APO Livestream - The New Zealand Herald Premier Series: The Greats - Listening Notes: New Listener

PREMIER
SERIES
LISTENING NOTES
FOR NEW LISTENERS
VIOLIN Benjamin Morrison
BRAHMS Violin Concerto
SCHUBERT Symphony No.9 ‘The Great’

JOHANNES
BRAHMS
(1833 – 1897)
COMPOSER PROFILE
• Considered to be the leading composer of the
Romantic period of music
• Composed a piano sonata at age 11
• Made his public debut as a conductor at age 14
• Introduced to Gypsy music by Hungarian violinist
Eduard Remenyi
• At the age of 30, he accepted the directorship of the
Vienna Singakademie
• Brahms died of cancer at age 64. On the day of his
funeral, all the ships in Hamburg lowered their flags to
half-mast
VIOLIN CONCERTO
A concerto is a work for a solo instrument that is
accompanied by an orchestra. It is generally in three
movements or sections, which are first fast, then slow
and then fast again in speed (tempo). Brahms’ Violin
Concerto was composed in 1878 and first performed in
Leipzig, Germany. Piano and violin were the most popular
solo instruments for concertos throughout the Romantic
period.
This piece was composed for Brahms’ friend and
virtuoso violinist, Joseph Joachim. Some considered
it too difficult to play as it featured some extremely
difficult technical demands. However, Brahms believed
in Joachim’s abilities, and the Concerto was intended for
Joachim to show off his virtuosity.
The concerto features a cadenza at the end of the first
movement, and Brahms was one of the last composers
of his time to allow the soloist to improvise it. This is
because soloists would typically create very long and
unwieldy cadenzas. Eventually, composers would notate
their candenzas in order to have more control over the
material that was performed.
The concerto has three movements:
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Adagio
III. Allegro gigocoso ma non troppo vivace
The first movement, Allegro non troppo (not too fast, threetime)
starts with a long introduction and the first theme
presented by the orchestra. Next, it develops and moves
into a quiet section which leads to the second theme. After
this, the solo violin finally enters, taking us through to an
improvised solo, leading us to the final, end section.
The second movement, Adagio (slowly at ease, two-time)
has three sections. The first section begins with the melody
in the solo oboe, accompanied by the orchestra. The solo
violin then takes over the melody, which moves us into the
passionate second section. Finally, the orchestra returns
with the first section melody and solo violin to round off this
movement.
Finally, Allegro giocoso ma non troppo vivace (cheerful and
playful but not too fast, two-time) is in rondo form, meaning
that the ‘A’ section of music keeps returning. The A section
begins with a foot-stomping Hungarian-style theme, with
the solo violin underneath. The B section starts with light
solo violin and accompaniment. This turns into a series of
scales, in which the solo violin brings in another rhythmic
melody before returning to the A section.
Section C begins with the solo violin playing fragments from
the B section before playing the main melody from section
A. The final section starts with a faster speed in a lively
Turkish-style in triple-time, ending with strong short and
detached chords.
DID YOU KNOW?
Brahms began composing when he was only 11 –
however, he was embarrassed by these early compositions
and he destroyed all of those works as he grew older.
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FRANZ
SCHUBERT
(1797 – 1828)
COMPOSER PROFILE
• An Austrian composer from the Romantic period
• Won a place in the Vienna Imperial Court chapel choir
at age 10
• After leaving school in 1815, Schubert followed his
father into teaching. He did not enjoy this job, and he
spent all of his free time composing.
• The same year he started teaching, he wrote his
famous ‘Gretchen am Spinnrade’ (‘Gretchen at her
spinning wheel’)
• He composed 145 lieder (songs), his Second and Third
Symphonies, two sonatas and a series of miniatures for
solo piano, two mass settings and other shorter choral
works, four stage works, and a string quartet
• The only public concert Schubert gave was on
26 March, 1828. It was such an artistic and financial
success that Schubert at last purchased a piano
• He died in 1828 at age 31, of typhoid from drinking
tainted water
SYMPHONY NO.9 ‘THE GREAT’
A symphony is a musical composition for full orchestra;
typically in four movements or sections.
