"Of course I have used dissonance in my time, but
there has been too much dissonance. Bach used
dissonance as good salt for his music. Others
applied pepper, seasoned the dishes more and more
highly, till all healthy appetites were sick and until
the music was nothing but pepper."
AUTHOR: Sergei Prokofiev
MEANING OF THE QUOTE:
"Dissonance in music (different sounds
that do not blend pleasantly together)
should be used like spices are used in
food; overuse will spoil the product."
"Dissonance in music (different sounds
that do not blend pleasantly together)
should be used like spices are used in
food; overuse will spoil the product."
COMPOSER
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
 |
| Tatyana Gorokhovskaya: Ivan the Terrible Choosing His Bride |
Lois Rowell Karlsberger
Overture to The Tsar's Bride
by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov
The overture from Rimsky-Korsakov's 1898opera, The Tsar's Bride, attests to his orchestral
virtuosity and his affinity for dramatic subjects
rooted in Russian history and folklore. A member
of "The Mighty Five'' of Russian nationalistic
music, he was inspired by Mikhail Glinka's
 |
| Mikhail Glinka |
opera, A Life
for the Tsar (1836).
Characteristically, Rimsky
-Korsakov's operas display a wealth of color and
lyricism, an extensive use of folk melodies, and
a mastery of orchestral effects. Many of his
operas move in a fantasy world of romance
and legend. The Tsar's Bride, however, is
a tragedy, set during the reign of
 |
| Viktor Vasnetsov: Ivan the Terrible |
Grigor loves Martha, fiancée of the
aristocrat Lykov. Grigor asks a magician
for a love potion; but the magician, compelled
by Grigor's former lover Liubacha, substitutes
aristocrat Lykov. Grigor asks a magician
for a love potion; but the magician, compelled
by Grigor's former lover Liubacha, substitutes
a slow but effective poison, which Grigor
unwittingly gives Martha. Then, the Tsar
announces that he will take Martha as his
bride. She becomes Tsarina, but dies
mysteriously. When Liubacha confesses,
Grigor kills her, and he is arrested.
http://www.jhu.edu/jhso/about/prgrmnotes/pn_19891029.html
 |
Ilya Yefimovich Repin: Russian Tsar Michael I choosing
his bride from an array of fair maidens in 1626
|
