Schubert Waltzes
A significant part of the creative heritage of Franz Schubert is piano music. She became the meaning of the composer's life. Especially refined and unusual were Schubert's waltzes. Filled with sensitivity and lyricism, they seemed to carry the feeling of light sadness. Throughout his life, the composer composed a huge number of works in the dance-genre, but the waltzes clearly lead in number. Learn the history of the waltzes, read interesting facts, as well as listen to works can be on this page.
History of creation
Franz Schubert was an extremely interesting person. The main traits of the composer's character were modesty, charm, naivety and sincerity. He was a real workaholic and always tried to achieve perfection in everything he did. It is thanks to these character traits that the composer managed to gather around him a large number of such talented and creatively gifted people.
Thus, a circle of like-minded people gradually formed, which was named after the composer "The Schubert Circle". The society of cultural and enlightened people included the following significant figures for that time:
- Artists: Moritz Schwind, Leopold Kupelvisser.
- Poets and playwrights: Johann Maierhofer, Bauernfeld Edward, Grillparzer Franz.
- The violinist Joseph Shpoun;
- Writer Franz Schober;
- Singer Johann Michael Vogl.
Events that could be held several times a week in completely different places, for example, at home with one of the community members or, more often, in a cozy Viennese coffee house called “Under the Hungarian crown”, were called “Schubertiads”.
The main activities were not only dancing and playing musical instruments, but also talking about politics, discussing fresh news. In those days, such behavior could cause condemnation in society. Once one of the members of this group was arrested for excessive freedom of speech.
It was at these evenings that Schubert could demonstrate his own talent. Most waltzes were written during such musical events. The atmosphere of that time is beyond words: gallant cavaliers and their ladies circled in dance to magical music, to unsurpassed waltzes. In those days, this dance was on top of popularity. Unlike other genre samples, Schubert's music is filled with amazing lyricism and poetry. Sometimes the composer brought ready-made numbers, and sometimes he could improvise for hours, creating more and more new and interesting dances. Not all numbers were recorded, because when Schubert came home, he went to bed tired. In the morning it was difficult for him to remember all the voluminous musical material.
In the 19th century, Schubert's music was quite famous, both in narrow and wide circles, especially relevant among the intelligentsia. But, unfortunately, the composition of musical works brought the composer a very small income.
Interesting Facts
- Throughout his life, Schubert wrote and published about 250 waltzes.
- The composer constantly improvised and literally on the move composed new works, being in a sense of creative flight, and often forgot to write down or memorize the work. So, on one of the evenings, Schubert was especially good at creating waltzes. The present musician, who has perfect pitch, recorded the composition exactly. The following week he approached Franz and showed the essay to the author. Carefully reviewing the notes, the writer replied to the young man: "What a wonderful work! And who is its author?"
- Schubert's circle included people of various directions in science and art, both musicians and artists, poets and writers. Discussion of political news was often so loud and violent that one day the police arrested one person who showed his own opinion on the current situation in the city.
- Waltzes numbered 3, 4, 6 and 12 were used and sounded in the film “Feral Nature”, which was released in 2001.
Content
When the first waltzes were written by Schubert, this dance was just beginning to come into vogue. Little Franz, who lived in the suburbs of Vienna, had the good fortune to listen to folk dances, which included the most famous waltz prototypes - Landler and Valzer. Compared with the waltz, which appeared only at the end of the 18th century, the prototypes were rougher in sound, as they were among the folk dances. The waltz melody became more prominent, airy and graceful, only a three-part meter and accompaniment formula remained from its predecessors. It was Schubert's waltzes that made a musical revolution in this genre, they began to have a romantic tint. The characteristic features inherent in a waltz in the works of Schubert include:
- Miniature. The compositions are written in simple two-part or three-part form. In duration, they range from about two to five minutes.
- Lyricism. Melody expresses the state of the hero. Increases dramatic function. The emotional range increases.
- Visual acoustics. The composer tries to use all the instrumental possibilities of the piano.
