Music Appreciation "The Blue Danube" Music Appreciation

"You are sentimental,

You are young, beautiful and gentle,

like The glittering gold in the mine,

There awakens true love,

Next to the Danube, the beautiful blue Danube."

This is the poet Karl. ·Baker's poem, a poem praising the youth and beauty of the Danube River.

The beautiful Danube River in nature is an important international river, second only to the Volga River and the second largest river in Europe. It rushes out from the German Alps valley, passes through the green and quiet Vienna Forest, and flows beside the "Music Capital of the World" - Vienna. Because its river water changes many colors throughout the year: brown, turbid yellow, green, iron blue, sapphire green... It is a colorful river, a peculiar color-changing river, winding like a blue ribbon across Europe On the earth. Therefore, people call the Danube River the "Blue Danube River".

Music is the pride of Vienna; music is the soul of Vienna. Vienna, the capital of Austria, seems to have had an indissoluble bond with music since ancient times. From a map, Austria's terrain looks like a golden violin. The tranquil Danube River has gentle waves, and the narrow Vienna River flows through the city center. The two rivers are like two strings, one thick and one thin, playing endless songs. In the back garden of Sch?nbrunn Palace, the rows of pruned trees several feet high are like neatly arranged piano keys, and the sculptures in the forest are like beating notes. When you walk on the streets of Vienna or rest in the park, Seats, people can hear the beautiful waltz almost everywhere, see the lifelike statues of musicians, and their famous music seems to be echoing in people's ears again... Vienna is the cradle of European classical music, here It is the holy place that gave birth to the musical geniuses Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Johann Strauss, which had a great impact on their life achievements. Therefore, Vienna enjoys the reputation of "the world's famous music city". It was under this artistic conception that the "King of Waltz" Johann Strauss wrote the energetic, lyrically beautiful "Blue Danube Waltz". That beautiful melody brings people to the beautiful blue Danube River.

"The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss was created in 1867. Its full name is "On the Beautiful Blue Danube". It was originally a male and female chorus. It premiered in Vienna. It was adapted into an orchestral music by the composer six months later and was successfully performed at the World Exposition in Paris. . Since then, it has spread all over the world and is known as Austria's "second national anthem". It is a classic waltz that is famous all over the world.

Now let’s enjoy this world-famous waltz "The Blue Danube", which allows us to appreciate the wonderful and exotic scenery on the Danube River.

The music is written according to the structure of a typical Viennese waltz, consisting of a long overture, five small waltzes and a short coda. It permeates the deep affection of Viennese people for their hometown.

At the beginning of the prelude of the music, the French horn is like a ray of sunshine, playing the theme of the music against the background of the violin strings gently playing tremolo. It seems as if the water waves of the Danube are gently stirring, and as if the dawn is pushing away the mist on the river. In the morning light, Vienna, which is sleeping deep on the Danube, begins to wake up. Under the morning light, the beautiful blue Danube rises. Waves of joy unfold before people's eyes, and all living creatures begin a new day.

Then, the woodwind instruments echoed the violin, the speed became faster, and with the rhythm of a typical three-beat waltz, the mood became active, like a river hitting the bank, full of vitality and exciting. Then the violin and oboe responded with charming tones and jumping, soft sound patterns, preparing for the appearance of the first waltz.

The first minor waltz is the main theme of the entire waltz. Theme A's lyrical and clear melody, relaxed and lively rhythm, and pauses that respond to the main melody are like the God of Spring spreading its wings of fantasy and flying over the blue Danube River.

The wonderful melody, like the melodious intonation, vividly expresses the joyful scene of "spring is coming and the earth is laughing", making people feel that the breath of spring has come to the Danube River; theme B is relaxed, bright and full of vitality, as if It is a tribute to the Danube River in spring.

