Symphony No. 9

A highly reputed teacher, considered God by many elite musicians in the country talks to a young prodigy at the most esteemed Shaffer School of Music. Terrence Fletcher : I don't think people understood what it is that I am doing at Shaffer. I ain’t here to conduct. Any f***ing moron can wave his arms and keep people in tempo. I am here to push people beyond what's expected of them. I believe that is... an absolute necessity. Otherwise, we're depriving the world of the next Louis Armstrong. The…

violins; creating discomfort to the ear and thus creating tension. The tension is increased yet more by the use of tremolo in the double basses. Mahler marks the score with “viel Bogen”, meaning “much bow” or “many bow changes” , to intensify the sound, and “Wieder Zuruckhaltend”, meaning “to hold back tempo”, to prolong each note to increase the drama of the music. (http://www.orchestralibrary.com/reftables- /mahler2gloss.html#V) The combined effects create a profound emotional response among…

Stony Brook Symphony Concert Report The orchestra is an aspect of music that dates back several centuries. Due to it’s long history and various advancements in musical instruments, the orchestra has evolved tremendously. Today, a typical orchestra contains a vast amount of instruments from the string, woodwind, brass, and percussion families. This is no different for the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra. I had the pleasure of attending one of this ensembles breathtaking concerts on November 7,…

In class, there was a performance done by the Proteus Quartet today. The Proteus Quartet are from Rhode Island College and consists of two violinists, John Sumerlin (violin 1) and Sam Breene (violin2), a violist, Sue Culpo, and cellist, Steve Laven. On this day, this group played Beethoven's Op.18 No.6 “Scherzo: Allegro Con Brio” and Op.127 “Allegro Maestoso” , one of Dvorak’s waltzes, and Star Wars as the mystery piece. One of the pieces that was excellently performed was Beethoven's Op.18…

Whether it be French, Italian, or English Opera, it’s very dramatic. Handel’s “Piangeró La Sorte Mia” is no exception. George Frideric Handel (Georg Friedrich Händel) like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a child prodigy. Born in Halle, Germany in 1685, began studying music at the very early age of 7 under organist Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow despite his father’s disapproval. The young Handel then began composing music at the age of 10 which mostly composed of church cantatas and chamber music. From his…

The musical notes ring through the air with a certain beauty about them that is special compared to other pieces from different composers. This would be one of the many great works from Johann Sebastian Bach. He was one of the most brilliant composers of his time, and one of the most brilliant composers to ever compose music in history. His work was good enough to get him jobs working for the church and royalty of all kinds. Bach was born in Germany on March 31st, 1685 into a family of…

A few days ago I was lucky enough to attend a live orchestra concert at LACMA. I had never been to a professional music concert before and after learning about the different styles of music in class I was anxious to see what was in store for me. I arrived at the theatre, looking forward to a good show. After the announcer introduced the performers, the lights went dark. This was the moment I had been waiting for. My adrenaline went through the roof. The time had finally come that I would get to…

Ansel Adams was born in February 20th, 1902 and died April 22nd, 1984. He grew up in the Western Addition of San Francisco, California to Charles Hitchcock Adams and Olive Bray Adams. Adams was a very hyperactive child and was prone to frequent sickness and hypochondria. When Ansel turned 12 he became interested in piano. As the next 12 years thinking it would be music, but by 1920 he gave up music for photography. In 1916 him and his family went to the Yosemite National Park. "The splendor of…

Otto Luening was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Otto spent most of his early childhood on a farm outside of Milwaukee. He started to take piano lessons at the age of four with his father and just two years later at the age of six he began to compose his very own music. When Otto was around 12 years old, he and his family moved to Munich, Germany. Here he studied about orchestration, harmony, flute, and piano at the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik. Four years later when Otto was 16, he made his…

As I walked into the Brechemin Auditorium I was immediately mesmerized by the stage. I took my seat and instantly took notice of the crimson curtain and the Grand black piano shining in the spotlight. The auditorium was much smaller than I had expected, but it created an intimacy between the musicians and audience that was necessary for the performances. During Introduction and Variations on ‘Trockne Blumen,’ D.802, I could hear the pages of sheet music turn and the breaths that the flute player…