#(it was allegro in g major)

[mydemonsdrivealimo]

i just need someone to be as fucking obsessed w music as i am so i can tell them about all the fucking wild scenes that play out in my head as I listen to it

[tfotaandstuff]

me: i love all my piano pieces equally. there's fantasy bossa, sonatina in a minor, running around, leafy sea dragon, and *squints at smudged writing on hand* ...aria?

[haveyouheardthisband]

[gasparodasalo]

Christoph Graupner (1683-1760) - Concerto for Flauto d'amore, Oboe d'amore, Viola d'amore, Strings and Basso continuo in G-Major, GWV 333, II. Allegro. Performed by Marcel Ponseele/Ensemble Il Gardellino on period instruments.

[myargalargan]

A Classical Polinalysis: Ep. 1

Alright, here's the first in the series of episode-by-episode analyses I mentioned when I shared the playlist I made of all the Classical pieces used in Bridgerton season 3!

The tracks on the playlist are all in order of when they appear in the show, and here are all the pieces that were used in episode 1:

Mozart’s Kleiner Trauermarsch ("Little Funeral March") in C minor, K. 453a

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1: IV. Allegro 

Haydn’s String Quartet No. 43 in G Major, Op. 54, "Tost", No. 1, Hob.III:58: III. Menuetto. Allegretto 

Scarlatti’s Sonata in G Major, K. 259, L. 103 

Mozart’s String Quartet No. 16 in E-Flat Major, Op. 10, “Haydn”, No. 3, K. 428/421b: IV. Allegro vivace 

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 18, No. 2: III. Scherzo. Allegro 

Haydn’s String Quartet No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 1, No. 1, Hob. III.1, “La chasse”: I. Presto 

Haydn’s String Quartet No. 30 in E-Flat Major, Op. 33, No. 2, Hob. III:38, “The Joke”: IV. Presto

As I was looking into all of these, I started to see a bit of a theme emerge, and that theme is…

It started when I identified that the music playing in the background after Penelope flees Lady Danbury’s ball is a string quartet nicknamed “The Joke.” But then I started seeing how more and more pieces were falling into the pattern. The use of a scherzo (the Italian word for “joke”) from one of Beethoven’s quartets. Music reviewers describing the sense of humor in Haydn’s quartets. Even the funeral march Francesca plays at the start of the episode is kinda tongue-in-cheek! 

So what's so noteworthy (hah) about this theme…?

Well, let’s get into it… 😏

The first Classical piece we hear, Benedict very helpfully identifies for us: it’s Mozart’s “Funeral March,” which Francesca is playing just before her debut into society. And this of course is meant to be ironic, Francesca acting nonchalant about the whole event while drowning out the calls for her attention as she pounds out some intensely dour tunes—the musical version of the “this is fine” meme. But even taken by itself, without the context of this scene, the “Funeral March” is something of a joke. The full title is “Kleiner Trauermarsch” or “Little Funeral March”—a reference to the brevity of the piece but which also makes it sound diminutive and cutesy and sort of takes the edge off the severity. And then it has a silly little subtitle of “Marche funebre del Sigr Maestro Contrappunto” or “Funeral March for Mr. Master Counterpoint” (where “counterpoint” refers to a musical technique of having two or more distinct melodic lines playing simultaneously—the “Funeral March” doesn’t make use of this technique, but Mozart often did, so there’s a theory that Mr. Master Counterpoint is a joking reference to himself). All this to say, Mozart’s “Little Funeral March” has been said to be a bit of a satire on the overall funeral march genre, so despite what would seem to be a heavy and melancholic piece of music, we get our first “joke” establishing our episode 1 theme. 

Next, we have a few pieces playing in the background of the garden party: Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 1 in F Major, which is playing while Colin flirts with the first set of ladies and as the Featheringtons arrive (and Colin seems to search for Pen while Pen watches him from afar); and Haydn’s String Quartet No. 43 in G Major, which plays while Francesca describes her ideal match to the other debutantes, and the Ladies Bridgerton discuss her and Eloise. 

The Beethoven quartet isn't known for being humorous; however, like much of the music used in this episode, I find that it has a jaunty, lilting quality reminiscent of tittering laughter. At the start of the piece, you can almost imagine the ladies of the ton giggling behind their hands and then, when the deeper strings come in, the heartier laughter of the gentlemen. Which is fitting, since this piece is also playing as Cressida first appears on the scene, fully intending to make some cruel quip about Penelope's appearance.

On another level, I really like this piece in the background of Colin’s obnoxious flirting because it’s one of Beethoven’s earliest string quartets (his second ever, despite being numbered first in the opus), and at the time, the string quartet was a very well-established musical form with highly-regarded masters. So Beethoven, still early in his career, was just starting to break into an already mature musical tradition and trying to make his mark there. Which, to me, has similar vibes as Colin returning home after his travels and trying so hard to be the man society expects him to be. 

