The iUniversity – Don Robertson's Musical Kaleidoscope

The Musical Kaleidoscope Story

by Don Robertson

The DoveSong iUniversity

The Goals and Purpose of the DoveSong iUniversity

In March, 1997, Mary Ellen Bickford and I established our two educational projects DoveSong.com and Musical Kaleidoscope – the fruit of ideas that we had first initiated during 1980. The iUniversity section of DoveSong.com was then announced in November 2011, with publications to be made available beginning in 2012. The goal of the iUniversity is to help create a new direction in classical music by providing study scores based on a technique of color-coding and analysis that I developed to arm the next generation of composers with the tools they will need to create the 21st century’s classical music.”

21st Century – positive music return. youth.

Universitys = rules. This has prevailed.

New system of using colors and the scores

Reprints of important books and documents

Using the internet to educate

Brick-and-Morter Universities can use the iUniversity courseware in conjuction with teaching.

New generation of composers: those of the 20^th century.

Reached the end of a cycle when popular music is garbase and the concert halls are being blasted with discord.

As I write this, there is no longer a place to purchase the great classical music recordings from Europe. This is what boarders looks like, one month before it closed in Nashville:

The first publication of the iUniversity is my book “The Scale”.

Why this book is important and how it opens the door to new music.

Old century brough to the end a cycle of classical music that I believe may have started at the beginning of the 15^th century, when consonant musical intervals began being used in european classical music, usering in the new harmonic language and the beginning of the renasisance, a rebirth after a century of destruction, just as is taking place now as people realize that we can either watch the sinking ship or create an ark of music to help restore the harmony and dignity that is so needed now.

New century, music based on concord.

– Don Robertson

Three sections to choose from:

Learning from the World’s Greatest Harmonic Traditions

The European Classical Music Tradition

As the 21st Century dawns, a new classical music based on concord and the harmonic laws of nature is emerging. In the Harmony Division, we study the great works of the European harmonic tradition, a repertoire that was created by some of our greatest minds, and then was polluted during the 20th century with the discords of the so-called innovations of “atonality” and serial music. It’s back to the basics now, and time to discover what the greatest music in this tradition was, and how we can learn from it.

Five Composers

Five Periods of Composition Represented by Five Composers

1 – Giovanni da Palestrina and the great composers of Renaissance sacred music. A very, very important harmonic music tradition!

2 – Johann Sebastian Bach – The greatest of all composers – The master of counterpoint and harmony

3 – Ludwig van Beethoven – The master of the great Romantic Era: his predecessors Mozart and Haydn along with the other great composers of the 19th century Romantic Era.

4 – Richard Wagner – The still-misunderstood Master of Music-drama.

5 – César Franck – The angelic music of France’s greatest composer and the work of his students has been in near-complete hibernation during the reign of destructive discords provided by the twentieth century and is awaiting its 21st-century rebirth — when this healing music will be desperately needed.

The Study of Harmony

Learning from the Masters

The European harmonic tradition began a thousand years ago and developed century-by-century, enhanced by the greatest musical minds of Western classical culture. The harmonic idiom was not fully explored by other cultures, which developed melody and rhythm instead.
During the 20th century, the European harmonic tradition evaporated into discord and noise as greed systematically began destroying nature, art, and finance. The 21st century has a new agenda! The discords of 20th century music will fade away as the young composers of tomorrow turn instead to concord and to the great music given to us by the musical masters who have left us with their blueprints: their printed musical scores. These, instead of textbook rules, will now – thanks to 21st-century digital distribution technology – provide the tools for the classical music of the 21st Century.

Section One

The Sacred Music of the 15th Century

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Section Two

The Sacred Music of the Renaissance

The sacred music of the 16th Century is among the most important music created in Europe during any period. It is from the works of the masters of the Renaissance that we can learn to create music based on pure, harmonic concord. When I first discovered this amazing music in 1971, I set out on a personal course of discovery. Supported by the music librarian at a large state university (who told me “No one else cares about this music”), I was able to take volumes of rare music out of the library to a friend’s office, where I copied hundreds of pages every week. I then began transcribing this music from its archaic notation into modern “closed staff” notation, with the intention of one day re-publishing this rare music.

I was discovering music of astounding beauty… music that had been forgotten in a world each day growing more accepting of discords, noise, over emphasis on rhythmic beat, and ugliness as a fashion statement. I continued creating my transcriptions of this extremely important music, but without any real hope of publishing, as during those days, getting music out into the world in book form was an expensive and complex task. I continued with this project until the end of the 20th century. Now, with internet publishing a reality, all my work will not have been in vain.

Scores & Study Scores (2011 Series)

(Hand-Written)

MC-001 – The Glory of the Renaissance – Music by Lassus, Gallus, Victoria, Palestrina and Gabrieli

MC-002 – The Music of Tomas Luis de Victoria – Hymns, motets and sequences

MC-003 – Masterworks of Josquin des Pres – Six motets including the seven-part “Vultum tuum”

MC-004 – Ave Maria – Music dedicated to Mary. Gregorian chant and polyphony

MC-005 – Music for Holy Week – Great music by Palestrina and Victoria

MC-006 – Sacred Music for Good Friday – Palestrina setting of Afternoon service plus Viadana, Victoria.

MC-007 – The Divine Office – Vespers and compline in falsobordon style

MC-008 – Analyzing Renaissance Sacred Music – Multi-color outlining shows melodic techniques

MC-009 – Masterworks of Renaissance Choral Music – Volume 1 – Palestrina, Gallus, Josquin & Gabrielli

MC-010 – Masterworks of Renaissance Choral Music – Volume 2 – Music of Tomas Luis de Victoria

MC-011 – Sixteen Palestrina Offertories – Multi-color outlining shows melodic techniques

Scores (2016 Series)

Motets, Litanies, Psalms and Sacred Madrigals

MC-001 – The Song of Songs (140 Pages)
Palestrina, Lasso, Victoria

MC-002 – Sacred Madrigals (180 Pages)
Palestrina, Lasso

MC-003 – The Palestrina Offertories (270 Pages)

MC-004 – The Litany Book (325 Pages)

MC-005 – Three- and Four-Part Motets (264 Pages)
Josquin, Non Papa, Aichinger, Hassler,
Tallis, Byrd, Viadana, Palestrina, Nanino,
Ingegneri, Lasso, Gallus, Morales, Victoria,

MC-006 – Five-Part Motets (315 Pages)
Josquin, Gombert, Hassler, Non Pata, Tallis,
Byrd, Gallus, Palestrina, Morales, Victoria,
Lasso, Gesualdo

MC-007 – Six- and Seven-Part Motets (180 Pages)
Josquin, Morales, Gallus, Palestrina, Lassus,
Byrd, Victoria, Palestrina

MC-008 – Sacred Music for Multiple Choirs Volume 1 (240 pages)
Gallus, Aichinger, Hassler, de Mone, Nanino,
Bassano

MC-009 – Sacred Music for Multiple Choirs Volume 2 (210 pages)
Giovanni da Palestrina

MC-010 – Sacred Music for Multiple Choirs Volume 3 (235 pages)
Hassler, Ingegneri, Gallus, Victoria, Gabrieli,
Striggio

Vespers and Compline Services

MC-101 – Volume 1 – The Divine Office (320 Pages)
Vespers and Compline – Falsobourdone style
Deus in adjutorium – Victoria, Lasso,
Zachariis, Gastoldi, Viadana, Antegnati,
Demantius
Nunc dimittis – Josquin, Anon, Victoria,
Tallis, Hassler, Gabrieli, Lasso, Palestrina
Ecce nunc benedicite – Palestrina, Lasso,
Victoria
Benedictus Dominus Deus – Lasso
In exitu Israel – Lasso

MC-102 – Volume 2 – The Psalmody Book Part One – Tones 1-5 (205 pages)
Bernabei, Zachariis, Viadana, Victoria, Lasso,
Ortiz, Anon, Turino, Guerrero, Nanino, Anerio

MC-103 – Volume 3 – The Psalmody Book Part Two – Tones 6-9 (215 Pages)

Bernabei, Zachariis, Viadana, Victoria, Lasso,
Ortiz, Anon, Turino, Guerrero, Nanino, Anerio

MC-104 – Volume 4 – Vesper Psalms – Full Settings (210 Pages)
Pitoni, Victoria, Lasso, Nanino, Anon, Giovanneli,
Willaert, Palestrina, Hassler, Fux, Asola, Gabrieli,
Benevoli

MC-105 – Volume 5 – The Magnificat Book – Tones 1 and 2 (225 Pages approx)
Palestrina, Agricola, Fevin, Morales, Bernardi,
Palestrina, Lasso, Viadana, Non Papa, Victoria,
Soriano, Gombert, Anerio

MC-106 – Volume 6 – The Magnificat Book – Tones 3, 4 and 5 (214 Pages approx)
Palestrina, Soriano, Morales, Victoria, Lasso,
Croce, Soriano, Ortiz, Hassler, Festa

MC-107 – Volume 7 – The Magnificat Book – Tones 6, 7 and 8 (212 Pages approx)
Victoria, Soriano, Gombert, Lasso, Festa,
Palestrina, Viadana, Marenzio, Morales,
Soriano, Hassler

MC-108 – Volume 8 – Twelve Gregorian Hymns with Alternating Polyphonic settings Part 1 (230 Pages)
Palestrina, Victoria, Lasso, Asola, Ortiz, Josquin,
Guererro, Soriano, Anerio, Hassler, Byrd, Maijor,

