Rimsky-Korsakov - Overture On Three Russian Themes

The nationalistic movement in Russian music began with Mikhail Glinka in the early 19th century and after his death in 1857 Mily Balakirev became the leader of the movement. Balakirev was a member of, and a main influence on, the other four composers of  a group known as The Five; Borodin, Mussorgsky, Cui, and Rimsky-Korsakov. But his influence was also felt by Tchaikovsky, and other Russian composers.

Rimsky-Korsakov was in training to be an officer in the Russian Navy, and when not at sea Balakirev taught him the rudiments of composition and encouraged him to compose.  While Rimsky-Korsakov was on two-year duty at sea he wrote to Balakirev expressing his loss of interest in music, but when he was stationed ashore, Balakirev inspired and pushed him to compose in earnest and gave him ideas for many projects. One of these was the Overture On Three Russian Themes, inspired by Balakirev's Overture On Three Russian Folk Themes.  Balakirev conducted the first version of the work in 1866, but Rimsky-Korsakov revised the work in 1880 and this is the version that is usually performed today. 

Mily Balakirev

The work begins with a slow introduction that introduces the first of the themes known in Russia by the name of 'Slava'. This theme was previously used by Beethoven in the scherzo of his 8th String Quartet Opus 59, No. 2 (the second of the set of three quartets known as the Rasmouvsky quartets). Mussorgsky also used the theme in the Coronation Scene of his opera Boris Godunov.  This theme is expanded and developed until the appearance of the next theme known in Russia as 'At The Gates', a theme previously used by Tchaikovsky in his 1812 Overture.  This second theme is at a faster pace and is played a few times with minor variations. The third theme begins directly after the second and is known as 'Ivan Is Wearing A Big Coat'. For the rest of the piece the themes weave in and out in slightly different guises, but always recognizable. At the very end of the piece the opening 'Slava' theme makes a last appearance in a hushed beginning that expands to a treatment from the full orchestra punctuated by the brass. The pace quickens as snippets of the 'Slava' theme are heard, and the overture ends. 

Franck - Piano Quintet In F Minor

Nicolas-Joseph Franck tried his best to use the talent of his son César as a way towards amassing great wealth for the family. After César  played concerts and studied at the Conservatory at Liège,  Nicolas decided to take his son to Paris to gain wider exposure and to continue his studies at the Paris Conservatoire. His son was denied enrollment because he was a foreigner  (the family was Belgian). Evidently Nicolas was a typical 'stage mother' type that would do anything to promote his sons, so he applied for French citizenship.  Nicolas made good use of the time it took to get the citizenship by having his sons study privately and play in numerous concerts. The boy entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1837 when he was 15.

The young man was under a lot of strain, as besides his studies he was teaching, composing, and thanks to his relentless and overbearing father, playing a heavy schedule of concerts. He abruptly resigned from the Conservatoire in 1842, perhaps at the insistence of his father to free him up for even more concerts. Finally Nicolas' fierce promotion of his son began to wear thin on the music critics in Paris. César was acknowledged as a fine pianist, but soon his concerts were no longer well attended.  After Nicolas had burned so many bridges with his behavior there was no longer any reason to stay in Paris, so the father and son went back to Belgium.

Belgium proved to be worse than Paris as there was not much money to be made concertizing and there was no patronage forthcoming from the Belgian King. So after two years Nicolas and son went back to Paris where César resumed teaching and giving concerts. He was also composing and had written a trio that Franz Liszt showed his approval of. But his oratorio Ruth proved not to be popular with the public and was severely panned by critics. He tried his hand at opera and other works, but finally resigned himself to a life as a teacher.

His father still tried to exert his will on the son, and when César became interested in a woman he had met in his Conservatoire days, the father did not approve. Relations between the two became so strained that César walked out of the house and did not return. After years of living with his controlling and abusive father, the son had enough. He eventually married the woman, and sought a post as an organist. He was a pianist by training and didn't show much aptitude for the organ while in school, but a position as organist was steady income.

