Some Thoughts on Classical Music
Thank you Bernard for your inspiration. I will write some thoughts on my favorite pieces of classical music.
If the earth is to be destroyed tomorrow, and Apollo descends to ask me to save one piece of music in each category, I should have a very hard time in answering the mighty god (who probably has an answer already and would shoot me with his arrows if I get the wrong answer). There are just too many canadidates for each category. Nonetheless, I will pretend that this is the case and that I must make a choice.
There are many categories of music, and here I am strictly considering the classical, instrumental ones. Here are the categories (feels like the Academy Awards): piano solo piece, piano sonata, violin sonata, other instrumental sonatas, piano concerto, violin concerto, other instrumental concerto, string quartet, chamber music in general, symphony, other orchestral music, and one more piece that is worth saving.
Piano solo piece: Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier
- The candidates to beat the WTC are few: Bach's own Goldberg Variations and Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. Bach's preludes and fugues are perhaps the most important pieces of music for solo piano ever written. The preludes, in its Baroque clarity, controlled expressions and mathematic harmonies are beautiful; the fugues are absolutely sublime. The two sets, each set in every key, are perfect craftsmanship. Apollo would no doubt love it.
Piano sonata: Beethoven's Piano Sonata #31 in A-flat Major Op.110
- The canadiates include Mozart's #15 in C major, Beethoven's #21 "Waldstein", #29 "Hammerkavalier", #32 in C minor and Schubert's #14 in B-flat. The sonata form is really completely mastered by Beethoven and matched only by Schubert. I picked the #31 over the #32 because of the beautiful simplicity yet expressive pathos of the sonata evokes. The brief sonata in the first movement is absolutely heavenly, as is the fugue at the end (here one recalls the finale of Mahler's fourth symphony). The polyphony of the fugue is not dense; rather it is like a beautiful silk scarf. For me, this beats the variations of the last sonata.
Violin sonata: Cesar Franck's Violin Sonata in A major
- The candidates include Beethoven's 9th "Kreutzer", any of the three by Brahms, Faure's Violin Sonata #1 in A major and Grieg's third in C minor. Many of you may not have heard of Franck, but in my opinion he is as good of a composer as Mendelssohn or Schumann, if not better. Franck is an intense romantic composer, yet at the same time a master of form. His music - and especially his Violin Sonata - is a wonderful synthesis of the intellectualness of the Germans and the lightness of the French. He is a master of the cyclic form, in which certain themes put forth in the first movement comes back in other movements, in different musical contexts. The finale to the sonata is some of the most dazzling contrapuntal music ever written.
Small piano pieces: Chopin's Nocturne #8 in D-flat major
- Candidates include Schubert's G flat major Impromptu, Schumann's Romanza, Brahms' Intermezzo Op.118 No.1 and Liszt's Paganini Etude "La campanella". This category is essentially a separate one for music from the Romantic period. The art to the small piece, I think, is in its ability to say as much as one can in as little notes as possible. The D-flat Nocturne is a passionate piece capsuled in formal symmetry. Chopin here has his most original moment: the piece is very pianistic; the pedaled spreading of the harmony in the bass, the small-note runs and the controlled volume all contribute to the beauty of the piece. At the last time the main theme comes back, Chopin changes the chord from the root position to the second inversion, resulting in a sublime sense of loss, and that is the moment that seals the deal. This nocturne is the epitome of romanticism.
Piano Concerto: Brahms' Second Piano Concerto
- Candidates include Mozart's 23rd Piano Concerto in A major, Beethoven's 4th, Schumann's A minor concerto, Liszt's A-flat concerto, Prokofiev's third concerto and Khachaturian's piano concerto (many of you may not have heard of him; he is a 20th century Russian composer who is now chiefly known for his "Sabre Dance"). Brahms' second piano concerto is no doubt the greatest piano concerto ever be written. He takes on the tradition of Mozart (intimacy - Brahms' third movement), Beethoven (cathedral-like grandness - Brahms' first movement) and Schumann (romanticism - Brahms' second movement ) and adds his own sense of romantic humour (the final movement). The concerto is absolutely monumental in its scheme: extremely difficult to play, very philosophical in its interpretation. It is the greatest marriage of form and content, and I would argue that this is Brahms' greatest work of all (perhaps with the exception of his fourth symphony, which, in my opinion, is too colourless).
