Pick a favorite composer? Impossible! Surely no one has ever written any music that for sheer beauty tops the Rosenkavalier Trio. But who wrote music that speaks to every fiber of my being, my heart, my soul more deeply than any other? Gustav Mahler!
As a choral singer, I thank you for choosing fugues with singing. We are often not even considered to be musicians (how many times have you heard "singers and musicians" instead of "singers and instrumentalists"). I am lucky enough to have performed all 3 of these at a very high level with the L. A. Master Chorale and L. A. Phil, and believe me, there is nothing else like the euphoria in creating these glorious sounds. It is physical, sweaty work that at its best takes you right into another realm of ultimate joy.
You know, that bit about not even being considered musicians got me thinking about how the very term "musicians" itself is sometimes (perhaps even often) separated from "artists". 🤦🏽♂️ Or like those people who say "alcohol and drugs"...
@@ControlledCha0s a musician is someone who plays músic, an artist someone who creates music or any Art and has a unique original Style of their Own, artist can be musicians too, but many musicians arent artist
It always makes me wonder how Bach composed such beautiful intricate music without the pretense of ever being considered a pillar in Western music. He wrote it for his work, himself and God.
...and for drawing-room competitions with the Emperor, Frederick the Great, was it? The Prussians have a terrible reputation, primarily, I think, because of Allied -- mostly English -- propaganda during the two World Wars. It's easy to make them out as warlike, which kinda comes with the territory, being as they're right in the middle of the Battle of the North German Plain -- which went on for roughly 2,500 years until, whew, at last, we got around to organizing the European Coal and Steel community in 1948. This put an end to it partly because Germany had been totally smashed, and partly because without coal and steel you can't fight a war, and this took them out of corporate control. So. the music: Yes, the Prussians actually had at least one Emperor who could compose head to head with Bach, at least without making a fool of himself. On wars, the Limeys out-war the various bunches of Krauts, (both defined loosely since Germany and England are recent inventions) something like 1,000 wars to 750 over the past couple of thousand years. But who's counting?
@@TheDavidlloydjones Just so you know, I stopped reading about halfway through your third sentence, glossed over the rest, and rolled my eyes at your last.
@@TheDavidlloydjones I don’t think they have a terrible reputation anymore. At least my education in the States of Prussia made it seem quite proud and efficient and driven, which is obviously an attitude they would take to the extreme after German unification. But the first couple rulers seemed very frugal and militarily ambitious so as to get Prussia a seat at the table in Europe. Frederick the Great was definitely an admired one, too, especially compared to his fellow absolutist monarchs (of course, he too, was revered by Hitler and the Nazis, but still). I don’t know if he could compose to such a degree of skill that he could stand to rival Bach, though he did compose a lot. However, he was certainly different from his predecessors/ancestors in that he cultivated the arts and loved music, so it would make sense that a prolific German composer of the time like J.S. Bach would work for him at some point.
That's true. Bach hardly ever traveled like Handel did. They both were born in 1685 & were contemporaries. They both feared (loved..dedicated) & revered God but Bach was pretty single minded when it came to his sacred works,...which were almost all his works. :)
I love Shostakovich's fugue in a major. In a sea of dissonant fugues that are exciting in their own write, you not only get a very tonal fugue, but a fugue that exclusively uses chord tones. This makes the entire thing extremely clear and bright. Ones I start listening I can't stop
Oh Lord, I can‘t tell you how much I LOVE your enthusiasm while talking about these fugues, as this enthusiasm simply reflects my own, especially when it comes to Bach.
Your picks are really nice. I love these pieces too. Classical music in every period is so fascinating. I just need to say that "Große Fuge" means "Great Fugue". Fat Fugue would be translated to "Fette Fuge" which sounds quite funny in german ears. But the video is really great. Thank you.
I honestly think the Cum Sancto Spiritu is one of the most joyous ever written. Its so bouncy and difficult to sing, and also its so densely composed. At one point all the singers are singing semiquavers all at once with the orchestra whirling around. Its hard to perform as sometimes it just sounds like dense noise spinning in a washing machine if it isn't carefully performed.
Your contagious enthusiasm is wonderfully exhilarating. Never heard those Bach trumpet 'triplet flits' before, after 45 years of listening to this mass! Made my week. Sydney, IN LOCKDOWN, Australia.
Playing Bachs Fuge from his Organ Works is a real fun enjoyment, but also hard and tricky because there is so much going on, on his Fuge Works (and of course also Preludes)
your excitement is contagious and i love it. i'd love to sit down for some coffee and talk a lot with you, think we share a lot in common regarding our passion for music, composition, appreciation, among other things. great job!
It is really refreshing seeing someone who enjoys classical music like you, none of my relatives or friends even listen it and don't have anyone to talk about it. I really like your videos, because I can see you enjoy music just like I do and I have someone to relate to, thank you.
That reminds me of reading that a member of a string quartet complained to Beethoven about the difficulty of playing one of his quartets and Beethoven supposedly responded "What do you think I care about your f%&*ing fiddle when the Muse moves me?"
@@manuel.roesler - I doubt Haendel would come over in a rush, since land transport was still cumbersome. The Requiem was written in a rush in very little time since Mozart was dying. He couldn't even complete it. But I might be wrong of course...
