WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT

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Ever since the dawn of civilization the European man has been on a quest . It is not a quest for gold or
even the Holy Grail. It is a quest to the center of his being. Who made us? Who are we? Why are we here?
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? Tonight we are on a journey through the ages watching the human race grapple
and delve into the heart of the matter. So sit back, relax, close your eyes and be immersed in the experience
of enlightenment through the expression of music.

PROGRAM

Alleluia,O Virga Mediatrix Hildegard of Bingen

Middle Ages 476-1450 1098-1179

Puis qu’en Oubli Guillaume de Machaut

1330-1450 1300-1377

T The words of the musical performance stand for the body,

And the musical performance itself stands for the spirit.” Hildegard

Ave Maria…Virgo Serena Josquin des Prez

Renaissance 1450-1600 1450-1521

“We know by experience that song has a great force and vigor
to move and inflame the hearts of men to invoke and praise
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God with a more vehement and ardent zeal.” John Calvin

Messiah “Hallelujah” No 44 George F.Handel

Baroque 1600-1750 1685-1759

“I do not know what I may appear to the world

but to myself I seem to have been only a boy playing on the seashore
whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” Sir Issac Newton

Eine Klien Nachtmusik: First Movement Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Classical 1750-1825 1756-1791

“I frequently compare a symphony with a novel

In which the themes are characters. After we have made their acquaintance,
We follow their evolution, the unfolding of their psychology” Arthur Honegger

The Moldau: My Country Bedrich Smetana

Romantic 1820-1900 1824-1884

“Music, of all liberal arts,

has the greatest influence over the passions.” Napoleon Bonaparte

Also Sprach Zarathrustra Richard Strauss

Impressionism 1830-1940 1864-1949

Claire de Lune Claude De Bussy

Impressionism 1830-1940 1862-1918

“I love music passionately. And because I love it,

I try to free it from barren traditions that stifle it. It is a free art
gushing forth , an open air art boundless as the elements, the wind
the sky, the sea. It must never be shut in and become an academic art.”
Claude De Bussy

MIDDLE AGES 476-1450

In the European world music and art revolved around the church in the Middle Ages (476-1450). The
merchant class was developing and trade between countries was taking shape. This was the age of
monarchs, great cathedrals, monasteries, and the Holy Crusades. Art wise most everything centered
around the church . Musically the Gregorian Chant ,in its monophonic texture, expressed reverence and
awe of the height, breadth, and depth of a mysterious God. The adornment of Mary was often a central
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theme in the chants of Hildegard of Bingen. Presented for the service of God at an early age Hildegard
often experienced visions and prophecies in which she manuscripted as chants for the church. Her
manuscripts reflected the early quest of man’s journey for what it is all about. The Middle Ages was God
centered time…all man sought was God. In this case it was the God of the Catholic church. The church was
rule and reason. To serve God was the ultimate reason for being. It was the church(royalty , politicians, and
priests) that ruled the common people.
The crusades brought the Europeans to the outside world. Unfamiliar cultures, music, art and strange
beliefs adhered to the knights of the crusades. With their return new instruments and religions were
introduced . The sounds of Machaut’s, ‘Puis qu’en oubli‘, reflects a Middle Eastern texture and sound. The
‘chanson’ displayed a new freedom for rhythm thru a gentle syncopation. The minds and soul of this
generation saw that there was more to life than was being presented through the European belief
system,namely the church. The reason for being began to take on a different focus. “What is out there?“
took the evolution of the human spirit another step. This is where we flow into the Renaissance Era.

