#viennese birds

[quordleona03]

Mulcahy Music Monday

In "Your Hit Parade" (s06e18) Potter: "Ah, "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You. " They're playing your song, Father." Mulcahy: "Well, actually, I requested 'Tico, Tico'. But this is very nice too."

"The song “Tico-Tico,” an enduring international hit, passed the century mark two years ago; it was composed in 1917 by Zequinha de Abreu, a Portuguese émigré to Brazil." Ethel Smith played "Tico-Tico" on the Hammond organ in the 1944 film Bathing Beauty (which I like to think may have been what Mulcahy was thinking of).

But he could also have been thinking of the 1947 Marx Brothers movie Copacabana, the “Brazilian Bombshell” Carmen Miranda sang it opposite Groucho Marx.

"But in Brazilian music, which does not exile pop forms from classical traditions, “Tico-Tico” is actually a choro — a song form that typically shrugs off misfortune with good humor, good tunes and fast tempos. The title refers to a bird that got into the cornmeal, but we can imagine the same kind of grousing over morning coffee at the office. “Tico-Tico”’s catchy, emphatically syncopated rhythm is irresistible, and still lends itself to virtuosic arrangements for every conceivable solo instrument and ensemble, from finger-tangling guitar transcriptions to full-on symphonic arrangements. As with Viennese waltzes, the critical challenge is to capture that elusive rhythm with orchestral precision." Berlin Philharmonic

Also, just for Charles Emerson Winchester III: "Theo Degler (accordion) and Robert Frank (piano) play their version of Zequinha de Abreu's famous piece 'Tico-Tico no Fubá'.

We so seldom hear about Father Mulcahy's actual preferences on music - the nearest we have other than "Tico-Tico" is the Korean war song he composed in "Dear Uncle Abul" (s08e12)

#Mulcahy Monday #Mulcahy Music #Your Hit Parade #s06e18 #Tico-Tico #Tico-Tico no Fubá #Ethel Smith #Carmen Miranda #Dear Uncle Abdul #Korean War Song #s08e12 #Francis Mulcahy #Father Mulcahy #mashposting

[opera-ghosts]

Melitta Heim - Dell’Acqua, Villanelle, 1914 High E-flat

Melitta Heim (1888 - 1950) was a Viennese soprano who made her debut in Graz as Gilda in 1909. She sang with the Frankfurt Opera from 1911 to 1916 and appeared as Queen of the Night at London's Drury Lane Theater in 1912 and 1914. Her debut at the Vienna State Opera came in 1915 as Konstanze, followed by many roles there (Gilda, Violetta, Leonora in “Trovatore”, Lucia, both Philine and Mignon, Lakme, Eudoxie, Marguerite de Valois, Micaela, Zerbinetta, Woglinde, and Queen of the Night). In 1922 she experienced a nervous breakdown and retired from the stage, appearing only occasionally in concerts thereafter. Because she was Jewish, she fled to England with her mother in 1938 to avoid Nazi persecution. She lived there until her death, at times so poor she had to work as a maid to support herself.

THE MUSIC: Eva Dell'Acqua (1856 - 1930) was a Belgian composer and singer. Although she wrote many works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, piano, and voice, all of those are now almost completely forgotten -- except for her gracious florid bird song "Villanelle" from 1893, which is one of the most performed and recorded pieces in the genre.

#classical music #opera #music history #bel canto #composer #classical composer #aria #classical studies #maestro #chest voice #Melitta Heim #Drury Lane Theatre #Eva Dell'Acqua #classical musician #classical musicians #classical history #history of music #diva #prima donna

[pwlanier]

Biedermeier picture clock with music movement,

Historist landscape scene, lust-changing family in nature while birding and making music, neo-Gothic spring with integrated clock, oil on sheet metal, pendulum opening, sun-shaped gilded guilloché-plated dial, silver-plated dial, blued steel hands, glazed lune, round spring stroke daywork, anchor inhibition, Viennese 4/4 hour stroke on tone spirals, roller play with two melodies "Willenbacher and Rzeschekbit in Prague", tongues damaged, in need of overhaul, title on the back, gold set ox-eye frame housing, 60 x 77 cm, Austria around 1830/42, age, signs of use, damage, changes, no guarantee for sound, accuracy and continuous function, 1 pendulum, 2 keys.

Dorotheum

[auutumn]

so for context, i was writing in my notes what architectural designs from different cultures & eras i associate with the courts, and i concluded that i like gothic germanic for the autumn court, so it would actually be neat to emphasize the gothicism!!!

i associate the forest house with brandenburg's castles; the major cities are a more baroque, viennese style, but the countryside? wild autumn is haunted groves and ghosts roaming the village houses. fog and mist. leaves shuffling with hidden creatures, helhonds and attorcropes. the wheat fields sway with the winds, beckoning you. the vineyards pulse with mischief. the land is built on bones. you are lost in the woods. there is something in the grass, and it knows your name. there are beasts hidden between the decaying branches of the trees, skohsls and wichts. carved pumpkins whose eyes seem to trace your every move as you stalk through the endless maze of corn. critters scurrol to their dens. the scarecrows hum a foreign tune. the deer know something you do not. the birds croon a mournful, melancholic lament. autumn is in perpetual transition. everything is dying, and everything is living.

