In 1832 Felix Mendelssohn was commissioned to write an oratorio honoring the life of Paul. Paulus is an amazing work that showcases not only characteristics of the Romantic era in which it was written, but also those of Baroque and Classical oratorio styles. For example, Mendelssohn uses Romantic qualities such as chromaticism, beautiful melodies, and new orchestration practices while staying true to Baroque and Classical traditions, such as the thunderous choruses of Handel and Bach. Paulus is a masterpiece that deserves more academic attention and inclusion into the Canon.
Paulus consists mostly of sacred texts set to chorales, recitatives, and arias, and uses a variety of texture styles such as homophony, polyphony, and counterpoint in this two act oratorio. The first half tells the story of St. Stephen, his encounters with Paul (named Saul at the time), and his eventual martyrdom. The second half focuses on Paul's missionary work alongside his fellow prophet Barnabas, and ends with Paul's dramatic death by an angry mob. The work includes a chorus and a solo soprano, alto, tenor, and bass who depict different characters in the oratorio's storyline - for example, a bass plays the role of Paul while a tenor sings as Stephen and Barnabas.
Mendelssohn was a brilliant composer and able to create beautiful sounds from his orchestra, as shown in the opening overture. The audience is introduced to many themes, varying from majestic and beautiful melodies that simply soar, to portentous melodies with strings that seem to shiver in angst. Immediately following the overture, a booming chorus sings "Herr! Der du bist de Gott," similar to the overwhelming nature of Handel oratorios. The work continues as Mendelssohn uses recitatives to narrate the oratorio, beginning with the story of Stephen. Particularly stirring is the scene of a growing mob that eventually stones Stephen to death. Here the chorus sings eerie, threatening thematic material, while the orchestra adds to the ominous feeling using a shivering strings theme from the opening overture. Though the oratorio is dedicated to the life of Paul, much time is spent on Stephen's martyrdom. This is because Stephen's story is the first time that Paul is mentioned in the Bible, and by focusing on Paul's persecution of Christians, this leads to a more dramatic scene with his eventual conversion to Christianity. As the chorus plays the role of God in singing "Wachet auf! Ruft uns die Stimme," the first act ends with Ananias baptizing Paul and a choral piece proclaiming the glory of God.
The second half of Paulus tells the story of Paul and Barnabas' travels as apostles of Christ. It begins with praise of God's presence on earth in "Der Erdkreis ist nun des Herrn," with the choir singing homophonically then suddenly splitting into imitative polyphony, singing a fugue! I found this shift stunning, and I assume this is honoring past styles and composers such as Bach, the father of the fugue. The second half continues as the people are inspired by Paul the apostle and they begin to praise him. Paul becomes angry and scolds the people for looking to him, not God, and they soon turn into an angry mob. A soprano narrator begins to describe Paul's persecution by the angry mob while a tenor's simple air symbolizes Paul's unwavering devotion to God, even to his death.
In Paulus, the orchestra's role is different than in past oratorios. Romantic orchestras are known for being more than mere accompaniment, as they play a vital role in setting specific moods and are able to depict actions without need for actors or words. Mendelssohn does this wonderfully throughout the oratorio. He makes the orchestra nearly equal to the chorus, a very Romantic idea and different than in past oratorios.
I feel that this work may have been particularly special to Mendelssohn due to the amount of time he spent on it. Mendelssohn was a very prolific composer and could compose much music in a short time span; however, this oratorio took him four years, leading one to believe he worked particularly hard on this piece and wanted every detail to be perfect. Also, this work closely focuses on presenting the biblical story accurately rather than entertaining the audience, perhaps inferring Mendelssohn's reverence and seriousness to this work and the oratorio as a compositional form.
I find this piece especially provocative due to Mendelssohn's complicated religious heritage. His grandfather was a Jewish rabbi and scholar, though with anti-Semitism on the rise, the family used the name Bartholdy. And during all this time Mendelssohn was a devoted Lutheran! In fact, it was Felix's father Abraham that pushed for him to write the Paulus oratorio. This puts things more into context and adds an interesting twist to the back-story of this piece.
