Ethan Dintzner - Zwei Tanze
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$35.00
$35.00 - $85.00
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Description
Zwei Tänze explores the many moods expressed by music while still being neatly pocketed into dance forms. Both pieces are inspired by German composers, scored in German, and composed in minor keys. However, each evokes a different style and tone, giving the listener different takeaways from the pieces individually and as an overall work.Running time: 6 minutes and 20 seconds
For Symphony Orchestra
For Symphony Orchestra
Since I started composing, I have developed an understanding of chord structure, a command of the balance between melody and accompaniment, and a voice of my own. Form, however, was one of the last principles of music theory I understood. In writing my submission for this year, I wanted to branch out from concertos and sonatas to new forms, such as minuets or rondos. In this exploration, I came across Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, some of the most creative yet concise pieces I had ever heard. This led me to study dances by Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Borodin, Bartok, and others before finally writing my own suite of dances: Zwei Tänze.
Inspired by Brahms’ Hungarian dances, Tanz 1 in H-Moll was one of my most enjoyable pieces to write. It begins a with brisk melody in B-minor, led by the violins and supported by staccato notes in the clarinet, viola, cello, and contrabasses. The melody is then repeated, but crucial parts of the accompaniment are changed to present a more frenzied tonality. A new theme led by the low brass and strings follows, and after its modification the momentum is carried through by an English horn solo. The resolution of this solo leads to the middle section of the piece, which is introduced by a lyrical statement in the cello section. After the idea bounces between the strings and woodwinds, the contrabasses accelerando into an energetic recapitulation of the first melody, finished by a timpani solo and B-minor chords from the orchestra.
Tanz 2 in Cis-Moll is very different than its counterpart, written in the shadow of my favorite composer, Paul Hindemith. Hindemith’s works fascinate me because of the beautiful and original sounds he creates in spite of his use of sharply contrasting counterpoint and experimental tonality. Tanz 2 reflects this style by exploring a different mood in each section rather than dividing itself by a few distinct melodies. Several of its themes even appear in multiple sections but are masked by scoring, key, and tempo. The piece begins with a slow clarinet solo, the tempo picks up, and the mood becomes restless until a timpani roll into a slow cello and contrabass line. The tone is then gloomy, passing a melody to bassoon and then strings, each time becoming more convoluted by counterpoint. Finally, the whole orchestra builds a fugue with as many as five different parts running at the same time, which resolves in a full-ensemble C# major chord.
As a whole, Zwei Tänze explores the many moods expressed by music while still being neatly pocketed into dance forms. Both pieces are inspired by German composers, scored in German, and composed in minor keys. However, each evokes a different style and tone, giving the listener different takeaways from the pieces individually and as an overall work.
Inspired by Brahms’ Hungarian dances, Tanz 1 in H-Moll was one of my most enjoyable pieces to write. It begins a with brisk melody in B-minor, led by the violins and supported by staccato notes in the clarinet, viola, cello, and contrabasses. The melody is then repeated, but crucial parts of the accompaniment are changed to present a more frenzied tonality. A new theme led by the low brass and strings follows, and after its modification the momentum is carried through by an English horn solo. The resolution of this solo leads to the middle section of the piece, which is introduced by a lyrical statement in the cello section. After the idea bounces between the strings and woodwinds, the contrabasses accelerando into an energetic recapitulation of the first melody, finished by a timpani solo and B-minor chords from the orchestra.
Tanz 2 in Cis-Moll is very different than its counterpart, written in the shadow of my favorite composer, Paul Hindemith. Hindemith’s works fascinate me because of the beautiful and original sounds he creates in spite of his use of sharply contrasting counterpoint and experimental tonality. Tanz 2 reflects this style by exploring a different mood in each section rather than dividing itself by a few distinct melodies. Several of its themes even appear in multiple sections but are masked by scoring, key, and tempo. The piece begins with a slow clarinet solo, the tempo picks up, and the mood becomes restless until a timpani roll into a slow cello and contrabass line. The tone is then gloomy, passing a melody to bassoon and then strings, each time becoming more convoluted by counterpoint. Finally, the whole orchestra builds a fugue with as many as five different parts running at the same time, which resolves in a full-ensemble C# major chord.
As a whole, Zwei Tänze explores the many moods expressed by music while still being neatly pocketed into dance forms. Both pieces are inspired by German composers, scored in German, and composed in minor keys. However, each evokes a different style and tone, giving the listener different takeaways from the pieces individually and as an overall work.