Themes in classical music that are purely unabashed scales!
What beautiful, thematic segments from Symphonic or Solo repertoire are completely made up of simple scales, maybe even with notes in sequential order. There is so much out there and sometimes you just don't even notice. I don't really count virtuoso/technical passages.
I'll start with one of my favorite themes:
From Tchaikovsky Nutcracker - Pas De Deux. It's just a 1 octave descending G major scale, and then a 1 octave descending E minor scale!! Amazing beauty with such simplicity.
Replies (12)
Arvo Pärt's "Spiegel im Spiegel"
Berlioz: "March to the Scaffold" from Symphonie Fantastique
Perhaps not exactly thematic material, but I always smile when I hear the 3 scales surrounding rehearsal number 6 in the opening movement of the Prokofieff D major violin concerto. Of course, I'm smiling for most of the other bars, too!
Something like this perhaps? :-)
Prelude to Bach's 3rd 'Cello Suite.
Sunrise from Haydn's Creation.
Beethoven 1st Symphony last movement.
Fidelio Overture and at least one other Leonora.
Horror music from Don Giovanni.
Verdi Dies Irae.
ps: here is the sheet music to the link I posted above.... definitely a few scales in this one
If you examine most of the works of Beethoven, you will find that many of his melodies are in the form of scales and arpeggios. Take a good look at the Violin Concerto. The melodies are scales (or portions of scales), elevated to the highest level of artistic inspiration.
Cheers,
Sandy
One more argument to practice scales daily.
more importantly an argument that scales are music. that has serious implications on practicing. the problem with scale practice being 'boring/tedious/a chore' is simply the fault of the teacher, not the scale! :)
Some while ago, on an Irish folk music website, a poster in a discussion was wondering what was the point in wasting time and effort in learning scales and arpeggios when Irish folk tunes are so simple. Btw, many are not so simple - my comment.
My reply to the poster was that every (Irish) tune is made up of fragments of scales and arpeggios, and getting those into the fingers will do wonders for playing the music. End of discussion.
Dvorak 8, 2nd movement, letter M:
1st violins descending in eighths from the high C, and going back up with the three hooked sixteenths.
Gosh, that is lovely.
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September 26, 2013 at 09:34 AM · Slow movement of Haydn C major Violin Concerto starts with a slow scale.
Descending whole tone scale in Russlan & Ludmilla.
Scales in "Juliet as a Child" (Prokofiev).
Scales in Saint Saens's "Pianistes" (As far as beauty is concerned just joking, as old Camille was).
And, of course, the scales in the 1st movement of THE BEETHOVEN.