Debussy (1862-1916) is perhaps the most famous composer from the impressionistic period in music history. He grew up poor and resided on the outskirts of Paris. He, however, did manage to gain entrance into the Paris Conservatory where he flowered as an artist and composer. He wrote a great deal of piano music that features 3-dimensional kinds of sounds and textures and layering unlike any other composer had ever managed to create. There is a story that upon Debussy's death, a friend sat down at Debussy's piano and started playing for Debussy's daughter to console her. Later, at asking her how it made her feel to have him play her late father's music, she responded simply, "daddy listened more".
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) also wrote a great deal for the piano during the course of his life. His most famous work is perhaps the Gaspard de la nuit (1908). He also, however, composed a great deal of music including the Pavone for a dead infant (1899), Jeux d'eau (1901), Sonantine and Moroirs (1905), Valses nobles (1911) and many other works. Gaspard is made up of three movements and to hear this piece requires no further explanations. There are many great recordings out there that I would recommend, my top being by former teacher, Ya-Fei Chuang, but many extraordinary recordings of this piece exist.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Faure, Grieg, Rachmaninoff & Scriabin
Gabriel Faure (1845-1924) was a French composer that spent some time being taught by the great composer Saint-Saens. He wrote a great deal of organ and church music as well as some piano music. He was never popular as a composer and led a rather bitter life. He was only recognized very late in life for his accomplishments. His Nocturnes are beautiful and melodic pieces with stranger harmonies and a lit bit more exotic in style than something that we may find by Chopin.
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) is very famous as a Norwegian composer for his compositions of the lyric pieces (66 of them) as well as for his piano concerto in a minor. Liszt was able to sightread all of Grieg's compositions. Grieg had heavy influence by the folk tunes he was surrounded by and linked many of his pieces to things or areas of his life.
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was a great legend as a concert pianist and composer. He became one of the top pianists, however he did become a concert pianist until the age of 40. He worked with hypnotherapists often and credited Dr. Nicholas Dall, who he said brought him out of depression and back into his own creative flow. Rachmaninoff lived in Hollywood, and is said to have never smiled. He wrote a great deal of magnificent piano music (including his 2nd and 3rd piano concertos, which are among my favorites in piano literature), and always presented a direct and straight forward method in both his outward appearance and personality as well as in his musical compositions.
Scriabin (1871-1915) was born on Christmas day and thought of himself as a kind of Messiah. He was raised by women and hugely influencedby this. He injured his right hand not too late in his career and during this time spent a lot of time composing pieces for the left hand. He wrote a great deal of piano music, and had the goal of writing the Mysterium, which would bring about the end of the world.
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) is very famous as a Norwegian composer for his compositions of the lyric pieces (66 of them) as well as for his piano concerto in a minor. Liszt was able to sightread all of Grieg's compositions. Grieg had heavy influence by the folk tunes he was surrounded by and linked many of his pieces to things or areas of his life.
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was a great legend as a concert pianist and composer. He became one of the top pianists, however he did become a concert pianist until the age of 40. He worked with hypnotherapists often and credited Dr. Nicholas Dall, who he said brought him out of depression and back into his own creative flow. Rachmaninoff lived in Hollywood, and is said to have never smiled. He wrote a great deal of magnificent piano music (including his 2nd and 3rd piano concertos, which are among my favorites in piano literature), and always presented a direct and straight forward method in both his outward appearance and personality as well as in his musical compositions.
Scriabin (1871-1915) was born on Christmas day and thought of himself as a kind of Messiah. He was raised by women and hugely influencedby this. He injured his right hand not too late in his career and during this time spent a lot of time composing pieces for the left hand. He wrote a great deal of piano music, and had the goal of writing the Mysterium, which would bring about the end of the world.
Brahms and Franck
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was born in Hamburg, Germany and became a very original and well known composer in the Romantic Era. His father played the flute, violin, horn, cello, and bass and his mother was a seamstress. He grew up in a lower middle class family but had an excellent education. He began to have his piano lessons at the age of 7 and also learned to be proficient on both the cello and horn. He was an avid reader and ruthless editor of his writings as well as his music. He has completely destroyed many of his compositions. Upon comment about Liszt's meeting with Brahms, Liszt replied "I was visited by a genius". Brahms later settled in Vienna and focused his skills on harnessing rhythmic and harmonic tempi, making sure that every note counted in every single one of his compositions, and developing his material further. One could describe Brahms as the enginner of music, for his approach was remarkably similar. He composed a huge range of piano literature, among my favorite of course in his second and third sonatas which best encompass his playing. He wrote those before he was 20 years old...oh my.
