As I write this I'm listening to the Rosamunde Overture. Ahhh. Schubert. Words can't express the majesty of really great music. Listen to a large philharmonic play Rosamunde and you'll see what I mean.
If you don't have access right now to a good recording of Rosamunde, try these two YouTube clips I stumbled across. I don't know who posted them, and they are both really lousy recordings, but they give you an inkling of what Schubert's music can do. First, however, if you're using a laptop, plug your earphones into your computer --- a laptop's computer speakers simply can't do Rosamunde justice, even a bad recording of it.
The first clip is someone's home movie of his daughter's school orchestra concert. They are playing the abridged version I played when I was in school. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9kt_YQuowM
Like all daddies, he spends all the camera time on his daughter. But you don't need the video, what you want is the audio. And no, that third note at the beginning is not a mistake, it's supposed to sound like that. About the 22-second mark, listen closely at how complicated the music is, with the different instruments playing very different parts, yet listen how simple the overall melody and harmony is. Genius. About 1:28, the real fun begins. The flute comes in at 1:47, nice and clear if you're listening for it. At 1:58, the gravel starts flying. 2:20: Listen for the horns. Yeah, horns! At 2:55, the horns start their 35-measure tied passage with no breathing allowed! Sweet! (...even if they are just background scenery at this point.) At 3:44 the violas start their two-way dialog with the violins. At 4:00, the engine is fired up, and half a minute later, it's cooling back down. The workout starts anew at 4:50. Notice that this is where the first chair violins really begin earning their pay: notice the motion in their arms, wow, what energy. At 5:19, the herd is charging, the colors come out, the horns shine through as the rock-solid foundation for the violas. At 5:40, although you can't see it, you can hear the violas going into Code Red. The abridged school arrangement curtails the finale a bit, but you can get the idea.
The second clip is the full overture by a professional philharmonic in Italy. Or maybe Spain, I can't tell. Well, most of the orchestra...the ending is cut off. And even more unfortunately, it is terrible video, interrupted by idiots walking around, whispering, etc., and the audio is a lot worse than the school clip. But hey, it's the full overture, and if your headphones are decent, you can still get an appreciation for how fantastic Schubert's music is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev0YVOd4274&feature=related
Forget the picture. It just distracts you. Close your eyes and lean back in your chair and pay close attention to the audio.
Once you've heard it with your eyes closed, replay it again and notice the nuances of what you experienced.
The overture starts out with a nice little twisty-turny frolic, as the oboes, clarinets, flutes, violins, cellos, horns, and basses all play their unique moving parts, yet it all blends magnificently. Things are kinda slow for a while. Then, around the 3:19 and 4:00 marks the flowers start to bloom and things start really getting pretty.
At about 4:13 you hear the horns start the first pass of their extended 35-measure tied whole-note passage. Ahhhh. Then at 4:50 the wind catches the sails, and she starts throwing up a wake. At 5:21, close your eyes tight (right where the fools in front of the camera walk in, right at one of the climaxes) and listen to the timpani's taking out their thunder for some mean exercise. At 6:10 listen how complicated the music gets, with about six different melodies all going at the same time, blending perfectly. At 6:30 the whole world lights up, and at 6:52 you get to one of my favorite parts: the minor-major transitions as the crescendo begins wiping out everything in its path. How 'bout them horns?! The conductor starts rushing again about 7:30, probably to prevent the horn players from passing out from the second go-round of their 35-measure continuously-tied whole note string. At 8:00 you can hear the galloping violins challenging the horns, who wake up and go to work at 8:19. By 8:30 all heck is breaking loose as the timpani's erupt in flames again, inciting the full orchestra into DefCon 1, resulting in the harmonic pandemonium which rolls up and on to the last full minute of timpani-pounding brass and string cacaphony... listen to the variety of the music beginning about 9:30. Heavenly. Then, right in the last ten seconds, at the 10:00 mark.... Stupid Youtube... the server cuts off the last three runs and trills, and the four ending stingers. "File too large. 10-minute limit reached." Bummer. What a letdown!
That last minute is somewhat reminiscent of Beethoven, where the composer doesn't seem to want to part with his music. Ludwig also loved to bang the timpani's a lot, and both he and Franz (and of course all smart composers) loved to let the Horns play loud and long. It's a crying shame this recording doesn't have the last six measures of the finale.
Oh, well, you've got the school concert to show you a prototype of what that ending was like. Wow, I'm grinning from enjoyment just thinking aboug it! Ahhhh. Schubert! Rosamunde! Encore, encore!
If you enjoy it, let me know and I'll send you a really nice, high-quality MP3 professionally recorded, stereo. That's what I'm listening to.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Rosamunde. By Schubert.
I thought this was a cute cartoon. Click on it to read what's on the bag.
