Bach Keyboard Concerto D Minor
The word concerto means different things in Italian and Latin communities. To Italians, concertare means to join together while in Latin, concetare is disagreement or fighting. The concerto is, therefore, a combination of the Italian and Latin definitions. The genre’s dual nature requires composers to find a balance between cooperation and contention. The earlier version of the concerto is called the Baroque, a model that contained significant contrasts of sonorities. One of the predominant features of Baroque is that it necessitated the division of larger groups of performance into smaller groups. Such divisions are called the stile concertato and mainly used string instruments in its performances. Later on, composers formed the Romantic concerto that functions under the principle “one against the world”. During the Romantic concerto period which emerged in the early 1800s, art was a form of self-expression. The Romantic concerto was, therefore, a channel of expressing personal feelings through chromaticism and daring harmonies. This essay analyses the works of concerto experts such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Grieg, and Rachmaninoff.
Bach Keyboard Concerto D Minor
Johann Sebastian Bach was a significant figure in Germany’s musical industry from the 1700s to 1730s. With a busy schedule, Bach learned to borrow and study new sonorities from other composers or his previous works. Bach would then write original compositions as an imitation of these works. For instance, Bach’s musical carrier highly borrowed from Vivaldi’s highly virtuosic violin music. of Bach’s artistic breakthroughs and those of his contemporaries used Vivaldi’s highly decorative soloist styles.
Furthermore, Bach’s exposure to the musical genius of artists like Corelli (focused on trio sonatas and concerti), Albinoni helped him incorporate a mixture of the tutti (altogether; ensemble) and solo contrast in his art. Bach’s creative nature made him explore many of the composing possibilities through the keyboard. The musician also incorporated violin music and styles and tried to recreate them using the keyboard. Bach, therefore, successfully created the keyboard concerto such that his music symbolized both the festive and somber styles of Italian music.
Bach’s keyboard D minor concerto is one of his most significant works. The ensemble exhibits the extent of Bach’s love for Vivaldi’s work. The keyboard D minor adapted the three-movement model that goes from being fast, then slow, then back to fast just like in the Baroque concerto. Further, Bach’s keyboard D minor states the music’s these in disharmonized octaves that proceed with the first two movements and then aggressively cast the themes in the outer movements of the ensemble. According to Jaffe (2020), the two first movements of Bach’s D minor came from the Cantata 146, Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal while the final action also arises from a Cantata (188): Ich habe meine Zuversicht. Jaffe (2020) also asserts that these Cantatas came from violin concertos that ceased to exist. However, since Bach was a lover of imitation, he took these violin concertos and reconstructed them, thus creating his keyboard D minor.
The D minor concerto began with quick, cheerful music as is the case in Allegros. The music is often played by a soloist and an ensemble of strings in octaves. After, the ensemble slows to a developmental episode, following the three-movement model. The last move in Bach’s keyboard D minor is the repetition of the first, where the tutti and soloist play in octaves and unison (Jaffe, 2020). While analyzing Bach’s D minor, Jaffe (2020) discovered that the concerto alludes to the world’s dark-hued and somber nature. The D minor played on the harpsichord, exhibited significant elemental power.
Mozart’s Concerto No. 21
One of Mozart’s most significant achievements is his piano concerto. As a musically talented artist, Mozart has an affinity for dramatic styles such as the opera. Mozart valued the piano, but among his forty concerti, several were from different instruments. Mozart, having travelled to different countries, became culturally exposed to French, Italian, and Turkish music styles. From the French, Mozart acquired his skill in graceful, joyous, and dramatic music. His exposure to Italy also influenced his use of violins while the Turkish culture introduced him to the two violin concerti. Most of Mozart’s musical creations were written solely for highly skilled musicians.
Further, Mozart had incredible timing and dramatic incorporations in his concerto. Unlike other orchestras where the soloist plays a limited role in delivery, Mozart’s concerto allows equality between the instrumentalists and the soloist. Most of Mozart’s earlier sonatas emulated Baroque styles while the latest was more passionate and romantic.
Mozart’s piano concerto no. 21 is extremely difficult even for highly skilled and sensitive musicians. The difficulty of Mozart’s piano no.21 concerto lies where one has to separate the intricacy and complicated nature of the writings on paper to the smoothness of sound while playing. According to BBC Radio (2020) the piece, like most concerto, has three movements. The first, the Allegro maestoso is an exciting and exuberant lead into the second step, the Andante. The former is fully symphonic and has an orchestra backing that matches the solo part while the latter pioneers The Andante appears in the F major and is smooth and satisfying. The final movement, the Allegro vivace assai goes to high octaves and irrepressible levels (BBC Radio, 2020). Mozart uses the piano concerto no. 21 to balance elegance and aggression in one piece. The piano concerto also has a dreamlike allure and often follows slow movements. Although challenging to learn, Mozart’s no. 21 concerto uses simple materials to create perfect steps.
Beethoven Concerto No. 5
Beethoven completed making his entire concerto in 1809. Most of Beethoven’s music from the early Romantic era. Using, Mozart’s classical model, Beethoven brought new flourish to Romanticism. Although Beethoven’s music highly paralleled the works of Mozart, his style consisted mostly of unique fundamental changes where he gave himself space for self-criticism. Moreover, Beethoven’s concerto no. 1, 2, 3, and 4 helped in his career’s growth. Nonetheless, the most significant work that is currently relevant in his musical legacy is concerto no. 5, also called “the Emperor”.
Beethoven wrote his concerto no. 5 as a dedication to his student, Archduke Rudolph. The concerto begins with a piano cadenza which arises from the era of the virtuoso. The first step in the concerto begins with a pianist who plays a series of loud and emphatic sounds that use virtuosic tunes. The orchestra then incorporates loud cords to the music. The second step, similar to Mozart’s concerto no. 21 becomes more intense and more vigorous. These sound reach high octaves and have aggressive chords.
Furthermore, the second part of Beethoven’s concerto also exhibits dominance of theme, tones, and chords. Unlike other orchestras where there are three primary models, Beethoven’s music only utilizes two steps. Therefore, after the dominant chords, the concerto goes back to the first step that processes milder movements. Generally, Beethoven’s concerto comprises of daring tunes that bring about a new style to an orchestra. Also, following the footsteps of Mozart, Beethoven utilizes all keys in the piano in concerto number 5.
Grieg Concerto
Edvard Grieg was born in Norway, and most of his artistic work was modeled after Robert Schumann’s work. The artist mostly focused on piano concerti and attributed most of his work to the three-step model of the orchestra. Similar to Schumann, Grieg’s concerto used significant virtuoso themes. It also uses Norwegian melodies and dance cultures as core factors in its style. The most striking feature in Grieg’s concerto is that although it uses the three movements of the orchestra, they are all unified by the same thematic expression. Following the footsteps of his mentor, Schumann, Grieg always ensures dialogue between the instrumentalists and the soloist.
Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2
Rachmaninoff, who suffered from deep depression periods during his musical career, understood the piano and its full potential. From his love for piano, Rachmaninoff developed extremely somber melodies. The artist, just like Mozart, had a talent for complexity and produced highly challenging piano writings. Although his piano concerto no.3 was the most difficult of his writings, the concerto no. 2 was the most revered by music enthusiasts. The concerto commences with a series of bell-sounding chords. These chords are accompanied by a masterful melody played by the orchestra which is often heart-wrenching.
Concerto music is essential in the modern orchestra. The works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Grieg, and Rachmaninoff gives one insight into the concerto culture. Further, these renown musicians provide relevant facts on the Baroque and Romantic principles of the concerto.