Cesar Franck (1822-1890) was born in Belgium and studied later at the Paris Conservatory. Although he did not compose that much music for the piano, his pieces are legends (he spent most of his time composing for the pipe organ). My favorite of his compositions in the prelude choral and fugue (performed by Evgeny Kissin), and I believe it to be one of the strongest pieces of the genre to come out of this time.
Cesar Franck (1822-1890) was born in Belgium and studied later at the Paris Conservatory. Although he did not compose that much music for the piano, his pieces are legends (he spent most of his time composing for the pipe organ). My favorite of his compositions in the prelude choral and fugue (performed by Evgeny Kissin), and I believe it to be one of the strongest pieces of the genre to come out of this time.
The Rockstar That Made the Ladies Faint
Franz Liszt was a rockstar. He found incredibly unique ways to achieve the maximum effect out of the piano of his day. From very early on he was a successful pianist and soon reached the epitome of artistic success in Europe. Many other musicians, such as Clara Schumann, frowned upon his style. His Father had been his first music teacher before he went to study under Czerny. He travelled widely around Europe and was heavily influenced by the places, people, and things that he saw along his way, and often documented them in written or musical journals (such as the Years of the Pilgramage). Pianistically, his music treats the piano more like an orchestra than anything else. He had an incredibly gifted talent for transcribing things for the piano and often did that with many other compositions. He was a missionary for music while making it his own at the same time. He developed new ways for the tremolo affect, more coloristic and chromatic uses of harmony, parallel diminished seven chords, tritones, parallel fourths, slow moving melodies with lots of figurations, cadential figures, receisative sections, repeated throbbing chords, and many other things along his compositional journey. There is so much to talk about in his music that one could not even begin to cover any part of it in a small blog entry, but suffice to say he was the greatest pianist in Europe, a rockstar, and one of the most gifted and famous artists in history.
The American Composers
Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was a student of Nadia Boulangy and composed a great deal of original music for the piano including a set of piano variations (1930), a Piano Sonata (1939-1941) and the Piano Fantasy (1955-1957). Elliot Carter (1908-present) composed his sonata, night fantasies (1982) and also was a student of Nadia Boulangy. Samuel Barber (1910-1981) wrote primarily the 4 excursions (1944), his Sonata Op. 26, and his Ballade in 1977. Milton Babit was an extremely mathematical composer and had his own way of composing. Then you have countless other composers such as Willaim Bolcom and Albright (both composers in the Rag style), John Adams (minimalist), Ewsky Frederick (famous for the composition of "People United Will Never Be Defeated"), Liebermann, Cowell (most influential composer in terms of getting us to work inside of the piano during performance), John Cage (heavily influenced by eastern philosophy and perhaps most famous for his compositional work of 4:33), and George Crumb (more romantic that has a large emphasis on symbols of the sound and music).
The European 20th Century Masters
Shostakovich (1908-1975) was an extremely influential composer in music history of this time. He had a close connection to the Stalin regime, meaning that all music had to be "accessible to the workers", so therefore much of his music and melodies are very simple. He spent his life suffering because he felt his compositional integrity had suffered. He wrote many pieces for the piano including 2 piano sonatas, 24 preludes Op. 34, and 24 preludes and fugues Op. 84 (the most famous being the prelude and fugue in d minor). There are very contrupuntal pieces that mimicked the works of Bach.
Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) also added his flavor to compositions of the 20th century primarily through his first piano sonata which best portrays his style. He also composed a suite of criollas dances, a set of Argentina dances, 12 American preludes as well as some other compositions.
Stockhausen (1928-present) was a piano student of Messian and a very structured worker in his composing. Everyday he would work from 10:30-1:30pm, then 3:00pm-7:00pm, then 10:00pm-12:00am. He was a problem solver and a thinker. He ventured into the area of electronic music and composed very heavy serial music. He had his own notational system and had an "aleatoric" style (latin being the world for chance).
Messian (1908-1992) was a very profound and unique composer. He literally saw colors as effects of different sounds and combinations of sounds. He wrote a great deal for the piano, perhaps the most famous works being his 20 Vingt Regards sur L'Efant Jesus. He invented his own musical language that was heavily influenced by Debussy (the sounds and sonorities) and Stravinsky (freedom of meter). Messian also used additive rhythm where he would bring the fibonacci sequence, or prime numbers, into the amount of note values for give passages of music. In 1942 he published his own book on his musical style stating that harmony was color, and not directional.
Alberto Ginastera (1916-1983) also added his flavor to compositions of the 20th century primarily through his first piano sonata which best portrays his style. He also composed a suite of criollas dances, a set of Argentina dances, 12 American preludes as well as some other compositions.
