Schumann’s musical output in general, and his early works in particular, contain a fascinating mix of the traditional and the innovative. On one hand, he was staunchly true to the traditions of harmony and counterpoint he inherited from the great composers who came before him, but on the other hand, he seemed to be just […]
Beethoven’s sonata in F major, Op. 10/2, has always been a favorite of mine. It’s almost impossible to not be in a good mood after hearing it, as everything just seems to be there—irreplicable humor, vitality, reconciliation, lyricism, among so many other qualities. One can almost take the joyous mood of Op. 10/2 for granted. Sure, […]
The second movement of Schubert’s A minor sonata, D. 845, is an oasis of calm in the midst of a storm. Whereas the other three movements are all impassioned and tragic, the second movement begins and ends in the affirmative, the poignant C minor variation notwithstanding. What follows, however, is a far cry from the […]
The ending of the first movement of Schubert’s A minor sonata, D. 845, left us with a sense of void, frustration, and dejection. The idea of the rich sonority of the piano we have in mind has been violated by Schubert’s harsh use of the piano’s register, and the jagged phrase structure deprived us of […]
The publication of the Bagatelles Op. 126, in 1825, marked the end of Beethoven’s piano output, and the beginning of the composition of the five late quartets which were his final works. The same year, Schubert wrote the first of six monumental works which pushed the boundaries of the very concept of the piano sonata. […]
How do we differentiate a work of art in good taste from kitsch? We are mostly able to classify a work as either one or the other, but often we find it hard to put our finger on which variables make for either good taste or kitsch. Moreover, in the absence of empirical evidence, the […]
The Wiener Urtext edition of selected piano pieces by Beethoven (not sonatas or variations), edited by Alfred Brendel, contains an eclectic mixture of the known and the unknown. The Andante Favori and the three sets of bagatelles, opuses 33, 119, and 126, are the most important masterpieces in the collection, interspersed with eccentric and lovable works such […]
“Five fairly difficult piano pieces”—thus Bartók described his masterwork Out of Doors, which was published in the same year (1926) as some of his other iconic piano works, such as the piano sonata and the first piano concerto. Nowadays, however, we tend to refer to it as the “Out of Doors Suite,” implying that all […]
How often do we come across a double parody in music, one that satirizes two entirely different composers? That is precisely what we get in Satie’s two-minute Edriophthalma, the second movement of the oddly-named triptych Embryons desséchés (desiccated embryos). Purportedly describing different forms of seafood, the three short movements are on one hand typical examples of Satie’s […]
“I don’t want to be overheard, and there are lots of people here who know me, but it is dull,” says Rameau’s nephew of his uncle’s music in Diderot’s eponymous book. He continues: “It’s not that I care twopence about dear uncle, if ‘dear’ he be. He is made of stone. He would see my […]