[This was the "prompt", so to speak: 'Listen to the excerpt from Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture", track 1 on your CD. The famous (and, in some minds, vastly overdone) finale of the piece represents pure Dionysianism in music. After listening, can you tell why?']
[My response:]
Chapter One Reflection
After listening to the piece, "1812 Overture", it is clearly understood as to why it is considered to represent pure Dionysianism. Dionysianism is defined as pertaining to a lack of order or structure, signifying passion and creativity, and even used to describe impulsive characteristics of art, society, or an individual.
It's quite obvious that in comparison to the beginning of the piece, the finale seems extremely impulsive and spontaneous. It goes from a slower, softer tone in the beginning, to an increasingly loud and amazingly overdone ending.
Although the end of the piece is considered to represent Dionysianism, the beginning of the piece most definitely represents Apollonianism. Apollonianism relates to being rational, ordered, and refers to the more self-disciplined aspects of human nature, whereas Dionysianism is the complete opposite; it is the side of the human personality that is totally dominated by intuition, emotion, and freedom from limits. This piece is a perfect representation of the two terms.
The German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, had chosen the two opposing terms because Dionysus was the God of such things as spontaneity and renewal - the vibrant energy of the earth, while Apollo was the God of the sun - this being light and truth. He believed that the goal was to achieve a balance of the two forces. "1812 Overture" seems to offer this balance with the beginning being the epitome of Apollonianism, and the finale proving to be an incomparable example of Dionysianism.
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