The Haydn quartet, on the other hand, definitely fits into our “joke” theme. Haydn was seen as something of a musical humorist and prankster, and the way that comes through in Quartet No. 43 is with the irregular phrasing used in the third movement (which is the movement used in the episode)—the phrases are an uneven five measures long, rather than the more typical and predictable four. This movement is a minuet, and the minuet is supposed to be a dance movement, but due to the asymmetrical phrases, one review I read (from Hyperion records) noted “dance this music at your peril.” Which, granted, is a little extreme, but! Nevertheless, the sentiment conveys the prankiness of this piece pretty well.

(As a bonus, the piece that plays in the background when Colin and Pen finally do talk is called “Elegant Country House” by film composers David Arnold and Paul Hart. If you’re interested, you can find it here: https://open.spotify.com/track/5W99XxuEvJMbWW1HrvTYK4?si=019fef5f8fda4d61 It’s classical in style but is a contemporary piece so I didn’t put it on my playlist and or in this analysis.)

The next batch of joke-themed music occurs at Lady Danbury’s ball, but real quick before we get there, I just wanted to note that the Italian sheet music Francesca receives from Colin is Domenico Scarlatti’s Piano Sonata in G Major. (And even this piece has some tinkling passages that might bring bell-like laughter to mind.)

Now, onto the ball! 

As the Bridgertons enter, we hear the fourth movement of Mozart’s String Quartet No. 16 in E-Flat Major. This is a piece that continuously throws the listener for a loop. The beginning has these broken two-note gestures that give a sort of start-stop-start-stop feeling to the intro. Then, just as it jumps into a fast passage with a bunch of runs, the whole thing gets interrupted by the start-stop gestures again. Later, those two-note gestures come back, but even that pattern gets interrupted. The whole thing feels twisty and turny in a way that recalls that prankiness of the earlier Haydn quartet. (And, actually, this piece is the third of a set of six quartets that Mozart dedicated to Haydn, so it seems likely he was doing a bit of an homage to his mentor’s reputation as a musical jokester.)

Then, while Penelope tries (and fails spectacularly) to flirt with that group of dubious gentlemen, and while Eloise talks embroidery with her fellow debs, we have the third movement of Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 2 in G Major in the background. This is the scherzo movement, literally the joke movement. Scherzos are so-named because they were typically short, light, playful pieces of music, injecting a bit of levity and danciness in between more complex, dramatic, or emotional movements of a larger work. Although scherzos were a very common musical form at the time, they do not appear frequently on the Bridgerton soundtrack. In fact, I didn't see a single other scherzo used in season 3 even among the many string quartets that appear on the song list. So it feels remarkable in this context. 

Following this, we have Haydn’s String Quartet No. 1 in the background while the dudebros are asking Francesca what makes her “tick.” The thing I find interesting about this piece during this particular scene is that the quartet is nicknamed “La Chasse” or “The Chase,” and the sort of braying quality of the strings is reminiscent of hunting bugles. A bit of a sardonic metaphor for the marriage mart, perhaps… (Predator? Or prey?)

Then finally we have Haydn’s String Quartet No. 30 in E-Flat Major, “The Joke.” The piece earned this nickname because the final movement, which is what's used in the show, has several fake-out endings, where a musical line will conclude, there's a pause long enough for the audience to think they should start to applaud, and then the music starts back up again. To the point that when the piece finally does end, the audience would hesitate to clap, assuming they're about to get punked again.

This piece plays very quietly in the background after Penelope flees the ball and Colin follows her outside. In fact, it starts playing right around the moment Pen calls herself a spinster, it’s playing in the background when she says, “I am the laughing stock of the ton even when I change my entire wardrobe,” and then it ends right after she accuses Colin of being cruel. And I feel like this is such a perfect use of this piece. 

First, because it fits so well with Pen feeling like a joke to all her peers. Her insecurity about this pervades the entire episode and is the catalyst for her transformation, and the music in the background throughout the episode tells this story, with the usage of satirical and humorous pieces finally culminating in a work that’s literally titled “The Joke” as the soundtrack behind Pen’s self-flagellation. 

But also, I love how quietly the music is playing in that moment. Of course it makes sense that it’s quiet, since we’re outside with Colin and Pen and the musicians are inside. But y’know what else is inside? Anybody who would laugh at Pen. Penelope is understandably upset with Colin for what he said the previous year, for doing the frat boy thing and jeering with his broskis about her courtability. But here, now? Whatever ridicule there is from the ton about Penelope is back inside that ball. Colin—outside, with her—is not laughing anymore. 

Speaking of Colin… Not only do I love the “joke” theme in the music as a representation of some of Penelope's inner conflict, I love it for Colin’s, as well. Because let's face it...he's a bit of a joke right now. His farce of a personality. The cringey flirting. He doesn't suffer in society the same way Penelope does, but Lady Whistledown certainly finds him worthy of ridicule.