MC-109 – Volume 9 – Twelve Gregorian Hymns with Alternating Polyphonic settings Part 2 (240 Pages)
Agricola, Palestrina, Victoria, Guererro, Lasso,
Carpentras, Byrd, Vecchi, Anon, Asola

MC-110 – Volume 10 – The Four Marian Antiphons Part 1 (230 pages)
Aichinger, Josquin, Anerio, Guerrero, Byrd,
Bernabei, Morales, Palestrina, Porta, Soriano,
Lasso, Gombert

MC-111 – Volume 11 – The Four Marian Antiphons Part 2 (350 Pages)
Willaert, Byrd, Aichinger, Guerrero, Morales,
Anerio, Gombert, Ortiz, Palestrina, Soriano,
Porta, Lasso, White, Victoria, Josquin, Gabrieli,
Bassano, Fux

The Mass

MC-201 – Volume 1 – Masses in Four Parts (240 Pages)
Josquin, Morales, Palestrina, Byrd. Lasso,
Victoria, Hassler

MC-202 – Volume 2 – Masses in Five and Six Parts (200 pages)
Lasso, Gallus, Palestrina, Victoria

MC-203 – Volume 3 – Six Great Six-Part Masses by Palestrina (200 Pages)

MC-204 – Volume 4 – The Requiem Mass (220 Pages)
Morales, Victoria, Lasso, Asola, Palestrina,
Bernardi

MC-205 – Volume 5 – Multiple Choir Masses (260 pages)
Gallus, Gabrieli, Victoria, Palestrina

Holy Week

MC-301 – Holy Week Volume 1 – Palm Sunday (360 Pages)
Victoria, Palestrina, Lasso, Zachariis, Turino,
Viadana (full services include chant)

MC-302 – Holy Week Volume 2 – Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday Matins (300 Pages)
Palestrina, Lasso, Viadana, Victoria, Gallus,
Anerio, Gesualdo (full services include chant)

MC-303 – Holy Week Volume 3 – Good Friday Matins and Afternoon Service (320 Pages)
Asola, Victoria, Palestrina, Allegri, Pitoni,
Viadana (full services include chant)

MC-304 – Holy Week Volume 4 – Maundy Thursday Lamentations plus Miserere Settings (300+ Pages)
White, Gallus, Palestrina, Lasso, Victoria,
Allegri, Dentrice, Nanino, Viadana, Festa,
Turini (full services include chant)

MC-305 – Holy Week Volume 5 – Good Friday and Holy Saturday Lamentations (360 Pages)
Gallus, Palestrina, Lasso, Victoria, Byrd,
Nanino (full services include chant)

MC-306 – Holy Week Volume 6 – Lamentations from the First Half of the 16th Century (230 Pages)
Penalosa, Fevin, Carpentras, Tallis, Morales

MC-307 – Holy Week Volume 7 – Lamentations for Non-Specified Days plus Music for Easter (342 Pages)
Tinctoris, Agricola, Festa, Morales, Arcadelt,
Gallus, Victoria, Lasso, Byrd Josquin, Palestrina,
Viadana (Easter service includes the chant)

MC-308 – Holy Week Volume 8 – Holy Week Settings (ca. 300 Pages)
Gallus, de la Rue, Soriano, Palestrina, Victoria,
Bernabei, Lasso, Agostini, Aichinger, Anerio,
Anon, Asola Non Papa, Rosselli, Ruffo, Viadana,
Nanino, Trombetti, Venturi, Asola, Comes,
Villanueva

MC-309 – Holy Week Volume 9 – Responsories (270 Pages)
Gregorian Chant, Croce, Ingegneri, Lasso, Viadana, Victoria, Zoilo, Ferraro, Pacchioni, Anon, Weerbeke, Aretino, Baroltius, Presenti, Gallus, Gesualdo

Matins

MC-401 – Christmas Matins with Both Polyphonic and Chant (200 Pages)
Gregorian Chant, Gombert, Nanino, Porta, Lasso,
Anon, Palestrina, Victoria, Asola, Gabrieli,
Bassano, Guerrero, Hassler, Morales, Aichinger,
Anerio

Study Scores (2016 Series)

Sacred Choral Music in the 16th Century – Studies

MT-001 – Study Scores in Closed Notation (240 pages)
Gregorian Chant, Palestrina, Anerio, Lasso,
Victoria, Palestrina, Josquin, Viadana, Zoilo,
Gallus, Gabrieli

Book Reprints (2016 Series)

Sacred Choral Music in the 16th Century – Book Reprints

BC-001 – Counterpoint – The Polyphonic Vocal Style of the Sixteen Century by Knud Jeppesen

BC-002 – Merritt – 16th Century Polyphony

BC-003 – The Holy Week Book

BC-004 – Casimiri, Raffaele – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

BC-005 – Carolus Proeske – Musica Divina

Section Three

Music Treasures from the 17th Century – The Lost Century

The seventeenth century has been a lost century, many of its greatest composers unknown even to students of early music. I discovered it during the 1970s when I was studying the music of the 16th century. In fact, I discovered only one score, a psalm by the great Bolognese composer Colonna. Playing through this music on the piano, I realized its great beauty and I began to search for recordings and more scores, only to have to wait until the 1990s, when a single label in Italy (Tactus) and a single publishing company (Garland) made available the works from the great 17th-century Italian music center for the first time. The DoveSong iUniversity intends to help make great 17th century music from Germany, Italy and France available in several published study scores.

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LINK TO YOUTUBE PLAYLIST

Scores

MB-001 – Emilio de’ Cavalieri – Lamentations (125 pages)

MB-002 – Sacred Music of Lodovico da Viadana (210) pages

MB-003 – Lodovico da Viadana – Vespers for Four Choirs (180 Pages)

MB-004 – Claudio Monteverdi Vocal and Choral Music (300 pages)

MB-005 – Claudio Monteverdi – Vespers of 1610

MB-006 – Sacred Music from 17th Century Italy Volume 1 (290 pages)
Stradella, Caldara, Turini, Fattorini, Rigatti,
Conforti, Anerio, Gabrieli, Rovetta, Benevoli,
Tardidi, Agostini, Bernardi

MB-007 – Sacred Music from 17th Century Italy Volume 2 (262 pages)
Grandi, Carissimi, Vitali, Donati

MB-008 – Maurizio Cazzati – Sacred Music (210 pages)

MB-009 – Maurizio Cazzati – Masses a4 and a5 (160 pages)

MB-010 – Giovanni Paolo Colonna – Sacred Choral Music (334 pages)

MB-011 – Giovanni Paolo Colonna – Vespers Op. 112 Volume One (257 pages)

MB-012 – Giovanni Paolo Colonna – Vespers Op. 112 Volume Two (228 pages)

MB-013 – Sacred Choral Music of Francesco Cavalli (285 pages)

MB-014 – Giovanni Paolo Colonna – Two Masses (225 pages)

MB-015 – German Sacred Choral Music Volume 1 (254 pages)
Kuhnau, Weckmann

MB-016 – German Sacred Choral Music Volume 2 (130 pages)
Krieger, Theile, Förster

MB-017 – German Sacred Choral Music Volume 3 (230 pages)
Geist, Bernhard, Förtsch, Schelle, Bruhns,
Strungk, Pfleger

MB-018 – German Sacred Choral Music Volume 4 (160 pages)
Schütz, Scheidt

MB-019 – Dieterich Buxtehude – Sacred Choral Music (300 pages)

MB-020 – Sacred Music from 17th Century France (360 pages)
Desmarets, Gilles, de Brossard

MB-021 – Sacred Choral Music of André Campra (310 pages)

MB-022 – Sacred Music of Michel-Richard Delalande (242 pages)

MB-023 – Sacred Music of Marc-Antoine Chapentier Volume 1 (305 pages)

MB-024 – Sacred Music of Marc-Antoine Chapentier Volume 2 (310 pages)

MB-025 – Holy Week Music of Marc-Antoine Chapentier (315 pages)

MB-026 – Italian Sacred Music for Two Choirs (280 pages)
Bertali, Carissimi, Cavalli, Grandi, Monteverdi

MB-027 – The Four Marian Antiphons (240 pages)
Charpentier, Rigatti, Stradella, Cavalli,
Charpentier, Grandi, Rovetta, Anerio, Turini,
Caldara, Viadana

MB-028 – Sacred Music for Multiple Choirs (170 pages)
Gabrieli, Benevoli

MI-001 – Instrumental Music in the 17th Century Volume 1 (230 Pages)
Viadana, Cazzati

MI-002 – Instrumental Music in the 17th Century Volume 2 (185 Pages)
Stradella, Vitali, Gabrieli, Cazzati, Pachelbel

Book Reprints

BV-001 – A Companion to the Thorough-Bass Primer (Burrowes, John Freckleton)

BV-002 – Beispiele zum Generalbass (Vanhal, Johann Baptist)

BV-003 – Practical Thorough Bass (Crotch, William)

Visit “The 17th Century – The Forgotten Century” – Musical Kaleidoscope – – >

Visit “Great 17th Century Sacred Music” – Musical Kaleidoscope on YouTube – – >

Section Four

The Great String Era (1680-1750)

The Great Italian 18th Century String Era

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IT BEGAN IN THE 17th bolognese school. Torelli.

Context regarding Op. 6 in Bologna
While Torelli is heavily associated with the Bolognese school and the basilica of San Petronio, his Op. 6 (Concerti musicali) was actually published in Augsburg, Germany, in 1698 during his tenure at the court of Brandenburg-Ansbach. These twelve concerti are considered transitional works between the contrapuntal trio sonata and the ritornello-driven concerto, marking them as important, though not as “Bolognese” in origin as his trumpet sonatas or his later Op. 8.

Giuseppe Torelli influenced Arcangelo Corelli in Rome by pioneering the structural development of the concerto, particularly through the establishment of the three-movement fast-slow-fast form and the shift toward clearer melodic lines over dense counterpoint. While Corelli was active in Rome, his work synthesized Bolognese violin school techniques, including those of Torelli.

Reddit +2

Key Influences and Contributions:

Structure of the Concerto: Torelli’s experimentation with form, especially in his Opus 8 (published 1709), provided a model of three movements (fast-slow-fast) that influenced the evolution of the concerto grosso and solo concerto, which Corelli popularized.
Melodic Clarity: Torelli moved away from dense polyphony, favoring clear, melodic lines and regular cadences, a style that aligned with the emerging Baroque preference for melodic focus.
Synthesis of Style: Corelli’s works in Rome synthesized various Italian styles, including the Bolognese school—to which Torelli belonged—known for its technical and expressive violin writing.
Parallel Development: Both composers were key in defining the concerto grosso (dialogue between concertino and ripieno), with their works often studied in tandem as the foundation of the genre.
Reddit +4

Although based in different cities—Torelli largely in Bologna/Vienna and Corelli in Rome—Torelli’s innovations in structural form were pivotal for the Baroque concerto, influencing the compositional style that Corelli perfected and popularize

Yes, Arcangelo Corelli was in Bologna, studying there from roughly 1666 to 1670. He trained under prominent violinists like Giovanni Benvenuti and Leonardo Brugnoli. In 1670, at age 17, he was admitted to the prestigious Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna before moving on to establish his career in Rome.

Interlude: Classical Music Magazine +4

Arcangelo Corelli’s 12 Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 were composed throughout the 1680s and early 1690s, with many likely written around 1690. Although they circulated earlier in Rome—with a known performance in 1690—they were officially published posthumously in 1714.

Composition Period: While the exact dates vary, they were written over a long period, likely beginning in the 1680s and finalized by the early 1690s.
Performance/Publication: Although composed around 1690, they were not published until 1714, a year after Corelli’s death in 1713.
Significance: The collection, commissioned by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, includes 8 concerti da chiesa (church) and 4 concerti da camera (chamber).
“Christmas Concerto”: No. 8 in G minor (the “Christmas Concerto”) was specifically created for performances on Christmas Eve, with records of it being performed around 1690.

Scores

ME-001 – 18th Century Instrumental (approx 350 pages) WHERE GO?

ME-002 – Music of Christian Bach WHERE GO?

MI-003 – Arcangelo Corelli Trio Sonatas Op. 1, 2, 3, & 4

Study Scores

MY-001 Arcangelo Corelli Opus 1 with fugues Marked (80 pages)

MJ-004 – Great String Era Concerto Study (210 Pages)
Torelli, Geminiani, Vivaldi

Visit “The Great String Music Era” playlist on Musical Kaleidoscope YouTube – – >

Section Five

The 18th Century Counterpoint and Fugue

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Study Scores

MD-001 – Fugue Studies – Buxtehude, Corelli, Haydn, and J.S. Bach

MD-002 – J.S. Bach – The Countrapuntalist – Fugue and imitation examples

MD-003 – J.S. Bach Fugue Studies Volume 1 – “Real” Answers

MD-004 – J.S. Bach Fugue Studies Volume 2 – “Tonal” Answers

MD-005 – J.S. Bach Choral Fugue Studies – Cantatas Volume 1

MD-006 – J.S. Bach Choral Fugue Studies – Cantatas Volume 2

MD-007 – J.S. Bach Choral Fugue Studies – From the Masses and Magnificat

MD-008 – J.S. Bach Choral Music Studies – The A Major Mass

MD-009 – J.S. Bach Choral Music Studies – The B Minor Mass

MD-010 – J.S. Bach Advanced Fugue Studies – Studies from the Well-Tempered Clavier & Art of Fugue

MD-011 – Double and Triple Counterpoint and Fugues – Music of J.S. Bach, Haydn, Corelli

Composer Johann Sepastian Bach
was the cantor at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig for 27 years.

Photos by Don Robertson (2007)

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The story of my going there

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Section Six

18th Century Sacred Choral Music

The musical forms created by Mozart and Haydn and perfected by Beethoven and the great composers of the Romantic Era: 1800 to 1899.

