Germany and Austria March 2026
2 Hello!
Welcome to our latest concert. This year we are travelling around the world to explore how music changes in different countries. So far, we have visited France, Russia, and the Nordic Countries. We now stop in Germany and Austria - two of the most important musical countries in the 1700 and 1800s.
What are we playing tonight? 1. Chaconne in d by Bach (arranged by Raff ) 2. Prelude and the Good Friday Spell by Wagner (from the opera Parisfal) Interval 3. Ricercare by Bach (arranged by Webern) 4. Symphony No. 5 by Mendelssohn (called the Reformation Symphony. This programme helps you learn about the music and the history. We hope you enjoy the concert.
3 Introduction
Where are Germany and Austria? Germany and Austria are countries right in the heart of Europe, and you may have been there on your holidays. Austria is a very old country but you may be surprised to know that Germany is relatively young. It was formed by joining lots of little states together in 1871. These included Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Hamburg. Each state and city had its own personality and culture.
Did you know? Before Germany became on country, its parts and Austria were part of the Holy Roman Empire. This was not the same as the ancient Roman Empire that Julius Caesar started. In fact, it was not Roman, not holy, and not really an Empire at all! But it lasted almost 1000 years. It was made up of nearly 300 states. Some were smaller than Rotherham or Barnsley! For centuries, the Empire was ruled by one family - the Habsburgs, who were based in Vienna, Austria. They often married their family to help them keep power. This was not healthy over many centuries and they began to look odd with massive chins! After the Napoleanic wars in the early 1800s the Empire ended. Austria became its own country. The Habsburgs supported many composers and musicians, so Vienna became the most important musical city in the world.
This is a Habsburg. You can see the chin!
4 Who were some of Germany and Austria’s famous composers?
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) Bach is probably the person who started off the area’s dominance in music. He wrote mainly music for church services because that is who paid him. He developed music by playing two or more tunes together at the same time, making sure they fitted together perfectly. This is called COUNTERPOINT.
Listen to the Brandenburg Concerto Number 3 In this piece, Bach shows off the string instruments and his many complicated melodies in all their glory.
Did you know? He was fascinated to hear different music and once walked over 250 miles (the same distance as London to Newcastle) just to hear someone play the organ!
Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809) Haydn is perhaps best known for developing the symphony. For centuries, the symphony became the most important and impressive piece of music that could be written. Composers sweated for years to write one! Haydn wrote 104! In comparison, Beethoven wrote 9. His last 12 symphonies were written in the UK and became known as the London Symphonies.
Listen to Symphony No. 94
What’s a symphony?
This is nicknamed the surprise symphony because there is a funny chord in the second movement that made people sit up and listen. It’s not very surprising by modern day standards, though.
A piece of music for full orchestra, often with four (sometimes five) movements. Each movement has a different speed and mood: In early symphonies this was fast, slow, a dance, and then a fast ending.
5 Who were some of Germany and Austria’s famous composers?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) Mozart is probably the most famous composer in the world. He was a child genius and travelled around Europe playing the piano and violin to Royal Families. He went on to write some of the best classical music pieces ever written. Mozart’s music was clever, but he also polished up the structure of music (how it was organised). He died young, aged 35.
Did you know? Often we think of people in history as being serious and boring. Mozart was far from that. He was known for swearing and he loved jokes about farting and toilets!
Listen to Overture to the Marriage of Figaro This opera was a scandal at the time because it wrote about events in the modern times and the servants got the better of their masters and mistresses!
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) Beethoven was known for his bad temper! He was a passionate man, and this can be heard in lots of his music. There is anger in the 5th symphony (which has a famous beginning) and great love and, perhaps, sadness in the Moonlight and Pathetique piano sonatas. Beethoven went deaf during his life but still managed to write some of the most amaxing music ever written.
Listen to - Moonlight Sonata
What’s an overture?
A sonata is music for one instrument that has several movements to explore different moods. Sonata No. 14 opens with mystery and is haunting. It is a very famous tune used in lots of TV and film.
A piece of music played at the beginning of an opera to introduce the main tunes and set the mood. Later on, overtures were pieces lasting around 6-10mins that were played at the beginning of concerts.
6 Who were some of Germany and Austria’s famous composers?
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 - 1847) Mendelssohn was one of the early romantic composers, but some of his music is written in the “classical style”. By the time Mendelssohn was writing music, Bach had been forgotten. Mendelssohn brought him back to fame by conducting one of his grandest pieces, the St Matthew Passion. Mendelssohn travelled the world and his music was influenced by the places he saw, such as the Hebrides overture about Scotland.
Listen to - Hebrides Overture Written about the sea, cliffs, and caves, the music in this overture swells as a storm grows more powerful with every bar.
Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897)
Brahms was seen by people as Beethoven’s natural successor. They were big shoes to fill and the pressure was too much to bear. Worried about not living up to expectations, Brahms took twenty years to write his first symphony. Once he had broken the spell, he knocked the second off in a few months!
Listen to - Variations on a theme by Haydn (St Antoni Chorale) Variations are where the composer plays around with a tune. They may make it faster, change the rhythms, or pass it between instruments. Brahms wrote these variations based on a tune by Haydn. We are playing it in October - keep it secret!
Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) Wagner’s music has its haters and lovers. He is known for operas lasting many hours about ancient Gods and myths. Wagner used short phrases to represent characters, called Leitmotifs. These musical ideas return again and again during the story so the audience recognises characters and events. His “Ring Cycle” of four operas takes over 16 hours to play! The composer Rossini said, “Wagner has beautiful moments and awful quarters of an hour.”
7 Who were some of Germany and Austria’s famous composers?
Who are the other big names from this area? Carl Maria von Weber (1786 - 1826) Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Why are they all white men? The music in this concert was written when the opportunities to be a musician were only available to men with education and connections to churches, royalty, or wealthy families. Women were taught to play music, but they were expected to stay at home to raise children. Sexism was common. This was also a time when travel was difficult and most Europeans were white. Those from other ethnic backgrounds were rarely given access to the same education or royalty, and experienced racism. There were some famous female composers from this time:
Anton Bruckner (1824 - 1896)
Gustav Mahler (1860 - 1911)
Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949)
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805 - 1847) was a talented German composer and pianist. She was the sister of Felix Mendelssohn. Fanny wrote more than 400 pieces of music, and some may have been published under her brother’s name. Clara Schumann (1819–1896) was one of the greatest pianists of the 1800s and toured Europe. She composed piano music, songs, and chamber music. After her husband, Robert Schumann, became ill, she performed and taught music while continuing to compose.
8 What’s up tonight?
Notes on tonight’s music... Chaconne in d by Bach (arr Raff) (1874) A Chaconne is a type of music often composed in the Baroque period. It has lots of repeating patterns. At its heart is a short sequence of notes usually placed in the bass (the lower notes). This pattern repeats again and again while the music above it dances and grows. Listen to oboe at the beginning of the piece. Bach wrote the piece around 1720 for a single violin. In 1874, Joachim Raff arranged it for the whole orchestra. It is much more luxurious. The different instruments add colour and depth.
The different periods of classical music Classical music is split into different time - see the timeline below. Each one has a different character. Baroque - Baroque music is often energetic, and fiddly. It is very ornamental, like a beautifully built church with lots of decoration. Composers often loved repeating patterns and strong rhythms. Classical - Classical composers wanted more clarity, balance, and elegance in their music, so wrote music that was less fussy. The orchestra grew in importance, and the symphony, sonata, and string quartet became central to concerts. Romantic - Romantic composers made music to express powerful emotions, nature, landscapes or stories. Orchestras became larger and the music often sounded more dramatic, colourful, and intense. 20th Century - Composers began to experiment with new sounds, rhythms, and ideas. Some threw the rules out all together! Music also explored unusual harmonies, jazz, or complete silence! 1709 Piano invented
1714 George I
1723 Vivaldi Four Seasons
1720 BACH Baroque period CHACONNE
1727 George II
1741 Handel Messiah
1760 George III
Classical period
1776 America declares independence
1786 Mozart Marriage of Figaro
1792 Haydn Symphony 94
1801 Beethoven moonlight sonata
9 What’s up tonight?
Prelude / Good Friday Spell from Parsifal by Wagner Wagner spent more than 25 years working on his final opera, Parsifal. It premiered in 1882. The story is about the Knights of the Holy Grail, who guard a sacred cup believed to have been used by Jesus at the Last Supper. The hero, Parsifal, begins the story as an innocent young man but slowly learns compassion and wisdom, eventually helping to heal the wounded king Amfortas and restore the community. The Prelude comes right at the beginning of the opera. Wagner introduces several important musical ideas, called leitmotifs, that represent things like the Holy Grail, faith, and suffering. The music unfolds very slowly and calmly, creating a feeling of mystery and spirituality. The Good Friday Spell comes near the end of the opera. Parsifal returns after many years and realises the importance of kindness and understanding. In this scene, nature itself seems transformed because it is Good Friday. Wagner’s music paints a beautiful picture of spring, renewal, and hope.
Listen out for...
Listen again ?
Slow, glowing opening chords of the Prelude, which introduce the peaceful mood of the opera.
Quentin (the conductor) recommends this version.
Notice how Wagner’s music often moves very slowly but with rich harmonies, creating a sense of calm and wonder.
It is played by the Halle Orchestra (who are based in Manchester).
