Tips On Critical Listening: How (And Why) "Development" Sections Work

Even if you know the terminology of so-called "sonata forms," the notion of musical "development" can seem mysterious. In this talk, we explore how this particular strategy came to exist, and what it means in terms of musical expression.
Musical Examples courtesy of Naxos Records

[@fransmeersman2334]

Your "down to earth" style of explaining music is marvelous, and I don't mean that it is a simplistic style , but very informative in a direct and honest way !

[@matthewrippingsby5384]

Another world-beating insightful video. Your advocacy of Joseph Haydn is admirable - I feel glad for him you insist he gets what he deserves! Fantastic work, Mr H.!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you!

[@matthewrippingsby5384]

Absolutely no problem! By the way, I don't know if you know (or anyone knows!) a comparable reading, but 102 needs Beecham. Beecham all the way for 102. I know this because that recording literally saved me from going mad in times of teenage stress.

[@websterdds]

Reminds me of Karl Haas!😊

[@Jasper_the_Cat]

I'm a beginner to classical music and an amateur musician. My experience of Haydn so far (which is very limited) is that I feel so much sensual joy in his music that it's hard for me to even pause to analyze it! It's dazzling! So it's wonderful to learn about the craftsmanship that goes into it, as well as the organic history and development of these forms. This is a great tutorial which bears repeat viewing. Since I'm a huge fan of Brazilian popular music, such as bossa nova and choro, I've always been fascinated by songs such as "Chega de Saudade" and "Doce de Côco" which restate the beginning major melodic theme in a minor key later on - it's so clever and it's fun to think that these great songwriters were following in a long tradition of doing so (but rarely heard in today's pop music). Thanks for sharing, as always!

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

David, thank you for this insight. Once again, you have a knack for putting all of this into plain language. As stated before, I've recommended your books to many of my friends interested in getting into Classical music.

[@stephenmarmer543]

Awesome. Please continue to do posts like this. Educates us to hear more within the music.

[@PhilKelley]

Thank you for another excellent teaching video. You opened a new window on music theory for me, one that is practical and enjoyable. Not many teachers can do that.

[@1972Diogenes]

This was (for me at least)again such an extremely insightful video. Can't even begin to put in words all I've learned from your channel (not to mention a cd collection that has exploded as well). Thank you for sharing all of this. I'm definitely on board for the next 3000 video's. Excellent work as always.

[@arnaudb.7669]

A masterpiece of pedagogy. Thanks a lot and keep up the good work.

[@WesSmith-m6i]

Thank you so much, Dave, for this wonderfully informative talk. Thanks also for your continued focus on Haydn. The worst thing that happened to me in watching Amadeus when it came out was that I accepted (the movie-character) Mozart's dismissive judgment of his contemporaries as composers who shit marble. I know it's just a movie, but I somehow accepted as a legit verdict that there was Mozart's genius and everything else at his time (including Haydn) was just Dreck. I promise I don't feel that way anymore!

[@metta8917]

More like this, please.

[@nicolasferri304]

gracias por ayudarnos a interpretar la música clásica

[@estel5335]

Ask David: Mr. Hurwitz, do you think that listening to Classical music or Jazz on a middling bluetooth speaker makes me a philistine?

[@LyleFrancisDelp]

As David makes a practice of not discussing his playback system, he may not respond...of course, I could be wrong..... So, I offer my 2 cents....for the little it's worth. However you enjoy the music is fine. What satisfies you as a listener will, of course, be different than others. For instance, I have a pretty good system for listening and it sounds like a symphony orchestra......to me. To others, it may not, and they require a $20k system. Yes, I can hear the difference, but the difference is just not enough to justify paying that kind of money, when I don't have that kind of disposable income. Occasionally, I listen on a bluetooth speaker when I'm in the other room, and I don't feel like moving. Something on KZbin on the ipad and I have a decent bluetooth speaker. But of course, I prefer the system in my office. If you enjoy listening on your setup, it's fine. No, you are not a Philistine, and anyone who says you are is an audiophool and a snob.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I don't thnk that at all.

[@bumblesby]

I listen on several different systems, small and large. I like hearing it on a small radio (I have an FM transmitter) and in my bathroom I have a small music player with a small powered speaker attached, then I have my main system. Of course I hear the most instruments on my main system, but on the small speakers, I hear more of the "themes" which you may not necessarily detect on the large system with all that is going on. I hope that makes sense :)

[@steveschwartz8944]

I grew up listening on crappy systems. For a long time, I thought stereo was a fad (I'm that old). I don't have "golden ears." My standards for what I'll tolerate sonically have risen, but not all that much. I usually listen on Bluetooth headphones, and the music sounds just fine to me. I can tell the difference between high-end systems and what I have, especially in the sonic spatial image. I had an audiophile friend who had a system that, for example, put the oboe 3 inches to the left of the dresser. However, the difference doesn't mean that much to me.

[@NN-df7hl]

Dave, so it Theme 2, Theme 1, then motion music in the Development? Am I hearing that right? Any chance you could include titles saying EXACTLY when each comes in? :) :)

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I deliberately did it out of order so you would listen and figure it out yourself. The order isn't as important as the sequence of different feelings. That was the point.

[@llucrescu9058]

@Uncle Dave: I have a problem. I especially like classical music from the 20th century (Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Ravel, Bartok, Ligeti, Penderecki, Lutoslawski etc). There are only a few works from the post-romantic era that I like (R. Strauss, Dvorak, Janacek, Satie etc) and none from the baroque and classical period. As an amateur listener I would like to learn about form and notation but whenever I try I get bored because all the examples are coming from the classical period. Is there a way to learn about classical music language without getting bored by the classical period examples. I guess not, but I think it worth trying to ask. Thank you!

[@AlexMadorsky]

If you’ve tried to listen to music to better understand its formal structures but keep getting bored, I suggest just enjoying the 20th-century music you prefer. No reason to bang your head against the wall when you already have a long list of excellent composers you like, regardless of how much music theory knowledge you do or don’t possess.

[@llucrescu9058]

@@AlexMadorsky I think that's a reasonable answer. Thank you!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I agree with Alex. Don't worry about what you don't like.

[@llucrescu9058]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Good to know, thank you!

[@johndrayton8728]

Thank you!! I have a question. How do you know the difference between “motion music” and a second subject? What tells us?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Technically, the second subject appears once the music has settled into the new key, while the motion music gets you there and so has a feeling of unsettled movement and may or may not be thematic, but practically speaking it doesn’t really matter. You get a feel for it the more you listen.

[@hendriphile]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Very clearly put… I’ve sometimes wondered about that myself. And the motion music is not necessarily merely functional; it can be invigorating and exciting in its own right!