The 3rd movement of Brahms German Requiem does it for me every time, and that big pedal D which apparently, according to those who know about these things, represents constancy of faith. You've probably heard it, but if not, give it a try.
The complaint I’ve heard (not one I agree with) is that Beethoven will take a musical motif and drive it into the ground, with the 5th Symphony being a particularly famous example. The complaint is against motif-based construction, not the overall forms.
I've been on this Earth a long time and I can say without hesitation that you have some of the happiest facial expressions I have ever seen. Simply magical!
Thank- you so much for your enthusiastic approach to symphonic structures, fugues counterpoint etc, so nice to see, the classics are to me the most joyous part of living.
I've been a choir boy for the last 20 years and since the pandemic has stopped us from singing I have missed it like crazy. Seeing this makes me crazy to get back into it. I'm just busting to got back to choral singing.
Especially the 8th... I'd travel miles (and I HAVE !) to hear one ! I've been to Paris, London, Wien, Geneva, Rotterdam, and a few other places.... ;) I've heard at least 10 live ones....
Mozart actually didn't write many fugues. He got interested in "ancient music" which meant Bach late in his short life. But the fugues he did write are tremendous. The Kyrie in the Requiem, and, the overture to DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, and the instrumental prelude to the Masonic anthem just before the trials by fire and water in the second act ("Der, welche wandelt diese Strasse ...") I think that's my favorite of Mozart's fugues, although the Adagio & Fugue comes close.
@@ColonelFredPuntridge There are also some nice Mozart fugues in this album also: ruclips.net/video/aBHl1XigQqI/видео.html ruclips.net/video/UaSCpPQ8JEI/видео.html
I can't find people with your enthusiasm for music where I live. I mean, it's really really rare. That's a something I seem destined to enjoy on my own. But finding your channel did thrill me quite a bit! Hoping to watch more of your videos.
My favorite Bach fugues are: The fugue from the Toccata for Harpsichord in c, BWV 911, (after the introductory Toccata.) The fugue from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, Praeludium & Fuga in d# (a 3 voci), BWV 853. To me, the fugue from the Toccata in c is amazing in its clarity and the accessibility of its harmonies. richard -- Nil significat nisi oscillat. (It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.)
Oh yeah, 911 definitely on of my favourites - I managed to play the first 20 or so bars in full tempo, but man it's so difficult. I'm actually considering paying for piano lessons just so I could be able to play it. Couldn't find good fingering for the sheet music either.
My favourite counterpoint is in Shostakovich last fugue op.87 no24 I have no idea how did he do that. Its amazing to study and learn, I recommend to look at it you will not be disappointed
Great Video! Just wanted to share my favourite fuges as well. For Baroque: I totally go with the Mass in B Minor, but my favourites are: 1) Et in terra pax After the ecstatic Gloria and the presentation of the Et in terra pax theme, the Orchestra has an interlude with increasingly complicated harmony, but mainly lingering in a minor sound. When the sopranoes start the fugue, we get this beautiful cadence back to major, resolving just on the word 'pax', before going into this wonderful counterpoint, while the cadence on 'pax' returns for every voice of the fugue. For me one of the most beautiful musicalisations of 'Peace on earth' ever. 2) Confiteor Considering complexity and density of counterpoint, this is my all-time-favourite-example. I am mind-blown every time, I try to hear every apearance of the two themes. For classical: The Fugue "Der, welcher wandelt diese Straße" from The Magic Flute by Mozart for me just ticks all the boxes of epicness, ancient stone-written wisdom and mystery. My by far favourite version is the recording by Roger Norrington, althoug being a lot faster than most other recordings, I just love the pulse, the energy, the flow of it. Can be found on RUclips, btw.
Also love the opening of the Credo in the B minor mass ( with Bach, there's too much to choose from honestly.) I also love the the Mozart C minor Mass, particularly the Cum Sancto Spiritu and Hosanna fugues. Of course as mentioned there's really quite a lot of great late Beethoven fugues (a lot relative to almost everyone except Bach.) The German Requiem also has some great fugal sections too.
Watching Oscar getting so excited when listening to the music makes me wish we were close friends and could hangout and listen to music together. His eyes are shining! Ok, it’s legit I am falling for someone on yt 😅😀
One of my favorites is the near-fugue (it is a rondo) that ends the fifth symphony of Mahler. It begins with an incredibly-naïve tune that leads into counterpoint that just does not quit for fifteen minutes. It may be tuneful, but it works with increasing complexity, and for fifteen minutes or so Mahler never completes the phrase he comes close. .. He works this to a climax, finally completing the phrase, after which comes the inevitable anticlimax in one phrase. For all but the anticlimax it is a fugue.
I really like your posts here! Very informative, very to the point, easy to understand, but also comprehensive. I especially like experiencing your joy and enthusiasm when you present outstanding musical examples, here fugues from three different eras. Your joy and enthusiasm is contagious! I need to look into Gustav Mahler in more detail, I know almost nothing about him. Thank you very much!
I love the energy you show and the overwhelming enthusiasm you have for this music. Finally someone who is so emotionally involved with the music as I am.
