The first work Xenakis composed for percussion introduced new experimental ideas for percussion ensemble. In 1969, Xenakis composed Persephassa, meaning “the personification of telluric forces and of transmutations of life” (Brown, 17). This composition was an experiment in spatial music, calling for the musicians to surrounded the audience (seen in Figure 1 below). Xenakis thought focused on the treatment of space as a musical parameter, finding that a large array of percussion instruments surrounding the audience would create a unique effect. The instruments in the piece included drums, whistles, pebbles, sirens, cymbals, gongs, woodblocks, maracas and thunder sheets. (Gaillard, 749)
The esteemed percussion sextet, Les Percussions de Strasbourg,
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This piece was easier to understand than its predecessor and as such, became accessible to the growing percussion community and Xenakis’s most popular percussion work. Rebonds did however share the exclusive Xenakis character of sound as Psappha and continued to pushed the boundaries of performer technical limitations that Psappha introduced. Both works are thought to be some of the most powerful and difficult solo percussion pieces in the twentieth century and have become staples in modern percussion recitals. Rebonds is essentially a mandatory study for aspiring percussionists, in part to continue to improve the ambitious musician’s multiple percussion skill-set, but also to understand the piece’s influence in the on-going validation of solo percussion literature. Renown music critic, Jacques Longchampt who was present for the premiere of the work by percussionist Sylvio Gualda, eloquently declared Rebonds as a "immense abstract ritual, a suite of movements and of hammerings without any folkloristic "contamination", pure music full of marvellously efflorescent rhythms, going beyond drama and tempest. A new masterpiece" A masterpiece that has earned its place in concert halls programs around the
Beck, John. Encyclopedia of Percussion. 2nd ed. New York: Taylor and Francis Group, LLC, 2007. Accessed May 15, 2014. http://books.google.com/books?id=8U83AgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false.
A lot of the orchestral percussion instruments originated in Asia Minor. Sometime during the 15th century when people were moving east they carried there instruments with them, some of those instruments just happened to be percussion instruments. Crusaders carried back drums they had found in the Middle East during the crusade. (Jason)
As you can see in the Killers’ version it has straight for music structure from the table above. If we compare this with Paul Anka’s rendition of Mr. Brightside, he does sing all the verses in the same order, and leaves out some words, but on the second time he only sings the second verse. So already, it is clear that Anka is making this his own song. To get a better understanding about where these changes occur, see the list order below:
Ever heard of a story that sings of the “Angel of Music” and the “Phantom of the Opera”? A tale that once you have listened to the sweet melody that you will realized that you've pasted the “Point of No Return”? This love triangle has captivated multitudes ever since the 1910 original Phantom of the Opera was published in France by Monsieur Leroux, although most story lovers recall the musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber or the motion picture adaption. Although this story has been entertaining people for over a century, in this new era have prerecorded voices and movements begun to overshadow the talented performers of live theater? Although “The lavish screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (2005) only deepened the damage” of the dislike of musicals made into film “with non-stars in the leads and an unimaginative production,”(Musical),which version, the live performance or the film, makes the story more attractive? To answer these questions, permit this essay to analyze two methods of storytelling: 2011 live performance Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall and the 2005 film, and decide if music and story lovers everywhere have too “turned from true beauty”.
Ethnomusicology: a short introduction is about describing the growing discipline of how ethnomusicology researchers are going about studying different music from around the world, looking for perceptions in both humanity and music. Ethnomusicologists believe that all people are musical, not just people that label themselves as “musicians” and that there is music in all beings. This thinking causes a lot of debate in which ethnomusicologists argue that we must first study all forms of music such as its Geographic’s and history in order to answer any questions. Not only are traditional forms of music acknowledged but also more contemporary musical forms.
I have been to many different concerts throughout my life but this year I experienced two exceptionally unique ___ that I had never seen before. The first one was a spectacular chamber recital that took place at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed by pianist Yefim Bronfman and violist-violinist Pinchas Zukerman. The program included Schubert's Violin Sonatina No. 2 in A Minor, Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, and Brahms’ Viola Sonata No. 1 in F Minor. The second was a performance by the notable quartet “Anonymous 4” presented by the Universality of Chicago at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. The program included a series of medieval French motets from the 13th Century French polyphony, taken from the Montpellier Codex. The two performances were extremely different in nature and but at the same time very similar in what they were trying to achieve. For instance, while the first concert consisted entirely of an instrumental performance, the other was exclusively vocal. However, both were able to bring to life great examples of iconic artists from our past. I left both c...
