Influences in classical music
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There has been many influences and inspirations in classical music. Many composers have used ideas from others or they have been inspired by them. Baroque Antonio Vivaldi *Antonio Vivaldi was highly influenced by Tomaso Albinoni, who was Vivaldi's senior for seven years.He especially influenced Vivaldi's opus 4, La Stravaganza. *Archangelo Corelli of Rome also influenced Vivaldi greatly. 25 years older than Vivaldi, he was a well-established composer in Roman circles. Classic Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart *Mozart in the third movement of his requiem used a passage from 13th century hymes called Dies irae. *Mozart also used many ideas from Joseph Haydn in his Haydn Quartets. *Mozart's arrangement of the 5 Fugues of Johann Sebastian Bach has always been associated with Mozart's activities in Baron van Swieten's circle.And from this time in Mozart's life, his original compositions became noticeably more contrapuntal. Ludwig van Beethoven *Beethoven was a composer which grew up knowing the music of J.S. Bach.He could Play most of The Well-Tempered Clavier when he was 11. Haydn was largely unaware of Bach’s music, and Mozart was a “mature composer” when he encountered it. Beyond his well-known use of counterpoint and fugue, Bach’s influence perhaps pervades three aspects of Beethoven’s music: #Vigorous Rhythmic Energy: Bach’s metric hierarchies often feature vibrant energy at all levels, including contra-metric groupings.Beethoven frequently creates metric hierarchies with significant activity at several metric levels as well as contra-metric groupings for example in his Fifth Symphony's openning theme group.Such rhythmic/metric complexities, common in Beethoven, are different from active rhythms by Haydn and Mozart. #Reinterpreting Unaccompanied Opening Thematic Material: Bach’s fugue subjects are as famous for what they omit as for what they contain, allowing multiple interpretations as the piece unfolds. This is also true of many unaccompanied Beethoven openings: e.g., the Fifth Symphony’s opening motive lacks C (so that it can be heard in Eb upon the exposition’s literal repeat), and the opening motive of Beethoven’s first string quartet (strikingly similar in melodic profile to Bach’s C-minor Fugue’s subject) waits until m. 4 to announce its mode. #Heightening Rhetorical Processes Culminating at a Movement’s End: Bach’s fugues often end with a contrapuntal tour-de-force (e.g., the Bb-minor Fugue, where the concluding stretto’s five voices replicate the exposition’s entrances). Beethoven’s codas often include an apotheosis of a theme or motive left incomplete earlier (e.g, the Ghost Trio’s first movement coda that ends as the hitherto incomplete opening motive leads to a conclusive motion). Franz Schubert *Franz Schubert's 5th Symphony was influenced by Mozart's Symphony No.40.Third movements of both are very similar in opening (introduction) section. Romantic Felix Mendelssohn *Mendelssohn revived Bach by giving a well-attended performance of the Saint Matthew Passion. Until that time, Bach's music was studied in the conservatory, but unknown to the general public.he, himself was influenced by Bach by contrapuntal means. Johannes Brahms *Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) was directly influenced by Beethoven, and is especially evident through his Symphony No. 4. Brahms’ fourth symphony clearly challenges the traditional format, which follows in Beethoven’s footsteps. The use of thirds and sixths by Brahms in the introduction of his symphony is a feature Beethoven popularized especially in his Eroica Symphony as well as his later works following his third symphony. The use of thirds in the beginning theme of the symphony is characterized as “falling thirds”, which is widely used in the works of Beethoven as well as Mozart’s Symphony in G minor. Though the use of this technique is evident, Brahms makes a striking allusion to Beethoven in the second movement entitled “Andante”. An allusion is defined as “a purposeful, extra-compositional reference made by means of a resemblance, usually thematic and local in nature.” It is unclear weather Brahms purposefully imitated Beethoven, or if it was an “irresistible force” he held unconsciously. The allusion takes place near the end of the movement, and the rhythm of the theme identically resembles the beginning theme of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, second movement. Also both composers use the clarinet in virtually the same place during the melody. The rhythmic similarities involve the use of a dotted sixteenth rhythm followed by three eighth notes. The two themes are also in similar time signatures: Beethoven’s theme is in 3/8 while Brahms’ theme is in 6/8. A larger structural allusion is also made in terms of the transition from the slower movement into the finale. Both composers use the second theme in order to set up the “C-major tonality, brass-dominated sonority, and fortissimo dynamic” of the corresponding finales. The structures of the chords preceding the finales give the impression of a struggle to reach the key of C major.3 This relationship between the slow movement and the finale, established by Beethoven, became a widely used archetype in the mid-nineteenth century. Also it is often remarked that there is a strong resemblance between the main theme of the finale of Brahms' First Symphony and the main theme of the finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Also, Brahms uses the rhythm of the "fate" motto from the opening of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. *Besides that, there is a melody in the begining of the first movement of his fourth symphony which is very similar to Bedrich Smetana's Vltava from the poem symphonic Má vlast. Richard Wagner *In his youth, Richard Wagner wanted to become a poet and playwright.But in the age of fifteen hearing the music of Ludwig van Beethoven,he was so fascinated by it that he decided to be a composer. Hector Berlioz *Hector Berlioz used the 13th century hymn Dies irae in his first symphony (Symphonie fantastique), fifth movement. Robert Schumann *Robert Schumann used many ideas from Schubert and Beethoven in his first Symphony (the spring symphony).He was a composer who greatly admired the work of Beethoven calling one of his string quartets “simply heavenly.” Schumann frequently stated that he valued instrumental music over vocal music, and thought that emphasis on “Beethovenian” instrumental works should be continued into the future of music. Nine years after Beethoven’s death, Schumann decided to become a supporter in the unveiling of a new monument of Beethoven in April 1836. He decided to contribute by composing Fantasie, op. 17, which contains much musical allusion to Beethoven’s sonata standard. This sonata seemed to serve as a sense of closure of the form considering Schumann’s view that “the sonata was a form which appeared now to have run its course.” Schumann decided to put more emphasis on the string quartet, and did so emulating the later style of Beethoven. In Schumann’s quartets the “Beethovenian” idea of the separate movements being so smoothly intertwined so that it is unclear weather the piece is one giant movement or four separate movements is used. This idea is “a view which is supported by Beethoven’s unconventional decision to number each movement in the score.” Though Beethoven was a dominant presence in the music of Schumann, he stressed that innovations must always be made in contemporary music just as Beethoven was able to accomplish. * He was a huge admirer of Chopin's music, and he used melodies from Chopin and even named a piece from his suite Carnaval after Chopin.
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