When scholars look at Mendelssohn's oratorios today, Elijah is the piece include in the Canon, not Paulus. Paulus has been deemed boring and long-winded, while Elijah has a more exciting plot to today's listeners and may be sung in English. Audiences today aren't as receptive to Paul's conversion as audiences in the 19th century, which is why, ironically, Paulus was the more popular piece of its day. This is just one of the reasons I believe Paulus should be included in the Canon. If scholars want to better understand the public's music preferences in the Romantic era and the social environment in which these works were presented, Paulus, as the more popular work, must be further studied. I also believe this oratorio should be included in the Canon because of the impact Mendelssohn had on resurrecting genres of the past. Choruses and oratorios were on the decline in the Romantic era and by Mendelssohn accepting this project, he was trying to save the genre, or at least show reverence to the lessening art form and its past composers. Mendelssohn appreciated the works of these composers and continually paid homage to them by resurrecting their pieces and performing in their styles. I feel that Mendelssohn felt that this was his purpose and to exclude this piece from the Canon would go against everything he stood for. This work belongs in the Canon. It is a compositional masterpiece of a well known Biblical figure and it includes a wide variety of compositional styles and techniques that are the perfect tool for comparing Romantic works with musical characteristics of the past. I was blown away by this piece and learned much from it, and by adding Paulus to the Canon, others too will have the chance to be exposed to a brilliant piece of Romantic music literature.
"Mendelssohn Really Was a Lutheran," The Wall Street Journal, 17 Aug 2009, sec. A, p. 10.
Robinson, George. "Mendelssohn, Lost and Found. The New York Jewish Week. Vol 221, Iss. 35 (Jan 2009): 33.
Seaton, Douglass. The Musical Genesis of Felix Mendelssohn's "Paulus" (Florida State University, 1998), 310.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Listening Journal for Classical Era, ft. Mozart (who else?!)
Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp, K. 299
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart compositions are the epitome of music in the Classical Era. His music sounded simple, as themes were presented in an organized and predictable manner, yet there was a complexity and beauty that announced his genius to all that heard him play. As a child prodigy, he was able to travel throughout Europe and learn differing styles of music and eventually combined the best of these cultures into some of the most beautiful music of the 18th century. He is arguable the greatest composer of all time and provides a substantial amount of works to the classroom Canon.
Though all Mozart pieces are valuable to study, not all of them are included in the Canon, including his Concerto for Flute and Harp. This concerto is typical of the Classical Era with its three movements, ordered Allegro (fast), Andantine (slow), and the typical Rondo (fast). In fact, it was Mozart who set this as the standard form for concertos. Each section is eight to ten minutes long, making the concerto last approximately twenty-five minutes, and it features a solo flutist and harpist who play multiple themes that are constantly developed throughout the piece.
The first movement begins with the ensemble majestically stating the opening theme, followed by the introduction of the solo flutist and harpist. As the exposition continually highlighted thematic ideas, the contrasting dynamics stood out to me. Not only are they charming, but they also seem practical, as the harp is a quieter instrument and would be hard to hear over a fortissimo ensemble. The harp and flute playfully intertwine, as the two reply to each other using arpeggios and sequence patterns. Everything seems very neat, balanced, and organized, all typical of Mozart pieces. The second movement is slower, simpler, and more lyrical, with long, beautiful flute lines that are daintily varied by the harp. I especially enjoyed hearing some of the unique modulations, particularly whenever the harp embraced minor chords, an effect musicians don't often hear. The final Rondo movement begins as the ensemble and especially strings propel the tempo forward. We hear an Alberti bass accompaniment and lots of antecedent-consequent phrases, as we intuitively feel the end of the concerto coming. There are a few measures that are particularly delightful, as the harp and flute continually play a major 3rd apart.
Music always brings images to my head, and I especially enjoy when program music leads my thoughts in a specified direction. During this concerto, a story came to my mind. The first movement brings two playful girls (flute and harp) frolicking through a flowergarden in child-like wonderment. For hours they adventurously explore the garden and tell each other of the wonderful new flowers each has found. Eventually they are summoned to come inside by their mother, who is fearful they will ruin all the hard she has put into the garden. The second movement begins with the girls bounding inside, flopping onto the furniture, and lying exhausted from their adventure. They discuss the beauties and mysteries of the flower-garden, with one girl (the flute) especially giddy (full of trills) after the experience. The final movement picks up tempo, as the girls are now anxious to return to the garden and animatedly plead with their mother to let them go back outside. They excitedly tell mother how marvelous her garden is, and after all the adoring comments, she allows the girls to resume their adventure. The two girls skip out the door and back to their beloved garden.
I became interested in this piece after hearing the charming effects of the harp. Having little knowledge of the instrument, I was fascinated with its sound and balance against the rest of the ensemble. The harp, though large in size, seems like a coy instrument with many intricacies unknown to its listeners. It was very interesting to hear a solo harp leading a large ensemble, as it is a quiet instrument often used specifically for special effects. But, as heard in this piece, it makes a fine partnering instrument and has more to offer than the simple arpeggios and glissandos it provides for orchestras. I can also hear hints of virtuosity in the solo lines, though the harp's delicate sound leaves listeners more charmed than impressed with the abilities of the performer.
