... the musical world after his death. The piano is perhaps the most common music in all of music. Its versatility and ease-of- use makes it the ideal instrument for composition and performance. However, before Beethoven's time, the piano was considered a means of intimate performance. Beethoven holds a significant place in the development of this monumental instrument. Piano was formerly used solely for chamber music ... some credit Beethoven's innovative choral capabilities to his deafness. This theory argues that Beethoven was not imprisoned by the limitations of hearing and sound. Without...

• Word Count: 1305
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography

... left hand of the piano and the right hand of the piano, but also the left hand of the piano and the violin. With a gradual crescendo, the volume increases picking up momentum and still the accompaniment is kept clear and transparent so the tender melody is heard. The second theme enters stately and noble though while descending down a minor scale seems humbled as the notes become slower ... lower until a full cadence. The next phrase begins the third theme with staccato notes played 2 against three creating a jumpy syncopated rhythm. Glances of the melodies prior appear in the notes playe...

• Word Count: 602
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... in the opposite direction. Romantic melodies tended to be more lyrical and expressive and could be repeated many times throughout an entire piece. Other melody trends were the use of one single unbroken rhythmic pattern. The obvious trends in Rhythm were freedom and flexibility. Cross rhythms were popular as well as simple subdivisions against irregular subdivisions (duplets against ... triplets and so on). Chopin often used this technique in his piano music with the numerous notes for the right-hand against a steady accompaniment for the left-hand. Rhythms were generally "Stylized dance...

• Word Count: 4114
• Approx Pages: 16
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... in the opposite direction. Romantic melodies tended to be more lyrical and expressive and could be repeated many times throughout an entire piece. Other melody trends were the use of one single unbroken rhythmic pattern. The obvious trends in Rhythm were freedom and flexibility. Cross rhythms were popular as well as simple subdivisions against irregular subdivisions (duplets against ... triplets and so on). Chopin often used this technique in his piano music with the numerous notes for the right-hand against a steady accompaniment for the left-hand. Rhythms were generally "Stylized dance...

• Word Count: 4114
• Approx Pages: 16
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... frantic. Within twenty measures it faded to pianissimo. During the entire piece, the dynamics ranged in and out of this spectrum. The tone color of the "cello was sharp, flighty, and eclectic while the piano represented tonal characteristics of power, joy, grace, and sorrow. The pitch of the number varied from soprano to bass although it stayed mostly in the baritone register. It was measured ... "cello would imitate each other in a counterpoint fashion. It seemed as though at times the "cello would command the piano and vice versa. The texture was definitely homophonic because of this....

• Word Count: 365
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... her speech slowly began to improve, although it remained hesitant for years It did not take Frederick long to notice that Clara's piano playing, even at the age of five, was unusually accomplished. If she heard a short piece played only once, she could repeat it without ever seeing the written ... not only talented; she was also obedient and eager to please. Unfortunately, at the same time that Clara was discovering her voice at the piano, her parents" marriage was falling apart. Frederick's ranting and raving, his constant demands, and his rigid attitudes forced Marianne to realize tha...

• Word Count: 2113
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the German Romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776-1822) can seamlessly collide in their finest works. Schumann and Hoffmann were linked in many aspects of life including their shared passion for both literature and music, and in their eccentric and slight bipolar personalities - The similarities in their Romantic ... they expressed themselves through art form was uncanny. This is found to be most evident in Schumann's piano song cycle, Kreisleriana, and in E.T.A. Hoffman's novel, Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr for numerous reasons. Perhaps the biggest and most notable similarity b...

• Word Count: 1593
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... 1833. His father, a musician himself, introduced him to the world of music at a very young age. Brahms never showed the impressive characteristic of Mozart, but he was unusually talented, mastering the violin, cello and piano by the age of 10. As a teenager, he began studying composition, and while still in ... composing the "German Requien" (premiere in 1869) and his orchestral variations on a Theme by Haydn (1873). The experience and familiarity of the different popular styles he acquired from his previous jobs, the conservative tastes influenced upon him by German music teacher Eduar...

• Word Count: 940
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate