Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn (version September 2022)
when I see the "memory ferns" growing on the old eaves of the imperial palace my longing grows the more I long for the glorious rule of the past
momoshiki ya furuki nokiba no shinobu ni mo nao amari aru mukashi nari keri
百敷や 古き軒端の しのぶにも なほあまりある むかしなりけり
Cloistered Emperor Juntoku 順徳院 (1197-1242)
A poem about the loss of imperial power, written in 1216. Also echoes the first poem that opens the Hyakunin Isshu, by Emperor Tenji: the opening poem of the collection shows us a benevolent emperor ruling over the people, but this one is filled with nostalgia for the past glories of the imperial house.
Notes
- momoshiki: an utamakura for palaces, here used independently: "the imperial court". - nokiba no shinobu: a pun (kakekotoba). It means both "the memory ferns (shinobu) growing on the eaves" and "to long for the past (shinobu)." - nao: here the same as "yahari", after all, all the same. - amari aru: "shinonde mo shinobikirenai", "no matter how much I yearn for it, my yearning never ends." - mukashi narikeri: "the glorious reign of old." -keri is an exclamation.
The Poet
Emperor
Juntoku (1197 – 1242) was the 84th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1210 through 1221. He was the third son of Emperor Go-Toba (poem 99). In actuality, Emperor Go-Toba wielded effective power as a cloistered emperor during the years of Juntoku's reign. In 1221, Emperor Juntoku was forced to abdicate because of his participation in Go-Toba's unsuccessful attempt to displace the Kamakura bakufu with re-asserted Imperial power. This political and military struggle was called the Jokyu War. After the imperial side lost the war, Juntoku was sent into exile on Sado Island, where he remained until his death in 1242.
Juntoku studied poetry under Teika and was a frequent participant in the poetry events sponsored by Go-Toba. Juntoku has a personal poetry collection and 159 of his poems were included in imperial anthologies.
Visiting
(1) Mano Goryo Mausoleum, Sado Island. Sado Island is part of Niigata prefecture and can be reached by ferry from Niigata to Ryotsu. Emperor Juntoku was forced into exile on Sado in 1221, when he and his father, Go-Toba, lost the military struggle with the Hojo regents. After twenty-two years, he passed away in 1242, at the age of forty-six. His body was cremated the following day, and pines and cherry trees were planted on the site to mark the spot. His ashes were returned to Kyoto the following year, and buried in the imperial mausoleum of his father, Emperor Go-Toba. The cremation spot on Sado Island mound is handled as an imperial mausoleum under the management of the Imperial Household Agency. It lies in a beautiful grove. The nearby Manogu Shrine enshrines Emperor Juntoku. The Kuroki Gosho at Izumi served as the abode for the unlucky emperor for 22 years (10 km SW of Ryotsu). Mano was the center of government on the island from the earliest times to the Kamakura period and most of Sado's historical relics are scattered here. Other famous exiles to Sado were the priest Nichiren and the No master Zeami. See the Sado Tourism website.
(2) The Ohara Mausoleum near Sanzenin temple in Ohara, Kyoto, is dedicated to both Juntoku and his father Go-Toba, who both died after long years in exile.
References:
Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua
S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One
Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); Traditional Japanese
Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press,
1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku
Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Chishiki Zero kara
no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo
Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge); Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin
Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho
waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's
Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by
Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010);
Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen
Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A
Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary
Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu
(Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori
Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari
(Shogakkan, 1994).
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn (version September 2022)
people seem kind and people also seem hateful when in vain I brood over the world this self that broods over things
hito mo oshi
hito mo urameshi
ajiki naku
yo o omou yue ni
mono omou mi wa
人も惜し 人も恨めし あぢきなく 世を思ふゆゑに もの思ふ身は
Cloistered Emperor Go-Toba 後鳥羽院 (1180-1239)
A poem on "personal grievance", written as part of a hundred-poem-sequence in 1212.
Notes
- hito: this can be interpreted in various ways: (1) "hito," people, refers to all
humans in general; (2) it refers to the same person, meaning that one person can have two sides; (3) there are both good and bad people in the
world. - ito: =itooshii, dear, adorable - ajikinaku: vainly, futile - yo wo omou: the world in general. As emperor, Go-Toba wants the world to be at peace. - mono omou mi wa: I myself who broods about the world. - mono omou: often thoughts of love, but here dejected thoughts in a more general sense.
The Poet
Emperor Go-Toba (1180 – 1239, r. 1183-1198) was the 82nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. He was the fourth son of Emperor Takakura and put on the throne at age four, abdicating at nineteen. Go-Toba was a great patron of the arts and a dedicated poet who sponsored the compilation of the Shinkokinshu and worked closely with its editors. He and Teika eventually fell out over poetic matters. Politically, he rebelled against the Kamakura military government in what is known as the Jokyu Rebellion of 1221. Go-Toba's forces were defeated and he was exiled to the Oki islands, where he lived another eighteen years. During his exile, he continued to compose hundreds of waka. Go-Toba has 254 poems in imperial anthologies and his personal poetry collection is also extant. He was one of the greatest poets of his time.
[The Oki Shrine]
Visiting
(1) The Oki Islands. A cluster of remote islands in the Sea of Japan belonging to Shimane Prefecture designated as a location of exile during the reign of Emperor Shomu in 724. Noble exiles, among them two emperors, aristocrats and government officials were sent there to undergo their sentences. Oki was not only selected for this role due to its remoteness, but also because the islands were wealthy enough that exiled nobles could live there without suffering hardship (this had to do with the belief in vengeful ghosts, that the spirits of powerful individuals could come back to seek revenge for having been treated badly - so royal exiles especially were to have satisfactory living conditions). This was the reason that Nakanoshima Island, which has rich farmland, was selected as the location of exile for Emperor Gotoba in 1221. Other famous individuals exiled to the Oki Islands include Emperor Godaigo (1332, to Dogo Island)) and the poet Ono no Takamura (838 - see poem 11).
Nakanoshima is one of the Dozen Islands in the Oki archipelago and the third largest of the Oki Islands. The island is of volcanic origin, with a deeply indented coastline. This is where the Cloistered Emperor Go-Toba was exiled in 1221. He was never allowed to leave the island and died here in 1239. Oki Jinja was erected on the island in 1939 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the death of Go-Toba. Festivals are held on 4/14 and 10/14 every year dedicated to the waka written by the Cloistered Emperor Go-Toba that include a special song and dance called “Jyokyugaku” which is exclusive to the Oki Shrine. Near the shrine is the Emperor Go-Toba Museum that displays the treasures of the Oki Shrine, centering around items related to the late emperor. In the surrounding area are the Residence Site and the Burial Site of Emperor Go-Toba, and the residence of the Murakami family that guarded the tomb for generations.
There are regular ferry services to the Oki Islands from Sakaiminato in Shimane prefecture, and also smaller ferries between the islands. See the Tourism Guide to the islands. The islands are not only rich in historical relics, but also in unspoiled nature. One famous visitor was Lafcadio Hearn, who visited the islands in 1892, spending a month there, and writing about his experiences in Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan.
[Ohara Mausoleum]
(2) Go-Toba's mausoleum can be found in Ohara, near Sanzenin temple. Designated by the Imperial Household Agency as the "Ohara no Misasagi," it is marked by a 13-story stone pagoda. After his death in 1239 on Oki, part of his ashes was brought to this official mausoleum, where they were interred together with the remains of another imperial exile, Emperor Juntoku.
References:
Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua
S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One
Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); Traditional Japanese
Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press,
1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku
Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Chishiki Zero kara
no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo
Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge); Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin
Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho
waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's
Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by
Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010);
Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen
Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A
Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary
Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu
(Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori
Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari
(Shogakkan, 1994).
G-flat major is unusual, like C-sharp, but also a bit murky. It has a lighter quality than D-flat Major but doesn’t bring the austerity and weight of A-flat Major. Its color is brownish orange.
It is a key with G-Flat as root and consists of the pitches G♭, A♭, B♭, C♭, D♭, E♭, and F. Its key signature has six flats. Its relative minor is E-flat minor (or enharmonically D-sharp minor), and its parallel minor is G-flat minor, which is usually replaced by F-sharp minor, since G-flat minor's two double-flats make it impractical to use. Its direct enharmonic equivalent, F-sharp major, contains the same number of sharps as the G-flat major key does flats.
Here we reach a watershed in the Circle of Fifths where the flat and sharp keys overlap.
Like F-sharp major, G-flat major is rarely chosen as the main key for orchestral works. Some movements of larger works are, however, in G-flat: String Quintet in F major, III (Adagio) and Symphony No. 4, III (Trio) by Bruckner; or the Piano Quartet in E-flat major, op. 87, II and IV by Dvorak.
Chamber music works in G-flat Major are the Humoresque No. 7 by Dvorak which has a middle section in the parallel key (F-sharp minor), and Maurice Ravel's Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet.