I am SOOOO happy that he chose the B Minor Mass for his Fav Baroque Counterpoint pick. It's one of the most profound and insanely energizing pieces of music ever written - yet remarkably underrated for some unfathomable reason.
"Cum sancto spiritu" - definetely. I used to sing tenor in small baroque groups like collegium vocale, stuttgart chamber choir or chorwerk ruhr and always enjoyed singing that fugue. The first entry can be frightening - but I remember one occasion, when we did it with the fantastic backing of concerto koeln: moments before the dux the conductor had lifted the tempo to "f...ing fast" and we all thought "Uh-oh.. ". But it gave us all an extra shot of excitement and we even managed to build up some sort of stretta to the end (shoutout to our brilliant trumpeters). One of many highlights in that Mass!
Bach's Little Fugue in G minor will always be my favorite fugue. The part (kind of in the middle) where the pedal takes the theme with the tremolo above always gives me crazy goosebumps.
@@eameece Thank you! I always forget how much I like "The Great". My best memory of it, is walking into St Paul's in London, and someone was practicing it on the organ! Talk about goosebumps!!
I mostly do agree with you about the choice you made, but I have other great contrapuntal masterpieces I would prefer: - for Bach, the triple Fugue in E flat major BWV 552 - for Beethoven, definitely the Grosse Füge Op 133, but also the finale of 3rd symphony - for Mahler, the 3rd movement of 9th Symphony (Rondo Burleske) - and I would add the last movement of fifth Bruckner's symphony...
I'd also add: - For Bach you could go on all day (The Art of the Fugue, Goldbergs, Welltempered Klavier, Cantatas...etc) -Not aware of any real fugues Monteverdi wrote but he wrote some great counterpoint in the Vespers. - Not a huge fan of Handel's Messiah but the Amen fugue at the end is pretty awesome though. -for Beethoven: the two big fugues in the Missa Solemnis ( especially the Et Vitam Venturi Seculi double fugue), The 4th movement of the Hammerklavier, and that fugal section from the 2nd movement of the 3rd (perhaps it's a little short but great nonetheless.) plus some from the late sonatas and piano works -Mozart: the guards duet in the magic flute, Cum Sancto Spiritu and the Hosanna from the C minor mass, fugue for 2 pianos K 426, probably more but can't think of any right now. -I'd add fugues from Brahm's German Requiem ( movts 2,3,6), The fugue at the end of Mendelsohn's Elijah is pretty epic ( he wrote some good stand alone ones too.) Also there are some good Schubert Organ fugues.
For all counterpoint fans, I really recommend you Masamichi Amano's music. That right man has some of the best counterpoint skills of all contemporary composers
In the realm of film music, I'm extremely fond of Bronislau Kaper's unused "Ant Fugue" segment written for the score of the classic big-bug movie THEM. Knowing that it was too highbrow for the film and would almost certain be cut, he still went ahead and wrote it, stating later "Sometime you get ambitious."
WOW! That recording was the first Mahler symphony I ever heard, and I can't describe how much joy 17 year old me experienced from listening. Thank you for your performance!
Thank you for introducing me to Mahler's 8th, I found the legendary Solti recording because of this video randomly popping into my recommended. I rarely listen to anything other than 20th century piano concerti and 19th-21st century virtuoso solo piano works, Solti's recording of Mahler's 8th absolutely blew me away.
Lay ppl like me just listen for the wonder and beauty of the music. Musically trained ppl obviously appreciate music on so much deeper of a level than I can see, and observe things going on in the music that I just wouldn't notice. Having said that, my favorite piece of counterpoint is Bach's concerto in D minor for 2 violins. Wow.
Have look at Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck's Fantasia Chromatica for keyboard (usually organ or harpsichord). It has a substantial fugal exposition in which there are both a counter-subject and counter-counter subject. Then, having done that, he continues presenting the same theme, fugally, but with a series of new countersubjects. Then the theme goes into augmentation, later diminution, finally double diminution. It's a real contrapuntal tour-de-force, but also really beautiful and dramatic.
How about talking us through the fugue that ends Verdi's Falstaff? Certainly brilliant and unexpected, but I suppose too that few would have expected a comic opera (or any opera) from Verdi's pen at this point - I think Verdi wrote this largely for himself, and fact he chose a comedy late in his career seems to me to be life affirming.
I'm sorry you missed to mention one of my favorite moments in Bach's "Cum Sancto Spiritu" from the b-minor mass." Not only do the harmonies get crazy and exciting it is because all of the sudden all the parts enter in stretto (Italian for stress)so instead of entering politely after another theme has ended they barge right in early. All of a sudden all the parts are singing "Cum Santo" maybe a few beats apart with trumpets blaring. I've seen several performances of the b-minor mass in the last few years (the last one just a couple of months ago) and it always brings "chills down my spine!"
Mahler's 8th is so powerful and that fugue is overwhelming seen live. I've seen the 8th performed 3x live, including the dress rehersal of Zubin Mehta's final performance as head of the LA Phil. Life changing.
