Reading

Julian Johnson describes the classical style as a set of timeless values of order, balance, harmony,

restraint, elegance and beauty. Today, we recognize this era by its key musical genres which are the

string quartet, solo sonata, symphony and concerto. The difference between this era and others is the

balance that can be heard in the music, not only the phrases but also the different sections of the piece.

The classical era is broken up into different sections with the most popular being 1770-1810 which

started by the birth of Beethoven. With wide popularity of composers at this time it was no wonder

why this is one of the most popular eras still today. One thing I learned from the book was about

keyboard music and how it essentially became the modern day piano. I guess that makes sense though

because most of the pieces from this era involved a piano or can be played on one pretty gracefully.

Listening

Symphony in G minor, Op. 6, No. 6 by J.C. Bach (1735-1782)- I honestly really like this piece because of

the softness in the music. It is not overpowering but at the same time it is not underwhelming. I think

bach found the perfect balance in this music and it was fun to listen to.

Prussian Sonata No. 1 for harpsichord by C.P.E. Bach (1714-1788)- Compared to symphony in G minor I

honestly really disliked this piece. I found it kind of annoying and I really cannot explain why. It just does

not mesh very well and does not seem like a classical piece. There is not any dissonance though it just

might be because of how high pitched all of the notes are. Towards the end it just gets faster too so I

was not a fan.

Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)- The song was pretty

underwhelming until the end of the piece. At one point it gets really soft and then picks up and gets

almost this scary/dark feeling to the song. I really enjoyed this because it was not something that I was

expecting.

String Quartet in G Major, Op.76 No.1 by Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)- I absolutely love how this

piece started out, I think I listened to the first 5 seconds or so a couple of times. It instantly brings joy to

me as it just sounds so nice. I used to play the violin so I love the way they sound, especially when

grouped with other string instruments. This entire piece was a pleasure to listen to.

Symphony No. 25 in G minor, k. 183 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)- After listening to this

performance by this amazing orchestra the one that I loved the most was Allegro, 4/4 in G minor. I love

how I can just envision some intense movie scene happening while this is playing in the background. It

tells a great story and the tone is phenomenal. The other pieces were alright too but the last one was

definitely the best.

Journal Assignment 6

8. Death in Music- I listened to Now the Sun wants to rise as brightly and I really enjoyed the piece.

Having the words to the song on blackboard really helped understand the tone the composer was trying

to get across. It is honestly a pretty dark piece that can be relatable to a lot people. The music being

quiet and going with the tempo of the singers voice was great.
9. Humor in music- I listened to Haydn, Symphony No. 94 in G Major (Surprise) Second Movement:

Andante and it was very surprising. I was expecting a very quiet piece when it started because of the

slower tempo. When we got that first spike like 30 seconds in I was amazed at the direction the piece

was going. Around the 3 minute mark it really starts to pick up and I enjoy it a lot.

10. Art and the expressive slow movement- I listened to Brahms: 6 Piano Pieces, Op.118 - 2. Intermezzo

In A and it was nice for being so slow. Naturally I am not a fan of very slow songs but I can still

appreciate their beauty and simplicity. This song had a lot of emotion attached to it and you can tell

when listening to it. It sounds like a song that you could just sit down and read a book to while its

playing in the background. It is really nice and relaxing.

11. Virtuosity in music- I listened to Jascha Heifetz plays Paganini Caprice No. 24 and this was probably

my favorite out of everything I listened to up to this point. My favorite instrument is the violin because

that is what I played growing up. Heiftez just made this piece his own in the sense of emotion that he

put into the work which was true of Romantic era composers. The piece was really made to have that

individual connection.

12. Nature in Music- I listened to Vivaldi: Four Seasons/Quattro Stagioni - Janine Jansen - Internationaal

Kamermuziek Festival. I have previously heard all of these songs before so I already have a great

appreciation for everything they did to help develop the music we listen to today. Just sitting back and

listening to each individual season it is easy to tell which season is supposed to be which. In my opinion

winter is the best because I can just feel and sense a blizzard when it starts picking up. While the rest of
the seasons just seem to be happy and calm with winter there is something else there that is so

prominent it makes the piece that much better.

13. Sacred in music and the transcendentals of the enlightenment- I listened to BACH- CANTATAS BWV

27, 84, 95 & 161 - HERREWEGHE.wm. This piece was super religious and traditional and I appreciated

that. Growing up and going to church all the time It really took me back to my childhood. The song has a

very sacred sound and you can get the hint of how it is supposed to make you a better person when

listening to it. I can see how it was so popular during the time with religion being so strong in everyone’s

lives.

14. Great Melodists in Music- I listened to Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 • Villa-Lobos • Gothenburg

Symphony Orchestra. The melody was super obvious in this piece and you can just hear the consistent

strumming on the instrument in the background. While it was annoying at first as the piece went on you

don’t hear it anymore and you begin to appreciate it. I don’t know if that is just because of the singers

emotion and how she made the song her own or because of how great the song actually is.

15. Intimate in Music (Chopin)- I listened to Chopin Ballade No.3 in A flat major, Op.47 - Daniela

Liebman. I found this song pretty sad but beautiful but that is because I naturally see piano music as

slower and more melancholy. That does not mean that I do not love the music though because this

piece was great. I can just envision people slow dancing to this In a ballroom back in the day. This

musician put so much emotion into this piece too and it was really noticeable.
16. Politics in Music (Soviet Composer Shostakovich)- I listened to Dmitri Shostakovich : Symphony No.2

in Bb major, Op.14 "To October" (Kirill Kondrashin). Listening to this song I could really see the politics

that we depicted within the music. I can hear the suspense of being in such a politically divided country

and having a leader who is not afraid of using force to get what he wants. I think the composer does an

excellent job of showing the entire conflict and resolution part of the piece. War is ugly and I think this

song really shows how ugly it can be in a beautiful way.

17. Nationalism in music- I listened to Modest Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain (Arr. Rimsky-

Korsakov). I do not think any piece could show nationalism better in music because this sounds exactly

like his home country. Strong, proud and intimidating were all feelings I could sense within the song.

Starting out right away with just loud music and it just keeps getting thrown at you as the piece went on.

Then it slows down for awhile and picks right back up because that is what his country was all about.