11. Monteverdi, Orfeo, multiple excerpts, but just write one response responding to whatever part you find most interesting.
I chose the “Vi Ricorda” part of the opera since this was an important and interesting part. It is around the beginning of Act II. In the song, Orpheus describes his past misery, but now it has vanished because he found Eurydice. This song also has a strophic setting and the rhyme scheme is organized in an ABBA format. I really liked this song mainly because the tune in the first two stanzas is the same as the last two stanzas, but with different instrumental accompaniment. The instruments and singers provide a nice touch to the song and is very smooth.
12. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto 5
This piece is by Johann Sebastian Bach, was originated in 1710, and finalized in 1721. It is the fifth piece in his Brandenburg Concerti, which is a set of six concertos sent to the Margrave of Brandenburg. They also use a concept of concerti grossi, meaning they are a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and a full orchestra. This specific piece in the first movement uses ritornello, a short instrumental refrain in a piece of work. I absolutely loved this piece and its use of instruments. It made me feel excited and entertained.
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13.
Vivaldi, “Spring” from Four Seasons
This piece is by Antonio Vivaldi and is probably his most famous work. This is actually one of my favorite songs as it uses the dynamics very well. The sounds of the violins and the impact it has when it becomes louder and softer is touching. The solo violin in the middle of the song is a great tune. You can also feel the mood of the arrival of spring time, which is what this song is based on. It is an early example of program music, using instrumental music to depict words, ideas, narrative, or story that aren’t exactly
musical. 14. Bach, Prelude and Fugue from WTC, Book 1 This is another Johann Sebastian Bach piece composed in the early 1720s. It is in the quintessential Baroque genre. It uses lots of polyphony, which is what Bach was known for. A lot of repetition is present in the piece, especially in the prelude piece. It also uses a lot of stretto, which is when statements of the subject are overlapped so that one begins before the other stops. There are manipulations of the fugue subject such as speeding up. I really like the song because there is a nice melody that is present throughout the song and is apt for the piano. 15. Bach, Menuett from Cello Suite #1---skip Professor said to skip this 16. Bach, Cantata “Wachet Auf”---skip Professor said to skip this 17. Handel, “L’angue ofesso” from Julius Caesar This piece was composed by George Frederick Handel. It has repetitive rhythm, a ¾ time signature, and static harmonies. The piece has short text but are repeated so that it lasts longer. An interesting point is that the male character Sesto, who sings this song, was written for a female part, not for a male who sings a soprano voice called a Castro. The song expresses Sesto’s desire to take revenge on his own father. It also uses some similes and is also known as the simile opera. The song has a vibrant and inventive melody that makes it enjoyable to listen to. 18. Handel, Messiah, excerpts, just one response The Messiah piece was also composed by George Frederick Handel in 1742. It is his most famous work and is possibly the most famous work in the entire Baroque period. The song tells the story of Christ. Some techniques it uses are combining aria, which is a long, accompanied song for a solo voice in an opera and recitative secco, a simple harpsichord accompaniment along with orchestral accompaniment. Even though the text is from the Bible, there are no actual characters. Part 1 of the Messiah called “There Were Shepherds Abiding” is interesting to listen to as it has a powerful singer and a nice melody that picks up in the middle of the song. 19. Gluck, “Che Faro” This song is composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck and sung by Kathleen Ferrier who was a mezzo-soprano singer. It is a short response that lies on the same premise as Monterverdi’s Orfeo Opera. Gluck highlights a different aspect than Monteverdi, looking into the psychological struggle before Orfeo sees Eurydice. This song is basically a simple song to show Orfeo’s sadness. The song turns out to be a very important aria in history and the topic of emotional meaning in music. I do not like this song too much because of the tension and sadness in the melody of the song. 20. Mozart, Symphony 40, Mvmt 1 The piece is composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1788. This first movement is in G minor, but the other movements are not necessarily in this key and there are many modulations that take place within this Symphony. In addition, this first movement is in sonata allegro form. The piece is more darker and brooding than other classical pieces, which may mean that it carries a bit of romanticism. This is one of my favorite Mozart pieces because I love the uses of the instruments throughout the pieces. The dynamics that are used provide a nice feel to the song. 21. Haydn, String Quartet “Emperor” Mvmt 2 The piece is composed by Franz Joseph Haydn in 1797. This piece is also known as the “Emperor’s Hymn”. The song is one of the composer’s most famous works. This second movement was written as a tribute to Francis II, the Holy Roman Emperor at the time who later became the Emperor of Austria. An interesting fact is that this song later became the national anthem of Austria and the melody is used as the national anthem of Germany today. That is how much of an effect this song has had. The melody has a lot of feelings of pride and is very uplifting. 