Guidelines and best practices overview

CLASSICAL COMPOSERS & the IMPACT of ENVIRONMENT

Through the music of many classical composers, one can come to understand how their various environments influenced their musical output, for as artists, each was affected by what was occurring within their lives, whether related to a family crisis, marriage, the loss of a loved one, or some other social / cultural development in the arts or in politics. Of all the great Western composers, eight stand out as quintessential examples on how their music was influenced by the environment-Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Haydn, Richard Wagner, Peter Iljitch Tchaikovsky, Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Bela Bartok and George Crumb.

Johann Sebastian Bach:

In Bach's Christ lag in Todesbanden (Church Cantata No. 4), written for Easter Sunday, the hymn melody and its verses are used exclusively throughout the piece. The opening measure, in the style of Buxtehude, Bach's mentor, is followed by seven verses, each having its own musical signature. In this opening measure, one can hear that the music is touched by the sorrows of death, but in the third verse, there is an outpouring of joy. This cantata was written in 1724 during a period in Bach's life that was full of musical expression. However, in 1720, his first wife, Maria Barbara died, and in 1721, Bach married Anna Magdalena Wuelken who bore him thirteen children.

Thus, through the music of Cantata No. 4, Bach's sadness over the death of his first wife can be sensed; however, due to his strict religious upbringing, his joy can be sensed in the third verse which reflects his knowledge that his late wife is now with God in Heaven. According to W.G. Whittaker, this piece contains "all moods except that of utter despair; (moods) of the utmost sublimity, of praise, of mourning, of peace. . . The arias. . .express all the experiences in the life of a Christian. . . For Bach's happiness in religion was so great that he turned naturally to an (expression) of joy" (Goulding, 1995, 67).

Joseph Hayden:

The twelve symphonies that Joseph Hayden wrote during his visits to London between 1791 and 1794 comprise his "London Symphonies" with Symphony No. 95 in C minor, opus 77, no. 1 being the third. Since these symphonies are so closely related to each other, it is difficult to speak of them separately, yet as an entire work, they represent the crowning achievement of Hayden's symphonic output. However, Symphony No. 95 contains a very noble melody which is supported by bassoons and violins; parts of this symphony are steeped in much vigor, maturity of thought and a profound sense of majesty. Thus, since this symphony was written during his first visit to London, Hayden seems to be conveying the nobility and regal splendor of the British crown while under the reign of King George.

Richard Wagner:

With Richard Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, it is clear that Wagner was inspired by the love and death of Tristan, the Cornish knight, and the Irish princess Iseult, both part of Arthurian legend. In 1859, when this "musical drama" was composed, Wagner was involved with Mathilde Wesendonck which made him "particularly receptive to such a passionate love story" (Goulding, 1995, 215). Regarding Wagner's inspiration for this piece of music, some scholars maintain that it was the result of his affair with Ms. Wesendonck; others say that Wagner "fell in love with Mathilde because he was writing an opera about love" (Goulding, 1995, 217). Nonetheless, Wagner, upon beginning his illicit affair with Ms. Wesendonck, was duly influenced by her, for he told her in a letter that he was filled with "the most unheard of joy and jubilation" while writing Tristan und Isolde.

Peter Ilitch Tchaikovsky:

As an overture-fantasy for orchestra, Romeo and Juliet represents Tchaikovsky's attempt to capture the true essence of Shakespeare in musical form. Tchiakovsky started this opera in the fall of 1869 and revised it in the summer of 1870. One of his closest comrades called it "the first piece. . . which fascinates by the mass of its beauties" (Goulding, 1995, 256). Much like Wagner, Tchaikovsky was influenced by several love affairs, first with Desiree Artot, an opera singer who deserted him to marry someone else and Nadezhda von Meck, a patroness of the arts. Thus, the relationship with Ms. Von Meck provided the stimulation Tchaikovsky needed for the completion of Romeo and Juliet; she also was obviously his Juliet, a woman from a contrasting family (she provided him with much financial support) and someone that was out of reach for a simple composer.

Claude Debussy:

The piece known as Clouds is part of Debussy's Three Nocturnes for orchestra and as described by Debussy himself, Clouds represents "the unchanging aspect of the sky, and the slow, solemn movement of the clouds, dissolving into gray tints, lightly touched with white" (Goulding, 1995, 315). All of this is symbolized by the atmospheric nature of the English horn, a solo viola and a melody for flute and harp. Of course, Debussy is often referred to as the "Father of musical Impressionism," meaning that he took his influences from the Impressionist painters and the Symbolist poets. Obviously, Debussy must have studied in great depth some of the master works by Cezanne, Manet or Renoir in order to transpose the images he saw into musical expression. Thus, Debussy took what he saw in reality and transferred it to the page with the assistance of horns, violas and flutes which replaced the colors and tints of the canvas.

Igor Stravinsky:

After the death of Bela Bartok in 1945, Igor Stravinsky was catapulted to being the greatest living composer, due in part to his magnificent and highly controversial ballet the Rite of Spring (1912). The fame that Stravinsky acquired with the Rite of Spring allowed him to live as a professional composer, one who could play and conduct his own music. This success reflected his upbringing, for his father had been an outstanding bass singer at major opera houses in St. Petersburg. Later in life, Stravinsky stated that his upbringing in a musical house "left an indelible impression. . . perhaps the greatest thrill of my life" (Goulding, 1995, 278) which surely indicates that after the success of the Rite of Spring he could equate himself as a great musician just like his father.

Bela Bartok:

Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta represented the pinnacle of success for Bela Bartok, for it contributed greatly to the solidarity within world musical culture and helped to bridge the gap between old styles and new styles, between the arts and sciences and especially between one religion and another. Raised as a Catholic, Bartok wrote this piece of music under great stress, for in 1937, the Nazis were beginning their intrusion into Hungary which forced Bartok to flee his native country. Thus, through this piece of music, one can come to understand why Bartok inserted specific religious references into it as a way of expressing his anger and discontent with Nazism and the general political atmosphere of Europe before World War II.