Classical Music Concert: Faculty Music Recital

On Sunday, October 20, 2019, I attended a faculty music recital at 3 pm. It was in the Recital Hall at the Center for the Performing Arts building located at Prince George’s Community College. The faculty recital featured faculty performers such as Nakia Verner, Richard Anatone and Gary Kirkeby. There were performance of the musical instruments such as the piano and harpsichord, as well as vocal performances. Overall the piece that stood out to me more was Schubert’s Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel). Franz Schubert (1797-1828) is known as the earliest masters of the romantic art song. He was born in Vienna to the son of a schoolmaster, and at the age of eleven he became a choirboy in the court chapel. He was musically talented as a child that his teacher praised him, saying, “If I wanted to instruct him in anything new, he knew it already.” Schubert was a recipient of the scholarship to the Imperial Seminary at the age of eleven. During his late teens, Schubert worked at his father’s school but hated the job. His love for art songs led him to compose his first great work titled Gretchen am Spinnrade. Schubert never held any official positions but all of his income came from musical compositions that were performed in the homes of Vienna’s cultivated middle-class after he gave up teaching school. He expressed his love for composing songs to a friend saying, “I have come into the world for no other purpose but to compose.” He composed more than 600 songs: symphonies, string quartets, chamber music for piano and strings, piano sonatas, short piano pieces for two and four hands, masses, and operatic compositions. Unfortunately, Schubert lived a short life and died at the age of thirty-one. His works were recognized years after his death. Gretchen Spinnrade incorporates many different elements of music. The use of a large range of dynamics enhances the emotion of the overall piece. There is a portion in this piece where the composition grows from soft to loud. This leads to the climax and creates a feeling of intense yearning. While dreaming, it’s evident that she gets louder and louder before losing control.

In the final part of the song, dynamics are used in the song as she fantasizes of how ashamed she is saying “and on his kisses I would pass away!” There is a large contrast between this part and the soft refrain that emphasis her misery. The tempo slows down and speeds up as her emotions alternate. Two dissonant chords can be heard as Gretchen mentions “and oh! his kiss!” The motion of the piano slowly resumes after this. Gretchen am Spinnrade consist of homophonic texture. This because the main melody is accompanied by piano. Attention is focused on the melody but is also supported by sounds of subordinate interest. The melody seems to be similar for each stanza but with little difference. The sense of continuity is enhanced by the rippling piano part which is heard at the beginning of every piece to represent Gretchen spinning the wheel as she sings. A key change can be heard at the beginning of the fourth stanza when Gretchen describes the physical aspect of her lover. There is consonant harmony presented to represent Gretchen's positive emotions. The frequent modulation symbolizes Gretchen’s conflicting emotions and distracted moods. Faculty performer Nakia Verner and Gary Kirkeby gave an exceptional performance to the audience. It was obvious that Verner was musically trained well as her voice her high notes did not sound thin and her middle range was not breathy. She was able to make a beautiful sound even while singing up to two octaves. Kirkeby talents while playing the piano shows that he was trained to his full potential. He was confident and did not make any mistakes. Both performers showed that were professionals in what they do through lots of practice. Verner sang with expressions and hand gestures to communicate emotions with the audience. Before performing, the performers gave a background story to carry the audience along with the performance. They made eye contact with the audience while describing the background to show they have prepared for the recital. The concert presented songs from the Baroque period, Classical period, Romantic period, and a song from the Modern period. All of these periods have been discussed in class except for songs from the Modern period. During the Baroque period, homophonic textures were favored over polyphonic textures. Baroque composers used dissonance to depict extreme emotions in their texts.

An example of this would be Tu lo sai by Torelli, which was performed at the recital. During the late Baroque period, instrumental music became more important than vocal music. Characteristics of the classical style were developed during the Classical era. Baroque pieces convey emotion while classical pieces fluctuated with moods. During late Baroque, polyphonic textures were favored but in the Classical Era, homophonic textures were preferred. The Classical Era also ended the use of basso continuo. Moving into the Romantic period, pieces began to have greater ranges of tone color, dynamics, and pitch. Romantic music has a broader vocabulary which makes it linked to other forms of art. For example, the poetry performed at the recital entitled Du bist die Ruh by Franz Schubert. Romantic period emphasized on colorful and unstable chords. Music from the Modern period tends to use dissonant harmonies and complex rhythms. Popular, contemporary music presented in the course relates to the classical repertoire heard in the concert because it describes a narrative that entices the listeners. The pieces that have been introduced throughout the course have varied in the musical elements. We’ve discussed how sound begins, identifying the pitches heard in a piece, the quality of tone color and the degree of dynamics. We’ve also discussed how music can tell a story by evaluating the contrast in moods. In this course and in the concert there are examples of how the tempo of a piece can influence the emotion of the piece, the use of a large range of dynamics and the use of dissonant chords. Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel) is said to be one of Schubert’s successful pieces to be sold in large quantities during his time. It was one of the few musical compositions that he able to gain minimal income.

Music can be defined as an art medium that deals with the organization of sounds. Schubert’s Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel) was one of the few successful pieces during his time. It wasn't until after his death, that his work became recognized. Emotions in this piece are enhanced by the use of a large range of dynamics, pitch and tempo. The listeners were able to enjoy the live performance which enabled them to share experience and unplug, in order to refresh the mind. The performers were proven to be professionals which made the experience better as they communicated ideas with the audience. This recital was also an opportunity to distinguish among the different musical styles during certain periods.