He became one of the best organists in France, and his third appointment in 1858 was his last as he stayed at the church of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris the rest of his life. By 1872 his reputation as organist and improviser was so great that he accepted the position of professor of organ at the Paris Conservatoire.  He began to compose once again and the Piano Quintet of 1879 was one of his first masterpieces of his later years and the piece helped to reignite his writing for the piano which he had not done since his early years. The mature style of Franck was described by the musicologist Leland Hall :

"...all his work bears the stamp of his personality. Like Brahms, he has pronounced idiosyncrasies, among which his fondness for shifting harmonies is the most constantly obvious. The ceaseless alteration of chords, the almost unbroken gliding by half-steps, the lithe sinuousness of all the inner voices seem to wrap his music in a veil, to render it intangible and mystical. Diatonic passages are rare, all is chromatic. Parallel to this is his use of short phrases, which alone are capable of being treated in this shifting manner. His melodies are almost invariably dissected, they seldom are built up in broad design. They are resolved into their finest motifs and as such are woven and twisted into the close iridescent harmonic fabric with bewildering skill. All is in subtle movement."

The Piano Quintet is for piano, 2 violins, viola and cello. It is in three movements:
I. Molto quasi lento - Allegro - The movement begins with an extended introduction for string quartet alone that is soon answered by the solo piano. The strings again combine for a statement, the solo piano enters again. Strings and piano combine as the music increases in intensity until the first subject is heard. The theme goes through chromatic shifts until it gives way to the secondary theme, which is the theme that appears in all three movements.  Themes appear in different guises throughout the development section, the recapitulation is followed by a section where the main themes are juxtaposed with the secondary theme in the spotlight. The passion intensifies as the music continues its shifting chromaticism until the music grows quiet and the movement ends.

II. Lento - The second subject of the first movement appears in the middle of this movement, and it is flanked by themes that seem vaguely familiar. To my ears Franck creates in this movement a sentimental reminiscence of what has already passed.

III. Allegro non troppo - The music begins in an agitated state and grows in intensity until a theme derived from previous material arrives. All is movement and agitation which leads to the powerful coda and the abrupt end.

The quintet was premiered in 1880 with Camille Saint-Saëns at the keyboard (at the request of the composer). Saint-Saëns evidently grew more and more displeased with the piece the further he went (he was sight-reading the piece, a tribute to Saint-Saëns' musicianship). When the piece was finished Saint-Saëns stormed off the stage and refused to accept the manuscript and the dedication from Franck. Rumors flew about Franck being romantically involved with a female student at the time which contributed to the passion of the work. No one really knows why Saint-Saëns reacted the way he did. Perhaps it was the music itself, or the references to Franck's affair that made the work so emotional, or perhaps Saint-Saëns himself was harboring feelings for the same student. In any case, the work was well received by Franck's devoted students, and after a few years the work earned a place as one of the handful of masterpieces of the piano quintet genre.

Mozart - Piano Quartet In G Minor K. 478

When Mozart wrote this music in 1785,  quartets consisting of a violin, viola, cello and piano were somewhat of a novelty. Mozart was the first major composer to write for this combination of instruments. The music publishers of the time were always looking for new music to print for the amateur market, and a publisher in Vienna commissioned Mozart to write 3 (possibly more) piano quartets. The publisher printed the first piano quartet in G minor, but due to poor sales the publisher canceled his commission for the rest. The reason for the poor sales was that the music was too difficult for amateurs to play, and was no less difficult for listeners to be able to understand and appreciate.

The list of Mozart's compositions in a minor key is short. Two piano sonatas, one string quartet, two piano concertos, two symphonies, a string quintet and the piano quartet are works in a minor key. And of these nine works, four are in the key of G minor, Mozart's dramatic key.