Violin Concerto: Elgar's Violin Concerto
- Candidates include Mendelssohn's E minor concerto, Bruch's G minor concerto (virtually his only known work, and rightly so), Sibelius' D minor concerto and Berg's Violin Concerto (Berg's concerto is one of the easier atonal pieces to understand). The real debate is between Sibelius and Elgar. Both composers are brilliant symphonists, scoring with beautiful harmonies, textures and colours. While Sibelius' harmonies and rhythms are wonderful and original, Elgar's sense of form is in perfection. Elgar's concerto is huge - nearly one hour long - yet each movement and musical ideas are very intimately tied together. In its vastness one does not get lost. The concerto is warm and very exciting at the same time. Elgar has his own version of the cyclic form, in which the opening theme always come back at the pivotal moment of the finales - orchestrated differently - to conclude the work. The concerto is profound and absolutely rousing, although I must also add that one has to be patient enough to listen to it a few times before really appreciating it. (It took me at least five times; I hated it the first time.)
Other instrumental concertos Mozart's Clarinet Concerto
- Candidates include Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (in which the sixth is absolutely sublime), Dvorak's Cello Concerto, Elgar's Cello Concerto and Richard Strauss' Oboe Concerto. There aren't many very popular concertos outside of the three real major instruments of violin, cello and piano. Yet Mozart's Clarinet Concerto has achieved its immortal status. It should not be a surprise because it is Mozart's final concerto (he was dead a few months after the competition of this concerto). The late Mozart is a philosophical and reflective Mozart, but never without a touch of humour, love, melancholy and sunshine. More than ever content is united with form - this is classicism at its very best: expressive but not indulgent, logical but never dry. The concerto, just as a note, is voted as Canada's favourite Mozart piece by CBC radio 2.
String Quartet: Beethoven's String Quartet in B-flat major Op.130
- Candidates: Mozart's late quartets? I have not had the opportunity to really learn about Mozart's quartets, so I can't say if Mozart's are legitimate candidates. But apart from Beethoven's own A minor Quartet, I don't think any one else come even close to. Beethoven's final quartet is an hour of humanity: the contemplation with four voices is stunning. There is something very captivating even in its very opening dissonant introduction, before we are launched into an exciting Allegro. The quartet proceeds in many fragments of ideas, before everything is recaptured back in the Grand Fugue finale.
Chamber music in general: Mendelssohn's Octet in E flat major
- Candidates include Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, Schubert's Trout Quintet, Brahms' Piano Quintet and Clarinet Quintet, and Franck's Piano Quintet. The reason for saving Mendelssohn's Octet over other works, even though they are probably better, is because this is a work by a 17 year old young man. This work really shows the unlimited potentials of human creativity. Don't get me wrong: even if this work is written by someone older, it will still be a strong candidate. The complexity of the Octet is stunning: this is not simply two string quartets put together. The rhythmic drive, the texture, the colours and the formal considerations are in absolute perfection. The fact that this work is written by a 17 year old is stunning. No one, perhaps other than Korngold (a musical genius in early 20th century who ends up writing Hollywood music - he practically invented Hollywood music), has accomplished more than Mendelssohn at age 17.
Symphony: Mahler's Fifth Symphony
- It is not even fair that I have to pick one symphony out of so many fine ones. Symphonies are difficult to pick because one has to consider the musical context as well as its universal quality (if that even exists). There are so many candidates: Mozart's 40th in G minor, Beethoven's 9th in D minor, Schubert's 8th in B minor (although it is unfinished), Mendelssohn's 4th in A minor, Franck's D minor symphony, Brahms' 4th in E minor, Dvorak's 9th in E minor, Tchaikovsky's 6th in B minor, Bruckner's 5th in B-flat major, Elgar's 1st in A-flat major, Sibelius' 2nd in D minor, Prokofiev's 5th in B-flat and Shostakovich's 5th in D minor. Each of these works are brilliant masterpieces, all of them equally as good as others in their own ways. I did not even mention some of the more obvious candidates: Mozart's 41st in C major, Beethoven's 3rd in E flat major, Schubert's 9th in C major, Schumann's 1st in B-flat major, Brahms' 1st in C minor, Nielsen's 2nd, Vaughan William's 5th, etc. But I have to go with Mahler's 5th partly because this is an instrumental category (or else I would have picked either his 4th or his 8th) and partly because I believe he is the greatest symphonists to have ever lived. Symphonies cannot get any better after Mahler - that, to me, is inconceivable. Mahler takes all the things his forefathers have done and made it all his own. The fifth is an example of melancholic romanticism, perfection in balance and form, boldness in harmonies and orchestration and brilliant contrapunctal writing. I don't think the fifth is a philosphical symphony (like his next two); rather it is a musical description of the human situation, ending on an optimistic note. It is definitely Mahler at his best.
