Bring Harmony to 2024

What better way to bring in the new year than with music? And piano music offers a way for an individual to kinesthetically set the tone for the upcoming 365 days. 

The new year is a time of creation. As the 18th century was coming to a close, Joseph Haydn wrote the sacred oratorio The Creation to depict the creation of the world. While it was originally scored for voice and symphonic orchestra, it has also been arranged for solo and four-hand piano. 

J. S. Bach thought systematically about the year, not surprisingly; “In dir ist Freude” is a gladsome way to herald the new year. This chorale prelude is one of the preludes collected in Bach’s Orgelbüchlein, which marks various points in the liturgical year. 

Particularly in Vienna, people welcome the new by clapping to Johann Strauss’s Radetzky March, composed in 1848. It can be arranged for piano solo and duets. The Champagne Polka is another selection by Johann Strauss that fits for New Year’s Eve parties. He wrote the piece as a little joke, imitating the sound of champagne bottles being uncorked. While the piano version does not “pop” as convincingly, it still captures the spirit of the pol,ka 

Since 1936 musicians gather to perform at New Year’s concert in Vienna, and Johann Strauss II’s Pizzicato Polka was played that first year. Another piece by Strauss II performed at the first concert was Die Fledermaus Overture of his famous opera. This Strauss’s Blue Danube is another piece performed at the New Year’s concert, often as an encore. All three pieces have been arranged for the piano. 

The modern English composer Ernest Tomlinson appreciated light classical music. In 1976 he created Fantasia on Auld Lang Syne, which uses that traditional song as the main theme, but also weaves in snippets of other 150 other pieces. Another orchestral composition, it has also been scored for the piano.  

May 2024 be harmonious…. 

Christmas Musical Traditions

 

Tomoko grew up in Japan, and celebrated Christmas because her family was Christian. Now Christmas is Japan is more popular and more commercialized. One contemporary Christmas activity that Tomoko would approve of is the performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, especially its “Ode to Joy” section, which is often sung in German.  Following are Christmas holiday traditions around the world.

Ethiopians dress in white as they attend church at Christmas dawn where why they see their priests dressed up, and the attendees dance and play musical instruments.

Jamaican radio stations start playing reggae-style and international Christmas carols as early as October. Their Christmas festivities include African-inspired Junkanoo, during which time the Jamaicans dance in masquerade costumes.

Colombian families sing religious Christmas carols called villancicos accompanied by simple percussion instruments. Children sing and play instruments at Novenas, which are religious gatherings during the holiday.

Because Uruguay celebrates Christmas during their summer time, the people there hold open-air music festivals.

Australia also celebrates Christmas in their summer season, and their Santa is often seen surfing – singing parodies of traditional carols. In contrast, the country's annual “Carols by Candlelight” concert is a charity appeal for Vision Australia.

Christmasland in New Taipei City includes a parade carnival and a Christmas Eve concert.

The whole Kastoria community participates in a Christmas time Dionysian revelry, which features folk melodies.

Christmas music can be heard as early as September 1 in the Philippines.

A week before Christmas Welsh people sing caneuon pygain: long sermons in song from the 17^th century, based on folk music, that tell about Christ's entire life. The songs feature close harmonies and were traditionally sung before dawn only by men.

Shopping is a popular Christmas activity in Singapore. In those shopping malls, caroling and concerts are frequently heard.

Outside their homes. Assyrian families make Christmas bonfires out of thorn bushes, and sing psalms as the thorns burn to ashes.

On Christmas eve in Denmark families sign carols and hymns around the tree, and dance around the house.

In Germany Protestant churches hold a Christmas eve service called Christvesper, which includes favorite Christmas carols and festive music for pianos and organs. Very traditional carols from the Latin school are also sung. Christmas eve in Germany, Austria, England, and the Czech Republic also features families lighting their trees and singing carols. In Bulgaria boy carolers visit neighborhoods starting at midnight.

