It has already entered into tradition to dedicate an annual post to the day of celebration of Love – St. Valentine’s. This time is no exception – Happy St. Valentine’s, guys, all those who are lucky to celebrate it truly! Have a very special cosy day with your Valentine.
And to help make it more special there are always some great tracks to shape the right atmosphere. Pop music bulks in love songs today and it wouldn't be hard to pick some. If you want some deeper lyrics with you’d rather opt for some rock ballads. Or, if you just need a nice background, light jazz or chill-out would be the best alternative. But what about classical music? Which repertoire is better to convey the ‘love’ message?
Definitely, some of the classical masterpieces like Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen are obviously filled with love making it the central object. But there are many more classical music works that make this subject not so evident but still convey it perfectly. Let’s name some of them.
Bach. St Matthew Passion. Erbarme Dich, mein Gott. Despite being a sacred work, this is a very emotional and powerful expression of composer’s love for his wife Anna Magdalena.
Berlioz. Symphonie Fantastique. Composer’s love for an Irish actress Harriet Smithson acted as a driving force for writing this symphony. He met her at the Shakespeare’s Hamlet performance in Paris (Harriet played Ophelia) and fell in love. The symphony was dedicated and sent to her but Harriet listened to it only in 5 years. Well, the good thing is that they did get married in the end.
Mahler. 5th Symphony. Adagietto. Expression of love for Mahler’s wife Alma Schindler. This part was actually written before the symphony itself and served as a love-song based on a small poem Mahler dedicated to his wife.
Brahms. Rhapsody for Alto. To-be-kept-in-secret composer’s love for Schumman’s daughter who was to marry another man. That’s a very personal work, intense and powerful. No wonder that at first composer didn’t want it to be published anywhere.
Janáček. String Quartets 1 and 2. Very illicit expression of passion in both quartets. No.1 was inspired by Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata (theme of jealousy) and No.2 inspired by author’s attraction to and correspondence with a very young woman.
There is another interesting observation that I stumbled upon. It is believed that the thematic tilt is somehow predefined by the music key of the piece. Thus, the B minor is said to be the best one to express romantic or sad or melancholic or even grieving feelings. It was usually a certain means of tender complaint but at the same time a sign of accepting the destiny. These were the conclusions made by the theorist Christian Schubart. Just some food for thought.
And to help make it more special there are always some great tracks to shape the right atmosphere. Pop music bulks in love songs today and it wouldn't be hard to pick some. If you want some deeper lyrics with you’d rather opt for some rock ballads. Or, if you just need a nice background, light jazz or chill-out would be the best alternative. But what about classical music? Which repertoire is better to convey the ‘love’ message?
Definitely, some of the classical masterpieces like Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen are obviously filled with love making it the central object. But there are many more classical music works that make this subject not so evident but still convey it perfectly. Let’s name some of them.
Bach. St Matthew Passion. Erbarme Dich, mein Gott. Despite being a sacred work, this is a very emotional and powerful expression of composer’s love for his wife Anna Magdalena.
Berlioz. Symphonie Fantastique. Composer’s love for an Irish actress Harriet Smithson acted as a driving force for writing this symphony. He met her at the Shakespeare’s Hamlet performance in Paris (Harriet played Ophelia) and fell in love. The symphony was dedicated and sent to her but Harriet listened to it only in 5 years. Well, the good thing is that they did get married in the end.
Mahler. 5th Symphony. Adagietto. Expression of love for Mahler’s wife Alma Schindler. This part was actually written before the symphony itself and served as a love-song based on a small poem Mahler dedicated to his wife.
Brahms. Rhapsody for Alto. To-be-kept-in-secret composer’s love for Schumman’s daughter who was to marry another man. That’s a very personal work, intense and powerful. No wonder that at first composer didn’t want it to be published anywhere.
Janáček. String Quartets 1 and 2. Very illicit expression of passion in both quartets. No.1 was inspired by Tolstoy’s Kreutzer Sonata (theme of jealousy) and No.2 inspired by author’s attraction to and correspondence with a very young woman.
There is another interesting observation that I stumbled upon. It is believed that the thematic tilt is somehow predefined by the music key of the piece. Thus, the B minor is said to be the best one to express romantic or sad or melancholic or even grieving feelings. It was usually a certain means of tender complaint but at the same time a sign of accepting the destiny. These were the conclusions made by the theorist Christian Schubart. Just some food for thought.
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