The Last Words of the Great Composers

Have you ever wondered what Ludwig van Beethoven's last words were before his death? A somewhat macabre question, but totally appropriate on this Halloween evening. Here are some different composers' dying quotes: "Friends applaud, the comedy is over." - Ludwig van Beethoven, March 26th, 1827 "The earth is suffocating... Swear to make them cut me open, so that I won't be buried alive." - Frederic Chopin, October 17th, 1849 "Now I have finished with all earthly business, and high time too. Yes, yes, my dear child, now comes death." - Franz Lehar, October 24th, 1948 "Ah, that tastes nice. Thank You." - Johannes Brahms, April 3rd, 1897 "What's this?" - Leonard Bernstein, October 14th, 1990 "I am a pianist." - John Field's response to the question "Are you a Papist or a Calvinist?", January 23rd, 1837 That's all I could find. Some people claim Beethoven's last words were "I shall hear in heaven," but that is more disputed than the above quote. If you have any more, write them in a comment.

A Classical Music Playlist for Halloween

Well, here it is. The only playlist you need for Classical Halloween music. I'm spooked out already. 1. Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Everyone's favorite. Great, Free Download by Frederick Magle: http://www.magle.dk/music-forums/23-bach-toccata-fugue-d.html 2. Danse macabre, symphonic poem in G minor, Op. 40 by Camille Saint-Saens 3. Funeral March of a Marionette in D minor by Charles Gounod 4. Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky 5. Symphonie Fantastique: Dream of a Witches' Sabbath by Hector Berlioz 6. Peer Gynt Suite: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg 7. The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas 8. Totentanz (I & II), for piano & orchestra, S. 126 (LW H8) Finale by Franz Liszt 9. The Planets: Uranus (The Magician) by Gustav Holst 10. The Firebird: Finale by Igor Stravinsky I couldn't find too many free recordings, but I'm sure with some searching you will be able to find all that you need to spook out your trick-or-treaters tonight!

Tanya Bannister and Pianists for New Orleans

Since I live in New Orleans, I would be remiss not to mention a way for Classical Music lovers to hear awesome musicians and help New Orleans get back on its feet at the same time. I came across this on Tanya Bannister's website. She is the winner of the 2005 New Orleans International Piano Competition. Tanya, along with James Giles, Robert Henry and Petronel Malan, are touring the country with the Pianists for New Orleans tour. The series of concerts are supposed to raise $100,000 to benefit the Musical Arts Society of New Orleans. This is the organization that supports great Classical Music in New Orleans as well as the New Orleans International Piano Competition. So be sure to check the schedule for a concert near you and help New Orleans! Also check out the Audio section on Tanya's website for some great performances including a full performace of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. While you're listening be sure to read my previous post on Rachmaninoff's Works for Piano and Orchestra

Blog Promotion: FeedBurner, Chitika and MyBlogLog

So, I've been so busy with trying to promote the blog that I've been lacking on my content. To all the devoted readers out there, I'm so sorry. But I think you all will appreciate some of the changes. Let me tell you what I have done so far. For those of you who have a blog or website, get your pencils ready: 1. I have added a FeedBurner Feed. I got rid of that old-fashioned atom.xml feed that Blogger provides. Now you can add my feed to whatever newsreader or aggregator you use. Just use the simple buttons on the sidebar to add my feed. 2. I now have Chitika eMiniMalls. This is the ad you see at the top of the page here. It will display relevant products to the context of my site, although I can't set it to contextual mode because it would conflict with the Google AdSense's terms of service. It is still really cool because it displays a product, description, best deals, and a search box. Also if you have a website or blog of your own, you can click this link to apply to put Chitika on your site. I highly recommend it. 3. I now have MyBlogLog. It is an excellent tracking feature that tells webmasters where their traffic is coming from and where it is going. It is a free service, but one can also pay a small fee to get much more detailed and powerful statistics. To sign up, click this link. Well, those are the major updates I have made to the site in the last few days, and you can see why I haven't updated the content. However, that will all change because I intend to update much, much more frequently starting today. Don't forget to subscribe to the feed. Thanks.

