The Joy of One on a Part

Chamber music is to many listeners an acquired taste, and it certainly demands from the audience member a proactive listening involvement. Not everyone is willing to “invest” that much effort into a concert, but the rewards can be tremendous. The most common defintion of chamber music is “instrumental ensemble music performed by one player for each part, as opposed to orchestral music in which there may be several players for each part,” (from the Harvard Dictionary of Music). Obviously, vocal chamber music can be defined the same way, although in most cases small vocal ensembles will still have at least three or four voices on a part. Chamber music (whether instrumental or vocal) is often enormously satisfying for the performer, because it allows an opportunity for complexity, virtuosity, collaboration and self-expression not always so common in music designed for orchestras and choruses.

I experienced a tremendously satisfying and rewarding chamber music concert at my church yesterday. The Sounds of the Spirit Concert Series of Roswell United Methodist Church presented the Atlanta Chamber Players in a program featuring the Beethoven Quintet in E flat Major for Piano & Winds, Opus 16 and Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in C Minor, Opus 66. The Atlanta Chamber Players features some of Atlanta’s finest instrumentalists, many of whom are principals with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. All the players were in top form yesterday as they made the music “live” in a way that no recording could surpass, no matter how fine it might be. This is because the audience members were privy to musicians performing at the top of their form with skill, finesse, and enthusiasm. Being in the room and witnessing the “transformation” of the players as each “became” the music he or she played was a special experience. As someone who is usually involved in the music making, it was wonderful to sit back and be transported by the inspiration of others.

Beethoven and Suffering for Art

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote an amazing document in 1802.  It is known as the Heiligenstadt Testament and it is actually a letter addressed to his two brothers, Carl and Johann.  It was discovered among Beethoven’s papers following his death in 1827 and there is no evidence that it was ever delivered.  Still, considering the content of the document, I imagine it was a cathartic experience for Beethoven just to put the words on paper even if it was seen by no person during his lifetime.

It is heartfelt writing and comes as a result of the increasing sense of desolation felt by Beethoven as his hearing loss was growing more profound.   In this document he strove to impart the reasons for his withdrawal from society and to provide assurances that he most sincerely wished for human love and companionship.  Here are some of the words he said:

Oh you men who think or say that I am malevolent, stubborn, or misanthropic, how greatly do you wrong me.  You do not know the secret cause which makes me seem that way to you.  From childhood on, my heart and soul have been full of the tender feeling of goodwill, and I was even inclined to accomplish great things.

I was soon compelled to isolate myself, to live alone.  If at times I tried to forget all this, oh how harshly was I flung back by the doubly sad experience of my bad hearing.  Yet it was impossible for me to say to people, “Speak louder, shout, for I am deaf.”  Ah, how could I possibly admit an infirmity in the one sense which ought to be more perfect in me than others, a sense which I once possessed in the highest perfection…My misfortune is doubly painful to me because I am bound to be misunderstood; for me there can be no relaxation with my fellow men, no refined conversations, no mutual exchange of ideas.  I must live almost alone, like one who has been banished.

…I would have ended my life – it was only my art that held me back.  Ah, it seemed to me impossible to leave the world until I had brought forth all that I felt was within me.

These are but a few of the words shared by Beethoven in this remarkable document.  I encourage you to read the entire Testament (it is readily available on the internet).  It offers valuable insight into one of our greatest composers, and as many of us prepare to perform his Mass in C Major in a few short weeks, I would hope a contemplation of Beethoven’s thoughts would bring a greater empathy to our performance.

Worth a Second Listen

The Michael O’Neal Singers and Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra will be joining forces at the end of February for two performances of music  by Ludwig van Beethoven.  The program will consist of the Symphony #3 (Eroica) and the Mass in C Major, two masterpieces from Beethoven’s “middle” period of composition.  Although he had not yet arrived at his ultimate style, as evidenced in works such as Symphony #9 and Missa Solemnis, there can still be heard in the Eroica and Mass a genius in the process of developing his “compositional voice.”   Beethoven managed to pay homage to the greats who preceded him, men such as Haydn and Mozart, by acknowledging the forms and styles of the Classic period, yet at the same time finding ways to push the limits of those forms and styles.

The Mass in C Major was written as a commission for Prince Esterhazy in honor of his wife, Marie Esterhazy.  Beethoven knew as he wrote the Mass in C Major that he was following in the footsteps of Franz Josef Haydn, who had been in the employ of the Esterhazy family for many years and had written several very successful earlier masses for the Princess.  Beethoven recognized that his composition would be compared to those of Haydn, and in fact, the Prince was very disappointed in Beethoven’s work.  Following the first performance on September 13, 1807, the Prince was overhead saying to the composer, “But my dear Beethoven, what is it you have done now?”  The Prince did not hear in Beethoven’s music what he expected and wanted to hear, which would have been something familiar and comfortable.  What Beethoven had done, of course, was listen to his own muse and create a work that was pleasing to himself.  While we listen to the  Mass today and recognize it to be a magnificent piece of music, we hear it with ears “conditioned” not only by Beethoven’s later works, but also by the 200 years of composition that have occurred since its creation.