Venezuelans carol from house to house, where they received food and drinks. In their Andes the carolers carry baby Jesus's image. House to house caroling also happens in Pakistan. In return for the singing, the families donate to the caroling choirs and their churches. Poland also features neighborhood caroling on Christmas eve. Romania takes caroling to a higher level. While children sing carols form house to house throughout the Christmas seasons, the first day of Christmas sees carolers parading through the village with a start depicting Bible stories.

December Piano Composers

 

Several of Tomoko's favorite composers were born in December. Here is a chronological sampling.

December 17, 1770 Beethoven was born in Bonn. His piano compositions reflected the transition from Classical to Romantic eras. Known for a variety of musical forms, his first opus was a piano trio, which was written at age 25 for his patron Prince Lichnowsky.

December 10, 1822 Cesar Franck was born in Liege (Belgium). He was not only a composer, in the Romantic tradition, but also a music teacher, improviser of novel instruments, pianist and organist. At age 16 her took first prize in piano composition at the Paris Conservatoire.

December 8, 1865 Sibelius was born in Hameenlinna, and is known as Finland's greatest composer. His music helped the country develop a national identity; his pieces were often inspired by Finland's nature and mythology.

December 3, 1883 Anton Webern was born in Vienna. Following his mentor Schoenberg, Webern was known for his atonal and twelve-tone techniques, which also reflet an expressionist coloring. His music was condemned by the Nazis.

December 8, 1890 Martinu was born in Policka (Czech Republic). He is known his his dense neoclassic style, which drew from Czech folk elements. He tended to compose music for mixed instruments, including piano duos with another instrument such as the timpani.

December 10, 1908 Messiaen was born in Avignon. Like Franck, Messiaen entered the Paris Conservatoire – at age 11. e too was a music teacher, lifelong organist and experimenter with new instruments such as electronic ones. While a WWII prisoner he composed and performed a piece for the four instruments available in the the prison. After the war he became a professor at the Conservatoire where he was a student almost 50 years earlier.

Cultural Music of Japan

 Tomoko grew up in a family that appreciated music. Her father played the violin before he married, and her mother actively participated in Christian churches so listened to much religious music. 

As for music in Japan overall, it reflected both the political and religious flows and tensions.  

Traditional Japanese tonality differed from its Western counterparts. Pentatonic five-tone and heptonic seven-tone scales formed the basis of most traditional pieces. The intervals follow the pattern of A, B, C, E, F, A, which is basically a natural minor scale in Western music theory. The Japanese stringed instrument koto is tuned with this scale.  

Late 19th century Meiji dynasty curiosity about Western culture included absorption of foreign classical and religious music. The first piano wasn’t heard until the opening of Japan, but by 1875 the Japanese were manufacturing their own pianos and other Western musical instruments. On the bureaucratic side, the Meiji government created the Music Study Committee, which encouraged Western music. They wanted Japanese composers to write in the Western style, and the committee the German model of music instruction for all students. The committee also led to the founding of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, which Tomoko attended.  

Surprisingly, combining Western and Japanese music could be challenging though. For instance, Christian religious tended to be Western based, which was sometimes hard for Japanese to intonate. And when missionaries tried to translate their hymns into Japanese, they found it hard to match the rhythm to Japanese text. For example, Russian musician Iakov Tichai tried to integrate Russian Orthodox singing with Japanese tonality, with mixed results.  

Tomoko was able to bridge that tension between Western and Japanese music. She tends to play Western classical music professionally, and she sings traditional nursery songs to her grandchild.  

November Piano Composers

Tomoko asserts that pianists should get acquainted with the composers of the piano pieces they are performing. Fall for these ten great piano composers who were born in November.

November 2, 1729: Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf was an Austrian violinist and composer for several instruments, including the piano. He was a friend of Mozart and Haydn.

November 6, 1860: Ignacy Jan Paderewski was a Polish music teacher and composer; he was also an internationally popular piano performer. He served as Poland’s prime minister in World War I, and signed the Treaty of Versailles.

November 7, 1810: Ferenc Erkel was a Hungarian pianist and composer. He is known as the father of Hungarian opera, and composed Hungary’s national anthem.

November 11, 1668: Francois Couperin was a French Baroque composer and organist. His most famous books was The Art of Harpsichord Playing, and he composed four volumes of harpsichord music.

