Mountain Crown
The Living Force
I've been looking at music as the motor center's creative manifestation, not to imply of course, that any center is ever functioning entirely in isolation. There is, however, something about music I would like to consider: it can have sentiment, but often won't; it can be programmatic or not (historically there were times this was frowned upon); it can be a purely aesthetic or mathematical statement; it may include lyrics, and it can make you get up and dance!
The motor is regarded as one of the centers of consciousness, and in music it expresses itself, with the ability, often noted, to speak transcendentally to the soul.
I thought I'd list some of its more sophisticated moments - please don't read this as a snubbing of other forms where there is great value. Music is a language of sound, and as in any language there are varying degrees of maturity. Also, this doesn't necessarily mean complexity, some of the most sublime is expressed simply, whether in music or in words.
Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 5 (Emperor) is an excellent start. It is profound, superbly crafted, and meaningful. It celebrates music for itself while communicating a range of emotions.
I've listened to this in my darkest hours; it brings my emotional center to conclude that life is worthwhile, that it should be approached maturely, and along with suffering beauty can be experienced. Well, it does that to me anyway.
[quote author=Wikipedia]
I. Allegro
The piece begins with three full orchestra chords, each followed by a short cadenza, improvisatory in nature but written out in the score. These short cadenzas recur intermittently throughout the piece.
As music's Classical era gave way to its Romantic era, composers began experimenting with the manner in which one or more solo instruments introduced music. Beethoven had already explored such possibilities in his Piano Concerto No. 4, but the monumental piano introduction in Piano Concerto No. 5 – it lasts for nearly two minutes – foreshadowed future concerti such as Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto or Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto in B-flat minor.
The first movement is deceptively complex. Despite its use of simple chords, including a second theme constructed almost entirely out of tonic and dominant notes and chords, it is full of complex thematic transformations. The complexity is intensified once the piano enters with the first theme, as the expository material is repeated with far more complex variations, virtuoso figurations, and complex modified chords. The second theme enters in the surprising key of B minor before moving to C-flat major and at last the expected key of B-flat major several bars later.
Aside from the opening cadenzas, the movement follows Beethoven's trademark three-theme sonata structure for a concerto. The orchestral exposition is a typical two-theme sonata exposition, but the "second exposition" with the piano has a triumphant virtuoso third theme at the end that belongs solely to the solo instrument. Beethoven does this in many of his concerti. The coda at the end of the movement is quite long, and, again typical of Beethoven, uses the open-ended first theme and gives it closure to create a satisfying conclusion.
II. Adagio un poco mosso
The second movement in B major is, in standard contrast to the first, calm and reflective. It moves into the third movement without interruption when a lone bassoon note B drops a semitone to B-flat, the dominant note to the tonic key E-flat.
III. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo
The final movement of the concerto is in seven-part rondo form (ABACABA), a typical concerto finale form. The piano begins the movement by playing its main theme, then followed by the full orchestra. The rondo's B section begins with piano scales, before the orchestra again responds. The C section is much longer, presenting the theme from the A section in three different keys before the piano performs a cadenza. Rather than finishing with a strong entrance from the orchestra, however, the trill ending the cadenza dies away until the introductory theme reappears, played first by the piano and then the orchestra. In the last section, the theme undergoes variation before the concerto ends with a short cadenza and robust orchestral response.[/quote]
Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216 II. Adagio
Arguably the most gifted of all composers. A musicology professor of mine used this as an example of Mozart reaching maturity as a composer. It is indeed beautiful.
[quote author=Wikipedia]
The second movement is also in ABA form, and in the dominant key: D major. The orchestra begins by playing the well known and beautiful main theme, which the violin imitates one octave higher. The winds then play a dance-like motif in A major, which the violin concludes by its own. After a conclusion in A, the violin plays the main theme again, remaining in the same key. When it should have sounded A natural, it sounds A sharp, and the melody switches to B minor, in a fairly tragic passage. It soon modulates back to A major, and to the home key of D major through the main theme. After the cadenza, and in a quite unusual thing for Mozart to do, the violin plays the main theme again , thus concluding the movement in D.[/quote]
Verdi's Storm Scene from "Rigoletto"
One of the great moments in opera. Rigoletto is about a tortured soul among psychopaths who ruin his life. The opera is filled with musical genius.
[quote author=metoperafamily.org]
The jester sends Gilda off to Verona disguised as a boy and pays Sparafucile to murder the Duke. A storm gathers. Gilda returns to overhear Maddalena urge her brother to spare the handsome stranger and kill the hunchback instead. Sparafucile refuses but agrees to kill the next stranger who comes to the inn so that Rigoletto will receive a dead body—even though it is not the one he has paid for. Gilda decides to sacrifice herself for the Duke. She knocks at the door and is stabbed.