The melody of the first part of the 2nd Little Waltz jumps, rises and falls, advancing layer by layer, with a cheerful and lively mood. The light melody is like a spring girl waving to the Danube from the high Alps, giving people a sense of vitality. The feeling; the second part suddenly becomes tactful and tender, as if young people at the foothills of the Southern Alps are whispering and confiding their inner secrets to each other during a warm and cheerful dance, in contrast to the first part.

Theme A of the Little Waltz No. 3 is an innovative melody that is elegant, noble and full of characteristics of Austrian country dance music. In the light rhythm, people seem to see rural girls and young men having fun on the banks of the Danube River. The theme B is sonorous and powerful, and the strong accent in the rhythm is like the dance points they lightly tap. It depicts the carnival scene of the happy pastoral life of the people living by the blue river.

Theme A of the 4th Little Waltz is beautiful and moving, the rhythm is widened, full of singing, and plays an optimistic and uplifting theme; Theme B's cheerful dance rhythm, passionate emotions, noisy and warm, form a perfect match with Theme A contrasted. The smooth melody outlines the winding blue waterway. In these living lines, the boiling blood of the Austrian people flows. The urgent and rough sound tells people about the ancient times when the heroic nation thrived along the Danube River. history.

The theme of the fifth minor waltz is the expansion and development of the melody of the first waltz. Although they are very different in tone, in terms of temperament they are both a passionate hymn to celebrate the arrival of spring on the Danube River. After a short introduction, section A is played by woodwinds and violins gently, a melodious, graceful, touching and tender melody. The undulating melody reminds people of the carefree boating on the Danube River. , and then in the gradually increasing intensity, the B section, accompanied by lively percussion, appears with a passionate and joyful contrasting section, thus reaching the climax of the whole song.

The ending of the music has a huge structure and rich sound, and contains almost all the waltz themes in the music. However, there are still colorful variations in the order of performance, choice of themes, and instruments used. The third, fourth and first waltzes appear at the end, and then the beautiful echoes of the rippling waves of the Danube River in the prelude sound. In the clear colors, the trembling flute and the chirping of birds immerse people in an idyllic realm. Suddenly, a gust of sound surged like a sudden wind. The whole song ends in a fiery carnival climax.

The five melodies connected together are like a river that is sometimes as smooth as a mirror, sometimes rippling, and sometimes roaring. . . .

The music constantly gives people a cheerful and active feeling through melody contrast, tonal conversion, timbre changes, and emotional ups and downs. Every waltz and every change in musical theme gives people a fresh feeling, expressing not only people's praise of the Danube River, but also their praise of spring.

Introduction to the composer and background of his works:

Johann Strauss (1825-1899), an Austrian composer, was one of the five waltz composers in the Strauss family. The best. His father has the same name as him, Johann Strauss Sr., who is known as the "Father of the Waltz". And he, Johann Strauss Jr., loved music since he was a child. Although he was opposed by his father, he secretly learned violin, piano and composition with the help of his mother. At the age of nineteen, he organized his own orchestra and went to major cities in Poland and Germany to hold waltz concerts, making the Vienna waltz popular throughout Europe. He was then known as the "King of Waltz". He composed more than 120 waltzes throughout his life, among which the most beloved one is "The Blue Danube", which is known as the second national anthem of Vienna.

In 1866, due to the tragic defeat of the Austrians to the Prussians in the Austro-Prussian War, the entire Vienna was in an atmosphere of sadness, anger and silence. In order to break this situation, inspire the courage of the citizens, and make people return to the Take heart, Herbert, the conductor of the Vienna Men's Choral Society, asked Johann Strauss to write a choral waltz full of vitality and patriotism. Then, he remembered the end of a poem dedicated to Vienna by the German poet Beck: "By the Danube, by the beautiful, blue Danube..." The poet's rich fantasy gave John Strauss Greatly inspired, he created the immortal "Blue Danube". At first, this choral waltz did not attract much attention. Half a year later, the author adapted it into an orchestral piece and performed it at the World Expo in France. It caused a sensation throughout Paris.