Brandon's+Sublime+Case+Study

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Symphony No. 9 Beethoven, 1824

Beethoven's 9th Symphony, completed in 1824 near the end of the romantic period, is one of the most well known pieces of music. The final movement, Ode to Joy, was highly influential to many late Romantic composers. This portion of the piece is very powerful, changing from a loud, quick-tempoed opening to a slow, light sounding "Ode to Joy". The opening depicts a storm, earthquake, or any natural "disaster" followed by the calm. It is sublime in a way by showing natures power. For example, hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the south-eastern coast of the U.S. We as humans can do nothing but stand in awe at the force that tore apart and left the population homeless. Once the Ode to Joy begins, it slowly rises just like the people rebuilding their lives as thousands of people come to help the devastated coastline.

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Bourée from Lute Suite BWV 996 - J.S. Bach, 1712 Performed by Lenny Breau, 1976

Lenny Breau's rendition of Bach's Bourée invokes a feeling of sublime through the feeling of his music. The beauty in the sound of the harmonics struck me as amazing. The fact that something or someone can make such sounds astounds me. The interviewees also felt the same way, as they had no words for Lenny's thoughts, saying "Just being dananalananadalanana...He had a lot of dananalananadalanana in here." The music makes me feel as though Im in a trance, and though not directly related to nature, it still gives me the feeling of sublime as much as other things.

Ron Niebrugge (2005) Kayakers at Holgate Glacier, Holgate Arm, Aialik Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park. John Brown Publishing. Found at http://www.ronniebrugge.com/images/Holgate-Glacier-1..jpg

This photo shows the vastness of the glaciers of the north pole. Especially in comparison to the tiny kayakers, the glacier appears so vast and powerful, but yet so peaceful, kind of like a gentle giant of nature. Its amazing that a mass so large can be made. Things like these, the "breath takers", are what inspire the sublime. This goes along with the theme of awe in sublime as the people are insignificant to the glacier's presence.

Cole Thomas (1842) The Voyage of Life Old Age This painting by Cole Thomas shows the fear aspect of the sublime. The dark, cloudy skies frighten the viewer to give them the sense of sublime. A feeling of helplessness is given by the dark skies. This is counteracted by the rays shining down upon the angel surrounded by the shroud. This angel represents heaven saving the old man in the boat from the terror of his environment. This draws the viewer and connects them to the man, sympathizing for his situation invoking the sense of sublime.