Throughout history, gypsy culture has developed a mysticism about it that has been pondered by many artists—both in the musical sense and through other creative expressions. George Bizet, a famed French Romantic Era composer, artfully presents the tragic story of Carmen, based on Prosper Mérimée’s famed novella, using unique and captivating expressions in his music to explore the gypsy realm. In the opera, Carmen, the heroine, is a young gypsy woman from Seville, Spain who has a wild and inconsistent love life and becomes involved with a soldier named Don José. Don José, captivated by Carmen’s seductive prowess, soon becomes dependent on Carmen’s love for him, and when she moves on, it drives him into a passionate anger, which ultimately leads to his murder of her. In this particular aria, “En vain pour éviter”, Carmen discovers that both her fate and Don José’s are sealed with death, and as she tries to avoid it, she realizes it is inevitable. George Bizet mimics Carmen’s attempted elusion of fate through the use of secondary chords, relative keys, and extensions of the dominant function, as to avoid tonic, which represents her death. In addition, Bizet manages to establish a sense of ambiguity to Carmen’s view of her fate through unusual progressions and breaking of sequences. (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Secondary chords have a very specific function throughout this piece. Beginning at measure 38, there is a pedal of F in the bass line, as well of the use of a fully diminished vii43/iv chord that moves to a iv64 chord in measure 40 as Carmen sings, “In vain, in order to avoid harsh remarks, in vain you shuffle, that settles nothing”. The use of the secondary chord in this particular setting plays into the lyrics that discuss C...
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...ions into relative keys, as well as sequencing and abnormal progressions adds to the mysticism and ambiguity of both Carmen’s fate and the gypsy world. Word painting is heavily incorporated and intentional throughout the aria. Bizet’s character of Carmen is strong and free, which is shown through the fact that she fights against tonic up until the very end, extending the dominant section as long as possible before finally surrendering to her fate. The intentional correlation between the lyrical and musical structure of this song and the gypsy-like sound sets this aria apart from many others and makes it interesting to analyze and listen to.
Works Cited
"Georges Bizet." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. .
...diate slight decrescendo when the chorus ends. In this case, I would argue that the instrumental background adds to the lyrics by giving it a specific beat and accentuating the sounds of the words, with sounds from the guitar or drums. The overall dynamic level in this piece is mezzo-forte, meaning somewhat loud.
The name of this evening’s program, “Wanderlust,” refers directly to its definition: a strong desire for or impulse to travel and explore the world. The selected song cycles were written by composers of different backgrounds who were inspired by cultures outside of their own through travel or other means of exposure. In each piece, one can see these sources of inspiration manifest itself in various ways, whether it be through the composer’s choice of text, their style of composition, or other musical elements borrowed from other cultures.
It holds such power over captives and captors alike that they cannot help but feel enamoured to the life it brings. Cesar especially feels the beauty of music “Oh, how he loved to hear the words in his mouth… It didn't matter that he didn't understand the language, he knew what it meant. The words and music fused together and became a part of him” and through music, he discovers his latent talent for singing (224). Based only on Roxanne’s previous arias, Cesar’s potential is outstandingly bright when he sings for the first time without any training whatsoever. Not only do the others learn to appreciate his gift, but Roxanne herself recognizes how promising he is or she would not have bothered to waste her time tutoring him. Beforehand, Cesar is nothing remarkable, just another one of the terrorists who detains them, but the opera transforms him into a separate person. Like the mansion enveloped in the garua, Cesar is heavily shrouded by serious self-esteem issues and fear, but after his breakthrough, his worries suddenly disappear and his life becomes a reservoir of joy. If “life, true life, was something stored in music”, then Cesar has lived a deprived life; his passion for music was just unfolding, but fate robs the world of who “was meant to be the greatest singer of his time” (5,
Traditional analysis of Beethoven's use of Sonata Allegro form tends to focus on harmonic or melodic movement and key relationships. This study stretches such investigations to include questions of historical context and philosophic motivations that drive a composer to structure music in a certain way. Ultimately this leads to an inquiry about how these traditions affect us as listeners, and more specifically how they relate to gender issues in a musical tradition primarily made up of male composers.
This alternation of Lady Maria’s impudence and Gui d’Ussel’s sensibility make for an amusing performance no matter whose side the audience is on. The song functions as entertainment rather than a brooding expression of love and concern and subverts stereotypical ideas about a woman’s voice being seeded in humility. Lady Maria wants it both ways and is entitled to her own ideas about courtship since she is in a position of expressing herself through writing while also accepting the role of a subject of adoration.
Christina Rossetti's, 'Goblin Market' is one of the most controversial poems of it's time. Although she insisted it was meant to be seen as a childrens fairytale, many readers have interpreted it as an erotic poem, many seeing it as a warning for young women against the temptations of sex. The poem has many hidden inuendos. For example the Goblin's describe the fruit in a sensual way, “Plump unpecked cherries” (line 7). Cherries are seen as a sign of virtue so this a clear example of a sexual situation. There is also a very strong religious theme in this poem. The fruit the goblin merchants are offering is a very clear symbol of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit. “Obviously the conscious or semi-conscious allegorial intention of this narrative poem is sexual/religious.” (Gilbert and Gubar, 566). This essay will discuss the theme of sensuous experience in terms of what makes this poem erotic, female sexuality and it also aims to discuss the religious symbolism in Rossetti's, 'Goblin Market'.
