AB on Music Theory Print

Abendmusik

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The exact origins are uncertain. C. Ruetz, then cantor and the Marienkirche, wrote a first detailed study in 1752, where he could, based on his own memories, only trace back the practice to that of the organist entertaining business people on Thursdays, before the opening of the stock exchange, a practice which was also present in other trading cities such as Amsterdam or Copenhagen. It is most likely that this began during the tenure of Franz Tunder, who was organist at the from 1641 to 1667: Tunder referred to revenue received from an “Abendspiel” in a letter dated January 11, 1646. Encouraged by these fees, he later came to add further instrumental and vocal soloists, but it is under his successor Dieterich Buxtehude (organist at Lübeck from 1668 until 1707), that these concerts came to prominence. Already in 1669, Buxtehude had significantly expanded the required forces to include orchestra and chorus, necessitating the construction of additional galleries to have enough space for the about 40 performers. The first occurrence of the term dates from 1673, when Buxtehude (in his dual function as administrator of the church and organist) noted the purchase of trumpets "" (“for the ornamentation of the Abendt Music”). Begun as programmes of assorted choral works, the Abendmusiken first included a dramatic oratorio in 1678, when Buxtehude programmed Die Hochzeit des Lamms, a two-part work combining biblical text with chorales and assorted poetry, likely performed on two successive Sundays. Financed by the local business community, the performances offered free admission, although donors were rewarded with better seating and printed librettos. Disorderly conduct was a frequent problem, requiring the intervention of municipal guards to maintain order. Starting in 1752, Johann Kunzen began charging admission to dress-rehearsals on Fridays, held in the hall of the stock exchange. With time, these became the more prestigious ones. Sunday performances were abolished in 1800, and the series was finally halted in 1810 as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. In modern times, the term has been used as a generic term to refer to concerts in a church.

Abhang

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Practise#

Marathi bhajans start with the naman (invocation of god), followed by the Roopancha Abhang (Portraying the physical beauty of god by personifying in the human form) and towards the end of the bhajan, spiritual and ethical messages are sung. Some famous musicians for Abhangs are Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar, Sudhir Phadke, Suresh Wadkar, Ranjani, Gayatri, Aruna Sairam and Jitendra Abhisheki. It is a form of music performed by both classical and non-classical musicians. It has become integral in Bhajan concerts across India.

Absolute music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Romantic debate#

A group of Romantics consisting of Johann Gottfried Herder, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Jean Paul Richter and E.T.A. Hoffmann gave rise to the idea of what can be labeled as “spiritual absolutism”. In this respect, instrumental music transcends other arts and languages to become the discourse of a ‘higher realm’, an idea expressed in Hoffmann’s review of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, published in 1813. These thinkers believed that music could be more emotionally powerful and stimulating without words. According to Richter, music would eventually ‘outlast’ the word.