Abstract This paper analyzes Mozart's Concerto for Violin & Orchestra No. 3 in G Major, K. 216, Movement I - Allegro. By using time codes to help the reader identify major changes in tempo, soloists and recapitulation, one can listen along to the movement and have a better understanding of Mozart's genius when writing his concertos.
From the Paper "Mozart's Concerto No. 3 is in three movements. It was written in 1775 and the main theme played by the orchestra at the beginning of the first movement (Allegro) was borrowed from his Il re pastore ("The Shepherd King") (Lieberman, par. 2). The movement is set in the conventional sonata form with orchestral ritornellos alternating with the exposition, development, and recapitulation of the primary themes by the violin. The soloist gives a second exposition and the coda does not come until after an extended solo cadenza."
Abstract This paper studies the dueling themes of reason and passion in the Khatchaturian concerto for violin and orchestra. The paper examines the construction of the concerto and provides a brief biography of the composer.
Abstract This paper looks at Bach's First Brandenburg Concerto in F major. It examines the formal elements of the opening movement and the minuet and polacca at the end of the concerto.
From the Paper "Johann Sebastian Bach achieved eminence first as a keyboard virtuoso and later as a prolific master composer in nearly all the musical forms and genres of the high Baroque. "
Abstract This paper examines the birth and development of Brahms' first and second piano concertos. The paper describes the poor reception to the first concerto and Brahms' subsequent reluctance to compose another concerto. Thus the writer explains the twenty year break between the first and second concerto. The paper provides a detailed musical description of these two concertos.
From the Paper "Various compositions that are now highly praised as masterpieces were not predominantly triumphant in their early years, but few were greeted by actual hisses from the audience. Those that were had typically committed the sin of being too progressive for their day. One such example, the most notorious one, the First Piano Concerto by Brahms a fact which must have been shocking to this composer, who so little identified with progressives. It was one of his first, and most tender, encounters with the determination of the musical establishment. "
This paper discusses Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto" #6 (B-flat) on a Sony disk performed by the "Classic Music Studio" Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Alexander Titov, conductor.
1,030 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 0 sources, 2005, $ 36.95
Abstract This paper explains that Bach simply entitled this music the "Six Concertos for several Instruments"; but, Philipp Spitta, 160 years after they were composed, named them the "Brandenburg Concertos", after Christian Ludwig, the margrave of Brandenburg, the most prominent patron of music in Berlin and Prussia. The author points out that the "Sixth Brandenburg Concerto" is distinctive because it features no violins and is scored for two violas, a cello and continuo (which is a bass part usually performed by a harpsichord), which gives it a far darker tone than the other five concerti. The paper states that this version performed by the "Classic Music Studio" Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Alexander Titov conducting, has a muffled sound and is too "Slavic" an interpretation to be appropriate for the Baroque Bach.
From the Paper "While each concerto features a different set of instruments, all put together represent what music historians consider the synthesis of Baroque concerto styles. This was, of course, long before the concerto was created as a solo instrument playing its own melody, accompanied by an orchestra (Haydn, and of course, Mozart, perfected that style). Here they are considered as concerti grossi, in which a small body of "solo" instruments, called the concertino, contrasts with a larger orchestral group called the ripieno."
Abstract This paper biographies Russian musician Aram Ilich Khatchaturian and analyzes his Violin Concerto (1940). The paper discusses how the concerto was based on the concept of Mugam--a vocal-instrumental poem whose various episodes are unified by a musical mode. The paper looks at the Khatchaturian concerto as socialist propaganda, or proletarian music.
Abstract Analysis of Antonio Vivaldi's solo concerto "Primavera" Op. 8, No. 1 ("Spring"). The first of the 4 concertos that make up The Four Seasons, a programmatic piece. Discusses the ideas of the poem. Discusses interpretations. Details each movement and its motifs.