The title ‘The Great’ was applied by a 19th-century
publisher to distinguish between this symphony and
Schubert’s earlier work of 1818. Today, ‘The Great’ has
become an accepted part of the work’s title. Schubert’s
Ninth Symphony has four movements:
I. Andante
II. Andante con moto
III. Scherzo (Allegro vivace)
IV. Allegro vivace
The first movement, Andante (At an easy walking pace,
Allegro – fast) starts with a theme from the horns. This is
followed by the strings playing a rhythmic triple figure. The
theme is then passed around the orchestra. The section
continues to explore themes and assembled rhythmic
material.
Finally, as the Andante moves towards its close, you can
hear a fragment of what is to become the Allegro section’s
theme. As the Andante is brought to a full orchestral close,
the Allegro (fast) section follows immediately. Strings,
trumpets, and timpani introduce the Allegro’s first theme.
Schubert introduces a second theme – rising and falling,
with the woodwinds and horns playing a triple rhythm.
Finally, the movement’s third theme is introduced by oboes
and bassoons, accompanied by violin.
The final section is marked ‘Piu Moto’ (more movement).
It starts with the second theme in the strings, with an
accompanying triple figure. The movement ends with the
introductory horn theme played by the full orchestra.
The second movement, Andante con moto (At an easy
walking pace with motion) is slow, however the ‘con moto’
direction creates a march-like character. It is possible that
Schubert was influenced by the Allegretto movement of
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.
This movement has four sections and four main themes.
The oboes play the theme first, followed by the clarinets,
violins, and violas, moving to an orchestral climax. Next,
the oboes and clarinets enter with the second theme. This
theme is slightly slower, and the strings break in with a
third theme, with a military feel.
The second and third themes are developed, and the
lower strings introduce the fourth theme. Lyrical and more
sonorous, this theme is played by the bassoons, second
violins and basses. The movement ends quietly, with
harmony from the three trombones.
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The third movement, Scherzo (Allegro vivace, playful,
light and very fast) opens with the first theme played by
the strings. A second feature of the movement is the
waltz themes that keep appearing – the first of these
constitutes the second theme.
The second section opens in the woodwinds and brass,
with a short, detached string accompaniment. This section
ends with two loud chords. The Trio section then starts
with horns, clarinets, bassoons, and trumpets playing
together and the movement’s fourth theme is played by
a woodwind choir. Next, the flutes and bassoons play the
Trio’s opening theme again. The Trio then repeats back to
the start of the Scherzo to finish that movement.
The final movement, Allegro vivace (very fast), has two
main themes. It begins with a call to attention, with very
loud notes. The second theme also has a running rhythm
in the strings while the woodwinds play the melody.
There are fragments of this theme until both main
themes are heard again in their entirety.
A final section expands some of the melodic material
with a short episode where strings, horns and bassoons
play with the full orchestra answering in different keys.
The final section is unusually long and the movement’s
introductory rhythm returns before a very sudden, loud
chord that gradually fades away to the end.
DID YOU KNOW?
In March 1827, Schubert was a torchbearer at
Beethoven’s funeral.
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WHAT’S THE
NEED FOR SPEED?
IN MUSIC, WE USE ITALIAN NAMES TO TELL US HOW FAST,
OR SLOW, TO PLAY. THIS IS CALLED THE TEMPO.
Here are some of those names – or tempo
markings – used in classical music:
SLOWER
FASTER
LARGO
(40-60 BPM)
ADAGIO
(66-76 BPM)
ADANTE
(76-108 BPM)
ALLEGRO
(120-168 BPM)
VIVACE
(168-176 BPM)
PRESTO
(168-200 BPM)
You will notice that there is a number after each tempo and
the letters BPM. This stands for Beats Per Minute. You
can use the second hand of a clock, or a watch, to roughly
work out how fast the speeds are.
60 BPM is 60 beats per minute – or one beat per second.
Allegro is 120 beats per minute – or two beats per second.
Presto is around three beats per second.
And so on!
Look at the tempo markings for the Violin Concerto, or
Symphony No.9 and see if you can tap your foot in time
with the tempo for each piece.
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