#u know over the g.arden w.all? yeah that. #that's the vibe. #(study tag tbd.) #if you are not careful you will end up roaming autumn forever; unable to move on. #the land itself is playful and it will trick and deceive you. it can turn infinite with its twists & turns. #you are safest near the spring & summer borders. the trees there are kinder. the flowers will guide you. #the winter border is harsher. the rocks are sharper. the mountains will try to devour you.

[diefaultiere]

1st Post!

We decided on the topics of "Nachhaltigkeit" (sustainability), "Architektur / Wohnen" (architecture / living) and "Konsum" (consumerism).

Sustainability

Waste incineration plant

After a huge fire in Vienna's Spittelau waste incineration plant at the end of the 1980s, a reconstruction was started and designed free of charge by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. This combines aesthetics and waste recycling. A waste incineration plant becomes a work of art and can motivate urban planners to integrate industry into the cityscape in the best possible way. On the one hand, this is a sustainable aspect and a tourist magnet. On the other hand, it can also lead to more industrial areas being built in densely populated areas because of such a showcase project, which can quickly lead to health problems for residents. 

Fast Fashion

An art project was used to draw attention to the issue of greenwashing and the inadequate recycling of clothing. Even organic clothing consumes a lot of resources. This art project addresses the problematic situation regarding the sustainable recycling of textiles and encourages critical reflection.

Drop-top-flower-pot

(I'm proud of myself for coming up with the english name for this)

With an art project, a Viennese has called for more inner-city greening by creating a mobile flower bed from a mobile cabriolet and placing them alternately in different locations. The aim is to draw attention to the fact that raised beds should be installed for the same amount of money as parking spaces to ensure greater sustainability. This should make way for parking spaces and create more space for greenery and self-sufficiency. A provocative campaign, but at the same time a sustainable eye-catcher. 

Architecture / Living: 

Summit One Vanderbilt (Creepy)

In 2021, a viewing platform opened at a height of 330 meters in the One Vanderbilt skyscraper in New York. Among other things, there is a mirrored area with full-length mirrors on the walls, ceiling and floor. A fascinating architectural art attraction that can also be viewed critically. For example, mirrored construction can violate intimate privacy, as wearing specific clothing - such as dresses, skirts (or kilts) - can reveal intimate parts of your body to other people, against your will. The only option you then have is to leave the room. 

“Stop Discrimination of Cheap Furniture”

A very famous furniture fare called “Salone del Mobile” in Milan, always features “the most expensive chair”. As a critique to this decadent product and the lavish lifestyle connected to it, an artist came up with the idea to write “stop discrimination of cheap furniture” onto cheap furniture. 

The Line

Many countries all over the world are trying to show off their power using architecture - the project “The Line” seems to be no different from that. While stakeholders involved claim it to be an awesome, sustainable, next-level project, many experts beg to differ! The building poses many threats, a short list of examples include: threats to animals (mainly birds), heat around the building (reflection of sunlight onto its surroundings), serious fire hazards (densly populated) and class-based society (the rich people likely live on the top floors where there is lots of greens and sunlight, while poorer people live on the base levels), human-rights violations (construction process).

Consumerism

Protective Packaging

Cigarettes, alcohol and phones have one thing in common – they are very bad for our health, especially if you overdo it! Martin Naumann created protective packaging for those kind of products. We like that phones are also being addressed as their unreflected use can lead to a lot of mental health problems. 

“Once Furniture Collection”

“Once Furniture Collection” is a collection of furniture that consists exclusively of chop sticks. The key message was to “pinch into our collective lower back to encourage us to rethink our consumption habits”.  

We think the design choice makes a lot of sense in this regard, as the furniture looks very pointy and thus uncomfortable to sit on. 

However we are unsure about the exact meaning of “to rethink our consumption habits” as is very hard to find additional information about that collection online. Is it about food? Is it about furniture? Maybe it’s about single use chop sticks? On the other hand bamboo grows very fast! It’s very hard to tell what exact meaning is without providing any additional context.  

McDonalds Critique

I’m lovin it, when McDonalds is criticised! The franchise f’ed up a lot! A short list of examples include: targeting kids by design, horrible working conditions, consumerism, factory farming, green washing, etc. As a result there have also been critical voices!

Bonus Content!

I know, nobody asked for it but regardless, here is a picture of Olli looking at food:

#critical design

[victorjazz]

«In the waltz, be a bird soaring in the sky!» Viennese Waltz improvisation piano composer Victor Mikhailovich Anokhin

#music youtube #@viktorjazz #composer viktor anokhin #improvisation music #music viktor mikhailovich anokhin #instrumental music #improvisation piano #instrumental #music #musician #piano #culture #classical music #piano romantic #pianolove #romantic music #music of love #musiclove #musicvideo

[neathbound]

A Celebration of Vienna!

The Umbral Urbanite cordially invites any and all Viennese natives to an exclusive, one-night-only gala. The event will be held at the quayside premises of the Appalling Socialite's estate. Please let yourself in, and tell no-one of your whereabouts.

There will be fine dining, dancing, chess, and bird-watching.

See you soon!

#fallen london #maiserel #the umbral urbanite

[umichenginabroad]

Spring has Sprung in Prague!! For a bit anyways…

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the flowers are blooming. This week, Prague’s trees and bushes are filled with flowers and the grass is greener. The already colorful city has brightened even more, which I didn’t think was possible. 

This week, I spent as much time outside as possible. Even though I have been feeling a bit under the weather, I decided to savor this new sunshine by soaking in every single ray of sun I could get. My walk to class at Grobe Villa was suddenly plush and I even got away with not wearing a jacket! I even stopped to pick up a bouquet of flowers for 50 CZK (~$2 USD) on my walk home from lunch in Old Town one day.

In other Springy news, Prague is getting ready for its big Easter markets! All of the main squares throughout the city are filling up with small wooden stalls that sell a bunch of different easter items. The image below is the metro and tram stop closest to my apartment, Náměstí Míru. They are also in Old Town Square and Prague Castle!

Spring is also in full swing in Vienna, where I went this past weekend. Similar to Prague, the entire city was on the brink of blooming and it was so amazing to see. The outdoor market, Naschmarkt, was filled with easter gifts and fresh fruits and flowers. The Schönbrunn Palace even had a huge easter market in the gardens, and I obviously had to stop and buy some fresh lavender! We spent the weekend outside, laying in different parks throughout the city and strolling through the many royal gardens. 

All of this was such a lovely start to Spring! However, that’s just what this week was - the start. Our last day in Vienna was filled with rain and snow, and we had to spend the rest of our trip wandering through museums and Viennese boutiques. Luckily, we managed to get in our Wieners at Bitzinger’s Würstelstand and stop in at Figlmüller - Home of the Original Wiener Schnitzel. Unfortunately, this spring rain isn't over yet... the forecast for Prague this week is entirely rain :( 

Talk to you next week, hopefully with some fun indoor activities to do in Prague! 

Emily Walker

Computer Science & Engineering

#UmichEnginAbroad #IPEcsPrague #EmilyWalker #IPEWinter23 #Vienna

[werewolvesandaccordions]

Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to understand the structure. This symphony has gotten the most criticism out of his output, and is considered confusing and weird, with the two book end movements sticking out like sore thumbs. I have my own theory as to how to “interpret” the work. (and it’s just my personal idea so don’t take it to be a well based fact or anything. I mean for real, Mahler wouldn’t approve of me adding all this extra-musical program to one of his absolute symphonies) I like to think of it as depicting the different emotions and evocations that nighttime has in our culture, and each movement corresponds to a different period of time. The first movement, 6 pm, Twilight to Dusk, just as the sun slips away beyond the horizon we are thrown into the beginning of the long darkness of night. Here we get a mix of emotions, arousal at the idea of having fun, going out with friends, maybe meeting someone to spend the night with, but also an anxiety creeps up on you, at the dangers lurking at night. Criminals. Living in the city I always hold this anxiety walking around after dark. The music opens with sinister chords and a deep call from the tenor horn, and the structure is confused by episodic bursts of different moods, from dramatic and almost “Star Wars” like, to the almost religious rise of the violins around the halfway point, like ascending a mountain. The movement ends on an unexpected bright note. The next movement, 9 pm, the first Nachtmusik, the actual nighttime begins. This movement makes me think of the horrors associated with night, imagine a creepy forest lit by the moon, you can barely see, it’s cold, and there are all kinds of animals, potential monsters, lurking in the darkness. That’s what I think of. The combination of fear and excitement at the sublime and almost surreal nature of the earth at night. The music opens with evocative horns calling and answering each other. The winds flutter in sounding like nocturnal birds, or the wind, as the horns repeat their calls, and you can feel the darkness of the soundscape take over. But it isn’t sinister for long, as a more playful and less unnerving waltz comes in. The third movement, Midnight, is the beginning of the Midnight Hour leading into the Witching Hour. The time of night that is most scary, that the world is uneasily quiet, and that even skeptics like me tremble at the thought of some kind of evil thing waiting to prey on me. This movement plays like a Viennese waltz, but the dancers are corpses. Yes, this is Mahler’s Danse Macabre, and as the waltz plays on with spooky sonorities, it sounds as if the music itself is decaying. The fourth movement, 4am, the second Nachtmusik. The chilling terrors of the night have begun to pass. This to me is depicting the calmness of night, the serenity of the silence and the dark, how peaceful most of us feel asleep in beds, cows asleep in their fields, the moon is bright and lighting up the sky, and dawn is approaching, the sky is turning a brighter shade gradually. The orchestra is toned down severely, most of the brass and woodwinds take a break, and so the instrumentation is almost like a concerto for several solo instruments, like a call back to the Baroque era. The use of mandolins and guitars to add to the texture, along with the subtitle “amaroso”, makes this feel like a serenade. Love songs sung under the moon, sweet words to calm the mind after dark. The passionate aspect of nighttime. The final movement, 6 am, the moment the sun rises, isn’t a gradual build up. Instead, the timpani and brass breaks the doors blaring a triumphant song, so uncharacteristic of the rest of the work, it leaves people scratching their heads. I think of it as the sun rising, the light concurring the evil of the night, and bringing us another day, bringing us warmth. However, the fanfare and melodies feel sarcastic. They’re banal, and the overinflated orchestra feels like a cheap trick, like a composer who is trying to make a “grand finale”. This movement is a parody, and it also parodies melodies from Wagner’s gargantuan Die Meistersinger… and Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. The movement is built of constantly changing variations on the opening themes, and is packed with false climaxes and let downs. Even when the melody and orchestra release their full grandeur at the end, the coda is interrupted by a hesitant and hushed chord, right before the final slap. While I get that this is more for comedic affect, [and that this movement is strange in how it is so distant from the music that came before], I like to think of the final hesitation as a reminder that, even though the sun is up, and another day is here, the darkness of night is always ahead, and the fears we have of ourselves and each other and monsters real and imaginary still live in the back of our minds, waiting for another night to come out to haunt us. Movements: 1. Langsam – Allegro risulto, ma non troppo 2. Nachtmusik I 3. Scherzo 4. Nachtmusik II 5. Rondo finale

mikrokosmos: Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to…

[tinas-art]

Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to understand the structure. This symphony has gotten the most criticism out of his output, and is considered confusing and weird, with the two book end movements sticking out like sore thumbs. I have my own theory as to how to “interpret” the work. (and it’s just my personal idea so don’t take it to be a well based fact or anything. I mean for real, Mahler wouldn’t approve of me adding all this extra-musical program to one of his absolute symphonies) I like to think of it as depicting the different emotions and evocations that nighttime has in our culture, and each movement corresponds to a different period of time. The first movement, 6 pm, Twilight to Dusk, just as the sun slips away beyond the horizon we are thrown into the beginning of the long darkness of night. Here we get a mix of emotions, arousal at the idea of having fun, going out with friends, maybe meeting someone to spend the night with, but also an anxiety creeps up on you, at the dangers lurking at night. Criminals. Living in the city I always hold this anxiety walking around after dark. The music opens with sinister chords and a deep call from the tenor horn, and the structure is confused by episodic bursts of different moods, from dramatic and almost “Star Wars” like, to the almost religious rise of the violins around the halfway point, like ascending a mountain. The movement ends on an unexpected bright note. The next movement, 9 pm, the first Nachtmusik, the actual nighttime begins. This movement makes me think of the horrors associated with night, imagine a creepy forest lit by the moon, you can barely see, it’s cold, and there are all kinds of animals, potential monsters, lurking in the darkness. That’s what I think of. The combination of fear and excitement at the sublime and almost surreal nature of the earth at night. The music opens with evocative horns calling and answering each other. The winds flutter in sounding like nocturnal birds, or the wind, as the horns repeat their calls, and you can feel the darkness of the soundscape take over. But it isn’t sinister for long, as a more playful and less unnerving waltz comes in. The third movement, Midnight, is the beginning of the Midnight Hour leading into the Witching Hour. The time of night that is most scary, that the world is uneasily quiet, and that even skeptics like me tremble at the thought of some kind of evil thing waiting to prey on me. This movement plays like a Viennese waltz, but the dancers are corpses. Yes, this is Mahler’s Danse Macabre, and as the waltz plays on with spooky sonorities, it sounds as if the music itself is decaying. The fourth movement, 4am, the second Nachtmusik. The chilling terrors of the night have begun to pass. This to me is depicting the calmness of night, the serenity of the silence and the dark, how peaceful most of us feel asleep in beds, cows asleep in their fields, the moon is bright and lighting up the sky, and dawn is approaching, the sky is turning a brighter shade gradually. The orchestra is toned down severely, most of the brass and woodwinds take a break, and so the instrumentation is almost like a concerto for several solo instruments, like a call back to the Baroque era. The use of mandolins and guitars to add to the texture, along with the subtitle “amaroso”, makes this feel like a serenade. Love songs sung under the moon, sweet words to calm the mind after dark. The passionate aspect of nighttime. The final movement, 6 am, the moment the sun rises, isn’t a gradual build up. Instead, the timpani and brass breaks the doors blaring a triumphant song, so uncharacteristic of the rest of the work, it leaves people scratching their heads. I think of it as the sun rising, the light concurring the evil of the night, and bringing us another day, bringing us warmth. However, the fanfare and melodies feel sarcastic. They’re banal, and the overinflated orchestra feels like a cheap trick, like a composer who is trying to make a “grand finale”. This movement is a parody, and it also parodies melodies from Wagner’s gargantuan Die Meistersinger… and Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. The movement is built of constantly changing variations on the opening themes, and is packed with false climaxes and let downs. Even when the melody and orchestra release their full grandeur at the end, the coda is interrupted by a hesitant and hushed chord, right before the final slap. While I get that this is more for comedic affect, [and that this movement is strange in how it is so distant from the music that came before], I like to think of the final hesitation as a reminder that, even though the sun is up, and another day is here, the darkness of night is always ahead, and the fears we have of ourselves and each other and monsters real and imaginary still live in the back of our minds, waiting for another night to come out to haunt us. Movements: 1. Langsam – Allegro risulto, ma non troppo 2. Nachtmusik I 3. Scherzo 4. Nachtmusik II 5. Rondo finale