Both Colin and Penelope are struggling to find their place in society and end up on the receiving end of jabs and teasing as a result. The "joke" theme is a really effective way to set up the narrative arc that each of them will go through to find confidence in themselves, ultimately shedding the superficial (sometimes laughable) image that society had of them both.

♥

Finally, credit where credit is due, here are some of the analyses and reviews I read to prepare for this post:

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 1: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Ludwig-van-Beethoven-String-Quartet-No-1-in-F-major-Op-18-No-1/

Haydn's String Quartet No. 43: https://musicatmenlo.org/files/2018_CBII.pdf

Mozart's String Quartet No. 16: https://www.rolf-musicblog.net/mozart-string-quartet-kv-428/#move4

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 2: https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dw.asp?dc=W11615_66401

Haydn's String Quartet No. 1: https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/haydn-string-quartets-op-1-nos-1-6

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Backstage Story Translation - Chikage Utsuki SSR - Today's Star: Toujou - Part 3

!! toujou is from harugaoka quartet; you can find a translation of its event story on yaycupcake! (+ page for the play itself); unless otherwise specified, the music that plays in the background of the play is odeur du printemps (the ost for the play itself)

this is a request by taruchikas, who also provided a video of the story! tysm!

[Buzzer sounds, the curtain lifts]

Izumi: (In a classroom in Private Harugaoka Music School, while the cherry blossoms are still in bloom…)

Toujou (Chikage): “Looks like he’s not here yet–”

Toujou: “... Good grief, did someone leave their scores behind? I sure hope it’s not one of my students.”

Izumi: (The scores on the desk were Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No.5 and Mendelssohn’s Spring Song…)

Izumi: (Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto No.1 from “The Four Seasons”... Feeling nostalgic, Toujou closes his eyes–)

Toujou: “…”

Izumi: (Chikage-san is laughing…? I don’t think that was in the script…)

Toujou: “... “Because I dream, life is bright”, huh.” (1)

Izumi: (... This is one of the scribbles Itaru-san left on the scores. I didn’t think Chikage-san would use it as improv, but it makes for a good transition.)

-

Izumi: (The scene changes back to Toujou’s school days…)

Toujou: “My sound is lonely, huh…”

[Violin playing Mozart’s Spring in G major, Allegro vivace asai]

Toujou: “Just my luck to have this song playing at a time like this.”

-

Toujou: “Room E-LR301… Ah, over there.”

Izumi: (Once he finds the temporary practice room, he hears a violin playing from the other side of the door…)

[Violin playing briefly]

Toujou: “...”

Izumi: (As he was listening, the music stopped, and he entered the room–)

[Door clicking open]

Machida (Itaru): …?

Toujou: “... You forgot to close the soundproof door. You are?”

Machida:  “I’m Machida, a third year. I major in— conducting.”

Toujou: “I’m–”

Machida: “Hibiki Toujou. Third Year. You’re a violin major, right? Ah, congratulations on winning last month’s competition.”

Toujou: “... Thanks.”

Machida: “There’s no one in this school who doesn’t know about the genius that entered the school at the top of his class and has always been on top in grades and competitions.”

Toujou: “... I see.”

Toujou: “By the way, I’m scheduled to use this room for a while starting today.”

Izumi: (They find out the school made a mistake and double-booked the room. Machida tries to give in and leave, claiming he’s not a musician, but…)

Toujou: “… Wait. If you don’t mind, how about we use it together?”

Machida: “I’m saying I don’t mind giving it to you–”

Toujou: “I want to play with you.”

Izumi: (And so, Machida begins accompanying Toujou in his practice.)

-

Machida: “Are these the songs you want to play next? Woah, it’s full of songs that have to do with spring… You’ve got a surprisingly common music taste..”

Toujou: “Then I’ll let you pick, Kanato. I think they’re all good–”

Machida: “... Mozart’s Spring?  If we go with that, we’ll have to get a viola and a cello from somewhere.”

Toujou: “No… This just got mixed with the other scores. If anything, I’m not that good at it.”

Machida: “What do you mean?”

Toujou: “... Right after I joined the school, I heard there was a vacancy in the quartet for a concert, so I applied out of curiosity.”

Toujou: “But no matter what I did, it seemed like my sound was the only one that stood out, and it wouldn’t mesh with the others’... It didn’t go well.”

Toujou: “The members tried to tell me that wasn’t the case—”

Toujou: “That I’m a genius, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Toujou: “... They might have meant it as a joke, but it felt like it was their true feelings.”

Toujou: “Genius… Being called that has always made me feel lonely.  Even if I’m a genius, I’m in no way a wise man.”

