em20171-blog

[em20171-blog]

Europe Blog Post #5 (Eean McNaughton)

Alphorn Maker

Something interesting that I learned about the alphorn from our visit to the alphorn maker that was not taught in our class during the term was that how similar the alphorn is to the didgeridoo in terms of how it is made and for the instrument purposes. Also what type of wood is typically used for making alphorns and how over the years, the wood types increased to what could be used.

What interested me in how alphorns are created is how now they have connected parts, making the alphorn a travel-easy instrument. Another is the machine that the alphorn maker used to hollow out the wood that he would later use to construct the alphorn. Another is how many alphorns he can make in a year, which I believe he said was 60.

I didn’t get to play the alphorn outside, but I would say that I would have been different if I played because of the scenery and the background of the Alps. We weren’t be playing in a room where what was being played in the alphorn was amplified, so it was cool to hear the alphorn being played in an open area. I think it would have been cooler to play on a hill or something with a better view of the mountains in the background, but we played with what we got.

I really didn’t encounter music that much in our time in Interlaken. There were street performers, an organ was played in the cathedral in Bern, and there were two alphorns from Unspunnen, but besides for that and the trip to the Alphorn maker, music didn’t show up too much.

I think that tourism really shines a big light on the alphorn and its importance to the culture of Switzerland. A lot of tourists really want to see the alphorn played in the mountains, and I think because of that, you get to see more opportunities to see the alphorn being played in the mountains from time to time. But other than that, you really aren’t seeing the alphorn being played elsewhere.

[em20171-blog]

Europe Blog Post #3 (Eean McNaughton)

Tannhauser Opera

There are some issues with how opera houses were created back in the 19th century. There were acoustics complaints, in which there was you could only hear the actors or the orchestra. Another is more geared towards seating, in which you could be sitting near across from those who were in a higher social class of you, which promoted the separation of class. Wagner did not like this idea, and made his opera houses so that all social classes would experience his works together. I think this shows up in sports a lot. You have seats where you can’t see the whole arena, court, field etc. Also there is the possibility that you could be sitting across from or next to those in suites or court side seating that symbolize their wealth. You tend to see Wagner’s ideal seating arrangement schematic in movie theatres and, to be broad, American genre music concerts, such as pop, rock, rap, etc. People of all social classes experience the event as the same, whether it be this type of concert or a movie in a theatre in which the seats curve or surround the state or screen.

I think that it would have been cool to see Tannhauser with a more traditional setting, some of which we saw in the Wagner museum during our time in Nuremburg. However, the avant garde approach to the play was interesting and enjoyable. It helps the audience member appreciate the music, the actors, and the opera itself much more than you would with the traditional settings of Tannhauser. I think that this change in how the opera is played allows for more interpretation of Tannhauser by the audience member that could be guided by the setting, but with a set color or simple background textures, much more can be imagined by the audience.

I believe that the reason why Wagner and King Ludwig II were able to hit it off so well was because they were both men of elegance, fancy things, and an appreciation for the arts. And with this, castles and opera houses were created to the liking of themselves. It could have been cool to see the opera houses while we were in Bayreuth, but the opera houses were closed. However, from the castles and their links towards Wagner, there was a clear connection on arts and elegance between the two figures.

I really enjoyed the actresses and actors. All had great voices and acted well. I thought that this version of Tannhauser really tried to get the message across about love and how valuable and fragile it can be, but as well as the life choices that you can make that can affect how fragile love can be. I was expecting a lot of clapping and bowing at the end of the opera, but not at the amount that happened at the end. This goes with the bowing as well. Venus was definitely leading the majority of the bows by the main cast, even though her role is small in the opera. Going off of Venus, I really wish I could have experienced more of the Venus costume blob that everyone was talking about during the intermissions. It is a very interesting and what could be considered very modern version of the character Venus in Tannhauser.

[em20171-blog]

Europe Blog Post #4 (Eean McNaughton)

Salzburg and Mozart

First of all, I did not get the opportunity to try the Mozart Kugels that you had mentioned (unless you mean the Mozart Balls, then I did). I really enjoyed the Mozart House. It was interesting to see into the life of his sons and family around him, since we all usually focus on the life of Mozart. Mozart did have children and was a parent, but his children never got had kids, so there are no living descendants of Mozart, direct or indirectly related to him.

