Henry Purcell is probably the best-known English composer of the baroque era. To this day, he is revered in England much like Bach is revered in Germany – as the father of their musical heritage. He is buried next to the organ in Westminster Abbey, where was organist.
“Hear My Prayer” is a somber setting of the first verse of Psalm 102. The lamentations of the psalmist are clearly heard in the chromaticism of the music.
We’ve all done this — you’re sitting at a desk; all of a sudden, you have a primal urge to make music. Maybe you tap your toes, maybe you drum on the desk, maybe you just swing your body to the music playing in your head. One of my schoolmates would play the “William Tell Overture” in class by tapping on his teeth. If you asked him how he could play the correct pitches just by moving his mouth, his answer was “I just know it.” We all have some of that in us.
Humans can find ways to make music out of anything. Anything! When you consider that, then Thierry De Mey‘s piece “Table Music” isn’t so strange. It might be considered avant-garde since it doesn’t use traditional concert instruments, but in terms of form, it’s pretty conservative – a combination of old and new that has made this piece a relative hit!
Be sure to watch the video, and not just listen to the audio.
Italy held a monopoly on opera until the 19th century, when Germany and France entered the arena. Mozart got the ball rolling, Weber made it big, and Wagner perfected it. In between Weber and Wagner was Heinrich Marschner. His opera, Der Vampyr, was cool way before the likes of Buffy or Twilight, and still remains cooler than Tom Cruise.
Long before things like Castlevania made us associate a certain musical style with Vampires (specifically, baroque harpsichord concerti in minor keys) Marschner was starting from scratch, and became known for his ability to write operatic horror.
Recent Comments