Show HN: Live Program Notes for Schubert Sonata in B-Flat | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Live Program Notes for Schubert Sonata in B-Flat

liveprogramnotes.com

82 pointszweinz19 comments

They completely skip over Schubert's patented "quick-cross-over to flat-VI" in the first theme. It's even followed by-- you Schubert fans already guessed it-- a German sixth to sneak back to B-flat. So smooth.

Highlight reel.

Listen to the famous third movement of the String Quintet in C major. Where does it first modulate? You guessed it-- flat-VI. And after he stops on that German sixth chord, where do we go? Well, to G here, but that's just prep for the repeat signs back to-- you guessed it-- C major, baby! Yeah, Schubi ftw!

How bout the Unfinished Symphony in B minor-- where's that 2nd theme? Well ok, it's regular VI there but still... Schubert likes going to VI. It's his signature move. And if I start reading through one of his Lieder at random I bet I don't go 4 pages before hearing another such moment.

I like the idea of realtime notes, but you gotta have a pretty wide context for them to be anything more than an arbitrary collection of trivia for newcomers. That's a nice way of saying if you're a newcomer, you got to listen to a lot of music before things make sense. Just like you can dribble in one square meter of a basketball court and understand the game.

I mean, what could F# minor as a "distant key" possibly mean to a newcomer who hasn't had music theory? Without the context it's the musical equivalent of talking about some new software including "blockchain" technology. Maybe it means something significant. More likely in the context of mid-19th century harmony, it doesn't.

But if put on your Schubert jersey and get a season ticket, ask yourself-- how exactly is F# minor related to anything? Well, we started changing keys earlier by quick move to a sublime melody G-flat major. Any musician will tell you F# is just another way to spell G-flat. Wait a sec: Schubert took us to the minor version of that same key for the second theme. Minor-flat-VI. Holy cow!

Austria wins the championship! Austria wins!

Yes, thanks for this. The modulation to G-flat and then the respelling to f# is absolutely stunning. I debated quite a bit about what to say here. I often dislike program notes that give a harmonic play-by-play, for exactly the reasons you say, but I was hoping to help build an intuition for what a "distant key" might sound like. If they hear it and are told it at the same time, maybe it'll register that it does sound foreign.

But you're right that it's meaningful in the context of the earlier iteration -- I'll give some thought about what can be done here. Perhaps it's another layer or for another audience.

I think the main difficulty is the chasm between people who intuitively grasp that music can unfold over time like a novel can, and people who hear music as aesthetically pleasing sounds in no particular order.

If we could somehow flip a switch to make the latter group hear what musical drama is like it would be equivalent to gaining a new sense. Like millions of people sheltered-in-place suddenly realizing they now have free access to tens of thousands of Netflix series written in their native tongue over the past thousand years.

The best blockchain comment ever on HN. You win!

I wish you could make a video of your commentary over the piece in slow motion. Like an instant replay commentary from a sports show. I just love what you wrote here.

Have you ever heard the PDQ Bach commentary over Beethoven's Fifth?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0vHpeUO5mw

Live performance of the same, complete with referee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXoVo16pTg

This is in my opinion one of the greatest piano pieces ever written, but it can be difficult to engage with for the first time, since it really needs careful listening. I wanted to help people unfamiliar with the music to find a way into it, because it's so easy for it to just become background music.

Originally I wrote this to accompany my own live performances, but I think it's perhaps even more useful for helping people stay present with the music when watching online. Would love feedback!

This is so successful. Great choice of piece + performance. IMO there are really cool things you could do with the UI. (Like being able to skip back to sections that you reference to remember what they sound like. Also, would be cool if all sections were displayed all the time instead of only showing the current movement.)

Props, I really enjoyed this!

Great idea. Adding optional links to videos with scores, when they're are available, would be a welcome addition.

You might be interested in https://www.tonebase.co/piano

Try one of the free lessons to see how is the player.

(disclaimer: I work there)

Great performance from Mitsuko Uchida and really nice commentary on the side. It's the first time actually reading text describing the music for this piece, although I have heard it many times. The commentary brings new structure and context to feelings that I have found difficult to articulate before.

I also enjoy Murray Perahia's playing of this piece as well.

I can imagine this type of exercise would be very excellent way to really study and analyze a piece, because you're forced to rationalize the ineffable.

This is awe-inspiring. Thank you! It is so rare to see people who appreciate the late works of Schubert - even young professional musicians often find them too long and not "flashy" enough, which is partly why we rarely see them being played at any piano competitions.

I can see that Live Program Notes may be part of the future of classical music. Wishing you all the success!

His late works are nothing short of a string of miracles, one after another ... and we're very lucky they were not lost, thanks to the efforts of his musical colleagues in the decades to come. An astounding story.

If people liked this, this is actually the third in a series. Schubert wrote them in quick succession (as he knew his death was near) and some internal references within the series.

D958 D959 D960 are the numbers to look up.

Mitsuko Uchida (the featured pianist) is the go-to for Schubert recitals, her exquisitely sensitive touch is great for realising the lightness in Schubert's music which tends to switch between ironic, tragic and profound at a moment's notice while he grappled with the reality of his impending death.

Although currently I am listening to the Alfred Brendel recordings (who is another go to for Schubert).

I really love this. I showed it to my kids, though it didn't resonate as much for 7, 5, 3. Maybe someday.

As a novice pianist, I would love to see alongside the discussion some piano chords and progressions. That would be really fascinating to see with the commentary.

If you need help programming that part, I would be very happy to help.

2nd movement of this sonata (the Andante sostenuto) is one of the most perfect things ever created by humans.

Mitsuko Uchida.

Interesting idea, but talking about music is like dancing about architecture.

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