Your ear hears this as normal.īut things can get a little hairy. Yankee Doodle begins and ends with a C-major chord the first and last chords are the same. So, C-E-G-C is a C-major chord, the simplest of them all. In four-part harmony (4) in the key of C major, the root chord, which is the same chord that the piece starts and finishes with, consists of the first note in the scale (C), the third (E), the fifth (G), and the eighth (C), which is one octave above the bass note. Three or more notes together form a chord.įigure 1. Each note in succession gets assigned a number (Figure 1). Below is the simplest scale C major has no sharps or flats (black keys). The chords that make up the harmonies are set combinations of the notes in that scale. Most Western music is based on major and minor scales. I'll try to make it as little as possible. To understand this you need a little music theory. Then, abruptly, things come to a dead stop at about the same time in every movement and always on the same chord. Finally the piano starts, and for about five minutes there is an interplay between the orchestra and piano. This passage sets up the main theme for the pianist, who by the time he or she starts has been sitting there doing nothing except trying not to have a nervous breakdown. Almost every movement of every concerto begins with a very long, usually 1-2 minute, introduction during which time only the orchestra plays. If you're the piano soloist you will need some real patience and also steely nerves. The first and third movements are fast and light, usually, Allegro, and the second movement (and this is where you're really going to need the touch) is slow and expressive, either Adagio or Andante. Here's the formula.Īll 27 concertos consist of three movements. So, if a Mozart aficionado is listening to a concerto which he/she has never heard that person will usually have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen next. Mozart had a formula which he used for his concertos and he rarely deviated from it. ![]() Here's something you may not know, and it probably explains his productivity. His 27 piano concertos, most of which were written between 17 (!), are considered by some as one of the greatest bodies of classical music ever composed (There is plenty of controversy here too.) ![]() And Mozart's soloists were usually pianists. Some people can joyfully listen all day while others think he lacks substance.Īlthough he didn't invent it, Mozart defined the concerto - a composition with a soloist accompanied by an orchestra. It's much the same with people who listen. Don't even think about over-relying on the sustaining (2) pedal. There are no eight-note chords, just seemingly simple melodies (1), decorated with scales, arpeggios, and trills. He comes naturally to some pianists but also inspires fear among others who, despite the fact that they can play Rachmaninoff or Liszt, both far more technically challenging, know that there is nowhere to hide when playing Mozart. Both performers and listeners have very different reactions to Mozart's works. It could be argued that there is no more polarizing composer than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
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