This pleasant concerto is not included in the Canon because it is just that - a plain, pleasant concerto. I agree with its exclusion from the Canon. There is nothing revolutionary about this piece, besides perhaps the showcasing of the solo harp in a concerto. If the harp were exluded from this piece, the work would seem quite ordinary and may have been even more neglected from the era altogether! But the harp is what makes this concerto unique. Had public preference for the harp risen during the 18th or even 19th century, this concerto may have popularized and received more study and appreciation, but to this day the harp has never become a prominent or ground-breaking instrument and lacked performers. For as long as the harp is neglected, this concerto will also be neglected. Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp may include all the characteristics of the Classical concerto, but it isn't anything more than a charming piece that will continually be overlooked until the harp becomes a more prevalent instrument.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart compositions are the epitome of music in the Classical Era. His music sounded simple, as themes were presented in an organized and predictable manner, yet there was a complexity and beauty that announced his genius to all that heard him play. As a child prodigy, he was able to travel throughout Europe and learn differing styles of music and eventually combined the best of these cultures into some of the most beautiful music of the 18th century. He is arguable the greatest composer of all time and provides a substantial amount of works to the classroom Canon.
Though all Mozart pieces are valuable to study, not all of them are included in the Canon, including his Concerto for Flute and Harp. This concerto is typical of the Classical Era with its three movements, ordered Allegro (fast), Andantine (slow), and the typical Rondo (fast). In fact, it was Mozart who set this as the standard form for concertos. Each section is eight to ten minutes long, making the concerto last approximately twenty-five minutes, and it features a solo flutist and harpist who play multiple themes that are constantly developed throughout the piece.
The first movement begins with the ensemble majestically stating the opening theme, followed by the introduction of the solo flutist and harpist. As the exposition continually highlighted thematic ideas, the contrasting dynamics stood out to me. Not only are they charming, but they also seem practical, as the harp is a quieter instrument and would be hard to hear over a fortissimo ensemble. The harp and flute playfully intertwine, as the two reply to each other using arpeggios and sequence patterns. Everything seems very neat, balanced, and organized, all typical of Mozart pieces. The second movement is slower, simpler, and more lyrical, with long, beautiful flute lines that are daintily varied by the harp. I especially enjoyed hearing some of the unique modulations, particularly whenever the harp embraced minor chords, an effect musicians don't often hear. The final Rondo movement begins as the ensemble and especially strings propel the tempo forward. We hear an Alberti bass accompaniment and lots of antecedent-consequent phrases, as we intuitively feel the end of the concerto coming. There are a few measures that are particularly delightful, as the harp and flute continually play a major 3rd apart.
Music always brings images to my head, and I especially enjoy when program music leads my thoughts in a specified direction. During this concerto, a story came to my mind. The first movement brings two playful girls (flute and harp) frolicking through a flowergarden in child-like wonderment. For hours they adventurously explore the garden and tell each other of the wonderful new flowers each has found. Eventually they are summoned to come inside by their mother, who is fearful they will ruin all the hard she has put into the garden. The second movement begins with the girls bounding inside, flopping onto the furniture, and lying exhausted from their adventure. They discuss the beauties and mysteries of the flower-garden, with one girl (the flute) especially giddy (full of trills) after the experience. The final movement picks up tempo, as the girls are now anxious to return to the garden and animatedly plead with their mother to let them go back outside. They excitedly tell mother how marvelous her garden is, and after all the adoring comments, she allows the girls to resume their adventure. The two girls skip out the door and back to their beloved garden.
I became interested in this piece after hearing the charming effects of the harp. Having little knowledge of the instrument, I was fascinated with its sound and balance against the rest of the ensemble. The harp, though large in size, seems like a coy instrument with many intricacies unknown to its listeners. It was very interesting to hear a solo harp leading a large ensemble, as it is a quiet instrument often used specifically for special effects. But, as heard in this piece, it makes a fine partnering instrument and has more to offer than the simple arpeggios and glissandos it provides for orchestras. I can also hear hints of virtuosity in the solo lines, though the harp's delicate sound leaves listeners more charmed than impressed with the abilities of the performer.
This pleasant concerto is not included in the Canon because it is just that - a plain, pleasant concerto. I agree with its exclusion from the Canon. There is nothing revolutionary about this piece, besides perhaps the showcasing of the solo harp in a concerto. If the harp were exluded from this piece, the work would seem quite ordinary and may have been even more neglected from the era altogether! But the harp is what makes this concerto unique. Had public preference for the harp risen during the 18th or even 19th century, this concerto may have popularized and received more study and appreciation, but to this day the harp has never become a prominent or ground-breaking instrument and lacked performers. For as long as the harp is neglected, this concerto will also be neglected. Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp may include all the characteristics of the Classical concerto, but it isn't anything more than a charming piece that will continually be overlooked until the harp becomes a more prevalent instrument.
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