As a freshman in college, I saw the school's Opera Workshop production of "Dido." It changed my life! It was the first opera I had seen in person. I'm glad that my first in-person opera experience was performed in English, had a subject matter that was interesting (to me), and was a duration which made me want to stay longer rather than wishing it was over a few hours sooner. It wasn't overwhelming and, as so often happens, turns people OFF to ever wanting to repeat the experience. I returned the following evening to see the opera a second time.
Thanks Gareth - I have only ever played Purcell's Dance of the Haymakers - and hence your analysis of Dido and Aeneas is a revelation of Purcell's music - and amazing sense of harmony which supports the drama of the song. Thanks so much - I am now greatly encouraged to listen to (more) of Purcell.
Brilliant. Thank you. Probably my favourite piece and have been fascinated by the originality, dissonances and beauty of it. Its mind blowing. Hoped you would do something on this. Thanks again.
There is so much here that seems so simply built. But we are looking through a lens 400 years later (and a LOT of music theory and structure). With my first hearing, I was unprepared and didn't stop sobbing as I recall, until long after the piece ended. The echoes remained. What I have come to realize, I think, is the text is hopeful. We all hope that "remember me" is indeed a fact. Purcell struck that musically with the chords and descending ground bass. It becomes an expansive universe. Thank you for taking this apart in such a gentle and careful way so that the beauty remains and actually intensifies. I think this is some of the most sublime music I have ever experienced.
@@MusicMattersGB I don't mean to prolong this. Tonight at supper, explaining this video to my wfe I was suddenly struck that these chords and certainly so much chromaticism, would be from another realm in 1600. That leads me to consider that "remember me" is what we all hope for and Purcell might seek to find sonorities that would want to embrace that feeling from a place we cannot know now. Just opining. Forgive the length and prolongation.
The whole thing is so achingly beautiful, the words are terribly sad and moving, the constant major minor flux is confusing to the the ear and the soul, tearing at our emotions and for a piece whose impact is so emotional it bears up amazingly well to intellectual scrutiny. A precursor of things to come.
One of my personal favourites from the time. I have always been amazed by Purcell's harmonization choices for the ground bass. Sang it for my grandfather's funeral, big mistake as it destroyed me by the third "Remember me..." Still moves me emotionally and intellectually more than most anything else I listen to.
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
I so love this piece. It is very simple, but so deep and evocative. When I compare this to other ground bass pieces with which I am familiar (e.g., the famous Pachelbel Canon in D), this one stands head and shoulders above.
Thank you for this amazing and informative video, sir! I adore the music of Henry Purcell; for those may be interested, there is a 1995 movie called 'England, my England' (dir. tony Palmer) which looks at the life and music of Purcell, and some some glorious depictions of his music being performed in the 17th C.
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
Purcell is a wonder and was an ornament of his age. In 1673 his voice broke. Then he became a tuner of instruments. His ear is more intricate than Lincoln’s Inn and his music is fresh as a glade.
YES. Unlike virtually all Baroque operas, the drama is taut, no superfluity at all, and the music is PACKED with wonderful melodies, and as you’ve shown so excellently here, wonderful harmonies. Best ending in opera?
Unless my memory is playing tricks on me, I remember a wonderful Cheltenham Festival concert in the 70s with Janet Baker as Dido in a double bill with Holst's Savitri.
I first heard Remember Me on the 1998 BBC mini series of Vanity Fair where Becky Sharpe sings impromptu for the society ladies. It is an emotional moment.
How about this as a concept? The bar-lengths have been homogenised (maybe because that was the tradition), and the five-bar phrase could really be written as 3/2 + 3/2 + hemiola of (2/2 + 2/2 + 2/2) + 3/2. This would make the very unusual five-bar phrase turn into a six-bar phrase … or maybe a four-bar phrase, where the third bar - the hemiola - is twice as long, i.e. normal bars with three minim beats and the third bar with 3 semibreve beats. But it would change which notes are accented. We've been listening to it as five-bar phrases for so long, that it's difficult to accept the hemiola, but it might just be a matter or enculturation. Vivaldi _Gloria_ definitely shows homogenisation. There are 6½ bar phrases, which are much easier to understand when rewritten with the occasional 1/2 (or 3/2) bar. [I should add, that I think this is possibly the best song of all-time. It hasn't been bettered in centuries, and it will take something very, very good in the future to overtake it.] Another thought - a personal opinion: Harmonic structure was quite complex in the baroque, was dumbed down in classical, became more complex again in the romantic and impressionism, was taken too far by the unmusical second Viennese school, came back to some nice complexity with jazz/musical theatre, and has been dumbed down again with current pop music - e.g. "Achy Breaky Heart" as a two-chord lollipop).