Toujou: “After that, I started finding it difficult to play with other people. Especially this song that I played back then.”

Toujou: “But the other day, one of the professors that’s been evaluating me told me, “Your sound is” –”

Machida: “... Lonely?”

Toujou: “——”

Machida: “Whenever I heard your performances as the freshmen’s representative at things like the entrance ceremony, monthly performances or competitions–”

Machida: “I felt like your music could make you, and me as a listener, feel lonely.”

Machida: “Well, I don’t think so anymore.”

Toujou: “... Sorry I made you feel that way.”

Toujou: “I also felt something like that when I heard your violin the day we met.”

Machida: “——”

Toujou: “I wondered what would happen if we played together. I thought that maybe if we added two lonely people together, then just like 1+1, we wouldn’t be lonely anymore.”

Toujou: “That’s why I wanted to play with you.”

Machida: …

Toujou: “After a long time, playing with you made me feel that playing the violin with someone else is fun.”

Toujou: “Kanato, you’re good at conducting and piano accompaniment. But to me, what suits you best is the violin.”

Machida: “... Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve quit the violin.”

Toujou: “What?”

Machida: “I changed majors. From violin to conducting.”

Machida: “I was only doing what my parents had forced me to do, so I couldn’t match everyone else’s enthusiasm or abilities.”

Machida: “So I changed my major to conducting as soon as the second year started.”

Toujou: “Sorry, I didn’t know…”

Machida: “With this many people majoring in string instruments, it couldn’t be helped.”

Toujou: “Then, if you become an orchestra’s conductor one day–”

Machida: “... Sorry to disappoint again. I’ll quit music once I’m done with high school.”

Machida: ““Kanato”... I didn’t like my name, because it felt like a curse that would force me to keep playing music forever.”

Machida: “Despite that, on that day, I suddenly felt like playing. I was in the practice room for the first time in a while when you barged in and caught me—”

Machida: “And so, I kept playing, only in this room.”

Toujou: “... And yet, you’re going to quit?”

Machida: “Unfortunately, my feelings haven’t changed.”

Toujou: “I see…”

Toujou: “In that case, I want you to keep playing in this room until we graduate. You don’t have to force yourself to play if you don’t want to.”

Machida: “... Got it.”

-

[Canon by John Campbell in D major]

Izumi: (The day before the graduation ceremony– Their usual practice room is closed, so the pair decide to play in the classroom instead…)

Machida: “The cherry blossoms are beautiful. Perfectly fitting for a new beginning.”

Toujou: “That’s right.”

Machida: “I wonder if there are cherry blossoms in Germany.”

Toujou: “Well, I wonder…”

Machida: “You said you’re going to a music academy in Germany, but you haven’t even looked that up?”

Toujou: “I’ll look it up later.”

Toujou: “... This will be the last time I ask, but have you really not changed your mind?”

Machida: “... I haven’t. I’m aiming to become a teacher.”

Toujou: “That’s… a pity.”

Machida: “So, what’s our last song going to be?”

Toujou: “Let’s play–”

Izumi: (And so the seasons pass…)

-

Machida: “... Toujou-sensei?”

Toujou: “——”

Machida: “Are you asleep?”

Toujou: “No, I was just reminiscing.”

Machida: “Ahh… This score, eh.”

Machida: “The teacher who is scheduled to perform at the next monthly performance suddenly can’t make it.”

Machida: “The other teachers asked me to talk you into doing it.”

Toujou: “So that’s why you called me here. Is this score part of the negotiations?”

Machida: “I’m just trying to help with the song selection.”

Toujou: “Is that why it’s full of songs that have to do with spring?”

Toujou: “... Alright.”

Machida: “Really?”

Toujou: “But under one condition. I want the song to be Mozart’s Spring.”

Machida: “Heeh, that sounds good. Maybe you can become a wise man the way you are now.”

Toujou: “Then, Machida, I’d like to scout you to become the wise man by my side.”

Machida: “... I am not a wise man, I am a simple teacher.”

Toujou: “... Then, this will have to stay as my dream for now. I read somewhere that life is brighter when you have a dream?”

Machida: “...”

Machida: “... Do your best. I won’t lend you any more help.”

Toujou: “That’s a pity.”

-

Citron: You both did great~!

Chikage: Thanks. You came to watch.

Citron: You said… You were worried about whether you’d be able to sparkle. But your youth came across!

Citron: Also, the violin imitations were perfect. Itaru, you’ve improved at loving~

Itaru: Hate to correct you on this, but you probably mean lying. I did the best I could as a beginner.

Citron: … You two practiced in secret, yes?

Chikage: …

Citron: My eyes can’t be fooled. I can tell just by watching your movements.

Chikage: … I suppose there’s no point in hiding around here.

part 1 | part 2 | part 3

NOTES:

(1) this is a japanese proverb often credited to mozart, but there's no actual english equivalent for it, so i took a try at translating it in a way that fits with the callback later

[otrtbs]

do you have any classical music reccs you think regulus would listen to??

