[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING] [POP MUSIC PLAYING] [HONK] MAULL: HEY!

[BRIGHT, CHEERFUL MUSIC PLAYING] [ALARM BLARING] [CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING] ANNOUNCER: FUNDING FOR THIS SERIES HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE, IN PART, BY... MAULL: CAN WE TALK ABOUT FEELINGS?

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I PERSONALLY EXPERIENCE MANY EMOTIONAL STATES THAT DEFY VERBAL DESCRIPTION.

THERE ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE AN ENTIRE FEELING LIFE THAT GOES ON UNDER THE SURFACE OF OUR CONSCIOUSNESS ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, WHETHER AWAKE OR ASLEEP, AND THIS CONTINUOUS, KALEIDOSCOPIC BREW OF FEELINGS IS EVER CHANGING, BUT EVEN IF WE DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO THIS THEORY OF AN ELUSIVE INNER EMOTIONAL LIFE, EACH OF US KNOWS THAT OUR SURFACE FEELINGS--CONFIDENCE, FEAR, LOVE, HATE, LIGHTHEARTEDNESS, ANGER, ELATION, MELANCHOLY--ALL OF THOSE ARE IN A CONSTANT STATE OF FLUX.

ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS ABOUT WORDLESS, ABSTRACT MUSIC IS THAT THE COMPOSER HAS CREATED MUSIC WHICH MIRRORS OUR EMOTIONAL LIFE, ESPECIALLY IN THE MANNER IN WHICH FEELING STATES CHANGE INSTANTANEOUSLY.

AND HERE'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE REJOINING THE MEMBERS OF THE AMPHION STRING QUARTET.

WITH TIMBRE BEING RESTRICTED TO ONLY THE SOUNDS THAT STRINGED INSTRUMENTS CAN MAKE, WHAT DOES THAT FORCE THE COMPOSER OF A STRING QUARTET TO DO?

ALL THE REMAINING ELEMENTS--RHYTHM, MELODY, TEXTURE, HARMONY, DYNAMICS, AND FORM--MUST BE USED TO EXTRAORDINARY EFFECT.

WITHOUT THE LUXURY OF HAVING WOODWIND, BRASS, AND PERCUSSION TIMBRES TO EXCITE OUR SENSES, IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH THE COMPOSER HAS ONE HAND TIED BEHIND THEIR BACK.

AND YET, SO MUCH CAN BE TRANSMITTED BY SUCH A SMALL ENSEMBLE OF 4 STRING PLAYERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE HANDS OF A COMPOSER LIKE BEETHOVEN.

AND SPEAKING OF BEETHOVEN... WE'RE BACK TO BEETHOVEN AS PLAYED, JUST FOR US, BY THE MEMBERS OF THE AMPHION STRING QUARTET.

WELCOME BACK!

LAST TIME, WE BECAME FAMILIAR WITH THE RANGE OF EMOTIONS AND ESPECIALLY THE STRUCTURE OF THE FIRST LARGE SECTION, THE EXPOSITION, OF THE FOURTH MOVEMENT OF BEETHOVEN'S STRING QUARTET.

JUST TO REVIEW, LET'S LISTEN TO THE EXPOSITION PLAYED THROUGH ONCE AND FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE ON-SCREEN GRAPHICS.

WE ALSO SAID THAT THE RECIPE FOR WRITING A MOVEMENT IN SONATA FORM INCLUDES "A" AN EXPOSITION, "B" A DEVELOPMENT, AND THE RETURN OF THE "A" SECTION THAT WE ACTUALLY CALL THE RECAPITULATION.

WE'VE LISTENED TO THE EXPOSITION SEVERAL TIMES, WHICH MEANS IT'S TIME TO INVESTIGATE THE DEVELOPMENT.

IN THE DEVELOPMENT, A COMPOSER CREATES TENSION FOR THE LISTENER IN A NUMBER OF WAYS.