November 14, 1900: Aaron Copland was an American composition teacher and conductor, and well as being called the Dean of American Composers. He is known for his populate style.

November 22, 1913: Benjamin Britten. One of Tomoko’s favorite composers, Britten was an English pianist, conductor and composer. Besides writing operas, he wrote solo pieces. He was also interested in writing music for children, the most notable piece being Noye’s Fludde.

November 24, 1868: Scott Joplin was an African American pianist and composer. He has been called the King of Ragtime, and considered this musical genre a form of classical music.

November 25, 1785: Franz Gruber was a German organist and composer. He is best known as the composer of Silent Night.

November 25, 1897: Virgil Thompson was an American    He studied piano at Harvard, and composed for that instrument – as well as composed operas and film music. He was awarded that National Medal of Arts by President Reagan.

November 28, 1829: Anton Rubinstein was a Russian performing pianist, conductor and composer.  He was also Tchaikovsky’s composition teacher. 

Spirited Classical Piano Pieces

 At Halloween time, classical piano music may be very spirited – as in eerie. Here is a sampling, which may have surprising popular culture connetoins.

Viewers of Disney's 1940 movie Fantasia witnessed an abstract visual interpretation of Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor. The opening chords followed by a rippling effect are hard to forget.

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata Opus 27, was written at the start of the 19^th century. The nickname of the piece, bestowed after Beethoven's death, alluded to a musical suggestion of moonlight reflected off a German lake. Even without the moonlight, the tone of the piece is ghostly.

Schubert is known for his lieder. His 1815 piece The Elf King was based on a Goethe poem. The rushing sound evokes haunted galloping horses, and may be heard in some horror films.

Chopin's Funeral March (Piano Sonata no. 2) was played at Chopin's own funeral – as well as the funerals of John F. Kenny, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. It is often played in the media: from Beetlejuice to cartoons.

Rachmaninoff compared his Prelude in C# minor (Opus 3, no. 2) when he was only 19 years old. Also known as the “Bells of Moscow” because of its bell-like opening. The piece was indirectly inspied by Edgar Allan Poets gothic writing.

One could say that these piano compositions are scary good, which is why they have featured in film as well as concert halls. They can spirit one away...

Tracking Sheet Music

Most piano sheet music has a consistent structure in terms of notes, staffs, and key signatures. These symbols are developed over several centuries by both composers and publishers.

The earliest written music dated about 2000 BC in Syria. Musical notation similar to today's symbols was evident in the early 11^th century, which constituted of marking relative pitch direction connected with lyrics. Next a staff of four lines with a key indicator and quadrilateral or circular notes, helped singers determine the level of pitch.

Scores for instruments, rather than for vocalists, became the norm by the 17^th century. Besides including a fifth line for staff, clefts, tempo, dynamic markers, and ties and slugs were added. The eariest piano sheet music was published in the 18^th century, just a few decades after the piano was invented.

Composers traditionally wrote their pieces by hand, and the music was often copied by hand as well because it was challenging for printers to align the notes with the staff and other marks. As a beginning form of sheet music in the 15^th century, blank staff pages were printed to support notations. Metal plates were used to print multiple copies of scores.

Now computer notable software facilitates digital sheet music., which is available in print and online. Furthermore, score written computer programs facilitate composing, and can be played back as feedback to facilitate refinements for both creators and performers.

Try to Remember the Piano Composers of September

 September is known as the typical month to start the school year. It’s also a popular month for piano composers to be born. Here is a sampling.

September 1, 1854: Engelbert Humperdinck. Known for his opera Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck first composed it as a set of songs, with piano accompaniment, for his nieces’ puppet show.

September 1, 1661: Georg Bohm. This German organist and composer wrote for the keyboard, and is known for his improvisational style of playing. Bohn and Bach were close friends.

September 4, 1824: Antonin Bruckner. Austrian composer Anton Bruckner starting playing the organ as a child, and gave organ lessons as an adult. He didn’t start composing seriously until almost in his 40s, and was not widely recognized until his 60s. Most of his piano works were written for teaching purposes.

