Era: Classical
Year: 1770
Form: Concerto
Score: 87
Thoughts: Wow, this is the first Haydn work I fell in love with I think... I really love the dynamics and space left here. Sometimes the absence of sound is just as important to music as the sound itself. It also has somethings akin to it on why I love Beethoven's 6th. It's jovial, but somehow still earnest. It often is a beautiful dance of violin and piano. I'm not an expert with the concerto form, but it's not typical for there to be two solo instruments thus far in history. Haydn does not equate to the prolific, yet unimpressive Telemann that I initially formed my opinion almost as such. With stuff like this I am much more prone to discover more of his.
Quote:
Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809) composed 12 concertos for keyboard. Of these, four were published in his lifetime, the second of which was the Concerto in D major, H. XVIII No. 11, published by Artaria in Vienna in 1784 and then by other publishers in Paris, Amsterdam, and London. Scored for pianoforte soloist with pairs of oboes and horns plus strings, the Concerto is in three movements. The opening Vivace has two themes stated twice, first by the orchestra then by the soloist, followed by a development section that concentrates on the first theme before the recapitulation, which only briefly recalls the second theme. The central Un poco Adagio in A major features a typically long-breathed melody for the soloists followed by a repeated note theme for orchestra and soloist. The closing Rondo all'Ungherese is built on an authentic Bosnian-Dalmatian folk dance called Siri Kolo, which Haydn uses as the opening theme and as the climax when it is played antiphonally by the soloist and orchestra in the form of a fanfare.
- James Leonard for Keyboard Concerto in D major, H. 18/11
Era: Classical
Year: 1770
Form: Concerto
Score: 87
Thoughts: Wow, this is the first Haydn work I fell in love with I think... I really love the dynamics and space left here. Sometimes the absence of sound is just as important to music as the sound itself. It also has somethings akin to it on why I love Beethoven's 6th. It's jovial, but somehow still earnest. It often is a beautiful dance of violin and piano. I'm not an expert with the concerto form, but it's not typical for there to be two solo instruments thus far in history. Haydn does not equate to the prolific, yet unimpressive Telemann that I initially formed my opinion almost as such. With stuff like this I am much more prone to discover more of his.
Quote:
Franz Josef Haydn (1732-1809) composed 12 concertos for keyboard. Of these, four were published in his lifetime, the second of which was the Concerto in D major, H. XVIII No. 11, published by Artaria in Vienna in 1784 and then by other publishers in Paris, Amsterdam, and London. Scored for pianoforte soloist with pairs of oboes and horns plus strings, the Concerto is in three movements. The opening Vivace has two themes stated twice, first by the orchestra then by the soloist, followed by a development section that concentrates on the first theme before the recapitulation, which only briefly recalls the second theme. The central Un poco Adagio in A major features a typically long-breathed melody for the soloists followed by a repeated note theme for orchestra and soloist. The closing Rondo all'Ungherese is built on an authentic Bosnian-Dalmatian folk dance called Siri Kolo, which Haydn uses as the opening theme and as the climax when it is played antiphonally by the soloist and orchestra in the form of a fanfare.
- James Leonard for Keyboard Concerto in D major, H. 18/11
Era: Classical
Year: 1770
Form: String Quintets and Trios
Score: 86 for both
I typically don't like joining entries, but for this it felt right. Same artist, similar forms, etc., and well, I listened to them both almost back to back.
Anyway, for both of them they (I felt) were very lively and very intriguing string arrangements. One is translated into English as Night Music of the Streets of Madrid. This collection of string quintets has a popular piece (see below) that you'll immediately recognize for it's use in movies and the such. So while there's a "hit" the rest of the record is totally worth a spin. It also contains a guitar or similar, so if you are into instruments like the guitar, you may like this one.
As for the trios, I found the arrangements incredibly intriguing. It's the first time thus far on this journey where such a skilled arranger would do something like a few bars of exactly the same note with exactly the same rhythm... something you'd find more common in rock music. It also was common for their to be lots of rests... something also less common thus far. Really intriguing arrangements.
