I like novelty in the music I listen to. Every holiday season, the same songs are played over and over, covered repeatedly but sounding nearly the same. I can appreciate some covers that break the mold, such as Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s holiday rock opera. Yet, the vast majority of holiday music just seems too commercialized and the substance of the original song just seems lost. There are good ways to cover music, such as an artist performing one of their favorite songs, or a song that really inspires them. When it comes to holiday music, I don’t think there is anyone out there who would claim “Jingle Bells” to be the most important song of their lives.
While mainstream holiday music is played out, classical music seems to be getting a different treatment. The most well-known classical Christmas music is, hands down, George Fredrik Handel’s Messiah. Handel was an Italian trained composer who moved to England in 1712 to be the Kapellmeister of King George I. This was a pretty big deal because King George I was the king
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The larger performances seek firstly to be a piece of music to glorify God, with a powerful orchestra accompanied by a booming choir. I would much rather the focus is on the music, and perfecting a more intimate sound. I blame my 9 years of Catholic school for my distaste for overly “churchy” songs, and I prefer smaller performances.
Edward Higgenbottom’s performance, recorded in 2006 and titled Messiah (1751 version) is an excellent example of the reserved and precise variation that I prefer. Even in the resonating and powerful “Hallelujah” scene, the music isn’t overwhelming and the whole choir forms a cohesive voice that fits perfectly with the orchestra in the background. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Sir Thomas Beecham’s version; recorded in 1947 is a prime example of the tradition of creating ever more impressive
During the performance I attended, two pieces were performed. The first was a Mozart piece by the name of Symphony No. 41 or Jupiter. The second and final was the Lord Nelson Mass composed by Joseph Haydn. In this concert, the two performances differed greatly unlike the last performance that I went to. The previous one that I attended had music that all sounded very similar to me. That could just be my lack of experience with American music, especially music that was composed hundreds of years ago. This time, there was vocal accompaniment with the second piece which clearly made it much different than the other works that I listened to. The Lord Nelson Mass was one that I enjoyed more and I feel that is because of the choir that performed. Although it is not the type of music that I usually listen to, it is still has some more similarities than the symphony by Mozart.
American classical music has been innovated with every single passing year, majority of the composers have added their taste and invention to further enhance the crispiness and enchanter the form of classical music. One of the most legendary and prominent composer of classical music is John Adams.
The two stories, “A Christmas Memory” and The Grass Harp are strikingly similar due to the fact that Truman Capote wrote both stories. The settings of both stories are very similar. In The Grass Harp the setting is very sullen: the season is fall, the days are always cloudy, and it is very slow moving in a small southern town. Similarly, “A Christmas Memory” has dismal and sluggish qualities of a southern, rural community in the dead of winter. The first lines of “A Christmas Memory immediately establish the sad scene: “Imagine a morning late in November. A coming of winter more than twenty years ago.” Several elements of the story are parallel: the settings, the nature of the friendships, the rejection by peers, and the characters’ love of nature.
On November 16th, 2013, I attended a concert choir, fall choral concert. This event took place on the Wheaton College Campus, in the Edman Chapel at 7:30 pm. The chapel was well-lit, with long pews for the audience to be seated. The concert began with the audience looking up into a balcony, where the ensemble stood in neat rows. They watched the conductor, who stood on a stage in front of the audience, waiting for their cue.
Both taking place in the nineteenth century Christmas and opera were both reinvented and redefined. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, Christmas was not an event in which people would want to take part in. Throughout the first 26 years of the nineteenth-century, people worked on Christmas and stores were open. There were not magazines or newspapers that referred to December twenty-fifth. From the nineteenth century to the twenty-first major changes occurred that made Christmas an event that people waited for its arrival. It was not until 1826 that people recognized Christmas wasn 't being practiced nor was it being discerned by society. Therefore, it would be implemented that stores would be closed and it became a holiday for workers. This first move to make Christmas an event was the turning point which was then followed by the commercialism of selling material goods. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the creation of Scrooge reminded the upper class to give to the lower class. The Author, Charles Dickens gave caution to society and it was the recognized that Christmas was supposed to be about giving to charity and sharing the wealth among classes. In contrast, opera was much the same as its reinvention was not for it to just to be entertaining but to become an art. The transformation from opera being a social event to became a place were classes of different social standings integrated, where it finally proceeded to grew into an art form, where it could be appreciated for its cultural aspects and pure talent. Opera was not appreciated in the early nineteenth century and by the end, it was soon transformed, becoming appreciated as an art form just as how Christmas not recognized nor celebrated but soon became a large part of modern-day
Between the 1600s and the 1700s, many would think more of Kings or Queens who ruled their vast kingdoms for years upon years rather than a great composer such as Johann Sebastian Bach, a man who greatly contributed to Germany and many other specific regions of Europe during his life. Born in 1685 Eisenach on March 21, Bach was a member of one of the most excellent musical families of all time as, for over 200 years, the Bach family had birthed some of the most superb composers and performers, many supported by churches, the government, and nobles for their extraordinary works ("Wikipedia"). However, having been orphaned so early on, Bach grew up in the home of his brother, Johann Christoph Bach, in Ohrdruf. During his early life, he attended schools of dance, acted as an organist on many occasions, particularly in Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, Weimar, as well as a court music director in Cöthen, and, later in his life, in 1723 to be precise, he became the grand choirmaster of St.Thomas in Leipzig for twenty-seven years and oversaw many events of the school, going so far as to divide the students into four individual choirs and recruiting the talents of the citys professional musicians and university students (pg 1 - 14, Eidam). He continued as a choirmaster until the end of his days, writing various and exquisite pieces that were preformed in front of many audiences, quite a few of which were preformed by those of the four individual choirs he created while he lead them through each piece (pg 1 - 14, Eidam). Though this may not seem as important as the rulings of Kings and Queens at the time, Bach's contribution to his homeland of Germany and its people was mostly certainly memorable and worth consideration. In fact, because of his contr...
