O Fortuna
though you might not know the name of the piece, i'm quite sure that it would sound familiar, since you probably would have heard it sometime in the past. but if you'd like a refresher, click on the title, and you get to download what i think is one of the most haunting pieces of classical music. whether you listen to it is your choice =). listening to "o fortuna" always leaves me with the following vision.
the 1st 3 lines, i imagine to be the call to war. the drum summoning the men-at-arms to rally around their master and the battle standards being unfurled. the following softer lines with the piano providing the pulse, seem to suggest the march toward war. the ups and downs suggesting uncertainty in the minds of the men. will fortune side them or forsake them for their foe? the uncertainty breeds a sense of impatience (suggested by the fast tempo of the piano) as they long to know their fates. the dogs of war are straining at their leashes, just waiting to be let loose.
at just after the 1:30 minute mark, the beat of the timpani and the increasing tempo weave an image of the armies sighting each other and beginning their charge, the slow trot of the cavalry building up into a canter, followed by a full gallop. the sabres have been drawn and levelled for the great charge. the intermittent drum beats suggest the fall of the cannonballs. at about the 2:15 minute mark, the introduction of the glockenspiel evokes images of the ordered plans for battle breaking down and the ensuing melee that has individual men calling for support, as the trumpet calls suggest.
p.s. "duel of the fates" from star wars episode 1 was inspired by this piece, and i think it's easy to hear the similarities
the 1st 3 lines, i imagine to be the call to war. the drum summoning the men-at-arms to rally around their master and the battle standards being unfurled. the following softer lines with the piano providing the pulse, seem to suggest the march toward war. the ups and downs suggesting uncertainty in the minds of the men. will fortune side them or forsake them for their foe? the uncertainty breeds a sense of impatience (suggested by the fast tempo of the piano) as they long to know their fates. the dogs of war are straining at their leashes, just waiting to be let loose.
at just after the 1:30 minute mark, the beat of the timpani and the increasing tempo weave an image of the armies sighting each other and beginning their charge, the slow trot of the cavalry building up into a canter, followed by a full gallop. the sabres have been drawn and levelled for the great charge. the intermittent drum beats suggest the fall of the cannonballs. at about the 2:15 minute mark, the introduction of the glockenspiel evokes images of the ordered plans for battle breaking down and the ensuing melee that has individual men calling for support, as the trumpet calls suggest.
p.s. "duel of the fates" from star wars episode 1 was inspired by this piece, and i think it's easy to hear the similarities
