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- The second movement is
an andantino in the style
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of a canzona.
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A canzona is an instrumental
form of the Renaissance.
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In the Renaissance, there
were two basic musical forms:
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the Matraville, or sung form,
and a canzona, an instrumental
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form, so he calls it a canzona.
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Canzonas were never slow
movements; they were always moving,
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never terribly fast, but at
a nice pace, and that's what
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this is: not slow movement at all.
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The first movement has a waltz
element, but it is kind of
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a slow movement.
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It is played by the oboe
and it's a melancholy tune.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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Interestingly, it just never
stops, so once he starts
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with these eighth notes,
it just continues.
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The melody is so beautiful
and the only accompaniment
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to that are these little pizzicatos.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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After that, the cello section
repeats that same melody.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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Flutes come in with the counter melody.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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And then, the second themed
group begins and the strings.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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And again, what Tchaikovsky so
often does, he takes material
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like that and he'll do
it in a different key.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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(light piano)
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I mean, it can keep going, you
can go forever, and he builds
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and it builds, then he brings
back the original theme played
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by the bassoon and the viola section.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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And this is basically
what he does until he gets
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to the third theme group.
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Some people consider
it to be like a march.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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To me, it is more poignant.
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A march would give you the
impression that it was somewhat
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superficial, but it's as
poignant as ever, gorgeous.
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He repeats it, he varies it,
he has a counter-theme to it,
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and eventually he brings
back the original theme.
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This time, I choose to bring
it back in a very quiet way,
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almost without expression, and
highlights the little scales
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(vocal percussion)
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that the woodwinds have: the flute,
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the clarinet, the bassoon.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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Eventually they use the
same second theme material,
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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and then a transition, woodwind
strings, that brings us back
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to the end, which this time
it has the wonderful melody
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being played by the bassoon.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
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And a little coda with
little chords throughout
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the orchestra comes it to an absolutely
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gorgeous, poignant end.
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("Symphony No.4" by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
