If you wonder how long ago music was discovered, just take a minute, and remember that we found proof at dungeons and pyramids in egypt. It showed us carvings on walls which means that people knew about music for a long time. Music has changed over decades but still is a main priority for many people today, such as myself. I personally listen to Electric dance and hip hop music. In this essay i will be introducing two marvelous pieces of music, and explaining a few things about them. The first one is the Gregorian Chant ‘’ Dies Irae ‘’. It has been developed under the direction of Pope Gregory l in the 6th century. It was published during the middle ages which are 476-1100. The second piece that i would like to introduce is ‘’Hallelujah …show more content…
Chorus’’ from the Messiah by G. F. Handel. It was published sometime in the Baroque period which is 1600-1750. Both of the pieces are Religious and are sung by choirs. I compared the two songs and found some similarities and differences. They caught my attention as soon as i discovered them. It was interesting for me to learn about these songs because as i mentioned about my type of music i listened to, these were complete opposite. I actually listened to the words and searched up lyrics for the songs which i never do. Gregorian chant and Hallelujah chorus are religious and have a background of christianity. If you are reading my essay please take my advice and listen to both of the pieces so that way you can understand more about what i am writing. The Hallelujah Chorus is a powerful and memorable song.
Much of the power of the piece lies behind the rhythm of the word Hallelujah.The first note is lengthened and then explodes at the end. We have this HAAAA-le-lu-jah. I feel excited and happy listening to this song. Throughout the song many words are repeated over and over, but notice one thing that the tone level goes up after a word is repeated. I most definitely believe that this song is spiritual because it has sayings from the bible. It Actually made me realize that I've been distancing myself from a higher power. Which i think is incredible because no other music really makes me think of that. Hallelujah Chorus changes textures throughout some parts of the song. The piece begins with homophonic which means melody and harmony together, and it changes through to polyphonic which means many sounds and different entries. That is another great quality of this song which i …show more content…
admire. The Gregorian Chant is a sacred piece.
Monks and Priests are usually the ones to perform it; in palaces and churches. It was first written in Latin but today you can also find a translated version of the song. I listened to both of the versions and for some reason i like the Latin version much more even though i do not understand the language. Something that is very unique with this song is that there are no instruments played, only a choir that sings in monophonic texture. Monophonic means one sound or one voice. in this case it is one sound because there are few people performing it in a loud voice. There is no conductor that is helping them out neither. A conductor is someone that is guiding the choir with hand gestures so that choir is organized. In the Gregorian Chant everyone sings the whole piece together. it is considered to be Liturgy, and is performed at a Mass.The part of the Mass is called the Ordinary. It consisted of five sections: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Deit. The song definitely requires effort and training on the part of a dedicated group of
singers. Thinking about both of these pieces seems to me that spirituality has a big role in both of the songs. Because they are both sung by choirs, and it means that songs such as Gregorian Chant and Hallelujah Chorus are usually performed at churches. If you have listened to the songs on youtube like I asked, than you would understand how much spirituality both of them include. I think one important aspect in life is to gain something and then pass it down to others. Well thats what i am doing today. I did not have too good of a past and spirituality has helped me through the worst moments. At times when you feel at rock bottom ask God for guidance, or if you have done something really bad, God will forgive as long as you admit your mistakes to yourself and learn from them. I don't mean to sound like a preacher but spirituality has helped me throughout life and that is why i wanted to make this point. I am currently taking a music class at Kingsborough Community College.If it was not for this class it wouldn't be realistic for me to find such songs. I actually learned something myself from writing all of this. It is important to be opened minded and try new things because who would ever thought that i would end up liking music like this. I am not the most spiritual person but, i do say my prayers at night from time to time. Music such as Gregorian Chant and Hallelujah Chorus was very inspiring and powerful and made me realize that i need to say my prayers more often. I Suggest everyone to experience all different kinds of music and in general new things in life, because remember you only live once!