Love the way Jeff Buckley sings this. I sang in a choir which sang a lot of contrapuntal mediaeval to baroque music. The harmonies were stunning. Not easy though!
I've heard it said Purcell was such a figure in English music that there wasn't another half decent English composer until the 19th Century. And that, Elgar, isn't in the same boat at all.
I honestly think that Sir Arthur Sullivan was the next best (native) English composer after Purcell. Sure, he mostly wrote light music and operettas, but he was a brilliant and prolific tunesmith.
Learn Music Online - Check out our courses here!
www.mmcourses.co.uk/courses
I had never heard the piece before. Thank you. You did indeed make your case. It sounded remarkably contemporary.
It’s a fabulous piece
As a freshman in college, I saw the school's Opera Workshop production of "Dido." It changed my life! It was the first opera I had seen in person. I'm glad that my first in-person opera experience was performed in English, had a subject matter that was interesting (to me), and was a duration which made me want to stay longer rather than wishing it was over a few hours sooner. It wasn't overwhelming and, as so often happens, turns people OFF to ever wanting to repeat the experience. I returned the following evening to see the opera a second time.
Brilliant when music inspires like that
Thanks Gareth - I have only ever played Purcell's Dance of the Haymakers - and hence your analysis of Dido and Aeneas is a revelation of Purcell's music - and amazing sense of harmony which supports the drama of the song. Thanks so much - I am now greatly encouraged to listen to (more) of Purcell.
Purcell is well worth engaging with. Enjoy!
Brilliant. Thank you. Probably my favourite piece and have been fascinated by the originality, dissonances and beauty of it. Its mind blowing.
Hoped you would do something on this. Thanks again.
It’s fabulous
Purcell has always been one of favorites. His music is very accessible and yet so complex. So much to discover and learn. Thanks so much!
Fabulous composer
I feel exhausted just following your brilliant analysis - you always open my ears and eyes - thank you.
A pleasure. Thanks
There is so much here that seems so simply built. But we are looking through a lens 400 years later (and a LOT of music theory and structure). With my first hearing, I was unprepared and didn't stop sobbing as I recall, until long after the piece ended. The echoes remained.
What I have come to realize, I think, is the text is hopeful. We all hope that "remember me" is indeed a fact. Purcell struck that musically with the chords and descending ground bass. It becomes an expansive universe.
Thank you for taking this apart in such a gentle and careful way so that the beauty remains and actually intensifies.
I think this is some of the most sublime music I have ever experienced.
I absolutely agree. It’s one of the greatest pieces ever written
@@MusicMattersGB I don't mean to prolong this. Tonight at supper, explaining this video to my wfe I was suddenly struck that these chords and certainly so much chromaticism, would be from another realm in 1600. That leads me to consider that "remember me" is what we all hope for and Purcell might seek to find sonorities that would want to embrace that feeling from a place we cannot know now. Just opining. Forgive the length and prolongation.
Absolutely agree about the piece. It’s remarkable and so prophetic.
The whole thing is so achingly beautiful, the words are terribly sad and moving, the constant major minor flux is confusing to the the ear and the soul, tearing at our emotions and for a piece whose impact is so emotional it bears up amazingly well to intellectual scrutiny. A precursor of things to come.
Absolutely
I just thoroughly enjoyed that. Thanks Gareth. I feel inspired 🌸
It’s a stunning piece
One of my personal favourites from the time. I have always been amazed by Purcell's harmonization choices for the ground bass. Sang it for my grandfather's funeral, big mistake as it destroyed me by the third "Remember me..." Still moves me emotionally and intellectually more than most anything else I listen to.
Very moving piece with obvious associations for you.
Wonderful video. The chromaticism at the end of the piece is breath-taking.
It’s wonderful
Thanks
A pleasure! Thank you very much for your generosity and support for the channel!
Your enthusiasm knows no bounds....
That’s kind
Gorgeous, rich, astonishing harmonies! A great lesson for composing: we should not limit ourselves with predictable chord progressions!
Absolutely
Love the enthusiasm!
😀
Thanks! Love the idea of musical flavors. Very enjoyable as always.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your support!
Wonderful piece, and a wonderful explanation, as usual. Thank you.