IT MIGHT BE THAT PART OR ALL OF ONE OF THE THEMES FROM THE EXPOSITION IS USED OR DEVELOPED IN SOME DIFFERENT WAY.

DIFFERENT THAN WHAT?

DIFFERENT THAN THE WAY THE THEME WAS PRESENTED IN THE EXPOSITION.

AND FOR THE TUNED-IN LISTENER WHO GIVES THEIR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION TO THE EXPOSITION AND NOTICES THE MANIPULATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT, THE REWARD IS A COGNITIVE DISSONANCE, OR EMOTIONAL TENSION.

ANOTHER WAY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS IN THE DEVELOPMENT IS TO PICTURE A ROOM IN YOUR HOUSE.

SEE IT IN DETAIL.

THE SOFA IS THERE, THE LAMP IS HERE, THAT PAINTING OR PHOTOGRAPH ON THE WALL IS OVER THERE.

EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE, IN ITS PROPER PLACE, THE WAY WE'RE USED TO SEEING THESE OBJECTS EVERY DAY.

NOW, THAT WAS THE EXPOSITION!

BUT IN THE DEVELOPMENT, IT'S AS THOUGH YOU BLINKED AND WHEN YOU OPENED YOUR EYES AGAIN, EVERYTHING HAD BEEN TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.

SEEING ALL THIS CHANGE CREATES EMOTIONAL TENSION.

SAME THING OCCURS FOR THE LISTENER IN THE DEVELOPMENT, ASSUMING WE'RE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION IN THE EXPOSITION.

THE CHANGES MAKE US FEEL SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE ON SOME LEVEL.

HERE AGAIN IS THE ESSENCE OF THE FIRST THEME AS PRESENTED TO US ORIGINALLY IN THE EXPOSITION.

IF WE WERE TO PULL OUT THE SMALLEST PARTICLE OF THIS THEME, WE WOULD HAVE THIS.

[PLAYS 3 NOTES] ♪ DA DA DA ♪ NOW YOU SING IT WITH ME.

♪ DA DA DA ♪ AS THE DEVELOPMENT BEGINS, BEETHOVEN TEASES US RELENTLESSLY BY BREAKING OFF THIS TINY KERNEL OF HIS FIRST THEME AND HAS IT PLAYED MANY TIMES, SOMETIMES BY JUST ONE PLAYER, SOMETIMES BY TWO PLAYERS AT ONCE, IN HIGHER RANGES, LOWER RANGES, AND THERE'S EVEN A DYNAMIC SURPRISE.

IT'S JUST EVERYWHERE.

HAVE A LISTEN.

HOW MANY OCCURRENCES OF "DA DA DA" WERE THERE?

OH, I KNOW.

"YOU DIDN'T TELL US TO COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES DA DA DA OCCURRED."

AND YOU'RE RIGHT, SO COUNT THIS TIME.

TO MAKE IT EASIER, WE'LL HAVE THE QUARTET PLAY IT SLOWER.

BEETHOVEN GIVES US "DA DA DA"... [PLAYS NOTES] THE BASIC, MUSICAL SUBATOMIC PARTICLE ON WHICH THIS ENTIRE MOVEMENT IS BASED 27 TIMES IN 13 SECONDS.

IT'S A HUMOROUS TEASE.

HE'S PLAYING WITH US, AND STRUCTURALLY, IT DEFINITELY QUALIFIES AS A DEVELOPED VERSION OF A PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED IDEA.

WE MIGHT ASK IF BEETHOVEN WAS ALWAYS THIS PLAYFUL WHEN HE COMPOSED?

NO!

BEETHOVEN HAD A COMPLICATED PERSONALITY AND SOME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE FEELINGS TO DEAL WITH, MOSTLY DUE TO HIS DEAFNESS.

