A Comparison Of Classical Music In Mary Had A Little Lamb?

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The first instruments heard in the piece are the French horns. The piece then moves onto being played by the cellos and double basses. These instruments introduce the first theme by plucking the strings of their instrument which is also known as pizzicato. The bassoons then play octaves of alternating notes. The bass drum is then introduced establishing the tempo of alla marcia, meaning that the tempo is played in a march-style manner. The theme is then played in molto marcato. Following this comes the piano playing the key of B minor. Soon after, the theme is repeated with the cellos, double basses and bassoons alternating. With the repetition, the melodic pattern is also repeated. The next section is introduced when the cellos and double …show more content…

The rhythm is far from strict and predictable, offering a lot of flexibility. Throughout the song, the dynamics can clearly be identified. At some points of the piece, the music will grow louder creating a crescendo and other times it will get softer also called a decrescendo. Classical music is common for having a simple melody that is catchy and tuneful. By listening closely, one can sense that this piece has an underlying melody that slightly resembles the children song, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” The tone color of the piece contains specific instrumental timbres and certain playing techniques that make it stand out and very unique and exciting. Throughout the entire piece, bass is often repeated to create a set structure making its form binary. A piece can only be in binary form when there are two related sections, both of which sections have to be repeated. The piece starts out with its introduction and then swaps from ABA form up until the …show more content…

The music begins soft and slow just as how the scene begins. At this point, the piece is still at a low register but slowly reaches to the higher register when the action starts to roll in and the scene becomes more intense. The piece sets the mood of the scene creating both fear and excitement. Grieg uses his music to add to the effect of the scene by often changing the pitch, dynamics, tempo, and texture in the main theme. Every aspect of this piece portrays what is going on in the play from the time Gynt enters the hall of the Mountain King to when Gynt finally escapes. Grieg’s not only helps the scene flow but it also allows listeners to sink into the

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