John Dowland - Go, Crystal Tears from Book of Songs, Book 1 for solo voice and lute
1) In the beginning, it was strange and even a little bit uncomfortable to listen to it because it is so different from the music that I usually listen to. I never listen to such old music, so it took a few moments for me to open up my heart and mind to the music. I knew that the sound was beautiful, but because it was so unusual compared to what I usually listen to, it did not immediately attract my attention. When this initial shock wore off, I let myself sink into the song even more deeply. I let the woman's voice wash over me and take me to another place – as if my soul was swimming in a river of sound. Soon, the music made me feel like I was suddenly in a different place. On an emotional level, I felt calm, soothed, and relaxed. I felt like everything was all right in the world when this song was being sung. On a physiological level, I felt the same. It was as if my entire body was relaxing with every note that the woman sang. I cannot say that I could ever listen to only this type of music, but as an experience, I did like it. It did not make me want to move or get up and dance at all – it made me feel the opposite. I wanted to lay down next to a peaceful stream and close my eyes so that the relaxing notes of the song could move me even more. There was nothing really familiar or nostalgic about it, but I did feel like it was communicating to me that I could let go of all my worries for that moment. When I listened to it, I pictured myself laying next to a calm river, like in the scene depicted in Psalm 23.
2) During the Renaissance, the lute was the most widespread instrument, and was regarded as the symbol of music's magic and power. It was the instrument of royalty, and was heard in theaters, including the plays of Shakespeare The lute arose in all of Europe, including Italy, France, and Germany. However, the English lute-song were not an “isolated phenomenon outside the general European tradition” (Poulton 182). The English lute-song maintained its own tradition and sourced its own special characteristics from its own history and background. In particular, Dowland's lifetime was the primary, overarching influence in the Golden Age period, and “with his death the classical school of English lute composers drew to a close" (Spring 207). Long before the lute tablature was created as a notional system, the medieval lutenist “relied entirely on his ear and his memory” (Poulton 188). In fact, much of his professional repertoire was largely based on improvisations based on pre-existing melodies. There was even a secrecy to the lute-composer's music that made him feel unsettled once the tradition began to spread into the public. In fact, “the idea of making public on a wide scale the secrets of his own personal art” was something that the Dowland did not feel too comfortable with, let alone excited by it (Poulton 188). During the peak of his fame while he was alive, he was considered a virtuoso lutenist and singer, but he is now the most recognized for his superb compositions, “whose songs melodically and harmonically advanced the 'art song'” (Kennedy 242). Knowing this, my experience of the music changed a bit because of how personal the music must have been to Dowland himself. My appreciation grew knowing that I was listening to some of his most prized forms of art.
Claude Debussy - Images, Book 1, No. 1. Reflets dans l'eau for solo piano
1) Debussy is one of the few classical artists that I would listen to on a regular basis. There is something mesmerizing about the tones of his music, and the emotion underneath every note. As soon as I put my earphones on and heard the first notes, my heart felt light and my whole body was relaxed immediately. I remembered instantly why I love Debussy so much. But then the song became much more interesting in an unexpected way. At first it was so soft and soothing. But in the middle of it, it became very intense and strong. It shocked my ears because I was used to the softer tones of his music. With the up and down scales that moved so rapidly, my ears were almost uncomfortable and I could feel my body even tighten up for a moment. It was interesting because there was still a part of the song that was the typical soft, lovely sounds, but then it would become thunderous and almost cacophonous. The emotions that the song made me feel ranged from peaceful to alert, and I knew that that was the mark of a truly talented pianist. His ability to make me feel such a wide spectrum of emotions only confirmed my appreciation for his art. I felt a bit of madness in this song that made me see Debussy from a different angle than the one I had before. It made his music much more complex, and therefore my appreciation for his music became more complex as well. The image I saw in my mind was a picture of a sailboat that is first riding on peaceful waters, and then a gentle storm comes to bring attention to the sailor who thought that he would not have to face any trouble out at sea. Then the sea calms again, the sailor relaxes, and the waters, again, began to roar. The madness is a symbol for the experiences in life that leave us restless, and the calm that returns once we learn how to manage through the storm.
