A Musical Comparison, Then and Now
A Musical Comparison, Then and Now
My favorite composer and musician is Trent Reznor. Mr. Reznor has been the solitary mind behind the “band” Nine Inch Nails as well as a creating force within many other musical ensembles. He has been referred to as “the most vital artist in music”. When considering historical figures in music, I tend to recognize similarities more within the life and works of Robert Schumann than any other. First and foremost, Schumann was a musical master of the Romantic Era. If Reznor could be placed in any historical era based upon his music, there would be no question that he too would have been a “Romanticist”.
Though Reznor’s work is often intense, loud, edgy, and best characterized as “Industrial Metal”, his classical training shines through occasionally. One of my favorites is his song “And All That Could Have Been”. The title alone illustrates the melancholy tone, but the dynamics and tempo truly craft the emotion. The song opens pianissimo and grows, very slowly, to forte through the course, conveying a sense of the growing intensity of pain and resentment. Schumann’s “Traumerei”, while constructed differently, is just as heart wrenching. His piece is more mezzo piano to mezzo forte, but is built on the same creeping tempo. The same sort of comparisons can be drawn between Reznor’s “Leaving Hope” and Schumann’s “In the Month of May”.
Ironically, the personal lives of Schumann and Reznor are somewhat similar. Both showed a natural talent in music at an early age, Reznor at five and Schumann at 7. During his earliest years in producing music, Reznor struggled with depression and the death of his grandmother who raised him. Likewise, during a large portion of Schumann’s musical career, he suffered from mental disease that surely affected the feel of his compositions. Schumann attempted to kill his self by jumping into a river. Reznor nearly succeeded at his own death by an accidental overdose. Though Reznor evolved
My favorite composer and musician is Trent Reznor. Mr. Reznor has been the solitary mind behind the “band” Nine Inch Nails as well as a creating force within many other musical ensembles. He has been referred to as “the most vital artist in music”. When considering historical figures in music, I tend to recognize similarities more within the life and works of Robert Schumann than any other. First and foremost, Schumann was a musical master of the Romantic Era. If Reznor could be placed in any historical era based upon his music, there would be no question that he too would have been a “Romanticist”.
Though Reznor’s work is often intense, loud, edgy, and best characterized as “Industrial Metal”, his classical training shines through occasionally. One of my favorites is his song “And All That Could Have Been”. The title alone illustrates the melancholy tone, but the dynamics and tempo truly craft the emotion. The song opens pianissimo and grows, very slowly, to forte through the course, conveying a sense of the growing intensity of pain and resentment. Schumann’s “Traumerei”, while constructed differently, is just as heart wrenching. His piece is more mezzo piano to mezzo forte, but is built on the same creeping tempo. The same sort of comparisons can be drawn between Reznor’s “Leaving Hope” and Schumann’s “In the Month of May”.
Ironically, the personal lives of Schumann and Reznor are somewhat similar. Both showed a natural talent in music at an early age, Reznor at five and Schumann at 7. During his earliest years in producing music, Reznor struggled with depression and the death of his grandmother who raised him. Likewise, during a large portion of Schumann’s musical career, he suffered from mental disease that surely affected the feel of his compositions. Schumann attempted to kill his self by jumping into a river. Reznor nearly succeeded at his own death by an accidental overdose. Though Reznor evolved