This key is more often found in piano music, as the use of all five
black keys allows an easier conformity to the player's hands, despite
the numerous flats. In particular, the black keys G♭, A♭, B♭, D♭, and E♭
correspond to the 5 notes of the G-flat pentatonic scale. Schubert chose this key for his third impromptu from his
first collection of impromptus (1827). Frédéric Chopin
wrote two études in the key of G-flat major: Étude Op. 10, No. 5 "Black
Key" and Étude Op. 25, No. 9 "Butterfly". Debussy
used this key for one of his most popular compositions, La fille aux
cheveux de lin, the eighth prélude from his Préludes Book I
(1909–1910).
When writing works in all 24 major and minor keys, Alkan, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and others used G-flat major over F-sharp major. Muzio Clementi chose F-sharp in his set of preludes, but G-flat for the final "Grande Exercice" which modulates through all the keys.
Franz Schubert, Impromptu No 3 in G-flat Major, from Four Impromptus D. 899
This serenade is a classic example of Schubert's outstanding lyrical facility, as well as his penchant for long melodic lines. There is little interruption in the fluttering harp-like broken triad accompaniment, creating a tense contrast with the spacious and languid melody—an anticipation of Felix Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words. With no repeats, the melody develops into a shadowy and frequently modulating middle section before returning to its relaxed flow.
Khatia Buniatishvili
Frédéric Chopin, Étude Op. 10 No. 5 "Black Key"
Étude Op. 10, No. 5 in G-flat major was first published in 1833 as the fifth piece of Chopin's Études Op. 10. This work is characterized by a rapid triplet figuration played by the right hand almost exclusively on black keys. This melodic figuration is accompanied by the left hand in staccato chords and octaves.
The so-called "Black Key Étude" is one of the composer's most popular. It has been a repertoire piece of pianists since Chopin's time and has inspired numerous exercises, arrangements and paraphrases. The piece is marked Vivace and written in 2/4 meter. Like all of Chopin's other études, this work is in ternary form ABA.
Yasuko Furumi
Étude Op. 25, No. 9 "Butterfly"
Étude Op. 25, No. 9 in G-flat major, known as the Butterfly étude, is a study of staccato – marcato alternations. The piece is marked Allegro assai and is written in 2/4 meter. It is the shortest of Chopin's études - it lasts under a minute. The melody is created by playing a detached octave, then two non-detached octaves. This makes a four-note group, the structure of which is used during the whole piece to convey the melody. This structure of rapid octaves can pose a challenge to the less technically experienced. Another difficulty is in the constant switching of solid octaves to detached octaves.
Szymon Nehring
Claude Debussy, "La fille aux cheveux de lin" in G-flat Major (from Préludes, Book I).
"La fille aux cheveux de lin" is the eighth piece in Debussy's first book of Préludes, written between late 1909 and early 1910. The French title translates to "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" and is named after a poem by Leconte de Lisle. The piece is known for its musical simplicity, a divergence from Debussy's style at the time. The prelude's central idea takes after its title – a girl with golden hair in a pastoral setting in Scotland. Thus, it is one of many examples of Debussy's Impressionist music, since it conjures up images of a foreign place. His utilization of pentatonic scales throughout the piece achieves this, and by blending this in with harmonizing diatonic chords and modal cadences, he creates a folk-like tune.
Played by Lang Lang,
Antonín Dvořák, Humoresque No. 7 in G-flat major
Humoresques Op. 101 is a piano cycle by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, written during the summer of 1894. These delightful miniatures show Dvorak's ever-fresh inspiration at its best. The seventh Humoresque in G Flat Major has become one of the most
popular classical pieces in existence, and the publisher Simrock made
vast amounts of money on it by publishing it separately in arrangements
for all possible and impossible instruments and ensembles. Here it is played on the violin in an arrangement by Kreisler.
Augustin Hadelich and Charles Owen.
Maurice Ravel, Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet
A
short chamber piece by Ravel, which was commissioned in 1905 by the
Érard harp manufacturers to showcase their instruments. It has been
described as a miniature harp concerto. The premiere was in Paris on 22
February 1907.
The work is in G-flat major. The opening is
marked Très lent and expressif. The 26-bar introduction presents three
themes – the first two for woodwinds and the third for cello – which
reappear in the allegro. The piece opens with a pianissimo duet for the
flute and clarinet. The strings enter in the third bar, pianissimo, and
the harp enters in the fourth with a wide-ranging arpeggio. The cello
introduces a broad melody against the shimmering pianissimo of the
violins, flute, and clarinet. After ten bars the time changes to 3/4 and
the marking to "moins lent." The movement becomes faster and louder, and
subsides to pianissimo again, bringing the introduction to its
conclusion.
The allegro, in sonata form, follows without a break.
It opens with a harp solo. The flute takes up the melody, to the
accompaniment of the violins pizzicato and the other strings arco. The
melody is passed from one instrument to another; the music gradually
grows louder until a fortissimo climax is reached. The themes are
further developed or compressed, with a cadenza for the harp, which
precedes the recapitulation. The harp returns to the first theme of the
allegro section, with the accompaniment of trills by strings and
woodwinds. The melody passes from instrument to instrument, the music
becoming louder and softer again, with short interludes for the harp
solo. The principal melody is given in variation form in the harp,
accompanied by pizzicato strings, leading to an animated and fortissimo
conclusion.
Musicians from the Oslo Philharmonic, Harp: Birgitte Volan Håvik
[Incorporates parts of the relevant articles in the Japanese, German and English Wikipedia]
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn (version September 2022)
longing for you who do not come I am like the salt-making fires at dusk on the Bay of Waiting aflame with longing
konu hito o Matsuho no ura no yunagi ni yaku ya moshio no mi mo kogare tsutsu
こぬ人を まつほの浦の 夕なぎに やくやもしほの 身もこがれつつ
Fujiwara no Teika 藤原定家 (1162-1241)
A poem of longing for a lover who never comes. Written at a poetry contest in 1216 hosted by Emperor Juntoku, the speaker in the poem is a woman. It is an allusive variation (honkadori) on a poem in the Manyoshu (6:935). The smouldering passion of the speaker is compared to the salt-making fires lighting up the shore at Matsuho Bay.
Notes
- Matsuho no Ura: the Bay of Matsuho ("The Bay of Waiting") on Awaji island, an utamakura. In the name of the bay "matsu" is written with the kanji for "pine tree", but in the poem it is also a pun on waiting (matsu) for the person who doesn't come (konu hito wo). - yunagi: evening calm - yaku ya moshio no: brine and seaweed were boiled down on the beach to make salt. (ya is an interjection without a specific meaning here). - kogareru：to yearn for - tsutsu: indicates that the speaker in the poem has waited night after night.
The Poet
Fujiwara no Sadaie, better-known as Fujiwara no Teika (1162 – 1241), is counted among the greatest Japanese poets. He was also an anthologist, calligrapher, and literary critic of note, whose influence was enormous. A member of a poetic clan, Teika was born to the noted poet Fujiwara no Shunzei (poem 83).
After coming to the attention of the Cloistered Emperor Go-Toba, Teika
began his long and distinguished career, spanning multiple areas of
aesthetic endeavor. His relationship with Go-Toba was at first cordial
and led to commissions to compile anthologies, but later resulted in his
banishment from the cloistered emperor's court. His descendants and
critical ideas on composing poetry would dominate classical Japanese
poetry for centuries afterwards.
Teika was one of the editors of the Shin Kokinshu and later edited the Shinchokusenshu by himself. He collated and edited many of the classics of Japanese literature, such as The Tale of Genji. His personal poetry collection is extant and he has 465 poems in imperial anthologies. He is the compiler of One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each anthology.
Shin Kokinshu (Shin Kokin Wakashu
Shin Kokinshu (新古今和歌集, "New Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern"), the eighth imperial waka anthology. Together with the Man'yoshu and the Kokinshu, the Shin Kokinshu is widely considered to be one of the three most influential poetic anthologies in Japanese literary history. It was commissioned in 1201 by the Cloistered Emperor Go-Toba (r 1183-1198), who established a new Bureau of Poetry at his Nijo palace with eleven Fellows, headed by Fujiwara no Yoshitsune, for the purpose of conducting poetry contests and compiling the anthology. Despite its emphasis on contemporary poets, the Shin Kokinshu covered a broader range of poetic ages than the Kokinshu, including ancient poems that the editors of the first anthology had deliberately excluded. It was officially presented in 1205, on the 300th anniversary of the completion of the Kokinshu.
Although Go-Toba retained veto power over the poems included in the anthology as well as the order in which they were presented, he assigned the task of compilation to six of the Fellows of the Bureau of Poetry. These were Fujiwara no Teika (1162–1241), Fujiwara no Ariie, Fujiwara no Ietaka, Jakuren, Minamoto no Michitomo and Asukai Masatsune. The anthology was also given a preface in Japanese prose by Fujiwara no Yoshitsune and a preface in Chinese by Fujiwara no Chikatsune, in a manner reminiscent of the Kokinshu.
Matsuho Bay lies on the north side of Awaji Island and refers to the coast here which faces the Strait of Akashi. A body of water with strong tidal currents, the Strait of Akashi links the Seto Inland Sea with Osaka Bay. It is also a key point for crossing the sea to the area around Kyoto. Awaji Island is where the Ama, with their superb seafaring skills, flourished in olden times. The Manyoshu already mentions that the Ama made salt here, and that Matsuho no Ura was used as an anchor ground for the crossing over the Strait of Akashi.
According to the creation myth in the Kojiki, Awaji was the first of the Japanese islands born from the union between the deities Izanagi and Izanami, and is dotted with famous places such as Izanagi Jingu and Onokorojima Shrine. The area around Matsuho Bay now is called Iwaya and you also find here the Iwaya Shrine which is associated with the Onokoro story of Japanese mythology. It is refreshing to stand on the coast here and see small skiffs with fishermen shoot through strait, followed by clouds of shrieking seagulls. You also see the world's longest suspension bridge, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which crosses the Strait here from Kobe. What you don't see are salt makers, for that occupation has long died out on Awaji. Despite the bridge, the nicest way to cross over to Awaji is the ferry from Akashi, the Jenova Line (the only ferry left after the bridge was built). It is quite frequent and convenient. See this website about historical sites on Awaji Island.
References:
Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua
S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One
Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); Traditional Japanese
Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press,
1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku
Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Chishiki Zero kara
no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo
Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge); Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin
Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho
waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's
Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by
Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010);
Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen
Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A
Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary
Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu
(Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori
Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari
(Shogakkan, 1994).
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn (version September 2022)
the blossoms lured to the garden by the storm wind are not snow that has fallen - what withers and falls away are the years of my life!
hana sasou arashi no niwa no yuki nara de furi yuku mono wa waga mi nari keri
花さそふ あらしの庭の 雪ならで ふりゆくものは わが身なりけり
Fujiwara (Saionji) no Kintsune 西園寺公経 (1171-1244)
The blossoms that have been scattered (furi) by the storm wind like fallen snow, are in fact not snow, therefore they are not fallen (furi): the only thing that is falling and growing old (furi) is the poet himself.
Notes
- hana sasou arashi: "the (cherry-) blossoms lured by the storm" - yuki: Kintsune plays with the hackneyed "elegant confusion" between blossoms and snow. - narade: "-de" is a negation. " - furiyuku: pun (kaketotoba) meaning both "to fall (of the snow/cherry blossoms)" and "to grow old (of the poet)." This also refers to Ono no Komachi's verse in the Hyakunin Isshu (poem 9) in which the same pun occurs. - narikeri: "nari" is an assertion, "-keri" indicates an exclamation, as if the poet only now realizes he is growing old.
The Poet
Fujiwara no Kintsune was the progenitor of the Saionji family, and is therefore also called "Saionji Kintsune." He was on intimate terms with the Kamakura bakufu, as evidenced by his marriage to a niece of Minamoto no Yoritomo and eventually became the grandfather of the shogun Yoritsune. He was held in confinement by Cloistered Emperor Go-Toba during the Jokyu War, but managed to alert the bakufu of what was happening in advance, and thereby contributed to the bakufu's eventual victory. After the war, his bond with the bakufu became stronger than ever, so that in 1222 he was promoted to High Chancellor and raised to Juichi-i (Junior First Rank) the following year in 1223, until he, along with his adopted son-in-law, Kujo Michiie, controlled all the real power at the imperial court. He also worked as Kanto Moshitsugi, or Shogunal Liaison at Court, exerting himself to mediate between bakufu and court. Kintsune's granddaughter Kitsushi became Emperor Gosaga's Empress, whereby Kintsune became maternal relatives with Imperial Prince Hisahito (who later became Emperor Gofukakusa). With this, the Saionji family established their precedent of producing Empresses, and in addition, used this as the impetus to forge close ties between the Jimyoin imperial lineage (the genealogy beginning with Emperor Gofukakusa) and the bakufu. Kintsune had the rare honor of being the grandfather of the Shogun, the Emperor, the Empress, and the Sekkan.
The family name Saionji comes from the fact that Kintsune had a temple
called Saionji built on the spot which later became Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto. Starting with Kintsune,
the Saionji family became hereditary holders of the Kanto Moshitsugi
(shogunal liaison to court) position for the rest of the Kamakura
period.
At the age of 60. Kintsune took the tonsure to study under the famous priest Myoe, leaving behind his busy political life. It is possible that the above poem as written around that time, in 1231.
Teika was married to Kintsune's older sister and received his patronage. Kintsune was active in court poetic circles and is the fourth best represented poet in the Shinchokusenshu, which Teika edited. He has 114 poems in the Shinkokinshu and other imperial anthologies.
Visiting
The garden of Kinkakuji Temple (of course without the Golden Pavilion!) goes back to Kintsune's Saionji and speaks of the wealth of this statesman.
References:
Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua
S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One
Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); Traditional Japanese
Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press,
1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku
Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Chishiki Zero kara
no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo
Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge); Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin
Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho
waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's
Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by
Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010);
Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen
Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A
Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary
Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu
(Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori
Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari
(Shogakkan, 1994).
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn (version September 2022)
though I am unworthy, shield the people of this wretched world, my ink-black sleeves, as I now live on wooded Mt Hiei okenaku ukiyo no tami ni ou kana waga tatsu soma ni sumizome no sode
おほけなく うき世の民に おほふかな わがたつそまに 墨染の袖
Jien 慈円 (1155-1225)
The author, a high Buddhist priest, vows to dedicate his life to saving the people.
In that case the poem could have been written in 1192 when Jien became High Prelate of Enryakuji, the main Tendai temple on Mt Hiei. However, as the poem has been included in the Senzaishu which was compiled in 1188, such a dating is not possible.
Notes
- okenaku: "although I am inadequate", an expression of modesty. - ukiyo no tami: "the folk of this wretched world" - waga tatsu soma ni: Mt Hiei, literally "in these wooded hills," a quote from a poem by Saicho, the founder of Tendai Buddhism. - sumi: a pun (kakekotoba), meaning both "to live" and "to dye one's clothes black" (as a priest). - sumizome no sode: the black clothes worn by Buddhist priests.
The Poet
Jien (1155 - 1225) was the son of Fujiwara no Tadamichi (poem 76). His brother was the future regent Fujiwara no Kanezane. Jien became a Tendai monk early in his life, entering Shorenin at age eleven. He eventually rose to the rank of Daisojo or High Prelate, the leader of Tendai Buddhism. As waka poet, Jien took part in many poetic events sponsored by Emperor Go-Toba and was a member of the poetic circle of his nephew Yoshitsune (poem 91) and Teika. His personal poetry collection has been preserved and he is the second-best represented poet in the Shinkokinshu (after Saigyo). He has 267 poems in the Senzaishu and other imperial anthologies. He is also famous for his historiographic work, the Gukansho, in which he attempted to apply Buddhist principles such as "mappo" to the analysis of Japanese history. He held a pessimistic view of his age, claiming that it was a period of the disintegration of civilization.
[Enryakuji's main hall, Konponchudo, "on wooded Mt Hiei"]
Visiting
Enryakuji, the headquarters of Tendai Buddhism on Mt Hiei, to the northeast of Kyoto, is huge. It was founded in 788 as a simple meditation hut by Saicho (767-822), and from the beginning, was first and for all a center of scholarship. It brought forth a long line of famous priests and thinkers and also acted as the incubation center for most new types of Buddhism. Honen, Shinran, Eisai, Dogen and Nichiren all studied on Mt. Hiei, before discovering their own direction. The Light of the Law, symbolically kept burning in a lantern in Enryakuji's main hall, has been shining through the ages.
Saicho had studied the teachings of the Tiantai School, a Chinese Buddhist movement named after the mountain on which the main monastery is located, and in 804 he decided to make the perilous journey to China to apprentice with monks on Mount Tiantai. When he returned to Japan in 805, he possessed all the historical and philosophical knowledge of the Tiantai school. His hut on Mt Hiei grew into a large temple from which he spread Tendai teachings and trained monks. When the Japanese capital was moved to neighboring Heiankyo, present-day Kyoto, in 794, it became the city's protective temple.
What Saicho introduced to Japan was not just the Tiantai doctrine, based on the Lotus Sutra and the idea that every person possesses the Buddha nature in embryo. He also taught elements of Zen, esoteric mikkyo, and vinaya. The tendency to combine elements of different movements was continued by Saicho's successors Ennin and Enchin.
Enryakuji consists of three precincts: the Toto or Eastern Precinct, where the main temple stands, and which includes the massive Konponchudo, Enryakuji's Main Hall, and the Daikodo or Great Lecture Hal as well as the temple museum; the more quiet Saito or Western Precinct; and the little visited Yokawa area, which is four kilometers further north. See the website of the Hieizan Biwako Panoramic Route for ways of access.
References:
Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua
S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One
Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); Traditional Japanese
Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press,
1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku
Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Chishiki Zero kara
no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo
Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge); Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin
Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho
waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's
Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by
Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010);
Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen
Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A
Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary
Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu
(Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori
Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari
(Shogakkan, 1994).