September 8, 1841: Antonin Dvorak. Czech composer Antonin Dvorak also drew on his native Slavic folk dance forms in his piano duet piece Slavonic Dances. Moravian and other Eastern European traditional music forms also inspired him.

September 13, 1819: Clara Schumann. Besides being an accomplished composer, Clara Schumann was the professional pianist in the family. She was also a great business partner and confidante for Schuman, and edited his work after he died.  

September 13, 1874: Arnold Schoenberg. Born to a Jewish family in Austria, Schoenberg largely taught himself how to play the piano, even though his mother was a piano teacher. Later on he too became a music teacher even though he is more known for developing the twelve-tone method of composition.

September 16, 1887: Nadia Boulanger. While she did not think she was an accomplished composer, Boulanger was a gifted composer teacher. Gershwin wanted to study under her, but she refused as she didn’t want to stifle his more popular style. She also performed on the organ and piano.

September 25, 1906: Dmitri Shostakovich. Even as a child, Dmitra showed a gift for the piano and music in general. At age 13 he entered the Petrograd Music Conservatory, and he wrote his first symphony at age 19. Much of his work was theatrical, and he was known for his film music. Nevertheless, he also wrote for the piano, including waltzes.

September 26, 1898: George Gershwin. Like Schoenberg, Gershwin’s family was Jewish. Interestingly, Gershwin and Schoenberg were friends and tennis partners in the States. His first compositions were Broadway theater works, but he composed and performed popular, jazz and classical genres.

Going Electric or Electronic?

 

Nothing equals the sound and touch of an acoustic piano, but it is good to know about alternative types of pianos.

Both an acoustic and an electric piano amplify the sound generated by hammers hitting wire strings. An acoustic piano uses a soundboard to do this work, and an electric piano typically uses electromagnetic pickups, circuitry and a speaker system. There is a variety of electric pianos. Some have a traditional soundboard that has a electric-based pickups attached. Other electric pianos use flat steel reeds that are hit or plucked. The struck element can also resemble a tuning fork with two vibrating parts.

Technically, an electric piano is actually an electro-mechanical instrument, unlike a synthesizer. The latter converts electric audio signals from an oscillator into sound waves, and does not try to replicate a piano sound. The quality ones are costly and are designed for professional musicians and composers.

The first electric pianos were produced in the late 1920s, and became popular by the 1950s. Now electronic pianos, which emulate the sound of an electric piano, have largely replaced electric pianos because of their portability and their ability to sound like a variety of musical instruments. Electronic pianos use analog synthesis to generate sound while digital pianos use digital data sample-based synthesis. Portable digital pianos also exist, sometimes called slab pianos. They contain the full 88 hammer-action keys.

If you are thinking of buying a digital piano, consider the following factors:

• ·       Acoustic pianos need tuning, but their sound and touch feel more “authentic” than a digital piano.
• ·       A digital piano does not have the same resonance and layered reverberation as an acoustic piano.
• ·       Digital pianos can be adjusted for different sound levels, but they require a power source to play, so are less ecological.
• ·         Acoustic pianos cost more initially but they depreciate more slowly than a digital piano.
• ·         Digital pianos may have several built-in sounds, and may include recording features.

In choosing a digital piano, consider:

• ·         Its keyboard action and touch response
• ·         Its sound quality – and the number/kinds of sounds and tones
• ·         The number of individual notes that can be produced at once (polyphony); at least 32-note polyphony, but 64-note polyphony can create complex sounds
• ·         Learning tools
• ·         Its amplification and speakers
• ·         Its accessories: cables, stand, cover, case, bench

If at all possible, try a variety of pianos and see which one “resonates” for you and other users of that instrument. If it is uncomfortable, you won’t enjoy it and not matter the cost, it will probably be a waste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fruitful Music

 

Fruit probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about piano music – except maybe the advice of the piano teacher who recommends playing the piano with hands curved as if holding an orange. Nevertheless, piano composers have been inspired by fruit, as evidenced in the following pieces.