A Classical Music Concert Intended For Sleepers?

The idea would seem absurd to most Classical Music afficionados that I know. I have to admit that I find it a little bit odd, too. That idea is a series of concerts in Japan where sleeping is not frowned upon, but rather, it is encouraged! These concerts are taking place at Hakuju Hall in Tokyo, a venue designed specifically for relaxation and to harness the healing power of music. The hall even features reclining seats, but only in the back to keep the noise from snorers down! 10 concerts are held per year as part of the Reclining Concert Series. The full article can be found here.

Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Flat Major

The final version of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S. 124 dates 1856, however, the beginning of the composition dates to 1830 when Liszt sketched the main theme in a notebook. Liszt commenced serious work on the composition in the 1840s. It could be said that Liszt spent so long on the composition because he was fairly new at this point to the realm of orchestration. Up to this point, almost everything he wrote was for the keyboard. He even enlisted the help of his pupil Joachim Raff with the task of orchestration. The concerto was completed in 1849, but Liszt revised it several times until he arrived at the form we know and love today. There are at least six complete drafts of the concerto. Many bear the title Concerto symphonique showing Liszt's intention to have the orchestra play just as vital a role as the soloist. Liszt was influenced by Henry Litolff, to whom the work is dedicated, in this idea of equal parts for orchestra and soloist. The concerto consists of three main sections: Allegro maestoso, Quasi adagio-Allegretto vivace-Allegro animato, and Allegro marziale animato. These three sections form one large-scale seamless whole with no pauses in between. The first movement begins with a very powerful and recognizable motif of which Liszt allegedly wrote, "'Das versteht Ihr alle nicht' ('This none of you understands'). Liszt employs blistering octave passages for the piano as he so frequently does. The main theme then reappears in a more tranquil form. The piano introduces the second subject after which the piano is joined by the clarinet in a serene duet. This charming passage is soon overtaken by the main theme again, but this time in an overpowering and almost furious tone. Muted strings introduce the second section with a cantabile melody. The piano soon takes up the theme. As the mood grows more reflective, dramatic bursts from the orchestra ensue with improvisatory passages for the piano interspersed. The tempo quickens with flute, and then oboe and clarinet taking up the theme. A more lighthearted mood follows being introduced by the sounding of a triangle. It is with the use of the triangle that Liszt incurred much unnecessary criticism. Present day listeners may think nothing of the use of the triangle, but at the time of the concerto's premiere it was nothing short of revolutionary. A particulary sneering critic, Eduard Hanslick described the work as Liszt's "Triangle Concerto." The piano soon introduces a cheerful theme in its upper register with other instruments gradually joining in, and all the while, the notorious triangle adds to the effect. The mood soon turns darker with the reappearance of the main theme. The piano introduces the final section with a quicker guise of the cantabile theme. Various themes make reappearances in some form or another until the concerto comes near an end with thunderous phrases and virtuosic octave passages for the piano. The concerto closes in the bravura style which Liszt has become known for. For more on Liszt, see my Dante Symphony posting.

Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto

So, I recently heard Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto on my local Classical Music radio station and I was pretty impressed by it. It is not a typical concerto in that it only has one movement. Also, it is extremely brief, with an average duration of just under 10 minutes. However, it has become pretty famous nonetheless. The "concerto" was featured in the 1941 British film Dangerous Moonlight, later known as Suicide Squadron. Originally, the filmmakers wanted to use Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. Instead, they decided to commision a similar work from Addinsell along with orchestrator Roy Douglas. The film revolves around the main character who is a Polish piano virtuoso who also happens to be a combat pilot who finds himself in England during the Battle of Britain taking refuge from the German occupation of Poland. In the movie, he is the composer of this work, which repeatedly reappears as incidental music and also in a concert which is worked into the story of the film. The work contains almost every bit of passion and nostalgia as that of Rachmaninoff's. Audiences of the movie loved the concerto, which quickly found its way onto recordings and various sheet music adaptations. Just like Rachmaninoff's concertos, the theme of the Warsaw Concerto was even used for popular songs, in this case the song "The World Outside." The opening of the concerto is quite dramatic in the style of Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor with a thundering piano entrance supported by timpani. In the second theme, Addinsell borrows from Rachmaninoff quite heavily with an extremely lyrical passage. However, one should not think less of the composition for its borrowing, because it is a very skillful work indeed. Much music of this nature has appeared in films, but Addinsell's concerto struck a chord with listeners who were at such a dark point in history in 1941. For more on Rachmaninoff's concertos, see my previous posting. No Need to Click Here - I'm just claiming my feed at Feedster