There were a lot of interesting letters at the Mozart House from the family. I think the most interesting thing that I had to consider with the letters that Mozart had written was that the arch bishop was reading these letters before they were sent out. The most interesting letter that I read was a more personal one that was written to his wife. He discusses his love for her and gets very deep and descriptive of his love for her, which is something that I had never learned about Mozart. Something else that I had learned from the letters was how much Mozart appreciated his sister and her talents on the piano.

I really don’t think that the letters at the museum will change the way people think about the fame of Mozart that much. I think that the letters give a better insight on the life of Mozart, especially with his time in Salzburg. It was clear that he wasn’t treated well enough in Salzburg and that he seek a “higher”, more upper social class audience for his talents. The letters give more insight to the relationships he had with his family, his peers, those he worked and performed for, his wife, etc. His story stays the same, just more information is added.

I really enjoyed the dinner at the castle and the concert in some fashion. It was interesting to experience having a meal inside a castle where royalty probably once ate in. The views from the castle were amazing and I loved experiencing them. I thought that the two pieces in the first half of the concert were interesting, as the first one sounded like a Messiaen piece in a way. It is really hard for me to pick one piece from the whole concert, so I will say that the whole second half of the concert was my favorite part of the concert. I really liked the tone and melodies that all the pieces had. They were very joyful, emotional, and playful. Hearing the first movement of Eine Kleine Nacht was amazing to hear live.

I think that the big difference, which I believe the whole class may agree with me on this one, is that the crowd isn’t so called “concert experienced”, in which they have never been to a formal concert where you are supposed to clap at certain times during the concert. There is no photography or videotaping of the concert, breaking glass, you are not supposed to leave the concert after the first intermission, etc. I can see why Mozart would want to leave Salzburg for something much bigger for the music scene during his life. Salzburg wasn’t really the best place to be for music, if the never had an established orchestra or music scene at that point. I wouldn’t think of Mozart to be quite satisfied with his life in Salzburg, realizing that with his talents and his bright future, he would need a bigger city and a bigger music scene to accomplish his dreams.

w

[em20171-blog]

Europe Blog Post #2 (Eean McNaughton)

Nuremberg and Richard Wagner

The most interesting instrument that I saw in the Music Instrument exhibition at the German National Museum was the Hurty Gerty. I had never seen nor had ever heard of this instrument before seeing it in the exhibit. What fascinated me was the story that the tour guide gave about the instrument, what it was used for, how currency was involved with the instrument, but I was more intrigued by how it was played, with the turn handle in the front of the instrument and as well, the pedals that were on the sides as well.

Science and music definitely did collide in the music instrument exhibit. You could see a change in the shape of our most popular instruments to date, such as piano, violin, and trumpet. These instruments changed sizes to account for a change in tonality, sound, or the capability to play different or more notes. Science influences this with how instruments make sound, by which are controlled by design, holes, buttons, or strings that can control a vibration, each different from each other. The change in instrument design and how that is caused did intrigue my interest as a scientist, but more so as an historian, being able to see a various collection that showed the evolution of instruments over time. This also goes with culture as well. You can see a change in culture over time as instruments evolve into what we consider what their modern form to be. We desire new sounds, appearances, styles of music, etc., and instruments change to fill the need in our society. Like I said earlier, this aspect of the exhibit intrigued me more as a historian than a scientist since you can see so many primal forms of our most popular instruments and how they evolve into what we use today.

Going through the Wagner house and seeing and listening to what was in the house, my opinion on the Wagner family and their relationships and ties to the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler definitely grew. The house had no issue showing the history of their ties to the Nazi Party and how they either supported the party, such as some members did and also took part in the party’s activities. It was interesting to hear that a Wagner family member actually fled to America because of their distrust and disagreement with what the party is doing. From hearing all of the ties that I had no idea about definitely grew my opinion on the Wagner family. I wasn't really surprised at all on Hitler’s first reaction to hearing Wagner’s music for the first time. I knew that Hitler would love Wagner’s music from the start, from what I remember from the listening. The fact that Wagner’s music is heavily tied to Antisemitism would attract Hitler easily.