RE: Madrid
Quote:
This quintet is both very much a characteristic piece of Boccherini and at the same time not a characteristic piece. Its title is usually translated as "Night Music in the Streets of Madrid," but it really is a musical representation of life in Madrid's evenings in Boccherini's day, quoting music of the locals and also replicating other sounds with music. He often incorporated Spanish musical idioms into his own music, using the fandango and other dances in other works, and he even composed musical paintings, such as in the String Quintet, Op. 11, No. 6 "The Aviary." Here, each movement of this quintet represents a different scene, and none really have a traditional Classical-period form, as his other quintets do. The work is so unusual that Boccherini himself did not want it published, feeling that it would be incomprehensible to anyone not familiar with the city life of Madrid. The opening movement is in two sections: "Ave Maria" and "Minuetto di Ciechi." The "Ave Maria" opens with quiet pizzicatos representing the tolling of church bells, followed by a monotone monolog by the first violin. The"Minuet of the Blind" features the cellos being strummed like guitars to accompany the street singer. The second movement, "Rosario," is a prayerful duet, punctuated by faint, bell-like pizzicatos from the second violin. This is interrupted by a fanfare-like passage for the full quintet. The prayer is restated, the first cello joining in with a more ornamented line, almost like the ancient florid organum. The fanfare is heard again, followed by the final verse of the prayer. The third movement is known by several names: "Passacalle," "Los Manolos," or "I spagnoli si divertono per la strade." It again uses the instruments as guitars to accompany the animated dance melody of the cello. It also features an interlude with one of the violins playing the harmony theme in arpeggios. The interlude is repeated at the end of the movement, fading off into the distance, and followed by the violin monolog heard in the first movement. Finally, the night watch is heard passing by, a light march over a drone that also fades away as they go on their rounds. The melody of this movement was re-used by Boccherini for variations in the Guitar Quintet, G. 453. The entire quintet was orchestrated in 1903 by Max Schoenherr.
Era: Classical
Year: 1770
Form: String Quintets and Trios
Score: 86 for both
I typically don't like joining entries, but for this it felt right. Same artist, similar forms, etc., and well, I listened to them both almost back to back.
Anyway, for both of them they (I felt) were very lively and very intriguing string arrangements. One is translated into English as Night Music of the Streets of Madrid. This collection of string quintets has a popular piece (see below) that you'll immediately recognize for it's use in movies and the such. So while there's a "hit" the rest of the record is totally worth a spin. It also contains a guitar or similar, so if you are into instruments like the guitar, you may like this one.
As for the trios, I found the arrangements incredibly intriguing. It's the first time thus far on this journey where such a skilled arranger would do something like a few bars of exactly the same note with exactly the same rhythm... something you'd find more common in rock music. It also was common for their to be lots of rests... something also less common thus far. Really intriguing arrangements.
RE: Madrid
Quote:
This quintet is both very much a characteristic piece of Boccherini and at the same time not a characteristic piece. Its title is usually translated as "Night Music in the Streets of Madrid," but it really is a musical representation of life in Madrid's evenings in Boccherini's day, quoting music of the locals and also replicating other sounds with music. He often incorporated Spanish musical idioms into his own music, using the fandango and other dances in other works, and he even composed musical paintings, such as in the String Quintet, Op. 11, No. 6 "The Aviary." Here, each movement of this quintet represents a different scene, and none really have a traditional Classical-period form, as his other quintets do. The work is so unusual that Boccherini himself did not want it published, feeling that it would be incomprehensible to anyone not familiar with the city life of Madrid. The opening movement is in two sections: "Ave Maria" and "Minuetto di Ciechi." The "Ave Maria" opens with quiet pizzicatos representing the tolling of church bells, followed by a monotone monolog by the first violin. The"Minuet of the Blind" features the cellos being strummed like guitars to accompany the street singer. The second movement, "Rosario," is a prayerful duet, punctuated by faint, bell-like pizzicatos from the second violin. This is interrupted by a fanfare-like passage for the full quintet. The prayer is restated, the first cello joining in with a more ornamented line, almost like the ancient florid organum. The fanfare is heard again, followed by the final verse of the prayer. The third movement is known by several names: "Passacalle," "Los Manolos," or "I spagnoli si divertono per la strade." It again uses the instruments as guitars to accompany the animated dance melody of the cello. It also features an interlude with one of the violins playing the harmony theme in arpeggios. The interlude is repeated at the end of the movement, fading off into the distance, and followed by the violin monolog heard in the first movement. Finally, the night watch is heard passing by, a light march over a drone that also fades away as they go on their rounds. The melody of this movement was re-used by Boccherini for variations in the Guitar Quintet, G. 453. The entire quintet was orchestrated in 1903 by Max Schoenherr.