mikrokosmos: Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to…

[dariaandjanelanefanboy]

Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to understand the structure. This symphony has gotten the most criticism out of his output, and is considered confusing and weird, with the two book end movements sticking out like sore thumbs. I have my own theory as to how to “interpret” the work. (and it’s just my personal idea so don’t take it to be a well based fact or anything. I mean for real, Mahler wouldn’t approve of me adding all this extra-musical program to one of his absolute symphonies) I like to think of it as depicting the different emotions and evocations that nighttime has in our culture, and each movement corresponds to a different period of time. The first movement, 6 pm, Twilight to Dusk, just as the sun slips away beyond the horizon we are thrown into the beginning of the long darkness of night. Here we get a mix of emotions, arousal at the idea of having fun, going out with friends, maybe meeting someone to spend the night with, but also an anxiety creeps up on you, at the dangers lurking at night. Criminals. Living in the city I always hold this anxiety walking around after dark. The music opens with sinister chords and a deep call from the tenor horn, and the structure is confused by episodic bursts of different moods, from dramatic and almost “Star Wars” like, to the almost religious rise of the violins around the halfway point, like ascending a mountain. The movement ends on an unexpected bright note. The next movement, 9 pm, the first Nachtmusik, the actual nighttime begins. This movement makes me think of the horrors associated with night, imagine a creepy forest lit by the moon, you can barely see, it’s cold, and there are all kinds of animals, potential monsters, lurking in the darkness. That’s what I think of. The combination of fear and excitement at the sublime and almost surreal nature of the earth at night. The music opens with evocative horns calling and answering each other. The winds flutter in sounding like nocturnal birds, or the wind, as the horns repeat their calls, and you can feel the darkness of the soundscape take over. But it isn’t sinister for long, as a more playful and less unnerving waltz comes in. The third movement, Midnight, is the beginning of the Midnight Hour leading into the Witching Hour. The time of night that is most scary, that the world is uneasily quiet, and that even skeptics like me tremble at the thought of some kind of evil thing waiting to prey on me. This movement plays like a Viennese waltz, but the dancers are corpses. Yes, this is Mahler’s Danse Macabre, and as the waltz plays on with spooky sonorities, it sounds as if the music itself is decaying. The fourth movement, 4am, the second Nachtmusik. The chilling terrors of the night have begun to pass. This to me is depicting the calmness of night, the serenity of the silence and the dark, how peaceful most of us feel asleep in beds, cows asleep in their fields, the moon is bright and lighting up the sky, and dawn is approaching, the sky is turning a brighter shade gradually. The orchestra is toned down severely, most of the brass and woodwinds take a break, and so the instrumentation is almost like a concerto for several solo instruments, like a call back to the Baroque era. The use of mandolins and guitars to add to the texture, along with the subtitle “amaroso”, makes this feel like a serenade. Love songs sung under the moon, sweet words to calm the mind after dark. The passionate aspect of nighttime. The final movement, 6 am, the moment the sun rises, isn’t a gradual build up. Instead, the timpani and brass breaks the doors blaring a triumphant song, so uncharacteristic of the rest of the work, it leaves people scratching their heads. I think of it as the sun rising, the light concurring the evil of the night, and bringing us another day, bringing us warmth. However, the fanfare and melodies feel sarcastic. They’re banal, and the overinflated orchestra feels like a cheap trick, like a composer who is trying to make a “grand finale”. This movement is a parody, and it also parodies melodies from Wagner’s gargantuan Die Meistersinger… and Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. The movement is built of constantly changing variations on the opening themes, and is packed with false climaxes and let downs. Even when the melody and orchestra release their full grandeur at the end, the coda is interrupted by a hesitant and hushed chord, right before the final slap. While I get that this is more for comedic affect, [and that this movement is strange in how it is so distant from the music that came before], I like to think of the final hesitation as a reminder that, even though the sun is up, and another day is here, the darkness of night is always ahead, and the fears we have of ourselves and each other and monsters real and imaginary still live in the back of our minds, waiting for another night to come out to haunt us. Movements: 1. Langsam – Allegro risulto, ma non troppo 2. Nachtmusik I 3. Scherzo 4. Nachtmusik II 5. Rondo finale

