Program Notes on Classical Music

Introduction

Classical music can never grow old-fashioned as long as it is too complex to be related to a particular epoch. For centuries, both musicians and audiences have gained inspiration from the beauty and sentimentality of instrumental melodies. The strains of classical instruments can wake a full continuum of emotions, and the familiar movements stir a variety of memories in the heart of an involved person.

A Little Night Music (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

This work is among the most famous ones not purely by Mozart but in general. It includes four movements one of which is approximately three times as long as the rest altogether. The first movement is a classical sonata traditionally comprising an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation (Cannon, 2016). The second movement is a romance, whose tempo is identified as andante, and formed as a rondo with a closing coda attached. The third movement is an allegretto Menuet that lasts for three-quarters of the time, and the finale is another sonata at the allegro tempo. The opening melody of A Little Night Music is frequently used in advertisements, which, in addition to the agelong popularity with musicians, makes it one of the most recognizable classical music pieces.

For Elise (Für Elise) by Ludwig Van Beethoven

The name of this piano piece is probably the first thing to cross my mind by association with Beethoven. It is made as a rondo of five parts with an A-B-A-C-A form. The two fundamental episodes, B and C, actually frame the entire work. The former has a major tonality and is more cheerful as compared to the latter which sounds more melancholic and is also characterized by a broader dynamic range.

Interestingly, the piece was first discovered four decades after Beethovens death, due to which no one currently knows who exactly its addressee was. Some experts even suspected an incorrect copy of the original title that may have contained the name Therese (Steblin, 2014). However, the primary reason for the popularity of For Elise is the combination of simplicity and harmony, which has inspired numerous reinterpretations of the work.

Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig Van Beethoven

This name was given to the work after Beethovens death, while the author himself simply assigned it the number 14. Its form differs from that of a classical sonata, predominantly because the movements are in a different order. An adagio is normally a middle movement in a sonata, but this particular one begins with it (Cannon, 2016). The music throughout the movement is minor, unhurried, and has a clear monotonous rhythm.

The next movement is a major scherzo and trio at the allegretto tempo that sounds calmer and more harmonious as compared to both the previous and the next sections. The finale is made as a minor presto agitato, which stands for a fast tempo and a broken rhythm. Altogether, the three elements form a highly emotional piece of music known to express and symbolize Beethovens unanswered love.

Symphony No. 6 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, also known as Pathétique

This is the last symphony by the great romantic composer. Its premiere performance took place nine days before his death (Bohrer, 2018). The opening movement has the form of a minor sonata with a major secondary theme, and the second one is a unique quintuple waltz ending in a coda. The third movement includes major and fast march-like motifs, while the minor and sorrowful monologue in the finale brings the listener back to the beginning.

The structure of the work frequently makes both the experts and the listeners assume that it symbolizes the life cycle, particularly, that of the composer himself. One may regard it as a prolonged suicide note or relate it to the authors homosexual affinities that tortured him (Bohrer, 2018). Whatever it be, the symphony is widely believed to have been autobiographical, which contributes substantially to its popularity.