The first theme that is prevalent throughout the story is love. The main characters, Calixta and Alcee, love their families. When Calixta realizes the treacherous storm brewing in the distance, she fears for the safety of her husband and child. Alcee admits to missing his family in a “loving letter, full of tender solicitude” (Chopin 126). However the theme itself does not stop at love. It delves deeper into a more specific type of passion: affair.
As might be expected of one of her background and artistic gifts it is in the Part Three "The Guide" we see poetic, rhythmic and musical qualities at its best. She uses words with a keen sense of their rhythmic and musical potentialities: her style is richly figurative.
When comparing and contrasting “Ozymandias”, written by Percy Bysshe Shelley and “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay, there is a strong contrast between the two. Ozymandias is a poem about a long-forgotten king who once had mighty power over his people, where as “Viva La Vida” is about a king who was overthrown. However, the similarities between the song and poem are astonishing. “Ozymandias” is similar to “Viva La Vida”because both texts mention a rockpile built upon sand for a king; because both texts show that the citizens are enemies of the king; and because they are both about a king who has lost his power.
Beethoven’s piano sonata ‘quasi una fantasia’ gives listeners an emotional journey through his complicated life. When I first listened to this song I felt a wave of sadness as I can sense this piece was related to a tragic event. After researching more, I was able to understand Beethoven and sympathize with him in another level, how as individuals we can never control and protect what we care about in our lives, and eventually we realize that it is not possible to achieve a happily ever
The concept of the Renaissance man is somewhat of a lost ideal, replaced by the specialized philosophy of the industrial era. From the 14th to 17th centuries; however, it would be common to find a man with a profound knowledge of both the Arts, music, poetry, literature, art, and the Sciences, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology. The Renaissance man embraced all forms of knowledge, and through a deep passion for both the Arts and Sciences, used each discipline to expand the other. Unfortunately, in the 21st century, this same philosophy is far gone. Where these two fields once were used together to create an ultimate beauty, they are now pitted against each other by many scholars. It is not uncommon now for a mathematician or physicist to dismiss the Arts as a waste of time; or for an artist or musician to proclaim the Sciences as useless to them. As both an avid blues guitarist and an IB math student, I aim to contrast this modern opinion. I will do so by exploring the relationship between the Arts and Sciences; specifically mathematics and music. On a personal level, I find this to be extremely important, as I hold a deep value for all means of human expression and learning. I believe also that the Arts and Sciences hold one great unifying thing together, which is the search for Truth and Beauty. In a modernized world where ideas and creations can be shared so quickly; the potential for a profound knowledge and passion of both these fields has never been greater. Concepts I plan to explore are: how musical scales can be made using Fibonacci ratios, the Golden Ratio’s relationship with music, equal temperament, where else the Fibonacci numbers occur in music, the exponential nature of octaves, and how exposure to music help...
A strong relationship between the music and the text can be seen throughout the melodic line, particularly in measures 22-23; 26; 32-33; and 36 as the soloist sings the word “ah!” This word is particularly emotive and in fact does not even act as a word, but rather something closer to a sigh. The music reflects this by placing multiple notes on one syllable, stretching it melismatically to mimic the drawn-out and lethargic nature of sighing. Additionally, each instance of “ah!” involves an arching line within the melody (this is particularly evident in measures 26 and 36), which further solidifies the resemblance to sighing (an act that involves a “swell” of breath). The idea of sighing occurs in many instances throughout this piece, even acting outside of the melodic line. The string accompaniment contains occasional slurs, and these slurs usually occur on a strong beat moving to a weak beat (e.g. see both violin parts in measure 9). This adds to the...
There were two principle views concerning imagination, the Victorians and the Romantics, who didn’t accept each other’s ideas about imagination. But, despite their clashes on the status and views of imagination, the Romantics and Victorians share similar ideas through different angles of perspective, which we could assume are linked in part to their era. The long poem, named Goblin Market, written by Christina Rossetti shows the contrast between the ideas of Romanticism and the Victorian image of imagination while utilizing the same motifs. Goblin Market centralizes its theme on the Victorian approach towards Imagination as being a destructive, alien force that leads to grave and fatal consequences. Nature is seen as a demonic force that leads to death, as well as the clear distinction of the imaginative creatures, consisting of the goblins, being portrayed as satanic and evil. In addition, throughout this tale we see how the imagination is constantly blamed for leading to unfortunate situations, while the Romantics would consider the imagination to be doing the person good even if it leads the person astray on a path of death and destruction. Thus, Rossetti’s text demonstrates the Imagination having satanic nature, which portrays imagination as intoxicating and deadly. Also, the author displays her disapproval of nature by demonstrating Laura’s rejection of nature as her enlightenment, whereas the Romantics would do otherwise. The Romantics have different views of the imagination than the Victorians. They consider imagination as a divine force and a pathway to a higher experience and spiritual truth in any form. The Romantics consider that their perc...
Lloyd Webber’s widely regarded masterpiece Phantom Of The Opera uses key motifs and themes throughout the musical to establish its characters and scenes in an effective manner. Throughout the production the motifs, themes and songs all develop to reflect the changes their respective characters undergo. This is particularly evident when analysing The Phantom, his motifs and songs, and how they develop throughout the story.
The reputations of Maria Callas and Madonna as divas have both been earned for different reasons and yet, both can easily place their titles next to each other. All their musical performances have and are adapted to suit the public eye and sheltered by each singer’s creative influence, in order to improve their labels as divas. √ you give your reader a sense of the discussion that will follow, which is good.