It was weird being in a house that Hitler was a guest at frequently. I could rap my hear around the fact once I hear more about the family and their ties to the Nazi Party and how close he actually was to the Nazi Party. That fact was interesting and it was interesting to hear how close his tie was to the family. I never got the opportunity to see Wagner’s grave site while we were there, and I apologize for that. But from what I could remember from the documentary that we watched in class and pictures online, I got the feeling that Wagner wanted to be remembered well and the green scenery, the giant shiny tomb, as well as the bushes around his grave show that he was a man of great status and successes and wanted to be remembered of that. However, I also do feel that he doesn't quite deserve such a burial because of his views on Antisemitism.

[em20171-blog]

Europe Blog Post #1 (Eean McNaughton)

Moonlight Sonata Concert in Bonn, Germany

The Beethoven house was very interesting and entertaining, so it is easy to say that my expectations were met. I was expecting to know some facts of Beethoven’s life, but more would be given by a tour through the house. The artifacts were really interesting and I really enjoyed seeing the painting that we all have seen from his Wikipedia page or from a Google search. The concert itself exceeded expectations. I really enjoyed the first six dance songs as well as the Moonlight Sonata itself. Hearing it from a piano from that time, or at least styled from that time was interesting as well.

From the concert, it was interesting listening to the dance songs before the Moonlight Sonata. I had no clue that they existed, and from that, listening to them was a different experience in the fact that it sounded differently than any of the more popular of Beethoven’s works. With the Moonlight Sonata itself, it sounded better than any of the recordings that you could find online.

Going off of before, hearing the Moonlight Sonata sounded better than it did in the recording. There are many possibilities because of this. One is because it is played on a piano that was originated from that time.  Another is that the piece is meant to be played live, like any of the pieces we have listened to in the class. The notes simply just sounded better live than they did in the recordings. In terms of the interpretation of the Moonlight Sonata, I thought that I worked well. The piece was well performed by the pianist, and what he played sounded better than the recordings.

As all of the works released before the creation of the modern piano, they were meant to be played on pianos from their respective times. In the case of the Moonlight Sonata that was played on Friday, the piece definitely sounded better on the piano originated from 1824 than it does on a modern piano. From what I could tell, the pedals on the piano allowed for the pianist to create a much more organic sound in what the piece would had sounded like back in the 19th century. This goes with the keys on the 19th century piano and the notes that they were meant to play.

Because of this, it influences how someone would play the Moonlight Sonata on a modern piano because the modern piano has a various amount of notes that it can possibly play, but also doesn’t have the same pedals that the 19th century piano would have. The pianist has to adjust to how to play the piece, using a different combination of notes to create the authentic sound, or at least, realistic sound of the Moonlight Sonata.

[em20171-blog]

Listening Assignment #5 (Eean McNaughton)

Richard Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony

The listener is going to expect a continuous piece that exemplifies the climbs up the Alps. The piece will show the danger, risks, and problems that comes with climbing the mountain, but as well as the joys from start to ascension to the top. Over 100 musicians display the beauty of the scenery that the Alps creates, but as well depict when the climb goes wrong and when danger is ahead.

The French Horn player tells the listener to expect Strauss’s view of the Alps, as he viewed it to be. Strauss, in his mind, how to use the orchestra perfectly, using the right about of strings and using different types of horns to show his view of the climb up the Alps, where Strauss grew up.

