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The four seasons vivaldi essay
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Tonality
Over the years there have been many ideas of tonality and how it shaped Western Music culture. According to an article over tonality by Danlee Mitchell and Jack Logan, tonality is a term used to describe the arrangement of the dominant and subdominant above and below the tonic. Another definition for tonality is that it refers to systematic arrangements of pitch phenomena and relations between them. With all the technical terms and confusions it is no wonder why many students have a hard time understanding the meaning of tonality.
What is Tonality?
There are many different aspects of tonality that one must know before they can fully start to comprehend the meaning. The first would be the relationship between the different pitches. Every pitch can be considered tonal when it is placed at the tonal center, otherwise known as the key of the music. For example, if you were playing a piece in the key of C you will most likely begin and end on the note C because it would be considered tonal. Now just because it ends on C doesn’t necessarily mean it is tonal, but when you factor in the relationships of the dominant and subdominant it gives tonality a better definition. The dominant is the fifth note of the scale which has the most pull back to the tonic or the base note such at G to C. This phenomenon is governed by the overtone series and can be found anywhere including nature. It has been discovered that male mosquitoes fly at a frequency higher than a female causing them to vibrate at a perfect fifth.
The overtone series is a complex measurement of pitches that helps musicians understand how they are related to each other.
Above you will see a picture of the overtone series and the relation of pitches.
All to...
... middle of paper ...
... at the piece below you can see how he uses the relationship of the dominant and tonic to create that inevitable drive.
I I I viio7/V V I I
I IV V7 I V I
Above you will see a small excerpt from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Spring movement.
If you notice the music follows the same pattern of I-IV-V but there is one major difference in this piece than the one previously discussed. This piece takes the leading tone of the dominant and creates an unresolved motion that can only be solved by the dominant. Normally the minor II chord would be used in this situation but Vivaldi thought it would be more effective using a viio7/V to strengthen the relationship of the dominant. This gives listeners an idea of all the possibilities tonality can emerge from and how it is present in a wide variety of Western music.
The melody is described by whether it is conjunct or disjunct. Conjunct means that the ascending or descending scale of notes progresses in small steps at a time.
Vivaldi wanted to go into priesthood, but due to illness he was unable to continue this pursuit. (Kamien, 2015, p. 126). He spent the rest of his life involved in many aspects of music: teaching, composing, and conducting. It is important to reflect on the composer’s history to gain insight into their perspective. Kamien (2015) describes Vivaldi as a virtuoso violinist which is why he mainly featured violins in his works (p.127).
When analyzing musical sound there are many factors to pay attention to during the performance. Important things to listen for are the pitch, scale, timbre, tone quality, rhythm, melody, and form. While listening to the Marching Band the pitch of the performance varied. At some moments during the performance the pitch would sound low and that is when the bass instruments are heard. The pitch sounded high when the other instruments joined. Using a standard pitch enables a large number of instruments to be played together with out sounding out of tune. In many musical traditions people are not concerned with a standard pitch, and they tune instruments to sound well with other instruments for a specific occasion or even to suit the convenient level for a singer (Kaemmer:58). A pitch also contains intervals, which refers to the difference between tones of two different pitches. An example would be the octave, it represents two tones the bands performance had an octave. The marching band used a chromatic scale because of all the instruments and in a chromatic scale there are twelve notes within an octave. This allows the other members of the band to join in the...
The music of course was the main focus and for me I really enjoyed The fountains of Rome. This piece was near the end but I found myself to really enjoy The Fountains of the valle Giulia at Dawn which opened up with an oboe, and sounded like I was right near a fountain in the morning. Birds were chirping as the day started with a beautiful peaking of the sun beginning. The Triton Fountain in the Morning had an interesting beginning that started off with a high pitch. At first the horn frightened me but it set the tone with the violins mixed with some sort of symbol as if we were jumping right into the morning. It contained so much excitement in it, like a bursting ray of emotion. However, I did dislike one piece due to it contrasting too much to my favorite piece of the symphony. From The Pines of the Villa Borghese it came at me like a sudden rush, it abruptly ruined the subtle calm feeling I was experiencing too quickly and made it feel like I had an orchestra chasing after me. My favorite piece from the symphony was The Fountain of Rome was La fontana di villa Medici al tramonto. This one particularly caught my interest because it felt like it tied everything together by stringing emotion along. The entire songs presence was calming and subtle as everything was slowed down with a softer dynamic. What really drew me in was
At any point in the air near the source of sound, the molecules are moving backwards and forwards, and the air pressure varies up and down by very small amounts. The number of vibrations per second is called the frequency which is measured in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz). The pitch of a note is almost entirely determined by the frequency: high frequency for high pitch and low for low .
This piece was definitely tonal. The listener has a sense of direction throughout the whole piece. The harmony was consonant because the chords were stable and there was very little tension. The mood throughout the piece was calm and loving. It had a bit of a slow tempo which is why the mood felt like it was calm and loving. The dynamics were from low to high. The pitch changes quickly in some parts while in others it stays around the same. Since the dynamics were tonal, there was no parts in it that will catch the listener completely off guard.