I'd have a real hard time ever arguing with you about music. Grade 1 composers and Grade one pieces, these are the fine dining of music. Tiny point, I think that Mahlers ultimate pieces where he flips the bird at people complaining about his counterpoint is the 3rd movement of the 9th symphony where he crushed all complaining into powder. Other worldly pieces that no one has come close to challenging for more than a century. Very nice video! Bravo!
Ooo, you should have included the Credo from Beethoven's Missa Solemnis (everyone who has sung it just refers to it as "THAT section of the Credo...") where he triples (quadruples?) the tempo on the singers which has earned that movement the description of "borderline unsingable." Go Mahler!!!!
Yes, yes, yes! Bach mass in si minor and mahler 8º by Solti is by far the MUSIC i have listened and enjoyed the most! I do know what I am going to listen tomorrow morning.......thanks for sharing your "feelings".......
Dude, these are probably the three examples I would have picked. By the end of it, I was like: "awww, yeah, this list could only get better if he picks Mahler's 8th for the last example," and the rest is history.
![Gucci Mane & Sexyy Red - You Don't Love Me [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j7IBqyFKT4c/mqdefault.jpg)
Your enthusiasm for the music really makes me want to go listen to classical music for 5 hours. Great picks! :)
"I don't really have a favourite composer." Meanwhile Mahler's hanging in the background.
He also needs a shave
He also needs to do more videos outside the Romantic period
Hahaha!,
Demonstrates his impeccable taste!
Pick a favorite composer? Impossible! Surely no one has ever written any music that for sheer beauty tops the Rosenkavalier Trio. But who wrote music that speaks to every fiber of my being, my heart, my soul more deeply than any other? Gustav Mahler!
As a choral singer, I thank you for choosing fugues with singing. We are often not even considered to be musicians (how many times have you heard "singers and musicians" instead of "singers and instrumentalists"). I am lucky enough to have performed all 3 of these at a very high level with the L. A. Master Chorale and L. A. Phil, and believe me, there is nothing else like the euphoria in creating these glorious sounds. It is physical, sweaty work that at its best takes you right into another realm of ultimate joy.
You know, that bit about not even being considered musicians got me thinking about how the very term "musicians" itself is sometimes (perhaps even often) separated from "artists". 🤦🏽♂️ Or like those people who say "alcohol and drugs"...
@@ControlledCha0s a musician is someone who plays músic, an artist someone who creates music or any Art and has a unique original Style of their Own, artist can be musicians too, but many musicians arent artist
@@ControlledCha0s thats how i see it
@Counterdot Yes, thats what i said, you read very well, congrats
🤗🤗🤗
The slow movement of Beethoven 7 always gets me. What that man could do with the simplest tune is amazing.
We never know 🤷♀️
Bach wrote a set of about 15 fugues based on one short theme. About 2 hours of music.
It always makes me wonder how Bach composed such beautiful intricate music without the pretense of ever being considered a pillar in Western music. He wrote it for his work, himself and God.
...and for drawing-room competitions with the Emperor, Frederick the Great, was it?
The Prussians have a terrible reputation, primarily, I think, because of Allied -- mostly English -- propaganda during the two World Wars.
It's easy to make them out as warlike, which kinda comes with the territory, being as they're right in the middle of the Battle of the North German Plain -- which went on for roughly 2,500 years until, whew, at last, we got around to organizing the European Coal and Steel community in 1948. This put an end to it partly because Germany had been totally smashed, and partly because without coal and steel you can't fight a war, and this took them out of corporate control.
So. the music: Yes, the Prussians actually had at least one Emperor who could compose head to head with Bach, at least without making a fool of himself.
On wars, the Limeys out-war the various bunches of Krauts, (both defined loosely since Germany and England are recent inventions) something like 1,000 wars to 750 over the past couple of thousand years. But who's counting?
@@TheDavidlloydjones Just so you know, I stopped reading about halfway through your third sentence, glossed over the rest, and rolled my eyes at your last.
@@TheDavidlloydjones I don’t think they have a terrible reputation anymore. At least my education in the States of Prussia made it seem quite proud and efficient and driven, which is obviously an attitude they would take to the extreme after German unification. But the first couple rulers seemed very frugal and militarily ambitious so as to get Prussia a seat at the table in Europe. Frederick the Great was definitely an admired one, too, especially compared to his fellow absolutist monarchs (of course, he too, was revered by Hitler and the Nazis, but still). I don’t know if he could compose to such a degree of skill that he could stand to rival Bach, though he did compose a lot. However, he was certainly different from his predecessors/ancestors in that he cultivated the arts and loved music, so it would make sense that a prolific German composer of the time like J.S. Bach would work for him at some point.
He didn't have anyone greater than him/on his level to look up to either
That's true. Bach hardly ever traveled like Handel did. They both were born in 1685 & were contemporaries. They both feared (loved..dedicated) & revered God but Bach was pretty single minded when it came to his sacred works,...which were almost all his works. :)
I’ve been addicted to that section from Beethoven’s Ninth recently. Awesome that you mentioned it! It’s so entrancing
I always skip to that section. It's the best
I love Shostakovich's fugue in a major. In a sea of dissonant fugues that are exciting in their own write, you not only get a very tonal fugue, but a fugue that exclusively uses chord tones. This makes the entire thing extremely clear and bright. Ones I start listening I can't stop
HE LOOKS SO HAPPY
Nah dude look, he has a new office, he composes more, it is a topic which is, by him, very liked.