The Piano Quartet in G minor is in 3 movements:

I. Allegro - Mozart begins the movement straight away with the first theme stated in unison by all 4 instruments:

The piano answers the initial statement. Once again all 4 instruments in unison play the statement, this time in a different key. The music proceeds with changes to a major key while echos of the theme are played in accompaniment. The piano gives voice to the second theme, the violin answers with its own material. After more transitional material, the exposition is repeated.  The development section begins with material related to previously heard music and weaves it into an intricate contrapuntal discussion between the instruments. The first theme is heard in a major key and the music transitions into differing keys, and after an extended development section the recapitulation begins. The music makes the obligatory key changes to the second theme as the music moves towards the coda. The opening theme is heard once again and is transformed to a dramatic end to the movement.

II. Andante - The middle movement is in marked contrast to the dark drama of the first movement as the instruments take turns in this gentle music in B-flat major, the relative major of the home key of G minor.

III. Rondeau -  In an even deeper contrast to the first movement is this music in the key of G major. The piano opens the movement with the rondo theme, all join in the second statement of the theme. The strings alternate with the piano throughout this movement, with all 4 instruments coming together to add some spice to it occasionally. Mozart adds variety by dipping into a minor key in a few places, but the music doesn't stay there long. The opening theme of the movement comes back one last time, and Mozart wraps up the quartet with a short coda.

C.P.E. Bach - Symphony In E-flat Major Wq. 183/2

Bach was in the employ of Frederick The Great's court in Berlin for thirty years as court harpsichordist. In 1768 he left his post in Berlin and assumed the musical directorship of the five churches in Hamburg. The conservative musical atmosphere in Berlin was not conducive to Bach's interests in composing. Despite the added responsibilities of his new position in Hamburg, he had more opportunities to promote his own compositions as well as participate in the concert life of the city.

Bach wrote two sets  of symphonies while in Hamburg. The first six were symphonies for string orchestra and were commissioned by Baron Gottfried van Swieten, Austria's ambassador to Berlin, who had traveled to Hamburg to visit Bach. Thanks to the patronage of van Swieten, Bach's music came to be performed in Vienna. It was at Sunday concerts given in van Swieten's  home that Mozart heard works by C.P.E Bach as well as J.S. Bach and Handel.

The four symphonies in twelve obbligato parts shows Bach at his most inventive. The earlier style of his father's that saw a single mood dominate a composition is thrown overboard in these symphonies as the younger Bach throws mood changes as well as key changes, rhythmic changes, and sudden pauses at the listener in each one of these symphonies. But despite the surprises in them, Bach manages to keep a flow to the music that creates a sense of balance between form and spontaneity.

The Symphony In E-flat is in three movements:
I - Allegro di molto - The movement begins with the full orchestra followed by phrases filled with trills played by the strings that are separated by pauses. The full orchestra resumes playing with the violins playing phrases of repeated notes. The second subject is played by the flute with simple violin accompaniment. The development section begins straight away with no repeat of the exposition. The opening material returns, themes modulate and segue into the next movement that begins without pause.

II. - Larghetto - A gentle tune is played by the flute, then taken up by the oboes with string accompaniment in this very short movement.

III. - Allegretto - A rhythmic movement in sonata form that contrasts with the short preceding larghetto. The violins chatter away, the winds add their share of seasoning to the mix. The first section of the movement is repeated, and is followed by a development section. The opening section returns once more with modulations occurring in the themes.  

J.C. Bach - Keyboard Sonata Opus 5, No. 5 In E Major

Johann Christian Bach was fifteen when his father Johann Sebastian Bach died in 1750.  He went to Berlin to finish his studies with his elder half-brother C.P.E. Bach and while he was there he made his reputation as a keyboard player, especially of his older brother's works. About 1754 he moved to Italy where he immersed himself in the music and culture of the country to such an extent he converted from the Lutheran religion to Catholicism. He also began to change his style in composition from his older brother's to a style derived from his travels in Italy as well as France and England.

