On 22nd May 1874 , I attended a performance of Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem” at San Marco, Italy. This composer is known for producing great works of opera such as Aida, Don Carlos, and Aroldo, motivating me to attend this Requiem. Verdi apparently wrote this Requiem to pay respects to his idol Alessandro Manzoni; an Italian poet whose books inspired Verdi musically and philosophically (Rosen, 1938). However, it is known that Verdi has deviated from opera elements in his Requiem, attempting to add more symphonic elements (Abbiati, 1959). This transition might confuse an audience enthused by traditional Opera works of Verdi’s. Additionally, the concert is receiving negative reviews prior to its performance; Hans von Bulow claimed it as an “opera …show more content…
The first movement follows an ABA structure, while the liturgical antiphons with the violins and cellos closely relate to the despondent theme. As someone experienced with opera music, the first section instantly showed deviation from traditional grounds; the passage following the first stanza “Grant them rest eternal, Lord” incorporates a suspension chain in five parts; this counterpoint is unheard of in opera (Hermann 1963). The Requiem Kyrie is also at odds with conventional opera; the quartet begins with six bars of soloing, following the entrance of three singers with similar text and music. It is evident that Verdi is looking to go beyond opera theatrics and explore its conflation with symphonic sensibilities, further illustrated with the emphasis of the tenor melody to the countering instrumental melodies in this …show more content…
The use of a tercet is employed instead of the quatrain typically found within Verdi’s librettos such as Aida and Don Carles (Rosen, 1938). The second stanzas theme transforms into a quiet staccato segment, which sounded similar to the third movements opening in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (Toye, 1946). The third movement structure is distinct; my friend remarked that Verdi’s use of the abbreviated reprises in the conclusion is distinctly ABCBA form, whereas conventionally musicians such as Mozart use ABCB (Rosen, 1938). The reprise seemed to resolve tensions surrounding the third section in the movement, where the phrase “Sacrifices and prayers we offer!” and its religious evocations are analogous to Aida’s second scene of act one. (Hermann, 1963).
The next movement was indeed confusing; when listening to Mozart it seems implicit to distinguish whether the subject is present, but Verdi constantly uses countersubjects without episodes making it hard to determine the subject (Hermann, 1963). In the final movement, Verdi differs once again from traditional operatic structures; instead of ending in the previous movement known as lux aeterna, he continues to proceed with a finale encompassing elements of Gregorian chant and baroque fugue (Hermann,
On November 16th, 2013, I attended a concert choir, fall choral concert. This event took place on the Wheaton College Campus, in the Edman Chapel at 7:30 pm. The chapel was well-lit, with long pews for the audience to be seated. The concert began with the audience looking up into a balcony, where the ensemble stood in neat rows. They watched the conductor, who stood on a stage in front of the audience, waiting for their cue.
Composers such as Lully, Purcell and Handel used the French overture which is in two sections, each marked with a repeat. The French overture begins with a slow homophonic section frequently using dotted rhythms often ending on a half cadence and then moves to a faster fugal or "quasi-fugal" section which usually makes a return to the slow tempo and rhythms of the first section (Stolba, 1998). The Italian overture, or sinfonia as it was sometimes called, was written in three movements which are fast-slow-fast in order, the finale often written in a dance like character (Peyser, 1986). By the eighteenth century, this type of overture prevailed for operas even in France with the first movement becoming longer and more elaborate. Sonata form was generally used and a slow introduction would often begin the work (Sadie, 1980).
Section 3 is more merry and cheerful with the violins leading what feels like a race to be won. As they slow slightly we are soon dragged back to full speed and the race is on again. The violins and cello play off of each other as if in composition to see who will win the race. The bass brings in a dramatic flair as if building the suspense for the final climax of the music. The music slows to the point where you feel you have reached the end, but soon you are back on the journey again racing with the violins and lower instruments toward the finish line and the conclusion leaves the listener breathless.
In his day, Johann Adolph Hasse was at the forefront of Italian opera. Although he composed a fair amount of sacred works, he is best known for his operatic output. He was widely popular throughout Italy and Germany, and was commissioned by courts and opera houses throughout Europe. His performances were attended by cultural figures at the time, as well as some of the biggest names in common-era music today. In his later life, styles changed and so Hasse’s acclaim diminished after his death. But generations later, he was re-established as a figurehead and icon of classic ancient Italian opera, a designation he possesses even today.
In conclusion, it was a very unique experience for me to attend this concert. It was my first time listening to music in a church. The music was wonderful and played brilliantly. I now realize how talented some of the women composers were throughout the history of music. The experience of listening to such wonderful music firsthand was an honor. I hope to attend one in the near future.
The Cantata No. 78 is a very long piece of music, so the poet and the composer needed to come up with techniques to maintain its unity. For example, there are several repeated words to connect some movements together, repeated ending syllables to provide regularity in the whole piece, variation over the common bass line, and common musical development in the first and the last movement to round up as a whole piece. I believe that the fact of bringing the very basic music structure at the last movement and putting the most developed one in the first movement has very strong impact of unity. Since the music starts from much more developed and broader sense, and it has a direction towards more basic but focused and concentrated sense, it would develop the feeling of returning to home or rounding up to a whole piece.