As I write this I'm listening to the Rosamunde Overture. Ahhh. Schubert. Words can't express the majesty of really great music. Listen to a large philharmonic play Rosamunde and you'll see what I mean.
If you don't have access right now to a good recording of Rosamunde, try these two YouTube clips I stumbled across. I don't know who posted them, and they are both really lousy recordings, but they give you an inkling of what Schubert's music can do. First, however, if you're using a laptop, plug your earphones into your computer --- a laptop's computer speakers simply can't do Rosamunde justice, even a bad recording of it.
The first clip is someone's home movie of his daughter's school orchestra concert. They are playing the abridged version I played when I was in school. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9kt_YQuowM
Like all daddies, he spends all the camera time on his daughter. But you don't need the video, what you want is the audio. And no, that third note at the beginning is not a mistake, it's supposed to sound like that. About the 22-second mark, listen closely at how complicated the music is, with the different instruments playing very different parts, yet listen how simple the overall melody and harmony is. Genius. About 1:28, the real fun begins. The flute comes in at 1:47, nice and clear if you're listening for it. At 1:58, the gravel starts flying. 2:20: Listen for the horns. Yeah, horns! At 2:55, the horns start their 35-measure tied passage with no breathing allowed! Sweet! (...even if they are just background scenery at this point.) At 3:44 the violas start their two-way dialog with the violins. At 4:00, the engine is fired up, and half a minute later, it's cooling back down. The workout starts anew at 4:50. Notice that this is where the first chair violins really begin earning their pay: notice the motion in their arms, wow, what energy. At 5:19, the herd is charging, the colors come out, the horns shine through as the rock-solid foundation for the violas. At 5:40, although you can't see it, you can hear the violas going into Code Red. The abridged school arrangement curtails the finale a bit, but you can get the idea.
The second clip is the full overture by a professional philharmonic in Italy. Or maybe Spain, I can't tell. Well, most of the orchestra...the ending is cut off. And even more unfortunately, it is terrible video, interrupted by idiots walking around, whispering, etc., and the audio is a lot worse than the school clip. But hey, it's the full overture, and if your headphones are decent, you can still get an appreciation for how fantastic Schubert's music is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev0YVOd4274&feature=related
Forget the picture. It just distracts you. Close your eyes and lean back in your chair and pay close attention to the audio.
Once you've heard it with your eyes closed, replay it again and notice the nuances of what you experienced.
The overture starts out with a nice little twisty-turny frolic, as the oboes, clarinets, flutes, violins, cellos, horns, and basses all play their unique moving parts, yet it all blends magnificently. Things are kinda slow for a while. Then, around the 3:19 and 4:00 marks the flowers start to bloom and things start really getting pretty.
At about 4:13 you hear the horns start the first pass of their extended 35-measure tied whole-note passage. Ahhhh. Then at 4:50 the wind catches the sails, and she starts throwing up a wake. At 5:21, close your eyes tight (right where the fools in front of the camera walk in, right at one of the climaxes) and listen to the timpani's taking out their thunder for some mean exercise. At 6:10 listen how complicated the music gets, with about six different melodies all going at the same time, blending perfectly. At 6:30 the whole world lights up, and at 6:52 you get to one of my favorite parts: the minor-major transitions as the crescendo begins wiping out everything in its path. How 'bout them horns?! The conductor starts rushing again about 7:30, probably to prevent the horn players from passing out from the second go-round of their 35-measure continuously-tied whole note string. At 8:00 you can hear the galloping violins challenging the horns, who wake up and go to work at 8:19. By 8:30 all heck is breaking loose as the timpani's erupt in flames again, inciting the full orchestra into DefCon 1, resulting in the harmonic pandemonium which rolls up and on to the last full minute of timpani-pounding brass and string cacaphony... listen to the variety of the music beginning about 9:30. Heavenly. Then, right in the last ten seconds, at the 10:00 mark.... Stupid Youtube... the server cuts off the last three runs and trills, and the four ending stingers. "File too large. 10-minute limit reached." Bummer. What a letdown!
That last minute is somewhat reminiscent of Beethoven, where the composer doesn't seem to want to part with his music. Ludwig also loved to bang the timpani's a lot, and both he and Franz (and of course all smart composers) loved to let the Horns play loud and long. It's a crying shame this recording doesn't have the last six measures of the finale.
Oh, well, you've got the school concert to show you a prototype of what that ending was like. Wow, I'm grinning from enjoyment just thinking aboug it! Ahhhh. Schubert! Rosamunde! Encore, encore!
If you enjoy it, let me know and I'll send you a really nice, high-quality MP3 professionally recorded, stereo. That's what I'm listening to.
As I write this I'm listening to the Rosamunde Overture. Ahhh. Schubert. Words can't express the majesty of really great music. Listen to a large philharmonic play Rosamunde and you'll see what I mean.