22. Mozart, Piano Concerto in A, Mvmt 1 The piece is also composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1786. This first movement is in sonata form, consisting of an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. This form was widely used in the early Classical Period of music. This piece has two expositions, one played by the orchestra and the other by piano. The orchestra plays the first exposition in a more tonal and concise manner. However, the piano plays the second exposition in a modulatory manner. The latter is nicer to listen to than the former because of the modulations. The piano also sounds more melodic which I like about song. 23. Mozart, Marriage of Figaro, excerpt The piece is also composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with lyrics written by Lorenzo Da Ponte in 1786. The story is about two servants, Figaro and Susanna, who succeed in getting married and foil the efforts of their boss, Count Almaviva who tried to make advances toward Susanna. They teach Count a lesson in fidelity. It is one of the most frequently performed operas. The lyrics/story is based off of Pierre Beaumarchais’s stage comedy opera, which was performed in 1784. I like the opera because the music is compatible with the story well and the melody sounds very pretty throughout. 24. Beethoven, Symphony 5, Mvmt 1 This Symphony 5 piece was composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven in 1808. The concert was a really big success. It was recognized for using old motives in new and expressive manner. Overall, the Symphony had a theme of changing keys to signify going from darkness to light or from despair to triumph. Specifically, in Movement 1, the first theme is fate knocking on the door. Then, the second theme starts to become more lyrical featuring a triplet rhythm in the background. There are some exposition repeats and some modulations in other parts of the song which I find very interesting.
5 the 4th movement. Beethoven’s innovation of bigger orchestra’s was a game changer in the Classical Era and he definitely deserves to be ranked as a “Maverick of Sound.” This piece is rumored to be an autobiographical tale of Beethoven losing his hearing and was done in the period’s traditional sonata form. This piece beautifully evoked the mood of what I imagined as Beethoven’s dilemma of “fate knocking at the door.” Everything in this composition is built around the four opening notes. The tempo allegro was brisk and lively. The exposition set the tone with string instruments followed by the entire orchestra repeating in a march-like character. The bridge was similar in mood to the opening and was announced by horns. The recapitulation led to a long coda that punctuated the ending which built to an exciting climax accentuated by a dynamic fortissimo resolution to the frenzied tension. This joyful finale was great fun to listen to and a most excellent way to end the
A sinfonia (Italian for symphony) broadly refers to a number of instrumental works from the Baroque period, including symphonies, sonatas, canzonas, concerti, and Italian opera overtures. Even J.S. Bach titles his “three-part” inventions for harpsichord “Sinfonia”. Torelli’s Sinfonia in D (G.8) is a four-movement “concerto” for trumpet, strings and harpsichord continuo. Unlike a concerto grosso, where a main theme is presented and then reappears in fragments, the main themes of Sinfonia in D are developed rather freely. The second movement (Adagio) is a very short, slow, interlude without trumpet that introduces the third movement (Allegro). Hence, the program shows these two movements as “adagio-allegro” joined together.
It is also the piece that had enough of an effect to make the evil man go away, in the film, Fantasia. My strongest reaction to this piece, is the warm and chilled feeling I get hearing it. The idea of developing “chilled” bones from music is amazing. I arrived at this certain place, by truly diving into the song. I really listened to it, and could hear the seriousness in the singer’s voice. I could hear and understand the passion that the musicians felt when they pressed the piano’s keyboards. The singing, along with the instruments complimenting, is astonishing. I caught myself listening to this piece during the interview, and I could imagine even an evil monster falling in love with this tune enough to turn good. I felt the drama and power in the singing, and the seriousness in the playing of the
...ers and the audience. The dramatic nature of this piece alone is something to be reckoned with as it is extremely passionate. The symphony is presented in 4 movements as is common and begins with a Poco Sostenuto- Vivace, followed by a Allegretto movement, Presto movement, and finally ends on an Allegro con brio movement. the central theme of this piece is introduced in the first movement by a flute playing in tripple meter continuously ascending up the scales rising in dynamic contrast, continuing to grow into a louder and more stark contrast between it’s highs and lows. Consistently dance like, the piece is celebratory of its roots buried in historical Austrian music that has been present in the culture for years. The accomplishments of the soldiers for which the piece was composed for are easily told of simply by the energy and power present throughout the piece.