He is happy
Johannes Brahms yep that’s true
Oh Lord, I can‘t tell you how much I LOVE your enthusiasm while talking about these fugues, as this enthusiasm simply reflects my own, especially when it comes to Bach.
Being Bach, his supply of fugue juice was limitless.
When life gives you a lemon, make fugue juice.
In my humble opinion, 12-TET is lame. Yes.
you all didn't get the joke. Bach means spring, a water source.
hence, juice. and.., fugue juice.
his fugue ""juice"" 😳😳🥵 thats how his kids all came out as composers
Your picks are really nice. I love these pieces too. Classical music in every period is so fascinating. I just need to say that "Große Fuge" means "Great Fugue". Fat Fugue would be translated to "Fette Fuge" which sounds quite funny in german ears. But the video is really great. Thank you.
….😀but that‘s exactly what my (German) 20year old son would say ……“Man, this fugue is really fat !!😆“
@@thegolgatha5337 Haha yes, in Germany it's an expression of the teenagers' language.
Oh, those German teenagers and their fugues...
Grasse fugue?
"Gross" is "fat" in French, so I guess this was a case of linguistic crossed wires.
Oscar's conducting really capture my movement when I try to study while listening to classical music.
bro you're EVERYWHERE
@@cloud-dv1wb yes
Hi
@@aakarshitsingh1535 hello
Your obsession with music is so inspiring. Great video as always!
Finally found someone who can get as excited about fugues as I do. My loneliness has ended. LOL!
I honestly think the Cum Sancto Spiritu is one of the most joyous ever written. Its so bouncy and difficult to sing, and also its so densely composed. At one point all the singers are singing semiquavers all at once with the orchestra whirling around. Its hard to perform as sometimes it just sounds like dense noise spinning in a washing machine if it isn't carefully performed.
Mozart rendition (mostly fugal) from the C minor Mass is also as great in my opinion.
Opening of the St. Matthew is also very dense, and the moment when the boy choir breaks in with the chorale melody is sublime.
Your contagious enthusiasm is wonderfully exhilarating. Never heard those Bach trumpet 'triplet flits' before, after 45 years of listening to this mass! Made my week. Sydney, IN LOCKDOWN, Australia.
3rd movement of the 4th Brandenburg is very exciting for me.
He laughs and smiles while teaching. That makes my learning happy. 😍 What a wonderful teacher!
I'm an organist and I always enjoy the challenges and rewards of playing a Bach fugue. Thanks for a great video.
Playing Bachs Fuge from his Organ Works is a real fun enjoyment, but also hard and tricky because there is so much going on, on his Fuge Works (and of course also Preludes)
Your joy about music is inspiring.
your excitement is contagious and i love it. i'd love to sit down for some coffee and talk a lot with you, think we share a lot in common regarding our passion for music, composition, appreciation, among other things. great job!
It is really refreshing seeing someone who enjoys classical music like you, none of my relatives or friends even listen it and don't have anyone to talk about it. I really like your videos, because I can see you enjoy music just like I do and I have someone to relate to, thank you.
That first example of Beethovens 9th is one of my favorite moments in music ever. Great video!
Do you know Furtwänglers interpretation of it?
For me as an operasinger singing the mass in B-Minor is always like “You genius!” While singing the 9th symphony is always “You asshole!”
I am a non-professional soprano and we are rehearsing Beethoven's 9th in the choir right now. Honestly, it is just pain.
I completely agree! The vocal writing is terribly uncomfortable.
I can see that. But the net effect is incredible!
All you poor dears. Just a task. Maybe don’t bother with it
That reminds me of reading that a member of a string quartet complained to Beethoven about the difficulty of playing one of his quartets and Beethoven supposedly responded "What do you think I care about your f%&*ing fiddle when the Muse moves me?"
Mozart's Kyrie Eleison, Requiem, is also a divinely beautiful Fugue !
He had some help by Handel for this fugue. You may want to listen to the Dettingen Te Deum... 😉
@@manuel.roesler - I doubt Haendel would come over in a rush, since land transport was still cumbersome. The Requiem was written in a rush in very little time since Mozart was dying. He couldn't even complete it.
But I might be wrong of course...
It would have been my personal pick too.
@@manuel.roesler You probably mean the Dettingen Anthem (the closing chorus).
The 3rd movement of Brahms German Requiem does it for me every time, and that big pedal D which apparently, according to those who know about these things, represents constancy of faith. You've probably heard it, but if not, give it a try.
I love the way you were blazing with the music . Lol
Good choices. Mahler's almost Baroque approach to counterpoint and instrumentation is seldom commented on. Kudos.
The fugal Finale from Bruckner's 5th Symphony is also great. Richard Atkinson made a video abaut that.
Beethoven is never predictable. Beethoven is Beethoven. Each time I heard his works, I am always surprised. The man was not of this world.
Exactly, there’s no way you’re predicting where Moonlight 1st movement is going if you first listened to it
YES!
