11. Monteverdi, Orfeo, multiple excerpts, but just write one response responding to whatever part you find most interesting.
I chose the “Vi Ricorda” part of the opera since this was an important and interesting part. It is around the beginning of Act II. In the song, Orpheus describes his past misery, but now it has vanished because he found Eurydice. This song also has a strophic setting and the rhyme scheme is organized in an ABBA format. I really liked this song mainly because the tune in the first two stanzas is the same as the last two stanzas, but with different instrumental accompaniment. The instruments and singers provide a nice touch to the song and is very smooth.
12. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto 5
This piece is by Johann Sebastian Bach, was originated in 1710, and finalized in 1721. It is the fifth piece in his Brandenburg Concerti, which is a set of six concertos sent to the Margrave of Brandenburg. They also use a concept of concerti grossi, meaning they are a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and a full orchestra. This specific piece in the first movement uses ritornello, a short instrumental refrain in a piece of work. I absolutely loved this piece and its use of instruments. It made me feel excited and entertained.
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Vivaldi, “Spring” from Four Seasons
This piece is by Antonio Vivaldi and is probably his most famous work. This is actually one of my favorite songs as it uses the dynamics very well. The sounds of the violins and the impact it has when it becomes louder and softer is touching. The solo violin in the middle of the song is a great tune. You can also feel the mood of the arrival of spring time, which is what this song is based on. It is an early example of program music, using instrumental music to depict words, ideas, narrative, or story that aren’t exactly
The String Quartet in C Minor, Mvmt IV by Ludwig van Beethoven was composed from 1798-1800. It consists of four movements: Allegro ma non tanto – fast lively tempo, Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto - moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto, Menuetto - A graceful, courtly French dance of the Baroque and Classical period with a triple meter and a moderate tempo. It was introduced at the court of Louis XIV. In classical forms such as the symphony or chamber music, the minuet evolved into the more vigorous scherzo. : Allegretto - moderately quick tempo, and slower than allegro but faster than andante (Christiansen, 2005). The instruments that Beethoven uses in the song is two violins: 1st violin and 2d violin, a viola, and a cello (typical string quartet). He also uses the rondo form within this song. The rondo form features a tuneful main theme (A) which returns several times with other themes. This form is really easy to remember because this piece is repeated throughout the song, people can usually recognize its return. Also, because of it...
Before actually going into the analysis of the actual piece itself, background information would be helpful. The composition was written by Bach, and it is part of the sonatas and partitas for solo violin. For this example, Partita II in d minor, movement I, Allemanda, will be discussed. Allemanda, sometimes spelled allemande, derives from German and simply means “dance.” While there are various tempos used, this movement is usually fast, around 120 beats per minute.
Volondat, Pierre-Alain, perf. Variations OP 20. By Clara Schumann. Rec. 15 May 2010. Saphir Productions, 2008. Florida College's Classical Music Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Almost definitely imitating the act of new life waking in the spring soil, Stravinsky starts the haunting introduction to his world-renowned ballet, Rite of Spring, with a high-pitched lone bassoon. The unstable eeriness continues as a horn and a pair of clarinets join in the rubato tempo. Just as everything wakes and bursts into life in spring, so does the piece as more and more instruments join in. Each instrument seems to have a different theme, but seems necessary in portraying the thick texture needed to symbolize the inevitable climactic arrival of Spring. After the orchestra has finished its first outburst and almost all instruments have initially come in, a strange harmonic effect is applied to the viola.
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor is a staple in professional violin literature. The music starts out with the solo violin playing the main theme. It is noted that before Mendelssohn officia...
The music begins by introducing all the fundamental/primary material which the entire movement is based on. In bar 7 the violins play the first theme (in D Major) which includes the two-note descending motive and lasts until bar 25. In the last beat of bar 25 the "famous Mahlerian" major-minor duality becomes evident. The contrasting minor key theme is introduced.