...s left with four afflicted fingers on his right hand which deterred him from playing. However, he regained function rapidly. William Cavendish, 3rd Duke of Devonshire asked Handel to go to Dublin to hold benefit concerts for hospitals in 1741. The first performance of Handel’s popular Messiah occurred in 1742 at the New Music Hall. The act of utilizing English soloist met its peak with Samson’s first debut. He wrote Music for the Royal Fireworksin 1749, and 12,000 people were present for the initial performance. He held a benefit concert of his work Messiah to raise money for the Foundling Hospital. This benefit concert was so successful each year a concerts was held to raise money for hospitals. Handel died at home at the age of 74 in 1759. Over three thousand people went to his funeral at Westminster Abbey, and his funeral received complete state honors (George).
Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven both flourished in their compositions of classical music; however, their genre of music differed considerably. Bach was a German composer during the Baroque time era of western music which is estimated to have taken place during 1600 to 1750. It was during this time that he composed prolific church organ music which included such works as the Mass in B Minor, much scared choral music, and the St. Matthew Passion, as well as composing over a thousand works in nearly every musical genre except opera. On the other hand, Beethoven was a German composer whom began to emerge during the classical era of western music twenty years after Bach. This era took place throughout the years1750 and 1830. The large quantity of arrangements, over two hundred works in numerous musical genres composed by Beethoven was significantly influenced by his predecessors, onset of deafness, and his highly personal expression of intellectual depth. Such works include the first an...
German-English composer, George Frederick Handel, is one of the greatest composers of the Baroque period if not of all time. His work, Messiah, is one of the most famous and beloved works of music in the world. During his career in music, Handel composed Italian cantatas, oratorios (like Messiah), Latin Church Music, and several operas. Handel moved around from country to country writing, composing, and producing music for royalty such as Queen Anne and George of Hanover. In his life, Handel mastered several instruments including the violin and the harpsichord.
Christmas, a time of the year to cherish with loved ones where one will search for perfect gifts and hope to receive the same amount of thought back. Some may ask for more extravagant items such as a yacht, decorations from Tiffany’s, and a ring. The catchy tune, “Santa Baby” originally sung by Eartha Kitt requests for these and more in a short, light hearted tune. Other singers such as Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande created covers of the song and, while generally sing the same tune change the tempo and some lyrics to fit their style. In my opinion Taylor Swift blew Kitt and Grande out of the water with her rendition. The usage of honky-tonk style, change of a few words, and tone of her voice surpass the original and other cover. Each version represented itself differently, all while maintaining the same message however, I feel Swift’s performance stood out the best.
For centuries, brilliant composers released their works of music that became important part Christian churches. The result of these music works - a huge number of hymns, oratorios and other musical works. Nowadays, they use the organists and the heads of the church choirs around the world. I have attended one of Christian concerts that I would never attend myself. I have completed eight years of music school playing piano. I do not have any good memories of it for I have never enjoyed it. I was that girl playing piano inform of all teachers and parents with their kids. I have never liked it and I have promised myself that I will never go to that type of a concert. I have attended Mary Grace’s concert at Tacoma
“Reuben, Reuben” was a much happier song and the first of the songs performed in English; however, my favorite pieces were “Water Come-A-Me Eye” and “Great Day!” I especially enjoyed “Water Come-A-Me Eye” because of the percussion instruments that some of the choir members played. Jasmina Begovic kept a steady beat on the maracas and provided a pleasant accompaniment to the melodies of the choir. The other percussion instruments were equally enjoyable and added an element to the song that other songs did not have. “Great Day!” was particularly enjoyable because of the fast-paced rhythm and the energy of the performers. This song had a faster tempo than the other songs and was a great way to conclude the concert. Though it seemed as if the entire concert had picked up speed when the choir sang “Reuben, Reuben,” “Guantanamera,” and “Water Come-A-Me Eye” consecutively, the rhythm eventually slowed down when they performed “Fare You Well,” a traditional American folksong with a rather melancholy sound to it.
George F. Handel was born on February 23, 1685, in Halle, Germany. He composed around 612 known works, including chamber orchestra, arias, organ concertos, cantatas, oratorios and operas. He composed about 46 operas, the most famous of which being Acis and Galatea. The work was just recomissioned and taken up by choreographer Mark Morris. By far his most famous music piece however, was Hallelujah, still around in todays world. He is one of the most influential composers, being tutored by one of the most renowned pianists in the realm. However, he didn't come from the most auspicious beginnings.
George Frideric Handel (23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759), was a German composer who wrote in the late baroque style. From a young age he yearned to become a musician, to his father’s disapproval as it would not be a realistic source of income, in which his father wouldn’t let him own an instrument. His mother on the contrary, supported his decision and encouraged him to practice and develop as a musician. Handel made his first opera debut in 1705 with Almira, after working as a violinist. Handel is best known for his oratorio works such as: Judas Maccabaeus, Samson, and most commonly done: The Messiah. He is also known for his operas such as: Rinaldo, Guilio Cesare, Acis & Galatea, and Semele. In 1737 Handel suffered a stroke and after six
I listened to Messiah composed by George Frideric Handel. This music is well- known as the one of greatest oratorios in the world. In order to listen to this piece deeply, I needed to research about this piece and the composer of Handel. In the research, I could find that Messiah is English –language oratorio that composed in 1741. At that time, most music or oratorios was composed in an ancient language, which is Latin. Therefore, my assumption is that there were only few selected people, who learned the Latin, were able to listen to and enjoy it. However, now, Messiah is translated to many different languages.