Other orchestral music: Debussy's La Mer
- Other candidates include Mendelssohn's Overture to Midsummer Night's Dream, Faure's Pelleas et Melissande, Brahms' Haydn Variations, Elgar's Enigma Variations, Korngold's Sinfonietta, Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, Scriabin's "Poem of Estascy", Debussy's own Prelude l'apres midi d'une faune and Schoenberg's Transfigured Night. Debussy's La Mer is one of Debussy's most popular works, and rightly so. The harmonic colours of Debussy is so original that no one has ever surpass him. His musical sense is also very different from the traditional, German school: for Debussy, form is inherent in the piece; one does not have to have formal elements. In La Mer, Debussy gives us more than the sea; we get both the external and the internal world synthesized together as we move along the stream of melody.
The final piece: Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe
- Too many candidates. But honourable mentions include Stravinsky's The Rites of Spring, Sibelius' 4th symphony, Chopin's 2nd piano concerto, Bach's solo violin music, and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. But Ravel's ballet is just too good: it's absolutely Bacchic, there is no other description.
Notes on some obvious absenses: Handel, Haydn, Tchaikovsky and the Americans
- I am not at all familiar with the music if Handel and Haydn, but I do know that they are overshadowed by their contempories Bach and Mozart, so they would not have made it onto any of the list anyway.
- Tchaikovsky, for some people, may figure into a few more categories, e.g. Piano and Violin concertos. I don't think they are extremely good pieces. Both of his popular concertos are just very good themes stacked together; I don't particularly like that. His 6th symphony is also like that, but that symphony is just too good.
- America has not produced a single composer who can rival the Europeans. The closest they get is Ives (who I don't really understand; I need more exposure of him), Copland (second tier at best) and Barber (who, although he has some wonderful melodies, is not really that profound). Although this is probably not fair to say because Europe did have 200 years head start. In Bach's time America is still British colony. But if there is one piece of American I can save, it is Copland's Applachian Spring. Its beautiful orchestration is unmistakably American and it is worth listening to many times
If the earth is to be destroyed tomorrow, and Apollo descends to ask me to save one piece of music in each category, I should have a very hard time in answering the mighty god (who probably has an answer already and would shoot me with his arrows if I get the wrong answer). There are just too many canadidates for each category. Nonetheless, I will pretend that this is the case and that I must make a choice.
There are many categories of music, and here I am strictly considering the classical, instrumental ones. Here are the categories (feels like the Academy Awards): piano solo piece, piano sonata, violin sonata, other instrumental sonatas, piano concerto, violin concerto, other instrumental concerto, string quartet, chamber music in general, symphony, other orchestral music, and one more piece that is worth saving.
Piano solo piece: Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier
- The candidates to beat the WTC are few: Bach's own Goldberg Variations and Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. Bach's preludes and fugues are perhaps the most important pieces of music for solo piano ever written. The preludes, in its Baroque clarity, controlled expressions and mathematic harmonies are beautiful; the fugues are absolutely sublime. The two sets, each set in every key, are perfect craftsmanship. Apollo would no doubt love it.
Piano sonata: Beethoven's Piano Sonata #31 in A-flat Major Op.110
- The canadiates include Mozart's #15 in C major, Beethoven's #21 "Waldstein", #29 "Hammerkavalier", #32 in C minor and Schubert's #14 in B-flat. The sonata form is really completely mastered by Beethoven and matched only by Schubert. I picked the #31 over the #32 because of the beautiful simplicity yet expressive pathos of the sonata evokes. The brief sonata in the first movement is absolutely heavenly, as is the fugue at the end (here one recalls the finale of Mahler's fourth symphony). The polyphony of the fugue is not dense; rather it is like a beautiful silk scarf. For me, this beats the variations of the last sonata.
Violin sonata: Cesar Franck's Violin Sonata in A major
- The candidates include Beethoven's 9th "Kreutzer", any of the three by Brahms, Faure's Violin Sonata #1 in A major and Grieg's third in C minor. Many of you may not have heard of Franck, but in my opinion he is as good of a composer as Mendelssohn or Schumann, if not better. Franck is an intense romantic composer, yet at the same time a master of form. His music - and especially his Violin Sonata - is a wonderful synthesis of the intellectualness of the Germans and the lightness of the French. He is a master of the cyclic form, in which certain themes put forth in the first movement comes back in other movements, in different musical contexts. The finale to the sonata is some of the most dazzling contrapuntal music ever written.