OH BOY DO I

(classic, well-known, dramatic ⬆️)

(other classics ⬇️)

(more modern-ish)

[anthonyconh]

Te dedico la de Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216: I. Allegro.

[best-habsburg-monarch]

For reference, here is a bit of each:

Mozart:

Haydn:

Strauss the Elder:

Schubert:

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

Best of Adagios (compilation) - Classical Music Gems

Performers

(1) Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra (2) Chamber Orchestra Saint Petersburg (3) Saint Petersburg Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra (4) Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra (5) Saint Petersburg Orchestra of the State Hermitage Museum Camerata (6) Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra (7) Chamber Orchestra Renaissance (8) Saint Petersburg Orchestra Classic Music Studio (9) Elisso Bolkvadze

𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

00:00:00 Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings (arr. from Quartet for Strings, Op. 11) (1) 00:03:07 Tomaso Albinoni - Adagio in G Minor (2) 00:12:16 Sergei Rachmaninoff - Symphony No. 2, Op. 27 Part: III. Adagio (1) 00:15:18 Max Bruch - Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 Part: II. Adagio (3) 00:17:55 Edvard Grieg - Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16 Part: II. Adagio (1) 00:20:57 Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 92 in G Major "Oxford“ Part: II. Adagio cantabile (4) 00:23:26 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - A Musical Joke, K. 522 Part: III. Adagio cantabile (5) 00:26:02 Felix Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3, Op. 56 Part: III. Adagio cantabile (1) 00:30:00 Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30 Part: II. Intermezzo, Adagio (1) 00:32:32 Robert Schumann - Symphony No. 2 in C Major, Op. 61 Part: III. Adagio espressivo (3) 00:36:08 Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 44 in E Minor "Funeral" Part: III. Adagio (6) 00:38:34 Alessandro Marcello - Oboe Concerto in D Minor, S. Z799 Part: II. Adagio (7) 00:42:40 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488 Part: II. Adagio (8) 00:48:35 Georg Friedrich Händel - Water Music, Suite in F Major, HWV 348 Part: II. Adagio E Staccato (3) 00:51:19 Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons - Violin Concerto in G Minor, RV 315, “Summer” Part: II. Adagio - Presto (3) 00:53:39 Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony No. 101 in D Major, Hob. I:101 Part: I. Adagio - Presto (3) 01:01:12 Mikhail Glinka - Ruslan and Lyudmila, Act III, No. 15 Dances Part: II. Adagio (3) 01:05:01 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique" Part: I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo (1) 01:23:56 Johannes Brahms - Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68 Part: IV. Adagio - Allegro non troppo - ma con brio (1) 01:41:51 Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 14, Op. 27 No. 2 ''Moonlight'' Part: I. Adagio Sostenuto (8)

[zazzedcoffee]

Let's compose some music together!

Only 16 notes because this is messy

(Note: Read More contains ~100 polls)

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[gasparodasalo]

Christoph Graupner (1683-1760) - Sonata for Strings in G-Major, GWV 212, II. Allegro. Performed by L'Ensemble des Idées heureuses on period instruments.

[myargalargan]

A Classical Polinalysis: Ep. 2

Hello friends, Polin stans, and classical music nerds!

Picking up from my episode 1 analysis, I am back with the second installment in the series of episode-by-episode analyses I mentioned when I shared the playlist I made of all the Classical pieces used in Bridgerton season 3.

The tracks on the playlist are all in order of when they appear in the show, and here are all the pieces that were used in episode 2: 

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13 in B-Flat Major, Op. 130: VI. Finale. Allegro

Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major, BWV 1042: III. Allegro assai

Mozart’s String Quartet No. 8 in F Major, "Viennese", No. 1, K. 168: IV. Allegro

Mozart’s String Quartet No. 3 in G Major, "Milanese", No. 2, K. 156/134b: I. Presto

Mozart’s String Quartet No. 23 in F Major, "Prussian", No. 3, K. 590: IV. Allegro

Joseph Schuster’s String Quartet No. 2 in B-flat Major: I. Allegro di molto (formerly attributed to Mozart as the "Milanese" (or Paduan) String Quartet No. 2, K. 210)

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Op. 57, “Appassionata”: II. Andante con moto 

All of this music is used over the course of the Full Moon ball, and the choice of music and the scenes each piece of music is paired with turns the ball something of a microcosm for the entire episode. What the hell do I mean by that? 