Scores

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Section Seven

Studies in Classical Form

The musical forms created by Mozart and Haydn and perfected by Beethoven and the great composers of the Romantic Era: 1800 to 1899.

Scores

ME-001 – 18th Century Instrumental (approx 350 pages) WHERE GO?

ME-002 – Music of Christian Bach WHERE GO?

Study Scores

Concerto Studies

MJ-001 – 18th Century Concerto Study Volume 1 (About 290 pages)
J.S. Bach, Christian Bach, Mozart

MJ-002 – J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto Study

MJ-003 – 18th Century Concerto Study Volume 2 (200 pages approx)
Christian Bach, Mozart

Sonata Form Studies

MG-001 – Sonata Form Study Volume 1 (210 Pages)
Haydn, Mozart

MG-002 – Sonata Form Study Volume 2 (235 Pages)
Haydn

MG-003 – Sonata Form Study Volume 3 (233 Pages)
Christian Bach, Mozart, Haydn

Book Reprints

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Section Eight

Classical Music of the Romantic Era

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
The Father of the Romantic Era

Around 1803, Beethoven said to Wenzel Krumpholz: “I am not satisfied with the works I have written so far. From now on I am taking a new path”

When Beethoven composed his third symphony, the Eroica, he created one of the greatest turning points in the history of music. Up to the time of this great work, Beethoven’s work was stylistically in the vein of the music of the time, a style led by Mozart and Hadyn, among others. In 1804, when the Eroica was first private performed, Beethoven issued in a new era of music: The Romantic Era. Never before had music such as this ever been played. It was filled with joy, rapture, sadness, emotions never before expressed in music. This was a clear voice of greatness beginning to speak.

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Composers of the Romantic Era

The Great Russian School

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Russian Romantic Composers with Recommendations

Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)
Kamarinskaya
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Polovtsian Dances
In the Steppes of Central Asia
String Quartet No. 2
Symphony No. 2
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Piano Concerto No. 2
Symphony No. 2
Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)
Piano Concerto
Symphonies 1,2 & 3
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Violin Concerto
The Nutcracker
Swan Lake
Sleeping Beauty
Romeo and Juliet
Symphony No. 6
Mily Balakirev (1837-1910)
Islamey
Tamara
The Lark

Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
Scheherazade
Russian Easter Festival Orchestra
Capriccio Espagnol
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
The Firebird Suite (1919 Version)
Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936)
Symphonies
Dimitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987)
Piano Concerto No. 3
Vasily Kallinikov (1866-1901)
Symphony No. 1
Nicolai Medtner (1880-1951)
Piano Concerti No. 1 & 2
Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952)
Piano Concerti
Violin Concerto Op. 22
Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915)
Oresteia Overture, Op. 6
Piano Concerto in Eb Major
Sergei Lyapunov (1859-1924)
Ballade for Orchestra Op. 2
Anatoly Lyadov (1855-1914)
Kikimora, Enchanted Lake

Scores

MO-001 – Russian Fantasy (204 Pages)
Borodin – Polovtzian Dances (100 pages)
Rimsky-Korsakoff – Russian Easter Overture (100 Pages)

MO-003 – Scriabin Symphonies No. 1 and 4 (230 Pages)

MO-004 – Alexander Scriabin Symphony No. 2 and Reverie (200 Pages)

MO-005 – Alexander Scriabin Symphony No. 3 Divine Poem (207 Pages)

MP-003 – Alexander Scriabin Piano Book (104 Pages)

MP-004 – Alexander Scriabin “Wings of Flight” (165 Pages)

Germany and Austria

Romantic Composers and Recommendations

Germany
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
G R
Felix Mend
Violin Concerto

Robert Schumann
Austria
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Franz Schubert

Scores

MO-006 – Schubert Unfinished Symphony and Mass in G and Ab (216 Pages)

MO-013 – Bruckner Mass No. 3 (200 pages)

Study Scores

MG-001 – Four Beethoven String Quartets
Beethoven Opus 18, No. 1 Study (60 Pages)
Beethoven Opus 59, No. 1 Study (60 Pages approx)
Beethoven Opus 131 Study (50 Pages)
Beethoven Opus 132 Study (40 Pages)

MG-002 – Beethoven Symphony 5 & 6 Studies

MG-003 – Beethoven Piano Sonata Studies
Opus 31, No. 2 (Temptest)
Opus 31, No. 3 (20 Pages)
Opus 106 (50 Pages)
Opus 110 (20 Pages)
Opus 111 (20 Pages

MG-004 – Bruckner Symphony No. 4 and 7 (Haas)

Composers Mend and Schumann in Leipzig (2007)

Photos by Don Robertson (2007)

Mend

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Schum

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Eastern Europe

Romantic Composers and Recommendations

Chec
Dvorak
Smetana

Hungary
Franz Liszt

Poland
Frédéric Chopin

Composers Dvorak and Smetana in Prague (2007)

Photos by Don Robertson (2007)

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Scandanavia

Romantic Composers and Recommendations

Finland
Jean Sibelius
Symphonies 2,5,6,7
Violin Concerto

Denmark
Niels
Sym 2?