Stockhausen (1928-present) was a piano student of Messian and a very structured worker in his composing. Everyday he would work from 10:30-1:30pm, then 3:00pm-7:00pm, then 10:00pm-12:00am. He was a problem solver and a thinker. He ventured into the area of electronic music and composed very heavy serial music. He had his own notational system and had an "aleatoric" style (latin being the world for chance).
Messian (1908-1992) was a very profound and unique composer. He literally saw colors as effects of different sounds and combinations of sounds. He wrote a great deal for the piano, perhaps the most famous works being his 20 Vingt Regards sur L'Efant Jesus. He invented his own musical language that was heavily influenced by Debussy (the sounds and sonorities) and Stravinsky (freedom of meter). Messian also used additive rhythm where he would bring the fibonacci sequence, or prime numbers, into the amount of note values for give passages of music. In 1942 he published his own book on his musical style stating that harmony was color, and not directional.
Poulenc, Szymanowski, Hindament & Prokofiev
There are so many composers that come out of this time in music history and all of them exhibit their own style and unique approach to music and composition. Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) is probably most famous for his quote, "Don't analyze my music, love it!". His Biggest and most influential piano piece was probably Les soirees de nazelles which are a set of 8 character pieces with a prelude and finale which last a total of approximately 30 minutes. All of his music for piano fits onto three CD's. Most of it is very pleasant and tonal, such as Napoli for example. It is a short 1:30 second piece with beautiful lines and pleasant tonalities.
Szymanowski (1882-1937) is somehow often forgotten in the mix of 20th century composers, yet he was arguably the greatest Polish composer since Chopin. He was heavily influenced by Scriabin, Strauss, Debussy, Stravinsky and Chopin. He has a very impressionistic sound and wrote some very lovely piano music including the Etude No. 4 which is a piece every pianist should learn!
Paul Hindament (1895-1963) was a well-known German composer. He believed that music shoulder be useful and functional. He believed in the "craft" of music verses the "mountaintop experience of music". In 1937 he wrote a very famous text titled, "The Craft of Musical Composition". In 1942 he took at position as professor at Yale University. His most famous piece for piano is most likely the Suite of 1922 which consists of 5 movements based on early 17th century dance styles. He said in his book, "Forget everything you have leared, and use the piano as an interesting percussion intrument".
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) is another legendary composer to come out of this time period. He wrote around 100 smaller pieces for the piano as well as some rather large ones. He was a neo-classical composer and his sonatas were in classical form. He displays a great sense of rhythm with a dry tones and often many faster notes in a row. He often uses motor rhythms to just keep the piece driving from the first note to the very last. His Piano Sonata No. 6 is a good example of typical Prokofiev style composition. It is very rigurous with fantastic progressions throughout.
Szymanowski (1882-1937) is somehow often forgotten in the mix of 20th century composers, yet he was arguably the greatest Polish composer since Chopin. He was heavily influenced by Scriabin, Strauss, Debussy, Stravinsky and Chopin. He has a very impressionistic sound and wrote some very lovely piano music including the Etude No. 4 which is a piece every pianist should learn!
Paul Hindament (1895-1963) was a well-known German composer. He believed that music shoulder be useful and functional. He believed in the "craft" of music verses the "mountaintop experience of music". In 1937 he wrote a very famous text titled, "The Craft of Musical Composition". In 1942 he took at position as professor at Yale University. His most famous piece for piano is most likely the Suite of 1922 which consists of 5 movements based on early 17th century dance styles. He said in his book, "Forget everything you have leared, and use the piano as an interesting percussion intrument".
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) is another legendary composer to come out of this time period. He wrote around 100 smaller pieces for the piano as well as some rather large ones. He was a neo-classical composer and his sonatas were in classical form. He displays a great sense of rhythm with a dry tones and often many faster notes in a row. He often uses motor rhythms to just keep the piece driving from the first note to the very last. His Piano Sonata No. 6 is a good example of typical Prokofiev style composition. It is very rigurous with fantastic progressions throughout.
