Last pre-test

I have decided I like Bryn Terfel singing in Elijah.

Self testing is going okay.  More successful earlier today.  Now not so much.

Here are the pieces I want to spend more time on when this test is done (other than Brahms.  That's a given): Dvorak's Stabat Mater.  Both of Bach's Passions and his Magnificat.  Mozart's Mass in C and his Vespers.  Stravinsky's Les Noces.  Faure's Requiem.  Cherubini Requiem.  Janacek's Glagolitic Mass.  Harmoniemesse by Haydn.  The only full score I have for any of those is Brahm's Gesang der Parzen, so that's the first thing I am studying this summer.

I went back and wrote dates for all the composers and compositions.  I didn't do poorly, except for Berlioz.  I was off by like 25 years there.  And I had one weird "WTF, Shannon?" moment earlier today when I confused a loud movement from The Seasons with Verdi.  But other than that, I have either been right or close to right in my studying and testing of myself.  I am giving myself lots of encouragement and room for a few slip ups, otherwise I'll start overthinking everything and thus make silly mistakes.

Self testing now.

Handel.  1685-1759.  Messiah- last revisions in 1754.  Often would change keys of arias and give to new soloists and voices.  Popular in London.  Messiah performances were just about annual until 1784.  I believe they have begun again.  Light orchestration.  Uses a continuo.  In 3 parts: Advent/Christmas, Passiontide/Easter, Ascension and Pentecost.  Charles Jennens is the text compiler.  I could tell you which part most of the arias/choir pieces fell, as long as I know the words.

Elgar.  Dreams of Gerontius- completed in 1899, premiered in 1900.  There is an alto, tenor, and bass soloist.  Gerontius is a tenor.  It is in two distinct parts- one as Gerontius is dying and the second part is him on his way to purgatory.  The title role is a huge tenor solo.  The piece that came up on Spotify was in the second part.  He had just seen God and is telling the angel to take him away to purgatory.  It's close to the end.  Forgot his dates- had to look it up- 1857-1934.

Haydn. 1732-1809.  Harmoniemesse.  It's in Bb.  Helmuth Rilling does a great recording of this.  It's a mass written/premiered in 1802 for Esterhazy.  It was the last of his six masses for them.  The Gloria, which is I think the section that came up, is full of fanfare at the beginning.  I forgot that he quotes himself in the last movement (he quotes "Be Gracious" from The Seasons).

Ralph Vaughan Williams.  1872-1958.  Sancta Civitas.  1923-25 is when it was written.  Solo violin, which is plaintive, gave this movement away.  Based on the story of Babylon, text from Revelations.  Sung in English.  VW is a very English composer... there is a sound he has to him that reminds me of England.

Another Bach piece game up.  A passion.  Sounds like an earthquake.  Let me look... yup, St. John Passion.

Bach b minor mass.  Taken from pieces he wrote his whole life.  He did not give it the title of B minor mass.  Final touches were put on it in 1748.  He put it together as a sort of CV.  It was never performed in his lifetime, but the earliest comes from Weimar material in... 1717?  No, 1714 (I had to look that up to double check).

Dallapiccola.  1904-1975.  Songs of Captivity (Canti di prigionia).  1938 was when the first movement was written.  1940 and 41 were the second two, respectively.  Taken from prayers from Mary Stuart, Boethius, and... Salmalskjdflsomeone.  Dallapiccola had an experience simliar to being captive (his family was moved to Graz because, despite being Italian, his family was considered politically subversive.

Cum Sancto Spiritu.  Fugue.  Mozart.  Haydn?  No, Mozart.  But it sounds something like Haydn, I just don't recognize it as Haydn.  And there it is, it doesn't sound like Haydn right there (yes, I am listening to it as I type).  Mass in C by Mozart.  He wrote in for his wife and in celebration of their marriage, although it's half finished.  Completed in 1783.  Mozart 1756-1791.

