Music’s an abstract art, but larger forms, like the symphony frequently finish their emotional journey with a party.
Here’s Haydn ending his career as a symphonist (he wrote 104 of them all together!) with a bang:
In Mozart’s last three symphonies (Nos. 39-41) it’s No. 39 in E-flat, that dances and whirls its way to its close:
… and it’s not just his symphonies that have upbeat endings:
Beethoven has his own take on the convivial:
… and what is perhaps the celebration to end all celebrations, his setting of Schiller’s Ode to Joy:
To finish with a quieter party (though there are lots of guests), Mahler transports us to a child’s vision of heaven:
Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as “fair use”, for the purpose of study, and critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of the copyright owner(s).
Pontarddulais!
The Art of Listening 