From the Paper "Antonio Vivaldi's Primavera, or Spring (Op. 8 no. 1) was the first of the set of concertos entitled Le quattro stagioni (Op. 8 nos. 1-4) published in Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione at Amsterdam in 1725 (although the date of their composition is uncertain). The Primavera is a solo concerto scored for Violino principale, two other violins (ripieno), violas, violoncellos and double basses with continuo (usually played on harpsichord). The four concertos provide an example of programmatic music, illustrating four simple poems addressed to the seasons which may have been written, or at least adapted, by Vivaldi himself.
In the poem to Spring, in rough outline, the goddess is welcomed by the singing of birds and the breath of Zephyrs which makes the brooks murmur. Thunder and lightning, one of her signs, arrive and darken the sky. The storm is soon over and the..."
Abstract This paper explains, by describing in detail each movement, that Brahms's ?Violin Concerto? demonstrates how a composer can use aspects of music to move the listener emotionally. The author, for example, details that Brahms signals changes of mood by using dramatic retards followed by rhythmic passages, thereby, communicating an inevitable feeling of both despair and hope. The paper concludes that the overall feeling of the listener is that in the midst of despair there is always a glimmer of hope (first movement), that in the midst of turbulent emotions we can find peace (second movement), and that life should be full of enthusiasm and joy (third movement.)
From the Paper "Gradually, the orchestra fades out and the solo violin comes in more rapid and intense, followed by forceful rhythms of the orchestra that builds to an intense climax, but then backs off so a sweet violin melody accompanied by a flute can break through. This ebb and flow of intensity, gradual crescendos and decrescendos continues throughout the first movement, shifting the listener back and forth between hope and despair. In some places, the violin is only accompanied by light pizzicato in the strings. Finally, Brahms brings the movement to a dramatic conclusion with a sometimes fiery and sometimes gentle passage by the violin and a triumphal orchestral denouement. The entire movement gives a feeling of strong, conflicting emotions."
From the Paper "First Movement: Exposition (Bars 1-256). An orchestral unison in the strings announces the principal motive (not really a theme), figure 1, which is extended lyrically (ms. 9-16) to the full tutti repeat of the opening at measure 16. A progression to the subdominant at bar 24 leads to a developmental transition utilizing the scale figure from the opening and in secondary dominant on D (ms. 36-37) to cadence on G at bar 46.
An unprepared shift to g minor eventually leads to the second theme in E-flat major at measure 49, using G and B-flat as common tones. This theme, figure 2, provides much of the developmental material used throughout the movement, especially ... "
Abstract This paper discusses the difficult life history of Dimitri and the publications of his vast contributions to the music world. The author also gives a detailed description of his piano and trumpet concerto with strings, No. 1, Opus 35 providing its four distinct movements Movement I Allegretto, allegro vivace, Lento II, III Moderato and lastly Allegro con brio.
From the Paper "Shostakovich had a difficult adolescence, his sister Maria died at the age of seven, when he was 14. A year later in 1921, due to the privations of World War I and the Russian Revolution, he began to suffer from malnutrition. At the age of 17, he completed his courses and began to sketch his first symphony. He was unable to continue due to malnutrition and tuberculosis. While recovering in a Crimean sanitarium, Dimitri met Tanya Glivenko, his girlfriend until her marriage in 1929. Shostakovich was forced to go to work as a cinema pianist after his recovery. Despite these set backs, Dimitri continued to compose. Between the ages of 17 and 19, he completed his famous Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10., and had his Op 5, 10 and 11a accepted for publication. He also graduated from Leningrad conservatorie. By the age of 21, he had premiered his first symphony and completed his 15th major composition."
Abstract The paper discusses the life of Antonio Vivaldi, on of the most notable Italian composers and violinists whose operas and concertos greatly impacted the cultural world of the 18th century. The paper discusses Vivaldi's development as a music composer working for the Pieta and Teatro Sant' Angelo opera theaters. The paper then discusses the success of Vivaldi's operas in Venice.