mikrokosmos: Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to…

[opera-ghosts]

Glass Shatterers! Erna Sack - J. Strauss II: Voices of Spring, 1937 Live, High F6, G6, B6

THE SONGBIRD: Erna Sack (1898 - 1972) was born in Berlin and studied music in Prague. She was signed by Bruno Walter to sing small roles at the Berlin State Opera in 1928 but it wasn't until 1930 that her stratospheric high notes helped her become a star soprano across Germany as Norina, Gilda, and Zerbinetta (Richard Strauss composed a new cadenza for her that seems to have been lost). In 1935 she made her first series of concert tours — to Austria, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom — and signed a recording contract with Telefunken. Sack appeared in German operetta films and continued to concertize internationally until she retired in 1957. I didn't think I'd be able to post any selections of Erna Sack since all of her recordings seemed to be on YouTube already and I only post unique content, but I did not find any listing of this live rendition of the “Voices of Spring” waltz, with her signature flourish from High G up to a series of staccato volleys on High B6, as well as a final High F.

THE MUSIC: Johann Strauss II wrote "Frühlingsstimmen" (Voices of Spring) in 1882 for German soprano Bertha Schwartz (aka Bianca Bianchi); she premiered this concert piece at a charity performance in Vienna. The German lyrics about the sounds of nature and warbling birds are by Richard Genée. Strauss came from a family of Viennese composers in the 19th century who specialized in sophisticated waltzes and light music, but Johann II's music was (and remains) the most popular. He was known as "The Waltz King" in his time and most of the Viennese waltzes we hum now were composed by him -- not to mention his enormously successful and genre-defining operettas such as "Die Fledermaus."

#classical music #opera #music history #bel canto #composer #classical composer #aria #classical studies #maestro #chest voice #Erna Sack #lyric coloratura soprano #soprano #the German Nightingale #German Nightingale #the Nightingale #Die deutsche Nachtigall #Die Nachtigall #Johann Strauss #Frühlingsstimmen #Voices of Spring #classical musician #classical musicians #classical history #history of music #historian of music #musician #musicians #diva #prima donna

[hushilda]

Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to understand the structure. This symphony has gotten the most criticism out of his output, and is considered confusing and weird, with the two book end movements sticking out like sore thumbs. I have my own theory as to how to “interpret” the work. (and it’s just my personal idea so don’t take it to be a well based fact or anything. I mean for real, Mahler wouldn’t approve of me adding all this extra-musical program to one of his absolute symphonies) I like to think of it as depicting the different emotions and evocations that nighttime has in our culture, and each movement corresponds to a different period of time. The first movement, 6 pm, Twilight to Dusk, just as the sun slips away beyond the horizon we are thrown into the beginning of the long darkness of night. Here we get a mix of emotions, arousal at the idea of having fun, going out with friends, maybe meeting someone to spend the night with, but also an anxiety creeps up on you, at the dangers lurking at night. Criminals. Living in the city I always hold this anxiety walking around after dark. The music opens with sinister chords and a deep call from the tenor horn, and the structure is confused by episodic bursts of different moods, from dramatic and almost “Star Wars” like, to the almost religious rise of the violins around the halfway point, like ascending a mountain. The movement ends on an unexpected bright note. The next movement, 9 pm, the first Nachtmusik, the actual nighttime begins. This movement makes me think of the horrors associated with night, imagine a creepy forest lit by the moon, you can barely see, it’s cold, and there are all kinds of animals, potential monsters, lurking in the darkness. That’s what I think of. The combination of fear and excitement at the sublime and almost surreal nature of the earth at night. The music opens with evocative horns calling and answering each other. The winds flutter in sounding like nocturnal birds, or the wind, as the horns repeat their calls, and you can feel the darkness of the soundscape take over. But it isn’t sinister for long, as a more playful and less unnerving waltz comes in. The third movement, Midnight, is the beginning of the Midnight Hour leading into the Witching Hour. The time of night that is most scary, that the world is uneasily quiet, and that even skeptics like me tremble at the thought of some kind of evil thing waiting to prey on me. This movement plays like a Viennese waltz, but the dancers are corpses. Yes, this is Mahler’s Danse Macabre, and as the waltz plays on with spooky sonorities, it sounds as if the music itself is decaying. The fourth movement, 4am, the second Nachtmusik. The chilling terrors of the night have begun to pass. This to me is depicting the calmness of night, the serenity of the silence and the dark, how peaceful most of us feel asleep in beds, cows asleep in their fields, the moon is bright and lighting up the sky, and dawn is approaching, the sky is turning a brighter shade gradually. The orchestra is toned down severely, most of the brass and woodwinds take a break, and so the instrumentation is almost like a concerto for several solo instruments, like a call back to the Baroque era. The use of mandolins and guitars to add to the texture, along with the subtitle “amaroso”, makes this feel like a serenade. Love songs sung under the moon, sweet words to calm the mind after dark. The passionate aspect of nighttime. The final movement, 6 am, the moment the sun rises, isn’t a gradual build up. Instead, the timpani and brass breaks the doors blaring a triumphant song, so uncharacteristic of the rest of the work, it leaves people scratching their heads. I think of it as the sun rising, the light concurring the evil of the night, and bringing us another day, bringing us warmth. However, the fanfare and melodies feel sarcastic. They’re banal, and the overinflated orchestra feels like a cheap trick, like a composer who is trying to make a “grand finale”. This movement is a parody, and it also parodies melodies from Wagner’s gargantuan Die Meistersinger… and Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. The movement is built of constantly changing variations on the opening themes, and is packed with false climaxes and let downs. Even when the melody and orchestra release their full grandeur at the end, the coda is interrupted by a hesitant and hushed chord, right before the final slap. While I get that this is more for comedic affect, [and that this movement is strange in how it is so distant from the music that came before], I like to think of the final hesitation as a reminder that, even though the sun is up, and another day is here, the darkness of night is always ahead, and the fears we have of ourselves and each other and monsters real and imaginary still live in the back of our minds, waiting for another night to come out to haunt us. Movements: 1. Langsam – Allegro risulto, ma non troppo 2. Nachtmusik I 3. Scherzo 4. Nachtmusik II 5. Rondo finale

mikrokosmos: Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to…

[childrenweb]

The 15 weirdest and strangest works of classical music

Classical music's strangest, craziest and weirdest compositions

John Cage’s famous 4’33” consists of 273 seconds in which no one does anything at all, yet has enjoyed cult status since its ‘composition’ in 1952. Today, it can be downloaded on iTunes, watched on Youtube and there is even a 4’33” app. Most view it with wry amusement, others (ie men with beards) value it as an important exercise in making us re-think the very concept of music. Whatever, it will always hold a proud place in the list of the strangest music ever written. Cage, of course, was writing in a notably experimental era that produced all sorts of wonderful weirdness, but the boundaries of musical convention have always been there to be tested – composers had been doing daft things for centuries before Cage and co. arrived on the scene. Here, we take a look at 15 pieces of the strangest music, from the engagingly amusing to the downright barmy…What are the strangest pieces of classical music?

1. Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Battalia

We begin our survey of all things eccentric in the Baroque period. Usually a composer of utmost craft and refinement, Biber went off on something of a tangent with his 1673 Battalia for string orchestra. Depicting life in an army camp, effects galore are employed by the composer to paint the musical picture just as he wanted it. For instance, the section called ‘Die liederliche Gesellschaft von allerley Humor’ has the orchestra playing in eight different keys simultaneously to depict drunkenness, while ‘Mars’ sees the double bass stick a piece of paper beneath the strings to create a rasping sound. It’s an entertaining listen, though quite what Biber’s own audiences would have made of it is anyone’s guess.

2. Johann Georg Albrechtsberger: Concerto for Jews Harp

Nothing much to remark at first about the 1765 Concerto in F major by Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, esteemed Viennese composer, scholar and teacher of Beethoven – a pleasant, if unexceptional orchestral opening is adorned with gentle pluckings on the mandora (a type of lute). But then comes the entry of the other solo instrument. It’s a jew’s harp: basically, a metal spring that one places in front of the mouth and twangs. In the hands of an able player, it can just about be made to produce something vaguely resembling a melody, but no amount of skill, alas, can give it a sound other than ‘boinnnnggggg’. The overall effect? Think of a contented frog leaping from lily to lily, accompanied by a string orchestra. Remarkably, Albrechtsberger wrote not just the one but seven such concertos.

