Composition Quiz

[Michael]

They could have made the questions a bit simpler - like "who wrote Beethoven's Fifth?"

[gprengel]

I'll stick my neck out again and go for Mendelssohn for the first one. You're certainly finding some gems Gerd (please keep them coming), lovely piece whoever wrote it!

Yes, Peter, very good, this can be only Mendelssohn! It belongs to the Oratorio Christus on which Mendelssohn was working shortly before his death, so only a few pieces were finished - but it is soooo moving and beautiful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjcUTtnfST8 (here only second part)

Good, that you appreciate my "gems" :-)

Gerd

[Peter]

Yes, Peter, very good, this can be only Mendelssohn! It belongs to the Oratorio Christus on which Mendelssohn was working shortly before his death, so only a few pieces were finished - but it is soooo moving and beautiful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjcUTtnfST8 (here only second part)

Good, that you appreciate my "gems" :-)

Gerd

Isn't it extraordinary how so much of Mendelssohn's choral music is unknown? I've been listening to his wonderful Chorale cantatas for choir and orchestra.

[gprengel]

Isn't it extraordinary how so much of Mendelssohn's choral music is unknown? I've been listening to his wonderful Chorale cantatas for choir and orchestra.

Oh yes, these Choral cantatas are so beautiful! Also the Psalms and various
a capella chorusses. I have a box of 10 CDs all of his spiritual music (without the oratorios). Most of these belong to my favourite music.

[gprengel]

Here I have 2 pearls which I discovered not too long ago. I can't tell you how much I love these so intimate examples of chamber music mastery. Who may have written them?

www.gerdprengel.de/piece6.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/piece7.mp3

[hal9000]

Brahms?

[Peter]

Here I have 2 pearls which I discovered not too long ago. I can't tell you how much I love these so intimate examples of chamber music mastery. Who may have written them?

www.gerdprengel.de/piece6.mp3
www.gerdprengel.de/piece7.mp3

The first one is 3rd movt of Schumann's violin sonata no.2. Not sure yet about the other one.

[Peter]

Got it! Schumann again, the 2nd of his 5 pieces for 'cello in folk style.

[hal9000]

There's so much music I have yet to discover.

[Peter]

There's so much music I have yet to discover.

A lifetime isn't enough! I recall reading somewhere that even Yehudi Menuhin only first heard the last Beethoven quartets towards the end of his life.

[gprengel]

Very good, Peter, how did you recognise the pieces? At least the second piece is rather unknown...but how beautiful!!!There is a rendition by Pablo Casals in YouTube - awesome!!

[Peter]

Very good, Peter, how did you recognise the pieces? At least the second piece is rather unknown...but how beautiful!!!There is a rendition by Pablo Casals in YouTube - awesome!!

I'm better with instrumental music than choral. I knew they were both Schumann, but I couldn't recall at first what the 2nd one was, then I remembered the 5 folk pieces for 'cello which I have on an old LP coupled with the 'cello concerto.

[gprengel]

How about these wonderful pieces? Who may have written these? Do you even know the works?

www.gerdprengel.de/piece8.mp3

www.gerdprengel.de/piece9.mp3

www.gerdprengel.de/piece10.mp3

[hal9000]

Shostakovich? I know the first one definitely is. He's another one I need to explore, but like Peter said, a lifetime's not enough.

[Peter]

Yes the first one is Shostakovich piano concerto 2 slow movt, I think the second one is Tchaikovsky, but I'm not sure what, it's not any of his symphonies. The 3rd piece sounds Russian even Tchaikovsky in parts, Glazunov?