- Contrast sections. The unity of the composition is achieved by comparing musical materials of different emotional colors.
- Modulations to distant degrees of kinship create a special coloristic function. Also characteristic is the use of chromas that exacerbate tension.
It is worth noting that all of the above features relate primarily to the composer’s mature work. In early works, you can find waltzes themselves, as well as their musical predecessors. So, an unusual example of early waltzes is the German dance. The tonality in E major opens the listener to a bright world of life. Graceful forshlags and other decorations in the melody emphasize the genre and everyday nature of thematism. Rhythm and harmony, based mainly on the tonic-dominant ratios reflect the belonging to the folklore of the peoples of Austria. The listener as if plunges into the wonderful world of the culture of this country, with its traditions and customs.
Waltz in B minor №6 op.18. The C-Minor Waltz is the most famous work in this genre. Lyricism and poetry of musical material reflect the feeling of flight. The simplicity of thought is captivating from the first tact. In general, all the characteristic features of the dance are sustained, the dance is preserved and the feeling of smoothness remains. Reliance on the dominant creates a feeling of tension. Waltz consists of two rather relief and contrasting themes. The dotted rhythm of the first theme realizes the movement aspiration. The second topic is exacerbated by the presence of many dissonant intervals, including the newt. The return of the first topic in the major version marks the approval of an optimistic concept. This is also evidenced by the presentation of musical material by parallel sextas, which in music are associated with the duet of consent.
Waltz in B minor №6 op.18 (listen)
Waltz caprice. Particularly elegant piece for piano can be considered "Waltz-Caprice" №6 from the series "Vienna Evenings". Initially, the waltz was written by Schubert for four hands. Authorship belongs to two talented composers Franz Schubert and Franz Liszt. Romantic Liszt was a popularizer of classical music, he created a more virtuoso arrangement of the composition for performance in two hands.
Listen to the work in the concert processing of Liszt can be performed by a talented pianist Vladimir Horowitz.
Waltz-Caprice (listen)
12 waltzes op. 91. It is a cyclic product. This is a kind of miniature music box. A feature of each number can be called the fact that it can be performed indefinitely. These are small rooms of human consciousness that are filled with a certain emotional affect. On their own scale, plays can take as few as three lines. These are concisely expressed thoughts. It is worth noting that this opus was intended for continuous performance. The numbers are set only conditionally:
- So, the first two numbers are written in the same key of E major.
- The third number helps modulate the fourth number, written in the key of A major.
- The fifth number continues the development of the previous number, but the melodic conduct changes. The register gets higher, a dotted rhythm appears.
- The sixth lyric number is written in a minor key. Feels light melancholy. The register also remains high, but the rhythmic pulsation of the melody is becoming more frequent.
- The seventh number continues the melancholic line, written in a-moll.
- The eighth number reflects Schubert's favorite trick - a comparison of keys of the same name, in the next issue will again flicker in A minor, creating a sense of predestination. Dynamics will become unstable, unstable.
- The tenth number is the culmination of the cycle. The composition is characterized by the following methods: the major-minor mode, so characteristic of the work of romantics, the predominance of triple rhythms and high registers. It creates the feeling of being in a light weightless space. This is one of the largest rooms in size.
- The eleventh number is a light but more mundane waltz. It can trace the features of the Landler. Tonality - in G major.
- The twelfth number is the logical end of the cycle in the key of E major. This number seems to unite all the previous ones, combining all the characteristic features.
During the whole cycle, the waltz rhythm remains unchanged. Showing a variety of pictures of life. It is like an apartment building, where each room lives by its own laws, but everything is built on the same rhythm of life. Everyone has their own music, their own view of things. But the development of events, each of them has its own drama, unique and expressive, funny or sad. Moments captured in memory and preserved forever.
Franz Schubert's waltzes are a new page in the history of the development of piano miniatures. Delightfulness and sublimity of images make it possible to rank the compositions precisely for the romantic era. Each waltz is a musical masterpiece.
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