Mozart and Schumann

Paper Summary:

This paper is in two sections. The first part examines Mozart's Symphony no. 39 in E-flat and the second, Schumann's Quartet in A-minor, op 41, no 1. It discusses how Mozart's music was reflective of his life and his friendships and interwoven in this symphony are chords that resonate harmony and plays on the dynamics of sound to create a musical piece that slowly marches into a series of discords. In contrast it shows how Robert Schumann's music has often been identified with his love of poetry, painting and indicative of his personal moods and how many of his compositions mention characters or refer to scenes from poems, novels and plays.

From the Paper:

"E-flat was a one of his favorite keys. As in the rites of the opera, three solemn knocks on the portal of truth are evoked in the commanding chords upon which the Adagio introduction opens the symphony. Certain musical details of this exalted work have been viewed as Masonic elements: parallel thirds, symbolizing fraternity; the striking role of the clarinet, then a newcomer to the symphonic ensemble but commonly heard at Masonic gatherings and in the opera house; and even slurred notes, whose ties suggest friendship."

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