Speaking of oranges, Prokofiev wrote the farcical fairy tale opera For the Love of Three Oranges. In this story, the cursed prince has to search for three oranges and finds love in the process. In one production, the audience received “scratch'n'sniff” cards to get more engaged. Piano arrangements are available, but not while sniffing....

It's a bit of a stretch, but Tchaikovsky's “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from his Nutcracker Suite does have a sweet sound. In this case, plums have been “dressed up” for the holidays as was the suite itself.

Plums, especially within the context of cooking, also inspired Bernstein. His work La Bonne Cuisine (Four Recipes) has as its fist “Plum Pudding,” which was composed for voice and piano. The lyrics were adapted from Emile Dumont's 1899 cookbook

Satie took a tongue-in-cheek approach to incorporating fruit in his piano suite Three Pieces in the Form of a Pear. There are actually seven pieces, and they have surprising features. As for the pear, the suite was compased for a piano duet: a pair of performers. So not really about fruit – but maybe he sounds a bit fruity.

Obviously, grapes consitute the basis for wine, which then led to several other music, but we'll let that vein age for now...

the Dog Days of Piano Music

 

The phrase “the dog days of summer” has a surprising meaning; it refers to the dog star Sirius that appears at that time of the year just before dawn. Apropos of dogs, though, classical music can have a calming effect on dogs. Here is a sampling.

Starting on a somber note – and one of Tomoko’s favorite composers – Chopin’s Prelude in E minor uses a descending melody line that can act as a way to move a dog to slumberland.

Another one of Tomoko’s favorite composers is Bach. His Air on the G String, with its sustained notes, can soothe a savage beast.

While some movements, such as “Fossils,” of Saint-Saën’s Carnival of the Animals might wake up a sleeping day, to let sleeping dogs lie, “The Swan” movement can work well with its tone of gently rippling water.

Similarly, the “Lullaby” movement from Stravinsky’s 1945 Firebird Suite can put a pooch to sleep – unlike the spritely “Scherzo Dance of the Princesses” movement.

A more recent addition to the composer line-up is Ludovico Einaudi, whose music can remind one of the classics. His piece L’Onde, which was inspired by Virginia Woolf’s novel The Wave (hence the musical title) has a softly flowing rhythm that may seem like a lullaby for your wagging pal.

These lovely pieces can also work on humans….

Past into the Future: Video Games and Classical Music

 

Music has been associated with games for millennia with fighting songs and victory anthems. Music has also played a key role in video games. Particularly as technical advances have enabled video games to include whole symphonic music, classical pieces have been incorporated (and public domain status has also helped in terms of copyright and royalties). Especially as San Diego Comic-Con is happening, now is a good time to sample classical piano pieces that have been used in video games. Even Tomoko might be surprised at the ways that her favorite composers have been integrated into this recent game format.

Starting with the obvious, Eternal Sonata is an RPG (role-playing games) about a composer’s life, its premise being Chopin’s dying dream. Among the pieces featured in this game is a remixed version of Chopin’s “Revolutionary” etude, Opus 10, no. 12 in C minor, used in the game’s final battle scene.

Another natural use of classical music is experienced in the video game franchise Civilization. Ever since the first game in 1991, famous classical pieces have served as thematic ties for events and leaders. Pieces range from Gregorian chants to Romantic Age compositions by Brahms, Dvorak and Saint-Saens to underscore the historic period.

On the other hand, Debussy is probably not the first name that comes to mind, particularly for sinister games. Nevertheless, his Claire de Lune is featured in the game The Evil Within. The piece is used as a counter to horror, reassuring the player that safety is nearby.

Speaking of dark games, Schubert’s “Ave Maria” (aka “Ellen’s Third Song” from Seven Songs from Walter Scott’s The Lady of the Lake) starts the game Hitman: Blood Money. Its peaceful tone is almost an ironic counterpoint to this violent game.  

On a more positive note, Mozart and Bioshock? 2013’s Bioshock Infinite includes a visit to a Hall of Heroes memorial, which mood is accentuated with a section from Mozart’s Requiem in D minor.