THE RENAISSANCE AGE 1450-1600

The blind acceptance of what was presented as real that dominated the norm in the Middle Ages was to be
challenged. The Renaissance Man was a new breed. With characters and senerios such as Capernicus,
Columbus, the 1st printed book, Guttenberg Bible, science and education began captivating the attention
and curiosity of man. Beginning to question the tales being told to him man put religious hypothesis to the
test. The very foundations of religious teachings were to be tested and tried and if need be cast aside if
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untrue. This was the era of the split of European Christianity. Now that the “scriptures” were becoming
available to more than just the heads of the church and the elite.The personal experience and interpretation
of the common man began a revolution in the Catholic Church. Calvinist, Lutherans and the revival of
mythology and legends opened a road for man to deepen his search for meaning. Musically this was
demonstrated in the multilayered forms of sacred music. The polyphonic writing gave the composer a great
many possibilities. Voices became a focal point and the triple meter of the middle ages was cast aside for
the duple meter.
Josquin’s Ave Maria…virgo serena, demonstrates the variety yet unity of sacred music. The
homorhythmic style ,in which all voices move in unison rhythmically, coupled with the varied expressions
of emotional highs and lows in combination of unique voices and textures reflects the nature vs. nurture
conflict in man at the time. Still clinging to the belief that has been cultivated for generations but drawn to
see if it is real or not. God was no longer the center, man was coming into his own. This then brings us to
the infancy of the scientific age of Baroque.

THE BAROQUE AGE 1600-1750

El Greco, Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Milton, Vivaldi, Bach were just a few main characters that
shaped the search for a real take on man’s being. Among other happenings the colonies in America were
born. England and France were experiencing growing pains and the church was on her last grand stand in
center stage. Man was soon to have the spotlight. But not before Handel had his say. God went out of man’s
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mind with a bang, the big bang that is known as Messiah. Particularly the “Hallelujah Chorus”. German
born George Fredrich Handel was a middle class genius. He represents the widening of the class systems
availability to religious freedom of thought. The oratorio chorus, the people were always at the center of
Handel’s dramas. This was a foreshadow of God‘s removal from man‘s center and replacing God with
himself.,
‘Messiah ‘was seen in the eyes of Handel as divine inspiration. written in only 24 days. Upon completion
of this masterpiece, with tears in his eyes, he expressed himself as such, ”I did think that I did see all
heaven before me and the Great God himself.” It was as if his spirit represented mankind’s finalization with
Giving ultimate glory to God. At his last performance of Messiah ,Handel collapsed on stage and died a
few days later.
New World, new discoveries. The European man was now emerged with a New World across the ocean.
Women who were cast out of the church world in the Renaissance period progressed on the social scale
under the covering of music. The beginnings of being seen as a valuable, creative being was taking root in
the Baroque period. Man was looking meaning somewhere other than the church and the entity of an
invisible God. It is a big world out there and how is man to continue to find what is real separate from the
familiarity of hearsay? This question brings us into the Classical Age.

“If there is nothing new to be found in

Melody then we must seek novelty
In harmony.” Georg Tellmann

CLASSICAL AGE 1750-1825

At this point one can see as with music life flowed with continuity. Every development intertwined with
another. There is a pattern of music’s connection with life and it’s evolving scenarios. Building blocks and
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man’s quest is expression in a deeper more layered fashion to reflect the complexities in man’s ego. Art
and musics in this era demonstrated how the old perceptions were changing. What once was accepted
“facts” were being challenged in this scientific, yet mystical awakening. Classification and order, calling
things by their proper name became the cornerstone of man’s scientific and metaphysical way of putting
things in order..
Voltaire, Rousseau, were European apostles of the inner search for truth through their wittings and
observations. Enlightenment became a quest for man to find meaning within himself. Mozart, Beethoven,
Friedrich von Schiller were only a few of the great creators of music and artistic expression of mans look
inside himself.
Washington, Napoleon, De Ponte, the American and French Revolutions show the increase of change with
the discovery of electricity. Light and momentum were shed upon the earth. The classical man was the first
to experience “lightening speed“. The feeding of energy to the human brain. by means of energy created by
harnessed electricity. Lightening in a bottle so to speak was European mans form of enlightenment using
science and mysticism.
Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Natchtmusik”, is characterized in richness of orchestration showing the grandiose
creation of a full complete sound. All parts have a place all notes are in order and every part of the
symphony has a purpose. None lacking and being part something bigger than itself. Once again the state of
man and his search is reflected in the depth of emotion and order of his composition. Contrasts in his
orchestration are graceful.
Man and music were crossing their I’s and dotting their T’s to ensure nothing was out of order. Greatness
was blossoming in man and the uniqueness of each human spirit was turned on like a flood light in a cave.
Mathematically and structurally correct man was in dominion over all he surveyed. This was the time for
man to figure out what is real and call it what it is. Man was becoming aware of himself and the world
around him systematically. Thus enters the age of Romanticism.