Illustration: Wikipedia. Photo Konponchudo: own work.
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn (version September 2022)
the autumn wind blowing from fair Mount Yoshino deepens the night and in the old capital, cold, I hear the sound of beating cloth miyoshino no yama no akikaze sayo fukete furusato samuku koromo utsu nari
みよし野の 山の秋風 さよふけて ふるさとさむく 衣うつなり
Fujiwara no Masatsune 藤原雅経 (1170-1221)
[”Fulling cloth" by Katsushika Oi]
A poem on "fulling cloth," the practice of pounding fabric to bring out a glossy sheen. The poem was part of a 100 poem sequence composed in 1202 and is again a "honkadori" poem, drawing on both Chinese and Japanese examples to create a mood of autumnal melancholia. Poems alluded to are kanshi by Li Bai and Bai Juyi, as well as Kokinshi No 325 by Ki no Korenori.
Notes
- miyoshino: utamakura for Yoshino, the mountainous area south of Nara not only famous for cherry blossoms and ascetic priests, but also for being the location of the Rikyu palace of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito. - sayo fukete: as the night deepens, the autumn wind gets increasingly cold - furusato: here "the old capital", i.e. the site of the palace of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito. - samuku (cold): a pivot word between "furusato" (old capital) and "koromo utsu" (beating clothes) - conveys the double sense of the cold of the evening and the chilly sound of the mallet. - koromo utsunari: the sound of fulling blocks (kinuta) was also a sign of autumn in Sinitic poetry.
The Poet
Fujiwara no Masatsune (1170-1221, a.k.a. Asukai Masatsune) was a son of Nanba Yoritsune and the ancestor of the Asukai family, who were known for their skill at both poetic composition, calligraphy and kemari. He studied poetry with Shunzei (poem 83) and was one of the editors of the Shinkokinshu. He left a private collection, the Asukaishu, which was posthumously edited by his grandson in 1292. Twenty-two of his poems were included in the Shinkokinshu, and a total of 134 in the imperial anthologies.
[Mr Yoshino]
Visiting
Although you won't hear the interesting sound of cloth fulling anymore, Mt Yoshino is a fascinating destination, sitting on the crest of a ridge extending to the heart of the Yoshino mountains. Located in Nara Prefecture, Mt Yoshino is a major religious and literary site. Its peaks were once climbed chiefly for devotional purposes by "mountain ascetics." Several important religious and pilgrimage destinations are located
on and around Mt Yoshino, including Kinpusenji Temple, with the Zaodo whose principal image is Zao Gongen. The hall is the second largest wooden building in Japan (after the Daibutsuden of Todaiji) and possesses great architectural beauty. Other interesting temples in the area are Nyoirinji and Chikurinji. As shrines go, we have the Yoshimizu Shrine, the Yoshino-Mikumari Shrine (built in the Momoyama period), the Kinpu Shrine and the Kokeshimizu Shrine, which stands in the vicinity of the site of the hermitage of the famous 12th c. Buddhist priest and poet Saigyo.
The area is renowned for its more than 30,000 flowering cherry trees, which have inspired Japanese waka poetry for centuries, including the 10th century poetry compilation Kokinshu and the above-mentioned Saigyo. Yoshino's cherry trees were planted in four groves at different altitudes, so they would come into bloom at different times in spring. Find more information about Yoshino and ways to get there on the Visit Nara website.
References:
Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua
S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One
Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); Traditional Japanese
Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press,
1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku
Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Chishiki Zero kara
no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo
Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge); Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin
Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho
waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's
Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by
Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010);
Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen
Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A
Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary
Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu
(Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori
Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari
(Shogakkan, 1994).
Illustration: Wikipedia. Photo Mt Yoshino: own work.
C-sharp Major is a key to bring out unusual characters and feelings. It has been called a "grimacing" and "leering" key. The color is brown to me.
C-sharp major consists of the pitches C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, and B♯. It is
enharmonically equivalent to D-flat major. Its key signature has seven
sharps, making it difficult to read. People recognize this key more as D-flat Major, if you discount the fact
that before keys were well tempered C-sharp and D-flat were two different keys.
They still are in modern times, not on the piano but on string
instruments like the violin. Most composers prefer to use the enharmonic equivalent D-flat major
since it only contains five flats as opposed to C-sharp major's seven
sharps. However, Johann Sebastian Bach chose C-sharp major for Prelude
and Fugue No. 3 in both books of The Well-Tempered Clavier.
C-sharp Major is scarcely ever used in orchestral music - the only exception I know of is the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in C-Sharp Major by Korngold, written as a commission by the one-handed concert pianist Paul
Wittgenstein in 1923. It is a remarkable work, but unfortunately there is no live performance available on YouTube.
For the rest, C-sharp Major is used in a handful of piano works. We will, of course, find the key of C sharp major in collections
organized by key such as Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, where the lyrical potential of the key is demonstrated, and we also find
it as one of Brahms’ 16 Waltzes, Op. 39. In Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6, Franz Liszt takes the unusual step of
changing the key from D-flat major to C-sharp major near the start of
the piece, and then back again to B-flat minor. Maurice Ravel selected C-sharp major as the tonic key of "Ondine" from
his piano suite Gaspard de la nuit. The Allegro de concierto by Spanish composer Enrique Granados is also written in C-sharp major.
The above is a selection of the most well-known works in C-sharp Major for the piano. A larger list with works by Alkan, Scriabin, and others can be found here.
Characteristic works in C-sharp Major
Johann Sebastian Bach, Prelude and Fugue in C sharp Major, BWV 848
The third prelude and fugue in the first book of The Well-Tempered Clavier, a series of 48 preludes and fugues by the composer. The prelude is a lively 2 part texture, using a series of broken chords which swap between the hands. It is in a fast 3/8 time signature and is made up largely of semiquavers. Later on in the piece, the semiquaver line splits between the hands before ending with a short Coda in an improvisatory manner. The three-voice fugue is unusually void of the commonly used fugal devices, such as augmentation, diminution, inversion, pedal point or stretti. The cheerful subject is characterized by descending broken 6ths in light quavers. One of the counter-subjects is constructed with running legato semiquavers, whilst the other consists of longer note values. The fugue has an extensive sequential episode which develops through related keys before the reappearance of the three voices.
Listen to: Patrick Ayrton | Netherlands Bach Society
Johannes Brahms, Waltz Op.39 No. 6 in C# Major (for piano four hands)
A set of 16 short waltzes composed in 1865. These waltzes were written for piano four hands, and were also arranged for piano solo by the composer, in two different versions – difficult and simplified. The three versions were published at the same time, and sold well, contrary to the composer's expectations. The waltzes were written while the composer lived in Vienna, a city where he would permanently settle in 1872. They were intended as a tribute to the waltz dance form which had become especially fashionable in his adopted city.
The Alonso Brothers
Maurice Ravel, "Ondine" from Gaspard de la Nuit
Gaspard de la nuit is a suite of piano pieces by Maurice Ravel, written in 1908. It has three movements, each based on a poem from the collection Gaspard de la Nuit – Fantaisies à la manière de Rembrandt et de Callot completed in 1836 by Aloysius Bertrand. The work was premiered in Paris, on January 9, 1909, by Ricardo Viñes.
Written in C-sharp major and based on the poem "Ondine", an oneiric tale of the water nymph Undine singing to seduce the observer into visiting her kingdom deep at the bottom of a lake. It is reminiscent of Ravel's early piano piece, the Jeux d'eau (1901), with the sounds of water falling and flowing, woven with cascades.
There are five main melodies. The opening melody at bar 2 evokes a line of song and is similar in form and subject to the main theme in Sirènes from Claude Debussy's Nocturnes. This is interrupted by the second theme at bar 10 before opening up a longer melodic passage formed from the latter part of theme 1. Then a short simple melody first heard at bar 23 introduces shimmering harmonic side-shifting. The final distinct melody is a menacing short rising figure first heard at bar 45, which prefaces the menace of Le Gibet and which later provides a bridge to the main climax at bar 66. Ravel prioritizes melodic development to express the poetic themes, keeping subordinate the simmering coloration of the right hand. By contrast, Claude Debussy's works such as Reflets dans l'eau tend to treat melody more equally with harmonic and figurative impulsivity, and often position virtuosity more in the foreground.
Played by Alice Sara Ott.
Allegro de Concierto in C-sharp Major, Op. 46, Enrique Granados
A virtuoso showpiece for piano composed between 1903 and 1904. Its lyricism and technical brilliance, reminiscent of Franz Liszt, have made it one of the composer's most popular works.
The Allegro de concierto was submitted to a competition organized by Tomás Bretón of the Madrid Royal Conservatory in 1903, which awarded a considerable sum of 500 pesetas for the best "concert allegro" for solo piano. Twenty-four composers participated, among them the young Manuel de Falla, who received an honorable mention. The jury declared Granados the winner with an almost unanimous vote. The composition brought Granados to national attention.