2) Paris was the formative space in which Debussy's art “took root” (Robert 15). "Lively, generous, intelligent, imaginative," his music would become iconic for offering layers of emotion and sound (Hartmann xv). The works of Debussy were formed as a set of three compositions in Images – one of which was Reflets dans l'eau – which were all created between 1905 and 1912. In his compositions, Debussy used block chords alongside “harmony with a modal flavor and based on the whole-tone scale” (Kennedy 217). As such, he was able to work with the full range of colors available in orchestration, as well as his well-noted technique of producing layers of sound. All of these features demonstrate his position as “an innovator of the first degree who revolutionized composition” (Kennedy 217). While many appreciate his music at face value, in general his many subtle effects are often swept under the rug. In fact, the label of “Impressionist” has actually served to conceal “the strong sense of form which underlies all his works” (Kennedy 217). In fact, Debussy was in full objection to being “called an impressionist" (Apel 404). Debussy called his music a “dream from which the veils have been lifted,” and spoke of how people have the “courage to go on living in one's dream, and the energy to go on searching for the Inexpressible, which is the ideal of all art” (Roberst 25). The “disturbing, awe-inspiring qualities of “Reflets dans l'eau”
made me understand the words of Debussy even more (Roberts 23). While the title makes it seem like the song would be really soft and sunny, it is anything but that. The climax is so close to the “unashamed emotion of Romanticism”, that I understood why I did not recognize it at first. The sources of the water-influenced imagery “which was to preoccupy Debussy throughout his life” would also reveal itself in “Reflets dans l'eau” (Nichols 10). But while the title “Reflections in the water” is “a name that Debussy could well be heard as tone paintings,” it is clear that the actual experience of the music is far different as was the case for me (Code 10).
Johannes Brahms – Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op.90, Movement III, Poco allegretto for orchestra
1) I was amazed by the beauty of this piece. As soon as I started to listen to the music, I was taken to another place in my soul. It was such a rich sound that made me feel an array of emotions, from deep sadness to total happiness. My body felt relaxed and lifted, and my heart felt full from the beauty that was being experienced through my ears. What I imagined while I was listening to the music was a woman dancing in a field of flowers, and being watched by a man who fell in love with her beauty. She was unaware of him, and continued to just dance in the sun as if no one was watching her but God himself. He continues to watch her, falling more in love with her as she embodies what it is to be free in this world. Then they finally meet eyes, and the music becomes intense at the point that she realizes that she might fall in love with him as well. But there is a problem, and the slight tension in the music makes me feel like the man and the woman cannot be together for some reason unknown to me. The mystery of their tale adds to the rich melody, because there is beauty mixed with a slight sadness. As the song finished, I felt like I read a great love story in just those short minutes. That is the sign of great music to me, especially when there are not even any words to tell such a story directly.
2) Brahms remains one of the greatest masters of nearly every form of composition. While not a proponent of program music and highly devoted to writing in classical forms, the essence of his music was romantic. Symphony No. 3 in F major is a superb example of his “devotion to classical musical architecture within which he introduced many novel thematic developments” (Kennedy 109). His music was made for himself, and he was often obscured in presence when it came to his artistic persona. "Frequent shifts in expression within longer movements are the rule,” and this was what made the wide spectrum of emotions possible for listeners like me (Floros 23). His story is rather shrouded, and his art is difficult to place, making his overall influence rather ambiguous. At the same time, however, his music remains one that “unites magisterial perfection with lyrical warmth, a monumental style with whispering intimacy, lay in the hearts of listeners everywhere" (Swafford xi). Knowing his background made me appreciate the depth and richness of Symphony No. 3, and it affirmed to me why it has been used throughout media and culture as often as it has. There is a power to the symphony that is actually accentuated by his deeply obscured persona. It makes me curious about what his heart and soul were like as experienced by him.
References
Apel, W. (1969). Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Floros, C., & Bernhardt-Kabisch, E. (2010). Johannes Brahms, free but alone: a life for a poetic music. New York: Peter Lang.
Hartmann, A. (2013) Claude Debussy As I Knew Him and Other Writings. New York: University of Rochester Press.
Kennedy, M., & Kennedy, J. B. (1994). The Oxford Dictionary of Music. New York: Oxford University Press.
Nichols, R., & Smith, R. L. (1989). Claude Debussy, Pelléas et Mélisande. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Poulton, D. (1982). John Dowland. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Roberts, P. (1996). Images: the piano music of Claude Debussy. Portland, Or.: Amadeus Press.
Spring, M. (2001). The lute in Britain: a history of the instrument and its music. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Swafford, J. (1997). Johannes Brahms: a biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
