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Essay on Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue
Essay on Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue
Rhapsody in the blue essay
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George Gershwin, also known as Jacob Gershowitz, was one of the most popular and significant American composers of all time. He was born on September 26, 1898, in Brooklyn NY and died on July 11, 1937, in Hollywood California. Gershwin wrote mostly for the Broadway musical theatre, but he also composed orchestral and piano compositions in which he blended the techniques and forms of classical music with the stylistic nuances and techniques of popular music and jazz. As a composer of jazz, opera and popular songs for stage and screen, many of his works are now standards. Perhaps his most well-known and greatest work is “Rhapsody in Blue”, which at the time was strikingly different than what people were accustomed to. George Gershwin was …show more content…
In 1923, Paul Whiteman asked Gershwin to compose a piece for an upcoming concert- entitled “An Experiment in Modern Music”- at New York’s Aeolian Concert Hall. Legend has it that Gershwin forgot about the request until early January 1924 when he read a newspaper article announcing that the Whiteman concert on February 12 would feature a major new Gershwin composition. Writing at a furious pace in order to meet the deadline, Gershwin composed Rhapsody in Blue, perhaps his best piece of work, in three week’s time. The work is for either symphony orchestra or jazz band and is perhaps the most performed and most recorded orchestral composition of the 20th …show more content…
This piece is an aria that was composed by George Gershwin. In this video, it plays the music while showing different pictures of different scenery. The sound quality of the video is clear, and the video was relaxing to watch. It made me enjoy listening to the music more due to the interesting things to look at while enjoying the music. The pictures in the background relate to the music because they are pictures that were taken during the summer. The piece of music itself is very relaxing and interesting to listen
Sondheim’s music is well-appreciated by many people of all ages. He has won eight Tony’s, more than any other composer. Sondheim sculpted the musicality of musical theatre into what it is today by
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
The music of jazz became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into American mainstream music through dance halls and saloons and later through ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone and clarinet became important and symbolized the “swing-feel” of jazz because of their capability to syncopate and improvise precisely. With the help of the booming recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contributions to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the entire country. Such musicians include composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who heavily influenced the development of early jazz by his unique piano style, his “invention” of musical notation for jazz, and his compositions that have become the core in the jazz repertory. Because the style was new and different and so successful in drawing in large audiences, musicians around the world tried to mimic it. Furthermore, Morton’s masterpieces were the first to show notation for complicated jazz music and thus, formed the basis for standard notation in jazz compositions today.
As a musician, composer, and a college professor at St. Paul, Minnesota University, William C. Banfield talks about how music specifically Rhythm and Blues speaks to the soul and how it is a part of music culture. He explains that this genre combines Pop, Gospel, and Blues which expresses an identity of social consciousness and individuality that opened a door to modern-day artists ranging Pop to Hip-Hop. Banfield says that R&B is more than a genre the music identified with a person's inner plights of their livelihood where there exists a need to break away from the normal mores of society and its trappings. During his years touring as a musician, Banfield personally underwent a change where he understood R&B as a testament to music's tapestry
In the following paper I will be exploring the beginning of Leonard Bernstein's career and his family background. I will also look into the influences he had in his life and look at two pieces that he composed, "Jeremiah Symphony No. 1", and "Candide". My reasons for choosing these two pieces is due to the fact that they are contrasting in genre, one being a symphony with orchestration and the other being an operetta, and that they were written at different stages in Bernstein's life. They both produced a number of responses and displayed his wide range of musical ability.
Copland's growth as a composer followed the important trends of his time. After his return from Paris he worked with jazz rhythms in his "Piano Concerto" (1926).
this paper I will discuss Gershwin’s life as a child and his upbringing and how his music
The first movement is in sonata form - Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso. Strings and horns appear from the distance as if they had been already playing out of earshot. The music gradually intensifies in volume until the final explosion into the first subject. Then this whole process is repeated. The first movement shows a contrast of emotion that seems to return in the recapitulation befor...
