Daily Archives: November 16, 2014

The Symphonic Etudes (French: Études Symphoniques), Op. 13, is a set of études for solo piano by Robert Schumann. It began in 1834 as a theme and sixteen variations on a theme by Baron von Fricken, plus a further variation on an entirely different theme by Heinrich Marschner.

Composition

The first edition in 1837 carried an annotation that the tune was “the composition of an amateur”: this referred to the origin of the theme, which had been sent to Schumann by Baron von Fricken, guardian of Ernestine von Fricken, the Estrella of his Carnaval Op. 9. The baron, an amateur musician, had used the melody in a Theme with Variations for flute. Schumann had been engaged to Ernestine in 1834, only to break abruptly with her the year after. An autobiographical element is thus interwoven in the genesis of the Études symphoniques (as in that of many other works of Schumann’s).^[1]

Of the sixteen variations Schumann composed on Fricken’s theme, only eleven were published by him. (An early version, completed between 1834 and January 1835, contained twelve movements). The final, twelfth, published étude was a variation on the theme from the Romance Du stolzes England freue dich (Proud England, rejoice!), from Heinrich Marschner‘s opera Der Templer und die Jüdin, which was based on Sir Walter Scott‘s Ivanhoe (as a tribute to Schumann’s English friend, William Sterndale Bennett). The earlier Fricken theme occasionally appears briefly during this étude. The work was first published in 1837 as XII Études Symphoniques. Only nine of the twelve études were specifically designated as variations. The sequence was as follows:

Theme – Andante
Etude I (Variation 1) – Un poco più vivo
Etude II (Variation 2) – Andante
Etude III – Vivace
Etude IV (Variation 3) – Allegro marcato
Etude V (Variation 4) – Scherzando
Etude VI (Variation 5) – Agitato
Etude VII (Variation 6) – Allegro molto
Etude VIII (Variation 7) – Sempre marcatissimo
Etude IX – Presto possibile
Etude X (Variation 8) – Allegro con energia
Etude XI (Variation 9) – Andante espressivo
Etude XII (Finale) – Allegro brillante (based on Marschner’s theme).

Other titles had been considered in September 1834: Variations pathétiques and Etuden im Orchestercharakter von Florestan und Eusebius. In this latter case the Études would have been signed by two imaginary figures in whom Schumann personified two essential, opposite and complementary aspects of his own personality and his own poetic world. ‘Florestan and Eusebius’ then signed the Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6; but only in the 1835 version of the Études symphoniques were the pieces divided so as to emphasize the alternation of more lyrical, melancholy and introvert pages (Eusebius) with those of a more excitable and dynamic nature (Florestan). In the 1837 version Florestan prevails.

Fifteen years later, in a second edition (Leipzig 1852), the 1837 title Études symphoniques became Études en forme de variations, two etudes (Nos. 3 and 9) that did not correspond to the new title (not being exactly variations) were eliminated, and some revisions were made in the piano writing.

The entire work was dedicated to Schumann’s English friend, the pianist and composer William Sterndale Bennett. Bennett played the piece frequently in England to great acclaim, but Schumann thought it was unsuitable for public performance and advised his wife Clara not to play it.

Later publication history

In 1861, five years after Schumann’s death, his father-in-law Friedrich Wieck published a third edition under the editorial pseudonym “DAS” (an acronym for Der alte Schulmeister). This edition attempted to reconcile the differences between the earlier two, and bore both the previous titles XII Études Symphoniques and Études en forme de variations.

On republishing the set in 1890, Johannes Brahms restored the five variations that had been cut by Schumann. These are now often played, but in positions within the cycle that vary somewhat with each performance; there are now twelve variations and these five so-called “posthumous” variations which exist as a supplement.

The five posthumously published sections (all based on Fricken’s theme) are:

Variation I – Andante, Tempo del tema
Variation II – Meno mosso
Variation III – Allegro
Variation IV – Allegretto
Variation V – Moderato.

Orchestrations

Two sections, including the Allegro brillante, were orchestrated by Tchaikovsky, and have been recorded.^[3]

Valentina plays Chopin.

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Tagged Études (Chopin), Baron von Fricken, Bela Bartok, Chelmsford, Compact Disc, emil gilels, etudes symphoniques, EUZICASA, Frédéric Chopin, Great Compositions/Performances, Heinrich Marschner, Horn (instrument), Jack Kent Cooke, Johannes Brahms, Massachusetts, New York City, Op. 13, opus number, Piano, robert schumann, schumann, Schumann - Symphonic Etudes, Symphonic Etudes, Symphonic Studies (Schumann), Valentina Lisitsa, William Sterndale Bennett

Grieg Holberg Suite Op. 40 グリーグホルベルク組曲 : great compositions/performances

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Grieg Holberg Suite Op. 40 グリーグホルベルク組曲

netyama

1. 00:00 Praludium
2. 03:01 Sarabande
3. 08:27 Gavotte
4. 12:31 Air
5. 20:21 Rigaudon
******************************************************************
***Nagoya Streichersolisten Summer Concert 2012
(directed By Kato Akira)
NOTE: We are the amateur string orchestra playing in Nagoya Japan.
Summer concerts are held once a year.
http://ngs.sakuraweb.com