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
I so love this piece. It is very simple, but so deep and evocative. When I compare this to other ground bass pieces with which I am familiar (e.g., the famous Pachelbel Canon in D), this one stands head and shoulders above.
I agree.
Thank you for this amazing and informative video, sir! I adore the music of Henry Purcell; for those may be interested, there is a 1995 movie called 'England, my England' (dir. tony Palmer) which looks at the life and music of Purcell, and some some glorious depictions of his music being performed in the 17th C.
The movie sounds good.
A lovely film, with the Simon Callow character absorbed by the extraordinary musical achievement of Henry Purcell.
Great
Marvelous. Thank you.
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
Brilliant! Such a fascinating analysis!
A pleasure. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk including details of our online courses and of our exciting Maestros programme. If you value this channel and would like to help us continue to share and develop the content please consider supporting us as a level 1 Maestro by clicking here ruclips.net/channel/UC8yI8P7Zi3yYTsypera-IQgjoin Alternatively you can express your support for the channel by clicking on the Super Thanks button beneath any of our videos. Thank you.
Alison Moyet released a version of this that is really unusual. Love Purcell's operas!
Brilliant
wow, that last chromatic movement, you made a convincing case
It’s amazing isn’t it?
Purcell is a wonder and was an ornament of his age. In 1673 his voice broke. Then he became a tuner of instruments. His ear is more intricate than Lincoln’s Inn and his music is fresh as a glade.
Agreed
beautiful!
That’s great. Much more at www.mmcourses.co.uk
Love a good chromatic baseline so much.
Can we have an analysis of, weinen klagen sorgen zagen, BWV 12?
😀Fabulous piece
YES. Unlike virtually all Baroque operas, the drama is taut, no superfluity at all, and the music is PACKED with wonderful melodies, and as you’ve shown so excellently here, wonderful harmonies. Best ending in opera?
It’s right up there. Fabulous work.
Excellent!
Ask and ye shall receive eh!
😀😀😀
Unless my memory is playing tricks on me, I remember a wonderful Cheltenham Festival concert in the 70s with Janet Baker as Dido in a double bill with Holst's Savitri.
It must have been marvellous
I first heard Remember Me on the 1998 BBC mini series of Vanity Fair where Becky Sharpe sings impromptu for the society ladies. It is an emotional moment.
😀
How about this as a concept? The bar-lengths have been homogenised (maybe because that was the tradition), and the five-bar phrase could really be written as 3/2 + 3/2 + hemiola of (2/2 + 2/2 + 2/2) + 3/2. This would make the very unusual five-bar phrase turn into a six-bar phrase … or maybe a four-bar phrase, where the third bar - the hemiola - is twice as long, i.e. normal bars with three minim beats and the third bar with 3 semibreve beats.
But it would change which notes are accented. We've been listening to it as five-bar phrases for so long, that it's difficult to accept the hemiola, but it might just be a matter or enculturation.
Vivaldi _Gloria_ definitely shows homogenisation. There are 6½ bar phrases, which are much easier to understand when rewritten with the occasional 1/2 (or 3/2) bar.
[I should add, that I think this is possibly the best song of all-time. It hasn't been bettered in centuries, and it will take something very, very good in the future to overtake it.]
Another thought - a personal opinion: Harmonic structure was quite complex in the baroque, was dumbed down in classical, became more complex again in the romantic and impressionism, was taken too far by the unmusical second Viennese school, came back to some nice complexity with jazz/musical theatre, and has been dumbed down again with current pop music - e.g. "Achy Breaky Heart" as a two-chord lollipop).
Interesting reflections
Young Handel came to the rescue of the English Theatrical Music since the sudden unexpected death of Henry Purcell.
Absolutely and did it brilliantly.
Love the way Jeff Buckley sings this. I sang in a choir which sang a lot of contrapuntal mediaeval to baroque music. The harmonies were stunning. Not easy though!
Fabulous music
I've heard it said Purcell was such a figure in English music that there wasn't another half decent English composer until the 19th Century. And that, Elgar, isn't in the same boat at all.
There’s certainly a big time gap between Purcell and Elgar.
I honestly think that Sir Arthur Sullivan was the next best (native) English composer after Purcell. Sure, he mostly wrote light music and operettas, but he was a brilliant and prolific tunesmith.
He certainly had many musical skills
No comparison in my view of any musical period compares to this emotional piece.Especially with Janet Baker
😀
I am playing Purcell keyboard music.
Excellent. Enjoy!