IMAGINE HOW HE FELT WHEN HE BEGAN TO HAVE THE SLIGHTEST INKLING THAT HIS CAREER AS A MUSICAL PERFORMER WOULD BE CUT SHORT DUE TO HIS DEAFNESS.

THIS REALIZATION QUITE LITERALLY MADE BEETHOVEN FEEL INSANE WITH RAGE AND SADNESS AT TIMES, AND THE EMOTIONAL PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THAT REALITY WAS NEVER FAR FROM THE SURFACE.

LISTEN NOW FOR THE MUSIC TO GET PAINFULLY INTENSE IN THE DEVELOPMENT.

IT HAPPENS JUST A LITTLE AFTER THE HUMOROUS TEASE WE JUST EXPLORED.

SEE IF YOU CAN DETECT THE MUSICAL ARRIVAL OF THIS PAIN.

IN THE PASSAGE THE QUARTET JUST PLAYED, BEETHOVEN GIVES US AN INCREDIBLY DISSONANT HARMONY.

AND IF THAT'S NOT ENOUGH HE MOVES IT UP HERE... AND THEN UP HERE JUST TO MAKE SURE WE GET THE POINT.

[PLAYING DISSONANT PASSAGE] BEETHOVEN'S PAIN COULD BUBBLE UP AT ANY MOMENT.

NOW THINK AGAIN ABOUT THE WAY OUR OWN EMOTIONAL LIVES PROCEED ON A DAILY BASIS, MOVING IN AND OUT OF VARIOUS STATES WITH LIGHTNING SPEED JUST AS BEETHOVEN'S MUSIC DOES.

NOT FAR AFTER THAT PAINFUL MOMENT, BEETHOVEN GIVES US A PLAYFUL SEQUENCE.

WE MAY REMEMBER FROM OUR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC, AND OUR LITTLE MEMORY AID, RMTH-DTF, THAT SEQUENCE, A FORMAL DEVICE, IS A REPETITION IN MUSIC THAT CHANGES ALTITUDE HIGHER OR LOWER.

LISTEN TO THIS PASSAGE AND ANSWER TWO QUESTIONS.

IS IT AN ASCENDING OR DESCENDING SEQUENCE?

AND HOW MANY STEPS ARE IN THE SEQUENCE?

HOW DID YOU DO?

DID YOU NOTICE A 3-STEP DESCENDING SEQUENCE?

WATCH THE GRAPHICS ON SCREEN AS THE QUARTET PLAYS IT AGAIN.

TO GET BACK TO THE BIG PICTURE, AFTER THE DEVELOPMENT SECTION IN A SONATA FORM MOVEMENT, THERE'S A RETURN TO THE MATERIAL OF THE EXPOSITION.

WE'RE HOME AGAIN.

THE OBJECTS IN THE ROOM HAVE TURNED RIGHT-SIDE UP AGAIN IN THE RECAPITULATION.

THE MUSIC WILL SOUND LIKE IT DID IN THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVEMENT.

LISTEN.

SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHEN THE RECAPITULATION ARRIVES.

I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!

BEETHOVEN WILL MAKE SOME SUBTLE CHANGES IN THE RECAPITULATION, BUT ALL THE COMPONENT PARTS WILL BE THERE--THE FIRST THEME, THE TRANSITION, SECOND THEME, AND CLOSING SECTION, AND WHEN THAT'S DONE, BEETHOVEN TREATS US TO A SPECIAL ENDING WE CALL THE CODA.

DID YOU NOTICE ANYTHING SPECIAL HAPPENING THERE?

WELL, LET'S HAVE ANDY AND MIHAI PLAY THEIR VIOLA AND CELLO PARTS ALONE WITHOUT THE VIOLINS.

AND NOW WE'LL ASK KATIE AND DAVID TO PLAY THEIR VIOLIN PARTS IN THE SAME PLACE.

IF YOU DIDN'T NOTICE WHEN THEY WERE ALL PLAYING TOGETHER, PERHAPS YOU CAN NOW TELL THAT THE TWO PAIRS OF INSTRUMENTS SWITCH.

