Throughout this course, I have been introduced to numerous new songs and variations of music over the last ten weeks. I’ve chosen three new songs from the selections which stood out to me to compare the musical elements of. These three songs are: “Devil in a New Dress” by Kanye West, “Take the A Train (1962)” by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, and “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift. These songs vary vastly from one another regarding time period, genre, and the style of the performers themselves, so it will be interesting to see their differences and similarities. I will be specifically focusing on the timbre and rhythm of the songs, essentially drawing on the overall sounds and rhythmic factors. Kanye West’s, “Devil in a New Dress” is quite popular …show more content…
This is a classic jazz piece with a consistent pulse driven by the rhythm section (drums and double bass). The walking bass line definitely emphasizes the pulse and provides a strong foundation. It does happen to be in a 4/4 meter like the previous song, but jazz musicians often like to play around with the meter by adding their own variations and also “swinging” the beat. Swing refers to the rhythm in which beats are divided unevenly. This gives it an incredibly distinct “jazz” sound and also shows that the song will be different every time it is played based on the performer’s decisions. This is a key aspect of jazz and is what separates it as a genre. Syncopation goes hand-in-hand with the swing and leads to unusual accents on offbeats or unexpected parts. The tempo can vary per performance as well depending on the musician’s mood and style, but in this case it also sounded moderate. The timbre of this song is significantly rooted in traditional jazz instrumentation, consisting of brass, woodwinds, piano, double bass, and drums. The nature of these being acoustic instruments –rather than electronic—contributes to the rich and warm ensemble sound. This song also features a few soloists such as the alto saxophone and muted trumpet which are their own unique timbres separate from the collective tone. …show more content…
Unlike the other two songs, the beat is driven by a combination of electronic percussive sounds and what sounds like live acoustic percussion. I have seen videos of Taylor’s performances before and she does have a band performing live on some instruments, but there is also a heavy backing track to cover the electronic sounds. This seems to be reflected in her studio recordings as well, seeing as how I can distinguish the sounds within the song. Once again, it is in a 4/4 meter providing a stable structure. The tempo can also be considered moderate, providing a lively and energetic feel. It seems like the idea behind these pop songs is to create something catchy and fun. I believe this song exhibits a variety of rhythmic patterns and catchy percussion elements that drive the song and make it “danceable”. It stays consistent throughout and is also synchronized with the dynamics, adding intensity whenever there are buildups or breakdowns in the music. It does however sound more monotone in the sense that all the instruments and sounds sort of blend together (which would be consistent with contemporary pop). In Kanye’s song, there was a lot less going on in the music which made the sounds that came out much more distinguishable and gave it depth. In “Take the A Train”, we also hear very separate layers as if you could break it down by section. The
Chopin takes death from an abuse standpoint, to relief, and back to total horror for the wife. Dickinson describes death as riding into deaths door. Poe brings one into death with the torture of misadventure. Keats addresses death with all his fears of death and the things he wishes he had accomplished in his young life befo... ... middle of paper ... ...kinson, E. (2007). Because I could not stop death. In E. Barrosse, Ed. Literature READING FICTION, POETRY, and DRAMA (6th ed. p. 810). New York
American Romanticism in The Scarlet Letter, The Minister's Black Veil, and Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne took elements of the European romanticism and reshaped them into a new literary form that is called American Romanticism. "The American Romanticists created a form that, at first glance, seems ancient and traditional; they borrowed from classical romance, adapted pastoral themes and incorporated Gothic elements" (Reuben 22). Some of the definable elements of romanticism combined
A description of his party states, “ On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains” (Fitzgerald 39). This signifies that Gatsby’s has so much money that even the most fanciest cars he has, he uses them like taxis for people who attend his party. The numerous amount of parties Gatsby hosts also represent materialism. An article
The Traditions and Holidays of Great Britain Every nation and every country has its own traditions and customs. Traditions make a nation special. Some of them are old-fashioned and many people remember them, others are part of peopleÂ’s life. Some British customs and traditions are known all the world. From Scotland to Cornwall, Britain is full of customs and traditions. A lot of them have very long histories. Some are funny and some are strange. But they are all interesting. There is