Robert Schumann's Symphonic Etudes

(Note: While you are reading this, be sure to download the many different versions of this work with eMusic's free trial. You get 50 mp3s for free no matter what with no obligations.) A favorite choice for concert pianists' recitals seems to be Robert Schumann's Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13. It is well-suited for the concert hall containing virtuosic passages, expressive movements and a thrilling conclusion. Schumann's contributions to the Etude genre follow closely in the footsteps of Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt. However, the etudes are based on a single theme. Schumann also called the work "Etudes in the form of variations." This contributes to the overall seamlessness of the etudes and helped to establish its presence in the concert halls. Schumann composed the Symphonic Etudes in 1834, but later revised the work in 1852. There were originally eighteen etudes in the set. Schumann felt that at this length and difficulty it would be too draining and demanding of the pianist and later cut the number down to twelve etudes. This made the work a little bit more agreeable to the pianist as well as the listener. When Johannes Brahms republished the etudes in the 1890s, he selected five additional etudes to add to the set. These are now frequently included in performances and recordings. The theme that the etudes are based on was composed by Baron von Fricken, the amateur musician father of Schumann's short-term fiancee Ernestine von Fricken. It is in the key of C Sharp Minor and is quite tragic in character. This moves into a dirgelike march for the first etude. The next etude is Andante and is in the style of a rolling nocturne. The next etude is an energectic Vivace composed of a staccato like texture. The fourth etude is Allegro Marcato and uses a canon form in octaves that starts out with the theme but digresses quickly. In the fifth, Scherzando etude, a key change is made to the key of E major. Following the fifth etude, the sixth etude is a study in syncopation. Like the fifth etude, the seventh etude shifts into E major with a crescendo and dazzling display of virtuosic writing. Next comes an intricately ornamented eighth etude. The ninth etude is marked Presto Possibile, which means as fast as possible, a daunting tempo for any budding pianist! It is scherzo-like and one of the most challenging of the set. The theme is barely present in this etude. The tenth etude has a light and airy demeanor. However, the eleventh etude, cast in G sharp minor, is very somber and brings the listener into the darkest depths. The listener is brought out of this dreariness by the 12th and final etude. This etude is in the key of D flat major. It strays from the main theme altogether. Instead, Schumann uses a theme from an opera by Heinrich Marschner. This Allegro Brillante etude brings the work to a thrilling conclusion with its dotted rhythms and optimistic jubilism. I highly recommend the recording by Vladimir Ashkenazy from the 7 CD set of Schumann's Works for Solo Piano on the Decca label. He includes the extra etudes that I had previously mentioned.

