This category contains articles that discuss concepts and analyse the music of the 19th century (1800-1899). Work of the late classical, transitioning into the Romantic and late-Romantic can be found here. Mid to late Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms and Bruckner can be found here (once we cover them!)
This article explains how to orchestrate a melody by reducing orchestration to six fundamental approaches, helping composers make clearer and more deliberate decisions.
How to Orchestrate a Melody: The Six Essential Approaches Read More »
A complete analysis of Nocturne No. 19, looking at form, structure, harmony and melody.
Nocturne No. 19 in E-Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (Analysis) – Friederich Chopin Read More »
An analysis of Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1, looking at structure, melody and harmonic language.
Arabesque No. 1 – Claude Debussy (Music Composition Analysis) Read More »
An analysis of Elgar’s Romance for Violin and Piano: Salut D’amour. Harmony, melody and structure go under the microscope.
Salut D’amour – Edward Elgar (Music Composition Technique Analysis) Read More »
In posthumously arranging Bizet’s Farandole [L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2], Ernest Guiraud takes half of the primary theme, Le Marche de Rois, and exposes it twice in D-minor. First, the theme is heard in homophonic texture, then a two-part canon. Modulating to the parallel D-major, Guiraud introduces part of the farandole melody, gradually increasing its intensity in the
Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony, nicknamed “Little Russian”, opens with a melody presented on its own on solo french horn. Tchaikovsky then uses this melody as his only material for the opening three to four minutes, presenting it in three full re orchestrated forms, and then several fragmented forms. The first full version sees bassoons take up
Many of Chopin’s Nocturnes follow a ternary structure, or ABA form, where melodies of the A-section repeat and flank a different middle section. Interestingly, however, Chopin’s Nocturnes often implement subtle embellishments to each repetition of these A-themes. His first Nocturne Opus 9, Number 1 is a good example of these melodic variations. Taking a closer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYqfTcI3Ztk&t=9s&ab_channel=AnyOldMusic Paul Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (1897) is a musical composition based on a poem, of the same name, by 18th-century German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe was a product of the later Enlightenment. However, he had a profound impact on the European 19th-century and Romantic culture. For instance, Dukas is only one of many composers
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – Paul Dukas (Music Composition Techniques Analysis) Read More »
Chopin’s 20th Nocturne in C#-minor, published posthumously, is a brooding piano solo that boasts, unsurprisingly, facets quintessential to Chopin’s Nocturnes. These qualities, in Chopin’s nocturnes, have long fascinated me as a composer. Simple in design and modest in development, they demonstrate that complexity and quality are not synonymous. Instead, it is about doing enough and
Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp Minor, F. Chopin – Composition Analysis Read More »
There is plenty to learn in analysing a composition. In the previous article I analysed and discussed the arrangement of Bizet’s Farandole. Here I take the learning process one step further by experimenting with combining the classic nursery rhyme melody “London Bridge” with the arrangement of Farandole. Taking the structural breakdown that I presented in the previous article I apply similar textures, orchestration and melodic treatment to “London Bridge”. This article discusses my process, thinking and lessons learned in undertaking this learning experiment.
3 lessons from arranging London Bridge for orchestra Read More »