The structure of the work is somewhat unusual for Granados, as it is in the traditional sonata form. It is reminiscent of Franz Liszt in its virtuosic piano writing, featuring rapid octaves and arpeggios that span the entire keyboard, and in its use of chordal melodies and forceful accompaniments. The work begins with a brilliant two-bar flourish, leading to the exposition that opens with the main theme in C-sharp major. Its added sixth introduces a sense of pentatonicism, though it is not distinctly Spanish. The lyrical second theme, in G-sharp minor (the dominant minor), is followed by a brief reprise of the first theme in G major, leading to a third theme. The development section begins with a new melody, marked "Andante spianato", over the arpeggiated main theme. A cadenza-like transition leads to the recapitulation in C-sharp major, though the second theme is held in C-sharp minor (the parallel minor). It is followed by a brilliant coda, based on the main theme.
Played by Fernanda Damiano.
Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No.6 in C-sharp Major
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-flat major is the sixth work of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies composed by Franz Liszt. This work was dedicated to Count Antoine of Appony and uses the form of a lassan (a slow dance) and friska (the fast section of the scardas) like many other of his rhapsodies. This piece was later arranged for orchestra.
The rhapsody is divided into three main sections: an Introduction (Tempo giusto – Presto), Lassan (Andante) and Friska (Allegro). In the introduction the left hand of the player plays a steady bassline made up of the chords in the D-flat major scale. Due to the overlapping of the melody over the bars, the piece does not sound as though it is in a 2/4 rhythm. This is because Liszt did not start the first chord of the piece as an upbeat. The melody of the first part is repetitive, ending with a long cadenza mainly using the black keys. The second part (presto) is in C-sharp major (which is simply an enharmonic version of the previous D-flat, not a modulation) and has a lively rhythm, leading to the lassan in B-flat minor. The lassan is played slowly, with a rhythm in improvisational style, again finishing with a large cadenza at the end, leading sequentially to the friska (Allegro) in B-flat major. The melody is played in semiquavers requiring the player to move fast in octaves. The bass line repeats the same strong quaver rhythms. The final part of the piece ends with chromatic scales in octaves moving in contrary motion, leading to B-flat major chords. The piece makes use of the gypsy scale.
Played by Martha Argerich (1966)
[Incorporates parts of the relevant articles in the Japanese, German and English Wikipedia]
Music in F-sharp Major is the key of transcendence and radiance. It sometimes reminds me of a cold, sparkling spring. Or a futuristic icy coldness, a whimsical strangeness. This key is associated with frozen blue to me.
F-sharp major consists of the pitches F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, and E♯. Its key
signature has six sharps. Its relative minor is D-sharp minor (or enharmonically E-flat minor) and its parallel minor is F-sharp minor. Its direct enharmonic, G-flat major, contains the same number of flats in its key signature.
This is a rather difficult key to play in. Like G-flat major, F-sharp major is rarely used in orchestral music, other than in passing. The only two symphonies I know are Mahler's Tenth Symphony and Korngold's Symphony Op. 40. The key was however the favorite tonality of Olivier Messiaen, who used it
repeatedly throughout his work to express his most transcendent moods, most notably in the Turangalîla-Symphonie (which,
however, is not in any fixed key).
In chamber music we have Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 14. The key is more common in piano music. Some examples include the Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op. 15, No. 2 by Chopin, as well as his Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60. Among Grieg's Lyric Pieces we find the well-known "To Spring" Op. 43 No. 6 in F-sharp major. The Fourth Piano Sonata by Alexander Scriabin is also in F sharp. Liszt was apparently fond of F-sharp major, writing uplifting while meditative pieces like "Les jeux d'eaux à la villa d'este" from Anées de Pèlerinage III, S.163 and "Bénediction de Dieu dans la Solitude" from the set Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses S.173 in this key.
Characteristic Music in F-sharp Major
Frederic Chopin, Nocturne in F-sharp major Op 15, No. 2
Chopin's fifth nocturne is in A–B–A form, F-sharp major, 2/4 time. The first section, marked Larghetto, features an intricate, elaborately ornamental melody over an even quaver bass. The abundant use of arpeggios creates a sense of fluidity. The piano's
abilities are freely employed, including the use of ornaments in a
chromatic descending progression. The second section, in C-sharp major, labeled doppio movimento (double speed), resembles a
scherzo with dotted quaver-semi quaver melody, semiquavers in a lower
voice in the right hand, and large jumps in the bass. The
final section is a shortened version of the first (14 bars rather than
24) with characteristic cadenzas and elaboration, finishing with an
arpeggio on F-sharp major, falling at first, then dying away.
Many consider
this nocturne to be the best of the opus, stating that its musical
maturity matches some of his later nocturnes." "The return of the
heavenly opening theme... touches one like a benediction." It is a piece that is played relatively frequently in concerts.
Played by Irene Veneziano
Frederic Chopin, Barcarolle in F sharp major Op. 60
The Barcarolle in F-sharp major was composed between autumn of 1845 and summer 1846, three years before Chopin's death. This barcarolle (a stylized "gondola song") is a typical salonesque
genre composition written in a compellingly romantic and lilting style.
The work is in a quiet 12/8 time signature. Technically, the piece
consists of a constant continuous accompaniment in the left hand, with
the large leaps from the bass note sometimes striking, an accompaniment
depicting the swaying of the gondola, with the right hand playing the
melody, with technically demanding variations. Many of the technical figures for the right hand are thirds and sixths, while the left features very long reaches over an octave. Its middle section is in A major, and this section's second theme is recapitulated near the piece's end in F-sharp.
This is one of Chopin's last major compositions, along with his Polonaise-Fantasie, Op. 61. It is often considered to be one of his more demanding compositions. Chopin played the work during his very last recital in Paris in 1848, (the year before his death in 1849).
Played by Aimi Kobayashi.
Franz Liszt, Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude
Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (Poetic and Religious Harmonies) is a 10-piece cycle of piano works written by Franz Liszt at Woronińce (Voronivtsi, the Polish-Ukrainian country estate of Liszt’s friend Princess Carolyne von Sayn-Wittgenstein) in 1847, and published in 1853. The pieces are inspired by the poetry of Alphonse de Lamartine. In Liszt’s engagement with this poetry there is a strong intensity and urgent earnestness that one doesn’t find in Liszt's other piano work. It forms a unique admixture of mysticism, exultation and contemplation.
‘Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude’, along with the fourth piece in the collection, is regarded as a masterpiece that symbolizes the
religious and introspective side of Liszt. It is spacious, questing, yet disarmingly intimate. The piece has a beautiful and
meditative F-sharp major theme that is transformed for a while,
followed by a light D major and a gentle B-flat major section, and
eventually ends with a passionate uplifting of the first theme that
returns. In the concluding section, the motif's antiphonal form is
interspersed with recollections, and then quietly disappears.
Played by Cyprien Katsaris
Alexander Scriabin, Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, op. 30
For this work Scriabin wrote a program: a poem describing flight to a distant star. It reflects the startling new philosophies he was imbibing in 1903. The sonata consists of two movements, Andante and Prestissimo volando ("very rapidly, as if flying"), and is one of Scriabin's shortest piano sonatas. It is generally considered to be the beginning of Scriabin's middle period due to the newly mystical sonorities and tonal ambiguity of the first movement. It is one of the most performed of Scriabin's sonatas.
The sonata is written in a post-Romantic style, similar to Scriabin's other works of the time. The first movement, sensual in its languid expression, is monothematic (based on a single theme). The second movement, celebratory and climactic, starts attacca right after the Andante movement. A more Romantic idea is the use of cyclic form in restating the Andante’s main theme (dolcissimo) as the ecstatic climax of the Prestissimo volando movement (Focosamente, giubiloso).
Played by Kenny Broberg.
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No 10 in F-sharp Major
No 10 is Mahler's last, uncompleted symphony, and is often left out of recordings of the
full symphonies. In the past, I developed the mistaken idea that Mahler just left a
series of sketches. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Not only is
there a complete draft score, Mahler also already scored movements 1
and 3. A draft score is not a final score - Mahler used to change many
details while scoring - but close enough to say that what we have of the
10th symphony is true Mahler, and not Deryk Cooke (the musicologist who
with several collaborators made the performing version which is usually
played today). Moreover, the 10th symphony also is more positive than
the "dark night of the soul" of the 9th Symphony. Instead of plunging
farther into a preoccupation with death, Mahler was clearly moving again
towards a more vitally creative attitude. The 10th Symphony has an
extraordinary structural balance: two Adagios frame two scherzos, which
themselves frame a sort of intermezzo called "Purgatorio." The symphony
starts in death-haunted nostalgia, moves to forced happiness and unease,
until finally achieving serenity in the finale.
1st movement. Andante - Adagio in F-sharp major, 4/4 time, free sonata form The movement begins with a nihilistic and enigmatic introductory theme by the violas. The key signature is F-sharp major, but the viola melody is ambiguous and sounds like F-sharp minor. Soon, the adagio proper arrives, with a warm melody introduced by the violins. Mahler works through these two contrasting groups of material over the course of the movement, building to a grand climax - which in turn collapses into a dissonant orchestral shriek. The movement ends with an extended orchestral passage, inward, mysterious, and questing, bringing no more than temporary respite.