I have chosen to write this essay on the drum kit, which is an instrument that I play myself. The drum is one of the oldest instruments known to man and has been used by many cultures around the world. Primitive tribal societies used drums to celebrate victory in battle as well as in ritual dance and worship to the deities. The drum kit (also known as the drum set or trap set), however, is an American invention whose rise was seen in the late 19th century. This is an instrument that has taken the work of several percussionists and turned it into something that can be mastered by one; a phenomenal contraption that has only gotten better with time and continues to develop over the years.
Samba can be heard all throughout Brazil. It is a musical genre accompanied by song and dance that includes an ensemble of percussion instruments and guitar. The puxador (lead singer) initiates the samba, sometimes singing the same song for hours at a time. The responsibility of keeping thousands of voices in time with the drum section rests on his shoulders. Gradually, the other members of the escola (samba group) join in, and with a whistle from the mestre de bateria (percussion conductor) - the most exciting moment of the parade occurs as the percussion section crashes in. The surdos (bass drums) keep the 2 / 4 meter, while caixas (snare drums) and tamborins accent the second beat. This percussion ensemble, referred to as the 'bateria', often i...
Percussion instruments are by far the most dominant of the four major instrument families. There are many different types of cymbals and drums, which are ...
“How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.
The pianist and concert conductor, Christian Zacharias opened the Los Angeles Philharmonic Classical Music concert with a fascinating performance that left the audience in party mood and in happy f...
Based on this, it has become hard to conceptualize Mayan music nowadays without the influences of post Encounter. The Mayan music of present day uses marimba as the most popular instrument. This instrument is believed to have originated from Central Africa in the 16th century and arrived in Guatemala in the 17th century (Oxford Music Online, 2012). One of the most outstanding examples of hybrid in pre and post Encounter is the notion that in some Mayan tribes the marimba is used both as an instrument of music and communicating device (Pellicer, 2005). The marimba gives a revelation of indirect contact existing between Africa and Europe. The quality of hybrid in Mayan music is exhibited in the selections of songs from Olsen and Sheehy (2008). The influence of Mayan musical tradition has been seen in ‘Los Novios. ' The instrumentation involved mirrors the effect of African contact from an indirect perspective while the subject matter of the work mirrors the influence of Roman Catholic. Looking at ‘Los Trece’ there is an integration of the subject matter into sones that Latino musicians have developed from various traditions of pre and post-Encounter. In ‘Amilahani’ however, the traditional Mayan impacts the performance and music in general. Dances are more vivid without any trace of influence from post
Musical concerts are undoubtedly an incredible opportunity to experience a great aesthetic pleasure by listening to the musicians perform in front of your eyes. The power of music can hardly be overestimated – it can transfer a number of messages, thoughts and feelings through the performed sounds. Therefore the one can comprehend the music in the best possible way only when it is heard live. Musical concerts are often revelatory and highly impressive experiences to me. This essay thereby aims to provide my reflections and impressions of the concert of Gregory Porter & the Metropole Orchestra which I had the opportunity to attend in Nashville, TN.
Throughout the semester, various styles of music and the aspects of culture associated with these styles have been analyzed. Musical elements such as dynamics, texture, form, timbre, melody, instruments, etc., have been used to thoroughly explore each kind of music from different areas of the world, with an emphasis in music from Africa, India and Indonesia. These aspects of music go far beyond just music itself. Culture also plays a huge role in music and the accompanying musical elements. Each country and culture has a different style and distinctiveness that add to what makes the music of that certain culture unique. Music in Africa may differ dramatically from music in Indonesia or India not only due to those certain elements but also due to how it is interpreted by people and what it represents for those people. In addition to this, what one may consider music in one culture may not be music to another. These differences have been made apparent in the several demonstrations that we have been exposed to in class.