Vio

Norway
Greg

Other

Scores

MO-002 – Light Classical Music
Satie Debussy Gymnopedies
Brahms Hungarian Dance 1 (Brahms)
Brahms (Parlow) 5 and 6
Grieg Peer Gynt Suite – Morning Mood
Grieg Peer Gynt Suite – Intgrid’s Lament
Gounod – Nubian Variations from Faust
Gounod – Mirror Variations from Faust
Delibes – Czardas from Copellia
Ponchielli – Dance of the Hours
Reznicek – Dona Diana Overture

MO-014 – Two Romantic Piano Concertos (150 Pages)
Grieg Piano Concerto
Scriabin Piano Concerto

MS-001 – Romantic String Quartets (200 Pages)
Franck String Quartet (60 Pages)
Borodine String Quartet #2 (36 Pages)
Debussy String Quartet (50 Pages)
Ravel String Quartet (47 Pages)

Book Reprints

BR-00

Section Nine

French Classical Music of the Romantic Era

All about french impressionism

MUSIC IN THE LATE ROMANTIC ERA blossomed in France during the second half of the 19th century, but began to be cast aside in 1913 when the onslaught of discords from Igor Stravinsky’s shocking ballet “Sacre du printemps” that premièred that year in Paris, and from Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot_Lunaire that premièred the fall before in Berlin, began to change the tastes of many French composers. French romantic composers Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy were both intimidated and influenced by these two composers and both, along with many of the remaining romantic composers in Paris, began to move toward the dark side by increasing the discordance in their music. However, neither Debussy or Ravel ever fully embraced the principals of this 20th-century musical invasion.

French Composers and Recommendations

Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Vincent d’Indy (1851-1931)
Joseph Guy Ropartz (1864-1955)
Cèsar Franck
Albéric Magnard (1865-1914)
Charles-Marie Widor (1845-1937)
Maurice Durufle (1902-1986)
Henri Duparc (1848-1933)
Saint-Saëns
Fauré
Lekeu

Three Featured Composers

César Franck

In 1971, I began a renewed study of the great works of the European harmonic music tradition because I wanted to discover the music from the centuries preceding the 20th that I considered important emotionally and spiritually, and it was within the next few years that I first discovered the great French composer César Franck, whom the music professors and writers in the academic world had left behind. I have continued to study Franck’s music and that of his students for over 40 years. Because information about Franck and his circle of composers was very difficult to find, and recordings were unavailable, it took me a long time to come to the understanding that César Franck was a completely misunderstood composer. This misunderstanding began during Franck’s lifetime, when his enlightened music was beyond the comprehension of most of his contemporaries, even within his own family, and the misunderstanding was then perpetuated by misinformed opinions published in biographies and articles both during Franck’s lifetime and after. I finally realized that César Franck was France’s greatest composer!

Franck created the oeuvre that he left behind from a higher level of inspiration than the 20th century was ready for, and thus it was very much disregarded by the composers and educators of that era. When 20th-century composer and educator Olivier Messiaen was asked about Franck, he simply replied “He is dead.” Organists knew that Franck had created some of the greatest organ works in the repertoire, choirs treasured his single famous choral composition, Panis Angelicus, violinists knew that Franck’s beautiful Violin Sonata was a masterpiece, and Franck’s symphony had found favor for a while with audiences during the last century, but some of Franck’s greatest masterpieces, such as his great last two operas, and his great choral works and symphonic poems are simply never performed, especially in America, nor are they available on commercial recordings. However, I am here to say that it is César Franck – and his students – who will provide the musical bridge for the European harmonic tradition to span over the destructive energy of 20th-century classical music. It will be through the discovery of this great French romantic tradition that concert halls will again resound with joyous harmonic song, helping to dispel the discords redolent of the 20th century.

Composer César Franck in Paris (2009)

Photos by Don Robertson (2009)

César Franck – x years organist at the beautiful Basilique Sainte Clotilde in Paris

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Joseph-Guy Ropartz

The Franck tradition was passed onto his students, and the greatest of these was the French composer Joseph-Guy Ropartz, who died in 1955. His name is almost completely unknown in classical music circles and his music unplayed. During my forty years of study of the works of Franck and his students, Ropartz’ music was so elusive that I was unable to discover it at all for many years. It was not until scores appeared on the internet for the first time in around 2006 (on imslp.org), that I began to realize that I had discovered a great composer, one of the greatest composers of the 20th century! On my trips to France during 2007 and 2009, I found newly released compact disc recordings of Ropartz’ music, and all of this opened the door for me. In January, 2010, I wrote an article about Guy Ropartz’ 3rd Symphony.

