Thursday, October 24, 2019
Piotr Ilytich Tchaikovsky’s “1812†Essay
Composed by internationally-known classical musician, Piotr Ilytch Tchaikovsky, the classical music piece â€Å"1812 Overture in E Flat Major, Op. 49†, reflects the French invasion in Russia which was never victorious. With its full title, â€Å"The Year 1812,†Op. 49; French Ouverture Solonelle), the classical music also implies the withdrawal of Napoleon in 1812 during the Napoleonic Wars.            The musical elements in the composition display some underlying themes which made it more interesting: tone, rhythm, harmony, and form.            The tone uniquely displayed the varying pitch all through out the musical piece. This is manifested by the high pitch and low pitch that could be observed in the piece. The combination of the different pitches made the musical piece interesting to listen to.            Meanwhile, another interesting about the musical elements present in the composition is its rhythm. Tchaikovsky used unique sound representations in the composition, some of which are the horns and the firing of the cannons.            Another musical element is harmony. Despite the different pitches and rhythm present in the piece, the harmony of the musical notes and instruments that are used appear to be in agreement with each other; no â€Å"out-of-place†tunes could be observed, I think.            Lastly, the form of the musical piece is also worth noting. The form which tells about the over-all structure of the musical composition is also outstanding. The combination of the musical notes, tempo, tone, and the other elements came out smoothly.            In addition, the 1812 Overture became known for its â€Å"real cannon fire†effects when it is performed live in outdoor events. Meanwhile, if the performance has to be done indoor, the orchestras use sounds representing the cannon fire through computer-generated sounds. Tchaikovsky entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory where he realized his true calling in the field of music. After some years, he later moved to another conservatory where he met a group of Russian composers. Those Russians were known to be nationalist which somewhat inspired Tchaikovsky in his second symphony entitled, The Little Russian. Being known as not sufficiently Russian and â€Å"cosmopolitan,†he was later rejected by this group. In 1880, Nicholas Rubenstein, Peter Illych Tchaikovsky’s mentor, suggested to Peter that a striking celebratory piece should be composed for festivities. The piece was to be presented in the square near the cathedral, with the accompaniment of a magnificent orchestra, cathedral bells and live cannon fire to attain the exactness stipulated by the musical score in which every shot was written exclusively (Lampson, 1999). Reference: Lampson, D. (1999). Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky.  Retrieved April 12, 2007, from http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/tchaikov/1812.html
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