He originally intended to stay in England about a year when he first visited  in 1762 to stage some of his operas. His music became very popular, especially with the royal court, and he ended up living there until his death in 1782. He met the young Mozart in London in 1764 and his compositions became an influence on Mozart.

Bach began to favor the piano over the harpsichord early on, and was possibly the first performer to play on the instrument in public in England. English pianos of the time were known for their craftsmanship and innovations that gave the instrument a fuller tone and more reliable action. Haydn came to prefer English pianos also, as did Beethoven. Bach's Opus 5 consists of 6 sonatas that are designated for pianoforte or harpsichord, most likely because this was a period of transition between the two instruments and publishers naturally wanted to get as many sales as possible.  Modern day performances of the sonatas vary in the type of instrument used, just as the original printing intended. It is up to the performer to make the music 'speak' according to the instrument it is being played on.

The 5th sonata in the Opus 5 set is in three movements:
I. Allegro assai -  The movement begins with a rapid-fire figure that begins in the bass in eights notes and has the right hand enter to chase it after a sixteenth note rest. This continues for 4 measures. The bass then continues in a running wave of sixteenth notes as the treble plays a melody that is also peppered with sixteenth notes. This continues until a B major chord is reached which signals the start of the second subject which is in the dominant key of B major. The second subject is slightly more leisurely in the beginning but it soon takes off running with sixteenth notes and comes to a close on a B major chord. The exposition is repeated. The development starts with the figure from the beginning played in B major. Other material is developed, modulations occur, and the music returns to the home key of E major. During this early phase of sonata form it consisted of two parts to be repeated, the exposition and the development.

II. Adagio - This slow movement is in the key of A major with a steady broken chord accompaniment.

III. Prestissimo - A rondo with a rhythmic recurring subject. The first episode flirts with B major, the next  is in E minor. The subject reappears verbatim. The last episode modulates into related minor keys, the subject returns one last time and comes to a close.

Liadov - Kikomora

Not every classical composer excelled in larger forms. Composers such as Chopin, who did write a few works for piano and orchestra and a handful of piano sonatas, is best remembered for his works in the smaller form of the prelude, etude and other shorter works for the piano. That is not a criticism to be sure. It isn't the length of a composition that determines its value, it is whether the composer can move us with their craftsmanship, inspiration and quality of their work.

Anatoly Liadov was a composer that hardly wrote a single work in the larger forms for piano or orchestra. Practically his entire output consisted of miniatures for the piano or orchestra. The reasons for this have been posited by many. Some blamed his natural indolence, or his exceedingly self-critical nature, or perhaps his lack of self-confidence. It could have been that his mind worked best in the smaller forms. No one really knows. All we have is the compositions, some of them well-crafted jewels.  

Liadov took much of his inspiration from Russian folk tales and folk songs. He wrote three short symphonic poems with one, The Enchanted Lake, created in his own imagination and the other two, Baba Yaga and Kikomora, based on Slavic folk tales. The music for the tone poem was based on music originally written for an opera in 1879 that Liadov never finished. He turned this music into the tone poem in 1909.

As with most folk tales, the Kikomora shows differences by region and cultures.  The Polish version of a Kikomora (taken from the website Polish Supernatural Spirits):

Kikomora

A female house spirit that is sometimes said to be married to the Domowije. She usually lives behind the stove or in the cellar. She will look after the chickens and the housework if the home is well kept. If not, she will tickle, whistle, and whine at the children at night. She comes out at night to spin; if she appears spinning to someone it is said that person will die. To appease an angry Kikimora it is said one should wash all the pots and pans in a fern tea. She is said to look like an average woman with her hair down (Slavic women kept their heads covered).

Liadov said this about the Kikomora in his tone poem: 

She grows up with a magician in the mountains. From dawn to sunset the magician’s cat regales Kikimora with fantastic tales of ancient times and faraway places, as Kikimora rocks in a cradle made of crystal. It takes her seven years to reach maturity, by which time her head is no larger than a thimble and her body no wider than a strand of straw. Kikimora spins flax from dusk and to dawn, with evil intentions for the world.

