Monday, March 27, 2017

Assignment for Wednesday, March 29

For Tristan, I would like us to make a chart of the form of the Prelude; we will start it today in class. For Wednesday, please read the introductory essays in Robert Bailey's critical edition, up to page 48, and if you have a chance, get started on Bailey's analysis, pages 113-146. There is some good stuff here on third relations, similar to Cohn's hexatonic article. I'll ask you to turn in your form chart of the Prelude on Friday.

Wagner, Prelude and Transfiguration from Tristan and Isolde. 
Christian Thielemann, Vienna Philharmonic.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Spring break assignment: Bruckner and Tchaikovsky

As I've said in class, I am out of town next week conducting at the Arizona Chamber Music Festival - sorry I have to miss class!

In the meantime I'm giving you a couple of projects I've used for exams (both in class and take-home) in the past, on music by Bruckner and Tchaikovsky. Extra copies are in an envelope next to my office door if you weren't able to be in class today. Recordings below - but it's worth it to hear the whole Tchaik 5 if you don't know the piece!

Please email me if you run into trouble, and I will see you all after spring break. After the break we are on Wagner, Prelude and Transfiguration from Tristan. For this piece you need the Norton Critical Edition, as listed in the syllabus; please get the book, and start reading the introductory material on the genesis of the opera - it is quite the soap opera, no pun intended!


Bruckner, Christus Factus Est (with score)


Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 second movement;
London Symphony/Igor Markevitch


Tchaikovsky (with score), NY Phil/Bernstein

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Assignment for Wednesday, March 8

As I mentioned in class, please "Das verlassene Mädchen" by Hugo Wolf: this is probably enough for us to worry about, so I will present the other song in class, if there's time.

Please be prepared to hand in the Wolf - I *might* collect it, but I might not (sorry)!




Sunday, March 5, 2017

Assignment for Monday, March 6

Please forgive me for not posting this earlier; tomorrow in class we will be looking at Scott Joplin's rag Solace. We will just go over the piece together, I won't ask you to hand it in or anything. Here is a  beautiful performance by Phillip Dyson. Right around 2:40 begins the most famous part of the piece, which appeared in the 1973 movie The Sting (and the video game Bioshock).


Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Assignment for Friday, March 3; Brahms Intermezzi

Please choose one of the two pieces below to analyze:

Brahms Intermezzo in A major, Op. 76 No. 6

Brahms Intermezzo in B minor, Op. 119 No. 1

Try to find out a little about your chosen piece; when Brahms wrote it, what he was up to at the time, etc. Analyze as best you can with Roman numerals, but again, he is doing lots of weird stuff in these pieces. If there isn't a good Roman numeral, then try to describe what is happening as best you can, either with words, diagrams, etc. Be prepared to hand in your piece.