2nd movement Scherzo. F-sharp major in flat time. Free form in two parts. The defiant, sardonic music of the scherzo - dominated by winds and brass - alternates with more relaxed, graceful Ländler passages introduced by the strings. The movement ends in F-sharp major.
3rd movement Purgatorio (Purgatory). Allegretto moderato in B flat minor, 2/4 time, three part form In Mahler's score, the words "Purgatorio (Purgatory) or Inferno (Inferno)" are written, and there is a mark where the "or Inferno" part was erased. It is said that Mahler named this movement Purgatorio, either based on a betrayal poem written by a friend of Mahler or on Dante's Divine Comedy. At about four minutes in brief three-part form, it is the shortest movement Mahler wrote, and some believe that it was intended to be expanded further. This short, pastoral movement has the important function of introducing the theme of the last two movements.
4th movement. Allegro pesante (Without haste) in E minor, 3/4 time. Another powerful and intense scherzo, ABABABA, and the two parts intertwine. Mahler wrote on the first page of the movement, "The devil dances with me. Madness haunts me." It is in fact a sort of distorted waltz, which ends with a muffled drum stroke.
5th movement. Finale. Langsam, schwer. A long, serene melody, introduced by the flute and then taken up by the strings, rises from the desolation. The drum strokes return, this time introducing a concentrated allegro that builds to a return of the lacerating dissonance from the first movement. Only out of the wreckage of this total collapse does Mahler achieve a sort of serenity. The flute theme returns and unfolds into a tranquil rhapsody, still tinged with sorrow.
Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No 14 in F-sharp Major
The
Fourteenth Quartet is held to be the most accessible of Shostakovich’s
late quartets. The F-Sharp Major Quartet was begun at the home of Sir
Benjamin Britten (a composer greatly admired by Shostakovich) during a
visit to England in the summer of 1972, and was completed the following
April in Copenhagen. Its key of F sharp major is traditionally
associated with transcendence and radiance and this almost whimsical
work is the most accessible of Shostakovich's darker late quartets.
The
work consists of three movements of similar duration; two animated
movements flanking an adagio movement reminiscent of Beethoven.
A
clue to the work’s content is the fact that it is dedicated to Sergei
Shirinsky, the cellist of the Beethoven Quartet. The Beethoven Quartet
had premiered all of Shostakovich’s Quartets with the exception of the
First. They were his "instrument" much as the Schuppanzigh Quartet had
been Beethoven's in the presentation of his Quartets. Shirinsky was
featured in the 14th by the numerous solo passages given to the cello;
note the droll opening theme, as well as duets for cello and lst violin.
In the third movement, Shostakovich quotes
music from his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1934). This was the work
which, despite a successful two year run, became the focus of a hit
piece in Pravda in 1936, precipitating the first of Shostakovich's
serious difficulties with the Stalin regime. However, the work returned
to the Soviet stage some twenty-five years later. The music quoted in this Quartet is the romantic theme
associated with Katerina’s lover Seryozha, an affectionate form of the
name Sergei.
Jerusalem Quartet
[Incorporates parts from the relevant Japanese, English, Dutch and German articles from Wikipedia]
B Major has a noble and solid quality. I associate it with the color orange. However, composers haven’t explored this key very much, instead opting for B-flat Major as the more popular key. Music in B Major is in fact rather rare.
B Major has the pitches B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, and A♯ - its key signature has five sharps. Its relative
minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its
enharmonic equivalent is C-flat major.
Although
B major is usually considered a remote key (due to its distance from C
major in the circle of fifths and the large number of sharps),
Frédéric Chopin regarded its scale as the easiest of all to play on the
piano, as its black notes fit the natural positions of the fingers well;
as a consequence he often assigned it first to beginning piano
students, leaving the scale of C major until last because he considered
it the hardest of all scales to play completely evenly (because of its
complete lack of black notes). However, it is also one of the most
difficult keys to read because of the large number of tonal marks (=A#,
C#, D#, F#, G#, all black keys are used).
Note that (confusingly) in Germany and some other European countries, B Major is called "H-Dur", while B-flat major is called "B-Dur."
Very few large-scale works in B major exist:
these include Haydn's Symphony No. 46, the Sinfonietta by Korngold, Shostakovich's Symphony No 2 and Brahms's Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 8 (though the piece
ends in B minor).
More often individual movements of larger pieces are in B: Brahms wrote the slow movement to his Second
Symphony in B major, as well as the fourth and last piece of the
Ballades, Op. 10. The second movement of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5
"Emperor" is in B major. The "Tuileries" movement from Mussorgsky's
Pictures at an Exhibition is in the key. Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony
in B minor ends in B major. The aria "La donna è mobile" from Verdi's opera Rigoletto is in the key, as is the "Flower Duet" from Lakmé.
Other B Major symphonies are rarely played, such as work by Robert Farnon (Symphony in B "Ottawa"), Ruth Gipps (Symphony No. 2), Jef van Hoof (Symphony No. 4), George Lloyd (Symphony No.4 "Arctic"), Leo Sowerby (Symphony No. 2), and Charles Tournemire (Symphony No 2).
Characteristic Music in B Major
Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 46 in B major "Il filosofo"
This work was written during Haydn's so-called "Sturm und Drang" period, and the composer's experimental spirit can be seen in his choice of B major, an unusual key for the time, and the novel composition of the last movement in particular.
The manuscripts of No. 45 "Farewell," this work, and No. 47 "Palindrome" all indicate that they were composed in 1772. In particular, No. 45 "Farewell" and this work have much in common, such as the fact that they both use keys with many sharp signs and that the last movement is interrupted by quite different music. However, unlike No. 45 "Farewell," no anecdotes remain about this piece, and it is unclear why Haydn wrote such a special work.
1st movement, Vivace. B major, 4/4 time, sonata form. The rhythm of the opening motive is identical to that of No. 44. The second theme is transposed to the same major-minor key, and the music builds up. In the development, the motive of the opening motive and the motive of the minor part of the second theme are used.
2nd movement Poco Adagio. B minor, 6/8 time, sonata form. Siciliano based on staccato notes by the violins. The main theme is a dialogue between the first violin and low strings, and the second theme is contrasted by a legato melody.
3rd movement Menuetto - Trio: Allegretto. B major - B minor, 3/4 time. The stair-step motif in the second half of the main part is reproduced in the fourth movement. The trio becomes a chorale in B minor, and the repeats of the first half are omitted, leaving a steady rhythm. The quiet atmosphere is sharply contrasted with the intensity.
4th movement Finale: Presto e scherzando - Listesso tempo di minuetto - Tempo primo. B major, 2/2 time, sonata form. An unusual, funny theme is developed in a single-subject manner. It is often interspersed with pauses to intensify the effect. The development begins in the key of D-sharp major, a key that can only be handled with an accidental, so the violin is notated with a low "fisis" (heavy F-sharp), which refers to the open strings of the G line. At the end of the reprise, a semi-terminus is prepared in the same manner as in No. 45 "Farewell," and the aforementioned second half theme of the minuet is reproduced. After the semi-terminus, the fragment of the theme of the finale is played, but immediately after a pause, the main theme is continued by the horn and low strings, and the cadenza of the finale follows.
The Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8, by Johannes Brahms was completed in January 1854, when the composer was only twenty years old - just months after he was introduced to Robert and Clara Schumann, who were deeply impressed and took him into their musical circle. But the trio we hear today was substantially revised by Brahms in 1889, 35 years later, at the pinnacle of his career. So really it is a work by two Brahmses, separated by three-and-a-half decades of experience.
The luxurious and spacious work is homotonal, with two movements in the key of B major and two in B minor. It is also among the few multimovement works to begin in a major key and end in the tonic minor (another example being Felix Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony).
1st movement. Allegro con brio. Sonata form in 2/2 time, B major.
This movement begins with a gorgeous lyric melody that the piano alone sings in its mellow alto register and builds in intensity. The stage was thus set for a movement combining the warm lyricism and the muscularity which reveal Brahms at his most characteristic.
2nd movement. Allegro molto Scherzo. Three-quarter time, three-part form, B minor. The B minor scherzo combines delicate filigree passages with fortissimo outbursts. The exuberant mood of the first movement returns in the trio section in B major.
3rd movement. Adagio. 4/4 time, three-part form, B major. This movement, returning to B major and following a simple ternary form,
opens with a spacious chordal theme in the piano, counterpoised by a
middle section in which the cello plays a poignant G-sharp minor melody
making use of chromaticism.
4th movement. Allegro. Sonata form in 3/4 time, B minor. Back in B minor, the Allegro finale starts with a fantastical cello solo (the cello was one of Brahms’s childhood instruments). The main theme has a bit of the Hungarian to it, exposing a predilection for the Magyar that enticed a very young Brahms and that he took no pains to resist throughout his life.