AND SIMULTANEOUSLY, WHILE THEY ARE DOING THAT, THE TWO VIOLINS START WITH... ♪ DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA ♪ KATIE AND DAVID, WILL YOU PLAY YOUR PARTS?

LISTEN AGAIN TO THIS PASSAGE AND ENJOY THE SWITCHING OF PARTS OR ROLE REVERSALS THAT OCCUR.

[PARTS SWITCH] NOW PERHAPS WE CAN BEGIN TO ANSWER THE QUESTION WE POSED IN THE PREVIOUS EPISODE--WHY SPEND TIME LISTENING TO WORDLESS, ABSTRACT MUSIC, SYMPHONIES, CONCERTOS, STRING QUARTETS, AND THE LIKE?

BECAUSE IT JUST MIGHT BE THAT WE WILL FIND IN THIS MUSIC A VERY POWERFUL EXPRESSION OF THE WAY WE FEEL.

IF WE MAKE THE DECISION TO GIVE MUSIC OUR UNDIVIDED ATTENTION WITH AN OPEN MIND, NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY TEXTING, READING, TALKING, OR EATING SO THAT WE JUST HEAR THIS MUSIC AS BACKGROUND SONIC WALLPAPER, WE WILL BEGIN TO NOTICE THE DETAILS OF THE MUSIC, AND WE WILL FIND THAT OUR ABILITY TO LISTEN PERCEPTIVELY CONTINUES TO GROW OVER TIME.

IT DOESN'T MATTER IF WE REMEMBER TECHNICAL MUSICAL TERMS.

AS WE LEARN TO MERELY PERCEIVE ASPECTS OF THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC, RMTH-DTF, AND NOTICE IN WHICH COMPOSERS ADAPT AND CHANGE THEIR IDEAS, WE OPEN OURSELVES TO RECEIVE THE FULL EMOTIONAL IMPACT.

WE MAY BEGIN TO HAVE WHAT PSYCHOLOGIST ABRAHAM MAZLOW CALLED "PEAK EXPERIENCES" COMPLETE WITH "GOOSE BUMPS" JUST FROM LISTENING TO WORDLESS MUSIC.

AT THE DISCOVERY ORCHESTRA, WE SUGGEST THAT YOU LISTEN EVERY DAY TO THIS ALMOST MAGICAL, INVISIBLE FORM OF COMMUNICATION, ABSTRACT MUSIC, AND WE PROMISE IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

NOW AS A REWARD FOR ALL YOUR CAREFUL, ATTENTIVE LISTENING, LET'S ONCE AGAIN BE FULLY PRESENT WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE AMPHION STRING QUARTET AS THEY PERFORM THE FOURTH MOVEMENT OF BEETHOVEN'S "STRING QUARTET OPUS 18 NO.

3" ONE MORE TIME.

BASK IN THE MUSICAL DETAILS, THE ARRAY OF EMOTIONS PRESENTED, AND THE MANNER IN WHICH BEETHOVEN ENDS THIS MOVEMENT WITH A GENTLE WINK AND A SMILE.

IF YOU'VE BEEN WITH US SINCE THE BEGINNING OF OUR 8-PART SERIES, WE HOPE IT'S BEEN HELPFUL IN INCREASING THE PLEASURE YOU RECEIVE NOT JUST FROM CLASSICAL MUSIC BUT FROM ALL OF THE MUSIC IN YOUR LISTENING LIFE.

I'M GEORGE MARRINER MAULL FOR THE DISCOVERY ORCHESTRA REMINDING YOU TO LISTEN BETTER!

[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING] -Funding for this series has been made possible in part by... ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -The complete 8-part series of "Fall in Love with Music" is available on DVD for $12.95 plus shipping and handling.

To order, call 973-379-2200 or order online at www.DiscoveryOrchestra.org.

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