Perhaps this should be a reminder to all of us to be willing to give music that is new to us a “second listen” before deciding whether we like it or not.  By doing so we open ourselves to many remarkable musical experiences.  Thank goodness Prince Esterhazy was not the final judge on the Mass in C Major! 

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ludwig van Beethoven

Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been 83 today, January 15, 2012, had he not been struck down by a sniper’s bullet on April 4, 1968.  He was only 39, but consider what he was able to accomplish in those few years.  Our nation was shown a better way to live and treat others through his words and actions.  As younger generations, both black and white, learn of this “larger than life” figure only through recorded historical accounts or the ever decreasing first hand accounts of persons who knew him, I can only hope we will continue to honor him as one of the greatest persons of the 20th Century.  While a national holiday exists to commemorate his life, it would be unfortunate if it became nothing more than just another “day off” for the majority of Americans.

I have always believed one of the best ways to honor Dr. King on his special day is to do something of value in his memory.  For that reason, MOS regularly rehearses on MLK Day each year.   Always at this particular rehearsal I am reminded how important it is for us to learn and perform music that moves us to a higher plain.  We are fortunate this year to be doing that with Beethoven’s Mass in C Major.  There is even a “King-Beethoven” connection in one of MLK’s quotes.  King uses Beethoven’s music as an example of something being done at the very highest level, and he reminds us in his statement of the importance of doing anything we do to the best of our ability.  Here’s the quote:

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.

The world is a better place because of individuals like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ludwig van Beethoven.   Our lives are made richer because they lived.

Redemptive and Life-Affirming Music

I just listened to an interview with Bobby McFerrin conducted by Krista Tippett on her American Public Media broadcast entitled On Being. Krista talks with a wide variety of people on subjects of faith, religion, and spirituality. In the past I’ve listened to fascinating discussions with persons like the Dalai Lama, Bible scholar Walter Brueggemann, and Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize. I had especially looked forward to Bobby McFerrin’s interview, for I have been a fan of this amazing musician for a long time, and I must say I was not disappointed. McFerrin’s mastery of his singing voice, combined with his phenomenal improvisatory skills, have resulted in many engaging musical moments for audiences throughout the world and it was fascinating to hear his take on a number of subjects.

I was particularly struck by McFerrin’s comment that the music we listen to should be “redemptive and life-affirming.” He went on to lament the degrading and cynical subject matter of much of the music listened to by young people today and suggested that since music has such a power to influence we should be careful what we listen to and perform. It made me think about the music we’ve just begun rehearsing in The Michael O’Neal Singers. Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, Op. 86, will be performed with the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra at the end of February. This rarely performed piece is truly an inspiring work of art. Written more than a decade after Beethoven had begun to lose his hearing, and five years after his profoundly moving epistle, the Heiligenstadt Testament, the Mass shows a composer already pushing the limits of accepted musical style and exploring expanded interpretations of a centuries old text. I am thankful that this masterpiece which came from Beethovens head, heart and soul over two hundred years ago still has the ability to be “redemptive and life-affirming” to those of us who peform or hear it today.

Choral Gems

A gem can be defined as “something prized especially for great beauty or perfection.”   MOS begins its season on October 24 with a program entitled Choral Gems, consisting of music that fits that definition.  Chosen from some of history’s greatest choral masterpieces, the selections sung will span 250 years of creative genius and will include many beautiful and recognized melodies.  While most of the pieces are settings of sacred Christian texts, I would suggest that the nature of these selections transcends the religious boundaries of specific dogmas.  That is one of the reasons I derive so much satisfaction from performing this music, as it provides an opportunity to have a window through which may be glimpsed the “divine other.”   If one believes, as I do, that great composers can sometimes create these windows through which we obtain our “glimpses,” we can further understand and appreciate the responsibility that has been given to those of us who perform , as we attempt to faithfully fulfill the wishes of the composer.

One of the greatest experiences ever provided me as a musician was to have the opportunity to sing under the direction of Robert Shaw for nearly twenty years.  Shaw, former conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Choruses, and possibly the greatest choral conductor of the 20^th Century, gave the reason he so revered Arturo Toscanini to be that “he never felt sorry for himself, he only felt sorry for the composer.”   I heard Mr. Shaw repeat those words often and I believe they describe him as well as they did Maestro Toscanini.  It was through Shaw’s performances of the masterpieces represented in today’s program that I developed at least a partial understanding of the emotional and intellectual depths explored in this music.  So as MOS performs pieces from the repertoire of Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Duruflé and Orff, it is my hope that all present, performers and audience members alike, may be transported to a place that will allow us all to experience the enormous beauty and profundity of these “choral gems.”