Music Set #245 - Mussorgsky

Modest Mussorgsky
[mɐˈdʲest ˈmusərkskʲɪj]
(1839 – 1881)

A Russian composer, Mussorgsky was one of the group known as "The Five". He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period. 
                                        

Many of his works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other nationalist themes.

Such works include the orchestral tone poem Night on Bald Mountain, and the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition.


Night on Bald Mountain - orchestra tone poem

Pictures at an Exhibition - piano suite

* Promenade plus 2 of the 10 movements: 

     1:38  Mvt.9 Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba Yaga)

     3:45  Mvt.10 The Great Gate of Kiev

* The full suite has 10 movements:
    1. The Gnome
    2. The Old Castle
    3. The Tuileries
    4. Bydlo (A Polish ox-wagon)
    5. Ballet of the chickens emerging from their shell
    6. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle
    7. The Market Limoges
    8. The Catacombs
    9. The Hut of Baba-yaga the Witch
   10. The Great Gate of Kiev
   Promenade is played once as overture, and 4 more times, between 2 movements.

Music Set #244 - Mendelssohn

Felix Mendelssohn   

[ˈfeːlɪks ˈmɛndl̩szoːn]   (1809 – 1847)
  

Mendelssohn had quite a long list of compositions.     

Symphony No. 4 in A, Op.90
- aka the "Italian" 

* Mvt.1  Allegro vivace
* Mvt.2  Andante con moto
* Mvt.3  Con moto moderato
* Mvt.4  Saltarello: Presto

* Mvt.4  Saltarello: Presto

     

Violin Concerto, Op.64    

* Mvt 1   Allegro molto appassionato

* Mvt 2   Andante

* Mvt 3   Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace

  

Or, a 2-minute Movement 1 by Anne-Sophie Mutter

Music Set #243 - Mendelssohn - Wedding March

Felix Mendelssohn    

[ˈfeːlɪks ˈmɛndl̩szoːn]   (1809 – 1847)

   

A Midsummer Night's Dream     

* Wedding March   

            
= = = = =
* The 16 most popular classical music selections 
used in wedding ceremonies.

Music Set #242 - Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana

Pietro Mascagni 

(1863 – 1945)
  

Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry)
It is about a love tragedy in which the boy friend falls in love with a married woman, and the jealous girl friend reported the adultery to the husband; the boyfriend died.
   
* Intermezzo - background music for an Easter mass in the church
                           
                                     

This one-act opera caused single-handedly the Verismo ("realism") movement in Italian dramatic music between 1875 and 1900. The style is distinguished by realistic depictions of contemporary everyday life, especially the life of the lower classes, instead of kings and countesses.

= = = = =

* adopted in The Godfather III movie

Music Set #241 - Mahler - Symphony No.2

Gustav Mahler

[ˈɡʊstaf ˈmaːlɐ]  (1860 – 1911)

Symphony No. 2  

- aka the "Resurrection Symphony"

The work in its finished form has 5 movements.

* Performed on 10 Sep 2011, 
the eve of the 10th anniversary of the 911 event, for the survivors, the families of the victims, the rescuers, and then the public inside the Lincoln Center as well as outside.

Totaling about 1.5 hours.

Music Set #240 - Liszt

Franz Liszt  

(1811 - 1886)

Ständchen (Horch! Horch! die Lerch!)  (小夜曲) 

Originally by Schubert, and rearranged by Liszt

* James Berry (piano)  

La campanella  (鐘)

Paganini's Violin Concerto No.2 (3rd mvt.) 
- Julia Fischer (vioin)

... rewritten by Liszt for piano ...

* Alice Sara Ott (piano) 

-Watch her fingers 

and hear the bells!
See how it played on the piano.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat

The concerto consists of 4 shorter movements, which are performed without breaks.

* Martha Argerich (piano)  
Totaling about 18 minutes.

Music Set #239 - Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsodies

Franz Liszt  
(1811 - 1886)  
  
Hungarian Rhapsodies  

A set of 19 piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes. 
    




No. 2 is particularly famous. 

Nos. 10 and 6 are also well-known.

Music Set #238 - Liszt - Liebesträume

Franz Liszt  
(1811 - 1886)

Liebesträume (Dreams of Love / 愛之夢)

A set of 3 solo piano works. 

Often, the term Liebestraum refers specifically to No.3, the most well-received of the three.

Look at his looks!

Do not look at his looks!

Music Set #237 - Leoncavallo - Vesti la giubba

Ruggiero Leoncavallo

[rudˈdʒɛːro leoŋkaˈvallo] (1858 – 1919)

Pagliacci (Italian for clowns) is an opera about the tragedy of a husband in a comedy art troupe.  He suspects that his wife is cheating on him. (She is.)  But he is due to prepare for the performance, and is here left alone to put on his costume and prepare to laugh.