Here are my best guesses for the start of each part of the symphony:

Nacht (0:10)

Sonnenaufgang (3:10)

Der Anstieg (5:16)

Eintritt in den Wald (9:04)

Wanderung neben dem Bache (10:45)

Am Wasserfall (12:40)

Erscheinung (14:35)

Auf blumigen Wiesen (14:50)

Auf der Alm (16:53)

Durch Dickicht und Gestrupp auf Irrwegen (19:38)

Auf den Gletscher (21:20)

Gefahvolle Augenblicke (22:45)

Auf dem Gipfel (24:21)

Vision (28:50)

Nebel steigen auf (29:22)

Die Sonne verdustert sich allmahlich (30:54)

Elegie (32:40)

Stille vor dem Sturm (37:17)

Gewitter und Sturm, Abstieg (39:53)

Sonnenuntergang (46:53)

Ausklang (52:20)

Nacht (53:40)

[em20171-blog]

Blog Post #20 (Eean McNaughton)

Appreciating Music While in the Alps Region

I think that I will appreciate all of the events that we will see that have a musical tie to them. Each of them has their own special part about them. The Beethoven and Mozart concerts will be a lot of fun to attend as Beethoven is my favorite composer and hopefully they play the Midnight Sonata. Being able to hear the Mozart concert in the castle will be a lot of fun. Although the Wagner Tannhauser opera will be long, I think that it will be a fun and interesting experience, and it would be something to tell my parents I did. If the Alphorn concert does happen, that will be something interesting to see, especially since it will be in Switzerland, well most likely. I will especially be interested in seeing the Clock Glockenspiel because I like to see the cultural parts of any famous city. And being able to listen to the instruments that are over 500 years old would be something fun to listen to as well.

[em20171-blog]

Blog Post #19 (Eean McNaughton)

Alphorns in Class

I thought that being able to play the alphorn was very interesting and a lot of fun to do. I thought that it was also fun to listen to others play as well, being able to appreciate the artistic abilities of our classmates. I would say that we all discovered some ability to play a brass instrument at some level. I was quite surprised that I was able to play such high notes, especially on the alphorn. I always assumed that the alphorn played generally low notes. When I played the alphorn, it did not sound quite like it does in some of the pieces that we have listened to lately as it sounded similar to any brass instrument. This could have been because two alphorns were playing at the same time.

[em20171-blog]

Blog Post #18 (Eean McNaughton

The Alphorn and Imitations

Three sources that the author uses to develop a history of the alphorn is the Roman mosaic, the Old Testament, and an English nursery rhyme.

The author’s reasoning for the fact that the alphorn and the string instruments just do not mesh together is that the harmonic series for the alphorn is slightly lower than normal because of the limited range of notes that the alphorn can make. The key note that the alphorn plays in the third movement is fa. With all of this, the strings now have to meet the notes that alphorn is making, which isn’t normal. Yes I did hear it and I do agree that they do not mesh together. The strings are now playing louder notes instead of what they should be playing in context of the song, which makes the song sound darker than it should be. Since I still struggle with this, but either the pitch that the strings played had to have been a 7 on the harmonic series, in my best guess. Mozart, his father Leopold that is, had the strings mimic the “strange note”.

After Napoleon was overthrown in 1805, Niklaus von Mulinen, the governor of the canon of Bern, created the Unspunnen Festival near Unspunnen Castle in hopes to unite the people of the Swiss Confederation. More than 3,000 people showed up to the festival. Because of the festival, the alphorn became a symbol of Swiss culture as more and more alphorn players continued to show up to festival in its following years.

The instruments that is playing the alphorn calls are the English horn and an orchestral horn. The echo in Berloiz’s piece is made by an offstage oboe. I really do not think that this does not sound like an alphorn because the alphorn has a distinct sound that cannot be replicated, in my view, which makes the instrument much more iconic in its own way.

I think that Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde is similar in this way as well. The English Horn is used in this as well as oboe if I am correct on this. But still, the Alphorn is an iconic sound and has a certain sound that combines with the note being played by the musician that cannot be replicated.

I think that the Strauss piece for the alphorn does have meaning after reading it and then listening to it again. The opening of the French Horn and then the lyrics, which is a basic story-telling layout in songs, shows the intent of the song, which was to show the cultural importance of the alphorn and I think that this piece does that.

In the Alpine Symphony, Strauss used horns and cowbells to imitate the melody of the alphorn. The message that I get from the music is the beauty of the pasture. Open fields, green grass, animals roaming around. Basically the first few shots of the Shire in the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.