Elmer Bernstein was a composer best known for his many soundtracks displayed in movies. Bernstein began his career at a young age and continued composing for five decades. He is praised for his many contributions to the film industry with his “golden touch”. His impact on music is still felt today, and he will always be mourned by friends, family, and especially moviemakers. It is common for artists to be pigeonholed as a composer for just one category, but Elmer refused to accept just one label and decided to wear them all. Bernstein composed for westerns, epics, comedies, and intimate dramas. Every moment in Elmer’s life molded him into a remembered well rounded composer and aspects such as his family, education, and work sent Elmer to
One of the most prominent examples of program music is Richard Strauss’s tone poem Don Quixote. This tone poem tells the story of Miguel de Cevantes Saavedra’s novel The Adventures of Don Quixote. The story of the hero Don Quixote is one of insanity and delusion that Strauss was able to depict very well. Don Quixote was a middle aged man that read too many books about knights and their heroic deeds. This is shown by three different themes given to show Don’s dreams of being a knight. Over time, he read so many books and dreamt of rescuing his ideal woman named Dulcinea from a dragon so many times that his mind was unable to separate his real life from his fantasy world. Strauss chose to depict Dulcinea with a beautiful lyrical melody while the dragon is represented by a loud, low, sustained melody in the tenor and bass tubas. Don’s victory over the dragon is shown by a victory flourish in the flute and oboe. After this melding of his mind occurs, he believes that he is really the knight Don Quixote de la Mancea. From here, he and his side kick Sancho Panza set out into the world to do chivalrous deeds. From here on out, Don is represented by a solo cello voice. When ...
Because of Reich’s extraordinary musical compositions, he has won multiple awards and prizes. Reich won the Pulitzer...
The History and Present State of Virginia was first published in 1705 and it was compromised of four parts: “The History of the First Settlement of Virginia”, “The Natural Productions and Conveniences of the Country”, “The Native Indians, their Religion, Laws, and Customs, in War and Peace” and lastly “The present State of the Country, as to the Polity of the Government, and the Improvements of the Land”. The book first appeared in London and it was three hundred pages of text with fourteen engravings. It was the best source of information on Virginia at its time. The book is formed of Robert Beverley’s personal observations and stories he heard. It also uses borrowed material, both published and unpublished alike, and it relies heavily upon
...s to keep its beautiful array of melody, intensity and control by reminding the audience that it’s still a contemporary and classical piece of work.
The first piece on the program was Polonaise from Eugene Onegin (1878). This piece is from the Romantic period composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikavosky (1840-1893). Very short piece probably around six minutes. The variations and the interesting theme made this piece the most interesting among the other compositions despite the length of this piece, but it was amusing. The piece started with trumpets playing short high notes as an introductory, with the accompaniment of violins playing quick short notes. It sounds like if it was played in a major key, very cheerful and very fast like if the tempo is Vivace. Moreover, trumpets throughout the piece reinforce the harmony. Throughout the piece varies styles were used such as legato (smooth connected style).The texture of this piece is homophonic ( one line of real interest with accompaniment). The rhythm of the piece is really catchy, pretty much predictable; most of the piece variations are centered on the main theme, but it is very pleasing to the ears (consonant).
I was inspired by Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire. I wanted to portray some defining moments of her life in chronological order instead of the order events were revealed in the play. The first portion of my video is a lyrical piano accompanied by mostly smooth, flowing movements. The elegance conveyed here is reminiscent of Blanche’s life of luxury before her husband committed suicide; when everything was right with her life. At the end of this section, the music drastically changes from smooth to choppy. I could not find a piece of music that encompassed both of these aspects, so I sampled pieces from Jaws, the movie, and a piano solo of Gabriel Faure’s “Sicilienne.” As soon as there is a shift in musi, the words “PLEASE DON’T LEAVE” flash