The String Quartet in C Minor, Mvmt IV by Ludwig van Beethoven was composed from 1798-1800. It consists of four movements: Allegro ma non tanto – fast lively tempo, Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto - moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto, Menuetto - A graceful, courtly French dance of the Baroque and Classical period with a triple meter and a moderate tempo. It was introduced at the court of Louis XIV. In classical forms such as the symphony or chamber music, the minuet evolved into the more vigorous scherzo. : Allegretto - moderately quick tempo, and slower than allegro but faster than andante (Christiansen, 2005). The instruments that Beethoven uses in the song is two violins: 1st violin and 2d violin, a viola, and a cello (typical string quartet). He also uses the rondo form within this song. The rondo form features a tuneful main theme (A) which returns several times with other themes. This form is really easy to remember because this piece is repeated throughout the song, people can usually recognize its return. Also, because of it...
Volondat, Pierre-Alain, perf. Variations OP 20. By Clara Schumann. Rec. 15 May 2010. Saphir Productions, 2008. Florida College's Classical Music Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Before actually going into the analysis of the actual piece itself, background information would be helpful. The composition was written by Bach, and it is part of the sonatas and partitas for solo violin. For this example, Partita II in d minor, movement I, Allemanda, will be discussed. Allemanda, sometimes spelled allemande, derives from German and simply means “dance.” While there are various tempos used, this movement is usually fast, around 120 beats per minute.
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor is a staple in professional violin literature. The music starts out with the solo violin playing the main theme. It is noted that before Mendelssohn officia...
The music begins by introducing all the fundamental/primary material which the entire movement is based on. In bar 7 the violins play the first theme (in D Major) which includes the two-note descending motive and lasts until bar 25. In the last beat of bar 25 the "famous Mahlerian" major-minor duality becomes evident. The contrasting minor key theme is introduced.
This piece is very familiar to everyone. In all honesty, I have heard this piece in so many places, movies, and tv shows. The opening of this piece is very iconic and grabs attentions from the start because for some reason it has a sound that will make you feel like something scary is going to happen. Since my childhood I remember the sound of this piece but never learned who was the composer until a few years ago. This happens a lot to many people that are not familiarized with the compositions of musicians. This compositions by Bach is very popular. The Toccata and Fugue in D minor is a piece of organ music that was published in 1833. This piece became very popular quick.
Getzinger, Donna. Johnann Sebastian Bach and the art of baroque music. 1st ed. Greensboro: Morgan Reynolds, 2004
3. BWV in D major. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote four Orchestral Suites. This piece is the second of the five movements that compose his Orchestral suite No. 3. The date it was composed remains unsure, as there is strong evidence that the writing of the piece was done during his years at Köthen, even though the piece is said to have been composed and premiered some years later in Leipzig sometime between 1727 and 1730 by his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, one of his students and himself. Johann Sebastian wrote out the main violin and continuo parts, C.P.E. Bach did the same with the trumpet, oboe, and timpani parts, and Johann Ludwig Krebs, his student, finished with the second viola and violin parts. Regardless the authors of the piece, Johann Sebastian Bach ended up getting all the credit for the piece. Air stands out as one of his most famous and successful pieces of the Baroque period, as well as of his life. The beginning of the piece is one of the most recognizable melodies of the Baroque
The piece opens with an allegro, minor melody with cymbal crashes and timpani rolls. There is a short pause then a major trill. Harp glissandos then accompany a legato oboe melody, which is repeated with a pizzicato string bass. The melody is then repeated by the whole orchestra. There is a crescendo with the tim...
Art has always been a way in which humans have shared stories with one another. From the ancient stone age cave drawings chronicling great hunts to modern contemporary paintings such as that of Francis Bacon’s, depicting the turmoil and grief suffered by the troubled mind through the grotesque and haunting creatures that reside within his paintings, us humans have always found a way to describe the world around us and the fascinating and often disturbing stories that lurk around each dark corner, around each shimmering ray of light.
...re was very interesting transitions between the variation, for example, string section plays the variation from low to high, when they reach the highest note, the brass family takes over and continue with the scale and make it more higher. Tremolo style was used in this piece, which is a quick ups and downs stroke mode. The music were very soothing and attracted the audience. Lastly, they end the piece with the same variations that was played at the beginning.