From all of the pieces that I listened to in this blog post, I would say that the French Horn has a close resemblance towards the alphorn in terms of sound. This is probably because it can play higher notes than the English Horn, assuming that it can and does of course. The English Horn sounded a bit louder than the alphorn usually sounds like, meaning that the English Horn plays much lower than the alphorn, from what I have listened to at least.

[em20171-blog]

Blog Post #17 (Eean McNaughton)

The Alphorn and Modern Music

There really isn’t much that I know on the alphorn. Well, obviously it is a horn, and it has the origins from the Alps, when you can decipher its name. I know that it really isn’t anything similar to a modern horn, in which there isn’t any pitch adjustments with the alphorn, it is simply that you blow what note you want into the horn and it projects the note you played. In terms of stereotypes, I tend to associate the alphorn with many fictional medieval franchises, as these horns were used to warn their homeland of invading troops. In real life, the only other stereotype that I can think of is that it is typically associated with mountainous regions. Otherwise, I really cannot think of any other stereotypes.

I think that this article from the Wall Street Journal really goes off of the stereotype that the alphorn is a boring instrument to play and debunks it. The alphorn is a traditional instrument with many guideline to playing it in social settings. The instrument is usually wooden, but versions of the alphorn have been made with carbon fiber, which makes is lighter and easier to carry around, with helps musicians that want to play this instrument on tour. Lately in the music society, musicians have started to use the alphorn to play different types of music, such as jazz and rock and roll, which hasn’t really been done, and more and more musicians are picking up on this.

The first video used the alphorn with the scenery to represent Switzerland in a Swiss brand medicine. The second video showed an alphorn performance near the mountains in Switzerland in front of an audience. The third video showed a band play what seems to be a culture based song featuring the alphorn. The fourth video was the first video of two by Eliana Burki. The first video Le Notti di Luna played a little of the alphorn in the beginning, but showed the alphorn many times throughout the music video. The second of the two is Vacuum Funk, which played more of the alphorn. With all of these videos, I thought that it was nice to see the commercial, as it shows the culture of Switzerland. The second video shows the typical alphorn concert of Switzerland, which was nice to see. I really appreciated the last three videos. Hearing what sounded like a cultural Swiss song was nice to hear and see. Out of the two Burki songs, I really liked Vacuum Funk the most, as the alphorn was played more and the modern sound to it was interesting to hear.

[em20171-blog]

Blog Post #16 (Eean McNaughton)

Continuing our Discussion

I think that they should be performed for archived purposes. I would be right for us as people to listen to these pieces and listen to how those who suffered through the Holocaust. I think that these works should be recorded so that we can study them and appreciate them as well. In order to perform these pieces, you need to know how these pieces were intended to be performed, and once that is figured out, these pieces can and should be performed. I think that authenticity is important when it comes to these works since they were not properly archived after WWII. So checking journals, interviews, talking to family members may help with making sure that these pieces are authentic as possible.

I think that there is value to playing these works. You can have a greater understanding of what these pieces mean and what these musicians went through when creating these pieces. I think that this is a good way to remember those who suffered through the Holocaust because you gain a better understanding of what these people went through.

In Germany today, I think that it is interesting it be a musician. Germany has a long history of having famous musicians, and I think that there is more pressure on Germans to create good music after the shift of music went to America after WWII. Also, I think that there is some sort of pressure to create nationalistic music in Germany as well, as these pieces are well known from Germany.

In the OperaFolks article, it discusses how you have to take any solo opportunity you can take if you want to become an opera singer, and with that, it shows that it is competitive to become one and the chances of doing so are slim. With the article from the University of Indiana, it is interesting that they cap the age at 35, wanting young minds and young artists who have accomplished a lot, and not those who can be much more experienced at an older age who may be trying to accomplish their dreams.

[em20171-blog]

Listening Assignment #4

Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time

Movement 1: The first movement, Crystal Liturgy, all four musicians are playing. The movement sounded similar to an opening to a science fiction movie set in the jungle. The music presents a very mysterious, haunting sort of tone, but also brings in an aspect of nature to it as well.

Movement 2: The second movement, Vocalise, for the Angel Announcing the End of Time, all four musicians play in this part, at least in the beginning, but it is mainly the pianist, the violinist, and the cellist who play the majority of the movement. This movement had a more taut sound to it, very tense sound to it.