Small piano pieces: Chopin's Nocturne #8 in D-flat major
- Candidates include Schubert's G flat major Impromptu, Schumann's Romanza, Brahms' Intermezzo Op.118 No.1 and Liszt's Paganini Etude "La campanella". This category is essentially a separate one for music from the Romantic period. The art to the small piece, I think, is in its ability to say as much as one can in as little notes as possible. The D-flat Nocturne is a passionate piece capsuled in formal symmetry. Chopin here has his most original moment: the piece is very pianistic; the pedaled spreading of the harmony in the bass, the small-note runs and the controlled volume all contribute to the beauty of the piece. At the last time the main theme comes back, Chopin changes the chord from the root position to the second inversion, resulting in a sublime sense of loss, and that is the moment that seals the deal. This nocturne is the epitome of romanticism.
Piano Concerto: Brahms' Second Piano Concerto
- Candidates include Mozart's 23rd Piano Concerto in A major, Beethoven's 4th, Schumann's A minor concerto, Liszt's A-flat concerto, Prokofiev's third concerto and Khachaturian's piano concerto (many of you may not have heard of him; he is a 20th century Russian composer who is now chiefly known for his "Sabre Dance"). Brahms' second piano concerto is no doubt the greatest piano concerto ever be written. He takes on the tradition of Mozart (intimacy - Brahms' third movement), Beethoven (cathedral-like grandness - Brahms' first movement) and Schumann (romanticism - Brahms' second movement ) and adds his own sense of romantic humour (the final movement). The concerto is absolutely monumental in its scheme: extremely difficult to play, very philosophical in its interpretation. It is the greatest marriage of form and content, and I would argue that this is Brahms' greatest work of all (perhaps with the exception of his fourth symphony, which, in my opinion, is too colourless).
Violin Concerto: Elgar's Violin Concerto
- Candidates include Mendelssohn's E minor concerto, Bruch's G minor concerto (virtually his only known work, and rightly so), Sibelius' D minor concerto and Berg's Violin Concerto (Berg's concerto is one of the easier atonal pieces to understand). The real debate is between Sibelius and Elgar. Both composers are brilliant symphonists, scoring with beautiful harmonies, textures and colours. While Sibelius' harmonies and rhythms are wonderful and original, Elgar's sense of form is in perfection. Elgar's concerto is huge - nearly one hour long - yet each movement and musical ideas are very intimately tied together. In its vastness one does not get lost. The concerto is warm and very exciting at the same time. Elgar has his own version of the cyclic form, in which the opening theme always come back at the pivotal moment of the finales - orchestrated differently - to conclude the work. The concerto is profound and absolutely rousing, although I must also add that one has to be patient enough to listen to it a few times before really appreciating it. (It took me at least five times; I hated it the first time.)
Other instrumental concertos Mozart's Clarinet Concerto
- Candidates include Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (in which the sixth is absolutely sublime), Dvorak's Cello Concerto, Elgar's Cello Concerto and Richard Strauss' Oboe Concerto. There aren't many very popular concertos outside of the three real major instruments of violin, cello and piano. Yet Mozart's Clarinet Concerto has achieved its immortal status. It should not be a surprise because it is Mozart's final concerto (he was dead a few months after the competition of this concerto). The late Mozart is a philosophical and reflective Mozart, but never without a touch of humour, love, melancholy and sunshine. More than ever content is united with form - this is classicism at its very best: expressive but not indulgent, logical but never dry. The concerto, just as a note, is voted as Canada's favourite Mozart piece by CBC radio 2.
String Quartet: Beethoven's String Quartet in B-flat major Op.130
- Candidates: Mozart's late quartets? I have not had the opportunity to really learn about Mozart's quartets, so I can't say if Mozart's are legitimate candidates. But apart from Beethoven's own A minor Quartet, I don't think any one else come even close to. Beethoven's final quartet is an hour of humanity: the contemplation with four voices is stunning. There is something very captivating even in its very opening dissonant introduction, before we are launched into an exciting Allegro. The quartet proceeds in many fragments of ideas, before everything is recaptured back in the Grand Fugue finale.