The complaint I’ve heard (not one I agree with) is that Beethoven will take a musical motif and drive it into the ground, with the 5th Symphony being a particularly famous example. The complaint is against motif-based construction, not the overall forms.
I've been on this Earth a long time and I can say without hesitation that you have some of the happiest facial expressions I have ever seen. Simply magical!
There's a very good fugal passage at the end of the development of the 1st movement of Kalinnikov's 1st symphony.
that symphony is such a gem! As is said passage in the 1st movement
Thank- you so much for your enthusiastic approach to symphonic structures, fugues counterpoint etc, so nice to see, the classics are to me the most joyous part of living.
I love Beethoven's fugue in the funeral march in his 3rd symphony. That's my favorite. Cheers.
You'd be a blast to attend a classical concert with!
Your enthusiasm is infectious.
I'm a Mahler guy, the Rondo Burleske from the 9th Symphony is just bananas! Just great invertible counterpoint with some Mahler unexpectedness.
I think the counterpoint in the final movement of Mahler's fifth symphony is often overlooked... but Rondo Burleske is amazing too!
I've been a choir boy for the last 20 years and since the pandemic has stopped us from singing I have missed it like crazy. Seeing this makes me crazy to get back into it. I'm just busting to got back to choral singing.
Oh man, to experience a Mahler symphony live.
Especially the 8th... I'd travel miles (and I HAVE !) to hear one ! I've been to Paris, London, Wien, Geneva, Rotterdam, and a few other places.... ;) I've heard at least 10 live ones....
Or to perform one. Sang in the 2nd. I was on a cloud for a few weeks...
@@laurentco Yes, I sang the 2nd too. Amazing experience.
@Gary Allen Actually, my very first 8th was with MTT and the SFS in 1984 !!! I was blown away (didn't know the piece before !).
I appreciate this video a lot! I agree that fugal writing is really complex and it's great to see how Bach writes them effortlessly.
I love the little fugue in Liszts sonata in B minor, it's epic
The whole fugue in Mozart's Adagio and Fugue for Strings in C minor has to be one of my favorite fugues of all time.
Yes Mozart’s counterpoint doesn’t get enough attention!
It's great!
It's one of the most machiavelic feelings I've had while listening to music. I can agree, complete masterpiece
Mozart actually didn't write many fugues. He got interested in "ancient music" which meant Bach late in his short life. But the fugues he did write are tremendous. The Kyrie in the Requiem, and, the overture to DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE, and the instrumental prelude to the Masonic anthem just before the trials by fire and water in the second act ("Der, welche wandelt diese Strasse ...") I think that's my favorite of Mozart's fugues, although the Adagio & Fugue comes close.
@@ColonelFredPuntridge There are also some nice Mozart fugues in this album also:
ruclips.net/video/aBHl1XigQqI/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/UaSCpPQ8JEI/видео.html
I can't find people with your enthusiasm for music where I live. I mean, it's really really rare. That's a something I seem destined to enjoy on my own. But finding your channel did thrill me quite a bit! Hoping to watch more of your videos.
My favorite Bach fugues are:
The fugue from the Toccata for Harpsichord in c, BWV 911, (after the introductory Toccata.)
The fugue from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, Praeludium & Fuga in d# (a 3 voci), BWV 853.
To me, the fugue from the Toccata in c is amazing in its clarity and the accessibility of its harmonies.
richard
--
Nil significat nisi oscillat. (It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.)
Oh yeah, 911 definitely on of my favourites - I managed to play the first 20 or so bars in full tempo, but man it's so difficult.
I'm actually considering paying for piano lessons just so I could be able to play it.
Couldn't find good fingering for the sheet music either.
Book 1 has a bunch of great ones, personally love the C sharp minor and B minor ones too.
Fugues are my favorites!! They're so hard to sing but I love them with all my heart
My favourite counterpoint is in Shostakovich last fugue op.87 no24 I have no idea how did he do that. Its amazing to study and learn, I recommend to look at it you will not be disappointed
Love this guy's energy
Totally love the first Bach fugue, I have had that on repeat for years...
You have to be the most vivid Music Appreciation presenters I know.
Merci beaucoup.
Great Video!
Just wanted to share my favourite fuges as well.
For Baroque: I totally go with the Mass in B Minor, but my favourites are:
1) Et in terra pax
After the ecstatic Gloria and the presentation of the Et in terra pax theme, the Orchestra has an interlude with increasingly complicated harmony, but mainly lingering in a minor sound. When the sopranoes start the fugue, we get this beautiful cadence back to major, resolving just on the word 'pax', before going into this wonderful counterpoint, while the cadence on 'pax' returns for every voice of the fugue.
For me one of the most beautiful musicalisations of 'Peace on earth' ever.
2) Confiteor
Considering complexity and density of counterpoint, this is my all-time-favourite-example. I am mind-blown every time, I try to hear every apearance of the two themes.
For classical:
The Fugue "Der, welcher wandelt diese Straße" from The Magic Flute by Mozart for me just ticks all the boxes of epicness, ancient stone-written wisdom and mystery. My by far favourite version is the recording by Roger Norrington, althoug being a lot faster than most other recordings, I just love the pulse, the energy, the flow of it. Can be found on RUclips, btw.