Movement 3: The third movement, The Abyss of the Birds, was a clarinetist’s solo movement. The movement continued the theme from the second movement, but then carried the sound of what sounded like two birds communicating with each other. The movement end with the theme set from the second movement. The Abyss of the Birds sounded like a conversation went wrong between a pair of birds.

Movement 4: The fourth movement, Interlude, was performed by the violinist, the cellist, and the clarinetist. The movement sounds very lively, sounded similar to the movements of animals in nature.

Movement 5: The fifth movement, Praise to the Eternity of Jesus, was played by mainly the cellist, but involved moments the pianist. The movement sounded very dark and sad, like if something horrible had happened to someone or something. The movement also keeps this theme going throughout.

Movement 6: The sixth movement, Dance of Wrath, for The Seven Trumpets, was played by all four musicians. The movement was synchronized in sound and rhythm, but the octaves were different of each instrument seemed to be different from each other. This helped the movement sound very upbeat, for the most part, but also follow the themes of the opening movements.

Movement 7: The seventh movement, Tangle of Rainbows, for the Angel Announcing the End of Time, is played by all four musicians. This movement sounded full of thrill and suspense, very dark, and had very rapid rhythm changes, which helped with suspense sound of the movement. The movement gradually gets louder and louder towards the end.

Movement 8: The eighth and final movement, In Praise of the Immortality of Jesus, is mostly played by the pianist and the violinist. The movement sounds very dark and sad, similar to that of the fifth movement, and it keeps this theme throughout the piece.

From what I heard in The Abyss of the Birds, it sounded very much like a pair of birds communicating to each other. In the reading that was assigned for Monday’s class, it sounds like Messiaen intended for this movement to be a dark movement. Listening to it again, I can see the dark appeal Messiaen wants in the movement, as it is shown early on. Later in the piece however, it contradicts this because the movement becomes upbeat. So I would personally say from this that the readings have some reflection on the piece, but forget to include the upbeat moment in the movement that really defines the movement as a set theme.

I would say that the artist really tries to portray the value, severity, and beauty that is life through the artwork. He paints three paintings going along with the music from the 7th movement of the quartet. I feel that each painting shows an aspect of life and nature, and with each piece, either dark or not, shows the beauty of life and that life should be appreciated for what it is, no matter what the lens of life is to a person, which I think is what Messiaen is getting at with the 7th movement, with the description of rainbows and volcanoes.

In the second video, in which the artist depicts the 8th and final movement of the quartet, continuing on from the previous movement, is the beauty of life. The artist takes the paintings from the previous video, and basically erases them with white paint. It shows how life can be taken away from you so quickly and that life should be valued and should not be taken for granted. There is some agreement with this and for what Messiaen intended the movement to represent. Messiaen had a religious intent with the 8th movement, representing the rising of Jesus and what that means to us as people, and in some way this does relate to what the artist is trying to represent. Both show the beauty of life, one through a religious aspect and in what the resurrection of Jesus means to the value of life itself.

After reading the material for Monday on this piece, and then listening to it, I thought that the piece was going to be much darker than it was. After listening to the Quartet for the End of Time, it seemed to a much lighter piece and reading some of what Messiaen intended for the music to represent did support this. Although this piece had its dark and suspenseful moments, it really does represent the true beauty of life.

[em20171-blog]

Blog Post #14 (Eean McNaughton)

The Quartet For The End of Time

The Quartet of the End of Time was created by four musicians, Olivier Messiaen, Etienne Pasquier, and Henri Akoka. Messiaen, Pasquier, and Akoka, all met during their service in the French Military during WWII.  Messiaen, a composer, Pasquier, a pianist, and Akoka, a cellist, met in Verdun near the end of France’s time in WWII, and The Quartet of the End of Time was created. Soon after, the German military captured all three musicians and sent them to an open field outside of Nancy, where work on the piece started to form, and continued on when they went to Stalag VIII, a POW camp in Germany.  A fourth part was added when they met Jean Le Boulaire, a violinist, and added a new dimension to the piece.  