In the Good Friday Spell, listen for the orchestra sounding almost like nature awakening in spring, with warm, luminous colours in the strings and woodwind.
It can be found on itunes or Spotify.
1808 Beethoven Symphony No. 5
1815 Battle of Waterloo
1820 George IV
Romantic Period
1825 First passenger railway
1837 Victoria
1830 REFORMATION SYMPHONY
1846 Sewing Machine
1870 Free school for all children
1873 Brahms Haydn Variations
1873 RAFF CHACONNE
1886 Motor car
1882 WAGNER PARSIFAL
1899 Elgar Enigma Variations
1901 Edward VII
1910 George V
20th Century
1914-18 WW1
10 What’s up tonight?
Ricercare from The Musical Offering by JS Bach arr. Anton Webern (1935) The Musical Offering is a collection of pieces Bach wrote after visiting King Frederick the Great of Prussia in 1747. The king gave Bach a complicated melody and challenged him to turn it into music. Bach responded with a set of brilliant musical puzzles and variations based on that theme. The Ricercare is a type of piece where a melody is explored in many different ways, with different instruments taking turns playing it like a musical conversation. Almost two hundred years later, the Austrian composer Anton Webern created a version of one of these pieces for the full orchestra. He gave each line of Bach’s music to different instruments. Sometimes it is just a few notes. It is like the musicians are playing “tag” or pass the parcel with the tune.
Did you know?
Listen out for...
He was thrown in prison! Bach was bored with his job working for a wealthy family. When he tried to leave, his boss threw Bach in prison for weeks. That is even worse than if you nick off school!
The Royal Theme – the main melody is the first 20 notes and the whole piece is built from this. Musical conversations – different instruments take turns playing the theme or fragments of it.
People complained his music was too long! Most of Bach’s music was written for church services. Not every one appreciated his genius and complained his music was too long. Maybe they were sore from sitting on hard church pews for hours.
Changing colours – Webern gives small pieces of the melody to different instruments, so the sound keeps changing. Layers of music – several melodies happening at once, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle.
1924 Television
1928 Equal votes for women
1939-45 WW2
1935 WEBERN- RICERCARE
1945 Shostakovich Symphony 1952 No. 9 Elizabeth II
1962 Britten War Requiem
1973 First Mobile Call
1977 Williams Star Wars Theme
1989 World Wide Web
2007 iPhone
2020 Covid
+
2023 Charles III
11 What’s up tonight?
Symphony No. 5 (Reformation) by Mendelssohn Mendelssohn wrote this symphony in 1830 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession. This was an important part of the Protestant Reformation, where people wanted the Protestant Church to separate from the Catholic Church and the Pope. You may have heard about this from Henry VIII’s time and Bloody Mary. The Reformation began in Germany in the 1500s when Martin Luther challenged the practices of the Catholic Church. He wrote 95 things that annoyed him about the Catholic Church and nailed them to the door of a cathedral. Mendelssohn included famous Protestant melodies in the symphony. The final movement features Martin Luther’s hymn “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”), one of the most famous hymns of the Reformation. Mendelssohn builds the whole ending of the symphony around this powerful tune,turning it into a fabulous finale.
Listen out for...
Did you know?
A mysterious opening The symphony begins with quiet, serious music before the faster main section begins.
Mendelssohn was Jewish Felix was born to Jewish parents but converted to Christianity later. Wagner hated Jews and did not like Mendelssohn.
The “Dresden Amen” theme A short, calm melody used in churches that appears near the start. The Luther hymn Listen for the tune “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” in the final movement, which initially starts in the flute.
Mendelssohn never heard it played When it was first played in Berlin in 1832, Felix Mendelssohn was so disappointed with how the concert went, he did not allow it to be played again during his lifetime.
Listen at home
This version is played on instruments that were available when Felix Mendelssohn was alive, so it sounds like it may have done in 1830!
12 Who are we?
Quentin Clare (Conductor) The conductor of the orchestra keeps the players together. They use their hands, body and face to tell some instruments to play louder or softer, faster or slower. They help interpret the music. Quentin was born near Brighton. His father was a fisherman and was at sea day and night in stormy weather. It was a job Q did not fancy doing. He first started to play the piano as a toddler. He was almost too short to reach the keys. He played the music his sister had been playing from memory without reading it on paper. Later, he studied conducting in the Netherlands.
David Milsom (Orchestra leader) The leader of the orchestra sits at the front of the violins and helps guide the musicians during the concert. They work closely with the conductor, helping the orchestra stay together. The leader also plays important violin solos. David grew up in Sheffield and started to learn music at an early age. He started a History degree at the University of Sheffield but swapped to music. Since then, he has been a musician, and has taught and researched music at Huddersfield University.
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