One of the most interesting challenges in operatic composition , is composing for all the specific characters. A composer has to distinguish between characters through his music. Jan can’t sound like Fran , and Dan can’t sound like Stan. Each character must have his or her own traits. Mozart’s opera , Don Giovanni , provides us with many different characters to compare and contrast. One scene in particular lends itself to the comparison of Don Giovanni , Leporello , and The Commendator. Scene fifteen of Act two, places all three characters in close interaction with each other , making it easy to compare and find out how Mozart and his Librettist Lorenzo da Ponte brought them all to life.
The same line is repeated ecstatically by the quartet, which soars upward to it’s peak. The orchestra and chorus re-enter at a rapid tempo to bring the movement to its conclusion.
For the musical composer essay, I have chosen to write about a man who I felt made the greatest impact on Romantic opera in the 19th century this master of a man was given the name Giuseppe Fortunio Francesco Verdi but was commonly known as Giuseppe Verdi by all who knew and loved him. This great man was born on either October 9, or 10 in the year 1813 in the community of Le Roncole, near a small town called Busseto in the province of Parma, Italy his astrological sign is that of a Libra. His mother and father were both of Italian descent and their names were Carlo and Luigia Verdi respectively. Now this is where it gets complicated Verdi told every person that talked to him about his background that his parents were illiterate peasants. Despite this lie that Verdi told them they later discovered that his parents were not illiterate peasants as he had claimed but were very smart individuals tha...
This section represents a tranquil interval. It is a summer evening in the country and he hears two shepherds piping. The tranquil moment of the quiet summer evening alone with the pastoral duet fills his heart with an unfamiliar calm. Suddenly she appears and her appearance causes an emotional response of sorrowful loneliness. The 4th movement: March to the Scaffold.
...ers and the audience. The dramatic nature of this piece alone is something to be reckoned with as it is extremely passionate. The symphony is presented in 4 movements as is common and begins with a Poco Sostenuto- Vivace, followed by a Allegretto movement, Presto movement, and finally ends on an Allegro con brio movement. the central theme of this piece is introduced in the first movement by a flute playing in tripple meter continuously ascending up the scales rising in dynamic contrast, continuing to grow into a louder and more stark contrast between it’s highs and lows. Consistently dance like, the piece is celebratory of its roots buried in historical Austrian music that has been present in the culture for years. The accomplishments of the soldiers for which the piece was composed for are easily told of simply by the energy and power present throughout the piece.
How would feel if you were in the La Scala opera house, listening to a Vincenzo Bellini operas. Would it be warm felt or just would be nice to be there. To know that there is people out there that can sing with the power and flexibility that they can do. Vincenzo Bellini is one of the many opera composers that the nineteenth century had to offer (The National Opera Center America). Bellini like many of the composers in this time was born in Italy. During the nineteenth century, opera stories most of the time was had a theme of passion and romance. That is one of the reasons that this century is also called Romantic Era.
Kemme, C. (2009). The Domine Jesu of Mozart’s Requiem: Theory and Practice of its Completion. Dutch Journal of Music Theory, volume 14 (number 2). Retrieved from http://upers.kuleuven.be/sites/upers.kuleuven.be/files/page/files/2009_2_1.pdf
The first movement felt as though it was the beginning of a riddle sure to be solved later in the symphony. It began with a sense of suspense with all basic elements of music: tonality, melody, and rhythm. The entire first movement was of an established sonata, between all instruments. However, what caught my attention was the mumble of the low strings which erupted into violins. I was on the edge of my seat for what was to come.
The aria features a chromatically descending ground bass, reflecting grief and perhaps alluding to her fast approaching fate. This repeated ground bass ostinato is irregularly 5 bars in length, producing an unsettling quality when paired with the regular vocal phrases and the understated string accompaniment, starting at bar 7, often exploits a low tessitura, continuing the melancholy mood. The word “trouble” uses a melodic interval of a tritone, a technique of word painting, which is underpinned with a diminished 7th chord in the accompaniment. The tritone is the perfect accompaniment to the word “trouble”; in the medieval era, it was ‘nicknamed the ‘diabolus in musica’’ or ‘devil in music’ (reference) due to its instability leading to tension, thus it was used by Purcell to further foreshadow the aforementioned imminent death of Dido. Towards the end of this aria, Purcell repeats text for emphasis; the one bar phrase, “remember me”, is repeated six times, mostly on the pitch D, to stress her dying wishes to Belinda but also twice on G, the highest point in the piece. This pitch development expresses Dido’s sense of urgency and desperation to have her wishes be heard as her death rapidly approaches. Furthermore, as typical of Purcell, there is use of melisma, effective particularly on the word “Ah”; in bar 26, it ascends and descends conjunctly to give the impression of a pained sigh.