Some Classical essentials and what to know about them.
- Ravel - Bolero : Theme and variations of a different kind. Rather than transform the theme itself, this piece varies the instrumentation. Very simple; it's one giant crescendo to the end (gets louder, denser in texture). This piece was actually written as an exercise in instrumentation and not as a piece to be performed.
- Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro : Mozart was brilliant in Classical aesthetics, but the reason I'm using one of his operas is that this is where he really shines. His melodic lines are elegant and beautiful as always, but climaxes are what are so impressive about his operas. He built dramatic climaxes to heights previously unheard of, with many (if not all) of the characters on the stage at once, most of them singing at the same time in an ensemble passage. To do this, Mozart had to juggle each of their melodic lines and styles while still maintaining a very musical sound and classical style overall. Truly spectacular.
- Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik ("A Little Night Music") : A good thing to keep in mind about this one is that it was written as light, fluffy background music to be danced to. This stuff was never intended for a concert setting. That said, the style of this work is very typically Mozart. Perfectly balanced phrases and a restrained tone. No wild leaps or sudden changes of mood (like in later Romantic music). Extremely classical in every aspect. And, as always, Mozart's melodies are pretty and catchy.
- Bach - Organ Fugue in G minor (the "Little Fugue") : The reason I'm not describing a more well-known piece (such as say, the Brandenberg Concerto), is that the fugue is quintessential Bach. Mathematical perfection meets artistic beauty. A fugue, in a nutshell, is a melody sung in one "voice" (melodic line), then before that one is finished, the same melody comes in in another voice, then another, up to however many total voices the composer wants to use (think row, row, row your boat). Then flip the melody upside down, play it backwards, develop short motives from it, whatever. All the voices must be kept separate and distinctive while maintaining an overall sound that is still pleasing (create unified harmonies). Bach did this with a skill that is dazzling. Try to listen for each voice separately in this piece (and others). On another hearing, listen for the overall harmonies. See how the two ways of hearing this kind of music interact. It's an exercise in focus, but it's well worth the listen.
- Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique IV, V : I've included only the last two movements just because they are the only ones I will comment on. The piece as a whole is different from previous symphonies (for example, classical symphonies) because the movements run together with no break in between. This piece is a perfect example of program music, which describes a fantasy/dream sequence. The fourth mvmt is the March to the Scaffold. Here the main character is being led to the scaffold to have his head chopped off. There is a beautiful moment where there is a huge orchestra hit, then silence for a small moment. That is where his head is chopped off. The Dream of the Witches' Sabbath is a bizarre sounding cacophony. Wild sounds are produced through unusual orchestration. For example, at times the violins are required to play with the wooden part of their bows, rather than the horse hair. There is a single motive that runs through the entire symphony. It is called the idee fixe and represents the main character's love interest.
- Schubert - Trout Quintet / "Die Forelle" : These two works are essentially the same thing, except that one is a piano quintet and the other is a song (piano and voice). Another example of program music, which is a great way to get into classical music because there's something concrete to relate the music to. In this case, a happy little trout is swimming in a brook and gets caught by a fisherman. Just try to not hear that plot now that you know it.
- Debussy: Early works (ex. La Cathedral Engloutie, Claire de Lune, L'apres midi d'une faune) : Debussy is the quintessential Impressionist composer. His piano works often feature a half-pedal technique. That means the sustain pedal is depressed halfway and left there in order to blend all the notes together. The result is an all-over wash of sound that suggests or evokes the melody rather than clearly stating it (compare to Impressionist painting style). This type of music is closely related to symbolist poetry. The Faune is actually based on a poem by Mallarme.
This list will cause much controversy, I think, in terms of the pieces I chose to talk about. These are not the absolute most important, they're just the ones I know enough about off the top of my head to write about. There will be another list later, a tier 2 for those who wish to know a little more about some heavier or more involved works.
There is a conspicuous lack of Beethoven here. He is near and dear to my heart and will have a list of his own in the very near future.
Some term definitions:
Theme - the main melodic line which recurs at least one other time in a piece and is often developed (morphed, usually called thematic development). There can be more than one in a piece, and often are. An example is Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" theme in the Ninth Symphony.
Motive - A smaller melodic snippet that is developed and used extensively. A classic example is Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, four note motive: da da da duhhhhh.
Form - the overall structure of a piece (each movement will have a form, and the overall work will also have a form). Some examples are Sonata form, Rondo, Theme and Variations.
Theme and Variations - a theme is stated, then repeated in varied form. And again and again until the composer is finished what he/she wanted to do with it.
Melody - the tune you hear most prominently.
Harmony - the vertical texture of the music. If you hear a bunch of notes sounding together, they are almost definitely creating a harmony.
Program music - music that has another idea, poem, story, image, etc. associated with it. As opposed to absolute music which has none.
I don't know how much controversy you're expecting, but my experience has been that classical or 'serious' music lists don't attract much attention around here. But I'm one Listologist who appreciates what you're trying to do here.
Do I have any quibbles? Well, I always thought the term was 'motif' rather than 'motive'.
Looking forward to your Beethoven list, and to the continuation of this one.
If your computer has a sound card you'll probably know that much classical music is available free as MIDI files (works best for keyboard music). If by chance you haven't experienced MIDI music yet, try the links at my music lists - some of them still work, I think.
I had just expected that anyone who knows anything about classical music would chime in and ask where Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Copeland, Handel, Vivaldi, etc. are in this list. I just wanted to give a pre-emptive answer as to why I chose the ones I did. I actually didn't expect a whole lot of response to this list, I just wanted to put my music studies to some use, and exercise my memory a little.
As to the motif/motive thing - according to my Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music, either is correct. In my six years of (post-secondary) music study (almost 20 yrs total), I always heard it as a motive, unless you're talking about Wagner's lietmotifs.
I have seen your lists on MIDI music, and have every intention of going through them at some point in the near future (when I have time to actually sit down and listen to them). Thank you for the tip - I really appreciate that there's someone out there with an appreciation for this stuff.
I always thought it was motif, too. BUT, I realized, I only KNOW that motif is correct in terms of theatre, not music. Do you pronounce them the same way?
Nadine, not logged in.
I think 'motif' is pronounced 'moh-teef'.
Yes, motif is correct in theatre vocabulary, as well as literature. Given that I'm a literature major and a music major, I've always used motif in my English studies and motive in my music studies.
buddy, I have left an apology to you here