Vesti la giubba / Put on your costume
* Mario Lanza – (For the First Time 1959 movie version)

* Enrico Caruso 
– (1904 original performance)    
 
     In 1904, Enrico Caruso recorded this aria, and made it the first album that sold over 1 million copies in history.  
     In 1907, the entire Pagliacci opera was recorded to an album - the first opera album in history. 
     In 1931, it was made a movie with sound - the first opera movie in history.

Music Set #236 - Khachaturian - Sabre Dance

Aram Khachaturian 

(1903 – 1978)
  

His Gayane ballet has 4 acts, in an Armenian setting, around a young woman called Gayane, who marries the good guy that rescues her from her bad husband.

  

Sabre Dance / 剣の舞

The Sabre Dance is a movement in Act 4.  It evokes a whirling war dance, where the dancers display their skill with sabres.

* 1964 original ballet performance – on stage

* piano duet
* Japan Marimba Ponies Band – amazing kids

* Vanessa Mae (on electric violin) & dancers – oh mine

* 石川直 (on side and snare drums) – great drummer

Music Set #235 - Holst - The Planets

Gustav Holst

(1874 - 1934)

Holst is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets.
 
The suite has 7 movements, each of which is named after a planet (other than Earth) of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst.   

* Mars, the Bringer of War

* Venus, the Bringer of Peace
* Mercury, the Winged Messenger
* Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
* Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
* Uranus, the Magician
* Neptune, the Mystic

Mars, the Bringer of War

Music Set #234 - Haydn

Joseph Haydn 

[ˈjoːzɛf ˈhaɪdən] (1732 - 1809)

Haydn is called the "Father of the String Quartet", too.  
  









            

Quartet No.62 in C
- aka "Emperor" / "Kaiser" Quartet, Opus 76, No. 3
* mvt 2 (of 4)  Poco adagio; cantabile

- In this movement, Haydn quotes the melody from "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" / "God Save Emperor Francis", an anthem he wrote for Emperor Francis II. 

- This same melody is also used in the German national anthem, Deutschlandlied.  
             

Cello Concerto No.1 
* mvt 3 (of 3)  Allegro molto  
              

Trumpet Concerto 
* mvt 3 (of 3)  Allegro (rondo)

You may be too young to be familiar with this fanfare theme for the BBC radio news.

Music Set #233 - Haydn - Symphonies

Joseph Haydn 

[ˈjoːzɛf ˈhaɪdən] (1732 - 1809)

Haydn was often called the "Father of the Symphony", because of his important contributions, besides having composed 104 symphonies!  

Symphony no.45 

When the tempo is changed from presto (very fast) to adagio (slow) in the middle of the movement (by 4:18), the performers start to leave the stage! 

* Mvt 4 (finale): Presto - Adagio

  
It was by Haydn's design. Their boss made them perform in a summer palace for long, but disallowed them to bring their families along. Aware of his team's grief, Haydn wrote the score so that the performers, one after the other, put out their candles and fare-welled the stage. The boss finally got the message and in the next morning announced leaving the summer palace for home. Thus nicknamed “Farewell” Symphony.

Symphony no. 94 

* Mvt 2 (of 4): Andante

Haydn did not appreciate those who fell asleep during his performance.  So he humorously designed this piece to wake up the sleepers. Thus nicknamed "Surprise" Symphony.

Symphony no. 100 - with many breakthroughs and Turkisk military - hot at the time

* Mvt 2: Allegretto 

* Mvt 4: Presto 

'The nickname "Military" Symphony derives from the second and the fourth movements, which feature prominent fanfares written for C-trumpets and percussion effects.' 

Symphony no. 104 "London" Symphony --- Haydn's last symphony

* Mvt 4 (finale): Spiritoso 

Haydn on harpsichord at left bottom corner

At age of 77, Haydn died shortly after Napoleon’s French army attacked on Vienna.  Napoleon dispatched soldiers to protect Haydn's home.  Two weeks later, a memorial service was held, at which Mozart's Requiem was performed.  Mozart and Haydn appreciated each other.

Music Set #232 - Händel

Georg Friedrich Händel 

[ˈhɛndəl]  (1685 – 1759)

Handel/Halvorsen's Passacaglia for Cello and Violin

* A violin between 2 knees!

    

  

Sarabande

A dance melody in triple metre (3/4 or  9/8) 

* Adapted in Barry Lyndon (1975)

* Maksim on piano

* Levi’s ads 

Largo

* Largo (slow/stately tempo) is the first aria of opera Xerxes (or Serse). The Italian name of the aria is "Ombra mai fù", meaning “Never has there been a shade”. It is sung by the main character, King Xerxes, in praise of a tree's shade as he sits underneath it.  The lyrics are simple and repetitive:

Ombra mai fù --- di vegetabile, --- cara ed amabile, --- soave più.

[Never has there been a shade --- of a plant 
--- more dear and lovely --- or more gentle.]

The score for King Xerxes was originally composed to be sung by a soprano castrato, but is now rearranged for other voice types (e.g. soprano or mezzo-soprano) and instruments.  

