Music has a way of relating perfectly to the emotions of human beings. Where words cannot express what a person is going through, music can be the ultimate way of expression emotion, philosophy, or mental disposition. Below are three examples that have been seen and discussed in class this semester.
Example 1:
In the piece, Der Doppelganger by Franz Schubert, The D# minor tonality is a representation of the man’s anger. He changes into someone suffering from pure rage. Eventually, he anger turns to grief. The man wishes to move forward from his anger and start the healing process, but he cannot return to B minor uncharged. At the end of the piece, the Picardy Third is the last representation of him trying to move forward, but still clinging to his past actions and thoughts.
Example 2:
In the piece, Sonata in A Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the second theme of the Exposition and second theme of the Recapitulation are almost matched measure for measure. But Mozart adds 3 bars to the Recapitulation section that represent his last expression of sheer grief. In mm 126-128, Mozart writes three diminished 7th chords back to back and goes from the top of his keyboard to the bottom. This is his final shriek of grief that he writes before ending the movement.
Example 3:
In the piece, Sonata in A Minor by Mozart, there is a recurring theme of using 5-bar phrases. It is an unusual technique that Mozart was fond of using. Mozart’s father was a member of the Free Masons and held meetings inside the Mozart home. Eventually, Mozart himself became a Free Mason in his late 20’s. The Free Masons used the five-pointed star as a sign of their dislike of authority. It started with the Knights Templar and their use of the five-pointed start as a way to show their dislike of the authority of the Catholic Church. Mozart incorporated this image of the five-pointed star into his works through 5-bar phrases.