Walking Ego-on the road to becoming enlightened….

Tell the ego to hit the road, where will I go? it ask’s.
Don’t answer it or it will stay in conversation with your brain all the day
Let it go and say good bye parting in this case will make you cry
Now you will ask “Without my ego who am I?
Nobody but everybody will be the reply.

ROMANTIC AGE 1820-1900

With the New World taking shape and revolutionized ideals taking place SHE walks into the joint and
leaves a lasting impression. She being two fold…progress and WOMAN. The industrial revolution
increased the output of energy and materials to everyone. A new materialistic approach was taking shape in
mans quest. Putting value on goods, services, and even art became road most traveled by the social order.
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Women progressed as well. You could say that the age of Romanticism was the blossoming of the flower of
compatibility between man and woman. Musicians lead the way of evolution. During the Romantic age
many musicians considered their mate their equal. The uniqueness of the individual broke up the old
established gender walls. Schumann and Schumann, Mendelssohn and Mendelssohn are a couple of
examples of the ideal of Utopia and man and woman’s destiny to be in perfect unity.
Romantic passions of country, nature, dreams and human destiny all contributed to this selection from
Bedrich Smetana. The Moldau: My Country is a flowing painting of music. The vision of a flowing river
and countryside of such beauty coupled with legends of Smentana’s Bohemian homeland create a delight
for the senses. He uses the instruments, texture and timbre to create a moving portrait of his perfect love of
Bohemia and her heritage. Love is the driving force of this age.
Man’s search inside takes him to a place of dreams, love, and pride within himself. To possess the
freedom to express himself regardless of class takes precedent. Defining what is the most important the
search or himself . This is where his journey has taken him so far. After Enlightenment choices on what is
closest to the heart and what is worth sacrificing for arise within the heart of man in the Romantic age. The
right to be free and the right to be valued all led to the Age of Impressionism.

IMPRESSIONISM 1840-1949
Last in our series is the Impressionist age. As societies ventured further than ever before into the depths of
reality and spirituality. The old lines that defined man and his beliefs were no longer constraints. Not
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being sure or knowing what the unknown is to be called man was faced with experiencing life without
definite knowledge. He was in a territory he had never been in before. This is referred to the age of
Impressionism. For the first time in a long time man had to become in

tune with his surroundings in a non judgmental way.

Art and music of this time centered on those things that had been overlooked and counted as unimportant
or of little value before. Images of common everyday happening soon came into the front. No longer were
things explained instead they were gazed upon and appreciated for just being. People found out reality for
themselves. Emotion and big leaps in the highs and lows of musical composition took precedent.
Accepting oneself as you are and celebrating that fact is portrayed in Strauss’s composition,” Also Sprach
Zarathustra.” A story of Enlightenment and going through the phases of acceptance. Taking ownership of
one’s choices and decisions with no regrets or acclamation. The bursting forth in light can be heard in the
first part of the orchestration and from there on the journey continues until bliss is omnipresent. From
strong brass to light flutes the extremes and contrasts showcase all facets of human emotion of self
discovery.
Last but not least is a calming beautiful selection from Claude De Bussy, ”Claire De Lune”. The peaceful,
wispy movement of a breeze sweeping the clouds across a moonlight night is a cause of reflection.
Creating this picture from music in the minds eye can make one say.. ”What’s it all about? Who cares I am
relishing in the beauty of the moment of a moonlit night.

Thank-you for attending