Franz Liszt's Dante Symphony

(Note: While you are reading this, be sure to download the many different versions of this work with eMusic's free trial. You get 50 mp3s for free no matter what with no obligations.) Almost every composer has been inspired to write at least one piece of music based on a work of literature. Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy has indeed inspired a great number of composers. One of these was Franz Liszt. He first became interested in the work in the early 1830's upon being introduced to it by his mistress of the time, Marie D'Agoult. First Liszt composed his Après une lecture du Dante, fantasia quasi sonata also knows as the "Dante" Sonata for solo piano. However, he always intended to write a large scale orchestral work based on the poetry. He didn't do this until his most productive years during his conducting post in Weimar. The "Dante" Symphony (Eine Symphonie zu Dantes Divina Commedia) was composed during the same period in which Liszt composed his "Faust" Symphony. Liszt intended to write a seperate movement for each section of the Divine Comedy: "Inferno", "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso." However, Liszt's friend and soon to become son-in-law, Richard Wagner convinced Liszt that it wasn't possible for a mere mortal to portray Paradise in music. Thus, much to the detriment of the work, Liszt reconsidered the work and instead inserted a choral version of the Magnificat. It does not fit into the structure and texture of the symphony and many feel this explains its absence from the general symphonic repertory. The first movement is in ternary form and seeks to portray the characters that Dante describes in his version of hell. Liszt illustrates his intent for the poetry and music to become one by frequently including verses from the poem underneath the score of the work almost as if it is set to be sung. Liszt's orchestration paints a vivid picture with the use of low brasses and double basses followed by the high brasses as if echoing the inscription above the gates of hell: "Abandon all hope, ye who enter." The first section of the movement reaches a thundering climax representing the emotional state of Dante as he begins his journey through hell. The middle section of the movement focuses on the tragic tale of the lovers Francesca and Paola, a subject that would later be the inspiration for Tchaikovsky's Francesca da Rimini. Liszt now uses the full sentimental power of the strings, flutes and harp as opposed to his crashing brass as in the first section. Following a cadenza for the harp, the finale proceeds with a crash once again. Here Liszt marks the movement as "blasphemous and sardonic." The first movement finishes with an intense, blaring conclusion. The second movement, Purgatorio, is far more quiet and reflective as Dante passes from the terrifying Inferno into the relatively blissful by comparison Purgatory. Liszt employs a reverent fugue based much on the descending melodic motif used in the first movement. After the women's voices issue the final Magnificat, the movement ends in a state of tranquility. Liszt eventually composed a version that ends with a fortissimo passage, however, it is considered a radical alternative to the first version. Liszt wrote a tremendous amount of programattic music, that is music that is intended to tell a story. In fact, he probably wrote more of this type of music than any other composer. He is considered the father of the now popular form of the Symphonic Poem. Indeed he was a true master at using his music to portray different stories or images. An excellent recording of the Dante Symphony that also features the Dante Sonata is that of Daniel Barenboim with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Lost Manuscript

From wikipedia: "On October 13, 2005 it was reported that an authentic 179 year-old Beethoven manuscript titled "Grosse Fuge" (a piano four-hands version of the Op. 133 string quartet finale) was found by a Pennsylvania librarian at the Palmer Theological Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania in July 2005. It had been missing for 115 years. The manuscript is to be auctioned by Sotheby's Auction House on December 1, 2005: estimated value is one and one half to two million dollars. The manuscript was listed in an 1890 catalogue and sold at an auction in Berlin to a Cincinnati, Ohio industrialist. His daughter gave it and other manuscripts including Mozart's Fantasia to a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1952. It is not known how the Beethoven manuscript came to be in the possession of the library." I think that is pretty exciting!!!

The Length of a Compact Disc and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

Has anyone ever wondered why a CD holds 74 minutes of music? Why not 60 or 64? Well, I came across an interesting urban legend today that may just be the answer. It may not be a coincidence that the size of a CD is just big enough to hold a complete recording of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Philips and Sony collaborated to produce the Compact Disc. The orginal prototype was an 11.5 cm, 14-bit disc that held 60 minutes of music. However, Sony president Norio Ohga insisted that the format was too small. He proposed a 12 cm, 16-bit disc that held 74 minutes of music. Coincidentally, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony just happened to be Ohga's favorite classical work. It also happened to be Sony chairman Akio Morita's wife's favorite as well. Another explanation is that the legendary conductor Herbert von Karajan demanded that a disc be able to hold a recording of the symphony. Karajan was a big proponent of the Compact Disc's development and many claim that his recording of the Ninth Symphony was indeed the reference for how long the disc should be. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks on this. Legend or reality? Leave a comment.