Construction of Holmes’s World’s Fair Hotel, or better known as “The Murder Castle” in modern times, began in 1890. The building consisted of over 60 rooms and 51 oddly cut doors. By Holmes’s request, new construction workers were brought in each week so no one would know the exact layout besides him, and he refused to pay for any of the labor or materials used. Holmes used his intelligence and carefully contemplated every action to make sure it would be virtually impossible for anyone to catch
Lust, Violence, and Death in Paradise Lost Images and allusions to sex and death are intermingled throughout John Milton's Paradise Lost. The character of Satan serves as not only an embodiment of death and sin, but also insatiated sexual lust. The combination of sex and lust has significant philosophical implications, especially in relation to themes of creation, destruction, and the nature of existence. Milton, in Paradise Lost, establishes that with sex, as with religion, he is of no particular
THE BOX IS FULL OF STARS BUT THEY AREN’T THE KIND OF STARS YOU CAN MAKE WISHES ON It is a cold day and the sky is gray and all of the benches look like they would be wet if you sat on them. Jimmy’s sitting Indian style on the carpet in our living room and he’s got all of the curtains drawn tight so that you can’t even see the sky anymore. Jimmy doesn’t look up when I walk in, he keeps on sitting with his eyes closed and humming at the top of his voice. Jimmy keeps humming some kind of indistinguishable
March 2003. Lee, Richard. "Gates of Fire." Solander: The Magazine of the Historical Novel Society (2000). Lefkowitz, Mary. "You Are There." New York Times 1 November 1998. Pressfield, Steven. "About Steven Pressfield." 17 February 2010. Steven Pressfield-Offical Website. 20 February 2010 . —. Gates of fire: an epic novel of the Battle of Thermopylae. New York: Random House Inc, 1999.
Time Zone are the three climate zones in Indonesia. Indonesia is geographically located between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Its area is slightly less than three times the state of Texas. Indonesia borders East Timor, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea. The climates in this country are tropical humid and tends to be more moderate in the highlands. Petroleum, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soil, gold, and silver are Indonesia’s natural resources. There are occasional floods
Dream, he depicts its’ beauty and irresistible lure”(Bewley 113). Through Gatsby's downfall, Fitzgerald expresses the futility and agony of the pursuit of the dream. The aspects of the American Dream are evident throughout Fitzgerald's narrative. Take, for example, James Gatz's heavenly, almost unbelievable rise from "beating his way along the south shore of Lake Superior as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher" (Fitzgerald 95) to the great, i.e. excessive, Gatsby, housed in "a colossal affair by any
The Taming of the Shrew is a Shakespearian dramatic comedy, focusing on the popular subject of the ‘shrew’, who were women considered to be ‘bad tempered’. This has caused a lot of controversy especially during the 20th and 21st centuries due to the emergence of feminism. This has created many different views on how women are presented in the play. Feminist literary criticism is literary criticism informed by feminist theory. In the simplest terms, ‘feminist literary criticism is concerned with
Kirberger, eds. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III. Deerfield Beach, Florida: Health Communications, Inc., 2000. Haskins, James S. Always Movin’ On. New York: Franklin Watts, 1976. Hendrick, George, and Hendrick, Willene, eds. Carl Sandburg, Selected Poems. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1996. Washington, Peter, eds. Poe: Poems and Prose. New York: Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets, 1995. Wilson, James Southwall. A Summary of Facts Known About Poe. Edgar Allan Poe Museum: 30 Movember 2000
watered down in his life and are not to be watered down in the lives of future generations. He calls everyone everywhere to lead peaceful, loving lives. It is evident not only in what he did, but who he was. Works Cited Chadha, Yogesh. Gandhi. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. Gandhi. Dir. Richard Attenborough. With Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, and Martin Sheen. Columbia Pictures, 1982. Gandhi, Mohandas K. The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Beacon Press, 1963. The Higher
following decades talk trash about rock ‘n’ roll music. Despite the people talking trash about rock music, the music did help break down racial barriers. Rock music was universal. The music allowed different races to join together on the dance floor. As we take a journey through the 1950s, we will be able to understand the roots of Rock ‘n’ roll, famous idols, fashion sense the music created, and why rock ‘n roll has stirred up so much controversy during the fifties. Before we explore The Birth of rock ‘n’
answers the phone. I sound bewildered. Jackie, he states, is getting the boys ready and packed, the apartment cleaned out, she's still working at the law office, she's busy. When I ask this man who he is, he laughs. "Who, me? Friend, I'm the new husband." Jackie waves to me as she pulls her car onto Las Vegas Boulevard. The slot machines inside the Sahara's casino are chattering like drugged children. I feel unclean, as though I have been bitten by something contagious. At the casino's