Wagner's Ring Cycle

Wagner's Ring Cycle

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s

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28 Apr 09

I have heard Bartok's quartets. Very hard for me. i did hear a live presentation of one back to back with Beethoven's 132 for contrast. It was quite interesting. Done by a local group of musicians from the symphony. I love ideas weaved into a texture of unity even if the ear has trouble with it. Also, since I like some heavy metal, atonality is already in my head anyway, so I shall resist no more and give it a whir.

Erro Ergo Sum

In the Green Room

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28 Apr 09

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
I have heard Bartok's quartets. Very hard for me. i did hear a live presentation of one back to back with Beethoven's 132 for contrast. It was quite interesting. Done by a local group of musicians from the symphony. I love ideas weaved into a texture of unity even if the ear has trouble with it. Also, since I like some heavy metal, atonality is already in my head anyway, so I shall resist no more and give it a whir.
>It took me a long time to become accustomed to the Bartok Quartets. It was not easy for me to accept them, but I have a friend who loves them so I stuck with it. I've never been a huge fan of Bartok, but that's just personal and I'm not about to speak ill of him. I need to study him more than I have because his harmonic language is different, but it is still based on tonality.
>Other string things that are very interesting are the Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27 by Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931).

s

At the Revolution

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29 Apr 09

Originally posted by AttilaTheHorn
>It took me a long time to become accustomed to the Bartok Quartets. It was not easy for me to accept them, but I have a friend who loves them so I stuck with it. I've never been a huge fan of Bartok, but that's just personal and I'm not about to speak ill of him. I need to study him more than I have because his harmonic language is different, but it i ...[text shortened]... are very interesting are the Six Sonatas for Solo Violin, Op. 27 by Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931).
Are you very familiar with Prokofiev? I find his music a sort of jarring version of Bartok, in a sense taking the style to a new level. It's about the latest music stylistically that I can stand before I start breaking things. 😉

Erro Ergo Sum

In the Green Room

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29 Apr 09

Originally posted by scherzo
Are you very familiar with Prokofiev? I find his music a sort of jarring version of Bartok, in a sense taking the style to a new level. It's about the latest music stylistically that I can stand before I start breaking things. 😉
Absolutely. Prokofiev is tremendous, and he is in no way atonal. He couldn't afford to be, living under the suppression and oppression of Stalin who wouldn't allow it, Same too with Shostavovich. Interestingly, Prokofiev and Stalin died on the same day in the same year (Mar. 5, 1953), and I think the wrong guy got all the headlines in the world's papers the next day!

s

At the Revolution

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29 Apr 09

Originally posted by AttilaTheHorn
Absolutely. Prokofiev is tremendous, and he is in no way atonal. He couldn't afford to be, living under the suppression and oppression of Stalin who wouldn't allow it, Same too with Shostavovich. Interestingly, Prokofiev and Stalin died on the same day in the same year (Mar. 5, 1953), and I think the wrong guy got all the headlines in the world's papers the next day!
Indeed. Stalin hated atonalism as much as I. The difference was that he enjoyed killing people he hated.

Prokofiev's death went unnoticed for almost a week because of Stalin's death.

s

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01 May 09

Careful, scherzo, you realize attila has now made make a beeline to the library to reserve Berg, Schoenberg, Webern and the likes? My poor, poor ears! I'll give it a whack anyway.

s

At the Revolution

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01 May 09

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
Careful, scherzo, you realize attila has now made make a beeline to the library to reserve Berg, Schoenberg, Webern and the likes? My poor, poor ears! I'll give it a whack anyway.
AAAHH!! Me and my big mouth! 😉

s

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01 May 09

That's OK. Understanding new horizons or at least trying is always interesting. The one guy I refuse to listen to is Dallapiccola. His Canto in Prigione is about the most painful thing I have ever listened to. Try anything once. Attila is a pretty good guy and in deference to his patience and edcuated coemmenttary I shall wade through the waters od dodecaphony up to the ears for a while. In all honesty, when I try something new I really give it a seriously good listen. That's how I got into Wagner after being challenged, also by another musician. Being no musician myself I realized I needed to give Wagner a serious try. The rest is history. Before that it was only Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert for me.