Eine kleine Nachtmusik has been a family favorite since I was a kid... having said that, in true Mozart style, dude knows how to play to the kid at heart, and yet still seems to slip in his genius in between something that seems apparently simple. All 4 movements are spectacular. The Divertimento were nice, but something you'd expect from an early Mozart. The other sonata was also nice, but didn't quite have the flair, although at times nearly got there. Still the clever arrangements you'd expect.
I wish the music matched the performance (85% likely it's another recording on top, otherwise this would be really cool):
I found this to be every bit of good as the Haydn symphonies I was listening to earlier this week. Nothing special emotionally or mentally for me, yet musically fantastic. Great use of dynamics and the classical style of arrangements, just lacks great depth somehow for me.
From Gramophone: (Guest User, with whom I'm not sure I agree, as it seems they contradict themselves...)
Quote:
Leopold Hofmann was a leading figure in Viennese music during the time of Haydn and Mozart, holding various court appointments and from 1772 the post of Kapellmeister at St Stephen’s Cathedral. (Mozart, younger than Hofmann by 18 years, was to have succeeded him, but died first.) He was known chiefly as a composer of church music but was also quite a prolific writer of symphonies. The five recorded here are all relatively early works, written in the 1750s or the early and middle 1760s; they are quite Italianate in manner but with that touch of sturdiness to the invention and fullness to the texture that typify the early Viennese symphony.
Hofmann lacks the originality of his greatest contemporaries, of course, and there are movements here that seem short-breathed in their invention, and ‘cadence-bound’, moving from one punctuation point to the next, usually a modest and predictable distance. Harmonically the music is not adventurous; there is rather a lot more of tonic and dominant than Haydn or Mozart would have countenanced. Yet there are quite a number of lively, even arresting movements – the opening Allegro of the first F major Sinfonia, which sets up a splendid momentum, or that of the D major, with a touch of the brilliance typical of that key, or both the outer movements of the C major work, altogether an expansive and resourceful piece. It has a particularly attractive Andante, too, with a flowing triplet melody, some of it in dialogue between the violins, and the second F major also has an Andante of considerable expressive warmth. In characteristic Viennese style, most of the symphonies have minuets; in the second F major the trio is truly a trio, for solo viola, cello and double-bass. The modern-instrument performances here are capable and direct; sometimes the playing is a little routine (the Andantino of the first F major work, for example, sounds a little more conventional than it need, and the ensuing Minuet is dullish too), but there is plenty of vigour where it is called for and I don’t think Hofmann could have wished for much better advocacy.
Eine kleine Nachtmusik has been a family favorite since I was a kid... having said that, in true Mozart style, dude knows how to play to the kid at heart, and yet still seems to slip in his genius in between something that seems apparently simple. All 4 movements are spectacular. The Divertimento were nice, but something you'd expect from an early Mozart. The other sonata was also nice, but didn't quite have the flair, although at times nearly got there. Still the clever arrangements you'd expect.
I wish the music matched the performance (85% likely it's another recording on top, otherwise this would be really cool):
Ah, yes, the old warhorse, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik! I've heard it in recordings, in the concert hall, and individual movements, themes, and snippets as soundtrack for everything from movies to cartoons, to TV commercials to elevators and "please remain on hold until our next associate is available to assist...."
Like Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Pachelbel's Canon, I should be suffering the classical equivalent of Hotel California or Layla-level burnout with this one. Every time I start to hear it, my first thought is "Oh, good grief, not again!" But then in spite of myself, I end up thoroughly enjoying it... yet again. Such is the genius of Mozart.
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
I found this to be every bit of good as the Haydn symphonies I was listening to earlier this week. Nothing special emotionally or mentally for me, yet musically fantastic. Great use of dynamics and the classical style of arrangements, just lacks great depth somehow for me.
From Gramophone: (Guest User, with whom I'm not sure I agree, as it seems they contradict themselves...)
Quote:
Leopold Hofmann was a leading figure in Viennese music during the time of Haydn and Mozart, holding various court appointments and from 1772 the post of Kapellmeister at St Stephen’s Cathedral. (Mozart, younger than Hofmann by 18 years, was to have succeeded him, but died first.) He was known chiefly as a composer of church music but was also quite a prolific writer of symphonies. The five recorded here are all relatively early works, written in the 1750s or the early and middle 1760s; they are quite Italianate in manner but with that touch of sturdiness to the invention and fullness to the texture that typify the early Viennese symphony.