Albéric Magnard

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Study Scores

MF-001 – César Franck Symphony Study (160 pages)

MF-002 – César Franck Psyche Study

MF-003 – Claude Debussy Study
La Damoiselle Elue Study (75 Pages)
Printemps Study (50 Pages)
Nocturnes Study (114 Pages)

MF-004 – Ravel and Ropartz Study (235 pages)
Joseph-Guy Ropartz 3rd Symphony Study (128 Pages)
Maurice Ravel Tombeau de Couperin Study (106 Pages)

MF-005 – Ropartz 2nd Symphony (157 pages)

Scores

MO-007 – Banquet francais Volume 1 (230 pages)
Tournemire Poeme Opus 38 for Organ and Orchestra Full Score
Ernest Chausson Poème de l’Amour et de la Mer Full Score
Ernest Chausson Poème pour Violon et Orchestre Full Score
Henri Duparc Orchestral Music Full Scores

MO-008 – Banquet francais Volume 2

MO-009 – Ropartz – 1st Symphony (145 Pages)

MO-010 – César Franck Rédemption Full Score

MO-011 – César Franck Les Beatitudes Full Score

MO-012 – César Franck Ruth (211 Pages)

MO-013 – Rop 1

MO-014

MO-015

MO-016

MO-017

MO-018 – Mag 1

MO-019

MO-020

MO-021

MV-001 – César Franck Hulda Vocal Score

MV-002 – César Franck Ghiselle Vocal Score

MV-003 – César Franck Les Beatitudes Vocal Score

MS-002 – An Album of French Song

Book Reprints (en français)

BF-001 – Vincent d’Indy’s Cours de Composition – Book 1

BF-002 – Vincent d’Indy’s Cours de Composition – Book 2

BF-003 – César Franck by Charles Tournemire

BF-004 – César Franck by Vincent d’Indy

BF-005 – La Musique de Chambre de César Franck by Robert Jardillier

BF-006 – Hulda et Ghiselle by Charles Van Den Borren

BF-007 – Une École de Musique by Vincent d’Indy

BF-008 – Notations Artistiques by Joseph Guy Ropartz

BF-009 – Demuth – César Franck

BF-010 – Beethoven by d’Indy

BF-011 – Les idees de Vincent d’Indy by Saint-Saens

BF-012 – Destranges, Etienne – Fervaal de Vincent d’Indy

BF-013 – Destranges, Etienne – Le Chant de la Cloche de Vincent d’Indy

BF-014 – Le parnasse Breton contemporain (Louis Tiercelin and J. Guy Ropartz)

BF-015 – Vincent d’Indy – Louis Borgex

Section Ten

Studies in Music Drama

DURING WAGNER’S TIME, the second half of the 19th century, there was a great debate in Europe as to who was the greatest contemporary composer, and the two main candidates were Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms. The interesting fact is that comparing these two men is like comparing an apple with a dinner plate. Brahms was one of the great composers of the romantic period, that is a fact. His music was inspired by the music of the great romantic music composer Robert Schumann, who had ‘discovered’ Brahms in the first place, and by the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s middle period, while Wagner, on the other hand, was something quite different.

Wagner did not just compose music, he accomplished much more than that. He used the operatic stage for performance of his works, but he trancended every tradition of the opera. He wrote music for orchestra, but he was not a classical composer at all: no string quartets, no symphonies… Wagner created something entirely new: music drama, and his accomplishment transformed the entire European and Russian classical music world. He reformed everything to do with opera: presentation, acting, singing, harmonic language, melodic line, motivic function, lighting, and he even built his own theater in Bayreuth, Germany. But Wagner has been so maligned in so many thousands of publications for so long that to approach him today, one can only understand by deep listening.

In the DoveSong iUniversity I plan to publish scores that are annotated using the color-code method that I have applied to the study scores in the other sections of the iUniversity. Watch for announcements. The starting place will be Wagner, but I plan to include works by other dramatic composers as well.

Meanwhile, don’t pass up an opportunity to listen to the world’s first great opera: “L’Orfeo” by Claudio Monteverdi, published in 1609.

Quotes by Richard Wagner

“The most burning need of the present generation is that of Universal Human Love; and we can but look with full assurance to a future element in life in which this love must needs give birth to works undreamt of as yet, works that shall turn those scraps and leaving of Greek art to unregarded toys for fractious children.”

“Art and Climate” by Richard Wagner

“I have no connection whatever with the present anti-Semitic movement. An article of mine about to appear in Bayreuther Blätter will state this in such a way that it should be impossible for intelligent people to identify me with this movement.”

Letter to Angelo Neumann Feb. 23, 1881

Scores