It is also the piece that had enough of an effect to make the evil man go away, in the film, Fantasia. My strongest reaction to this piece, is the warm and chilled feeling I get hearing it. The idea of developing “chilled” bones from music is amazing. I arrived at this certain place, by truly diving into the song. I really listened to it, and could hear the seriousness in the singer’s voice. I could hear and understand the passion that the musicians felt when they pressed the piano’s keyboards. The singing, along with the instruments complimenting, is astonishing. I caught myself listening to this piece during the interview, and I could imagine even an evil monster falling in love with this tune enough to turn good. I felt the drama and power in the singing, and the seriousness in the playing of the
This piece is very familiar to everyone. In all honesty, I have heard this piece in so many places, movies, and tv shows. The opening of this piece is very iconic and grabs attentions from the start because for some reason it has a sound that will make you feel like something scary is going to happen. Since my childhood I remember the sound of this piece but never learned who was the composer until a few years ago. This happens a lot to many people that are not familiarized with the compositions of musicians. This compositions by Bach is very popular. The Toccata and Fugue in D minor is a piece of organ music that was published in 1833. This piece became very popular quick.
Getzinger, Donna. Johnann Sebastian Bach and the art of baroque music. 1st ed. Greensboro: Morgan Reynolds, 2004
Antonio Vivaldi is a famous Italian baroque composer, known by most Suzuki violin students who study his concertos or by audiences everywhere who have heard and love his composition of the Four Seasons. Having grown up as students of the Suzuki Violin Method, we recognize this composer and have experience performing his pieces. In addition to his many concertos written for solo violin, Vivaldi composed many concertos intended to be performed by two solo violins, accompanied by a small orchestra. Because we are both violinists, we chose to analyze the second movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Violins in A minor, RV 522, included in his L’Estro Armonico works.
...ers and the audience. The dramatic nature of this piece alone is something to be reckoned with as it is extremely passionate. The symphony is presented in 4 movements as is common and begins with a Poco Sostenuto- Vivace, followed by a Allegretto movement, Presto movement, and finally ends on an Allegro con brio movement. the central theme of this piece is introduced in the first movement by a flute playing in tripple meter continuously ascending up the scales rising in dynamic contrast, continuing to grow into a louder and more stark contrast between it’s highs and lows. Consistently dance like, the piece is celebratory of its roots buried in historical Austrian music that has been present in the culture for years. The accomplishments of the soldiers for which the piece was composed for are easily told of simply by the energy and power present throughout the piece.
3. BWV in D major. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote four Orchestral Suites. This piece is the second of the five movements that compose his Orchestral suite No. 3. The date it was composed remains unsure, as there is strong evidence that the writing of the piece was done during his years at Köthen, even though the piece is said to have been composed and premiered some years later in Leipzig sometime between 1727 and 1730 by his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, one of his students and himself. Johann Sebastian wrote out the main violin and continuo parts, C.P.E. Bach did the same with the trumpet, oboe, and timpani parts, and Johann Ludwig Krebs, his student, finished with the second viola and violin parts. Regardless the authors of the piece, Johann Sebastian Bach ended up getting all the credit for the piece. Air stands out as one of his most famous and successful pieces of the Baroque period, as well as of his life. The beginning of the piece is one of the most recognizable melodies of the Baroque
Art has always been a way in which humans have shared stories with one another. From the ancient stone age cave drawings chronicling great hunts to modern contemporary paintings such as that of Francis Bacon’s, depicting the turmoil and grief suffered by the troubled mind through the grotesque and haunting creatures that reside within his paintings, us humans have always found a way to describe the world around us and the fascinating and often disturbing stories that lurk around each dark corner, around each shimmering ray of light.
...re was very interesting transitions between the variation, for example, string section plays the variation from low to high, when they reach the highest note, the brass family takes over and continue with the scale and make it more higher. Tremolo style was used in this piece, which is a quick ups and downs stroke mode. The music were very soothing and attracted the audience. Lastly, they end the piece with the same variations that was played at the beginning.
The piece opens with an allegro, minor melody with cymbal crashes and timpani rolls. There is a short pause then a major trill. Harp glissandos then accompany a legato oboe melody, which is repeated with a pizzicato string bass. The melody is then repeated by the whole orchestra. There is a crescendo with the tim...