The Barber of Seville, the overture of which was composed by Gioachino Rossini, premiered in February of 1816. The piece itself is written primarily in the key of G major; which has one sharp consistent throughout the piece. That sharp is F sharp. Also, the time signature of the piece is “4/4”, which means that each measure is 4 beats long and the quarter note serves as one beat. Since this is an opera, it was composed for a specific style of pit orchestra. Since the play has been performed many times since its debut, you can find many adaptations of the theme for almost all sizes of orchestras.

The play itself was poorly received by the public at first, but it would gradually see an increase in popularity. An interesting aspect of this composition is the inclusion of an oboe line in the original score. At the time, the use of the basso buffo voice in composition was frowned upon. However, Rossini was able to see and capitalize in the comedic qualities of this style of voice for  this play. This was one of the primary reasons why the show received much higher reviews after its second performance than after the first; it simply took time for the audience to accommodate and adjust itself to the unique style of composition Rossini used so well.

Can any of you remember any experience you have had with this piece? Many of you may say no, not because you aren’t familiar with the piece, but because you didn’t know the name of it when you heard it. My first experience with the piece is most likely the same as yours. This piece was featured in an episode of the “Looney Toons”, a popular cartoon series. In the episode, (which will be linked beneath the usual recording of the piece), Bugs Bunny dresses up as butler and process to continually mess up another characters shave. The episode is quite well timed with the music which gives it quite a funny quality. I remember being a toddler and laughing around on the floor when watching this particular episode. Little did I know I would be writing this review so many years later. Eventually, I want to see the original play to bring my experience full circle. Thanks for reading and please share your experiences with this piece. I am very excited to hear your stories.

Link to Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OloXRhesab0

Link to Episode (with live orchestra): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZfaVoebk-A

This piece was a part of one of Handel’s oratorio’s; namely, Solomon. Handel composed the music between May 5 and June 13 of 1748. It was originally orchestrated for 2 oboes however, it has been transcribed into arrangement for various other groups such as string quartet. This song itself is in the key of B flat major which means that two flats are present throughout the piece; those being b flat and e flat. It is also, as with most baroque compositions, written in common time which denotes that there will be four beats per measure and the quarter note will receive the denotation of one beat.

George Frederic Handel, one of three major Baroque composers, was born in Germany in 1685. However, many of his most famous compositions were written in Britain which is quite easy to tell because they feature a distinctly elegant, British aura rather than the powerful aura often, (but not always), emitted by pieces written by German composers. Since the time of the publication of this piece, it has developed into a song often played at weddings due to its orderly, precise dynamic changes that gives it a soothing, delicate feel.

Personally, I have experience with this piece in a way that many others do not. Since I myself play the violin, I can fondly remember sitting in the back of my Middle School’s 7th and 8th Grade String Orchestra playing this song with some of the most talented orchestral members to pass through the school district, (who were all leading instrumentalists with featured roles in each piece). While this definitely improved the overall quality of the performance, I couldn’t help feel a little bit of extra pressure to do well since it would be the 8th grader’s last concert in the Middle School, (it was a real passing of the torch moment). My music teacher was, as usual fantastic at teaching us “little” 7th graders how to play the piece correctly while allowing the 8th graders to shine, (I still marvel at her mastery of that orchestra and, up to this day, remains one of my favorite teachers ever). Anyways, I hope, when you listen too it, you can enjoy it as much as I do. Please comment any pleasant memories with this piece or any other piece that you may have had and, as always, thank you for reading.

Bass Clef

This piece was the 37^th published work of Ludwig van Beethoven. It was composed for a piano soloist, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B-flat, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in E-flat, 2 trumpets in C, timpani, and strings. The piece is written in the key of c minor meaning it has three flats, those being b flat, e flat, and a flat. This piece is written mostly in 4/4 time meaning that there are four beats per measure and a quarter note receives one beat. This piece is made up of three movements.

After famously going deaf towards the end of his career, Beethoven is widely regarded as the greatest overall composer of all time, a sentiment that I agree with. His work spans the classical and romantic periods in music and his longevity, while certainly not Mozart’s, is to be admired. Being only his 37^th work, this was one of his earlier pieces. Beethoven would [later?] dedicate this piece to Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia.

Given the great quality of all of Beethoven’s works, it is easy for certain pieces to be overlooked and labeled as “just another great piece from Beethoven”. However, I feel that this piece deserves more than being swept aside. It is a great piece in its own right that fits with Beethoven’s fiery spirit. While still being categorized as a piano concerto, the piece itself does not rely solely on the piano to advance the melody; instead the piano merely introduces the themes for the rest of the orchestra to pick up on. Throughout the piece, Beethoven keeps the orchestra apart from the piano, not letting them play with each other, (not counting background chord support), which builds to a dramatic ending incorporating everyone. Thanks and please comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEH17GCig34                                               -Bass Clef