Rebecca Kile Music 1010 Salt Lake Community College

Alexander Borodin’s Life (slides 2-8) Composition History (slides 9-11) Bibliography (slides 12-13) Listening Guide (slides 14-19)

Born November 12, 1833 Illegitimate Birth Died February 27, 1887

Chemistry bound Studied at St. Petersburg Medico- Surgical Academy Studied abroad Gained respect with aldehydes, etc.

Began young with piano & cello Took composing lessons to further his career One of the most accomplished Russian composers

Biggest influence was Mily Balakirev Used simple Russian Folk songs Part of the “Five” or “The Mighty Handful”

Some 45 different works Symphony No. 1 in Eb major Symphony No. 2 in B minor Prince Igor Symphony No. 3 in A minor

Died February 27 th, 1887 Age 53 A ball in St. Petersburg

Production First major premiere in 1869 Major influence was Mily Balakirev

Begins minor and slow Transitions into a lively tempo Style can be seen as Russian

National Philharmonic Orchestra Borodin: Symphonies Nos. 1-3 Recorded 1977 reissued in 2004

Author Unknown. Biography of Alexander Borodin. (Accessed February 2014) Schwartz, Steve. Alexander Borodin. (Accessed February 2014) Reel, James. Artist Biography. mn /biography (Accessed February 2014) mn /biography

Sanderson, Blair. Album Review. symphonies-nos-1-3-mw (Accessed February 2014) symphonies-nos-1-3-mw DeQuis, Mona. Description Symphony No.1 in E Flat Major. 1-in-e-flat-major-mc (Accessed February 2014) 1-in-e-flat-major-mc

0:00-0:30 Introduction- Begins minor with the cellos and contrabasses. Tempo quickens, introducing flutes, oboes and violins 0:30-1:00 Repetition- a brief repetition of the previously heard melody 1:00-1:30 Verse #1- Woodwinds and horns create the verse with several versions of ascending and descending scales

1:30-2:00 Verse #1- The verse nears completion with a solo from the oboe section with accompaniment from all of the strings. The percussion plays a loud rumble accenting the verse. 2:00-2:30 Verse#1/Chorus- The verse comes to an end with the horns and percussion. The chorus begins with the obvious melody heard in the beginning of the piece. 2:30-3:00 Chorus ending/ Verse #2- The violins mimic the woodwinds. The form of the piece is better displayed here.

3:00-3:30 Verse#2- This part is very march like played by the entire symphony with percussion playing the upbeat. Suddenly the march stops and a beautiful melody continues. 3:30-4:00 Verse #2- A new theme is introduced but is soon broken up by the horns. 4:00-4:30 Melody Variation/ Chorus- The original melody moves to minor played by the cellos and bass. 4:30-5:00 Mimicking Variation/ Chorus- Each section mimics each other while the other sections accompany.

5:00-5:30 Verse#3- This is a completely different verse with a new melody. However the original melody makes its way back. 5:30-6:00 Repetition- The third verse repeats. 6:00-7:00 Dynamics- This is the section where dynamics carry the whole symphony. Soft tones from the flutes are contradicted with harsh tones from the horns. 7:00-8:00 Chorus- The chorus from the beginning is repeated with out any variations.

8:00-9:00 Verse#4- In this verse we hear a new melody giving the contrast the piece needs to stay appealing to the audience. 9:00-10:00 Verse#4- The verse continues with only the use of a variation of the melody in a different key. 10:00-11:00 Scales- This segment is all about scales. A variety of scales make their way into the piece. 11:00-12:00 Ending- A tempo change is the only modification in this section. A slower tempo could foreshadow the ending of the song.

12:00-End Final goodbyes- The tempo slows significantly and the melody ends with the same instruments as it began with. A short scale leads up to the final chord played in major.