The tone poem is in two sections, the first section is slow and mysterious and reflects the magical upbringing of Kikomora. The second section is faster and works up to a climax, presumably the Kikomora doing her malicious deeds to the members of the household she's invaded.  At the end, the music grows quiet and the Kikomora slinks away.

Bruckner - Symphony No.1 In C Minor

By the time Anton Bruckner began his 1st Symphony in 1865 he was in his forties and had discovered the music of Wagner. Hearing Wagner's Tannhäuser in 1863 was a pivotal point in Bruckner's development. It was Wagner's use of the orchestra that so captivated Bruckner. He cared little about opera plots, paid so little attention to them that years later after  he attended a performance of Wagner's opera Götterdämmerung he was puzzled as to why they burned the woman at the end.  Before he had heard Wagner's music Bruckner had written some pieces for chorus, but Wagner's music gave him the drive to begin composing for orchestra, not as an imitator of Wagner, but as a composer of original works inspired by Wagner.

He had already written a symphony in F minor, the so-called Study Symphony, and he began what was to become Symphony No. 1 right after it. During the writing of the symphony he traveled to Munich to hear the premiere of Wagner's Tristan And Isolde, which probably inspired him all the more to finish the symphony. He worked for over a year on it, writing and rewriting, sometimes scrapping entire movements and beginning over. He finished the score in August of 1866, fifteen months after he had begun. Bruckner gave the symphony a nickname, das kecke Beserl, which is Austrian slang and roughly translates as 'the saucy maid', perhaps because of the spirit of the symphony, or perhaps for some other reason that we'll never know.

The symphony was premiered two years later in Linz with Bruckner himself conducting. The audience was sparse and the reception of the work mixed. No doubt some were surprised that Bruckner, the organist at the local church, could create such music. In later years Bruckner was in the habit of revising his earlier works. The 1st Symphony was no exception, and in 1890 Bruckner created a new version. For many years this was the only version that was played, but modern conductors prefer to play the earlier Linz version (so named because Bruckner wrote it when he lived in Linz.)

The symphony is in 4 movements:
I. Allegro - The model for almost all of the beginnings of Bruckner's symphonies is the opening of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Like Beethoven's opening, Bruckner usually begins with a mysterious, quiet beginning with string tremolos and slow moving themes. But while Bruckner had seen the score for Beethoven's 9th, he did not actually hear it until this 1st symphony had been written. So this is the only Bruckner symphonies that begins right off with a marching theme that rapidly reaches a climax, only to die down again to the marching of the low strings. This leads to a transitional theme played by the flute which ushers in a secondary main theme. A climax is reached in the brass, the music dies down to a gentle tune played by the flute. The development section omits any reference to the opening march, but its return signals the recapitulation. After revisiting material from the exposition, Bruckner brings the movement to a thundering close with a short development of the opening march theme.

II. Adagio - Tonal ambiguity begins this movement but Bruckner eventually settles on A-flat. The music is solemn in part, but it ebbs and flows with passion and expression, an early example of Bruckner's skill as a composer of slow movements. About three-quarters of the way through there is a major climax (amid the usual number of Brucknerian lesser climaxes) and amid yet more ebbs and flows, the music winds down to a slow, quiet end.

III. - Scherzo: Schnell - Trio: Langsamer - The trademarks of the Bruckner scherzo are already present in this early example as the music propels itself with strong rhythmic drive and changing dynamics. The trio provides a contrast to the drive of the scherzo as it is more slowly paced and smoother in contour. The scherzo is repeated and stomps its way to the end of the movement.

IV. Finale: Bewegt, feurig - The movement begins double forte, is full of changes in tempo and dynamics. Roughly half way through, the music slams on the brakes and comes to a sudden stop. It takes a while for the music to get back up to speed until the music builds up to a triumphant ending in C major.