Played by Yuja Wang, Leonidas Kavakos and Gautier Capuçon
Franz Schubert, Piano Sonata in B major D 575 Op 147
Schubert
composed this sonata in August 1817. It was published after the
composer's death in 1846 and was dedicated to Sigismont Thalberg by
publisher Anton Diabelli. The piece is in four movements. All movements
are unified in sonata form. The choice of unusual tonalities as B Major
and the application of sonata form even to the slow movement are some
of the composer's unexpected and creative ideas in the completed work.
1st movement Allegro ma non troppo. B major, 4/4 time. The
movement begins imposingly with threes in the bass line and dotted
rhythms above before rising to G major for a new and highly romantic
section. Heroic ascents and converse descents together with a march
theme shape the movement.
2nd movement Andante. E major, 3/4 time. Lyrical
slow movement with a song-like theme with dotted rhythm. The sudden
outpouring of passion in the middle section already foreshadows
Schubert's later sonatas.
3rd movement: Scherzo: Allegretto - Trio. G major - D major, 3/4 time. "Minuet
and trio" perhaps rather than a scherzo... The wit and good humor of
the minuet section is a particularly felicitous invention which almost
makes the whole work a minor masterpiece. Even this small movement does
not break the sonata form.
4th movement: Allegro Giusto. B major, 3/8 time. A bright and playful final movement brings the work to a close with a strongly rhythmic finale.
Played by Daisy Ou.
Sinfonietta in B major, Op. 5, Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Erich Wolfgang Korngold was just 15 years old when he completed the score to his "Sinfonietta" in August 1912. The composition is his first large orchestral work orchestrated by his own hands. The term "Sinfonietta", i.e. "little symphony", is simply an understatement, for the four-movement work with its playing time of just under three quarters of an hour is a full-blown symphony, both in terms of its layout and its lush late-Romantic orchestration. In terms of inventiveness, the delicate harmonic processing of the material and the technical sovereignty, the 15-year-old not only shows himself to be a master without fault, but also courageously at the height of his time. Involuntarily, one is reminded in places of the forward-storming élan and tonal delicacy of a symphonic poem by Richard Strauss. The Sinfonietta was premiered in Vienna on 30 November 1913 under the direction of Felix Weingartner (to whom the work is dedicated, in thanks to his support of Korngold), and was a sensational success, resulting in further performances all over Europe and America.
1st movement. Fließend, mit heiterem Schwunge (Flowing, with cheerful motion) A rapturous complex sonata movement springing up from the motto theme. The second subject is lilting, typically Viennese in mood. The development replete with fanfares leads to a thoroughly worked our recapitulation.
2nd movement.Scherzo: Molto agitato, rasch und feurig (Quickly and fiery) The scherzo in B flat major erupts like a volcano, scored for timpani and brass. There is a beautiful trio in F Major - a foretaste of the love themes Korngold would later compose in his film scores.
3rd movement.Molto andante (Träumerisch) (Dreamy) The dreamy andante is characterized by a haunting dominant ninth chord and a wistful melody on the cor anglais. The orchestration is very delicate here.
4th movement. Finale: Patetico - Allegro Giocoso The Finale is an orchestral tour de force, a real showstopper, building one climax after another, with a joyous theme.
Korngold opted for the rich chromatic key of B major because he loved bright keys, as his other works show (Symphony, Piano Concerto) - the sinfonietta is a masterful example of extended polytonality.
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln ⎮ James Conlon
[Incorporates parts of the relevant articles in the Japanese, German and English Wikipedia]
E Major is a key expressing delight. It is especially lyrical and pleasing to the ear, but also light and airy (which may give it a somewhat otherworldly aspect). In my imagination, it has a blue color.
E major consists of the pitches E, F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, and D♯. Its key
signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its
parallel minor is E minor.
This key is easy to play on the violin because the highest open string, E, is the main note, and the sound is brilliant and, like the key of E minor, it contains an F♯ note in the first position, so there is no need to unnaturally move the index finger when moving from the other strings to the E string. This may be why Tartini and Viotti, the great violin concerto composers, preferred to write in this key.
Antonio Vivaldi used this key for the "Spring" concerto from The Four Seasons and Johann Sebastian Bach used E major for a well-known violin concerto, as well as for his third partita for solo violin.
Although not very difficult to play on the violin, the four sharps make E Major difficult to read. Only two of Joseph Haydn's 106 symphonies are in E major: No. 12 and No. 29.
Ludwig van Beethoven used E major for two of his piano sonatas, Op. 14/1 and Op. 109.
Starting with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3, several works in the key of C minor began to have slow movements in E major, three examples of which are Johannes Brahms' First Symphony and Piano Quartet No. 3, and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2.
Chopin's First Piano Concerto starts in E minor, but the last two movements are in E major. Typically, symphonies that begin in E minor switch to E major for the
finale, such as Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 and Dmitri Shostakovitch's Symphony No. 10.
Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 3, one of his best known works, is in E major. His last Nocturne, Op. 62 No. 2, and his final Scherzo No. 4, are also in E major.
In the 19th century, symphonies in this key were rare, with Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7 being one of very few examples. For Bruckner, the key of E major was associated with "music of contemplation."
Concerto No. 1 in E major, RV 269, "La Primavera" from "The Four Seasons" by Antonio Vivaldi.
The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is the collective name for the first four pieces of Antonio Vivaldi's violin concerto collection, Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione, Op. 8. Each piece consists of three movements and was accompanied by a sonnet. The appeal of the Four Seasons lies in the contradiction of a dramatic, extra-musical program on the one hand and the purely musical requirements of proportion and balance on the other; Vivaldi arrives at very different solutions in the twelve individual movements.
The first movements, for example, are each built on a ritornello - recurring at various levels and then often greatly shortened - with interspersed modulating solo passages, but also more extended tutti passages. Due to the poetic program, not only do the solo sections have a very different character, but in some concertos Vivaldi was also forced not only to vary the ritornello considerably, but sometimes also to replace it in the course of a movement with completely different material .
The second movement is usually an aria, in Vivaldi's case in two parts. The first part modulates into the dominant or the parallel major key, the second part of about the same length represents a varied repetition and modulates back. The solo melody is accompanied by a continuous motive in the orchestra, also inspired by the sonnet.
The final movement usually bears stylized dance-like features, and always differs from the first in time signature (typically triple instead of quadruple time), and tends to shorten the ritornello to fewer steps, for example, rondo-like always in the tonic only. In general, these movements are less elaborate; following this tendency, in the Four Seasons they also paint the program in less detail and tend to represent a general situation in their entirety (such as a dance or a thunderstorm).
1st movement Allegro. E Major. The familiar theme of the first movement consists of two short sections, each repeated piano. Then the very first solo foregrounds not the solo violin, but a trio of equal violins that vividly depict the jumbled chirping of various species of birds over a latent E major chord. Between the next two short ritornellos there is a lengthy tutti passage illustrating the murmur of springs and gentle winds, modulating into the dominant key until suddenly a spring storm breaks loose, with thunder throughout the orchestra and highly virtuosic flashes from the solo violin. A brief resumption of the violin trio now follows in the parallel minor key with other bird voices and the second half of the theme; another brief solo then leads into the concluding ritornello.
Second movement Largo. C-sharp minor. The two-part slow second movement alludes to the Baroque tradition of
shepherd poetry, portraying a sleeping shepherd. The accompanying
violins paint the rustle of leaves and grasses; in the background, the
tired barking of the shepherd's dog (a low C-sharp note of the viola).
Third movement, Allegro. E Major. The final movement depicts a
dance of nymphs and shepherds (Danza pastorale, "Shepherd's Dance");
Vivaldi makes exquisite use of traditional bagpipe effects.
The key of E Major truly expresses delight at the coming of spring in this concerto.
Youssefian & Voices of Music
Violin Concerto in E Major BWV 1042 by Johann Sebastian Bach
One of Bach's three violin concertos - in fact the most familiar and most frequently performed of them.
The Concerto in E major is difficult to date. Like the Brandenburg concertos, it probably originates from Köthen, a vibrant court where the tone was set by instrumental music. But it could also date from Leipzig, where from 1730 Bach led the local Collegium Musicum, with whom he performed a lot of secular music in the famous Café Zimmermann.
Bach based the piece on the Venetian concerto model in three movements, but gave it his own twist, as each movement has an un-Italian characteristic.
1st movement Allegro 2/2 time, E major. The concerto starts with a festive opening, which is at the same time very simple - quite in the delightful vein of E Major. The unique fusion of ritornello form and da capo form is presented in an accomplished way. The Allegro was given an ABA structure, like most Baroque arias, whereby the first section returns with great
embellishment after a contrasting second section.
2nd movement Adagio e sempre piano 3/4 time in C-sharp minor This is a beautiful movement that begins with a solo cantilena on a long sustained note over a basso ostinato that repeats the six-bar theme presented in the low strings at the beginning of the movement. Whereas Vivaldi sometimes restricts his slow sections to a
few chords, Bach wrote a long-drawn-out ostinato, with intricate
musings by the violin and a free-flowing, melancholy solo melody above a
repetitive bass motif.
