Music can be expressed in different ways for many people. Often today people just listen to music without any of the context that the composers put into their songs when they wrote it. I will be comparing the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 First Movement that was composed before 1721, and Once Upon Another Time written by Sara Bareilles that was written in 2012. Despite the different genre and time period, these works have quite a few similarities and differences that make both songs fascinating. Despite being written in different time periods, the two songs both have important musical elements that I will be comparing and contrasting.
The first musical element that I will compare and contrast is the rhythm in the two pieces. Rhythm is a very important aspect to music because it helps set the beat and overall structure of a piece. For example, in the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 First Movement the piece immediately starts with sixteenth notes from the violin section. The sixteenth notes help drive the piece along, but because of the fast pace of the sixteenth notes, the rest of the orchestra, harp, and flute are playing quarter and eighth notes while the violins are playing the sixteenth notes. This switches throughout the piece as each section has their section of sixteenth notes. Those not playing the sixteenth notes help those who are, and help them keep a steady beat, but it helps everyone as a whole stay together and play as one. In comparison to Once Upon Another Time by Sara Bareilles, this song uses different rhythms. Bareilles mainly uses quarter, eighth notes, and half notes. The song immediately begins with an eighth note that is tied into a quarter note. This song includes many slur...
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...th Bach's classic work and Bareilles brilliant song were an enjoyable piece. The Brandenburg truly just takes the listener along. With the three contrasting performances by the flute, violin, and most particularly the harpsichord, the Brandenburg delivers a pleasant listening experience. In addition, Sara Bareilles Once Upon Another Time is also a delightful piece. The peaceful and relaxing tone takes you along a journey down a deep an emotional path. The song highlights a beautiful signer in Bareilles. The two composers were able to create wonderful compositions that are similar and different in a variety of musical elements. This just shows no matter what time period a song is written in they are all similar in some way. The musical elements chosen by Bach and Bareilles really helped bring out their work of art allowing people to enjoy their compositions forever.
In terms of the technical differences between the art music of early times and that of the modern period (i.e., after 1600) we can identify five specific features that make post-1600 styles in music sound more or less "familiar."
This does not make up for the lack of other poetic elements, and the simplicity of the writing. The differences between the two pieces is still very vass. The two pieces have two totally different objectives, which makes them have different writing styles. Claire Dederer writes “Song lyrics do a fine imitation of poetry, but they’re not quite the same thing. Lyrics are a vessel, designed to hold a singer’s voice.
Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven both flourished in their compositions of classical music; however, their genre of music differed considerably. Bach was a German composer during the Baroque time era of western music which is estimated to have taken place during 1600 to 1750. It was during this time that he composed prolific church organ music which included such works as the Mass in B Minor, much scared choral music, and the St. Matthew Passion, as well as composing over a thousand works in nearly every musical genre except opera. On the other hand, Beethoven was a German composer whom began to emerge during the classical era of western music twenty years after Bach. This era took place throughout the years1750 and 1830. The large quantity of arrangements, over two hundred works in numerous musical genres composed by Beethoven was significantly influenced by his predecessors, onset of deafness, and his highly personal expression of intellectual depth. Such works include the first an...
The silence hangs heavily in the air, creating a single moment where one can feel the weight of the absence of sound. But a lone D cuts through the stillness, a flicker of light amidst black oblivion. It is followed by eleven other notes, a simple melody, but one that will be the very core of one of the greatest musical masterpieces to ever be conceived. This twelve-note melody becomes entwined and enveloped in an intricate accretion of variations, counterpoints, and modified themes, all based on the original twelve-note motif. The entire collection of variations comprises what is considered to be Bach’s most ambitious undertaking, the Art of the Fugue, meant to serve as an intensive study of the fugue as an entity. Already a complex and multifaceted piece, Art of the Fugue gains a whole new level of depth and significance when placed inside its historical context, amidst the story of its creation and the demise of its creator. During the two hundred and fifty years of its existence, Art of the Fugue has acquired quite the reputation, as it has become enshrouded in a web of mystery and mystique. However, when we strip away these layers, the piece retains its magnitude, as the sheer mastery of the piece is enough to merit substantial renown and reverence.
For almost half a century, the musical world was defined by order and esteemed the form of music more highly than the emotion that lay behind it. However, at the turn of the 19th century, romantic music began to rise in popularity. Lasting nearly a century, romantic music rejected the ideas of the classical era and instead encouraged composers to embrace the idea of emotionally driven music. Music was centered around extreme emotions and fantastical stories that rejected the idea of reason. This was the world that Clara Wieck (who would later marry the famous composer, Robert Schumann) was born into. Most well known for being a famous concert pianist, and secondly for being a romantic composer, Clara intimately knew the workings of romantic music which would not only influence Clara but would later become influenced by her progressive compositions and performances, as asserted by Bertita Harding, author of Concerto: The Glowing Story of Clara Schumann (Harding, 14). Clara’s musical career is an excellent example of how romantic music changed from virtuosic pieces composed to inspire awe at a performer’s talent, to more serious and nuanced pieces of music that valued the emotion of the listener above all else.