The article goes into a lot of Stalag VIII and what went on in the POW camp. There was a lot of uncertainty with how the piece was created, whether it was created before or after the musician’s time in Stalag VIII. Another is how the piece was written, with the timeline on when Messiaen met Le Boulaire. The piece was a great need of a violinist, in which Messiaen thought was important for the quartet. The quartet was written for the three musicians, but the fourth piece was added later.

[em20171-blog]

Blog Post #13 (Eean McNaughton)

The Dachau Concentration Camp and Music

The Dachau Concentration camp opened up in March of 1933, three days after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Dachau, a small town consisted of a munitions factory, where the Nazis decided to open up a concentration camp for its political enemies, but once the Nazis started to invade surrounding countries, Jewish people started to come to Dachau and the Nazis found a clear example for what do with the Jewish people. Conditions were relatively good for the Jews, as they were given ample amounts of food and were able to play games during their work breaks, however, conditions worsened near the end of WWII, when Germany was on the brink of losing the war.

In terms of music, the Jews had some sense of musical freedom, being able to play their instruments or sing when they played in a formed orchestra on SS orders. The Jews were also able to sing before and after work voluntarily, but sang on SS orders. The Jews also sang to drown out the screams and noises of the camp. The music that the Jews had to play to the Germans were music that was more German Nationalistic music. What I found most interesting from all of this is that amount of music that went on in Dachau, as there were many genres of songs that were sung by the Jews, as well as many forms of music that were performed as well, but what most interesting is that the Jews tried to convince the SS guards to allow them to perform an orchestra concert to the rest of the inmates in Dachau, with shows that enthusiasm for music that the camp had.

[em20171-blog]

Blog Post #11/12 (Eean McNaughton)

Israel, Wagner, and German Composers during WWII

I think that audience does matter for music. In relevance, audience is what keeps certain genres going, keeps artists relevant so that they can create new music, and helps drive change in genres, which happened to the rock genre since its creation in the 50s-60s onward. In terms of Wagner, audience does matter. Wagner is one of the greatest composers of all time. His operas are very well recognized and well received, and he really tested the formatting of musical form as a composer and musician. However, his anti-Semitism does cloud his achievements and taints them in the eyes of many. His music is tied to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party during their time of power in Germany. With this, the audience drives how this music is viewed. For those who were affected by Wagner is some way, whether it be relatives who were in concentration camps during World War II, being Jewish, living in Israel and being Jewish, etc. Those who see Wagner as the great composer he is, the art that he created and what he did for music, testing boundaries in music during his time, will not see him for his views on the Jewish people and see him for his music. And for those who see Wagner in the lens of this anti-Semitic views, will see him for only that and will not listen to his music.

The articles by James R. Oestreich from the New York Times, Robert Levine from a Jewish blog, and Daniel Barenboim from his website, all take on this issue of Wagner and is music and the issue of the audience, particularly Israel and those in Israel who will not listen to Wagner because of his views on the Jewish people. With this topic, I can see the arguments that each author makes, in which they view Wagner for his musical achievements and not for his anti-Semitic views. I can also understand why those in Israel are not willing to perform his music. It is hard to ignore such a lens on someone’s music when it affects you, and when it was used by the Nazi Party. Although difficult, I can agree that Wagner’s music should be appreciated without this lens and I think that the willingness to ignore his music is doing a disservice to those who choose to ignore it.

When it comes to the survivors of the Holocaust and Wagner’s music, specifically in Israel, I think that you have to respect these people when through, even though, from what it seems from the Oestreich article and the Levine article, these survivors were not affected by the music as much as the traumatic experiences they had in the camps. This respect should be taken seriously, as they suffered from a hatred of people. However, there should be a push to allow Wagner’s music to be appreciated in Israel, to push away the anti-Semitic lens that has clouded his music, and has pushed those away from the greatness of Wagner’s creations in the field of music.

After reading the five articles that were on Wilhelm Fultwangler, Richard Strauss, Herbert von Karajan, Carl Orff, and Paul Hindelmith, I do see some parallels between these German composers. For the most part, all five composers had some tie to the Nazi Party, during their time in Germany, whether it be directly or indirectly. Fultwangler supported the Nazi Party the most, although he did not support the party’s views on anti-Semitism. I also saw that all five composers had issues with the party outside of their political views and also had repercussions for their so-called ties to the Nazi Party. I think that for collusion, the most acts committed were of Fultwangler, Hindelmith, Orff, Strauss, and von Karajan.