This episode is all about flirtation, fertility, and passion, and the action in this episode sets into motion some of the major conflicts of the season. We have the Mondriches settling into their new home and attending society events for the first time, the Featherington sisters getting a healthy dose of Sex Ed, Francesca being granted the Queen’s favor, and—of course—Colin and Penelope beginning their lessons and all the tension and drama that brings. So let’s get into how the Classical soundtrack compliments this very meaty episode…

Looking at the track list in order, we’ve got a bit of a composer sandwich (get it? meaty episode? ha-ha-ha?) with Beethoven bread, Mozart filling, and Bach and Schuster toppings. The allegro finale of Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13, which starts as Colin and Eloise’s conversation about Penelope in the carriage ends, welcomes us to the ball. The second movement of Beethoven’s “Appassionata,” which Francesca is playing when Lady Danbury sneakily invites the Queen to observe, concludes the whole event. But I have a lot to say about both Beethoven pieces, so I’m going to save that for later! To start, I want to talk about the flirtatiousness of the other pieces used during this episode. 😏

The next piece after the Beethoven string quartet is the third movement from Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 2, which plays when Benedict asks Miss Stowell to dance. We only hear the very beginning of the concerto in this episode, but the distinguishing characteristic of a concerto—which is also what I find so flirtatious about this piece—is the back-and-forth between a solo instrument (in this case, a solo violin) and an ensemble (in this case, a chamber orchestra). In particular with shorter pieces like this Bach concerto, which is an energetic two minutes long with concise musical verses, you get the feeling of a lively conversation, where the ensemble has their say, the soloist replies, the ensemble adds another musing, then the soloist replies, and so on. 

I also think this concerto is fun for this scene for a couple other reasons. One, the soloist-ensemble dynamic calls to mind Benedict getting cornered by a pack of ladies. But also, this concerto is in what’s called “ritornello” form, which means that the ensemble repeats the same musical theme every time they come back in, and I love this as a funny little musical illustration of Miss Stowell’s persistence with Benedict—she keeps coming back, over and over, just like that repetitive musical theme! 

The next piece is the fourth movement from Mozart’s String Quartet No. 8, which starts playing right as Portia tells Mr. Finch that his wife is a pastry and continues as Penelope talks with Colin about his writing. This piece actually elides seamlessly into the track from the season 3 OST called “Attempts to Flirt” the moment Colin says he’ll consider letting Pen read more of his writing if she talks to at least one lord that night, which is a fun little tie-in to our theme. And the string quartet is great for this moment between Colin and Pen because of its fugal quality. A fugue—such as Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, which is used in a ton of films including the original Fantasia—refers to a structure where the musical theme is introduced in different voices or instruments one after another. (Kind of similar to a musical round, like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” but not as simplistic.) Like the concerto, there’s a repetition of musical ideas, and those ideas bounce around from instrument to instrument, again creating a sense of lively conversation. Almost as if one person starts to tell a story to a group of friends, and then another person jumps in to say, “Oh, yes, I know what that’s like!” and tells their own anecdote, and so on around the group as the conversation feeds on everyone’s enthusiasm. 

I love this for Pen and Colin’s interaction because it has a similarly flirtatious energy as the concerto, but at the same time it’s more complex than a simple back-and-forth. There’s a layering aspect to a fugue—when a subsequent instrument picks up the theme, that doesn’t mean the first instrument stops playing. I think this has a similar energy to the way good friends who are comfortable and excited together might end up talking over one another or picking up the ends of each other’s sentences. I think it’s also illustrative of the complexity of Colin and Penelope’s relationship, especially at this phase. They’re friends, yes, but other feelings are starting to get all mixed in. They flirt quite easily with each other, but that makes things more complicated. A playful but multi-layered fugue illustrates this pretty well, I think.

Then we have our second Mozart string quartet of the episode, the first movement of Mozart’s String Quartet No. 3, when Eloise inadvertently lets it slip to Cressida that Colin is helping Penelope find a husband. This piece isn’t a concerto or a fugue, but it does still have an interplay between the instruments that, to me, creates a similar effect. There are several moments within this movement where the violin will start the musical line and one of the other instruments will finish it, like passing a baton. Or, again, like lively and comfortable conversation! To me, it feels a little bit like two people winking at one another as they catch each other’s meaning. 

There’s also a fun little bit about two-thirds of the way through the piece where, for not even 30 seconds, the tone of the music changes entirely, to something darker and more dramatic. Musically this part is known as the “development,” which is where the music meanders and does a bunch of interesting things before it returns to the main theme that was introduced in the beginning. This is a very common musical technique, but it doesn’t appear quite so starkly in any of the other pieces used in ep. 2. Since this piece plays during an Eloise and Cressida scene, we could take this darker interlude to be a reflection of Eloise’s relationship with Penelope—how it has taken a dramatic turn but will be righted again before long. We can also look at it through a Polin lens, since Penelope and Colin’s relationship takes a similar trajectory. Either way, I like the idea that there’s a bit of dark foreshadowing in this otherwise playful, flirtatious piece of music.

