Music 344—Worksheet 6 Name:

Readings

Hanslick Criticism

Listening Report Part 1

Listening Report Part 2

Suggested Recordings

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Due Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2001

Readings—

K Marie Stolba, The Development of Western Music

Chapter 21: Early Nineteenth-Century Music, pp. 433-438
Chapter 22: Nineteenth-Century Musical Expansion, pp. 471-477
Chapter 23: Preeminent Composers of the Late Nineteenth Century, pp. 496-502, 511-525
Chapter 25: Late Nineteenth-Century and Early Twentieth-Century Music, pp. 553-560

Hanslick, Music Criticisms 1846-99 (RESERVE)

on Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (1883)—pp. 214-227
on Brahms’s Symphony No. 4 (1886)—pp. 243-245

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Hanslick Criticism

Preparation—Eduard Hanslick was perhaps the most influential music critic of the late 19th century. His influence extended far beyond Vienna, where he spent most of his career. His reviews could make or break careers, and he played a significant role in a controversy between followers of Wagner and fans of Brahms. To understand the “battle” between conservative and progressive composers in the late 1800s, read Stolba’s Chapter 23 and the reviews above (on RESERVE). Then write two paragraphs according to these instructions.

Paragraph 1) Summarize Hanslick’s opinion of Brahms and of Wagner. Which side do you think Hanslick took in the controversy between the two composers? Why?

Paragraph 2) Answer these questions: What standards does Hanslick use to judge the value (significance) of a musical work? What qualities earn Hanslick’s disapproval or praise? What past composers or works does Hanslick cite as examples of great music?

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Listening Report 6

Wagner & Postromanticism (3 hours of music)

DOCUMENT ALL OF YOUR LISTENING ACCORDING TO GUIDELINES IN THE SYLLABUS!

Part 1—Listening List

On Exam 2 I will play excerpts from the listening list below, and you must:

Identify composer, title, genre, and story line (for vocal, operatic, or program music)
List style features typical of the composer's music (heard in the music)

To prepare for the listening portion of the exam, do the readings above (from Stolba) and list important style features for these composers: Weber, Robert Schumann, Wagner, Brahms, Mahler, Wolf, and Strauss. In your listening report on each work listed below, include the following—

Identify the genre (German Romantic opera? Lied? music drama? symphonic poem? symphony?)
Tell the "story" (for programme music or any work with words)
Describe features from your style features list that you can actually hear

Report on all works on the list below. When you listen to Brahms Symphony No. 4 and the Wagner Tristan und Isolde excerpts (marked with +), also report on how your impressions of these works compare with Hanslick's comments.

Weber	Der Freischütz, "Wolf's Glen" scene *	DMWA 143
R. Schumann	Der Nussbaum, Op. 25, no. 3	DWMA 153
R. Schumann	Mondnacht, Op. 39, no. 5	DWMA 155
C. Schumann	Liebst du um Schönheit	DWMA 156
Brahms	Symphony No. 4, mvmt. i +	DWMA 165
Wagner	Tannhäuser, final scene *	CSTC—M12 W134/A6a, side 8
Wagner	Tristan und Isolde, Prelude +	DWMA 160 or IH202—CD1/45, track 1
Wagner	Tristan und Isolde, Liebestod—"Mild und leise" * (text and translation in CD booklet on IH202 Reserve shelf)	IH202—CD1/48, track 12 (text on pp. 182-184)
Wagner	Götterdämmerung, final scene *	IH202—CD1/49, last track
Mahler	Symphony No. 2, mvmt. V conclusion, "Aufersteh'n *	IH202—CD2/50, tracks 25-28 (text on pp. 13-15)
Mahler	Kindertotenlieder, "In diesem Wetter	DWMA 170
Wolf	Anakreons Grab	DWMA 169
R. Strauss	Death and Transfiguration *	IH202 Reserve— Voyager CD Companion— Richard Strauss: Three Tone Poems
	* drop-the-laser-beam
	+ compare with Hanslick criticism of these works

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Part 2—Wagner Leitmotives

Below is a selection of Leitmotives from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. Listen carefully (with the score) to mm. 1-42 of the Prelude. Find as many appearances as you can of each motive. On the time-line below, write in each appearance (by number) of each motive. You can use the History II Stack and DWMA, Vol. II, CD4 to listen to each motive first.

|_1_|___|___|___|_5_|___|___|___|___|_10_|___|___|___|___|_15_|___|___|___|___|_20_|___|

|___|___|___|_25_|___|___|___|___|_30_|___|___|___|___|_35_|___|___|___|___|_40_|___|_42_|

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Suggested Recordings—

IH202

CD1/45-48—Wagner, Tristan und Isolde (text and translation in CD booklet on IH202 Reserve shelf)
CD1/49—Wagner, The Compact "Ring"
CD2/49-50—Mahler, Symphony No. 2
CD2/51—Mahler, Symphony No. 6
CD4/3-4—Strauss, Salome (text and translation in CD booklet on IH202 Reserve shelf)

Created 2/28/01 by Mark Harbold—last updated 3/15/01