Description
Get our FREE Newsletter at https://www.PrometheanAction.com — In this fourth installment on classical culture, the speakers argue that classical music has faced a long political campaign—linked to a “British-centered oligarchy”—to undermine its role in expressing harmony and developing the human mind. Using Schubert’s life and output as a backdrop, they focus on “tuning wars,” claiming hostile forces raised concert pitch from A=432/C=256 toward A=440–450, damaging instruments, shortening singers’ careers, and altering composers’ intended vocal color and meaning.
Tuning demonstration: Cappuccilli sings the piece three times, The first time, the piano is tuned to A 432 (or C 256) He then moves to the second piano, which is tuned higher at A 440 ( or C 260) If you listen closely, the top notes are higher than the first time, and he actually had to shift into the 3rd register, which was not the intention of the composer. By shifting higher, the color of the tone changes. He then goes back to the first piano and sings it as Verdi intended, You can tell by Cappuccilli's expression, the lower tuning was much more natural and expressive.
https://share.descript.com/view/Jp2vAFAg4Fx
Schubert/Andras Schiff:
The pianist Andras Schiff is one of the best contemporary pianists we are blessed to have. I encourage everyone to listen to his recordings when possible. He has a long series on Beethoven's entire Piano Sonatas, which will give you a beautiful insight into every one of Beethoven's sonatas.
Schubert’s Hungarian Melody in B minor, D817 is a simple and wonderful expression of “motivic thorough-composition.”
Motivic thorough composition is the path a composer will take you on as they use a simple musical idea which is continuously changing, lawfully developing, and transformed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm390aUZcnE
George Gershwin-Rhapsody In Blue
1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxNbAtTMZXc
Copland conducts El Salon Mexico, New York Philharmonic
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj-98yBfEI0
Copland Conducts Appalachian Spring
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxd1cmenki8
Compare Toscanini and Furtwangler Conducting Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Think about what is different.
Toscanini Beethoven 5th
4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeW09M6ytCg
Furtwangler Beethoven 5
5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooJi3JCXmks
00:00 Series Intro and Stakes
01:21 Harmony and Statecraft
06:56 Schubert in Turbulent Times
09:30 Tuning Wars Explained
13:31 Congress of Vienna Crackdown
16:17 Verdi Versus High Pitch
19:33 Modern Push to Raise Pitch
21:53 Fixing the Narrative and Listening Guide
28:20 Mindy Takes the Baton
28:47 Sovereignty Heist Overview
30:25 Trump as Musical Thinker
33:03 LaRouche on Musical Metaphor
35:44 Danmarsh Arrives
38:00 Assault on Sovereignty
40:34 Fontainebleau Conservatory
44:10 Nadia Boulanger Network
50:01 Stravinsky Presentism
53:08 Bernstein Candide Attack
57:19 Furtwangler vs Toscanini
01:03:00 Mozart Closing Appeal
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Credits:
Beethoven: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven#/media/File:Joseph_Karl_Stieler's_Beethoven_mit_dem_Manuskript_der_Missa_solemnis.jpg
Verdi: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giuseppe_Verdi_by_Giovanni_Boldini.jpg?uselang=en#Licensing
Schubert: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Julius_Schmid_Schubertiade.jpg
Domingo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Placido_Domingo,_opera_singer,_at_St._Patrick%27s_%28New_York%29,_1982_%28cropped%29.jpg
Voice Species: https://archive.schillerinstitute.com/music/rev_chart.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Damrosch#/media/File:Walter_Johannes_Damrosch_(1862%E2%80%931950).jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia_Boulanger#/media/File:Chateau_Fontainebleau_-002.jpg Mathieu DAGNEAUD - CC BY 2.5
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prince_Edmond_de_Polignac_(brighter).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iiif-public_music_muscopland-phot0102_phot0102u-full-pct_100.0-0-default.jpg
https://picryl.com/media/igor-stravinsky-and-nadia-boulanger-1937-e896d1
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Girl_Crazy_poster.jpg?uselang=en#Licensing
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leonard_Bernstein_with_Nadia_Boulanger_at_the_New_York_Philharmonic.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aaron_Copland,_Serge_Koussevitzky,_and_Nadia_Boulanger,_ca._1939.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Furtw%C3%A4ngler#/media/File:Wilhelm_Furtw%C3%A4ngler.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arturo_Toscanini_1908.png?uselang=en#Licensing
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copland_Inscape_opening_eleven_note_chord.png
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UhAw1vDqsU&t=2504s