
connected dramatically to some person,
event, or idea in the drama.” –pg.517
Not idée fixe
remember from Symphonie fantastique? It’s
usually used specifically in reference to that
piece
In psychology “is a preoccupation of mind
held so firmly as to resist any attempt to
modify it” (Wikipedia)
The Valkyrie is the second opera in Wagner’s
cycle The Ring of the Nibelung, often
referred to simply as “the Ring cycle”
We’ll listen to an excerpt from
The Valkyrie Act III (“Wotan’s Farewell”)
Here’s the story behind this excerpt (from page 308):
“In The Valkyrie, the principal characters are Wotan, the supreme
god of Norse mythology, and his daughter Brünnhilde, a warriorlike Valkyrie.
Against Wotan’s explicit command, Brünnhilde has interceded on
behalf of a human couple...Enraged, Wotan condemns his daughter
to death. But she pleads for a lesser sentence, and because she is
his favorite offspring, Wotan relents. He strips Brünnhilde of her
godlike powers, encloses her in a deep sleep, and surrounds her
with a ring of fire….
In the scene here, a Wotan full of mixed emotions bids farewell to his
beloved Brünnhilde, puts her into a deep sleep, and then
summons Loge, a shifty, firelike figure, to create the circle of magic
fire that will protect her fromm ordinary mortals...”
Some leitmotifs in this excerpt:
• Wotan’s spear
• Sleep
• The Sword
• Fate
The Valkyrie Act III
(“Wotan’s Farewell”)
Brahms and Wagner represented different
and somewhat oppositional musical trends
Johannes Brahms
• More conservative,
often referring back to
older musical
traditions
• Often shorter, more
intimate music of deep
complexity
• Absolute music, not
explicitly “about”
anything
Richard Wagner
• More progressive,
innovating and
expanding the
orchestra
• Longer, more dramatic
music on a grand scale
• Program music
(usually opera),
designed to convey a
narrative
Romantic Test Preparations
FIRST OFF…
• Read your books. These pages:
•
•
•
•
•
233-254
261-266
278-284
308-316  (explain)
317-325
• Review slides (on Moodle)
• Feel free to ask questions
Romantic Test Preparations
LISTENING EXCERPTS THAT COULD APPEAR:
• Beethoven’s Symphonie No. 5 in C Minor, 1st movement
• Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, 4th movement (out of 5
movements)
• Schubert’s Der Erlkönig
• Chopin’s Mazurka in Bb major op. 7 no. 1
• Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, 4th movement
• The excerpt from Wagner’s The Valkyrie Act III (“Wotan’s
Farewell”)
Remember to study context, composers and other info. as
well
If there’s time:
“What’s Opera, Doc”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI9Nbt7o
JG0
Final Reminders / Homework
• Study for Romantic Test
• Questions? Email: [email protected]