From there, we have the fourth movement of Mozart’s String Quartet No. 23, which plays as the Mondriches enter the scene. Other than the Beethoven pieces, this is the longest piece used during this episode, and it gets the most airtime. It plays for the entire duration of Benedict’s spiel about how married couples are free from the rules of society because they have already fulfilled their duty. And I love this piece for this moment because it really goes places. This movement has some fugal passages, giving it that same flirtatious quality as the other pieces used this episode, but there’s also moments where the tone gets much more dramatic, moments when the tempo seems to slow or get interrupted, syncopated sections that almost feel cartoonish… The character of the piece is surprising, and it evolves over time, and—I think—it reflects the journey the Mondriches have been on since season 1 and the surprising evolution their life has taken in season 3. And will continue to take! As they figure out how to navigate this new world and learn that it’s not as simple as Benedict made it seem.

Okay, now onto the last bit of sandwich filling, the first movement of Joseph Schuster’s String Quartet No. 2 in B-flat Major, which plays while Lady Danbury leads the Queen away from the main ball and while Eloise’s group of debutantes lament their chance to show off. Is this piece also flirtatious? Yes, I think this piece has a similar quality to Mozart’s String Quartet No. 3, where sometimes musical lines started by one instrument get picked up and finished by another. But another thing I find really interesting about this piece is that it’s a case of mistaken identity. This piece was composed around 1780, but until the 1960s music scholars attributed the piece to Mozart. And to use this piece during this scene is particularly compelling, because it’s the moment that Cressida denies having any good gossip, but also the moment when the gossip about Penelope and Colin begins to spread throughout the ball anyway, which Eloise (and Colin) mistakenly blames Cressida for. There’s also maybe a deeper meta here about mistaken identities that could tie into Cressida’s false claims to the Lady Whistledown name, which is interesting to consider in contrast to this moment at the ball where Cressida—unlike later in the season—chooses to be the bigger person and renounces the lure of gossip in favor of protecting her new friendship with Eloise. 

Which brings us to the final piece of music featured at this ball, the second movement from Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 23, the “Appassionata.” Which is of course relevant because Francesca earlier admits to loving it so much during her abbreviated conversation with Lord Petri. Petri describes Francesca’s favorite pieces as “expressive music,” which is fitting for a musical work nicknamed “Passionate.” Francesca also says, “I mostly enjoy the chord progressions,” in response to Petri getting all “can’t you feel it in the music?” and although Petri was talking about the Ries Piano Trios, I like thinking about Francesca’s response in relation to the second movement of the “Appassionata” because that movement is one big theme-and-variation—there’s a musical theme introduced at the beginning, and then that theme is repeated two more times with variations in the melodic structure but always with the same chord progressions.

One thing I love about this piece as the close-out to the ball is the way, with each subsequent variation on the theme, the music builds and builds. It starts out slow and in a low register, and it gets faster and higher pitched as it goes (the part we hear Francesca playing is the fast high part). There’s a really obvious analogy to sex here, which is clear in Petri’s reaction and Francesca’s discomfort with his reaction—which is appropriate because sex is such a major motif in this episode (“Inserts himself? Inserts himself where?”). But there’s also the analogy to the build-up that we’re about to experience at the end of the episode, the way everything Penelope has been through the past couple episodes (couple seasons, really) culminates in that first unbelievably passionate kiss between her and Colin. 

But, more than that! The second movement of the “Appassionata” doesn’t have a true ending—it’s through-composed with the third movement, so that the two are meant to be listened to back-to-back. If you listen to the end of the second movement by itself, you’ll hear a chord that sounds like it’s supposed to resolve to a nice clear ending, but then instead of resolving, that chord is followed by an intriguing, dissonant, kinda jazzy-sounding musical lick. If you didn’t proceed to the third movement right away, musically, you’d be left hanging. (And even once you’re into the third movement, it takes a while for the music to properly resolve.) And I love this! Why do I love this? A while back, I did an analysis of Polin’s theme (from the original score) and wrote a bunch of stuff about how their musical theme, the way we hear it in part 1 of the season, feels unresolved, suspending us in the tension of their uncertain relationship status. We only get proper musical resolution in their theme in part 2, after they’re engaged. So using the second movement from the “Appassionata,” with its false ending, at the conclusion of the Full Moon ball—a ball which encapsulates so much of what’s going on in the episode overall—is such a great way to foreshadow the end of the episode: the build-build-build to the passionate kiss and then—! Leave us hanging as Penelope runs away and Colin’s life starts falling apart around him.  

