Mozart's Chorale Saint-Saën And Edvard Grieg

The first feature that ties some of these songs together is the period they were produced. Many of these composer lived during the romantic period, such as Felix Mendelssohn, Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, and Edvard Grieg, accordingly, their music possessed the traits that defined the romantic period. As has been discussed in class, Grieg bases his “Morning Mood” on the Norwegian folk tune, creating a sense of nationalism in the process. While Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 5” contains a variation of Luther’s chorale tune “A Mighty Fortress”. Some of the other musical pieces are rather dissimilar, such as Mozart’s “Piano Concerto No. 21,” and Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.”. Both of which possess the more regular periodicity of the classical era. For me, the most appealing feature of the Romantic era is the character of the piece. Whether it be Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” or Leo Delores’ “Flower Duet” the piece vividly conveys the character as a piece of musical composition. Having the piece become a depiction, creates another dimension of intricacies that increases the potential for emotional connection and amusement. The hour of listening has certainly increased my list of composers …show more content…
The Carnival of the Animals is divided into 14 different movements with each movement meant to represent a different animal. Camille Saint-Saens does a fantastic job describing each animal in the composition. Whether it be the lion, kangaroos, or pianists each animal is represented with a certain wit and humor. One example is the Tortoise, wherein Camille actually plays the “Can-Can” from Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld.” However, it is played exceedingly slow, as if were traveling through the song whilst riding on top of the turtle. Camille even attempts to portray fossils through the use of the xylophone. The xylophone almost seem to convince the impression that bones are being used as musical