Symphony 8 Fifth Symphony Analysis

Beethoven’s 9th symphony is one of the most famous classical pieces written by him in 1824. The piece starts out with a deep crescendo and is slightly dark. It is made up in the homophonic nature within the ABA format. The tone is dark and then gets a little lighter and goes back to being dark each goes along with the cresenendo’s and decresendo’s that are found within the

Marche Diabolique is composed by Brian Balmages. Brian Balmages is an award winning composer and has bachelor’s degree in music from James Madison University. He has composed pieces that have been performed worldwide. He has also won awards like the Albert Austin Harding award from the American School Band Directors Association.

There are many differences and similarities between the fourth movement of Beethven’s Fifth symphony and the fourth movement of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, whether it is the orchestrastion of the pieces, the dynamics, form and period.

In Beethoven’s Symphony 5 and his Symphony 9, movement IV are both composed with very simple notes, which are then taken to complex levels which make them what they are today. With that said, this makes it very similar to Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, the “Surprise” Symphony. The similarities include the complex use of simple notes turned into long, creative pieces of music for both the composer's’ works. However, the differences are not to noticeable, but pretty significant once analyzed thoroughly. For example, the theme for Haydn’s the “Surprise” Symphony are played shortly and the total of four variations, make up the rest of symphony. Whereas in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, the symphony begins and ends with the same theme, and the variations (also a total of four) are just there to fill in the gap.

It is forceful and heavy and is very different to the accompaniment of the first section. The accompaniment has a sudden crescendo from the pianissimo of the first section to the mezzo forte of the second section, which shocks the audience. The harmonies are also more chromatic and dissonant, adding to the unease and discomfort felt, both by the character and the audience. In bar 23, instead of the dyads, the left hand begins playing octaves while the right hand plays chords, making the piece feel more menacing. The crescendos, diminuendos and sforzandos in the accompaniment, and the harmonies accurately portray the second and fifth stanzas of the poem, where the character is pulled from his lovely dream and sees his reality, where it is cold and he is alone. This thus explains why section A and B have such contrasting musical

The length of this movement itself (691 measures) is as long as a whole symphony in the previous generation and it is what made this movement ‘heroic’. Beethoven treated the main melody in this movement like a character in a drama. Beethoven started an unusual trend in the exposition by letting the cello play the pastoral theme which outlines an E-flat major triad. The triple meter is another bizarre trait, yet when it’s combined with the tempo of this movement; it reminds the listener of Deutsche peasant dance. The primary theme (see fig. 1.4) underwent several thematic transformations in this movement, first being treated in rising sequences. The ‘antagonist’ leaping figures (see fig.1.4) outline accents on weak beat, giving the whole section a sense of metrical disruption. The second theme appeared in B-Flat major, followed by a closing

The stringed instruments were the accompaniment; therefor, they began with harmonics, chromatics, and tremolo for various measures rather than having a moving part. The melody was given to the flutes and soloist, Sami Junnonen, who was also very talented. The song was about 22 minutes long and he had the whole piece memorized. It sounded very sad, but soothing simultaneously. There were visuals around the theater, which made it easier to understand and visualize what Lopez was trying to describe when writing the song. The sorrow of the princess was definitely felt by the audience and it was heard throughout the piece. Since the piece was intended to be sad, it remained in a minor key for the most part. I did notice that as the intensity of the song (when the princess’ father send soldiers to capture the two lovers) was shown by using louder dynamics such as fortissimo (ff) rather than piano (p) or pianissimo (pp). Lopez also included more use of the percussion and brass instruments such as the tuba, trombone, trumpet and horn making the suspense grow. The upper stringed instruments complimented the flute very nicely since they both have that soothing sound. This piece consisted of two different movements. The second part of it was a lot more allegro, upbeat, and energized. It symbolized the eternal love that no one, not even a powerful king, could take away. The whole orchestra had more active roles and a polyphonic texture. Together they made a beautiful

It is as if one voice is staying motionless, watching the other voice depart, before leaving in the opposite direction while looking back frequently at the other longingly . The alto then joins the quinto and canto at measure seven, and rapidly mimics the descending stepwise line of the canto at the lyrics “ah, end of my life.” This is an essential text painting as a descending line is suggestive of a lament, and the lyrics in this fragment, full of despair and grief, are somewhat clearly lamentable. The two voices, quinto and canto repeat the descending line together in

This piece has three movements, Allegro moderato, Adagio di molto, and Allegro ma non tanto. This piece starts off with a slow and expressive solo by the soloist, Alexi Kenney. The change in dynamics, the use of vibrato, and other techniques enhanced his solo. The orchestra then plays with a homophonic texture with some tempo changes. A few fast solos and a few slow ones followed.

