Symphony No. 3, Op. 36, also known as the
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (
Polish:
Symfonia pieśni żałosnych), is a
symphony in three
movements composed by
Henryk Górecki in
Katowice, Poland, between October and December 1976. The work is indicative of the transition between Górecki's
dissonant earlier manner and his more
tonal later style. A solo
soprano sings a different Polish text in each of the three movements. The first is a
Silesian folk song, the second a message written on the wall of a
Gestapo cell during World War II, and the third a 15th-century Polish lament of
Mary, mother of Jesus. The first and third movements are written from the perspective of a parent who has lost a child, and the second movement from that of a child who has lost a parent. The dominant themes of the symphony are motherhood and separation through war.
Beijing opera or
Peking opera (
simplified Chinese:
京剧;
traditional Chinese:
京劇;
pinyin:
Jīngjù) is a form of
traditional Chinese theatre which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. The form was extremely popular in the
Qing Dynasty court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of
China. Major performance troupes are based in
Beijing and
Tianjin in the north, and
Shanghai in the south.The art form is also enjoyed in
Taiwan, and has spread to other countries such as the
United States and
Japan.Beijing opera features four main types of
performers. Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers. With their elaborate and colorful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Beijing opera's characteristically sparse stage.
Porgy and Bess is an
opera, first performed in
1935, with music by
George Gershwin,
libretto by
DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by
Ira Gershwin and
Dorothy Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel
Porgy and the play of the same name that he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy. All three works deal with
African American life in the fictitious
Catfish Row in
Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1930s.Originally conceived by Gershwin as an "American folk opera," Porgy and Bess premiered in New York in the fall of 1935 and featured an entire cast of classically trained African-American singers—a daring and visionary artistic choice at the time. Incorporating a wealth of blues and jazz idioms into the classical art form of opera, Gershwin considered it his finest work, but it was not widely accepted in the
United States as a legitimate opera until 1976 when the
Houston Grand Opera production of his complete score (followed nine years later by its Metropolitan Opera premiere) established it as an artistic triumph.
Thespis, or The Gods Grown Old, is an
operatic extravaganza that was the first collaboration between dramatist
W. S. Gilbert and composer
Arthur Sullivan. It was never published, and most of the music is now lost. However,
Gilbert and Sullivan would go on to become one of the most famous and successful partnerships in
Victorian England, creating a string of
comic opera hits, including
H.M.S. Pinafore,
The Pirates of Penzance and
The Mikado, that continue to be popular throughout the English-speaking world.
Thespis premièred in
London at the
Gaiety Theatre on
December 26,
1871. Like many productions at that theatre, it was written in a broad,
burlesque style, considerably different from Gilbert and Sullivan's later works. It was a modest success—for a Christmas entertainment of the time—and closed on
March 8,
1872, after a run of 63 performances.The story follows an acting troupe headed by
Thespis, the legendary Greek father of the
drama, who temporarily trade places with the now elderly
gods on
Mount Olympus.
Sonatas and Interludes is a collection of twenty pieces for
prepared piano by
American avant-garde composer John Cage (1912–1992). It was composed in 1946–1948, shortly after Cage's introduction to
Indian philosophy and the teachings of art historian
Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, both of which became major influences on the composer's later work. Significantly more complex than his other works for prepared piano,
Sonatas and Interludes is generally recognized as one of Cage's finest achievements.The cycle consists of sixteen sonatas (which have practically nothing in common with the classic
sonata form) and four interludes. The aim of the pieces is to express the eight permanent emotions of the
rasa Indian tradition. In
Sonatas and Interludes, Cage elevated his technique of rhythmic proportions to a new level of complexity.In each sonata a short sequence of natural numbers and fractions defines the structure of the work and that of its parts, informing structures as localized as individual melodic lines.
Sylvia, originally
Sylvia ou La Nymphe de Diane, is a full-length
ballet in two or three
acts, first
choreographed by
Louis Mérante to music by
Léo Delibes in 1876.
Sylvia is a typical classical ballet in many respects, yet it has many interesting features which make it unique.
Sylvia is notable for its mythological
Arcadian setting, creative
choreographies, expansive sets and, above all, its
remarkable score. The ballet's origins are in
Tasso's 1573 poem "
Aminta," which describes the basic plot of Delibes' work.
Jules Barbier and Baron de Reinach adapted this for the
Paris Opera.The piano arrangement was composed in 1876 and the orchestral suite was done in 1880.When
Sylvia premiered on
June 14,
1876 at the
Palais Garnier, it went largely unnoticed. In fact, the first seven productions of
Sylvia were not successful. It was the 1952 revival, choreographed by
Sir Frederick Ashton, that popularized the ballet. Ashton's success set the stage for the 1997, 2004 and 2005 productions, all of which were based on his 1952 choreography.
Timpani (also known colloquially as
kettledrums or
kettle drums) are
musical instruments in the
percussion family. A type of
drum, they consist of a skin called a
head stretched over a large bowl commonly made of
copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized
drum stick called a
timpani stick or
timpani mallet. Unlike most drums, they produce a
definite pitch when struck, and can be
tuned, often with the use of a pedal. Timpani evolved from
military drums to become a staple of the
classical orchestra by the last third of the 18th century. Today, they are used in many types of
musical ensembles including
concert,
marching, and even some
rock bands.
Timpani is an
Italian plural, the singular of which is
timpano. However, this is rarely used in informal
English speech as a timpano is typically referred to as a
drum, a
timpani, or simply a
timp. A
musician who plays the timpani is known as a
timpanist.
The
guqin (help·info) (
Chinese:
古琴;
pinyin:
gǔqín;
Wade-Giles:
ku-ch'in;
IPA:
[kùtɕʰǐn]; literally "ancient stringed instrument") is the modern name for a plucked seven-string
Chinese musical instrument of the
zither family (中華絃樂
噐/中华弦乐器). It has been played since
ancient times, and has traditionally been favored by
scholars and
literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement, as highlighted by the quote 「士無故不撤琴瑟」, meaning "a gentleman does not part with his
qin or
se without good reason," as well as being associated with the ancient Chinese
philosopher Confucius. It is sometimes referred to by the Chinese as 「國樂之父/国乐之父」, meaning "the father of Chinese music" or 「聖人之噐/圣人之器」, meaning "the instrument of the sages".The guqin is a very quiet instrument, with a range of about four
octaves, and its open strings are tuned in the
bass register. Its lowest pitch is about two octaves below
middle C, or the lowest note on the
cello.