Also love the opening of the Credo in the B minor mass ( with Bach, there's too much to choose from honestly.)
I also love the the Mozart C minor Mass, particularly the Cum Sancto Spiritu and Hosanna fugues.
Of course as mentioned there's really quite a lot of great late Beethoven fugues (a lot relative to almost everyone except Bach.)
The German Requiem also has some great fugal sections too.
The last fugue in the 9th is pretty epic.
Watching Oscar getting so excited when listening to the music makes me wish we were close friends and could hangout and listen to music together. His eyes are shining! Ok, it’s legit I am falling for someone on yt 😅😀
Not sure I could just keep it as "friends"😍
One of my favorites is the near-fugue (it is a rondo) that ends the fifth symphony of Mahler. It begins with an incredibly-naïve tune that leads into counterpoint that just does not quit for fifteen minutes. It may be tuneful, but it works with increasing complexity, and for fifteen minutes or so Mahler never completes the phrase he comes close. .. He works this to a climax, finally completing the phrase, after which comes the inevitable anticlimax in one phrase. For all but the anticlimax it is a fugue.
I really like your posts here! Very informative, very to the point, easy to understand, but also comprehensive. I especially like experiencing your joy and enthusiasm when you present outstanding musical examples, here fugues from three different eras. Your joy and enthusiasm is contagious! I need to look into Gustav Mahler in more detail, I know almost nothing about him. Thank you very much!
I love the energy you show and the overwhelming enthusiasm you have for this music. Finally someone who is so emotionally involved with the music as I am.
I am SOOOO happy that he chose the B Minor Mass for his Fav Baroque Counterpoint pick. It's one of the most profound and insanely energizing pieces of music ever written - yet remarkably underrated for some unfathomable reason.
"Cum sancto spiritu" - definetely. I used to sing tenor in small baroque groups like collegium vocale, stuttgart chamber choir or chorwerk ruhr and always enjoyed singing that fugue. The first entry can be frightening - but I remember one occasion, when we did it with the fantastic backing of concerto koeln: moments before the dux the conductor had lifted the tempo to "f...ing fast" and we all thought "Uh-oh.. ". But it gave us all an extra shot of excitement and we even managed to build up some sort of stretta to the end (shoutout to our brilliant trumpeters). One of many highlights in that Mass!
nice to hear such inside stories... please tell more :)
What a great story. Thanks for sharing.
Bach's Little Fugue in G minor will always be my favorite fugue. The part (kind of in the middle) where the pedal takes the theme with the tremolo above always gives me crazy goosebumps.
That's a great one but also check out the "great" one in G Minor!
@@eameece Thank you! I always forget how much I like "The Great". My best memory of it, is walking into St Paul's in London, and someone was practicing it on the organ! Talk about goosebumps!!
I mostly do agree with you about the choice you made, but I have other great contrapuntal masterpieces I would prefer:
- for Bach, the triple Fugue in E flat major BWV 552
- for Beethoven, definitely the Grosse Füge Op 133, but also the finale of 3rd symphony
- for Mahler, the 3rd movement of 9th Symphony (Rondo Burleske)
- and I would add the last movement of fifth Bruckner's symphony...
I would add Libera me from Verdi's Requiem.
I'd also add:
- For Bach you could go on all day (The Art of the Fugue, Goldbergs, Welltempered Klavier, Cantatas...etc)
-Not aware of any real fugues Monteverdi wrote but he wrote some great counterpoint in the Vespers.
- Not a huge fan of Handel's Messiah but the Amen fugue at the end is pretty awesome though.
-for Beethoven: the two big fugues in the Missa Solemnis ( especially the Et Vitam Venturi Seculi double fugue), The 4th movement of the Hammerklavier, and that fugal section from the 2nd movement of the 3rd (perhaps it's a little short but great nonetheless.) plus some from the late sonatas and piano works
-Mozart: the guards duet in the magic flute, Cum Sancto Spiritu and the Hosanna from the C minor mass, fugue for 2 pianos K 426, probably more but can't think of any right now.
-I'd add fugues from Brahm's German Requiem ( movts 2,3,6), The fugue at the end of Mendelsohn's Elijah is pretty epic ( he wrote some good stand alone ones too.) Also there are some good Schubert Organ fugues.
For all counterpoint fans, I really recommend you Masamichi Amano's music. That right man has some of the best counterpoint skills of all contemporary composers
In the realm of film music, I'm extremely fond of Bronislau Kaper's unused "Ant Fugue" segment written for the score of the classic big-bug movie THEM.
Knowing that it was too highbrow for the film and would almost certain be cut, he still went ahead and wrote it, stating later "Sometime you get ambitious."
So freaking awesome! Great breakdown!!!!
I was with Robert Shaw when we (he) recorded Mahler VIII....unbelievable experience - #fugueforalltime !!!
WOW! That recording was the first Mahler symphony I ever heard, and I can't describe how much joy 17 year old me experienced from listening. Thank you for your performance!
