Music that I love

 

Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No1

Why I have chosen this piece & Interesting facts about it 

I have loved Bach for more than fifty years. And, as the years go by, his standing has become ever firmer. He is, clearly, a composer, not only of extraordinary music, but of much that was sublime, including the Passions of St John, and of St Mathew. He was also a brilliant organist, and a superb, and wonderfully inventive musical creator of, for example, the two- and three-part inventions. 

Little, if any, of Bach’s musical oeuvre is inconsequential, and much is of great significance, examples of which are the six Brandenburg Concertos. The first of these, No 1, was quite possibly written in 1713, when Bach was about 28, although the exact date of its writing is unknown. Brandenburg Concerto No 1 is the only Brandenburg Concerto to be composed of FOUR parts, the other five Concertos, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 being composed of just THREE parts. It is unclear why Brandenburg No 1 is composed of FOUR parts, and Brandenburg Nos 2 to 6 are for THREE parts. I will attempt to establish why there is a discrepancy between No 1 and 2 to 6 a little later.

Description of the piece

First movement. Starts off with jollity, but becomes grander  

Second movement. Mysterious, but quite profound. Slow and gentle
Third movement. Allegro. Faster, but with variations in rhythm 
Fourth movement. Very stately and grand. Slow and measured but with occasional bursts of energy before returning to a stated grandeur

There is nothing especially sacred about any of the Brandenburg Concertos, or, indeed, most of Bach’s music, with the notable exceptions of St John Passion, St Mathew Passion, and a small number of other religious pieces. For the most part, Bach, seemingly, did not get involved in a large number of religious works. 

 

Copland: Appalachian Spring 

Why I have chosen this piece & Interesting facts about it 

Aaron Copland was born in 1900, and was the youngest in the family. His father was not musical, but his mother was. She played the piano, as did at least one of his sisters. He began his compositions from the age of seven, and by the age of fifteen he had embarked upon a musical career of considerable brilliance which included Rodeo, the Lincoln Portrait, and Appalachian Spring. Copland felt by about 1960 that he had no more to offer musically, and, from then on, his musical universe revolved around conducting his own music, as well as of other composers. The last years of his life were increasingly clouded by a decline in his mental faculties, but he received high honours from President Johnson and a Special Gold Medal from Congress in 1987. He died just after his ninetieth birthday in 1990. 

Copland decided he wanted to be a composer from the very early age of fifteen after he had gone to a concert given by Paderewski. He began studying harmony, theory and composition under Rubin Goldmark, a noted composer of American music, who had given George Gershwin some lessons. Goldmark did not approve of anything modern, so Copland had to keep his ideas to himself. This must have created a certain amount of strain for Copland, given how different his ideas were from those of Goldmark, and it is possible that Copland decided to go to France after the War, because of the restrictions that the young Copland felt he was under from Goldmark. This is, of course, only conjecture. But, if it is true, Copland’s music would, I feel, have been quite damaged, had Copland not been able to move away from the United States. 

Just after the First World War he went to Paris for three years and studied under Nadia Boulanger. Copland was not very impressed by Nadia Boulanger at first, but he grew to like her; was highly complimentary towards her; and regarded her as an ‘intellectual Amazon’.

From the 1960’s Copland did little in the way of composing, and spent much of his time conducting and recording his own work for Columbia Records. During the 1980’s Copland was the recipient of many honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom which he received from President Johnson in 1964; the National Medal of Arts in 1986; and in 1987 the United States Congress presented him with a special Gold Medal. These were the ultimate accolade for the greatest American Composer. 

Copland’s works were many and various, but none were dull. My favourites are the Lincoln portrait, which tells in Lincoln’s own words, the salient features of his Presidency, and Appalachian Spring. But all his work is brilliant.

Description of the piece 

Starts with a slow, idyllic pace, reminiscent of a gradual awakening from Winter. Then the pace quickens as the buds ripen, and the trees begin to flower and blossom. The bloom then falls away, and the trees begin to show their true majesty.  Overall, the piece starts very quietly, and extremely gently.

The music then becomes brighter and livelier, but still rather slow. The music remains slow, and Appalachian Spring becomes a little reflective.

The piece becomes gentler.

Now it becomes jollier and rather more playful. The  piece becomes grander, and more stately, before ending on a playful, and skittish section.

Appalachian Spring then becomes much quieter, before the beginning of The Lord of the Dance. 

The Lord of the Dance is then played in full, and Appalachian Spring finishes with The Lord of the Dance played very softly.