PERFORMANCE NOTES FOR MY PIANO RECITAL
Composition 1:
Nocturne Op.9 No.1
This is a romantic Nocturne composed by Chopin Frederic, He was born in 1810 and he concentrated more on composing piano Nocturnes. He was born in the year 1810 in Poland, he made his first composition at the age of 17. He however left for Paris at the age of 20 never to return. He is considered the greatest polish composer, he died in 1849 at the age of 39 years. The following is a discussion of the main techniques used in this composition.
Rubato:
This composition is unique in that Chopin Frederic used tempo Rubato, this is evident where the tempo is flexible and there are instances of speed down and up of the tempo in the composition. In this case Rubato is used for expression purposes and also to make the composition more natural. In this composition, the main purpose of Rubato is to express romantic emotions.
Chromatic inflections
The composition is also characterized by chromatic inflections, this is a descending or ascending sequence of pitches, this composition utilizes chromatic inflection for expression purposes, the main aim to express romantic emotions
These two characteristics are the main characteristics of this composition, these characteristics makes it unique and natural. This is a romantic composition that was aimed at being played during the night, it is composed for solo pianos but other instruments can accompany the instrument such as the cello. This is therefore a classical piece that memorable.
Composition 2:
Prelude and fugue in F minor No. 12, XII
This is a composition by Johann Bach, he was born in 1685 in Eisenach. He wrote various compositions for choirs, organs among other instruments. He spent most of his time as a choir director and also as a organist in the church. He is considered a great composer and this mainly due to the use of cannons and fugues, He died in the year 1750. The following are a discussion of these techniques in this composition.
Fugue and prelude
This is a technique that is evident in this composition, this technique involves introduction of the section of a composition that is repeated frequently in the entire piece, it is repeated several times at different pitches making the composition more attractive. The section is repeated at once at different pitches. The main purpose of these fugues is to bring out the themes and the connections in the music. Bach compositions are good examples of the various forms of fugues. The prelude is an artistic technique that begins with a lengthy introduction. It introduces the chromatic subject and goes into a spell of complicated arpeggios for a long duration. This is disturbed by a prodigy that is harmoniously run. This is followed by a grinding a mix of fading chord and a supplemented chord. The prelude can be seen as later product that depicts the maturity of Bach.
Mozart sonata
Mozart Sonata is a king of piano that was made in 1784 (Mozart W. 1999). Mozart Sonata was dedicated to Therese who was a pupil to Mozart. Mozart was a dedicated and prolific music composer during the classical period. Mozart composed many works some acknowledged as peaks of chamber, piano symphonic and concertante. He also developed excellence and maturity of music style that included light, grace and passion. His work had a lot of influence of western art music. Mozart Sonata was made with almost 10 years when Mozart was working as a freelance artist. This was a time when Mozart had resigned from being a patronage. Mozart Sonata is one of the oldest Sonatas that were made during the time of Vienna. Mozart was one of the Sonatas that were purposely made for domestic use and it was made to pass knowledge within small settings. Mozart Sonata has three main movements namely molto, adagio and allegro assai. Molto is a Mozart sonata movement that has unstable harmony because it has to run F minor, get to G minor and return to c minor. These movements cause its harmonious instability. Adagio is a movement of Mozart sonata that is written in the form of a rondo. Adagio is a graceful movement and normally contrasts with molto and allegro assai. Allegro assai is a Mozart sonata movement that is written in the form of rondo. This movement could easily be termed as an episode because it is short and only takes a short duration. Mozart sonata makes use of a C minor to mean that this piece was a more personal piece of work than the rest.
Cannon:
Leaders and followers characterize the repeated sections in this composition; this indicates a cannon composition whereby there are replications of rhythms in this composition. There main purpose in this piece is to emphasis the theme and also to make the composition more rhythmic and also making it memorable and easily recognizable.
The above discussion indicates the unique features of the two compositions namely the Prelude and fugue by Bach and Nocturne Op.9 No.1 by Chopin. These two compositions are unique in that they use unique techniques in emphasis and expression of themes and emotions. Chopin composition is a good example of the use of Rubato and Chromatic inflection while Bach’s composition is a good example of the use of cannon and fugue.
Brahms Rhapsody
Brahms composed male chorus that is known as Rhapsody. Brahms is a solo piano piece. This rhapsody is a wedding gift that shows romantic feelings which might have influenced its composition. Rhapsody is a metaphysical depiction of a disturbed soul who is requested to look for spiritual upkeep and do away with the suffering he has gone through. This composition consists of verses and its third party compares to the oral and vocal styles. Rhapsody consists of three sections. The first two sections are meant for the soloist and they show the pain of the soul while the third section brings in a male voice but the soloist also joins as a form of plea. Brahms was a composer and pianist and was a leader of the musicians of the romantic era. This musician spend time in leading in musical events. In most cases, Brahms composed music for the piano, symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles and for chorus and voice. Brahms was therefore an accomplished pianist.
Bach prelude
Bach had a lot of effect on music. Bach composed sets of music and he also composed a fugue and prelude in all the piano keys that made this possible. Bach’s prelude and fugue were only meant for fun. Bach’s compositions picked up so easily. One of the Bach’s preludes was a composition in C major which is most significant to music fanatics. Bach’s prelude is filled with inversions all over. Each of the measures of Bach’s prelude represents a chord that is spread across the piano and this requires a person to take a record of what happens in each measure. The Bach prelude simply has four measures represent different things.
Reference:
Mozart W. (1999). Mozart: Piano Sonata (Box set). USA
8notes. (2011). prelude and fugue. Retrieved on 5th May, from http://www.8notes.com/school/search_fsm.asp?keyword=Bach+prelude+and+fugue&x=11&y=9
8notes. (2011). Nocturne Op.9 No.1, Retrieved on 5th May, from http://www.8notes.com/scores/10033.asp
You Tube. (2011). prelude and fugue. Retrieved on 5th May, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ecy8yK-o8c
