It is impossible to read a piece of literature exactly the same as another person. Every internal voice reads with a different pace, tone, and attitude, which can slightly alter the interpretation of the same piece of literature. Music, however, has less of an opportunity to be interpreted differently. The vocal influxes and beat of music allow for an audience to understand the music in the tone the producer intends, rather than starting off with a blank slate and trying to determine a genre from just words. Of course, it can still present different meanings to different people, but overall, it limits the amount of interpretation done by the audience. Its genre is predetermined by the creator of the song, which causes the overall message to …show more content…
Anais Mitchell’s musical Hadestown exemplifies how the melodious aspect of music allows the message of “Why We Build the Wall” to change entirely when going from written word to a auditory experience. On paper, Mitchell’s song symbolizes a strong, united community that is confident about its decision to build a wall when they repeatedly sing, “We build the wall to keep us free” (Mitchell l.4). Their short, matter-of-fact statements show no wavering in their decision to build the wall or the reason they choose to build it. However, in the song, it is revealed through their tones and the slow, impending music they sing along to that their emotions are different from the words they are speaking. In unison, on paper, suggests a togetherness that is not heard when sung aloud. Instead, the unsettling tone of complete unison appears to be programmed into the singers can only be detected when performed aloud. No single voice stands above another, removing all sense of individuality, which contradicts the idea of freedom they are singing about. Furthermore, the monotonous tone of the voices does not give off a feeling of happiness, but rather they are trapped in a dystopia but too brainwashed to realize. The inflection in their voices does not change when singing about freedom or poverty, suggesting they have memorized a script rather than believe what they are saying. Mitchell’s songs, …show more content…
The slow beat of Mitchell’s “Why we Build the Wall” reveals the sadness of the song before the lyrics begin which prepares the audience for a sad song. Moreover, the end of the song adds to the feeling of impending doom the tone of the song creates. The slow rhythm continues for an uncomfortably long time after the singing ends at a constant rate, instead of fading out. The feeling of completeness a song typically presents allows the audience to be satisfied with the song, but “Why We Build the Wall” ends with a set of poorly strummed guitar notes that seem to be suggesting the song is not yet over. Then the song ends abruptly, leaving no feeling of resolution for the audience. Mitchell chose how her song was presented, and her choices as an artist presented her message how she wanted it to be seen, therefore controlling the effect the song has on
What is music? Music is a very broad word that can mean and reflect several and different points of view. I don’t know about you, but to my understanding music is freedom of speech in the expression of feelings and emotions. Depending on the type of music base on genre, everyone tends to listen towards what their heart desires. Within the different types of genre, there are artists and bands that explore these genres and paint their points of view on how to express it. Artists such as the Weekend and Romeo Santos are two of my favorite artists that I love to listen on a daily basis, but what makes these artists so special? Romeo Santos and the Weekend may have differences in language, but they have several similarities that stands out to me
Several even try to connect their music to the feelings of their audience. Some of the songs including, Jailhouse Rock, Good Vibrations, Purple Haze and Stayin’ Alive try to use women as the meaning of their songs. In addition, they are used to clarify the point in films of their time and influence an environmental change. Slowly, building into innovative ways to portray music that fits the era they were in. Each song was able to readjust the perception of war and help those forget the scary outcomes war was bringing. Therefore, music adapted by connecting the people as one to their era and providing them a tune that minimized their
The American Civil War was a bitter, grief-filled conflict with oddly musical overtones. A Southern soldier, Alexander Hunter, recalled that “There was music in plenty,” (Lawrence 169) just as Charles Frazier’s character Stobrod in Cold Mountain remarks that “there was so much music back then” (407). While both the Union and the Confederacy placed great import on music, Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier focuses primarily on the Southern perspective of the war, in all of its aspects. Spiritual music gave soldiers hope, gave them something cheerful to listen to after their days of slogging through the grime of human remains, as Inman discovers during his journey. Songs of homecoming and perseverance also strengthened the women, children, and parents left behind, waiting with fearful hopes for the return of their loved ones. Ada’s continual reference to “Wayfaring Stranger” illustrates this point beautifully. Finally, the musical natures of both armies created a bond that otherwise would not have been possible, forming brief alliances among enemies. The impact of music during this period of American history was so great that General Robert E. Lee was heard to say “I don’t believe we can have an army without music” (Wiley qtd. in Waller and Edgington 147). Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain exemplifies this statement, interweaving music throughout the struggles of Ada and Inman, using it as a tool to express emotion and to give a common thread to the broken culture that was the American South. The dissonant harmonies of Civil War-era music both complemented and contrasted itself, creating new forms from old ones and forging bonds where there had been nothing.
[2] After the fifties, Americans were emotionally dead. During the next decade the population would search again for the “grand ideals” of democracy. The American people were looking for something in the 1960’s; they were searching for ideals and dreams. The Sixties were a “time of rebellion, defiance of authority, acting out hopes and dreams. . . a time of reconsidering the way we lived, the way we behaved toward people in this country and abroad” (Zinn in Morgan, ix). During the Sixties people began to take into account American history and began to attempt to redress the past. Perhaps the largest and most influential group in motivating the American people was musicians. They began to put the feeling of America into songs, and they used those songs to fight for what they believed in, from anti-war songs to sexual liberation and free drug use. It was the fight for ...
