Classical Music: Going Back in Time

To continue my last post regarding the anime, Nodame Cantabile, I surprised myself by finishing the second season, which consisted of eleven episodes in two days. Considering my attitude towards the first season, the second season was not bad either. Even though the plot was pretty straightforward from episodes one to eleven (as compared to the 23-episode first season), everything else was similar to the way season one was organized.

The animation for season two did improve, however, as entire orchestras were animated. Season one primarily had still-images with music playing in the background, along with occasional voice-overs. Season two did get a tad sappier in terms of the romance elements of the series, plus its comedic level dropped below the drama level in comparison to the first season. I'll give season one a 9.0 out of 10 and season two an 8.5 out of 10... or somewhere along those lines, you get the idea.

Season three is green-lighted for the fall of 2009, probably sometime in between September and October. Even though I have no idea how the creators are going to add onto the series, due to the fact that I feel everything pretty much ended already after episode eleven of the second season. However, since the original manga series is still ongoing as of today, the creators of the anime will probably just draw storylines from the original manga.

But now I'll get to the one aspect of the Nodame Cantabile series that really got me good: the reinstilled urge to play good ol' classical music.

That's right. I played classical music between the approximate ages of five to fifteen, followed by five years of messing around with contempory music. After listening to the samples that were included in the anime, this overwhelming feeling of nostalgia washed over me, especially when I heard various songs that I have played before in the past.

Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Debussy, Schubert, Chopin... I've heard their compositions, I've played many, but I have definitely forgotten most of them. I can read the sheet music and identify the melodies, but my techniques could definitely use some brushing up.

Out of the dozens and dozens of pieces that were used in the anime, two of them that I could identify with right away were Beethoven's Sonate Op. 13 and Schubert's Sonata in A Minor, D. 845 Op. 42.

Beethoven's piece, more famously known as Sonate Pathétique, was one of my favorites back when I was still a piano student. It consists of three movements, spanning a grand total of eighteen pages. The funny thing is, I've played the first movement before while my brother played the third movement. What happened to the second movement?

Sonate No. 8 in C Minor (Pathétique), Op. 13, by Ludwig van Beethoven
Second movement - Adagio Cantabile

The second movement of the piece was played several times throughout the anime series. I have not played this movement in the past, but I have heard it before. Nodame Cantabile, with the title character playing the second movement in the adagio cantabile style... I wonder if there's a connection there?

Moving on to the second song I was talking about, Schubert's Sonata in A Minor, Op. 42, this song was played many times through the anime. I have not played this song before, as I have, oddly, rarely played Schubert's pieces. However, this one caught my ear and I had to find the sheet music for it once I finished watching the series.

Sonata in A Minor, D. 845 Op. 42, by Franz Schubert
First movement - Moderato

Great song. Very catchy for a classical piece, but not exactly the easiest of songs to play. Technique-wise, it is straightforward, but as any pianist would say, you have to play with emotion. Combining the two elements, I've got myself a handful. Thank God I'm only working on the first movement, however, even though it consists of seven pages with repeats. The entire composition spans a whopping 24 pages... Mr. Schubert, you are a monster.

Beethoven - Sonate Pathétique - Second Movement


Schubert - Sonata in A Minor - First Movement