[em20171-blog]

Listening Assignment #3 (Eean McNaughton)

Wagner and the Middle Ages

In the first video, the choreography of the dancers was much darker in my view. I feel that there was a darker, emotional, feeling trying to be portrayed by the dancers that corresponds with the music. I think that the setting also played a role in this view as well with darker colors with netting and other props in the background as well as costumes. In the second video, I thought that, although still dark with less lighting than the first one, the second video and its choreography was much lighter, and displayed a much true sadness than the first movie did in terms of emotion. The setting also plays a part in this as there are lighter colors in the scene as well.

The first video, Act I Scene II, was about Tannhauser and Venus. Tannhauser wants to be let go from Venus and leave, but Venus seems to be hesitant to do so. Tannhauser realizes his love for Elizabeth before and wants to pursue it, but Venus is in his way and he needs to let go of his “sin”. The second video, Act II Scene I, is about Elizabeth and her love for Tannhauser. The third video, a scene from Act III, is about Tannauser after he finds out about the death of Elizabeth, which is my best guess due to the scenery, the sound from the music and vocals, and the acting.

When it comes to the story, the music does seem to fit the opera well. For the story being told about love, timing between people, and realizing when it is too late, the music fits well, as it reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, but different. As this is set in somewhere around the Middle Ages, the music fits perfectly around then. The older style of music is able to help the vocalists/actors with the story. The music of the three scenes fits well with the emotion of the scenes being portrayed, as there are story arcs with stories like these (Incident appears, midpoint, climax, etc.). And Tannhauser is carrying around a harp, which gives sign that the music is supposed to match the story.

[em20171-blog]

Blog Post #11 (Eean McNaughton)

Richard Wagner and the Curtain

From the documentary, Wagner & Me, hosted by Stephen Fry, goes into the musical career of Richard Wagner, in which the documentary argues to be the most important composer of the 19th century. Throughout the documentary, they discuss each step of his career, with the argument that Richard Wagner was misrepresented as a musician, as his music is clouded by anti-Semitism and Adolf Hitler and his love for Wagner’s music because of it. What I think is an interesting claim that the documentary makes is that the places that Wagner visits influenced him a lot as a person and in his music.

The documentary shows a lot of the places that we will be going to while we are in Germany, most of them in Bayreuth. The Margravial Opera House, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, both in Bayreuth. The Nazi Party Rally Grounds, and the Neuschwanstein Castle. In no surprise, all these places have a tie to Wagner in some way. Opera House attracted Wagner as a place to perform his music, and he sought to build the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth for his performances as well. As Adolf Hitler was a big fam of Wagner, both as his views on the Jewish people, but as well for his music, Hitler played Wagner’s music at the Nazi Party Rally Grounds when the party had gatherings at the rally grounds. And with the Neuschwanstein, we visit there while we are in Munich, and although there isn’t much of a straight connection between Wagner and the castle, however, there is a symbolistic connection between Wagner, and King Ludwig II, which helped Wagner rise in Germany after his exile from Germany.

The documentary goes a lot into Wagner as a person. The argument is made that Wagner needed something that he could hate and something that could ignite him to create the music that would make him famous. With the historical anti-Semitism in Germany, Wagner developed and had a hatred for the Jewish people before his rise to fame, which led to his exile from Germany. But the claim itself that Wagner needed a fire under his belly to create the music he did is an interesting claim to make. What is also interesting from the documentary is how much Wagner had to work in order to pay off his debt from his music, so he traveled around Europe as a conductor to pay off his debt. Also with the construction of the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, it is revealed that King Ludwig II did not invest enough to pay for the whole construction of the Festspielhaus, so some private investors helped pay for the construction. In whole, the documentary does a good job of showing Richard Wagner’s path towards greatness and how his music and his story is behind the curtain is the anti-Semitism and Adolf Hitler.