The definition of the word genre is “a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style or subject matter” (Merriam Webster). These categories are what is used to classify music into different genres. The 5 most popular genres of music include heavy metal, rock n' roll, alternative, hard rock, and classical.
Pop. Traditional. Classical. These are all genres of music. These all serve a purpose. These are all important. Pop music has been used to help inform and motivate the general public during movements like environmental protection and gay rights. Traditional music has helped to guide us by telling us stories of the past from the church to the fields. Classical music has been played for royalty and help dancers spin a story. Some can be considered art while others can’t, but it often differs because the definition of art is in constant motion. The definition of art is a subject philosopher’s debate because it can be defined strictly or loosely. For the purpose of this essay, let art be defined as anything that can be touched or heard, and it causes a mental and physical reaction. Classical music is truly an art form because it invokes a mental and physical reaction from both the audience and the performers, and it has contrast to make it more dynamic.
Music is far more than the sum of its parts. It can be thought of in a highly mathematical sense, which leaves one in awe of the seemingly endless combinations of rhythm, tone and intervals that a good musician can produce. Admiring music in this way is a lot like admiring an intricate snowflake, or shapes in the clouds; it's beautiful, but at the same time very scientific, based on patterns. All of the aforementioned qualities of music have one thing in common: they can be defined with numeric, specific values. However, the greatest aspect of music lies elsewhere, and cannot be specifically defined with words. It is the reaction that each individual has when they are confronted with their favorite (or least favorite) kind of music.
The book is divided into four chapters: 1) Humanly Organized Sound, 2) Music in Society and Culture, 3) Culture and Society in Music, and 4) Soundly Organized Humanity. In chapter one, Blacking discusses the analysis of sound. He begins by describing music as humanly organized sound. His overarching theme is that “the function of tones in relation to each other cannot be explained adequately as part of a closed system” (30). In other words, music can’t be analyzed simply by one set of rules. This is because every single culture has a different system that they use to structure and compose their music. In order to adequately analyze a society’s music we have to study their “system.” We must learn what music means to them. Then, and only then, can we accurately and completely analyze what a particular type or piece of music means to a particular society and culture.
The music I like today is built on the structures of the tonal system. They use the pitches and melodies to hook you into the music. Most of the music I like has lyrics to it. This adds the effect of bringing you into the song by shaping it into a story. An example would be “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, and “Jeremy” by Pearl Jam. I see the tonal system like a stairway; each level builds off the progress of the one before it, and adds something to it.
Music is an expression of inner feelings through tones (swar) and rhythm (taal). These swars and taals are combined so that they are pleasing to the ear. Music is sound created from the ideas and emotions of man. When these ideas are expressed through the voice in a rhythmic and appealing sound, music is born. Music in its true form controls human activity and is thus the source of attaining pleasure and salvation. At the base of Indian Classical music lies an appreciation for, and an emphasis on creating sound with aesthetic appeal. This is achieved through Raga or melody. In Brihaddeshi, Matang defines raga as “that attractive combination of notes which pleases the mind”. That this sound be attractive and pleasing is of extreme importance. Because music is so closely linked to human emotion, it is important that it is written and performed so as to truly interpret and convey the emotion and beauty of the melody. To ensure that this is done successfully, there are some guidelines for Indian Classical musicians to follow to ensure an effective interpretation and display of their art. The system of raga in Hindusthani Classical music is both complex and sophisticated, using particular elements within strict guidelines to attain a pleasing and beautiful sound.
Vivaldi's music is particularly innovative as he gave brightness to the formal and the rhythmic structure of concertos. He repeatedly looked for harmonic contrasts, creating innovative melodies and themes. Vivaldi’ main goal was to create a musical piece meant to be appreciated by the wide public, and not only by an intellectual minority. The joyful appearance of his music reveals a transmittable joy of composing. These are among the causes of the vast popularity of his music. This popularity soon made him famous also in countries like France, at the time very closed into its national schemes. He is considered one of the authors that brought Baroque music to evolve into an impressionist style.
Music according to Merriam Webster dictionary can be defined as “the science and art of ordering tones in succession, combination, and in temporal relationships to produce having unity and continuity. The dictionary made me understand that for music to be meaningful, it must have an agreeable sound. Music depicts a lot of information, ideas, knowledge and importantly feelings. People who make or produce music definitely have a way they feel before they begin to sing or before they make a decision to sing. A popular musician, Bob Marley said, “one good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” The familiarity of a song can determine the way you feel about the song. Familiarity plays a great role, it underpins our engagement with
...s a set of rules which musicians must follow. Also just like any official language, music can be used to communicate emotions. In order for somebody to understand music they must have some sort of knowledge about rules in order to appreciate musical experiences. Every culture is different, every language is different and every music is different, but to fully appreciate the music; listeners must be musically literate. In our first week of class, “Khoomi” was our first musical example and all the students were confused about this type of music. But now with my little knowledge about music and how diverse it is, I learned to appreciate it more.