Quiz: Mystery scores

[Mapman]

Ok, its #7 of 12 Contredanses, WoO 14.  Had to Google it, did not know he reused the theme

Yes! Beethoven used that theme multiple times. I was aware of its use in the finale of The Creatures of Prometheus, and that he wrote a set of variations on it (which I have not heard yet). I wasn't aware of this one until today, when I listened to the Contredanses, WoO 14.

[BWV 1080]

Here is a more serious submission

Here is an excerpt from a more well known work by the composer

[classicalgeek]

I have no idea who the examples from BWV 1080 could be... totally stumped, even with the clues.

I don't know the etiquette of this thread - should we wait until someone guesses correctly before posting our own 'mystery scores'?

[BWV 1080]

I have no idea who the examples from BWV 1080 could be... totally stumped, even with the clues.

I don't know the etiquette of this thread - should we wait until someone guesses correctly before posting our own 'mystery scores'?

Go for it

[BWV 1080]

Here is an excerpt from a more well known work by the composer

So again, this composer is from a country that did not exist as an independent political entity in 1900

The first piece is for solo piano, this excerpt is from a concerto

[Karl Henning]

I have no idea who the examples from BWV 1080 could be... totally stumped, even with the clues.

I don't know the etiquette of this thread - should we wait until someone guesses correctly before posting our own 'mystery scores'?

No, go right ahead. 

[classicalgeek]

So again, this composer is from a country that did not exist as an independent political entity in 1900

The first piece is for solo piano, this excerpt is from a concerto

OK, I've taken a closer look these examples - and I **might** have an idea, of the composer at least, based on three things:

1. His native country didn't exist as an independent political entity in 1900. The country was in Andrei's list:

Ah, I see. Then born either in the Russian Empire or the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, claimed by one of these countries: Finland, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary or Czechoslovakia

2. He wrote more tonal music earlier in his career (the key signature in the first example.)

3. And most tellingly, the style of notation used in the second example - reiterating accidentals for each note even within the same measure, which he used in his more mature compositions.

But unfortunately I don't know either of the pieces in the examples.

Would the composer be Witold Lutoslawski?

[classicalgeek]

This one should be relatively easy, I'm guessing. Maybe?

[Luke]

That's from Elgar's Enigmas

[classicalgeek]

That's from Elgar's Enigmas

Very good, Luke! I'll have to make the next one more challenging... 

[Luke]

Very good, Luke! I'll have to make the next one more challenging... 

I liked it!

[BWV 1080]

OK, I've taken a closer look these examples - and I **might** have an idea, of the composer at least, based on three things:

1. His native country didn't exist as an independent political entity in 1900. The country was in Andrei's list:

2. He wrote more tonal music earlier in his career (the key signature in the first example.)

3. And most tellingly, the style of notation used in the second example - reiterating accidentals for each note even within the same measure, which he used in his more mature compositions.

But unfortunately I don't know either of the pieces in the examples.

Would the composer be Witold Lutoslawski?

Yes!

It's the beginning of the 2nd movement of his 1937 piano sonata

[Luke]

Ooh I missed that it had been identified! Kudos for getting that!      I'd been going round the houses, no idea why Lutoslawski didn't occur to me. 

[Luke]

Just for variety, this isn't exactly a mystery score, but more a mystery song which can be identified by following this alternative set of lyrics which describe the music they are sung to. I'm sure this won't take you long, and I'm sure lots of you have seen this before, but it makes me laugh as in a very low-humour kind of way I'm a sucker for this ontological, self-descriptive song (see also e.g. Monty Python's The Song That Goes Like This, or Every Romantic Lied Ever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luAI-fwC3_c ). So what song is this? I only give the middle section, as you will see, I'll give the whole thing when it's been identified. Not a classical song.

There's minor 7ths in the bridge
There's also lots of minor 2nds in the bridge
And every minor 6th is gonna try
To hear the supertonic over V of V

[classicalgeek]

Just for variety, this isn't exactly a mystery score, but more a mystery song which can be identified by following this alternative set of lyrics which describe the music they are sung to. I'm sure this won't take you long, and I'm sure lots of you have seen this before, but it makes me laugh as in a very low-humour kind of way I'm a sucker for this ontological, self-descriptive song (see also e.g. Monty Python's The Song That Goes Like This, or Every Romantic Lied Ever - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luAI-fwC3_c ). So what song is this? I only give the middle section, as you will see, I'll give the whole thing when it's been identified. Not a classical song.

There's minor 7ths in the bridge
There's also lots of minor 2nds in the bridge
And every minor 6th is gonna try
To hear the supertonic over V of V

Would this be a Christmas song, by chance? 

[Luke]

Not a, THE   Well done. Always tickles me, this stuff. The full lyrics:

Octave moving to the mediant
Major 6th stepping down to Do
Major seconds being sung by a choir,
Chromatic alterations of the scale
Diatonic scale, descending scale to minor third
Major 6th, ii V7 of I
Major seconds with the ears open wide
Will hear a pretty tritone tonight
There's minor 7ths in the bridge
There's also lots of minor 2nds in the bridge
And every minor 6th is gonna try
To hear the supertonic over V of V
A motif used to build this simple phrase
Major 6th 5 walks down to 1
Although this phrase rises to a high leading tone
Drop a perfect fifth
Meet the Flintstones
Sing a perfect fourth
2 1

...of which the third-last line is particularly cute.

And that link I gave, to Every Romantic Lied Ever - I particularly love the little spot-the-quotation parlour games in the last minute or so!

(the creator's channel is full of funny things like this - https://www.youtube.com/@FreddyWickhamMusic - but this is my favourite one)

[BWV 1080]

Another lesser know piece by a major name

[Luke]

Thats the Mozart minuet that was completed by Sussmayer, I think. Haven't checked though.

[BWV 1080]

Thats the Mozart minuet that was completed by Sussmayer, I think. Haven't checked though.

Yes, dont know much about the origin of the piece - what is striking is how conventional the bass line is relative to the voice leading

[Luke]

It's the harmony it produces, such as the augmented triad with which your example begins, that is the  reason why this piece is actually pretty famous as one of WAM's more extreme works - and Sussmayer....or is it Sussmayr....? anyway, his completion is so tame that it seems surprisingly incongruous (to my ears) and works to undermine the piece (in my opinion).