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The influence of classical music
Importance of classical music during the classical period
The influence of classical music
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Antonio Stradivari, the most famous violin-maker in all the human world, was a favorite of both the god of Delos, the fair Apollo, and of the trickster god, Hermes. His creations sang with the lilt of dance and with the song of birds; many of the Olympians would stop their affairs to listen for even a hint of Stradivari's sound. In short time, it came to be that both Apollo and Hermes would covet a violin from the luthier and both came down in their human forms one day to make their request of him.
But such was the rivalry between Apollo and Hermes that they demanded Stradivari make only one violin and give it to only one of them; neither god would dare own a violin lest it be one-of-a-kind and of the utmost quality. Though Apollo was the god of music and felt he deserved such an illustrious instrument, Hermes sought revenge for Apollo's lyre, which he felt should be rightfully his. Stradivari, unable to choose which god to bestow his craft and knowing that such a choice would only end badly for himself, sent the gods for the rarest materials so that he may craft the most unique, beautiful violin he could ever make. Yet every time the gods would locate and deliver his materials, he would send them right off again for an even rarer alloy or wood, always remarking that he could not fulfill their order unless they consented to his demands.
For years, Stradivari maintained this strategy and was able to make increasingly beautiful violins with his stockpile of priceless ingredients. Every time Apollo or Hermes would play one of Stradivari's violins and be satisfied, Stradivari would shake his head and tell them that the violin was a pittance in comparison with his next creation. Apollo and Hermes, blinded by their competition and ...
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...ke amends for their mistakes. Stradivari's coffin started to shrink around his body while his blood and flesh joined together with the wood of his tomb. His silver hair tied into four glistening strings and Stradivari's body had soon metamorphosed into a shining violin. Hermes lifted a bow onto the strings of the violin and drew out the most glorious and resonant tone ever heard; such was the beauty of the instrument that Apollo wept, forgot his anger and let Hermes keep it.
To this day, many of Stradivarius violins remain in the human world, but only one can resound with the beauty of Stradivari's soul; this one Hermes keeps for himself. But to honor Stradivari's life and to share his gift with the world, Hermes joins with Apollo every night and plays the symphonies of nature; these can be heard in the winds, in the oceans, indeed, in the fabric of everyday life.
Though the figures are not far from each other is height comparison, they seem to contain a distinct amount of difference in other aspects. First of all, they were made from different materials. While the Apollo statue is terracotta, the Aule Metele is of bronze. Generally speaking, the Apollo statue appears in a very symbolical manner in that his features are not well defined in detail while the Aule Metele displays a type of inspiring complexity with detail.
The 17th annual Sphinx Orchestra Finals Competition Concert has changed my perspective on classical music. I fully enjoyed the performance and might even consider going to next year’s performance. The young musician upheld incredible talent and the orchestra was just as unbelievable. I applaud the Sphinx Orchestra for putting on such a miraculous performance that anyone would enjoy a classical concert.
Andris Nelsons continues with a couple more pieces from him and the symphony. The piece titled “The Pines of the Villa Borghese” was performed. The melody brought images of the wizard like sounds from the magical Harry Potter. The piano and clarinet players had a lot of attention on them from the cameras. The two instruments put together a very sophisticated texture and form.
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.
“Follow me, modern musicians, and attribute it to your arts, unknown to antiquity: in these last centuries, Nature, always prodigal of herself, has at last brought forth, after an incubation of twice a thousand years, you, the first true offprints of the Universal Whole. By your harmonizing of various voices, and through your ears, she has whispered of herself, as she i...
In the second part of And the Violins Stopped playing Dymitr Mirga arranges an escape group to Hungary. On their way to Hungary, ...
The idea of gods and goddesses began as far back as the ancient Egyptians, but the ancient Greeks were the first group to form a religion based on gods and goddesses. They believed that the gods and goddesses were not different from humans. Some of the few ways humans were different from gods were that the gods were stronger and lived forever. Since the Greeks believe in many gods, they are Polytheists.
Baroque music is characterized by its development of tonality, elaborate use of ornamentation, application of figured bass, and the expression of single affections. A considerable philosophical current that shaped baroque music is the interest in Renaissance ideas that spawn from ancient Greece and Rome. Ancient Greeks and Romans considered music to be an instrument of communication that could easily stimulate any emotion in its listeners. Therefore, musicians became progressively knowledgeable of the power one’s composition could have on its audiences’ emotions. Because of this, one of the primary goals of baroque art and music was to provoke emotion in the listener, which is closely connected to the “doctrine of affections”. This doctrine, derived from ancient theories of rhetoric and oratory, was the theory that a single piece of art or a single movement of music should express one single emotion. Intrinsically, instead of music reflecting the emotions, composers aspired to cause emotions in the listener. Ma...
Being the son of a professional violinist enabled Vivaldi to meet and learn from outstanding musicians and composers. As a result, alo...
Music has shaped the lives of people throughout history. Even in its earliest forms, music has included use of instruments. One of the oldest musical instruments known is a variation of the flute; the original flute is thought to date back nearly 67,000 years ago. Tonight we are going to move throughout the eras with a history of instrumental music. This concert will begin with the Renaissance Era and continue through time until we have reached modern instrumental music.
The Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Opus 26 is one of the most famous violin concertos over the musical history. It is also considered to be the most renowned work by the German composer Max Bruch. I will begin with a short explanation of why I choose to analyse this piece followed by what makes this piece so remarkable. I will then present the musical context – German Romantic period – in which this piece was composed and discuss how it is representative of this period. Also, I will present briefly the biography of the composer and relate his life and style with this particular piece of music. After, I will explain the basic structure of a concerto, associate it with this violin concerto, and analyse how each movement is related. Then, I will analyse some psychoacoustic parameters of this piece (pitch, dynamics, rhythm, and texture). Finally, I will give my appreciation of this piece in term of beauty, musical expression, and mood.
Introduction The world is changing and so is the style of music. Often people who do not have any musical background might think that classical music is boring and only for more mature audiences. In fact, the sales of traditional Western classical music albums are decreasing and many symphony orchestras and operas are struggling to find endowments and audiences. It is considered that classical music today occupies a position similar to that of religion, as a form of art rather than entertainment or just a background noise (Johnson, 2002). Unlike popular music, classical music may be more sophisticated and complex in its form.
In Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the three men Basilio, Cherubino, and the Count romantically pursue Figaro’s fiancée, Susanna. This combination of romantic feelings comes to a head in the trio “Cosa sento.” Mozart distinguishes the three characters not only through their respective tessituras, but with their three different musical textures as well. Basilio, a tenor, sings in a way that makes him sound innocent and beguiling. The Count sings in a bass’s tessitura, giving his music a powerful and noble sound.
The novella Death in Venice by Thomas Mann describes the journey of an older German writer, Gustav Aschenbach, who comes to Venice on vacation and falls deliriously in love with a young boy. This love, and the obsession it culminates in lead to the demise of the writer. Mann’s story seems to be about an ill-fated love but in truth it tells a tale of a man who goes from total control of his life and his being to an irrational creature who is controlled by wild emotions that he will eventually succumb to. Such a story line perfectly illustrates the differences between the two Greek gods of art and how people can fall under the influence of each. Both Apollo and Dyonisis are gods of creativity and art in the Greek world yet they have such different
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.