Bartok and Stravinsky
Bela Bartok (1881-1945) was an astoundingly gifted composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. His primary goal was to marry the native Hungarian folk tunes with the more western and classical traditions. Like Dohnanyi, Bartok also studied composition under Hans Koessler. During the course of his life, Bartok published almost 2,000 folk songs. in 1907 he became professor at the Budapest Academy where he collected a lot of his material. He had three major compositional periods: his early period (1907-1917), middle (1918-1935), and late (1936-1945). His music is extremely motivic, based on melodies that are expanding, based on many tritones continuous meter in a classical sense, a dryness of sound, a folk-like quality and character, a melodic contour of line, and a great sense of pathos throughout. There are two main styles of Bartok. The first is the more declarative, slower, and chant-like style known as Parlando-Rubato, and the second which is faster and more dance-like known as Tempo-Giusto. Bartok's Out of Doors Suite often plays the melody twice in a row. The second time is usually more elaborate...much like Mozart's style. Bartok is mimicking the classical style in this piece. He does use a different key signature at times, and uses many folk-like melodies based on simple ideas with ornamental influences.
Stravinsky (1882-1971) is perhaps most famous for the composition of the Rite of Spring (1913) which caused the infamous riot upon its debut performance. His Piano Sonata (1924) also represents a very similar style to the Rite of Spring in Stravinsky's compositional methods.
Stravinsky (1882-1971) is perhaps most famous for the composition of the Rite of Spring (1913) which caused the infamous riot upon its debut performance. His Piano Sonata (1924) also represents a very similar style to the Rite of Spring in Stravinsky's compositional methods.
Dohnanyi and Kodaly
The Hungarian artist Ernst Dohnanyi (1877-1960) studied at the Budapest Academy (now known as the Liszt Academy) with Hans Koessler. He made his debut recital in Berlin at the age of 20 years old as a virtuoso concert pianist which launched him into a wonderful career. He went back to teach at the Budapest Academy for a short time before coming to the USA. He then became very interested in folk song and later became a professor at the Florida State University College of Music and is now buried in Tallahassee, Florida. His Ruralia Hungarica is a set of seven movements. These pieces certainly have a folk element to them and the rhythmic motives are probably the most memorable aspect of the performance of this piece along with the folk harmonies.
Kodaly (1882-1967), made significant contributions to the field of music education. He was Bartok's assistant in many things and received his PhD in folk music. His only really significant piece of piano was his Dances for Marosszek (1927) which were later orchestrated in 1930.
Kodaly (1882-1967), made significant contributions to the field of music education. He was Bartok's assistant in many things and received his PhD in folk music. His only really significant piece of piano was his Dances for Marosszek (1927) which were later orchestrated in 1930.
Ives and Griffes
I believe that Charles Ives (1874-1954) is one of the more fascinating composers. Born in Danburry, Connecticut, he grew up studying music with his dad, who was the village band director, and developed a very open mind. He went on to study with Hiratio Parker at Yale, and then became an insurance seller. He never was a professional musician. He viewed music from an entirely different perspective, and when you read his words, it is completely fascinating how he views art. My favorite piece by this composer is Alcotts from the Concord Mass. It is based on the Beethoven 5th symphony motive and expands on it in a truly magnificent and virtuosic way.
Charles Griffis (1884-1920) was also a well known composer of this era. He was a New Yorker and a rebel seeking to break out of tradition. He is responsible for the idea of sensory passiveness (receiving through the senses), and said "There is more to experience in a sunset than in student a Beethoven Sonata". He experienced things instead of creating them in his philosophy. His 3 tone pictures Op. 5 are a great example of this. They are relatively tonal and sensitive pieces, but one can grasp a kind of sensory passiveness throughout the entity.
Charles Griffis (1884-1920) was also a well known composer of this era. He was a New Yorker and a rebel seeking to break out of tradition. He is responsible for the idea of sensory passiveness (receiving through the senses), and said "There is more to experience in a sunset than in student a Beethoven Sonata". He experienced things instead of creating them in his philosophy. His 3 tone pictures Op. 5 are a great example of this. They are relatively tonal and sensitive pieces, but one can grasp a kind of sensory passiveness throughout the entity.
German Composers
Schoenberg (1874-1951) is one of the most known composers to come out of this time period. Large self-taught in piano and composition, he saw himself as continuing an old tradition (verses Debussy, for example, who saw himself as rebelling against the tradition). He is largely responsible for the "emancipation of dissonance", meaning that dissonances in music no longer need to resolve. He does away completely with the idea of tension and resolution. He also had a very expressionalist way of writing. This means that it is usually hyper intense, distorted in expression, and full of atonality in order to set the music free from any kind of expectation. This was largely due to the theories by the noted psychologist Freud. Schoenberg was trying to set the subconscious mind free. His Piano Piece Op.33a is only 2 minutes in length but clearly demonstrates these ideas in action.