It features two main themes, plus many melodic episodes. The structure - in A-B-A form - is clearly identifiable through the themes that mark each of the sections: the lyrical melody that opens the work, the exciting piu animato that ends with a demanding cadenza, and the final recapitulation that is followed by a cheeky and vivacious codetta that brings the work to a dramatic close. Possessing a memorable melodic theme, the piece tests the performer through the unending phrases, virtuosic c and the resultant nimble fingerwork required. It has remained one of the great standards amongst the

This Chaconne begins with a singing violin melody almost beguiling in its character, with a natural sense of ebb and flow that traverses numerous episodes. With the addition of double stops and chordal textures, the intensity gradually rises until it reaches the breaking point where the violin charges forward through a frenetic, virtuosic passage. The tension and register continue to rise to the point where the violin sounds as if it is screeching. The drama resolves in the brief coda as the frantic energy unwinds and the violin fades away into the

First of all, the piece is quite interesting as a prelude – an introductory piece of music as it start off with dynamic and vibrant sounds that include the whole ensemble. This piece is structured as a three-part or ternary form which consists of ABA’ form. The idea of this piece is mainly act as an introductory of a story because this piece is only an excerpt from a bigger orchestral performance. From what I have heard, the solo performance is mainly comprise of the woodwind instruments in part B that indicated the slight sign of relief and calmness. The piece has a lot of variation where the composer include different timbres and dynamics such as the high dynamic structure during the first and the last part with the associating crashes of cymbals. The piece comprise of many musical instrument particularly string, brass, and woodwinds. The composer also use repetition in composing as the first part is repeated at the end of the piece, but with more sophisticated dynamics and timbre. In my opinion, the piece by Richard Wagner is a very good example for the topic of Basic Musical Concept that introduce many essential parts like referential listeners and structure of

The first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, is very fiery and powerful. After an initial flourish of piano solo, the violin brings forth the main theme, a romantic, almost heroic melody. As the theme is developed fast passages create a sense of urgent drama. The middle movement is very unique because of its title Improvisation: Andante cantabile. The tranquil violin passages give the impression of improvisational material. This movement begins with a beautiful love song until a turbulent middle sections rudely interrupts its dream-like reverie. The finale, Andante-Allegro, begins with a quiet, introspective introduction in the piano alone which then leads into an exuberant Allegro. At the Allegro, the violin breaks forth with ascending, slashing passages from its lowest to its highest register, creating a sense of drama and importance. However, then comes a playfulness that sneaks into the music almost without notice. And then after a rush of virtuosic passages from both violin and piano, the sonata comes to an explosive end. There is an very interesting thing that in this movement, Strauss use the same motive with the first movement of Brahms Violin Sonata no.1. This can be considered as Strauss’s respect to

Beethoven’s career as a composer can be categorized into three periods: (1) the peak of Classical period where most of his works shown influences of his teacher Joseph Haydn, as well as influences from other great musicians of all time such as Mozart. (2) 2nd period where Beethoven began to lose his hearing, his music changed as he expanded the traditional style forms and let it sounded emotionally more powerful and full of boldness. (3) He strived to search for new sounding and he restudied Bach’s work in hoping to absorb the polyphonic color infused in his later works.

The opening of the movement is in A major and remains primarily diatonic in its harmonic content, with only the occasional passing tone. The primary theme is played twice having a four-bar transition in between each quotation (Example 2). The harmonic movement of the opening thirty-one bars is primarily the tonicization of A major through a [V to I] progression. A half cadence is then used at bar thirty-two to make a modulation to the five chord: E Major.