@@Calantha42 well, that's awesome!!!! It was an incredible privilege to work with Maestro Shaw...an absolute privilege ❤
5:26
I was jumping up and down in my chair
well done!!
great video
Oscar: "I could have even gone with Liszt. I know that some of you would have"
Me: sips tea trying to look innocent
Been loving the fugues in the finales of some of Haydn's Op. 20 quartets, specifically No's 2 and 6
I love the Hohe Messe
It's a masterpiece and great example of a good counterpoint.
Love your enthusiasm! And your knowledge. And your shining eyes. And the MUSIC!!!
Thank you for introducing me to Mahler's 8th, I found the legendary Solti recording because of this video randomly popping into my recommended. I rarely listen to anything other than 20th century piano concerti and 19th-21st century virtuoso solo piano works, Solti's recording of Mahler's 8th absolutely blew me away.
Lay ppl like me just listen for the wonder and beauty of the music. Musically trained ppl obviously appreciate music on so much deeper of a level than I can see, and observe things going on in the music that I just wouldn't notice. Having said that, my favorite piece of counterpoint is Bach's concerto in D minor for 2 violins. Wow.
I just knew it'd be the double fugue from the last 10 minutes of part 1 of Mahler's 8th Symphony.
Have look at Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck's Fantasia Chromatica for keyboard (usually organ or harpsichord). It has a substantial fugal exposition in which there are both a counter-subject and counter-counter subject. Then, having done that, he continues presenting the same theme, fugally, but with a series of new countersubjects. Then the theme goes into augmentation, later diminution, finally double diminution. It's a real contrapuntal tour-de-force, but also really beautiful and dramatic.
How about talking us through the fugue that ends Verdi's Falstaff? Certainly brilliant and unexpected, but I suppose too that few would have expected a comic opera (or any opera) from Verdi's pen at this point - I think Verdi wrote this largely for himself, and fact he chose a comedy late in his career seems to me to be life affirming.
Yay! MAHLER!!! Thank you so much.
I'm sorry you missed to mention one of my favorite moments in Bach's "Cum Sancto Spiritu" from the b-minor mass." Not only do the harmonies get crazy and exciting it is because all of the sudden all the parts enter in stretto (Italian for stress)so instead of entering politely after another theme has ended they barge right in early. All of a sudden all the parts are singing "Cum Santo" maybe a few beats apart with trumpets blaring. I've seen several performances of the b-minor mass in the last few years (the last one just a couple of months ago) and it always brings "chills down my spine!"
Thanks for such clear examples of fuguing. After I like this video, RUclips likely will show me lots of videos about fugues that I did not know about.
Mahler's 8th is so powerful and that fugue is overwhelming seen live. I've seen the 8th performed 3x live, including the dress rehersal of Zubin Mehta's final performance as head of the LA Phil. Life changing.
Such amazing choices there, never even knew about Mahler's counterpoint use, so thank you so much for that heads-up.
The video we’ve all been waiting for !
Omg thank you for admitting you don’t like the same pieces from day to day... makes me feel better about my fickle ways.
God, I never thought I would give a like to a video on Counterpoint, but you deserved it with this one. 🤯
I love the way you present this subject.
I'd have a real hard time ever arguing with you about music. Grade 1 composers and Grade one pieces, these are the fine dining of music. Tiny point, I think that Mahlers ultimate pieces where he flips the bird at people complaining about his counterpoint is the 3rd movement of the 9th symphony where he crushed all complaining into powder. Other worldly pieces that no one has come close to challenging for more than a century. Very nice video! Bravo!
Ooo, you should have included the Credo from Beethoven's Missa Solemnis (everyone who has sung it just refers to it as "THAT section of the Credo...") where he triples (quadruples?) the tempo on the singers which has earned that movement the description of "borderline unsingable."
Go Mahler!!!!
Beethoven Allegretto. There’s something so dark from this piece lapse that is beautiful and a lonely longing. Just beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Yes, yes, yes! Bach mass in si minor and mahler 8º by Solti is by far the MUSIC i have listened and enjoyed the most! I do know what I am going to listen tomorrow morning.......thanks for sharing your "feelings".......
The editing is quite nice as well!
Love it! A day of Bach, Beethoven, and Mahler is a good day.
The Cui Tollis in the Bach Mass in B Minor is simply one of the most superb things ever written -- a gateway straight to God.
Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor. I have no words. It cannot be played too loudly.
I have that same Mahler box set over your left shoulder. Incredible stuff.
You’ve certainly raised my appetite for Mahler’s 8th now🥳. Thank you!
The Ernest Bloch fugue in his Concerto grosso is something else.
I just realized that Ive been doing that exact same finger flick thing when the trumpets “blaze” too lol
appreciate the effort you put into the editing 👍
The fugue in the final movement of Verdi's Requiem is one of my favorites.
Really loved your explanation and enthusiasm!!! First video I saw of yours, and loved it! Greetings from Mexico
This is brilliant. I learned a lot and I love your enthusiasm and knowledge.
Dude, these are probably the three examples I would have picked. By the end of it, I was like: "awww, yeah, this list could only get better if he picks Mahler's 8th for the last example," and the rest is history.
Really enjoying the new frequent uploads 😊!! More tips about composition would be great. Thanks again for the great videos!
Love your enthusiasm!