Brahms.  1833-1897.  German Requiem.  1868.  Inspired perhaps by the death of his mother and/or Schumann.  So beautiful.  One of the most people works I have heard.  I try to avoid listening/studying Brahms, despite the fact he is on my exam.  Otherwise, I will spend hours listening.  7 movements.  Brahms compiled the text himself.  He really liked Cherubini's Requiem in C (so do I!) and thus used no violins like him in the first movement.  Only the second movement uses full orchestra.

Bach Magnificat.  1723 was in Eb.  Later, sometime between 1728-31, put in D major and revised the text (taking out Christmas texts).

Haydn.  One of his oratorios.  My guess is the Seasons based on the text (1801)

Franz Schmidt.  Das Buch mit sieben siegln?  In English it's The Book with the Seven Seals.  1937 composed.  Based on Revelations.  Music really punctuates the text.  20th Century, but is tonal, very romantic.  Oratorio.  One soloist- a tenor- Saint John.  Two parts plus a prologue.  He died in 1939, two years after the piece was written.  I had to look up his birth year: 1937.

Haydn.  Creation.  1798.

Dvorak.  1841- 1904.  Stabat mater.  1877, premiered 1880.  My first inclination was to say some English composer, but the text is Latin (and I thought I recognized it from the Stabat mater) plus the music is gorgeous and tonal, plus I recognize it as a piece I love.  Hence, Dvorak.  It was his first religious piece.  Wrote the Stabat mater during his Russian period.  Brahms assisted his career.  Stabat mater was in 10 movements.  Fairly transparent orchestration.

Michael Tippett.  Early 1900s to 1998?  A Child of our Time.  1942.  Based on a story about a young man who shot a German official in a different country and caused Krystallnacht (spelling?).  An oratorio.  Tippett tried to make it like a Bach cantata.  For the chorales he used spirituals.  Kind of interesting!  Yes, his dates were 1905 to 1998.

Leos Janacek.  1854-1928.  Glagolitic Mass.  1926.  Wrote it and his Czech audiences loved it.  It has some folk type melodies.  I love the opening fanfare (a descending fourth, descending fifth, up a fifth).  Used organ.  It's in slavonic, so I don't actually recognize the words, but one of the main themes that the choir sings sounds like the worlds "Hobby lobby."

War Requiem 1961.  Benjamin Britten wrote this for Soprano, tenor, and bass soloist, boy choir (which always sounds distant), and SATB choir.  Dedicated to some friends that died in WWII.  There are two texts- one by Owens who wrote poetry in response to his experience in WWI (which is what the two men soloists sing) and the other text is the Mass for the Dead text.  This work, as well as Peter Grimes, were the two pieces that really put him on the international map.  An important tritone here is F# and C.

Carl Orff. 1895-1982.  Carmina Burana (1935-36).  Latin, German type of language?  Short movements.  Dance based, tried to make it feel like the text.

Berlioz.  1803-1869.  Requiem.  1837.  Dies irae, I recognize the opening cello line.  Written originally for the French government as a revolution commemoration.  Ended up being canceled but it was used for the funeral of a French officer, I think?  Berlioz was French guy but considered anti-establishment so was not as loved by all in the government.  Huge orchestration and vocal forces.  Plus there is a really cool tuba mirum with 4 brass groups.  Women are often in unison and men are often in divisi.

Stravinsky 1892-1971.  Mass.  Started in 1944, finished in 1948.  Five movements.  He was disappointed that it was not used much in liturgical use, because he wrote it for liturgical use.  The orchestration is rather light and clear.  The melodies are often chant-y.  He wrote because he wanted, not because of commission.

Okay.  I pass, right?  Just going to go try to come up with some distinguishing Beethoven and Verdi ideas so I can recognize them quicker.  I just don't want to get so caught up in thinking about all the music in the same way.  That makes is more difficult for me to know which piece it is.