Un Sospiro
A textbook I was reading cited the following argument:
Nobody who really appreciates Beethoven fails to keep silence while the Moonlight Sonata is being played. Guinea pigs are hopelessly ignorant of music. No one who is hopelessly ignorant of music ever keeps silence while the Moonlight Sonata is being played. Therefore guinea pigs never really appreciate Beethoven.
Intrigued as to whether I am guinea pig, a person who is hopelessly ignorant of music, or a person who will be totally paralyzed by the Moonlight Sonata, I got myself the piece and some others. I wasn't too awestruck when I first listened to it. On further listening I must say the first movement of the piece is quite persuasive in keeping me quiet. But I don't like the other movements. In fact, I detest them. You can get a quick listen here.
Now, I am a layman when it comes to musical critique. So pardon me if the following sounds like what a guinea pig might think after being fed a dose of nourishment for the soul. The observation I have for classical music, especially the so-called masterpieces, is that they tend to lapse into quite complex phases. These complex phases usually consist of dramatic notes or a series of them played in very rapid fashion. For example, refer to the third movement of the Moonlight Sonata. I use the term lapse because I don't like those complex phases. They sound pretty chaotic to me, and detract from the elegance of the melody that was previously being played. The loudest applause tends to be reserved for such complex phases, and surely they must be striking in their technical aspects, but when it comes to simple enjoyment I will take the first movement over the third any time.
In getting the Beethoven piece I got some others as well. Un Sospiro by Liszt not bad. The Wikipedia entry mentioned something about playing with crossed hands. Intrigued, I took a look at a youtube video. The music is nice and I think the way the hands move is visually appealing. But notice at 1:24 it lapses. It may be a sign of technical mastery, of musical creativity, but I wonder why these pieces always have to have these complex moments. I prefer the simple melody at the start. You will need to up your volume for this.
There's also a little girl version where you can see the hands better but I don't like the way her body moves so much.
Nobody who really appreciates Beethoven fails to keep silence while the Moonlight Sonata is being played. Guinea pigs are hopelessly ignorant of music. No one who is hopelessly ignorant of music ever keeps silence while the Moonlight Sonata is being played. Therefore guinea pigs never really appreciate Beethoven.
Intrigued as to whether I am guinea pig, a person who is hopelessly ignorant of music, or a person who will be totally paralyzed by the Moonlight Sonata, I got myself the piece and some others. I wasn't too awestruck when I first listened to it. On further listening I must say the first movement of the piece is quite persuasive in keeping me quiet. But I don't like the other movements. In fact, I detest them. You can get a quick listen here.
Now, I am a layman when it comes to musical critique. So pardon me if the following sounds like what a guinea pig might think after being fed a dose of nourishment for the soul. The observation I have for classical music, especially the so-called masterpieces, is that they tend to lapse into quite complex phases. These complex phases usually consist of dramatic notes or a series of them played in very rapid fashion. For example, refer to the third movement of the Moonlight Sonata. I use the term lapse because I don't like those complex phases. They sound pretty chaotic to me, and detract from the elegance of the melody that was previously being played. The loudest applause tends to be reserved for such complex phases, and surely they must be striking in their technical aspects, but when it comes to simple enjoyment I will take the first movement over the third any time.
In getting the Beethoven piece I got some others as well. Un Sospiro by Liszt not bad. The Wikipedia entry mentioned something about playing with crossed hands. Intrigued, I took a look at a youtube video. The music is nice and I think the way the hands move is visually appealing. But notice at 1:24 it lapses. It may be a sign of technical mastery, of musical creativity, but I wonder why these pieces always have to have these complex moments. I prefer the simple melody at the start. You will need to up your volume for this.
There's also a little girl version where you can see the hands better but I don't like the way her body moves so much.
1 Comments:
Actually I have a theory. Maybe in the past, classical music is performed in big orchestras, and therefore that means the music is only played on concert halls for the upper class. So given all the expense and people coming all the way down for the occasion, probably the taste of music was slanted to something more dramatic and 'wow-ish'. Music nowadays which can be listened comfortably on an ipod or at home, fitting in with the more 'undramatic', 'melancholy' mood, and is thus less 'dramatic' as classical music.
Aquila
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