Alexander Nevsky Journal Response Timothy A. Baacke   What I did and How I did it. After watching the movie and listening to the Cantata, I approached my journal response using three types of critical analysis; intuitive, formal and contextual. I chose to use only the second movement of the Cantata. Intuitive Criticism The hymn-like music is dramatic, foreboding and brooding. It expresses powerful emotions of nationalistic pride. This is music that stirs one's soul. Formal Criticism Transcribed and adapted the Cantata from the film score in 1939. Instrumentation is full orchestra, chorus and mezzo-soprano. Text is written and performed in the Russian language. Harmony incorporates dissonant elements. Form is ABA. Meter is duple based. Key is B flat. Tempo is Lento The song about Alexander Nevsky begins with the low moan of a tuba, then the upper woodwinds play an introduction, followed by a choral statement of Nevsky's main theme in the tenors and basses. The opening statement is calming as well as soothing. As the tempo increases, introducing the second statement, the mood becomes more jovial with the introduction of the accessory percussion instruments. A woodwind interlude releases the tension created by the men's voices and percussion. The interlude provides a tranquil transition to a restatement of the opening theme. The song about Alexander Nevsky concludes with a tension buiding crescendo, ritard and organ like final B flat major triad. Contextual Criticism Alexander Nevsky is written against the backdrop of the outbreak of World War II. Although intended to bolster Russian nationalism, the film was created by Sergei Eisenstein as a propaganda tool that enjoyed brief popularity. Alexander Nevsky, was a Russian hero who, in 1242, defeated the invading Germans in a winter battle on Lake Chudskoye. After Stalin signed a nonaggression pact with Germany, it was pulled from the theater due to it's underlying message that a nonaggression pact with Germany was not a good idea. Prokofiev lived in Paris until the early 1930's and then returned to Russia. He was a highly respected pianist and composer who adopted the official Soviet position for art known as Socialist Realism. Russian composers were directed to place strong emphasis on nationalistic music. The film was a new medium for composers. However, it was outside the mainstream of musical composition. Only a few significant composers ventured into film scoring. On a trip to Hollywood in 1937 Prokofiev was offered $2500.00 per week to become a Hollywood composer. Recently, Nevsky was dubbed the worlds first music video.