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Posted in ARTISTS AND ARTS - Music, Educational, IN THE SPOTLIGHT, MEMORIES, MY TAKE ON THINGS, News, ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS, PEOPLE AND PLACES HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, Special Interest, Uncategorized

Tagged alexander glazunov, Anna Clyne, Arkhangelsk, Artistic director, グリーグホルベルク組曲, Edvard Grieg, EUZICASA, Great Compositions/Performances, Grieg, Holberg Suite, Holberg Suite Op. 40, Johann Sebastian Bach, Orchestra, Symphony No. 34 (Mozart), Tempo

W. A. Mozart: String Quintet in E-flat, K. 614 (Hausmusik): make music part of your life series

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W. A. Mozart: String Quintet in E-flat, K. 614 (Hausmusik)

Edward Murray

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791): String Quintet in E-flat Major, K. 614

1. Allegro di molto
2. Andante 10:30
3. Menuetto: Allegretto 18:00
4. Allegro 21:30

Hausmusik (on period instruments)
Monica Huggett & Pavlo Beznosiuk, violin
Roger Chase & Simon Whistler, viola
Richard Lester, cello

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Tagged (Hausmusik), A Hard Day's Night, A Woman Under the Influence, Academy Award, Edward Murray Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, EUZICASA, Gena Rowlands, Greg Morris, John Cassavetes, K. 614, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Make Music Part of Your Life Series, Nick Cassavetes, Richard Lester, Simon Whistler, String quintet, String Quintet in E-flat, THe Beatles, w a mozart

today’s holiday: Trois Glorieuses

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Trois Glorieuses

The Three Glorious Days is a French wine festival that occurs on the third weekend of November in Côte d’Or Department, Burgundy, in eastern France. On the first day, at the Château of Clos Vougeot, the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin receive their new members, followed by a pig dinner during which hundreds of bottles of wine are uncorked.The second day takes place at Beaune, where a wine auction is held at the Hospice de Beaune. On the final day in Meursault, everyone who has taken part in the wine harvest is invited to a huge banquet with folk dancing and merrymaking. More… Discuss

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Tagged Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, eastern France, French wine festival, Trois Glorieuses, wine auction

today’s birthday: Sir Oswald Mosley (1896)

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Sir Oswald Mosley (1896)

Dubbed the 20th century’s worst Briton by the BBC History Magazine, Mosley was a British politician who founded the British Union of Fascists, modeled upon the German and Italian fascist parties of the 1930s. Members adopted Nazi-style uniforms and promoted anti-Semitism. In 1940, Mosley and his second wife, Diana Guinness, a known friend of Adolf Hitler, were interned along with other prominent British fascists. Where had he and Guinness held their nuptials several years earlier? More… Discuss

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Tagged 11th Duke of Devonshire, Adolf Hitler, Andrew Cavendish, British Union of Fascists, Bruern, Chatsworth House, Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, Edensor, Mitford family, Oswald Mosley, Oxfordshire

this day in the yesteryear: The Sound of Music Opens on Broadway (1959)

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The Sound of Music Opens on Broadway (1959)

The Sound of Music, with a score by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Mary Martin starred as Maria, and Theodore Bikel played the role of Captain Georg von Trapp. The Tony Award-winning production ran for 1,443 performances. Productions in London, Japan, and Australia followed, as did the phenomenally successful 1965 film, starring Julie Andrews. What are some of the differences between the stage and screen versions? More… Discuss

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Posted in ARTISTS AND ARTS - Music, Educational, FILM, IN THE SPOTLIGHT, MEMORIES, MY TAKE ON THINGS, ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS, PEOPLE AND PLACES HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, Uncategorized, YouTube/SoundCloud: Music, Special Interest

Tagged Academy Award, Allegro (musical), bing crosby, Broadway theatre, Emmy Award, Julie Andrews, Los Angeles, oscar hammerstein ii, richard rodgers, rodgers and hammerstein

word: charlatan

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charlatan

Definition:	(noun) A person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge; a quack or fraud.
Synonyms:	mountebank
Usage:	In a somber tone, the charlatan proclaimed that he could cure the woman with only a banana peel—for a small fee, of course. Discuss.

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Tagged Baking powder, Banana, Bananas Foster, Bioplastic, Boat, bugs bunny, Butter, Cream, David Tabor, Thailand

“Be happy with what you have” — Being Human

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Be happy with what you have 🙂 pic.twitter.com/U1vmzao7as

— Being Human (@CuteSweetPics) November 16, 2014

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Posted in ARTISTS AND ARTS - Music, Educational, Health and Environment, IN THE SPOTLIGHT, MY TAKE ON THINGS, News, ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS, PEOPLE AND PLACES HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, Photography, Special Interest, SPIRITUALITY, Uncategorized

Tagged Aaliyah, Agence France-Presse, Allah, Baduizm, Barack Obama, bbc news, BBC World News, Be My Baby, blindness, Bobby Rydell

this pressed for our collectice memory: #NBCNews Health Secretary Defends Affordable Care Act: HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell

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#NBCNews Health Secretary Defends Affordable Care Act: HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell tol… http://t.co/6Lezx4LInP #WorldRSSFeeds

— World RSS Feeds News (@WorldRSSfeeds) November 16, 2014

Just a thought: “Transparency…is a one way mirror: one side can see through, while from the other you looks at your reflection”