Category: Classical Music

Better Than Coffee, Gustav Holst, “Jupiter”

on By 4 Comments

Click here for previous Better Than Coffee posts.

JupiterI think most of you who read this blog would agree music is the best ‘drug’ of all time…including our beloved morning coffee.

This series has been and will continue to be a public service for those of you trying to cut your caffeine intake, by enjoying some fast/energetic music…. 😉

…Or for those of you looking to enhance that morning cup.

Gustav Holst, “Jupiter,” from, “The Planets.”

If you are unfamiliar with, “The Planets,” each planet was characterized musically. “Jupiter,” was composed as The Bringer of Jollity. This piece is fun and furious. Even the slower parts are dignified, stately and triumphant!

Do you think, “Star Wars,” composer John Williams mightn’t been influenced? hmmm

This video is another in the line of animated scores click here for others.

Happy Friday, Enjoy!

Music to Relax, Debussy, “Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune”

on By

DebussyThis is one of Debussy’s most popular pieces. “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.”

Impressionist music was often dreamy in nature and this piece fits right in that category. The dreamy quality of the melody is achieved using the whole tone scale. Whole tones on guitar are achieved by skipping on fret each time you advance on the neck. On piano you would skip one key(whether black or white.) There are only two whole tone scales….think about it???

Debussy achieves the lush sonority with his orchestration in the strings and his use of tall chords…chords with extensions, 9, 11, 13s etc. The sound of the harp also adds to the piece’s calmness.

The video again has an amazing animated score which may visually help you enjoy the music so try and follow along!

Enjoy!

Amazing Audio/Visual Presentation of Stravinsky’s, “Rite of Spring”

on By 1 Comment

Did you check out my previous post on Stravinsky’s, “Rite of Spring,” Centennial celebration?

Did you try to listen to it?

Did you just not get it?

That’s OK it is a hard listen but one that is well worth it. I just came across this video which has animated the complete score of the first section of the piece. It enhances the listening experience for myself and I think a novice listener would benefit, as well.

Through the animation you can see the compositional and orchestrational processes more clearly which should enhance the listening experience.

Give it a try…or just enjoy the flashing colors… 😉

More info on the video’s creators

Enjoy!

Better Than Coffee, Beethoven, Symphony 8, 4th Movement, Allegro Vivace

on By

Click here for previous Better Than Coffee posts.

I think most of you who read this blog would agree music is the best ‘drug’ of all time…including our beloved morning coffee.

This series has been and will continue to be a public service for those of you trying to cut your caffeine intake, by enjoying some fast music…. 😉

…Or for those of you looking to enhance that morning cup.

Beethoven’s Symphony 8, Movement 4…ALLEGRO VIVACE!

Happy Friday, Enjoy!

Stravinsky’s, “Rite of Spring,” 100 Years Today

on By 3 Comments

Ahhhh Classical music, enjoyed by the aristocracy, your grandmother’s tea sipping friends the 1% in todays terms….

Well that was the scene 100 years ago today as Stravinsky’s, “Rite of Spring,” was premiered. Well that was allegedly the scene. Would you believe these said music aficionados and high society folks kind of started a riot? Booed so loud the music could not be heard? Began throwing anything they could find?

However it went down that fateful night the music has absolutely stood the test of time. 100 years later the piece’s centennial is being celebrated all over the globe with performances and tributes.

Yes, for most people’s tastes, even today it sounds odd and perhaps ‘ugly.’ For those who have found their way into the works masterful composition it is a thing of beauty. When I first began studying music I was a Mozart and Bach fan. The ‘modern’ art music was not for me… But, through time and guidance of some of the most amazing musicians, my San Diego State music professors, I have learned to appreciate and yes even enjoy, ‘modern’ music.

To really explore the piece, I bought the score back in college so I could immerse myself, visually and aurally, inside the compositional and instrumentation processes Stravinsky employed. Try following the notes on the video below, the piece’s first section.

You have to laugh a little at what in art is called ‘modern,’ because most of it is extremely old. The 20th Century may well go down as the “Modern Era,” for hundreds of years to come. Like the 14th Century is known as ‘Ars Nova,’ or new art.

‘Modern,’ music may never be fully encompassed by humans. Perhaps it lies just out of our centered humanness and can only be appreciated and enjoyed by those who seek to study and look for it’s beauty.

I find myself extremely lucky to be able to love music, such as, the “Rite of Spring,” with all its complexities both in sonority and compositional structure and then listen to a 3 chord AC/DC hard rock song and be moved by both.

The part of the “Rite of Spring,” that has always moved me most both sonically and compositionally starts at approximately 7:45 on the video below. Specifically at 7:56 through the 10:30 mark, although the WHOLE piece is a true masterpiece!

Open your ears and Enjoy!!