Speaking of endings…! It’s time to circle back around to the first piece of bread in our Beethoven sandwich, the sixth movement from Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13…

If you’ve stuck with me this far, hang in there for just bit longer! Maybe take a quick break and grab a snack. ;) 

I thought a lot about the usage of the allegro finale from Beethoven’s Op. 130 in this episode. It’s such an interesting choice, not necessarily because of the music itself, but because of the history of the entire quartet. See, when Beethoven first composed String Quartet No. 13, it had a different final movement. However, at the first performance, that movement received such a negative reaction that Beethoven’s publisher convinced him to write a replacement. The replacement is what’s used in the show. And it has an entirely different character from the original. The new finale is light and cheery, while the original was dense and complicated. The original was panned by critics as being incomprehensible, inaccessible, and difficult to both listen to and play. (Give it a listen. You may find that it makes you deeply uncomfortable 😅 but it’s definitely an experience!) The new finale, on the other hand, is…a dance! It’s bouncy and positively Haydnesque, and completely uncontroversial.

The original was ultimately published as its own work under the title “Grosse Fugue,” as Beethoven’s Op. 133. However, some Beethoven enthusiasts and music scholars will argue that the correct way to play String Quartet No. 13 is with the original ending, the way Beethoven intended. Preferences vary, though, and what this means is…there are two possible, perfectly valid, endings to this piece of music. And each ending has a completely different vibe. 

Do you see where I’m going with this? 😉

This piece plays as we are welcomed into the Full Moon ball, and when I set out to do this analysis, I was originally looking at the allegro finale on its own, trying to find something meaningful in its structure or its harmonies… But I think what’s most interesting about it, in the context of this episode, is that it represents the duality of choice. And there’s a few different layers this could apply to: Eloise and Cressida’s decision whether or not to share the gossip about Colin helping Penelope, Colin’s choice to help Penelope in the first place (and to continue to help her after the journal faux pas)...his choice—at the end of the episode—to kiss her. The Queen's choice of a diamond, even! But if we’re talking about possible endings, then this piece is really setting us up for the ultimate narrative choice between Colin and Lord Debling. And it’s fitting as an introduction to the Full Moon ball because it’s at this ball that Colin gets his first taste of jealousy and competition, and then of course it’s Penelope’s humiliation at this ball that is the catalyst for the kiss that sends Colin into his downward spiral of desperate, all-consuming love. So whereas at the end of ep. 1 Colin may have been able to go about his life acting as though he was unconcerned about whatever feelings he may or may not have had for Penelope at that point, by the end of ep. 2 that’s simply not at all possible anymore. And so the show starts building the foundations of one of Penelope’s possible choices, one of her potential endings. (And I guess whether or not you consider Debling to be a perfectly valid alternative ending depends on what kind of Polin shipper you are. 😉) 

So there you have it: the drama of choice, the sexiness and frustration of building yet unresolved tension, misunderstandings (and, you might even say, the probable pains of friendship), SO much flirting—some easy and straightforward, some ceaseless and unvarying, some deliciously complex… All present at the ball, throughout the episode, and in the Classical soundtrack.

♥

And here's some of the research I did for this post:

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Ludwig-van-Beethoven-String-Quartet-No-13-in-B-flat-major-Op-130/

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13: https://www.brentanoquartet.com/notes/beethoven-quartet-opus-130/

Beethoven's String Quartet No. 13: https://www.maramarietta.com/the-arts/music/classical/beethoven/

Bach's Violin Concerto No. 2: https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/4549/violin-concerto-in-e-major-bwv-1042

Mozart's String Quartet No. 8: https://fugueforthought.de/2018/07/01/mozart-string-quartet-no-8-in-f-k-168/

Mozart's String Quartet No. 3: https://fugueforthought.de/2016/08/27/w-a-mozart-string-quartet-no-3-in-g-k-156/

Mozart's String Quartet No. 23: https://www.talkclassical.com/threads/mozart-string-quartet-23-k590-sq-review.81909/

Schuster's String Quartet No. 2: https://www.earsense.org/chamber-music/Joseph-Schuster-String-Quartet-in-B-flat-major-No-2-KAnh-C2001-K-Anh-210/

Beethoven's "Appassionata": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR706pYvNl0&

[baronessblixen]

Five Songs on Repeat

Thanks again for tagging me @klarinette49!

rules: post 5 songs that you've had on repeat lately!

I Remember Everything - Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves

Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14: Marche au supplice (Allegro non troppo) - Hector Berlioz, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Someone To You - BANNERS

Look at us now (Honeycomb) - Daisy Jones and the Six

Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88, B. 163: III. Allegretto grazioso - Molto vivace - Antonín Dvořák, Los Angeles Philharmonic

tagging @xxsksxxx @teenie-xf @backintimeforstuff @scullyswifey @scullyssmile @impulsive-astrophile (feel free to ignore!)

[lesser-known-composers]

Hans Pfitzner (1869-1949) - Cello Concerto in G Major, Op. 42: II. Sehr langsam - Allegro - Sehr ruhig

Artist: David Geringas

Orchestra: Bamberger Symphoniker, Conductor: Werner Andreas Albert