If you don't have access right now to a good recording of Rosamunde, try these two YouTube clips I stumbled across. I don't know who posted them, and they are both really lousy recordings, but they give you an inkling of what Schubert's music can do. First, however, if you're using a laptop, plug your earphones into your computer --- a laptop's computer speakers simply can't do Rosamunde justice, even a bad recording of it.
The first clip is someone's home movie of his daughter's school orchestra concert. They are playing the abridged version I played when I was in school. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9kt_YQuowM
Like all daddies, he spends all the camera time on his daughter. But you don't need the video, what you want is the audio. And no, that third note at the beginning is not a mistake, it's supposed to sound like that. About the 22-second mark, listen closely at how complicated the music is, with the different instruments playing very different parts, yet listen how simple the overall melody and harmony is. Genius. About 1:28, the real fun begins. The flute comes in at 1:47, nice and clear if you're listening for it. At 1:58, the gravel starts flying. 2:20: Listen for the horns. Yeah, horns! At 2:55, the horns start their 35-measure tied passage with no breathing allowed! Sweet! (...even if they are just background scenery at this point.) At 3:44 the violas start their two-way dialog with the violins. At 4:00, the engine is fired up, and half a minute later, it's cooling back down. The workout starts anew at 4:50. Notice that this is where the first chair violins really begin earning their pay: notice the motion in their arms, wow, what energy. At 5:19, the herd is charging, the colors come out, the horns shine through as the rock-solid foundation for the violas. At 5:40, although you can't see it, you can hear the violas going into Code Red. The abridged school arrangement curtails the finale a bit, but you can get the idea.
The second clip is the full overture by a professional philharmonic in Italy. Or maybe Spain, I can't tell. Well, most of the orchestra...the ending is cut off. And even more unfortunately, it is terrible video, interrupted by idiots walking around, whispering, etc., and the audio is a lot worse than the school clip. But hey, it's the full overture, and if your headphones are decent, you can still get an appreciation for how fantastic Schubert's music is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev0YVOd4274&feature=related
Forget the picture. It just distracts you. Close your eyes and lean back in your chair and pay close attention to the audio.
Once you've heard it with your eyes closed, replay it again and notice the nuances of what you experienced.
The overture starts out with a nice little twisty-turny frolic, as the oboes, clarinets, flutes, violins, cellos, horns, and basses all play their unique moving parts, yet it all blends magnificently. Things are kinda slow for a while. Then, around the 3:19 and 4:00 marks the flowers start to bloom and things start really getting pretty.
At about 4:13 you hear the horns start the first pass of their extended 35-measure tied whole-note passage. Ahhhh. Then at 4:50 the wind catches the sails, and she starts throwing up a wake. At 5:21, close your eyes tight (right where the fools in front of the camera walk in, right at one of the climaxes) and listen to the timpani's taking out their thunder for some mean exercise. At 6:10 listen how complicated the music gets, with about six different melodies all going at the same time, blending perfectly. At 6:30 the whole world lights up, and at 6:52 you get to one of my favorite parts: the minor-major transitions as the crescendo begins wiping out everything in its path. How 'bout them horns?! The conductor starts rushing again about 7:30, probably to prevent the horn players from passing out from the second go-round of their 35-measure continuously-tied whole note string. At 8:00 you can hear the galloping violins challenging the horns, who wake up and go to work at 8:19. By 8:30 all heck is breaking loose as the timpani's erupt in flames again, inciting the full orchestra into DefCon 1, resulting in the harmonic pandemonium which rolls up and on to the last full minute of timpani-pounding brass and string cacaphony... listen to the variety of the music beginning about 9:30. Heavenly. Then, right in the last ten seconds, at the 10:00 mark.... Stupid Youtube... the server cuts off the last three runs and trills, and the four ending stingers. "File too large. 10-minute limit reached." Bummer. What a letdown!
That last minute is somewhat reminiscent of Beethoven, where the composer doesn't seem to want to part with his music. Ludwig also loved to bang the timpani's a lot, and both he and Franz (and of course all smart composers) loved to let the Horns play loud and long. It's a crying shame this recording doesn't have the last six measures of the finale.
Oh, well, you've got the school concert to show you a prototype of what that ending was like. Wow, I'm grinning from enjoyment just thinking aboug it! Ahhhh. Schubert! Rosamunde! Encore, encore!
If you enjoy it, let me know and I'll send you a really nice, high-quality MP3 professionally recorded, stereo. That's what I'm listening to.
1 comment:
Lint Monkey: Get a doctorate. Then you can study what you want - as long as you can stand up to your students and tell them it'll be a few more days till they get their tests back.
Remember Laurie Brooks, with one from Antwerp with the perpetual smile? She's hoping to go back to school and become an accounting professor.
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