A music for Titans

India's leading watch manufacturer is famous for its ads' theme music. As kids, most of us didn't know that it borrows from Mozart's famous Symphony No. 25 in G minor.

Their early advertisements were splendid, touching, and we waited for the 'Titan music' to play. My friends and I would hum the tune occasionally.

This post features the various Titan ads, and how well they have employed the music.

But before that I'd like to start with Beethoven's music featuring in the ad for a game:

Gears of War 2

The superstar saint

In another post, we met Mr. Pergolesi who died at the age of twenty six and was the composer of sacred music.

This time, we meet the first composer whose biography is known; a woman, also a saint, and a superstar -- Hildegard von Bingen. Also composed sacred music.p

Saint Hildegard was a German abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary and polymath. And some 800 years after her death, she also turned a pop icon.

So what type of music did she write?

She wrote chants -- monophonic compositions which always have a

A great friend

A lesson for me: you can have worries, yet make beautiful things. And the inspiration comes from Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), a composer who inspired music itself.

Not just me, Beethoven's life inspired another popular composer between 1898 and 1899, the Englishman Edward Elgar. Persist despite worries; here's what happened:

"'I was very down in the dumps; everything seemed to be going wrong. I was feeling very wretched... and told him (his friend Jaegar) I was going to give it all up and write no more music.' Jaegar had leapt to the defence: 'He said that Beethoven had a lot of worries, and did he give it all up? No. He wrote more, and still more beautiful music--"And-that-is-what-you-must-do"'" [Edward Elgar: A Creative Life]

"Jaeger... sang the theme of the second movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 Pathétique. Elgar disclosed to Dora (a close friend) that the opening bars of 'Nimrod' were made to suggest that theme. 'Can’t you hear it at the beginning? Only a hint, not a quotation.'" [wikipedia]

August Jaeger was Edward's close friend. They loved

Pastorale

Pastorale in classical music is best defined by the feeling. It is slow, and reminds you of the pastoral lifestyle, particularly the shepherds. It is supposed to evoke country scenes - considering that the country is clean and tidy and people are stress-free. Does this seem idealized? It may to the urban readers. It may also touch their heart, make them want to lead simpler yet richer lives. It is not a fantasy.

My definition of Pastorale is -- that which makes you reach within the peace of your heart. The pastorale music reminds you of that peace. It soothes you, makes you remember what you always wanted. Therefore, it is not a fantasy. It may be fantasy for people who have given up in general.

Here are some instances that will tell you about the pastoral lifestyle.

Chôro -- foot tapping lament from Brazil

(We check out a musical genre borrowed from classical music) 

Image Source

Much before jazz originated -- and was taken to be the true improvisational genre -- there was festivity in Brazil in the form of Chôro, a genre of music. It was like bringing together the polkas and waltzes of European classical music and the African style drums played by slaves on boats and in dormitories.

Chôro means lament. But the music is mostly pleasant and peppy. Reminds you of married life doesn't it? And it's improvisational -- born in 19th century Brazil -- much before American jazz. You don't hear about this genre in popular Brazilian culture and assume Samba to be the great Brazilian sensation. Chôro is, in fact, closer to Brazil's soul.

Your life is a cadenza

Finesse: violinist Renaud Capuçon 

There is so much chorus in your life, so much orchestra -- there are so many people around you, each person an instrument, singing along. You enjoy this coming together, this orchestra, and yet you wish for a solo tune.

You wish for a cadenza.

You wish for your tune to stand out, you wish to reach out to people, reach out to the collective -- the people.

Have you ever been to a rock concert and heard the guitarist or drummer do a solo? A cadenza is kind of like that, except it’s part of the classical-music tradition. Cadenzas are for virtuosos: extremely talented, expert players of their instruments. [source]

Love song of the lute

Image courtesy 

For at least two hundred years, this was the most popular instrument in the renaissance period of Europe.
It is the sultan of instruments for the Arabs and the origin of lute is perhaps the Arabian oud, a pear shaped instrument.

From the Arabs it came to Europe who made it their own.
Now what exactly is a lute?
In simple words, it is any instrument that reminds you of the guitar. Same properties -- long neck, strings running parallel to the sort of round sound body, strings that can be plucked, a long neck and a sort of roundness to the body. Our lute looks somewhat like