Hofmann lacks the originality of his greatest contemporaries, of course, and there are movements here that seem short-breathed in their invention, and ‘cadence-bound’, moving from one punctuation point to the next, usually a modest and predictable distance. Harmonically the music is not adventurous; there is rather a lot more of tonic and dominant than Haydn or Mozart would have countenanced. Yet there are quite a number of lively, even arresting movements – the opening Allegro of the first F major Sinfonia, which sets up a splendid momentum, or that of the D major, with a touch of the brilliance typical of that key, or both the outer movements of the C major work, altogether an expansive and resourceful piece. It has a particularly attractive Andante, too, with a flowing triplet melody, some of it in dialogue between the violins, and the second F major also has an Andante of considerable expressive warmth. In characteristic Viennese style, most of the symphonies have minuets; in the second F major the trio is truly a trio, for solo viola, cello and double-bass. The modern-instrument performances here are capable and direct; sometimes the playing is a little routine (the Andantino of the first F major work, for example, sounds a little more conventional than it need, and the ensuing Minuet is dullish too), but there is plenty of vigour where it is called for and I don’t think Hofmann could have wished for much better advocacy.
This is a great find! The classical period was relatively short and the music seems to be concentrated among just a handful of big names. It's always nice to be reminded that the Classical period was more than just Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, and Schubert.
Very pleasant and well constructed if if not exceptional music. A nice add to my exposure. I wouldn't quite equate it with even Haydn's lesser symphonies though as even in the least of his symphonies, I still hear that unique Haydn wit that makes all his works so charming.
Genre: Early Medieval Chant (700-900 AD)
Score: 80/100
Why I chose this recording: It seemed to be one of the top Gregorian chant albums available
Thoughts: This recording features a very subtle organ accompaniment, which I don't think traditionally would have been. As I read stuff, I did see lap organs and the such. Anyway, it's a very small thing to comment about, so I thought I'd say it first, haha.
It's quite beautiful, solemn, and spiritual, as it should be. It also is interesting how melismatic the music is. It often is like a 4 line single stanza, but a 3 minute song, due to how they sing a single word. R&B singers got nothing on them, hehe.
I also really liked how, although they were singing in monophony, they'd create cool dynamics by having a soloist, and a response form A and B.
Many monks only had this to communicate as they vowed silence otherwise. Some of these monasteries and the such claim to hold the same traditions past down, wish is really cool to have a chain of tradition going back that far, even if it likely isn't exactly the same.
Latin is beautiful.
While nothing really stands out from these recordings as extraordinary, they all transform me to a solemn place and I become pensive outside of my control.
I also thought back on the smells/experiences I had visiting old churches/cathedrals in Vienna, Munich, Augsburg, Nuremberg, and some smaller pilgrimage type places. The smells and echoes and solemn feel.
This album was the best of the three Gregorian chant albums, for me. Perhaps it’s the melisma that I prefer, but it was musically enchanting. I loved the accompanying organ, as well, even if it wasn’t technically correct. I’m not as much of a fan of the more syllabic style performed by the Choralschola Of The Neideraltaicher, but I can understand the significance in not overlooking that style in one’s listening.
I hadn’t considered that monks take vows of silence, so the thought of having only liturgical song as a means of communication is pretty fascinating. No way to convey any thoughts of a secular nature...
I’m slowly working my way through your Early Music chart, so I hope you don’t mind if I bump some older posts.
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
That's rad Jameth! Yeah, feel free to bump/discuss old stuff. I'm glad to see someone else getting into the history of music. I suppose I'm a bit of a completionist with my music projects, and I started thinking music history and I was like why not do it all. I think I have playlists you can ping me for if you want.
Oh and if your wondering, that hand thing is often how musicians learned music, almost like a muscle memory thing, each section of the hand was a half step/hole step representation of all the modes... it's from Guido, one of the key early music theorists. Anyway, the story is something like as they sung they'd hold their hand and touch each area with their thumb as they sang. Of course that's an oversimplification/over-generalization.
Enjoy the journey mate. If it get's too bland, I put the best records (imo) on the first page of the diary (top 25 or something), but if you want the full deal, I'd recommend looking up each artist/work in wikipedia or medieval.org to learn more.
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RoundTheBend
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