The motor is regarded as one of the centers of consciousness, and in music it expresses itself, with the ability, often noted, to speak transcendentally to the soul.
I thought I'd list some of its more sophisticated moments - please don't read this as a snubbing of other forms where there is great value. Music is a language of sound, and as in any language there are varying degrees of maturity. Also, this doesn't necessarily mean complexity, some of the most sublime is expressed simply, whether in music or in words.
Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 5 (Emperor) is an excellent start. It is profound, superbly crafted, and meaningful. It celebrates music for itself while communicating a range of emotions.
I've listened to this in my darkest hours; it brings my emotional center to conclude that life is worthwhile, that it should be approached maturely, and along with suffering beauty can be experienced. Well, it does that to me anyway.
[quote author=Wikipedia]
I. Allegro
The piece begins with three full orchestra chords, each followed by a short cadenza, improvisatory in nature but written out in the score. These short cadenzas recur intermittently throughout the piece.
As music's Classical era gave way to its Romantic era, composers began experimenting with the manner in which one or more solo instruments introduced music. Beethoven had already explored such possibilities in his Piano Concerto No. 4, but the monumental piano introduction in Piano Concerto No. 5 – it lasts for nearly two minutes – foreshadowed future concerti such as Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto or Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto in B-flat minor.
The first movement is deceptively complex. Despite its use of simple chords, including a second theme constructed almost entirely out of tonic and dominant notes and chords, it is full of complex thematic transformations. The complexity is intensified once the piano enters with the first theme, as the expository material is repeated with far more complex variations, virtuoso figurations, and complex modified chords. The second theme enters in the surprising key of B minor before moving to C-flat major and at last the expected key of B-flat major several bars later.
Aside from the opening cadenzas, the movement follows Beethoven's trademark three-theme sonata structure for a concerto. The orchestral exposition is a typical two-theme sonata exposition, but the "second exposition" with the piano has a triumphant virtuoso third theme at the end that belongs solely to the solo instrument. Beethoven does this in many of his concerti. The coda at the end of the movement is quite long, and, again typical of Beethoven, uses the open-ended first theme and gives it closure to create a satisfying conclusion.
II. Adagio un poco mosso
The second movement in B major is, in standard contrast to the first, calm and reflective. It moves into the third movement without interruption when a lone bassoon note B drops a semitone to B-flat, the dominant note to the tonic key E-flat.
III. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo
The final movement of the concerto is in seven-part rondo form (ABACABA), a typical concerto finale form. The piano begins the movement by playing its main theme, then followed by the full orchestra. The rondo's B section begins with piano scales, before the orchestra again responds. The C section is much longer, presenting the theme from the A section in three different keys before the piano performs a cadenza. Rather than finishing with a strong entrance from the orchestra, however, the trill ending the cadenza dies away until the introductory theme reappears, played first by the piano and then the orchestra. In the last section, the theme undergoes variation before the concerto ends with a short cadenza and robust orchestral response.[/quote]
Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216 II. Adagio
Arguably the most gifted of all composers. A musicology professor of mine used this as an example of Mozart reaching maturity as a composer. It is indeed beautiful.
[quote author=Wikipedia]
The second movement is also in ABA form, and in the dominant key: D major. The orchestra begins by playing the well known and beautiful main theme, which the violin imitates one octave higher. The winds then play a dance-like motif in A major, which the violin concludes by its own. After a conclusion in A, the violin plays the main theme again, remaining in the same key. When it should have sounded A natural, it sounds A sharp, and the melody switches to B minor, in a fairly tragic passage. It soon modulates back to A major, and to the home key of D major through the main theme. After the cadenza, and in a quite unusual thing for Mozart to do, the violin plays the main theme again , thus concluding the movement in D.[/quote]
Verdi's Storm Scene from "Rigoletto"
One of the great moments in opera. Rigoletto is about a tortured soul among psychopaths who ruin his life. The opera is filled with musical genius.
[quote author=metoperafamily.org]
The jester sends Gilda off to Verona disguised as a boy and pays Sparafucile to murder the Duke. A storm gathers. Gilda returns to overhear Maddalena urge her brother to spare the handsome stranger and kill the hunchback instead. Sparafucile refuses but agrees to kill the next stranger who comes to the inn so that Rigoletto will receive a dead body—even though it is not the one he has paid for. Gilda decides to sacrifice herself for the Duke. She knocks at the door and is stabbed.
