Music and sculpture as Depicted in Danny Boy and the Pieta

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There have always been stories and songs to depict the bond between a mother and her child. Every religion, culture, and nation has some form of tradition to express the connection between the two such as the sculpture of the Pieta depicting the bond between the Virgin Mary and her son Jesus; and also the song “Danny Boy”, which can be interpreted as a lament of a mother to her son joining the army. During the Renaissance era one of the greatest sculptures known as The Pieta was created by a young man named Michelangelo Buonarroti. The name “Pieta” is the Italian word for pity. The Renaissance period was a time for cultural growth, an advancement where artists attempted to create a more naturalistic approach to their work. Michelangelo’s Pieta is an example of how the Renaissance period balances the ideals of classical beauty with naturalism (Wikipedia, 2011).

In 1498 the French cardinal Jean Billheres commissioned the Pieta to be constructed from marble as his funeral stone. Although the Pieta was constructed many times before, none compared to that of Michelangelo’s. There were many deliberate changes made. The first difference is the proportion of Mary compared to Jesus. Some believe this is because it is difficult to depict a woman holding the body of a grown man, but Michelangelo’s details in the statue are flawless leading to the possibility that this is no mistake. It is a scene similar to that of Mary holding a baby Jesus in her arms, and maybe there is some symbolism used here. Also, he may have wanted to show how feeble Jesus became during his time of captive. The artist made Mary look at least thirty years younger than what her real age would have been during Christ’s crucifixion. When he was criticized fo...

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... a musical composition, the style, tempo and dynamics can describe a lot about the tune, just the same way does the visual elements of a painting or sculpture. These Principles of Design are a clue into the artists world and reasoning behind their creations.

Works Cited

H2g2. (August 31, 2011). The Legend and History of the song ‘Danny Boy.’ Retrieved on

November 12th, 2011 from http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/A3826136

Robinson, M. (n.d.). Danny Boy-the mystery solved! Retrieved on November 12th, 2011 from

http://www.standingstones.com/dannyboy.html.

St. Peters Basilica.org (n.d.). Chapel of the Pieta. Retrieved on November 8th, 2011 from

http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Altars/Pieta/Pieta.htm

Wikipedia. (2011). Pieta (Michelangelo). Retrieved on November 8th, 2011 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/piet%C3%AO_(Michelangelo)

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