The Lives of Others experimented with the use of sound as an element to convey narrative structure and did so brilliantly. The use of music is an accomplishment which celebrates the arts as an essential part of our human condition. If our right to express ourselves freely is imposed upon, we can no longer communicate our deepest thoughts and no longer discover that we are all united by the same qualities. Our need for love and companionship transcends our political aspirations or ideological shortcomings. We are human and we need other human in order to give our lives a deeper and richer meaning than just the solitary musings or an ideal world. This film took these ideas and expressed them with a piece of music which was able to break down a wall around a human’s heart and function as a symbol for the greater global instance of the Berlin Wall’s demise.
There are various aspects of our lives and of those there is music. Music is an inextricable part of life. It can be dated back to the most primitive of time. Where there are humans there is some form of music varying from culture to culture. Languages, belief systems and many other variables within a nation have great influence on what is considered music and what’s not music. This is why it is very important when listening to music to consider the context in which it was created in. This will enable you to appreciate the different sounds and musical constructions such as rhythm, melody, harmony and also the lack thereof. American music is fundamentally diverse because of the many ethnicities and subcultures. These attributes of society are also found in other nations around the world. The Middle East, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa are nations of varied ethnic groups whom have expressed their beliefs, culture and other extra musical influences in their music. Through the study of many ethnomusicologists in these regions we can acknowledge and or comprehend the different sounds of music apart from our ethnocentric understanding of music.
In conclusion, many people have different opinions on the large variety of music. There are many to choose from. Most people would greatly prefer some music over others. I am not one to judge for this subject. I like many types. I think music has the same effect on everybody. No matter the
Political issues such as the war on terrorism is evoked as an issue throughout the song. American was divided “All across the alien nation” when troops were sent to Iraq to search for weapons of mass destruction. Metaphorical language was used to explore the issue. Audience positioning from techniques indorse concerns with a country divided and positions them to feel the need to cooperate and sort things out other than civil unrest and debate.
Music is the most diverse form of art in existence. In modern days, some may view music as merely a bass heavy atmospheric tool for a night of clubbing and mischief, but despite this minority perspective, music is by no means purely background noise. Music is not only a beat, a rhythm, melody, lyrics, and a voice; it can change lives.
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.
There is one universal language: the language of music. Music has a special quality and ability to bridge both social and cultural divides. A proposed theory by Dr. Gray, Founder and Director of National Musical Arts’ BioMusic Program; describes music has been around longer than human-beings have. Music is the one thing human beings from various backgrounds can relate to. Every living creature would agree. Music is heard everywhere not just among humans, but in nature as well, through the twitting of birds, winds blowing, the soft sound of raindrops against a windowpane, the ocean waves moving back and forth and the hum of the ocean rushing in a sea shell. There is no escaping it; music lives in and surrounds us steadily. While there are countless songs which confer social or cultural consciousness, this paper will analyze and address the dynamics of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes”, video. Stylistically, the paper will examine the artist point of view, the unique use of lyrical analysis and sound description in relation to its historical, social, political and/or cultural context. This essay will also trace the lyrical analysis and sound description of song and discuss how the elements (visually, sonically, and lyrically) interplay with the theme of immigration and/or violence.
Now music and life are bound up with each other, enough to be called an inextricable connection. Music has been developed by following the human society, and its developmental steps are very similar to the growth of ideology. For example, one concept became a major of society, and then another concept tried to be against the major. In other words, music has many different genres because of the number of major influences such as the Great Depression and technological advances. African-Americans had massive influences on the musical genre.
Since the earliest days of human civilization music has been a key tool for communication of stories which carried emotions through them. If we think back to our youngest years of life music has surrounded us whether it was from our parents singing us lullabies or from some sort of toy that played music we can say that musical melodies have helped shape or lives one way or another. Once we start growing up and figuring out who we are our musical preferences change; some people like classical and some like punk. We start to befriend people who like the same music as us and eventually we may attend a musical event. Our lives somewhat revolve around the music that we listen to.
Not every person is going to have the same taste in music, but why is it that people find a certain genre more appealing than others? A person’s personality and individuality clearly has a large role Research indicates that there is a definite correlation between personality and music preferences (Rentfrow & Gosling p. 1236-1237, Chamorro-Premuzic & Furnham p. 180-183). Those that enthusiastically chose to involve music in their lives will be more open to whatever music findings they come across in their everyday lives. There are also individuals who can play one or more musical instrument(s) and would be considered music lovers. Most of them have started from a young age and as they grew older would spend huge amounts of...
All music has changed tremendously throughout the years. Each generation has several specific songs that defines that generation. Every song has different lyrics that describe the emotions that the artists are feeling. The songs connect to each individual in many different ways. Lyrics to a song is what makes music wonderful. Each song touches someone through ways like teaching a life lesson or touching your heart. Every generation has music that impacts the world by motivating people to do certain things or defines a person’s personality. Each generation has music that defines the generation.