Minor keys have a sadder sound than a plain major scale. Minor mode offers nine notes while the major modes are seven. Minor scales and major scales to Gregorian chant are nonexistent. However Gregorian chant is written on a four line staff instead of five lines. The language of the Gregorian chant was Latin. Latin was founded pretty early around fifth century B.C.E and originated in Italy. Latin was survived long after the fall of the Roman Empire. After the Roman Empire the Catholic Church inherited Latin. That then masses kept the language alive. Latin is still heard today and it reminds us that Gregorian chants will always be a great example of Latin. At this time there was no state government but yet the Catholic Church became the most influenced and high leader. Ordinary people across Europe would give ten percent of their earnings to the Church and the church was often exempt from taxation. With a great deal of money and power the church was unstoppable. Gregorian chant is mainly sung in three parts. First, the word for a primary source of interception. Secondly, the melody is conditioned by text and by mutual laws, and lastly the neume designed as the symbolic representation of the musical form is received by the text. These chants in the eleventh century chants were getting notice. Catholicchant.com. says “The Kyrie, Hallelujahs were just a few to
1. Music is a strictly local expression, rich in variety since each culture expresses affective differences through art, 2. Music is a poetic process--complex, vague, and irrational--based upon borrowed traditional musical materials (melodies, rhythms, forms, etc.), 3. Music is for a religious, elitist-class performer who can understand and appreciate its mysterious nature and power, 4. Music is played softly in intimate gatherings, 5. Music making is the activity of Everyman, exacting the talents of variously trained amateurs who, with industry and practice, decorate their recreation and leisure in moments of social intercourse.
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
Overall, I thought the book was very enlightening when it came to the point of revealing the central theme and foundation of these two distinct but also similar types of songs. The spirituals were built on a steadfast belief in God, while the blues ignored God and accepted the joys and sorrows of life. Although they were somewhat different, both partake of the same black experience in the United States. The spirituals and the blues both aided blacks through times of severe hardship and suffering. It was interesting to me to find out how even through oppression, blacks who were considered "believers" and those who were considered "non-believers" remained faithful to the fact that one day, they would beat their oppressors and situation. I liked the book most when it came to the point of identifying that the spirituals and the blues are not songs of despair or defeated people, but represent one of the greatest triumphs of a peoples in the history of the world.
TitleAuthor/ EditorPublisherDate James Galways’ Music in TimeWilliam MannMichael Beazley Publishers1982 The Concise Oxford History of MusicGerald AbrahamOxford University Press1979 Music in Western CivilizationPaul Henry LangW. W. Norton and Company1941 The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Classical MusicRobert AinsleyCarlton Books Limited1995 The Cambridge Music GuideStanley SadieCambridge University Press1985 School text: Western European Orchestral MusicMary AllenHamilton Girls’ High School1999 History of MusicRoy BennettCambridge University Press1982 Classical Music for DummiesDavid PogueIDG Books Worldwide,Inc1997
Religion has been an important part of man’s life. Man has allowed religion to control and influence his life in many different ways, affecting both his behavior and his actions. So its not surprising that music, one of man’s earliest expressive forms, has also been influenced by religion. Religion has had an effect on man’s music all throughout history, from the early Egyptians to even now. So it is only natural that Western music should also have been affected by religion. Western music, and its development by composers, has been strongly influenced by the Christian religion, especially in the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. The music in these periods laid the foundation for all the different types of music we enjoy today.
Taruskin, R., & Taruskin, R. (2010). Music in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
The piece as a whole is very descriptive from the way Hughes talks about “wonderful rhythmical sermon” (Hughes 1), to the way he illustrates the people around then, their actions, and the detailed narration of events. He even goes into detail about his friend Westley who he feels did not find salvation in God, but was so tired of sitting there waiting for something to happen, that he pretends to be saved and that he has seen the light.
Therefore, to endure the pains and sufferings the slaves had to use music. As illustrated above, the advent of music had far reaching results as it encouraged and gave them hope to continue working. The early music composers are the evidence of existence of early music which in turn has shaped today’s music like the blues and pop lyrics. In this case, the culture of the past has been rescued from getting lost.
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.
... lines of each stanza and the “Yes” before most lines. This makes the words really stick to you. I think the song is very affective because all of the comparisons he makes are all so true. I also think because he made the song from different perspectives including the blacks, whites, and the government makes a big difference too. It makes it so that you can rather see what it feels like to be in the different people’s shoes.
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.
Every musical system around the world is a complex cultural phenomenon. The culture underlie a series of concepts which impart the musical system into the other basic cultural activities of the society. It is then defined and conceptualized by the society at large and then ingrained in the cultural phenomena. Thus, in order to fully understand a specific music of a particular culture, we must examine it in its cultural context along its musicological context.
“Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb; Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow.” For centuries “Mary had a little lamb” has become one of the most universally recognized nursery rhythms since being published in 1830. Centuries later it is still one of the most popular songs of the world. Merriam Dictionary defines music as “the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity.” With that in mind, music is found everywhere. Whether it’s in the Great Wall of China to the jungles in Africa, music is found everywhere. The main purpose of this paper is to show that music is in fact a universal language by comparing music with other official languages, showing how music influences emotions and how music literacy and emotions helps people understand music as a language. In order to fully execute my purpose of proving that music is a universal language, I will be focusing on using personal experiences, researching articles and specific musical examples from class.
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.