Bach used time and structure in his work to force his listeners to set themselves inside the narrative. So, while listening, as
According to Rowell, "Musical composition became much longer, and composer were forced to evolve new means of maintaining unity and continuity over long time spans" during the Baroque period. Therefore, the texture of music became very important. When I look at the musical texutre of the Cantata No. 78 by J. S. Bach, I realized that this piece was unified very well within a movement and as a whole piece by many techniques. Some of those techniques were found in the text, and the others were in the music.
...e norms on what artists usually sing about today, it is very appropriate for our era. I enjoy listening to both pieces thoroughly, and find great pleasure in their simplicity. The first time I heard “In Paradisum,” it instantly brought me back to my childhood, when I went to church with my mother and sister. The piece sounded awfully familiar, and served as a soothing reminder of my past. The first time I listened to “Same Love,” I was in my car, listening to the radio. During that time, I was concentrating more on the lyrics. Once the chorus came in, it dawned on me how beautiful the piece was as a whole. Although these pieces might initially seem as though they stand apart and have no similarities whatsoever, with just a little bit of patience and concentration, it becomes clear to one that both pieces have the power to provide total simplicity and peace of mind.
When comparing Baroque era music to any modern day rock band, one most listen to the music with open ears. It is hard to identify the similarities of Baroque music and that of modern day rock. Although, the advances made in music during the Baroque era (1600-1750) are still noticeable in modern day rock. A perfect example of the noticeability of modern rock influenced by Baroque music can be heard in the Baroque music of Johann Sebastian Bach’s, “Brandenburg Concerto No 4 G major BWV 1049”(Classical Vault 2), and modern day rock band, This will destroy you combined instrumental music, “Three legged work horse and there are some” (TheRealConcertKing). Although both compositions show much difference, they are also very similar in the way the music is set up and thought out in music form.
This time, there was vocal accompaniment to the second piece, which clearly made it much different than the other works that I listened to. The Lord Nelson Mass was one that I enjoyed more and I feel that is because of the choir that performed. Although it is not the type of music that I usually listen to, it still has some more similarities than the symphony by Mozart. The Lord Nelson Mass, composed by Haydn, was my favorite performance of the evening.
Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a family of musicians. It was only natural for him to pick up an instrument and excel in it. His father taught him how to play the violin and harpsichord at a very young age. All of Bach’s uncles were professional musicians, one of them; Johann Christoph Bach introduced him to the organ. Bach hit a turning point in his life when both of his parents died at the age of ten years old. Bach’s older brother Johann Christoph Bach took him in and immediately expanded his knowledge in the world of music. He taught him how to play the clavichord and exposed him to great composers at the time. At the age of fourteen, Bach and his good friend George Erdmann were awarded a choral scholarship to the prestigious musical school St. Michael’s in Luneburg. From then on, Bach began to build his career in the music industry. His first two years at the school he sang in the school’s a cappella choir. Historical evidence has shown that Bach at a young age would visit Johanniskirche and would listen to the works of organ player Jasper Johannsen. This was thought to have been the inspiration to Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Studying at the prestigious musical school has help Bach network his way around and become acquaintances’ with some of the best organ players at the time such as Georg Böhm, and Johann Adam Reincken. Through his acquaintance with Böhm and Reincken Bach had access to some of the greatest and finest instruments.
To fully understand any musical style, one must be able to analyze the various elements of music as they exist in that particular style. In this first musical close-up, we shall briefly describe these elements of music. In subsequent musical close-ups, we shall examine one or another of these elements in greater detail as it pertains to a given style or topic.
There are two distinct eras in music that have impacted it immensely throughout time. They are known as the Baroque era and the Classical era. These eras have helped mold and elevate music, building creative pathways that still hold a strong effect in present day music. The differences in both the Baroque and Classical eras are quite immense but they both hold equal importance to the history of music and are high in their overall influential worth.
Johann Sebastian Bach was known as a musical master wrote many amazing masterpieces. One of the lesser known pieces is Bach’s BWV 543, entitled “Prelude and Fugue in A minor” and otherwise nicknamed “The Great.” This music is said not to be a famous piece for organ but does itself justice when compared to his similar and more famous works. The tight structure of the piece intertwined with its highly virtuosic nature is a great example of the influence the Baroque era had on Bach and his musical thought process.
Music Appreciation has broadened my view to listen to different eras of music that I was not accustomed to. It was pleasant listening, reading, and learning about different periods of music. This course has given me an exceptional amount of knowledge on different styles of music, identifying different elements in music as well as learning about legendary composers who have influenced music throughout history. Not only has music been around for decades, it has developed a history of great composers who have left an imprint in history by their extraordinary compositions of music they developed during their times of glory, like Ludwig van Beethoven. In this essay I will discuss how Beethoven is known as one of the greatest, ingenuity composers of his time and how the classical period is so fascinating to listen to and learn about. In addition, I will also discuss how Music Appreciation has reshaped the way I perceive and listen to different styles of music that have been created throughout history.