When I first heard King David, I really enjoyed it. When my teacher asked me what pieces I might want to conduct, King David ("Le Roi David") was on my list. Since it is also a favorite of my teacher's and it presented more challenges than some of the other pieces on my list, we decided to work on it in lessons. So I have spent a lot of time with King David the past few months. And as I am conducting, studying, listening, hearing, I experience new moments of why I like the piece. I recognize the piece is a little more difficult- there are 27 movements and there is not much relation between tempo and character. What I mean by this is, the story of the oratorio truly dictates what each movement is trying to express. I have been going from movement to movement without much consideration for the story in between and that has made it even more difficult for me. I knew the story was happening and I know what's happening in the story, but I haven't really demanded that I connect to the story in lessons. But as I learned, it's difficult to connect to the music unless I am invested in the story of King David.
So what is enjoyable about King David? It is interesting. There is always a new type of music to be shared, to be heard, to be played. With the narrator, it is clear that music helps to tell the story, right from the beginning.
In the first movement, the listener hears war-like drum rolls in the timpani. You can hear that it foreshadows the war theme of the entirety of the piece, that never quite feels resolved until the very last movement. It may be a story about King David, but David's life was full of war, it was defined by war. And the oboe. Because apparently the oboe is David's instrument in this oratorio. Maybe it's his harp, his psaltery, perhaps? I own a psaltery and play it on occasion, so I understand the impractically of trying to put a psaltery into a large work like this. But it would have been neat and a little more authentic.
The second movement is David singing a song about God being his shepherd, very Psalm 23-ish. Sung by a woman or a boy, it represents David as a young boy, innocent in his trust and complete adherence to God. A slow 2- which seems a little odd. A young boy has more energy than Andantino, but that's okay.
The third movement is chance for the entirety of the group to sing in unison celebration of God. It's done in a Baroque fashion, with it's semi-counterpoint, one of the reasons I love it. The next few movements are about going to war (you can hear the war trumpets) and the entrance of Goliath. Here Honegger does a great thing- the entrance of Goliath is portrayed by a lumbering-sounding trombone. Clever! Then, a song of victory (even though the war has not been won yet), some more marching music, some more trusting in God music.
Movement 8 is the song of the Prophets and is modeled after Gregorian chant. Movement 9 is a slightly more adult (i.e. "tenor") David singing a song to God about his weakness. Movement 10 gets interesting- this is when David sneaks into Saul's camp and could kill him, but decides not to. You can hear David sneak up on Saul as a mass of brass triplets and duples are compounded on top of each other. David doesn't kill Saul, but takes his staff to let him know he's been there (apparently Saul was in a deep sleep). Saul, who becomes irrational, decides to seek out the Witch of Endor to find out his future. This is done in movement 12. The clarinet and cymbal set up an excellent smokey-hut feel as the witch speaks over music that accelerates for much of the movement. It all comes to a dramatic halt when Samuel rises from the dead to prophesy that Saul is going to die, along with his sons, the next day.
More marching. Lamenting by a women's chorus over the death of Saul, even though the people celebrate David being their new king. The longest movement (about ten minutes) happens in movement 16. IT's called the dance before the ark and is full of celebration, although the music is set in such a way that it doesn't feel like a celebration of joy, but more a celebration of one's strength in their army and their army's leader. That has a much more ominous feel than true peace. It vacillates between a celebration a a prayer that "Mighty God be with us." At the end of the movement, there seems to be a brief sense of relief as the chorus sings overlapping "alleluia"s. It doesn't feel nearly long enough nor certain enough to be the end of the story.
And it isn't. The story continues as David becomes an adulterer and then must pray (and sing) for forgiveness. He praises God. He is forgiven by God. But then David takes a census of his people (which is the last straw for God) and movement 23 is war music again. Here comes the marching Hebrew army. While David kept his country and people intact, he becomes sick and decides to crown Solomon (his son) as the king. This happens in movement 26 and movement 26 moves right into 27, the final movement, the death of David. This is my favorite movement of the entire piece- there is so much release of pain, war is extinguished, music that symbolizes the promise of the future is played and earlier music of hope (the dance of the ark) is brought back. It ends in majesty and a feeling of optimism for the future. War truly seems gone.
So, that's King David. Well, kind of. There is more to it, but that's all I have space and time to write now. As a previous blog post indicates, I finished a basic harmonic analysis of Beethoven's Mass in C yesterday. So then I decided it was time to listen to it so I could hear any surprising moments and make note of them.
The difference between the first listen of King David and the first listen of Mass in C is huge. I found King David interesting. In a way it was like reading an article on something I was studying. But Mass in C? I tried to listen to it very removed from the music itself so I could hear things I "needed" to hear. But it didn't happen. I was so caught up in the beauty and the journey. King David provided a story but Mass in C provided a journey. That sounds a little cheesy, but I cannot think of another way to describe it. With every swell of a phrase, I found myself unwillingly waiving my arms, trying to coax this sound out of a recorded orchestra.
The excitement about conducting this piece this semester is different than my feelings about King David. From the ascending "Kyrie eleison," I hear a prayer rising. It makes sense. The music, even without words, makes sense. Why? Because Beethoven's a beast. Musically.
The Gloria has an almost call-and-response section between the tenor soloist and the choir and they call-and-respond in different keys. Then it happens with the soprano soloist. It's as if the soloists are always in a different place. And then the rhythmic vitality the strings add throughout the entire mass? Who needs percussionists hitting things when you can create an energy like the strings do?
There was a moment in the Gloria, during the "amens" (forgive me, I have to number the measures yet) where the chord progression can shock you out of any listening lethargy. F major, d minor, Bb major, g minor, Eb major, c min, Ab major, f minor, Db major, Bb minor, F# major/Gb major, G major, C major, G, C- boom, back in C major. But when I heard it, I thought, "Yes, Beethoven! Amen indeed!"
I also would like to give kudos to Beethoven- none of his "slow" sections are unbearably long. Some composers decide to write something in a slower tempo and it seems to take forever. In my impatience (and probably inexperience) I think, "5 minutes later and we're still in the same lethargic motion?" Wow, I suppose Beethoven's music really is like sex. Sorry to any family members who might read this. I have read articles with authors comparing Beethoven's music to sexual experiences and how he was a very sexual person. Maybe that's a blog post for another day and I can warn you ahead of time in case it makes you uncomfortable. Or I may never write that post.
I love the Osanna fugue. I love the relative lightness his fugal sections hold. Although I have to be honest, the recording I heard yesterday was great, but I will play around with taking the Benedictus at a slightly faster tempo. "Allegretto ma non troppo" is up for interpretation and I may change my mind. The recording I heard was conducted by a giant in the conducting field, so before I determine tempo and tell you who this giant was, I would rather spend more time with the piece and make a more education decision.
I love the return of the Kyrie at the end of the piece.
I felt much more connected to the Beethoven than I do King David. I really like King David, but I didn't realize how disconnected I was until I felt my reaction and excitement to the Mass in C. I haven't finished King David in lessons and I think it would be valuable to do so, but I would love to skip right to the Mass. I think it will be easier. No, not really "easier" but it would make more sense to me. A little more heart.
1 comment:
What do you think about the last movement of King David?
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