Disney characters rule in the game Kingdom Hearts. It’s not surprising, then, that the game’s music would draw from Disney’s movie Fantasia, specifically Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain.

Speaking of kingdoms, in the game Earthworm Jim 2, the main character must save the princess from an archvillain.  Beethoven’s third movement rondo “Moonlight” from his Piano Sonata no. 14 in C# minor plays in the background. The sonata’s first movement underscores Jim’s floating through a creature’s intestine. This sonata may never feel the same after that experience.

The game Grand Theft Auto III uses a clever ploy: the car’s classical music radio state, complete with a parodied culture vulture DJ. The player drives around creating chaos, accompanied by background music from Le Nozze di Figaro, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, and Don Giovanni.

You never know where classical music will pop up; it’s that popular.

If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On

 In the play "Twelfth Night," Shakespeare wrote: "If music be the food of love, play on." In reality, food can inspire composers. Tomoko appreciated good food herself, and likely played to fuel her own soul Here is a sampling for you to taste.

Probably the most famous food-related piece -- and comic opera -- is Bach's Coffee Cantata. Bach himself liked coffee, and it is told that this piece was performed in a coffee house. The underlying story tells of a young woman's obsession with coffee, which her father wants to curb. 

Prokofiev's opera (which has been arranged for piano) Love for Three Oranges tells a fanciful tale of a prince cursed by a witch to search for three oranges, and finds love on the way.

Another performance piece, in this case a ballet, that food inspired is Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, especially "The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies." The then new piano-like instrument the celeste, with its high-pitched glittery tone, evoked the crystalline texture of sugar plums.

Schubert was inspired by the unlikely food-related song "The Trout", which used the metaphor of fishing as a girl "hooked" a mate. He transformed the piece into The Trout Quartet, which is performed by a piano and four stringed instruments. The work is rather melancholy, as was Schubert at the time. 

Want to play a piano duet about food? Taste-test Satie's piano suite Three Pieces in the Form of a Pear (which actually includes ten morsels). It's a very playful set of miniatures with a surprising variety of moods. Get you get the joke about pears and (piano) pairs?

The (food) take-away? Food-inspired music can be a buffet of delight to feed the soul.

Here Comes the Bridal Piano

 

In the US, June has been the traditional month for weddings. Music is also a traditional part of weddings, and piano piece figure largely. Here is a sampling, all written by composers whom Tomoko admires.

The traditional standard wedding piece is Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Opus 61: IX. Wedding March.  It is often performed in the movies (perhaps because it is in the public domain). A less known wedding choice composed by Mendelssohn, but very endearing, is his “On Wings of Song.”

Tomoko’s favorite piano composer, Mozart, wrote “Serenade, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K 525: II. Romanza-Andante.“ Its stately, measured pace give the wedding ceremony sweet gravitas. To set a more lively yet majestic tone, the wedding couple might choose Mozart’s overture to The Marriage of Figaro. Or if the couple wants to exult, they can always choose Mozart’s “Alleluja” from Exsultate, Jubilate, K 165.

Planning an elegant and sophisticated wedding? Then Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Arioso” would set the tone. Tomoko appreciates his timeless structure and use of chords.

Beethoven’s love letter in music, “Fur Elise,” resonates even today, and couples can affirm their own requited love. Tomoko knows that this famous piano piece may serve as a rite of passage for aspiring piano players.

“Claire de lune” from Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque is another favorite (as is Debussy for Tomoko). Its dreamy soft theme creates a lovely background for weddings.

Another romantic choice is Saint-Saens’ “The Swan” from his Carnival of the Animals. Its almost melancholy tone that resolves into a major key reflects the transition from singlehood to couplehood.

Another favorite composer of Tomoko, Edvard Grieg, is known for his “Wedding Day at Troldhauen, Opus 65, No. 6.” It bears a surprising resemblance to The King and I’s “March of the Siamese Children.”

For the bride’s entrance, Strauss’s Radetzky March” Opus 228 makes a bold statement. Strauss’s “Blue Danube” evokes the spirit of Vienna. And while waltzes are not the usual fare at wedding receptions, imagine how lovely the bride and groom would look if this were their first dance.

