Music and Beer Pairing 3, Mozart’s Symphony 41 in C, Jupiter

By Administrator on December 14, 2016

Today’s pairing will be with Mozart’s symphony 41 in C, K 551 ‘Jupiter.’

Classical music is an interesting genre. It is a style that cannot be listened to passively if to be appreciated fully. That is the point I am trying to iterate with these articles. paying attention is a greater lesson. A lesson I am trying to teach myself; the art of appreciating art. The music I choose for these articles are examples that I think express mastery in the art of music. The beers I list are examples of mastercraft in terms of brewing. We are blessed with the capacity to relish in beauty. It is a defining characteristic of humanity. These articles are meant to help the reader slow down and appreciate what I consider to be art.

Classical music requires a patient and sensitive ear. It also requires focus compared with more contemporary pieces. Classical songs are often longer than contemporary songs, so there is patience required on that front.

Classical songs are usually devoid of lyrics or the lyrics are in a different language. This causes the listener to not so much be influenced by words, but rather the inflection or the feeling of the song. The thrilling deep opening notes of Beethoven’s 5th when pitted against something like his 3rd have completely different emotions, and these emotions are the result of different sounds. It is really amazing when you think about it.

Lastly classical music usually, but not always, is a larger assortment of sounds, and is often not as percussion centered as more contemporary music is. I do contend that this last point is a bit loose because there is a massive variety in music today, and there are examples of classical pieces that are single instrument based, but if we look at contemporary music, percussion is featured in the majority songs; whereas in classical music, percussion is often only added for emphasis or not used at all. The reason I make this point is because percusion dictates modern music. The listener can pay distinct attention to the percussion and know precisely the tempo of the song, and figure for the most part what to expect. Yes, the song may change tempo and rhythm but this is all pointed by the percussion drawing the focus to that particular instrument. In classical, more often than not it is difficult to tell where the song will go, and the rhythm can often change between instruments. In one movement it may be the string section playing melody, in the next we may find that the melody has been taken over by the brass section. The idea of percussion taking the center stage is a more modern convention at least in terms of western music. I think percusion does make music easier to listen to, this in no way diminishes modern music, it just makes it different to listen to music that lacks the familiarity provided by a central percussion rhythm.

Mozart’s 41st symphony was his last. It was completed 3 years before his death when he was 32. This symphony is nicknamed ‘Jupiter’ for a reason. It is a dynamic, exciting piece. Beethoven was like the Phil Spector of the Classical Era. Beethoven popularized the wall of sound technique by adding more instruments to each section. Therefore that huge blast of force as exemplified in his 5th is not going to be as prevelent with mozart because orchestras were smaller in Mozart’s time. Mozart does make up for this though with his use of the full orchestra in unison during the them on this piece. This is a bold symphony with many subtle notes. It is like riding a partially trained horse through the grand canyon. The excitement, the fear, the overwhelming beauty. It is all here.

This Symphony Pair Best With: Irish Red Ales

Lobstah Killah – Somerville Brewing Co, MA || Riptide – Casco Bay, ME || Mcilhenney’s Irish Red – Alpine, CA || Samuel Adams Irish Red – Boston Beer Co, MA || Red Trolley Ale – Karl Strauss Brewing Co, CA || Red Rover Irish Red Ale, Sleepy Dog Brewery, AZ || Smithwick’s Imported Premium Irish Ale – Guinness Ltd. Ireland

This Symphony pairs best with Irish Red Ales because Irish ales are rather balanced beers. A good blend of fruity and toasted malt flavors combine with a rather mild alcohol content make them very drinkable. Also, I find them to be the most aesthetically pleasing of all beers. The rich red color, and small dense white head really makes for a beautiful looking beer. The mouthfeel is often dry.

Explanation:

I chose a style of beer that does not require too much focus. I like to take that approach when pairing beers with symphonies. Because symphonies require a high level of focus, it is important to limit distraction. In my last article I combined the chaotic nature of Kanye West with a heavy chaotic barleywine, and I think that it works well in that pairing because of the directness of hip-hop. Mozart’s piece I think requires more focus, and I do not want that distracted. Irish Reds are extremely drinkable, and beautiful which match this song.

This song opens smoothly, but there is a sense of urgency perpetuated by the growing increase in volume. Then the ultimate separation of the instruments making each of their tones uniquely distinct. When you begin to drink this beer I imagine that the subtleties will begin to become more pronounced with each subsequent drink. You must keep in mind not to get distracted by the beer, but rather let the beer be your respite. It is light enough to drink leasery. Really for this pairing it is less about the beer and more about the symphony.

