Music Analysis: The Stars And Stripes Forever

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The Stars and Stripes Forever
The ‘Stars and Stripes Forever’ is a march by an American composer Sousa Phillip (Blackburn, 2004). The piece was premiered in 1897. It is one of the famous compositions among the composer’s works. Sousa and his band performed this piece regularly at their concerts. The piece commences with a short, exciting introduction, trailed by three contrasting melodies of different moods. Although Sousa had established his own poetry in the music, the piece is mostly heard in its instrumental structure. In 1987, the piece was nominated as the official march in the United States (Blackburn, 2004).
Short Ride in a Fast Machine
Short Ride in a Fast Machine is an orchestral fanfare composed by John Adams. The piece brings out the excitement and terror of a late-night buzz drive in a sports car. It was produced in 1986 as an introduction for a summer festival assumed by the Pittsburgh Symphony (Blackburn, 2004). Since then, the piece has been one of the composer’s most frequently performed compositions. …show more content…

It is a masterwork of minimalism, a compositional style that entails the curling of compact, melodic motifs and repetitive rhythms into a complex web of musical texture. For instance, the piece opens with the flute motif that is neither similar to that of the woodblock that merges moments later, nor related to the motif produced by brass instruments that trails. However, the three patterns produce an atmosphere of excitement and energy, with a catching musical motive that propels the audience into the core of the composition. In addition, use of the orchestra by the composer produces more colour than is observed in minimalist

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