The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - The most Tolkien-Oriented music you make

Aiwendil · 01-27-2004, 12:18 AM

I've added links to pages at Amazon with relevant samples, as per your suggestion. Thanks again.

I agree about Beethoven's ninth. Beethoven managed to be Romantic (and revolutionary) while still retaining the Classical ideals, and that combination makes for some pretty good music. And you're right, it's not just homophonic. As a matter of fact very few works are strictly homophonic - but the earlier pure Classical style was generally rather highly homophonic. Beethoven was, as a matter of fact, never fully comfortable with full-fledged contrapuntal writing; for him it was hard work and did not come naturally. But the work paid off. In the 4th movement of the Ninth Symphony, for example, there are two fugues (a fugue is a rather rigid, complex form of polyphonic writing). Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has got to be one of the greatest things produced by humanity.

I can indeed imagine some bits of Tchaikowsky as "Elvish", though certainly not all of his stuff. It's been a while since I've listened to Swan Lake, though.

01-27-2004, 12:18 AM	#56
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	I've added links to pages at Amazon with relevant samples, as per your suggestion. Thanks again. I agree about Beethoven's ninth. Beethoven managed to be Romantic (and revolutionary) while still retaining the Classical ideals, and that combination makes for some pretty good music. And you're right, it's not just homophonic. As a matter of fact very few works are strictly homophonic - but the earlier pure Classical style was generally rather highly homophonic. Beethoven was, as a matter of fact, never fully comfortable with full-fledged contrapuntal writing; for him it was hard work and did not come naturally. But the work paid off. In the 4th movement of the Ninth Symphony, for example, there are two fugues (a fugue is a rather rigid, complex form of polyphonic writing). Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has got to be one of the greatest things produced by humanity. I can indeed imagine some bits of Tchaikowsky as "Elvish", though certainly not all of his stuff. It's been a while since I've listened to Swan Lake, though.