My violin teacher recommended that I listen to Beethoven's 7th symphony. He took two years to write it and it premiered in Vienna, Austria in 1813. It has four movements: I. Poco sostenuto- Vivace II. Allegretto III. Presto- Assai meno presto IV. Allegro con brio. The greatness of this symphony is unique to each movement. The first movement introduces many of the themes that show up in greater prominence later on in the symphony. The second movement is more somber, and the richness and mysteriousness of the melody combined with which sections get the melody make it a marvelous movement. The third movement is a trio that jumps between sections of the orchestra. The fourth movement is an exciting, loud whirlwind of a finale, where Beethoven uses one of his very rare fortississimos (fff, meaning super duper loud). One of Beethoven's most notable characteristics is his dynamics. He uses "terraced" dynamics, meaning that dynamics are not relative; rather, each dynamic marking is the same level. Terraced dynamics help Beethoven build crescendos and decrescendos uniformly and at a constant rate throughout the orchestra. He is also known for changing the dynamic markings between sections; for example, the cellos may be told to play piano (softly), while the trumpets may be told to play forte (loud), and he was the first to use this technique (before, every musician in the orchestra would have the same dynamic marking).
While the symphony does not have any lyrics accompanying it, it is still able to say a little bit about the human experience. I have been told that the difference between good and great music is that great music can heal the soul of both the listener and the musician because it requires the musician to play expressively and translate emotion into his or her music. The London Classical Players, led by Roger Norrington, were able to achieve some depth of emotion in a recording, which is no easy feat. Each movement has a different feeling; the first is a sampling of everything under the sun and can be a little overwhelming, the second is more pensive, the third is a much lighter dalliance, and the fourth is dance-like and closes with a bang. These different feelings to each movement correspond to human emotion or experience- the first feels like a busy day, the second like reflecting after a breakup, the third like an exceptionally good day with friends, and the fourth like an exciting, whirlwind dance. All in all, this symphony effectively captures and moves the listener and is a great piece of music.
While the symphony does not have any lyrics accompanying it, it is still able to say a little bit about the human experience. I have been told that the difference between good and great music is that great music can heal the soul of both the listener and the musician because it requires the musician to play expressively and translate emotion into his or her music. The London Classical Players, led by Roger Norrington, were able to achieve some depth of emotion in a recording, which is no easy feat. Each movement has a different feeling; the first is a sampling of everything under the sun and can be a little overwhelming, the second is more pensive, the third is a much lighter dalliance, and the fourth is dance-like and closes with a bang. These different feelings to each movement correspond to human emotion or experience- the first feels like a busy day, the second like reflecting after a breakup, the third like an exceptionally good day with friends, and the fourth like an exciting, whirlwind dance. All in all, this symphony effectively captures and moves the listener and is a great piece of music.