Composition Quiz

[gprengel]

After having taken a longer break I orchestrated again a certain wonderful piece of a well known composer - do you guess the composer or even the original piece?


www.gerdprengel.de/piece.mp3


Gerd

[Peter]

Hello Gerd - it's J.S.Bach, the G minor fugue from Book 1.

[gprengel]

Hello Gerd - it's J.S.Bach, the G minor fugue from Book 1.

no, Peter, it is not by Bach ;-)

[Peter]

Oops I'm slipping up in my middle age and not paying enough attention! - it just reminded me of that piece, try listening to the Bach G minor and you'll see what I mean. I'll have a rethink with a bit more care this time.

[gprengel]

Oops I'm slipping up in my middle age and not paying enough attention! - it just reminded me of that piece, try listening to the Bach G minor and you'll see what I mean. I'll have a rethink with a bit more care this time.

I did listen to the Bach fugue, and indeed in the beginning there are similiarities, but but the piece I refer to is much longer. And the gorgeous climax in the ending is unlike any Bach fugue

[Peter]

Ah I think I have it - Mendelssohn E minor fugue Op.35.

[gprengel]

Yes, very good, Peter, this wonderful work written by Mendelssohn at an incredible age of 18 in 1827!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ahTuRzV6CI at 2:10


Does the theme at 5:02 ff. remind you of a main theme of a Beethoven overture? This gave me the impuls to do an orchestration of this work (and of course because of the awesome choral in the end)


Here is my score: http://www.gerdprengel.de/Mendelssoh..._35-1_orch.pdf

[hal9000]

That's a great piece and a great orchestration. Never heard it before.

Does the theme at 5:02 ff. remind you of a main theme of a Beethoven overture?

Op. 124?

[gprengel]

That's a great piece and a great orchestration. Never heard it before.


Op. 124?

I am glad that you like it and it's a new discovery for you! Actually ALL of the Preludes and Fugues of Mendelssohns op. 35 are true gems!! Check them at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M94SjeiupEU

Yes, I think it's very similiar to Beethoven's Consecration of the House overture, isn't it?
It is always said that Beethoven himself was inspired by Handel for this theme, but I don't know of a similiar Handel theme. Instead I find a striking similiarity to Bach's BV956: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EDDTdjRpDA

[gprengel]

May I continue with my quiz? This month I discovered such a beautiful (but rather unknown) chorus with orchestra that I edited it into my notation system just to study especially the rich handling of the woodwinds. Do you recognize the composer?
This piece is part of a larger work.

www.gerdprengel.de/piece2.mp3

Gerd

[Peter]

It sounds like Brahms, similar to his Schicksalslied. I'm probably wrong!

[gprengel]

It sounds like Brahms, similar to his Schicksalslied. I'm probably wrong!

No, it's not Brahms. You should recognise the composer by listening to the original (not best soundquality):

http://www.gerdprengel.de/piece2-original.mp3

[Peter]

Mendelssohn?

[hal9000]

If that's not Mozart, I don't know what is.

Edit - Having listened to it again, I change my answer to Brahms, even though you said it wasn't.

[gprengel]

a little help: it was written in the first quarter of the 19th century ;-)