From the Paper "Antonio Vivaldi is one of the most notable Italian composers and violinists and his creations are known and played worldwide. During his lifetime, Vivaldi managed to create unforgettable operas and concertos that have greatly impacted the cultural world of the 18th century and continue to exist as genuine works of art today.
"He was born in 1678, in Venice, and he discovered his musical talent with the help of his father, a violinist that played at St. Marco Cathedral in Venice. It was his father that encouraged and taught Antonio how to play the violin."
Abstract This paper provides a biography of the life and music of Johan Sebastian Bach, considered to be one of the greatest composers of all time and is celebrated as the creator of the "Brandenburg Concertos", "The Well-Tempered Clavier", the "Mass in B Minor", as well as numerous other masterpieces of church and instrumental music. It discusses how Bach brought together and synthesized the principle styles, forms and national traditions of his age, picking the best of each, andby bringing them together enriched them all. It provides a detail analysis of "Third Brandenburg Concerto", by looking at such issues as instrumentation, texture, framing, phrasing and mood.
From the Paper "In the Third Brandenburg Concerto, the strings act as an ensemble throughout the entire work, sometimes as a group, and at other times with one instrumental group, say the violins, are given emphasis. Throughout the entire piece, a heavy Italian influence is present. As may be guessed, the harmony is carried by the harpsichord, while the melodies are carried by the strings. In this case, the Bass and the three cello's carry the lower, heavier part of the melody while the lighter, higher part of the melody is carried by the violins and the violas. Although the harmonies are somewhat different, they work in concert. One harmony will take the lead and the other will fall back or disappear. They also work in concert with each other, playing off each other and using the other to emphasize the statement of the music."
Abstract Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) wrote nearly 500 concertos of various types, composed at least 50 operas and other vocal and instrumental pieces by the score, strongly influenced the direction of violin technique and was a primary influence on Johann Sebastian Bach. The paper shows, however, that for two centuries after his death, Vivaldi and his music sank into oblivion and were only resurrected in the latter half of the twentieth century. Despite this long absence, Vivaldi's reputation has revived swiftly. Although his vocal works and other instrumental pieces are not, as yet, well known, his concertos such as "Le Stagione" ("The Four Seasons"), are among the most popular of all Baroque and classic music today. The paper traces Vivaldi's life and music career and discusses several of his works.
From the Paper "The works in L'estro armonico represented the concerto form "at its most balanced and typical moment" with only three retaining the old-fashioned slow movement at the beginning and the others in the quick-slow-quick form pioneered by Torelli (Palisca 165). Vivaldi wrote at least thirty concertos that retained this older form and, as Talbot notes, they were very often connected by title with the feast-day requirements of the Pietא which seems to indicate that Vivaldi may have hoped "to add an extra touch of grandeur and solemnity by reverting to the four-movement cycle of the church sonata" (145). But, unlike the more sober magnificence of a Corelli concerto grosso or even Torelli's three-movement solo concertos, all of Vivaldi's writing in these early concertos unleashed a "torrent of emotions" that was "unlike anything ever written or at least published before" (Landon 43)."
Abstract This paper discusses four works that Bach composed to be played on the organ (which he himself played). It discusses the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565; the Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542 "Great G minor"; the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582; and the Concerto for Organ solo in A minor, BWV 593 (after Vivaldi). The paper looks at each work and then describes how these works influenced many later composers in the process.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
Fantasia and Fugue in G minor
Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
Concerto for Organ solo in A minor
Conclusion
From the Paper "Bach wrote a variety of organ music, much of it requiring considerable skill on the part of the organist, presumably so he could demonstrate his own skill with the organ. This is reminiscent of similar ways of demonstrating skill on the violin for Paganini, or on the piano by Liszt. Bach extended the reach of the organ in these works and influenced many later composers in the process. Many of his organ works were from an early period in his career, in keeping with his role as church composer and organist in various venues."