3. Leopold Mozart: Toy Symphony

History popularly depicts Leopold Mozart, father of Wolfgang Amadeus, as something of a po-faced old moose, obsessed by eking every last drop out of his son’s prodigious talent. His Toy Symphony of around 1760, however, hints at a fun-loving side. As well as the normal orchestral forces, there are parts for toy trumpet, ratchet (essentially a football rattle), cuckoo and nightingale (not the birds, clearly, but toy instruments that sound like them…). It’s all a bit of a hoot, and rather charming – so is that why it was initially credited not to Mozart Snr but to the more genial Haydn?

4. György Ligeti: Poème Symphonique

Who needs instruments? Not György Ligeti. The Hungarian’s Poème Symphonique of 1962 – which will be performed in the same concert as Cage’s 4’33” at the Proms this year – simply requires ten players to take to the stage, each in charge of ten wind-up metronomes. All 100 metronomes are wound to their limit, and then set off and allowed to tick away until they have all wound themselves down. In theory, one could also try it out with battery-powered metronomes, though this might mean a performance going on for hours and hours and hours. Talking of which…

[urbannature]

Urbane Wildnis: Saatkrähe

#urban nature #wiener wildnis #vienna #wien #urban wildlife #rook #saatkrähe #urban birds #viennese birds #birding #bird watching #Corvus frugilegus #corbeau freux #hadikpark

[frukmerunning]

things that remind me of hetalia characters

some of these are very specific

america: the smell of fresh cut grass, a football field on a friday night, apple pie, a good drum cadence, farmers markets, shelves of american history books, historic downtowns, jazz musicians busking in new orleans, drive-in movie theaters, the smell of someone in your neighborhood grilling out, memphis barbecue, old time rock and roll

england: overcast days, too-hot tea, beans on toast, long trench-coats, empty church on a weekday, walking alone in a forest, the smell of an old library, cattails in a still pond, the riders of rohan motif from lotr, “my ex wife still misses me. BUT HER AIM IS GETTING BETTER”, talking all night with a stranger at the bar, the wind coming off the ocean, old records

france: traveling by yourself, bread and cheese, accordion playing in the next room, french impressionist piano music, a cat napping on your lap, the satisfaction of following a recipe, letting your hair down after it’s tied up, sitting on a balcony alone at night, walking around a museum by yourself, black and white movies, fruit tarts

russia: the feeling of being watched, cuddling under blankets after being out in the snow, waking up on a snow day, being out in the country completely surrounded by nature and seeing nothing for miles, the sun setting on a plain, the shared look on the train when someone does something weird, sharing a bottle of vodka, ballerinas breaking in pointe shoes

china: the faint sound of a suona 5 blocks away, the feeling of silk, a satisfying stretch, a calm rice paddy, throwing a pebble into a still lake, a busy open market, an erhu played by an old man, following your heart when adding spices, neon lights, waking up naturally at dawn, bonding with a stranger after a weird experience, seeing the great wall of china in person, the feeling you get when someone scratches your head, being nagged by someone you love, fresh fruit

germany: the quiet of the neighborhood when you run at 4:30am, the specific smell of a barnes and noble, a firm handshake, when you yell so loud your voice breaks, calling a marching band to attention, beethoven 5, the feeling you get when you finally complete your lego set after following all directions perfectly, organizing knickknacks on a shelf, cracking open a beer after a hot day, the smell of bratwurst

japan: sunrise in the summer, the quiet of the house before everyone wakes up, the smell of matcha, a row of vending machines, soft cotton, the sound of wooden chopsticks breaking apart, water running down a bamboo pipe, a calm reflecting pond filled with koi fish, the calm during a storm, sleeping in a practice room, singing by yourself in a karaoke booth

north italy: a sun room in summer in the early morning, the tense silence before an overture at the opera, flutes imitating a bird, running so fast you feel weightless, the feeling you get when a plane descends, drinking wine with lunch, when you wake yourself up and feel like you’re falling, the smell right before it rains, espresso for breakfast, your bottom lip feeling numb after playing a reed instrument for hours, snapping a string while tuning your violin

south italy: towns nestled in the sides of mountains, the climax of Nessun Dorma, caprese, feeling numb after a long cry, smashing a plate on purpose, dancing in a group, the smell after it rains, the smell of espresso, eating a big meal, slamming your hands down on piano keys, italian cut suits, old leather, finding out you and your friend hate the same person, falling asleep drunk, the grainy quality of songs from the 40s, the smell of garlic and onions cooking

austria: A440 from an oboe, an empty recital hall, rosin stains on your clothes, eating cake with a tiny fork, the swell of an orchestra all playing a crescendo together, a fast-paced viennese waltz, hearing your neighbor practicing piano, the breathless feeling after finishing a concert, sleeping in, watching someone get ready for work while you lay in bed, the camaraderie of the woodwind section in an orchestra, cherry flavored things

#hetalia #aph italy #aph japan #aph germany #aph england #aph america #aph france #aph russia #aph china #aph headcanons