Anton Webern (1883-1945) was another German composer of this time and a student of Schoenberg. His pieces are most noted for their sparse textures, condensation of expresion, shortness in length of his pieces (most under one minute), focused intensity, and motivic concentration. The biggest piece that he ever wrote for piano was the Piano Variations Op.27 (written in 1936). Many have stated this Webern's music is like Brahms, and should be played in that style...meaning highly expressive and filled with rubato. His death in 1945 was very tragic. He was out during curfew in 1945 smoking a cigar, and was shot dead, accidentally, by American soldiers.
Another student of Schoenberg is the noted composer Alban Berg (1885-1935). His most popular piece of the piano is his Sonata for piano Op. 1 (1908). It is based on tonality very much in the late romantic style and is constructed in sonata allegro form (it even repeats the exposition!!). It is highly chromatic with lots of counterpoint and a sound very reminiscent of Scriabin to my ears.
Anton Webern (1883-1945) was another German composer of this time and a student of Schoenberg. His pieces are most noted for their sparse textures, condensation of expresion, shortness in length of his pieces (most under one minute), focused intensity, and motivic concentration. The biggest piece that he ever wrote for piano was the Piano Variations Op.27 (written in 1936). Many have stated this Webern's music is like Brahms, and should be played in that style...meaning highly expressive and filled with rubato. His death in 1945 was very tragic. He was out during curfew in 1945 smoking a cigar, and was shot dead, accidentally, by American soldiers.
Another student of Schoenberg is the noted composer Alban Berg (1885-1935). His most popular piece of the piano is his Sonata for piano Op. 1 (1908). It is based on tonality very much in the late romantic style and is constructed in sonata allegro form (it even repeats the exposition!!). It is highly chromatic with lots of counterpoint and a sound very reminiscent of Scriabin to my ears.
Spanish Composers
When listening to music composed in Spain during the late 1800's and early 1900's, one cannot help but become aware of its unique characteristics.
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909) is a noted Spanish composer of this time period. A virtuosic pianist, he gave his first piano recital at the age of 4, and at the age of 7 some say he was accepted into the Paris Conservatory, but then rejected after he threw a rock through a window, others say he was not accepted due to his age. Regardless, he went to the USA for sometime, and by the time he was 15 years old he was travelling all around performing and working with some of the greatest teachers, including the noted composition teacher Felipe Pedrell. When listening to the music of Albeniz such as Triana from Ibelia, you can really begin to hear the unique characteristics of his music. Most notably would be his dance rhythms of Spain, exotic scales and chordal textures, guitar idioms, and his "cante jondo", or intoned musical singing.
Enrique Granados (1867-1916) is another noted Spanish composer of this time period (also a student of Filipe Pedrell). His most famous piece is probably Goyescas (1911) which was later the subject for an opera he wrote in 1914. La Maja y el ruisenor is from this set of pieces and is very music in the romantic piano style. It is extremely lyrical with many beautiful, melodic passages, rubato and exotic harmonies.
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) was also a noted Spanish composer and student of Filipe Pedrell. He is best known for his ballets. He spent seven years of his life living in Paris where he came into contact with Debussy, Ravel, and many other famous composers. His Fantasia baetica (1919) is also one of his more well known pieces. This has an incredibly modern and percussive sound throughout and was actually written for Artur Rubenstein. It has some very strange clusters of tones and an extremely rhythmic feel throughout.
Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909) is a noted Spanish composer of this time period. A virtuosic pianist, he gave his first piano recital at the age of 4, and at the age of 7 some say he was accepted into the Paris Conservatory, but then rejected after he threw a rock through a window, others say he was not accepted due to his age. Regardless, he went to the USA for sometime, and by the time he was 15 years old he was travelling all around performing and working with some of the greatest teachers, including the noted composition teacher Felipe Pedrell. When listening to the music of Albeniz such as Triana from Ibelia, you can really begin to hear the unique characteristics of his music. Most notably would be his dance rhythms of Spain, exotic scales and chordal textures, guitar idioms, and his "cante jondo", or intoned musical singing.
Enrique Granados (1867-1916) is another noted Spanish composer of this time period (also a student of Filipe Pedrell). His most famous piece is probably Goyescas (1911) which was later the subject for an opera he wrote in 1914. La Maja y el ruisenor is from this set of pieces and is very music in the romantic piano style. It is extremely lyrical with many beautiful, melodic passages, rubato and exotic harmonies.
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) was also a noted Spanish composer and student of Filipe Pedrell. He is best known for his ballets. He spent seven years of his life living in Paris where he came into contact with Debussy, Ravel, and many other famous composers. His Fantasia baetica (1919) is also one of his more well known pieces. This has an incredibly modern and percussive sound throughout and was actually written for Artur Rubenstein. It has some very strange clusters of tones and an extremely rhythmic feel throughout.
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