     A castrato was a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of (female) soprano; he was castrated before puberty (i.e. before his voice change/break/crack), so that no testosterone would change his larynx to a man's, but his lungs developed to a man's lungs (a bigger resonance box).

= = = = =
Extra:
* Lascia ch'io pianga / Let me weep
* Cara Sposa / Dear bride

Music Set #231 - Händel - Water Music

George Frideric Händel 
(1685 - 1759)

Handel & KG1 on the Thames

Water Music  
After the coronation of King George I in London, there was a grand water party on the Thames River.  As the royal boats floated down the Thames, all the musicians on boats competed for his attention.  Suddenly from a boat at the rear, Handel conducted his Water Music (in pipe-horn), louder than all others.

  
* Water Music, Suite Nº 2 in D Major, Alla Hornpipe (literally Hornpipe and Air)  
                   

* Water Music - a 47-minute version with musicians and dancers dressed accordingly.
           
KG1 liked this piece, and re-hired Handel as court musician; a while ago he had fired Handel who spent too much time on London, away from Hanover.

Music Set #230 - Händel - Royal Fireworks Suite

George Frideric Händel
(1685 - 1759)
  
Music for the Royal Fireworks Suite

* Mvt 1 - Overture

* Mvt 2-5 
      Mvt 2 - Bourree: a fast French dance
      Mvt 3 - La Paix: a slow Sicillian dance  
      Mvt 4 - La Rejouissance (literally, Rejoice) 
      Mvt 5 - Menuet 1 and 2 (literally, minuette)

Music Set #229 - Händel - Zadok the Priest

George Frideric Händel

(1685 - 1759) 

King George II

Zadok the Priest 
For the coronation of King George II, Handel composed: 

* Zadok the Priest, the coronation anthem. 

Note: Zadok was a priest in King Soloman's time.  The lyrics are from the Bible (1 Kings 1:38–40) - easy to sing along:

     Zadok, the Priest and Nathan, the Prophet anointed Solomon King.

     And all the people rejoic'd ... .... ...., and said:

     'God save The King, long live The King, may The King live for ever!

     Amen, Hallelujah!'
                     
* It has then been played in coronation processions, from KG2's down to QE2 in 1953, in the Westminster Cathedral.
                   
* Portraits of all the British monarchs, accompanied by Zadok the Priest (the music, of course).

= = = = =

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria

Coronation of Queen Victoria (more) as in The Young Victoria movie. 

* Hear 'Zadok the Priest' in the background?

* The guy with a mustache is her husband Prince Albert (of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a German state). 
* In Hong Kong, named after him are two short roads outside the Governor’s House: the Upper and the Lower Albert Roads. 

* After Prince Albert’s death of typhoid fever, the Queen "entered a state of mourning and wore black for the remainder of her life. She avoided public appearances, and rarely set foot in London in the following years."  

Coats of Arms:-   

House of Hanover

* Queen Victoria inherited a German house name of Hanover from King George I. 

KG1 came to the English throne as a 54-year-old, dull and uninspiring man.  He cared little for life in Britain, and never learned to speak English.
   
His son KG2 spoke English in public, and English in private.

House of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha

* Victoria found Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha extremely handsome, and gave birth to 9 children in their 20 years of marriage.  Her children inherited Albert’s German family name. 

Anglo and Saxon were German tribes migrated to England, anyway.
      




               
                                  
    
                                              

House of Windsor

* During WW1, when the general British feeling was hatred against the Germans, law was passed in 1917 to rename the royal family of George V to the House of Windsor.  
            
And, thereafter, even issues of a Regina (e.g. QE2) are members of her House.

Music Set #228 - Händel - Messiah

George Frideric Händel 

(1685 - 1759) 

Messiah 

   

Handel's Messiah oratorio has 3 parts: The Birth, The Passion, and The Aftermath - of Jesus Christ.  
 
At the end of Part 2 is the Hallelujah Chorus, which has a convention for the audience to stand.  Here you'll notice the standing audience in Hong Kong in 2006.  [Its simple and repetitive lyrics is easy to sing along.]

Two and half centuries ago, King George II of England stood up when hearing this chorus, and everybody else there had to follow.  That started the standing convention, for centuries and worldwide.              
Wikipedia documented a few possible reasons why KG2 took a stand.  

The video below has an open score, with separate Soprano-Alto-Tenor-Bass, for us to try them all.  Or, never mind your S, A, T or B - just sing along.  

The following shows a creative way to display the lyrics intended for the audience to sing along.  But the audience chose to laugh along.

* Brothers

A full version (2-1/4 hours) 

Music Set #227 - Grieg - Piano Concerto

Edvard Grieg   

["ED-vahrd GREEG"] (1843 – 1907) of Norway

Piano Concerto in A minor 

The only concerto that Grieg completed, it is one of his most popular works, and among the most popular of all piano concerti.
     
Alice Sara Ott (piano)
* Mvt.1 Allegro molto moderato
* Mvt.2 Adagio
* Mvt.3 Allegro moderato molto e marcato - Quasi presto - Andante maestoso

Totaling 32 minutes