Chamber music in general: Mendelssohn's Octet in E flat major
- Candidates include Mozart's Clarinet Quintet, Schubert's Trout Quintet, Brahms' Piano Quintet and Clarinet Quintet, and Franck's Piano Quintet. The reason for saving Mendelssohn's Octet over other works, even though they are probably better, is because this is a work by a 17 year old young man. This work really shows the unlimited potentials of human creativity. Don't get me wrong: even if this work is written by someone older, it will still be a strong candidate. The complexity of the Octet is stunning: this is not simply two string quartets put together. The rhythmic drive, the texture, the colours and the formal considerations are in absolute perfection. The fact that this work is written by a 17 year old is stunning. No one, perhaps other than Korngold (a musical genius in early 20th century who ends up writing Hollywood music - he practically invented Hollywood music), has accomplished more than Mendelssohn at age 17.
Symphony: Mahler's Fifth Symphony
- It is not even fair that I have to pick one symphony out of so many fine ones. Symphonies are difficult to pick because one has to consider the musical context as well as its universal quality (if that even exists). There are so many candidates: Mozart's 40th in G minor, Beethoven's 9th in D minor, Schubert's 8th in B minor (although it is unfinished), Mendelssohn's 4th in A minor, Franck's D minor symphony, Brahms' 4th in E minor, Dvorak's 9th in E minor, Tchaikovsky's 6th in B minor, Bruckner's 5th in B-flat major, Elgar's 1st in A-flat major, Sibelius' 2nd in D minor, Prokofiev's 5th in B-flat and Shostakovich's 5th in D minor. Each of these works are brilliant masterpieces, all of them equally as good as others in their own ways. I did not even mention some of the more obvious candidates: Mozart's 41st in C major, Beethoven's 3rd in E flat major, Schubert's 9th in C major, Schumann's 1st in B-flat major, Brahms' 1st in C minor, Nielsen's 2nd, Vaughan William's 5th, etc. But I have to go with Mahler's 5th partly because this is an instrumental category (or else I would have picked either his 4th or his 8th) and partly because I believe he is the greatest symphonists to have ever lived. Symphonies cannot get any better after Mahler - that, to me, is inconceivable. Mahler takes all the things his forefathers have done and made it all his own. The fifth is an example of melancholic romanticism, perfection in balance and form, boldness in harmonies and orchestration and brilliant contrapunctal writing. I don't think the fifth is a philosphical symphony (like his next two); rather it is a musical description of the human situation, ending on an optimistic note. It is definitely Mahler at his best.
Other orchestral music: Debussy's La Mer
- Other candidates include Mendelssohn's Overture to Midsummer Night's Dream, Faure's Pelleas et Melissande, Brahms' Haydn Variations, Elgar's Enigma Variations, Korngold's Sinfonietta, Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, Scriabin's "Poem of Estascy", Debussy's own Prelude l'apres midi d'une faune and Schoenberg's Transfigured Night. Debussy's La Mer is one of Debussy's most popular works, and rightly so. The harmonic colours of Debussy is so original that no one has ever surpass him. His musical sense is also very different from the traditional, German school: for Debussy, form is inherent in the piece; one does not have to have formal elements. In La Mer, Debussy gives us more than the sea; we get both the external and the internal world synthesized together as we move along the stream of melody.
The final piece: Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe
- Too many candidates. But honourable mentions include Stravinsky's The Rites of Spring, Sibelius' 4th symphony, Chopin's 2nd piano concerto, Bach's solo violin music, and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. But Ravel's ballet is just too good: it's absolutely Bacchic, there is no other description.
Notes on some obvious absenses: Handel, Haydn, Tchaikovsky and the Americans
- I am not at all familiar with the music if Handel and Haydn, but I do know that they are overshadowed by their contempories Bach and Mozart, so they would not have made it onto any of the list anyway.
- Tchaikovsky, for some people, may figure into a few more categories, e.g. Piano and Violin concertos. I don't think they are extremely good pieces. Both of his popular concertos are just very good themes stacked together; I don't particularly like that. His 6th symphony is also like that, but that symphony is just too good.
- America has not produced a single composer who can rival the Europeans. The closest they get is Ives (who I don't really understand; I need more exposure of him), Copland (second tier at best) and Barber (who, although he has some wonderful melodies, is not really that profound). Although this is probably not fair to say because Europe did have 200 years head start. In Bach's time America is still British colony. But if there is one piece of American I can save, it is Copland's Applachian Spring. Its beautiful orchestration is unmistakably American and it is worth listening to many times
posted by Tristan at 11:55 p.m.
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