3rd movement Allegro assai 3/8 time in E major. The concerto concludes with bright music derived from a dance. The final movement resumes the exuberant mood of the opening to the
rhythm of a passepied – a three-part Baroque dance. It is a refrain with
couplets, a rondo, which is a form seldom seen in concertos. It is
perfectly proportioned. The refrain and the couplets consist of sixteen
bars, except for the last couplet, which is twice as long. Bach uses
this extra space to follow a remote harmonic path, repeating the catchy
theme once again, after a breathtaking gap. Festive and extroverted music!
Performed by Shunske Sato and the Netherlands Bach Society for All of Bach
Joseph Haydn, Symphony no 12 in E Major
Symphonies Nos. 12, 29, and 44 are the only ones in Joseph Haydn's complete works in the symphonic key of E, which was unusual for the time, the first two in major, the last in minor. Symphony No. 12 represents a typical example of the Austrian chamber symphony around the middle of the 18th century. The last movement, however, is no longer a light celebration but already has its own weight, although not as pronounced as in Symphony No. 29, composed two years later. The opening movements of both E major symphonies are marked by a songlike, lyrical character.
First movement: Allegro. E major, 2/2 time (alla breve). The strings begin in unison and, unusually for the opening of a symphony of this period, in piano with a gentle melody. The second theme is performed only by the strings and hardly contrasts in character with the first.
Second movement: Adagio. E minor, 6/8 time, strings only. The movement as a whole exhibits echoes of opera seria through its forte unison outbursts, chromaticism, and dissonances. The Adagio opens as a typical Siciliano motive in the voice-leading 1st violin, answered in sharp contrast by a broken-falling diminished chord in forte unison.
Third movement: Presto. E major, 2/4 time. The first theme is based on the ascending E major triad with note repetition. It is periodically structured, performed forte, and repeated with an altered postlude that leads directly into the transitional passage beginning in measure 17. Here, the repeated-note motive continues as an upbeat variant.
Giovanni Antonini, Conductor | Il Giardino Armonico
Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109.
This sonata seduces the listener with its intimate, less dramatic character (especially when compared to the preceding "Hammerklavier" Sonata) and distinguishes itself by its special lyricism, melodic and harmonic beauties. It shares with other late Beethoven sonatas the shift of focus to the last movement.
In Beethoven, E major (bright and radiant) and E minor (sad, lamenting) often appear together, as in Op. 14 No. 1, the second Razumovsky quartet and Op. 90. The combination has been said to mitigate both the light and the dark aspects of the music.
Opus 109 differs from the "standard model" piano sonata in several ways. Although written in three movements, it feels more like "two balanced movements", since the first movement is linked to the scherzo-like Prestissimo by holding down the pedal. The internal form of the first movement is based less on elaboration than on the contrasting juxtaposition of fast and slow, loud and soft, and major and minor. Hence the second movement takes on even more of the function usually assigned to the first movement, which would be in sonata-allegro form. Then the third movement is – most unusually for a sonata – a theme and variations. Thus the theme in the third movement takes on the role of the slow movement, which is usually the second movement in the standard sonata.
1st movement. Vivace, ma non troppo 2/4 time in E major. Sonata form. The first movement reflects the strong interest that Beethoven developed during this period in structures in which contrasting sections are included parenthetically. The same tendency is manifest in the Missa Solemnis, composed at almost the same time, and in the piano sonatas following this one. A quiet, lyrical, rapid Vivace first theme is contrasted, after only eight bars, with a forte and Adagio second theme full of arpeggios. Even from a purely harmonic point of view, the contrast between the clear major in the first part and the extremely tense diminished seventh chords in the second could hardly be more obvious. After a 14-bar presentation, follows a development based on the first theme. From the middle register, the volume increases and rises to the upper register through a long crescendo, and when it reaches the climax, the first theme is reproduced one octave higher. Immediately after that, the second theme is reproduced with some changes, and from bar 66, the coda, which deals exclusively with the first theme, quietly closes the movement.
2nd movement. Prestissimo 6/8 time in E minor. Sonata form. The second movement is played without interruption from the first movement. The stormy Prestissimo in E minor has been described as one of Beethoven's most tuneful Prestissimo movements. This movement is also in sonata form, although the usual contrast between the first subject (E minor) and the second subject (B minor) is completely absent here because of the nature of the thematic material.
3rd movement. Theme and 6 variations. The center of gravity of the entire sonata is almost entirely placed in this third movement. It was the first time in Beethoven's piano sonatas that variations occupied such a large part of a work. The movement opens with a 16-bar theme. The dotted notes emphasize the second beat of the bar, giving this song-like theme something of the character of a Sarabande. Its dignified, meditative feel is strengthened by emphasis on the tonic E. Variation 1 - This variation keeps the tempo of the theme. Compared with the quartet-like theme, it is more pianistic. The melody is an octave higher, thereby becoming more emotional. It is formed like a "ceremonial waltz". Variation 2 - This variation is marked leggiermente. Variation 3 - This variation breaks away from the original tempo and is marked Allegro vivace. It is a virtuosic Allegro in a two-part contrapuntal texture reminiscent of a two-part invention. This is the only variation in this movement to end on forte. Variation 4 - This variation is a little slower than the theme. The first half (repeated) is a contrapuntal texture varying between two and four voices. In the second half, between zero and two voices continue in the same vein over an accompaniment of broken chords. Variation 5 (Allegro ma non troppo) - the driving rhythmic energy of the fifth variation gives the impression, at least to begin with, of a complex, many-voiced chorale-like fugue. Variation 6 (Tempo primo del tema) - In extreme contrast to the energy and speed of the previous variation, this one begins with a four-bar passage marked cantabile, in quiet, slow crotchets at the tempo of the theme. Its peaceful, static character is emphasized by the repeated B in the top voice. As the sonata progresses to its conclusion, Beethoven intensifies almost every musical parameter to the maximum. The last sixteen bars repeat the simple theme – just as if nothing had happened – and let it fade away quietly.
Played by Andras Schiff.
Étude Op. 10, No. 3 in E Major, Frédéric Chopin.
A study for solo piano composed by Chopin in 1832, a slow cantabile study for polyphonic and expressive legato playing. This étude differs from most of Chopin's in its tempo, its poetic character and the lingering yet powerful recitation of its cantabile melody. It marks a significant departure from the technical virtuosity required in standard études before Chopin's time. Like most of Chopin's other études, this work is in ternary form (A–B–A). Chopin himself believed the melody of the piece to be the most beautiful
one he ever composed. It became famous through numerous popular
arrangements.
Lang Lang plays Chopin Etude Op.10 No.3 in E Major at The Berlin Philharmonic.
4. Bruckner Symphony No 7 in E Major
One of the composer's best-known symphonies, written between 1881 and 1883 and revised in 1885. It is dedicated to Ludwig II of Bavaria. The premiere, given under Arthur Nikisch and the Gewandhaus Orchestra in the opera house at Leipzig on 30 December 1884, brought Bruckner the greatest success he had known in his life. The symphony is sometimes referred to as the "Lyric", though the appellation is not the composer's own, and is seldom used (but it fits E Major!).
1 Allegro moderato (in E). The main theme is a 21-bar melody; an infinite melody of great beauty and of lyrical-epic character (horns, cellos and then the violas). The subsidiary theme (typified by a double stroke and initiated by oboe and clarinet) and even the rhythmically pronounced 3rd theme remain within the cantabile character. The movement is monumentally closed by a coda that rests on a 52-measure organ point.
2 Adagio: sehr feierlich und sehr langsam (in c-sharp) This Adagio is usually considered the highlight of this symphony. Bruckner himself has interpreted this Adagio as his premonition of Wagner's death. "Once I came home and was very sad and thought to myself, the master cannot possibly live long; then the Adagio in c-sharp occurred to me." The movement begins with a lament dominated by violas and (Wagner) tubas. The melody is related to the "non confundar" from Bruckner's Te Deum. There is a more mobile second theme in the violins ("mild und leise"). With constantly new turns, the climax comes halfway through in variation II: the mood turns to C major. After this, the atmosphere always remains unchanged; only rarely does the feeling break through completely. After another solemn lamentation by the tubae on Wagner's death, the coda sounds in a soft conclusion.
3 Scherzo: sehr schnell - Trio: etwas langsamer (in a) This movement was composed before the Adagio. Yet it is well adapted to the Adagio in terms of atmosphere: here not the village dance usual for Bruckner, but a concise piece of a grotesque to demonic character. The middle piece is a lyrical, quietly rocking trio.
4 Finale: bewegt, doch nicht schnell (in E) Opens with an unusually cheerful main theme and a chorale-like subsidiary theme which leads to a complex development. The movement ends with a repetition of a pompous recital of the main theme from the opening movement.
hr-Sinfonieorchester – Frankfurt Radio Symphony ∙
Christoph Eschenbach, Dirigent
[Incorporates parts from the relevant Japanese, English, Dutch and German articles from Wikipedia]
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