Reviews for The Nature Of Music: Original Harmony In One Voice (1909)

The average rating for The Nature Of Music: Original Harmony In One Voice (1909) based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-02-26 00:00:00 Heidi Louise Mitchell When most people think of really beautiful moments in music, they think about drama and emotion and performance. One of the most beautiful musical moments in my life came in the musical theory analysis of this work. The performance is wonderful, of course, and I think that listening to the All Night Vigil will truly enrich your soul. But my favorite piece is no. 5, "Lord, Lettest Thou", when Simeon goes home after seeing the Christ child. Looking over the score...I wish I could have known Rachmaninoff. Artistry, passion, imagination...it's all there. There's a stepping interval pattern that evokes the image of this old man of steadfast faith, going day after day, year after year to the temple and climbing the steps, this persistence and patience that must be won through the endurance of time. And it rises and rises with the tenor solo until suddenly...there is stillness and ethereal softness, and now Simeon has seen the Christ, the Savior of the world. And now he can die in peace and joy, content in the fulfillment of God's promise. So the piece descends down, down, down to the lowest bass register. But here's the thing. The last note could indicate either a major or minor ending. It isn't explicit. Which to me means that there is sadness and there is joy. Simeon has died, so we mourn, but he has found peace at last, so we rejoice. It's such a beautiful, sensitive moment, and you might not see it without music theory. And so it makes me sad when people dislike music theory. Because the theory of music is a powerful, beautiful thing, filled with history and meaning.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-01-02 00:00:00 Ryan Ladouceur 780 O'Br