Listen to at least the first movement of each piece.
9 thoughts on “Assignment – Tuesday, Oct. 22”
Katherine Siochi
I found the writing in the first movement of Clara Schumann’s piano trio to be rather unimaginative in terms of the instruments’ roles. The cello frequently doubles the violin in octaves or the left hand of the piano. Greater independence in each voice and more contrapuntal ideas would have made it much more interesting.
I read the Liszt criticism and found it interesting that the notion of the “artist” as we conceive it today is largely rooted, not surprisingly, in the nineteenth century. Liszt writes “Art was for (John Field) in itself sufficient reward for any sacrifice. Anything over and above that–positions he might be appointed to, the reputation that might surround him, the success and longevity of his composition–all this did not concern him. Field sang for himself alone.” In this sense, the artist was freed from the tyranny of economic or social propriety and instead sought to create art and music in the manner most satisfying to them personally. This notion differed from the 18th-century model of music and “work-for-hire” and is still a value adorned by “pure” artists today.
In the 4th symphony i feel like the orchestration is a little unorthodox and often great layers that he puts into melodies are therefore lost. He has such a great imagination for lyricism but i dont think he achieved what he wanted because he was using an orchestration style too close the classical style as opposed to romantic.
I think C. Schumann’s piano trio is a great piece. It has beautiful, tuneful melodies and well-balanced arrangement of each instrument. the conversation between violin and cello is very intense and supportive to each other to build up the music. Piano, on the other hand, provides a different kind of sound texture which adds another flavor into the music. enjoyed listening to it.
Clara’s piece has beautiful and smooth melodies which don’t seem to really go anywhere, while the symphony has consistent and dramatic motion with a melody that is reestablished many times, often stuck in the classical orchestration style
Clara Schumann’s piano trio is a beautiful piece. I think it makes for much lighter listening than much of Robert Schumann’s work. But, if it’s truly rich texture and huge sound that you want to hear, I think Robert Schumann’s music is a much more satisfying choice.
In the 4th Symphony I have a little trouble sometimes figuring out which of Schumann’s characters is present. In the beginning for example, it seems like it is an emotional Florestan speaking, but at the same time you have the repeating grand, but calm melody. It’s really striking how Schumann managed to follow up this almost melancholic beginning with the beautiful major theme.
I really like the Schumann Symphony (despite Katherine’s comment above) how it starts, with quarter notes and not too much rhythmic complexity. Great use of Dynamics and orchestration! It’s not until 2 minutes in that a small musical idea gets developed into a more upbeat theme. Before that it is all setting the scene and creating a vibe, but i would argue that it is not necessarily related to the opening ideas… not sure I guess. They work together for sure. And the “triangle/pyramid (unraveling of theme?) that takes place at with the celli at 2:40 is one of my favorite developments.
The Piano trio piece is just beautiful. I love the balance and sharing of who has the main melody, The blend between the instruments on this particular recording is very good as well. And the rhythmic theme (:43 seconds) is very jazzy to me.
referring to @ :43 seconds of the trio piece, the rhythm is jazzy i guess, but I just realized its 90% the melody to autumn leaves. Maybe that’s why i thought it was jazzy sounding…
9 thoughts on “Assignment – Tuesday, Oct. 22”