If this is the case you might be wondering. Why didn’t i grab a “Bud Light if I’m not really supposed to focused on the beer?” Bud Light will kill you, and worse, it will distract you. You will lose focus on the music and think “how painful would cutting off my tongue be?” The Irish Red is a tastefully understated beer. It is a beer that is meant to be relaxing and easy to drink. Bud Light or any of its contemporaries are meant to turn you into a fat cancer monkey.

Let the Irish Red be like a massage while you soak in the beauty of symphony 41. Classical music is an interesting genre. It is a style that cannot be listened to passively if to be appreciated fully. That is the point I am trying to iterate with these articles. paying attention is a greater lesson. A lesson I am trying to teach myself; the art of appreciating art. The music I choose for these articles are examples that I think express mastery in the art of music. The beers I list are examples of mastercraft in terms of brewing. We are blessed with the capacity to relish in beauty. It is a defining characteristic of humanity. These articles are meant to help the reader slow down and appreciate what I consider to be art.

Classical songs are usually devoid of lyrics or the lyrics are in a different language. This causes the listener to not so much be influenced by words, but rather the inflection or the feeling of the song. The thrilling deep opening notes of Beethoven’s 5th, when pitted against something like his 3rd, have completely different emotions, and these emotions are the result of different sounds. It is really amazing when you think about it.

Lastly classical music usually, but not always, is a larger assortment of sounds, and is often not as percussion-centered as more contemporary music is. I do contend that this last point is a bit loose because there is a massive variety in music today, and there are examples of classical pieces that are single instrument based, but if we look at contemporary music, percussion is featured in the majority songs; whereas in classical music, percussion is often only added for emphasis or not used at all. The reason I make this point is because percussion dictates modern music. The listener can pay distinct attention to the percussion and know precisely the tempo of the song, and figure for the most part what to expect. Yes, the song may change tempo and rhythm but this is all pointed by the percussion drawing the focus to that particular instrument. In classical, more often than not it is difficult to tell where the song will go, and the rhythm can often change between instruments. In one movement it may be the string section playing melody, in the next, we may find that the melody has been taken over by the brass section. The idea of percussion taking the center stage is a more modern convention at least in terms of western music. I think percussion does make music easier to listen to, this in no way diminishes modern music, it just makes it different to listen to music that lacks the familiarity provided by a central percussion rhythm.

Mozart’s 41st symphony was his last. It was completed 3 years before his death when he was 32. This symphony is nicknamed ‘Jupiter’ for a reason. It is a dynamic, exciting piece. Beethoven was like the Phil Spector of the Classical Era. Beethoven popularized the wall of sound technique by adding more instruments to each section. Therefore that huge blast of force as exemplified in his 5th is not going to be as prevalent with Mozart because orchestras were smaller in Mozart’s time. Mozart does make up for this though with his use of the full orchestra in unison during the theme on this piece. This is a bold symphony with many subtle notes. It is like riding a partially-trained horse through the grand canyon. The excitement, the fear, the overwhelming beauty. It is all here.

This Symphony Pair Best With: Irish Red Ales

This Symphony pairs best with Irish Red Ales because Irish ales are rather balanced beers. A good blend of fruity and toasted malt flavors combine with a rather mild alcohol content make them very drinkable. Also, I find them to be the most aesthetically pleasing of all beers. The rich red color and small dense white head really make for a beautiful looking beer. The mouthfeel is often dry.

Explanation:

I chose a style of beer that does not require too much focus. I like to take that approach when pairing beers with symphonies. Because symphonies require a high level of focus, it is important to limit distraction. In my last article, I combined the chaotic nature of Kanye West with a heavy chaotic barleywine, and I think that it works well in that pairing because of the directness of hip-hop. Mozart’s piece I think requires more focus, and I do not want that distracted. Irish Reds are extremely drinkable, and beautiful which match this song.

This song opens smoothly, but there is a sense of urgency perpetuated by the growing increase in volume. Then the ultimate separation of the instruments making each of their tones uniquely distinct. When you begin to drink this beer I imagine that the subtleties will begin to become more pronounced with each subsequent drink. You must keep in mind not to get distracted by the beer, but rather let the beer be your respite. It is light enough to drink leisurely. Really for this pairing, it is less about the beer and more about the symphony.

If this is the case you might be wondering, “Why didn’t I grab a Bud Light if I’m not really supposed to focused on the beer?” Bud Light will kill you, and worse, it will distract you. You will lose focus on the music and think “how painful would cutting off my tongue be?” The Irish Red is a tastefully understated beer. It is a beer that is meant to be relaxing and easy to drink. Bud Light or any of its contemporaries are meant to turn you into a fat cancer monkey.

Let the Irish Red be like a massage while you soak in the beauty of symphony 41.

-By Sam Hill