s

At the Revolution

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01 May 09

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
That's OK. Understanding new horizons or at least trying is always interesting. The one guy I refuse to listen to is Dallapiccola. His Canto in Prigione is about the most painful thing I have ever listened to. Try anything once. Attila is a pretty good guy and in deference to his patience and edcuated coemmenttary I shall wade through the waters od dode ...[text shortened]... ry. The rest is history. Before that it was only Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert for me.
Wagner has always appealed to the rogue side. Sometimes even I must forget someone's politics and just listen to the music.

s

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01 May 09

Music transcends politics. However, I understand where you're coming from. I refuse to watch movies by certain actors because of politics or their past like Polanski. Do not appreciate the child molesters at all. The again, I love Vivaldi and he may have had his way with the orphanage girls where he was music director in Venice. Great art trumps politics, and even attitudes. Beethoven was a jerks' jerk. Yet who could stay away from the soaring greatness of his art? Polanski does not enrich me at all. Without Beethoven my life would not be nearly as rich. I can do without movies, but great music is a balsam for the soul.

Erro Ergo Sum

In the Green Room

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01 May 09

I just want to clear up something. Although I have been promoting "atonal" music in this thread, I could not live without Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. My tastes definitely lie in the 18th and 19th centuries and these three composers have been my special friends for more than 50 years. My love for them has not diminished at all in that time. Nevertheless, i do like other composers too and I have mentioned some of these, but not all, in this thread.

s

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02 May 09

I understand and realize that, yet you are not fully aware of how persuasive you are. I forsee a debater in yor future. You wuold make an excellent barrister. Perhaps you are no knaben any more, but your mental abilties are intact. Just got back from the library with all sorts of atonality under my arm, but like you my first love is classical.

Erro Ergo Sum

In the Green Room

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02 May 09

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
I understand and realize that, yet you are not fully aware of how persuasive you are. I forsee a debater in yor future. You wuold make an excellent barrister. Perhaps you are no knaben any more, but your mental abilties are intact. Just got back from the library with all sorts of atonality under my arm, but like you my first love is classical.
>Me a lawyer? Actually I've been told that before, once even by a lawyer. However, I fear I would make a lousy law student, which kind of kills that idea. I couldn't handle (but maybe I could Handel? - OK it's late here and my attempt at humour leaves a bit to be desired) the slogging through law books a student needs to do. However, over the course of my life I have become better at presenting an argument as well as quickly getting right to the heart of the matter. I love showing up politicians, many of whom are lawyers!
>If your coming home with a load of books from the library on atonality was inspired by me, I take no credit for that and I'm proud of you.
>The thing is that I feel one should learn something new every day. If you don't, something is wrong. Always be inquisitive. As soon as you feel you know it, then you know nothing.

s

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02 May 09
2 edits

May not be astute about music, but I am in the business of assessing people's talents as well as their shortcomings. Where you would make a lousy lawyer, however, is your honesty and individuality, integrity and principles. I am always curious about new things. Perhaps my beef with atonality is having tried to tackle it at or about the beginning of my musical explorations and built an aural wall against it. Your arguments for it alongside scherzo's arguments against it made me conclude the whole thing merits a second look.

Io ho una piccola domandina. Si vuol pregare per mi orecchieti che lei non mori di paura auriculare!

Buona notte!

Erro Ergo Sum

In the Green Room

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02 May 09

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
May not be astute about music, but I am in the business of assessing people's talents as well as their shortcomings. Where you would make a lousy lawyer, however, is your honesty and individuality, integrity and principles. I am always curious about new things. Perhaps my beef with atonality is having tried to tackle it at or about the beginning of my m ...[text shortened]... ndina. Si vuol pregare per mi orecchieti che lei non mori di paura auriculare!

Buona notte!
>Just consider this: It is a fact that there was increased chromaticism from the middle of the 18th century onwards, all in the name of expressiveness and the never-ending search for more expression. It was inevitable that this had to cause a breakdown in traditional harmony and it was inevitable that it had to lead to atonality, tone rows, and the like.
>In a way, this can be viewed as super-romanticism. Keep a open mind as you explore it and eventually it will make sense.
>I think similar things can be seen in art and literature. In other words, all of it is a reflection of the time in which it was written and all of it is a reflection of who we are as human beings.
>But in the end, give me my Bach, my Mozart, and my Beethoven, none of whom is a stranger to dischord. All of them hinted at the coming atonality a century or more later.