Tomoko also enjoys the dance music of Brahms. His piece “Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor” strikes a special chord for Tomoko as she married a Hungarian.

Romantic June

The month of June is often associated with romance and weddings. Tomoko was born in June, the same month as several of her favorite composers of the Romantic age.

Mikhail Glinka. (born June 1, 1804 in Russia) was the first Russian composer to be well known in his country, creating operas, orchestral works, chamber music, art songs, along with piano pieces. For years his composition "Patrioticheskaya Pesnya" was the country’s national anthem.

Robert Schumann (born June 8, 1810 in Germany) intended to become a virtuoso pianist, but instead he became known as one of the greatest Romantic era composers. For years, he wrote only piano pieces; later he added other orchestral instruments to his compositions and write many lieder.

Richard Strauss (born June 11, 1864 in Germany) wrote his first composition at age six and continued composing music into his eighties. He represents later German Romanticism. He is best known for his operas, but also wrote tone poems, lieder, orchestral works, chamber works, and solo pieces. Straus also made live-recording play piano rolls.

Edvard Grieg (born June 15, 1843 in Norway) made Norwegian music famous and helped develop its national identity, especially when he based his compositions on Norwegian folk music. Grieg was the cournty’s leading Romantic composers.  Professionally, he started as a concert pianist, but was inspired by Norwegian composers he met to write his own music, including piano pieces.

Patriotic Music

 Memorial Day in the United States commemorates its military personnel who died in defending their country. Music is often played in remembrance: the national anthem, “Taps,” “God Bless the USA,” “America the Beautiful,” “This Land Is Your Land.”

Music can also reflect political flows and tensions. Mid-nineteenth Meiji curiosity about Western culture included absorption of foreign classical and religious music. The first piano wasn’t heard until the opening of Japan, but by 1875 the Japanese were manufacturing their own pianos and other Western musical instruments. On the bureaucratic side, the Meiji government created the Music Study Committee, which encouraged Western music. They wanted Japanese composers to write in the Western style, and the committee the German model of music instruction for all students. The committee also led to the founding of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, which Tomoko attended.

Just as often, Japan co-opted Western music to advance their own patriotism. One propaganda strategy during World War II was singing. As part of Japan’s growing nationalism, the government commissioned lyricists to write patriot words to Westernized music or traditional folk tunes, which became a required part of each grade’s curriculum. Tomoko was in elementary school at that time, and sang those songs. Besides promoting Japanese superiority, these songs also encouraged adventurousness. One of the songs ended with a verse that suggested, “I want to put a boat in the sea and go to another country.” Who knows if those lyrics waited in Tomoko’s subconsciousness to be awakened years later when she set her heart to come to America? 

Musical Timing

 

Timing is critical in music. Piano performance certainly relies on it, as Tomoko well appreciates. Piano composers know how timing impacts the musical message such as a dirge versus a festive piece – as well as a performer’s interpretation.  Time itself as a thematic focus has inspired piano composers as the following examples illustrate.

Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 is nicknamed “The Clock” because of its ticking rhythm. Since its inception, the Andante  second movement has been arranged for piano. Haydn also wrote Music for a Musical Clock for a friend who wanted his clock to play music.

Beethoven’s Pieces for a Mechanical Clock were only discovered after his death. At least some of the pieces were score for piano. The music itself evokes a mechanical clock.

Chopin’s Minute Waltz is well known. What is less well known is that the piece lasts between one and two minutes; the term “minute” actually means small.

Harrison Birtwistle’s piano piece Harrison’s Clocks was inspired by an 18^th century clock maker. Each movement mimics a clock’s mechanisms.

Leroy Anderson’s composition “The Syncopated Clock” is another concert favorite with its lighthearted treatment. Anderson was in the U.S. Army when he was asked to guest conduct for the Boston Pops Orchestra. He wanted to provide a new composition for the concert so quickly wrote the piece and premiered it while he was on a three-day pass to do the conducting. This piece is also available as a piano arrangement.

Playing these piano pieces is a fun – and maybe ironic – way to spend time.